Author Topic: Want to guess how I spent Easter? (Read 416 times)

Hortlund · « **Reply #2 on:** April 03, 2002, 05:27:40 AM »

Spit dweeb

-raxx- · « **Reply #3 on:** April 03, 2002, 05:37:29 AM »

Actually it should be P40 Dweeb...

-raxx- · « **Reply #4 on:** April 03, 2002, 05:39:14 AM »

Ok Just one more...

LePaul · « **Reply #5 on:** April 03, 2002, 10:43:39 AM »

AH, Vampire, I've flown in one of those...oh the memories....

I was in the Civil Air Patrol a few years ago, and was asked to bring our brand new Cessna Skyhawk down so the cadets who were driving down could put the airplane on static display, hand out flyers about CAP and the like.

An older gentleman in a black flight suit was fascinated with all the gizmos we had crammed in the new Skyhawk (if you have ever seen a Civil Air Patrol/"military" C-172, you notice LOTS of radios and LOTS of antennas all over the place). The gent asked me what this and that were, and then invited me to check out his plane. Since he had been talking of his love of the Skyhawks, I figured I was destined to see some 1950's era Skyhawk.

Nope.

As I'm walking down the flightline, past Cessnas and other prop birds, we stop in front of a really nice looking Vampire. "This is mine!" he says! Wow. What a neat look jet, kind of a sick mating with a P-38! So as he is showing me around the jet, he tells me that in 2 hours, he is giving a fly by as part of the airshow today, and would love to take me up. Do I wanna go?

Sure!

So, 2 hours later, the guy pages me on the public address to meet at the aircraft. A b-17 is in the traffic pattern doing fly-bys and I'm getting strapped into the Vampire right next to him. As we spool up the engine, I notice several things....a BIG PLACARD that warns to avoid certain engine RPMs for any period of time. I also notice that the Plexy Glass canopy is AMAZINGLY thick!

Anyways, moving on, the Vampire comes to life and the jet starts that lovely, slow whine. Mmmm, intoxicating sound! We taxi the Vampire to the end of the flight line, where about 10 FAA inspectors with clipboards, white shirts and black ties, are making sure everybody is following the rules. It would be a bad day to screw up with this many guys present.

We taxi to the end of the runway and close the canopy. Its very hot and humid, so assume my eldery host is going to take into account that these old jets take a long time to develop RPMs/thrust, and we'll need an extra long run with the density altitude. Oh, boy, was I in for a lesson or two....

OldTard gives the Vampire full power and stands on the brakes for a moment or two, so we can develop full power. He then releases them and I feel myself sink into the seat. As we are rolling down the runway, I'm glancing at the guages (hey, Im a licensed pilot, this is 2nd nature!). As he rotates the Vampire for lift off, I notice we are kinda slow...I would've waited. But not Oldtard. As he tries to nudge the airplane higher (3-4 feet), we are now out of the ground effect. He's already retracted the gear (its in process) and we slam belly first back onto the runway and start sliding down the runway. Now, this is all kind of a blur as it happened...I recall seeig a LOT of dust and watching my right wing bang up and down on the tarmac. While he fights with the controls to lift off again, I've had enough. I reach down, yank the ejection handles and prepare to be 4 feet shorter after trying to punch through all that plexy. Both handles break off the seat, as I sorta wait to be shot out. While my drama is being played out, he manages to bring to nose of the plane up, and we are now off the tarmac, slowly climbing out.

In the coolest, calmest voice I've ever heard, he goes "Oh yea, I had the seats deactivated a few months back"...this while I stare sadly at the ejection handles in my hands.

Now, on the ground, Im told what I described looked MUCH worse...we rolled, we went up...slammed into the ground with the gear partially up and then all the crowd say was a huge dustball, and then us pulling up very near the end of the runway.

Back in the air, the radio was going nuts. The FAA guys, sitting in a dustbowl, were pissed! (So was I!) But, they were very concerned about the landing gear and how much debris the engine had sucked in. The big thing I was wondering was if the gear would extend....it made some really terrible noises when we smaked the tarmac. (The other thing I was wondering, was like when your kid goes on a rollercoaster for the first time....DADDY GET ME DOWN!)

