Hi to all you KR mad people Yesterday was a very special day for me. After I replaced the damaged propeller ,that I reported about three weeks ago, I decided its time to do it. The day everybody looks forward too. That 1st flight.
I did about twelve fast taxi runs with the tail up over the last three days. Yesterday at 17h15 the wind was on the nose at about 5 mph and runway 01 is uphill. After my run-up checks I went onto the center line and opened the throttle slowly and gradually until it was fully open. At about 60 mph she started dancing and I knew she wanted to fly as much as I wanted to. I pulled back on the stick and took off like a pro. The speed went up to 80 mph and I kept it that speed during the climb. Just as I decided to turn to downwind there was this vibration, almost like a buffeting, stuttering, shaking that took place and I turned towards the field facing downhill, looking for a place to crash. The Kruger National Park was right below me and those Mopani trees are not nice to land in, not to mention the wild animals. But just then it was as smooth as anything when I pulled the throttle back to 75%. On the downwind leg the speed very quickly went up to about 135mph. I turned base and pulled the throttle back. The speed did not want to decrease. On finals I was still sitting at 120 mph. So on medium to short finals I did a side-slip, that worked very well. Went over the fence and numbers at 80 mph. Throttle closed and just flew the main wheels onto the deck. One of the best landings I ever made. Shreg kept on running up the runway as-if it was rocket powered. I was too scared to use the brakes. As soon as the indicated speed went below 40mph I lowered the tail and pulled the stick all the way back before applying brakes. I turned in the loop and taxied back to the apron where a welcoming party was waiting. My legs were jumping and there was no room for blood in my adrenaline filled vanes. I sat in the plane with my friends standing around me, all talking fast, excited and loud. Asking a lot of quistions and they did not know I could not get out. Today the weather is bad and could not attempt another flight but I am still on a high. I could not find the reason for the vibration. The prop bolts are tight. The engine mounting is okay. There is no out of limits mag drop. Regards Willie www.riversafaris.co.za
