AfricanEagle
Registered User
Italy
A little grass field east of Rome. In the hangar mostly gliders, a few microlights, a couple of home builts, a Cessna and the little Piper. The pale blue sky is dotted with clouds bordered with gray, the winter sunrays are low and the shadows long.
Time to play. We pull the little Piper into the sun. Quick check, fuel sufficient. Slow taxi down the strip, oil warming, cold wind and the smell of wet grass and damp earth through the open window. Engine checks.
Take off without flaps, big rudder inputs, keeping straight, airborne. Easy downwind, flaps 1 and 2, low over the little hill, grazing the crops, touchdown, still straight, flaps to 1, full power, off again.
Another lazy circuit, chatting flying stories with Marco sitting in the back. Touch and go, bank immediately, we clear the runway, someone has decided to land the opposite way. We decide to do the same, tear drop and we are on final once more. We touch, keep the tail up, a whiff of power, on two wheels for the length of the runway, throttle full forward, up and away.
300 feet, I start to bank, Marco pulls the power on me. Flaps away, nose up to 60mph, extra height, turn back to the strip. All clear, check speed, slightly high, flaps, full, still a bit high, sideslip right to touch down, power, back into the air.
I’m still telling Marco off for the trick he played on me as we climb out when he does it again. This time we are lower. Flaps off, nose up, tight bank. We can’t make it back. Nose down, speed building up, nearly there, 20feet, 45° to the runway midpoint. Full flap, balloon up, bank nose down, kick straight to align with runway, stick full back, land, stop.
Only 20 minutes, but so much fun.
Time to play. We pull the little Piper into the sun. Quick check, fuel sufficient. Slow taxi down the strip, oil warming, cold wind and the smell of wet grass and damp earth through the open window. Engine checks.
Take off without flaps, big rudder inputs, keeping straight, airborne. Easy downwind, flaps 1 and 2, low over the little hill, grazing the crops, touchdown, still straight, flaps to 1, full power, off again.
Another lazy circuit, chatting flying stories with Marco sitting in the back. Touch and go, bank immediately, we clear the runway, someone has decided to land the opposite way. We decide to do the same, tear drop and we are on final once more. We touch, keep the tail up, a whiff of power, on two wheels for the length of the runway, throttle full forward, up and away.
300 feet, I start to bank, Marco pulls the power on me. Flaps away, nose up to 60mph, extra height, turn back to the strip. All clear, check speed, slightly high, flaps, full, still a bit high, sideslip right to touch down, power, back into the air.
I’m still telling Marco off for the trick he played on me as we climb out when he does it again. This time we are lower. Flaps off, nose up, tight bank. We can’t make it back. Nose down, speed building up, nearly there, 20feet, 45° to the runway midpoint. Full flap, balloon up, bank nose down, kick straight to align with runway, stick full back, land, stop.
Only 20 minutes, but so much fun.
