When You Realize your Best Friend is a GOOD STICK

[Yooper Rocketman]

My best friend/ hangar partner/ fellow Mooniac has not flown for 1 1/2 years due to a crazy medical issuance over the last 10 years that would have cost him over $10k a year for a 9 month medical (3 months tied up in review every year).  And that's for a medical condition the discovering doctor now thinks was a misdiagnosis.  So.... every 3-4 years he was able to convince the VA to perform all the expensive tests and he would fly for 9 months and then go into inactivity again.  Well, he got his BasicMed on Friday and, with his E model down waiting on a MT 3 blade prop (should arrive this month), I checked him out in my Rocket.  He had 38 hours in it over the years, but it's been quite some time since he flew it.  We did same air work and 4 landings.  He greased 3 of them nicely.  I felt totally comfortable with him flying the Rocket without me.

Our neighboring EAA Chapter was having an airport day yesterday and they wanted me to bring the Lancair up, but also wanted the Mooney so I could help with Young Eagle flights.  Steve agreed to fly the Rocket up, and I had a little side trip to Manistique, MI, flying a doctor friend over to Traverse City, MI.  That flight turned a 4 hour drive into a 22 minute flight.  As you can see my fried was pretty happy on the ramp in KTVC  when we arrived.  After that flight I pointed it to Houghton and got up in the flight levels to see if my awesome True Air Speeds in the winter would drop with warmer weather (thankfully they didn't).

I flew the first Young Eagles in the Mooney , showing Steve the tricks to hot starting my Rocket.  We alternated for a couple trips and then he just stayed with the Rocket while I did a couple flights in the Lancair (one Y.E. and a flight for an old friend/customer that is an A&P/IA/PP).  With the exception of his first start, Steve started every time afterwards like he owned the plane.  I WAS IMPRESSED.

We had arranged for fuel and to leave after his last flight when I discovered a group of 8-9 girls sitting on the now quiet ramp, hoping they would still get their airplane ride.  I noticed all the planes with more than 2 seats had left, with just two "2 seaters" left.  I talked with Steve and we decided to grab a plane load each and help get those girls a ride.  The picture below shows them next to the 17 year old pilot (accepted to the Air Force Academy) after they all got their ride.  It's pretty clear they were happy campers!

Steve brought his wife's good camera with a telephoto lens on it and captured some air to air on the way home.  I tried to load them but they wouldn't go.  I will try them later.  

We were two tired pups as we pushed the planes in the hangar, but what a rewarding day!

Tom

Edited August 13, 2017 by Yooper Rocketman
Added Picture

[Ron McBride]

+1 for basic med, My Dr. after the years of a special issuance said "Is that all there is to this, after all the BS every year that we went thru."

Also, I found out that if you send the crap to the FAA, and then recieve your good to go letter, then go to the FAA Dr. and he or she will issue a 12 month medical.  At least you are not loosing the 3 months, every year.

Ron

[Yooper Rocketman]

This site won't let me download the in flight pictures.

Here's a link to the Lancair site which DID allow them to be downloaded.

http://lancairtalk.net/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=3507

Tom

[Yetti]

usually with this site in needs a smaller file size.   I open in paint and resize to 25%  save and upload.

[Yetti]

Good on ya for the girls rides.

[carusoam]

Sometimes having the pictures stored on the iPad makes it easy to down load.  The copy and paste routine doesn't usually work...

Wow, those girls look happy!

Best regards,

-a-

[Seth]

That's Sounds like a great day of flying!

 

-Seth

[steingar]

Spent a  night in Manistique, MI, got weathered in.  Nice place.  Haven't done the YE thing in the Mooney.  The whole security thing really honked me off (folks trust their kids lives to me but the EAA doesn't rust me to keep my hands to myself?) and I can only work the J-bar so many times.  Doing a bunch of short flights all in a row will really do a number on my arm.