This is seriously off-topic, but I know a few of you have an interest in what Randi is doing, at age 14.
Best Regards to everyone, Dave. -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Randi Lesson - 9/3/10 List-Post: krnet@list.krnet.org Date: Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:35:53 -0400 From: Dave Dunwoodie <ddunw...@fnwusers.com> To: Julie Dunwoodie <musetta...@fnwusers.com>, "Jeremy D. Ellwood" <jellw...@ellwood-designs.com>, Anastasia Ellwood <keltiks...@gmail.com>, rwrusch <rwru...@yahoo.com>, Jacob Rusch <jpru...@yahoo.com>, Sean Mahar <lsma...@comcast.net>, Carl Bortels <carlborte...@gmail.com>, nudahun...@aol.com, n...@umich.edu An early morning lesson today, 9AM. Randi ate breakfast first this time, so she was in rare form, ready to take another shot at this helicopter flying business. The R22-HP is out of service right now, so Randi took the R22-Beta II, the "little hot shot" version, a brand new one, with a sexy paint job, and, well, the pictures and videos tell the rest!!! We had gusty winds today, somewhat higher than normal for around here, so I knew she'd have her hands full. Nevertheless, Dennis didn't back-off one iota. A flying curriculum is a flying curriculum. You take the bad with the good. Dennis had some stuff planned, winds or no winds, and Randi had to step up to the plate and perform. Today, Randi performed her first completely unassisted run-up and takeoff, with some seriously gusty crosswinds to deal with. And it was picture perfect!!! (Her mom and I had no idea that Dennis was doing nothing, so we parked right behind the heli during run-up and takeoff. Now is that confidence and faith or what??? Now that I know that Dennis was doing nothing, I'd do it again!) (Randi's mom, Stacey, was asking about the controls, while watching Randi, and then she commented "So you really *do* need both feet and all 3 hands at the same-time!") And today, Randi performed her first completely unassisted full stop (on the ground) landing, in gusty crosswinds - TWICE !!! (GRIN, GRIN!!!) That is an ENORMOUS accomplishment! She got back into the hanger and said "Mommy, Mommy, my hand hurts!" She'd had a 'death grip' on the cyclic, and her right hand was complaining about it! And she was grinning like crazy at the same-time!!! Dennis critiqued her, and told me that her steep approaches are better than her standard ones, and that her landings were "perfect", and then he said "That just ain't right!!!" He also told me that he was "extremely happy" with her work today. That means a lot to a G'Pa!!! And yes, she managed TWO "B" grades again!!! So we went for food and let her take her pick! She had an OUTSTANDING morning! As an aside, Dennis has given only TWO "A" grades throughout his entire teaching career. Randi has an opportunity to change that, and I think she will. She told me this morning that her goal is to be "better than Dennis"... I told her that she just said one of the smartest things I've EVER heard, from ANYBODY! She liked that, and so did I!!! Randi has an "A" from HASS, but not from Dennis. She got it from Dennis' co-instructor, Ginger. Needless to say, getting an "A" from ANY HASS instructor is gonna be tough, if not impossible. Well, Randi has one, so I think we will frame that report card! We are enormously proud of what Randi did today, as well as her overall progress. But beyond that, we are even more happy for *her*, that she's able to do this work, and do it extremely well. And she's planning on being better than Dennis? Now THERE IS A CHALLENGE, but I have this "gut" feeling... Pictures and videos will follow, but they will take a few hours to upload to you. D. (Donna, please forward a copy of this to Randy and Jeff. Tell them that Randi will be watching for them at Maple Grove this coming weekend! Thanks!)
