Airplane watching
Our ground lesson was delayed today while Cheryl flew up to Cambridge to pick up Linda and a student. Seems one of the engines on the twin they were flying started running poorly.
Luckily, it started running poorly on the ground, which is the best place for that sort of thing.
It was a beautiful afternoon and I was content to sit outside and just watch airplanes come and go, which is something I haven't done in ages.
Christine was sitting there when somebody walked up and offered her a helicopter ride, which was totally cool. We high-fived and she was gone like she was shot out of a cannon.
Me, I just sat there and looked at the clouds.
A champ was working the pattern, doing wheel landings. Then the Champ pilot started bringing it in high and slipping down. There are few things prettier than an old airplane slipping down final on a warm afternoon.
The only thing that would have made it perfect would have been if I was back at the grass airport where I learned how to fly. Or any grass airport for that matter.
I'll always love grass airports. There's something that's just so right about them.
A beautiful Cessna 120 landed and taxied past. It was all gleaming polished aluminium with a simple black stripe and a lovely exhaust note. Simply stunning in the afternoon sun but looking ever so slightly out of place, like the Champ, at busy Anoka County Airport with 4,000 foot concrete runways, miles of taxiways and a control tower.
I love the looks of the little Cessna 120 and 140s but I wouldn't want a polished one. They're gorgeous, for sure, but I don't have the patience to properly polish the finish and keep everything looking shiny. I'd be too busy flying it to keep it clean.
A Piaggio Avanti taxied out, looking bizarre as ever. Not a true canard, it actually has a canard, a main wing and a tail. Looking at one head-on the Avanti always reminded me of a catfish.
They're seriously fast though and sexy as a catfish with two big turboprops facing aft can be.
A Hawker jet taxied in, all full of passengers, purpose and noise. I'd love to get paid to fly a Hawker but they're not much fun when you're sitting there watching airplanes come and go. Too noisy.
Eventually Cheryl taxied up and it was time to start our lesson. Engine-out in the traffic pattern.
I have to admit, my heart wasn't in it. I would have rather sat there and watched more airplanes come and go.
Luckily, it started running poorly on the ground, which is the best place for that sort of thing.
It was a beautiful afternoon and I was content to sit outside and just watch airplanes come and go, which is something I haven't done in ages.
Christine was sitting there when somebody walked up and offered her a helicopter ride, which was totally cool. We high-fived and she was gone like she was shot out of a cannon.
Me, I just sat there and looked at the clouds.
A champ was working the pattern, doing wheel landings. Then the Champ pilot started bringing it in high and slipping down. There are few things prettier than an old airplane slipping down final on a warm afternoon.
The only thing that would have made it perfect would have been if I was back at the grass airport where I learned how to fly. Or any grass airport for that matter.
I'll always love grass airports. There's something that's just so right about them.
A beautiful Cessna 120 landed and taxied past. It was all gleaming polished aluminium with a simple black stripe and a lovely exhaust note. Simply stunning in the afternoon sun but looking ever so slightly out of place, like the Champ, at busy Anoka County Airport with 4,000 foot concrete runways, miles of taxiways and a control tower.
I love the looks of the little Cessna 120 and 140s but I wouldn't want a polished one. They're gorgeous, for sure, but I don't have the patience to properly polish the finish and keep everything looking shiny. I'd be too busy flying it to keep it clean.
A Piaggio Avanti taxied out, looking bizarre as ever. Not a true canard, it actually has a canard, a main wing and a tail. Looking at one head-on the Avanti always reminded me of a catfish.
They're seriously fast though and sexy as a catfish with two big turboprops facing aft can be.
A Hawker jet taxied in, all full of passengers, purpose and noise. I'd love to get paid to fly a Hawker but they're not much fun when you're sitting there watching airplanes come and go. Too noisy.
Eventually Cheryl taxied up and it was time to start our lesson. Engine-out in the traffic pattern.
I have to admit, my heart wasn't in it. I would have rather sat there and watched more airplanes come and go.
posted by Will at 7:51 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home