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Flying Tips and Advice from The Colonel!
TwinOtterFan
Posts: 419
Joined: Sat Feb 22, 2020 5:11 pm
Location: Onoway, AB

Well its a shame your not in Canada anymore....


TwinOtterFan
Posts: 419
Joined: Sat Feb 22, 2020 5:11 pm
Location: Onoway, AB

Colonel wrote:
Sun Mar 22, 2020 2:33 pm
A former student of mine - I think he took an airline job - told me he had an odd
experience with Ornge. They were talking about types flown, and he mentioned
Maule and Pitts. Guy said, Andrew trained you? My former student said cautiously,
yes? Guy said, you're hired.

I'm not completely surprised by this, I've chatted with a few people there, and have heard similar things.
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Colonel
Posts: 2431
Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2020 10:02 pm
Location: Over The Runway

I have trouble believing that, but I will go out and buy a new hat.

In the mean time, here's a cure for your insomnia:

www.pittspecials.com/articles.html
As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.
TwinOtterFan
Posts: 419
Joined: Sat Feb 22, 2020 5:11 pm
Location: Onoway, AB

Colonel wrote:
Sun Mar 22, 2020 10:25 pm
I have trouble believing that, but I will go out and buy a new hat.

In the mean time, here's a cure for your insomnia:

www.pittspecials.com/articles.html
Well buy two hats! I wasn't kidding, and I already found that website this morning. Pretty awesome, 3 generations is amazing, sharing that with family must be great, I only wish I can share aviation with my son the same way one day. I have two children but only one lives with me, he obsessed with rotary at the moment then planes. It's all he plays with.
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Colonel
Posts: 2431
Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2020 10:02 pm
Location: Over The Runway

Actually, four generations of biplane pilots. My grandfather (and his brother) flew biplanes in World War One.

We've been flying for over 100 years.

My son landing on my wing with overlapping fuselage:



Note my technique, landing TPS. I hold it off and the tailwheel actually touches first,
as recommended for the both Pitts and the Maule. This technique decreases the AOA
as the mains come down afterwards, which decreases lift.

My father loved the Pitts and the Sabre, but the -104 was his true love. Here is the
view over his right shoulder:

Image

Below is one of my favourite pictures. I'm issuing my father his L39 type rating:

Image

Oh, another favourite. Me dumping my son inverted out of the Pitts:



People say we don't know very much about aviation, but we sure do have fun!

That's me in the yellow Pitts:

Image

Despite my efforts over the decades to avoid multi-engine aircraft, I ended up
instructing on twin Cessnas. The Americans liked this picture of me flying the
C421B so much, they put it on the front cover:

Image

Looking forward to next year. 400 years in North America, baby! The party will be epic.

https://www.chesterfield.gov/1747/Falli ... works-Park
As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.
TwinOtterFan
Posts: 419
Joined: Sat Feb 22, 2020 5:11 pm
Location: Onoway, AB

Well as stated it looks like you have had quite the career, and to me the family aspect looks amazing, I hope my son still loves planes once he's older, I actually started machining, worked on developing and machining drilling equipment for oil test drilling in Texas, I also worked on some tooling for the astronauts that went up to the Mir station, I still remember the blueprints from NASA! John Glen Division, it was pretty neat. Of course no smart phones while I was doing all that, so no real pics....

From there I went onto robotics, traveled lots programming and trouble shooting automated systems around North America. The '08 recession was nearing and I was also learning emergency medicine, as the recession hit I jumped ship and joined the army as a field medic. I had handed in my request to release in January, but with the current situation and being a medic it was denied. Well I'll call it delayed, which is fine.

Pic of my Grandpa in the War (dispatch rider, on the bike)
49614714_280709429261070_6458338015143002112_n.jpg

My first time at play lol, ten years already.....
90830538_1327784524088706_2697997695414435840_n.jpg

This little beauty was a workhorse for us, about two days after this pic was taken we had 4 traumas and one fatality in the afternoon.
90795540_171325000510473_3820558750515724288_n.jpg
91056776_255679265436758_1373499999748358144_n.jpg

My first flight
90434300_1862580113873317_8264232193853751296_n.jpg

Not as cool as your pics, but I'll get more!
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Colonel
Posts: 2431
Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2020 10:02 pm
Location: Over The Runway

Awesome! Keep taking pictures. Years from now, you will treasure them
and annoy people with them :^)
I actually started machining, worked on developing and machining drilling equipment for oil test drilling in Texas
I did a stint in Houston for GE/Hydril after the whoopsie in the Gulf. They made
these huge BOP offshore drilling rigs which cost half a billion dollars each!

What great food. I must have gained 20 lbs ... Jimmy G's!!
As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.
TwinOtterFan
Posts: 419
Joined: Sat Feb 22, 2020 5:11 pm
Location: Onoway, AB

We did seismic readers, experimental directional drilling heads, and ran production on a handful of parts like bushings for the drill sleeves. A lot of the engineers were ex space engineers which is what got us our contact with NASA. The travel was the best part of being a tech, you would show up to work get your orders they would drive you to the airport, swipe your passport, get on the plane, they would have a rental setup when you landed and a hotel already booked and paid for, with an envelope of cash with that countries currency. We ate like kings everywhere we went.
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