Today was my first flight from the back seat of a Christen Eagle. This Christen Eagle (N16EE) was built by a bunch of Boeing engineers in 1981 (in about 18 months time). It has always been a group owned aircraft and I was lucky enough to get a share in the group.
The aircraft is hangared in Renton and is in pristine shape. The wings were recovered last year and in general the aircraft is looked after rather well. The group consists of about 10 people of which only 4-5 are active. One of the more active members is Rochelle Oslick, who is an instructor at BEFA (Boeing Employee Flying Association). BEFA is my club as well - and it was nice to have Rochelle guide me through the process of looking at the aircraft and introducing me to the group. Rochelle and John Smutny compete in aerobatic competition in the aircraft. John is the racketball partner of my BEFA Citabria instructor, Will Allen. Will must have said something good about me - because my acceptance in the group was relatively easy, even though I didn't have the requisite 500 hrs for insurance. (The insurance company just required me to do 10 hours of instruction in the airplane, which I would need anyway!).
I first flew the Eagle (from the front seat) with Dave Womeldorff who is the check pilot for the group. This was a familiarization flight to see if I had the "right stuff" to be a member of the group. Dave is one of the original builders of the Eagle and wasn't going to allow just anyone to fly his baby!
I guess I was having too much fun to feel nervous, because Dave seemed to think I was alright as a pilot. That flight was a blast - Dave did two 4 G loops, a roll and a half cuban eight. He allowed me to do some steep turns, a loop, slow flight and stalls. Wow! This airplane was way easier to do aerobatics in than a Citabria. No need to dive to get speed, coordinate stick and rudder to make sure rolls don't dish out. Everything happens so slowly in a Citabria - you have to know what you're doing to do good aerobatics!
We flew in the evening at about 5 pm. Today was one of those rare spring days in the Seattle/Puget Sound area. High cumulus clouds (over 5000 ft) scattered all over the place and we caught some actual sun.
Dave explained the pre-flight as I followed him around. The pre-flight started in the cockpit, looking to make sure the belts were not fouling the controls. Then we turned the master switch on to see if the battery worked. The second step was to make sure the fuel selector was "ON". We looked at the fuel under the panel, where there is a clear fuel line which is calibrated. You can read off the gallons and subract 3 from the total (since the airplane is tilted from the horizontal on its' tailwheel). We looked at the general condition of the wings, looked at the aileron interconnects (the Eagle has 4 ailerons - 2 on each wing). The metal interconnects have a string attached lengthwise so that the airflow cannot cause a resonant vibration and cause flutter.
Then we got out the "calibrated fuel quantity measurement device" which is wooden stick with markings on it. It was put into the fuel tank just behind the engine. The tank holds 16 gallons and we had about 14 gallons. The aircrafts 200 hp IO-360 takes " a gallon every 6 minutes" which is 10 gallons per hour. I found that the aircraft is operated at full power most of the time especially with two up. An hour's flight is all she writes - especially as some of the fuel is unusable.
We looked at the "javelins" which are the posts midway between the flying wires which connect the top and bottom wing. Dave said that the original metal ones were replaced with wood, since the metal would fatigue due to the vibrations. If the javelins fall off the flying wires vibrate crazily and scare the living daylights out of the pilot.
We looked at the usual stuff like the props, fairings, struts and the tail. One thing that you do with the Eagle is twang the flying and landing wires to make sure they make a "thunk" sound. And of course the trim tabs and the tailwheel need to be looked at.
Now I had to make sure that I had the belts laid out in the proper formation so that I would be able to put them on comfortably once I was ensconced in the cockpit with a parachute. This is a five point harness with a ratchet for tightening and a lap belt. The idea is to get your butt in tight in the seat, so that the shoulder belts are relatively loose and don't hurt your back when you are inverted.
Getting into the cockpit is a procedure! One needs to hold on to the purpose built hand hold on the top wing, put your foot on the walk strip on the wing and swing your leg over to stand on the seat. I have size twelve shoes and I had to get special auto racing shoes that are narrow to make sure my feet fit on top of the rudder without fouling cables. Otherwise the cockpit is very roomy, I had a cushion to sit on - and even so my "top knot" cleared the canopy. With it I am about 6 ft 3 inches.
Starting is interesting - the sequence for a normal start is
1. Crack the throttle wide open, mixture at idle cut-off, prop full forward
2. Operate the manual wobble pump till a fuel flow is seen.
3. Close the throttle and open it a squoosh (a "squoosh" is a precise aviation metric).
4. Start the engine using the key - which you shouldn't have forgotten to bring. Otherwise you unhook and do it all over again!
5. Push in the mixture as soon as the engine catches
It took me two tries to start - which isn't bad!
Canopy latching is important, one needs to be careful not hold the canopy from the strut but there is a strong cross member on which to hang on.
