Vernonia airport is a nice grass strip tucked in the mountians
Here's my ride for the week. 477RV
Training in Oregon
Training in Oregon
Kris and I like the Oregon Coast, so deciding where to get some RV training wasn't a tough decision. Seaside was our choice this year. One thing about Oregon....be ready for anything weatherwise.
Vernonia airport is a nice grass strip tucked in the mountians
Here's my ride for the week. 477RV
Vernonia airport is a nice grass strip tucked in the mountians
Here's my ride for the week. 477RV
Brian
Townsend, MT
Townsend, MT
-
Spike
- Chief Rivet Banger
- Posts: 4013
- Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 8:40 pm
- Location: Baltimore, MD
- Contact:
With pictures....
http://www.rivetbangers.com - Now integrating web and mail!
Current Build: 2 years into a beautiful little girl
Current Build: 2 years into a beautiful little girl
-
Bob Barrett
- Class C
- Posts: 625
- Joined: Sat Nov 13, 2004 8:37 pm
- Location: Sartell MN
Haven't figured out the pics from my new Droid.
First day was basic turns decents pattern work stuff. And Mega scud run to get home. Heavy rain fouled the ASI. Winds were 10, but gusts to 28kts..
crosswind! Mike did that landing and worked hard to keep it down.
Todays 1st flight more stalls and pattern work. Hamfisted seems to sum it up but getting better.
More tonight when I have my computer
First day was basic turns decents pattern work stuff. And Mega scud run to get home. Heavy rain fouled the ASI. Winds were 10, but gusts to 28kts..
crosswind! Mike did that landing and worked hard to keep it down.
Todays 1st flight more stalls and pattern work. Hamfisted seems to sum it up but getting better.
More tonight when I have my computer
Brian
Townsend, MT
Townsend, MT
Hey. We get lots of sunshine around here. You just missed the two or three days a year when it happens.Bob Barrett wrote:I didn't know the Sun could shine on that part of Oregon. The day I got traing there is 2000 we could barely see the tops of the mountains to steer around them landing and taking off. The detour on final around the last mountain is a real thriller!
Here's a pic of Mike with Steve another student as the left after lunch.
Not really any picture taking other than the downtime between flights, so you've pretty well seen everything.
Mike is a very thorough and patient instructor. He's making me into a RV pilot...slowly. If I haven't mentioned it before, I'm a little heavy handed and lazy feet. Probably from all that cessna time. The RV flies like nothing I've ever flown. Very responsive, very honest. I have to quit thinking about stick movement and think pressure.
Stalls are a *** cat. Keep the nose straight and release the pressure she'll fly again. be uncoordinated and it will reward you with a wing drop. Power-on stalls point almost straight up but behave nicely.
Mike is demanding, but easy to learn from. I'm finally getting it. 2 more sessions tomorrow.
Not really any picture taking other than the downtime between flights, so you've pretty well seen everything.
Mike is a very thorough and patient instructor. He's making me into a RV pilot...slowly. If I haven't mentioned it before, I'm a little heavy handed and lazy feet. Probably from all that cessna time. The RV flies like nothing I've ever flown. Very responsive, very honest. I have to quit thinking about stick movement and think pressure.
Stalls are a *** cat. Keep the nose straight and release the pressure she'll fly again. be uncoordinated and it will reward you with a wing drop. Power-on stalls point almost straight up but behave nicely.
Mike is demanding, but easy to learn from. I'm finally getting it. 2 more sessions tomorrow.
Brian
Townsend, MT
Townsend, MT
Ok here's the promised update.
A little background first: While I have 40hrs citabria time and a bit of other TW time, I trained as a Cessna/Musketeer driver....and it shows.
I had never flown an RV before this. I did ride in a -6 about 5yrs ago when I was a 10hr student pilot and then in the back seat of a -4 for a little acro 4yrs ago.
I was scheduled for 3 days. Mike likes to do 3 days flying twice each day. I wanted to get 10 hrs or more...whatever was necessary to make me safe and ready. My time slot was 10am and 3pm. Other student, Steve(RV-7) had the 8am and 1pm slots.
Day 1 was a feeling out period for both of us. Mike checking out me and I was checking out 477RV, a fixed pitch 180hp RV-7. We did some normal 30* turns, slow flight, climbs/decents, then 5 or so landings. The controls were very nice, but very sensitive for a gorilla. Lots of authority in every aspect. It flew nose lower than I am used to. I'm 6' 240# and was surprised at the need to add cushion to get my eyes in the correct position. I have hams for fists and lead for feet, so over controlled at every opportunity.
The weather conditions were challenging to say the least. I learned a little scud running that day also. 2.2hrs(short due to weather)
Day 2 was kind of more of the same, but spent most of the time at Scappoose in the pattern. I was tense trying to fix my overcontrol problem, but this didn't help and made me fight it to much. RELAX was the word for the day. I was finally getting better. The weather was better but very gusty on the last flight. 3.5hrs today
Day 3 dawned to the nicest day yet...at the beach where we were staying, but on the drive over things went south. Steve barely got his flight in. Mike and I dodged the trees, clouds and bumps to get to Scappoose. I had a real good first landing and on climbout, Mike mentioned it. I just told him I kept telling myself, "Brian you're here to play the piano, not carry it up the stairs" Seemed to work, as mentally I was ready to caress 477RV. The heavy showers chased us off Scappoose and up to Kelso/Longview again. Here we did no flap landings, engine out, slips, go around, etc. Mike let me make mistakes and then see how I would react to them. Finally says lets head to the barn. more rain and very low visibility to get home. 3.1hrs today
Out of the 6 flights, the ASI quit on 4 of then due to the heavy precip. so Pitch and Power at it's finest. Failed instruments shouldn't be an issue for me.
