Mike was my instructor at Apple Valley Airport, near Victorville, CA.
It's a small field, nestled between two shallow hills on a sloping valley that is aimed at Apple Valley.
Very much desert terrain ..high altitude (3700ft or so) ..and fairly warm during the summers. That all adds up to a bit longer take-off roll and a bit slower climbout for most planes.
No tower, no nearby controlled airspace (unless you went east towards George AFB ..where the Thuds an Phantoms would give you hell)
We breifed on what I was gonna put 'four-zero-Romeo' thru ..a snaggle-tooth 172 that I liked to fly. Stall recoveries, slow flight, ..we even did a mock power off (Mike pulled the power back while I wasn't looking during climbout shortly after takeoff .. LOL ..I was right back into it and aimed at a nice wide open section of dirt directly ahead..on ideal glide speed and glide slope .. ready to start droppin flaps .. we weren't very high yet
When we got back, I did my usual power off as I passed the numbers and fly the base and final as a glider ..I always tried to put her right on the numbers ..it was a challenge to myself to see how well I could 'fly' .. yanno?
I didn't miss often.
We roll off the first turn off ... Mike unbuckles and steps out .. I grinned from ear-ear .. he says 'I still don't beleive you're not some F-4 jock out here to pull my leg .. but go ahead .. do a coupla touch an goes and then park it' .. I was *jazzed* .. I taxi'd out to EOR, check for traffic both with eyeballs and on local .. announce takin the active .. roll on the power as I get straight on the runway .. and four-zero-Romeo lifted off smartly with back pressure and we went to pattern altitude at best climb speed.
First touch an go .. easy .. it went by much too fast .. second .. almost a yawner .. right by the numbers all the way .. comin downwind for full stop ..
flaps out, trimmed, at downwind speed .. a Maul comes in at 45 and goes right over my head in a steep bank as he joins me on downwind about 75 feet above, he's faster and I slow a bit more to let him get some room ahead of me. Kinda neat .. we both waved at each other.. as we were lookin right at each other ( I had banked when a little when I heard the call that he was comin over me on the radio)
As I pull even with the numbers .. a fast mover calls in on short final ..goin in direct.. I spot the little white bombshell blastin in .. think it was a KR homebuilt ..about the size of your average guy ..those things are *small* ..and FAST. So I keep motoring downwind .. the Maul banks over and heads into final .. I keep goin a bit more ..finally turn on base ..and some tourist in a 182 is flyin opposite pattern, no radio call, and comin right at me.
I go to full power and climb, bankin left to keep him in sight. ..I don't think he ever saw me! .. continues on in to land .. my bank and speed takes me wide of final approach so I maintain my climb to pattern alt offset to the right of runway center over the field.
After passing end of runway, I announce 'four-zero-Romeo entering left downwind .. again . . for full stop runway (whatever it was ..I dont remember
' ..and the rest was uneventful .. came in, parked, went thru shut down procedure, got out .. Mike asked me for my T-shirt .. grr .. it was one of my 'good' ones ..they stapled it to the wall after cuttin the front from the back, along with markin the date I solo'd.
I was 43. My next flight I logged my 8th hour of dual.
To this day Mike thinks I was an f-4 jock from George pullin his leg.
It was an awesome day .. my wife and Mike were watching from the ground all thru it .. wife said of that lil fiasco on the third approach 'Your husband did exactly the right thing .. he always does' .. then he asked her if I really was a new pilot, no bull****, really .. I need to know .. LOL.
-GE (to date I have only logged 18 hours of flight time .. Aeronca Champ, Stearman PT-17, c-172, and TF-51D .. perhaps more will come . . it's been a long dry spell