Taxiing is a hoot! You can't see much, the aircraft is really low to ground and you feel the wing will touch the tarmac with every dip. Dave's advice is good - keep moving only towards the area you have cleared. A Zenith 701 came by while we were waiting for clearance to cross - I couldn't see him where I was stationary, and had to turn the aircraft to see him. It could hurt you if you didn't clear the path actively. I couldn't find the taxiway on the other side of the runway because I couldn't see it! I had to be prompted by Dave.
Run-up is pretty standard. The best part is that check list in on the back of the cockpit divider. 1700 rpm, mags and prop and we were ready for take off.
Takeoff was in control for me till I raised the tail. I over-controlled on the rudder - it is very sensitive and Dave had to "help" to get us straight. Takeoff distance was short and the climbout at about 100 kt is steep. The noise is quite loud - I had difficulty hearing tower and Dave. The other thing is that the intercom button is below the sill and I had to take my hand of the throttle to talk to Dave and he had to do the same in the front cockpit.
I was at 2000 ft before I knew it and we headed to the Lake Sammamish area. Dave introduced me to the power setting procedure. He asked me to use the mixture control to set a fuel flow which was eventually 10 gph and then go to 24" on the manifold pressure and 2400 rpm on the prop (24 square). The prop control is low near the left hand cockput floor but it is a big knob and I soon got comfortable using it. We were doing about a 160 kts at that setting.
I got to get the picture from the back seat which has much better than from the front. I did some turns include steep 360s to each side. This airplane made it look too easy - it was all I could do not to scare Dave by screaming "yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah" throughout the flight!
I next tried some power off stalls and then Dave selected a road on the ground to act as a simulated runaway. 100 on downwind, 90 on base and 85 (knots) on final were the speeds with a 1000 ft floor. He demonstrated one, then I did one that was too tightly in. I loved the go around, the feeling of power and control is so much more than any of the other aircraft I have been flying. The next one was much better so we went back into the pattern at Renton. We came in straight in and I thought I had it all under control. But I flared a little high, touched down with the tailwheel first (which isn't too bad) and was ok with the rollout. Towards the end I overcontrolled and Dave had to step in.
We taxied back and did the takeoff again. Same result, swerved because I was putting in Citabria like inputs on the rudder. Ironically BEFA's Citabria was in front of us and we had to do a non-standard pattern to follow it and a Cessna 172 doing a 747 circuit. This time I flared too high, knew it - but ran out of ideas on what to do with it. We landed with a bump and Dave took over from there.
We taxied back. I think I was satisfied with the first day flying it and feel confident I can handle it with some more practice. I had the same notion as Dave about what I had to change - and he was very encouraging. Of course he encouraged me to relax too!
Folks - it was B-L-A-S-T!
The aircraft is hangared in Renton and is in pristine shape. The wings were recovered last year and in general the aircraft is looked after rather well. The group consists of about 10 people of which only 4-5 are active. One of the more active members is Rochelle Oslick, who is an instructor at BEFA (Boeing Employee Flying Association). BEFA is my club as well - and it was nice to have Rochelle guide me through the process of looking at the aircraft and introducing me to the group. Rochelle and John Smutny compete in aerobatic competition in the aircraft. John is the racketball partner of my BEFA Citabria instructor, Will Allen. Will must have said something good about me - because my acceptance in the group was relatively easy, even though I didn't have the requisite 500 hrs for insurance. (The insurance company just required me to do 10 hours of instruction in the airplane, which I would need anyway!).
I first flew the Eagle (from the front seat) with Dave Womeldorff who is the check pilot for the group. This was a familiarization flight to see if I had the "right stuff" to be a member of the group. Dave is one of the original builders of the Eagle and wasn't going to allow just anyone to fly his baby!
I guess I was having too much fun to feel nervous, because Dave seemed to think I was alright as a pilot. That flight was a blast - Dave did two 4 G loops, a roll and a half cuban eight. He allowed me to do some steep turns, a loop, slow flight and stalls. Wow! This airplane was way easier to do aerobatics in than a Citabria. No need to dive to get speed, coordinate stick and rudder to make sure rolls don't dish out. Everything happens so slowly in a Citabria - you have to know what you're doing to do good aerobatics!
We flew in the evening at about 5 pm. Today was one of those rare spring days in the Seattle/Puget Sound area. High cumulus clouds (over 5000 ft) scattered all over the place and we caught some actual sun.
Dave explained the pre-flight as I followed him around. The pre-flight started in the cockpit, looking to make sure the belts were not fouling the controls. Then we turned the master switch on to see if the battery worked. The second step was to make sure the fuel selector was "ON". We looked at the fuel under the panel, where there is a clear fuel line which is calibrated. You can read off the gallons and subract 3 from the total (since the airplane is tilted from the horizontal on its' tailwheel). We looked at the general condition of the wings, looked at the aileron interconnects (the Eagle has 4 ailerons - 2 on each wing). The metal interconnects have a string attached lengthwise so that the airflow cannot cause a resonant vibration and cause flutter.