Mike Seager is a very nice guy. My skill level in the RV was awful at first. He has the patience and ability to figure out what I needed to do to actually learn and progress. I've had several CFI's over the years that are great pilots, but not good instructors. Mike is a GREAT instructor. I highly recommend getting some time with him, no matter what your current ability is. He will make you better in an RV.
8.8hrs logged and was money very well spent. I may even plan a trip back next year in my own RV and do a BFR with him. Thanks Mike!
And here is why I didn't do any other aviation related stuff during my week in Oregon. Our granddaughter is moving to Utah in 2 weeks, so Nana needed to log some kid time. Here's Olivia and Kris near Cannon Beach. we even went to the Zoo in the rain on Saturday. We're in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho now and I'm sneaking this in while they are at the pool....oops here they come gotta go.
A little background first: While I have 40hrs citabria time and a bit of other TW time, I trained as a Cessna/Musketeer driver....and it shows.
I had never flown an RV before this. I did ride in a -6 about 5yrs ago when I was a 10hr student pilot and then in the back seat of a -4 for a little acro 4yrs ago.
I was scheduled for 3 days. Mike likes to do 3 days flying twice each day. I wanted to get 10 hrs or more...whatever was necessary to make me safe and ready. My time slot was 10am and 3pm. Other student, Steve(RV-7) had the 8am and 1pm slots.
Day 1 was a feeling out period for both of us. Mike checking out me and I was checking out 477RV, a fixed pitch 180hp RV-7. We did some normal 30* turns, slow flight, climbs/decents, then 5 or so landings. The controls were very nice, but very sensitive for a gorilla. Lots of authority in every aspect. It flew nose lower than I am used to. I'm 6' 240# and was surprised at the need to add cushion to get my eyes in the correct position. I have hams for fists and lead for feet, so over controlled at every opportunity.
The weather conditions were challenging to say the least. I learned a little scud running that day also. 2.2hrs(short due to weather)Day 2 was kind of more of the same, but spent most of the time at Scappoose in the pattern. I was tense trying to fix my overcontrol problem, but this didn't help and made me fight it to much. RELAX was the word for the day. I was finally getting better. The weather was better but very gusty on the last flight. 3.5hrs today
Day 3 dawned to the nicest day yet...at the beach where we were staying, but on the drive over things went south. Steve barely got his flight in. Mike and I dodged the trees, clouds and bumps to get to Scappoose. I had a real good first landing and on climbout, Mike mentioned it. I just told him I kept telling myself, "Brian you're here to play the piano, not carry it up the stairs" Seemed to work, as mentally I was ready to caress 477RV. The heavy showers chased us off Scappoose and up to Kelso/Longview again. Here we did no flap landings, engine out, slips, go around, etc. Mike let me make mistakes and then see how I would react to them. Finally says lets head to the barn. more rain and very low visibility to get home. 3.1hrs today
Out of the 6 flights, the ASI quit on 4 of then due to the heavy precip. so Pitch and Power at it's finest. Failed instruments shouldn't be an issue for me.
Mike Seager is a very nice guy. My skill level in the RV was awful at first. He has the patience and ability to figure out what I needed to do to actually learn and progress. I've had several CFI's over the years that are great pilots, but not good instructors. Mike is a GREAT instructor. I highly recommend getting some time with him, no matter what your current ability is. He will make you better in an RV.
8.8hrs logged and was money very well spent. I may even plan a trip back next year in my own RV and do a BFR with him. Thanks Mike!
And here is why I didn't do any other aviation related stuff during my week in Oregon. Our granddaughter is moving to Utah in 2 weeks, so Nana needed to log some kid time. Here's Olivia and Kris near Cannon Beach. we even went to the Zoo in the rain on Saturday. We're in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho now and I'm sneaking this in while they are at the pool....oops here they come gotta go.
Brian
Townsend, MT
Townsend, MT
-
Spike
- Chief Rivet Banger
- Posts: 4013
- Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 8:40 pm
- Location: Baltimore, MD
- Contact:
Sounds like a great experience!
http://www.rivetbangers.com - Now integrating web and mail!
Current Build: 2 years into a beautiful little girl
Current Build: 2 years into a beautiful little girl
Nice write-up, Brian! I know Mike is a great guy and I'm looking forward to my own training with him as the time nears.
Hopefully we'll have a chance to get together on your next trip over this way. It looks like your female companions had a great time together, and I'm sure you're looking forward to being able to hop over to Utah in your RV to see the little one!
Keep us posted on your painting, please!
Hopefully we'll have a chance to get together on your next trip over this way. It looks like your female companions had a great time together, and I'm sure you're looking forward to being able to hop over to Utah in your RV to see the little one!
Keep us posted on your painting, please!