Per the FAA, we made a slow speed pass, and tried to extend the landing gear. While OldTarf was wagging his wings and waving, I was watchin our RPMs sit right where the placard said not to. Jesus! Can I punch this guy out and fly this thing myself? Based on what I've experienced so far, I couldnt do much worse! But, the good news is that the gear extended fully and the guys in binoculars saw no apparent damage. So, we retracted the gear and went back to full power. We were clear for 2 flybys. He'd fly one, I'd fly the other. On the first flyby, mine, I dove us in low, to 1000ft and 450kts and at the end of the runway, pulled to the vertical and gave the jet some nice rolls. At the top, I leveled and turned over the Vampire to him. Boy these jets fly smooth versus the Cessnas!

Old Tard also makes a fast flyby, banks us on our right side as we pass show enter, levels and proceeds into a fog bank, as we are at the coast. Old Tard thinks we are just in clouds and wants to dive under them. I mention we are at 2,000 feet and falling fast. He agrees and as we pull up at 400-500ft, we break into a clearing over the sea, and low and behold, some poor bastids in a sailboat are under us. Sigh....wouldn't you love to be those guys in the boat wonder WHAT the hell that was?

hehe....anyways, so now its time to end this torture and bring the plane home. With everyone eagerly wondering if the landing gear will collapse, we turn final about 2 miles out and slow down to gear extension speed. As we are bobbling about, I hear my host say "This is where it gets tricky" as he comments on the slow speed handling. Helpless, and sitting back for the ride, I watch the engine RPM needle sit all over the DANGER DO NOT SIT ON THIS RPM areas. The landing was nothing glamorous and we do the 180 at the end of the runway to taxi to the ramp. I look around the cockpit to locate my wits.

As you'd expect, the FAA greets us, and my CAP friend, who is also a KC 135 pilot, yanks me out of the cockpit, and away from the FAA guys circling near. Larry got me out of there, but I did leave my info with the FAA guys, who did call me to hear my amazing story.

Here's some of the things I'd learned since....

The guy, while nice, was a wealthy banker or something, who had bought the jet a few months before and had only 20 hours or so in the jet. (ASK TO SEE A LOGBOOK....don't be too smitten to sit in a jet!) He later sold the airplane, but before doing so, offered it to me for $60,000. I politely delined and pulled the rest of my hair out.

I do not know what fines or infractions he broke/paid.

So....sorry so long, there is my Vampire story

Ripsnort · « **Reply #6 on:** April 03, 2002, 10:49:39 AM »

Very cool Raxx, thks for sharing those!

LePaul · « **Reply #7 on:** April 03, 2002, 11:58:37 AM »

What?? No reply on my hair raising real life drama!!!

midnight Target · « **Reply #8 on:** April 03, 2002, 12:07:17 PM »

Wow, great story Lepaul.

edit - BTW isn't 60k damn cheap?

LePaul · « **Reply #9 on:** April 03, 2002, 02:12:45 PM »

It was one helluva ride....

$60k isnt bad, if you got it. I'd rather have something other than a Vampire tho...

-raxx- · « **Reply #10 on:** April 03, 2002, 02:17:40 PM »

Le Paul,

It was an interesting story, I'm just trying to work out how to tell you that the front of the vampire is made of laminated Balsa wood and not give you post traumatic stress disorder.

To quote/paraphrase Barry Clark, (aka Fredd Dagg), "you don't know how lucky you are"

Russian · « **Reply #11 on:** April 03, 2002, 02:38:15 PM »

wow, thats some hell of a story.

LePaul · « **Reply #12 on:** April 03, 2002, 08:21:02 PM »

LOL, yes, you are right, the Vampire is largely made of wood....I recall them lifting the nose cone up and showing me that.

Elfenwolf · « **Reply #13 on:** April 03, 2002, 08:37:56 PM »

LOL Damn, LePaul, talk about pucker factor...You woulda really punched out on the runway like that??

LePaul · « **Reply #14 on:** April 03, 2002, 08:50:50 PM »

Given the options of sitting in a burning aircraft careening towards the woods, you bet your ass!