Then we got out the "calibrated fuel quantity measurement device" which is wooden stick with markings on it. It was put into the fuel tank just behind the engine. The tank holds 16 gallons and we had about 14 gallons. The aircrafts 200 hp IO-360 takes " a gallon every 6 minutes" which is 10 gallons per hour. I found that the aircraft is operated at full power most of the time especially with two up. An hour's flight is all she writes - especially as some of the fuel is unusable.
We looked at the "javelins" which are the posts midway between the flying wires which connect the top and bottom wing. Dave said that the original metal ones were replaced with wood, since the metal would fatigue due to the vibrations. If the javelins fall off the flying wires vibrate crazily and scare the living daylights out of the pilot.
We looked at the usual stuff like the props, fairings, struts and the tail. One thing that you do with the Eagle is twang the flying and landing wires to make sure they make a "thunk" sound. And of course the trim tabs and the tailwheel need to be looked at.
Now I had to make sure that I had the belts laid out in the proper formation so that I would be able to put them on comfortably once I was ensconced in the cockpit with a parachute. This is a five point harness with a ratchet for tightening and a lap belt. The idea is to get your butt in tight in the seat, so that the shoulder belts are relatively loose and don't hurt your back when you are inverted.
Getting into the cockpit is a procedure! One needs to hold on to the purpose built hand hold on the top wing, put your foot on the walk strip on the wing and swing your leg over to stand on the seat. I have size twelve shoes and I had to get special auto racing shoes that are narrow to make sure my feet fit on top of the rudder without fouling cables. Otherwise the cockpit is very roomy, I had a cushion to sit on - and even so my "top knot" cleared the canopy. With it I am about 6 ft 3 inches.
Starting is interesting - the sequence for a normal start is
1. Crack the throttle wide open, mixture at idle cut-off, prop full forward
2. Operate the manual wobble pump till a fuel flow is seen.
3. Close the throttle and open it a squoosh (a "squoosh" is a precise aviation metric).
4. Start the engine using the key - which you shouldn't have forgotten to bring. Otherwise you unhook and do it all over again!
5. Push in the mixture as soon as the engine catches
It took me two tries to start - which isn't bad!
Canopy latching is important, one needs to be careful not hold the canopy from the strut but there is a strong cross member on which to hang on.
Taxiing is a hoot! You can't see much, the aircraft is really low to ground and you feel the wing will touch the tarmac with every dip. Dave's advice is good - keep moving only towards the area you have cleared. A Zenith 701 came by while we were waiting for clearance to cross - I couldn't see him where I was stationary, and had to turn the aircraft to see him. It could hurt you if you didn't clear the path actively. I couldn't find the taxiway on the other side of the runway because I couldn't see it! I had to be prompted by Dave.
Run-up is pretty standard. The best part is that check list in on the back of the cockpit divider. 1700 rpm, mags and prop and we were ready for take off.
Takeoff was in control for me till I raised the tail. I over-controlled on the rudder - it is very sensitive and Dave had to "help" to get us straight. Takeoff distance was short and the climbout at about 100 kt is steep. The noise is quite loud - I had difficulty hearing tower and Dave. The other thing is that the intercom button is below the sill and I had to take my hand of the throttle to talk to Dave and he had to do the same in the front cockpit.
I was at 2000 ft before I knew it and we headed to the Lake Sammamish area. Dave introduced me to the power setting procedure. He asked me to use the mixture control to set a fuel flow which was eventually 10 gph and then go to 24" on the manifold pressure and 2400 rpm on the prop (24 square). The prop control is low near the left hand cockput floor but it is a big knob and I soon got comfortable using it. We were doing about a 160 kts at that setting.
I got to get the picture from the back seat which has much better than from the front. I did some turns include steep 360s to each side. This airplane made it look too easy - it was all I could do not to scare Dave by screaming "yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah" throughout the flight!
I next tried some power off stalls and then Dave selected a road on the ground to act as a simulated runaway. 100 on downwind, 90 on base and 85 (knots) on final were the speeds with a 1000 ft floor. He demonstrated one, then I did one that was too tightly in. I loved the go around, the feeling of power and control is so much more than any of the other aircraft I have been flying. The next one was much better so we went back into the pattern at Renton. We came in straight in and I thought I had it all under control. But I flared a little high, touched down with the tailwheel first (which isn't too bad) and was ok with the rollout. Towards the end I overcontrolled and Dave had to step in.
We taxied back and did the takeoff again. Same result, swerved because I was putting in Citabria like inputs on the rudder. Ironically BEFA's Citabria was in front of us and we had to do a non-standard pattern to follow it and a Cessna 172 doing a 747 circuit. This time I flared too high, knew it - but ran out of ideas on what to do with it. We landed with a bump and Dave took over from there.
We taxied back. I think I was satisfied with the first day flying it and feel confident I can handle it with some more practice. I had the same notion as Dave about what I had to change - and he was very encouraging. Of course he encouraged me to relax too!
Folks - it was B-L-A-S-T!
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