Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Habu on June 15, 2006, 08:52:26 PM
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I thought I would post some pictures from a recent days flying I experienced. I am building up multi engine time on a twin Cessna so I can hopefully get a job flying fire patrol next summer. I decided to go visit on of the bases to see what I was getting myself into.
So Monday morning I woke up at 4:30 am and headed for the airport which is an hour from where I live. I was up before the sun but saw it come up on the way.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1150419543_sunrise.jpg)
At the airport I rolled the Skymaster out of the hanger and gave it a thorough preflight.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1150419579_plane.jpg)
After taking off I headed south through the Toronto control zone as I had heard they were going to demolish the four sisters, the very tall chimneys of a disused power plant on the water front. Luckily I timed my flight to see the event take place.
Going..............
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1150419613_stack1.jpg)
Going......................
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1150419639_stack2.jpg)
Gone.......................
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1150419670_stack4.jpg)
After seeing this historic event I headed north to a local airport to buy some fuel and grab breakfast.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1150419706_guelph.jpg)
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While there I met some men who restore old biplanes. Had a chance to check out this flawless Tiger Moth.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1150420866_moth.jpg)
Took off after a bit and decided to head up north. Passed this ferry on the way, it runs between Manitoulin Island and Wiarton Ontario.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1150419742_chichimon.jpg)
Decided to head to Wawa to get some more fuel and check out Wawa's claim to fame.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1150419948_wawa.jpg)
The big Wawa goose at the side of the Trans Canada Highway.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1150419990_goose.jpg)
After seeing beautiful Wawa International Airport decided to head east. On the way another plane east of me reported seeing a small forest fire. I decided to land at local airport that is used as a fire base and report the fire.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1150420025_firebase.jpg)
After confirming that there was a fire burning the local water bomber started up its engines.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1150420055_bomber1.jpg)
And taxied out to take off.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1150420090_bomber2.jpg)
I took off half an hour later and had to fly past the fire. As it is illegal to get close to a water bomber in action I had to pass quite far away. But I took these two pictures as I flew by. In this one the triangular white stuff that looks like smoke is actually water being dropped on the fire. You can't really see the water bomber though as the smoke hides it.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1150420129_drop1.jpg)
He is a second shot snapped a few seconds later. The water bomber is visible but small turning left to grab some more water at a nearby lake. He made 2 more runs that I saw before I was too far away.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1150421882_drop2.jpg)
Finally I headed back home for the day. Total time logged in the air was just over 11 hours. A very long, but very fun day.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1150420175_cockpit.jpg)
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Very cool!
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btw, is that plane a "Bronco" in some form?
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It is the plane they used before the OV-10 Bronco. It is an O2-A Skymaster.
It replaced the O-1 Birddog as it was faster, had a longer range and two engines for better survivability. However the Bronco was purpose built for FAC work and had turbine engines and better visibility and was introduced about 2 years after the Skymaster.
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Nice post.
11 hrs in one day is impressive too.
Fire fighting from the air is one of my dream jobs...
...I noticed your power settings are the same on both engines, why are the fuel flows so different?
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Wish I could fly, I just don't think I could ever memorize all those instruments..
:(
Let alone the sound of a prop engine running smoothly would quickly put me to sleep. :p
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Geez Habu, when you hit and run, knocking over what appears to be a pretty expensive stack system, you Never take Pictures!!
hehe looks like fun, great flight!
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Originally posted by Debonair
Nice post.
11 hrs in one day is impressive too.
Fire fighting from the air is one of my dream jobs...
...I noticed your power settings are the same on both engines, why are the fuel flows so different?
I lean the rear engine a bit less to help with the cooling.
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I was gonna guess that:mad: :mad: :furious
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i want an O2-A. im jelous! :(
coool flight though :D
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That's a nice picture story board there Habu :aok
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hmmm.....stacks collapseing and missile or rocket rails on the wings???:lol
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LOL - of course !! we don't know the order is as Habu says .. revised order of events -
1. "what's this switch for ??" ...... "ooops .. ooooh look a fire .... hey wait a minute "
:t
2. At local power station Yeeeeehaaaaaa !!
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Those O-2s are neat. I've read bad things about their single engine performance (especially rear-only performance) but they do look pretty cool. Plus that one still has the pylons and it looks like they even have all the hardware necessary to make them functional again. Most people don't realize it, but dropping/firing stuff from airplanes is perfectly legal as long as you don't hit anyone or break anything without permission :)
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Very nice Habu!
:)
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Very cool.
The Tiger Moth.......droooooooooooool
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Originally posted by Habu
Had a chance to check out this flawless Tiger Moth.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1150420866_moth.jpg)
I don't know, looks like a caucasian homosapian to me. Nice mustache, but flawless may be overdoing it a bit.
To each his own, I guess.
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They had a number of very cool aircraft they were restoring. I would like to get a Stearman one day but a Tiger Moth would do.
The funny thing is the guys that own and restore all those planes do not have pilots licenses. They just rebuild them.
The O2-A had been sold and those trips were the last before it was sent to its new owners. I managed to get in three long flights on Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday though and I made the most of them. Here is one more picture from the next days flight. I went to Edmunston (on the border between Quebec and New Brunswick) and saw a very original Lancaster bomber. It had flown in to there in the early 60's after being purchased by the town for $1,500 for a static display. They just put it on stands and have left it there since. It is probably worth millions today if it were for sale as there are so few of them left.
Lancaster
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1150474519_lancaster.jpg)
The information plaque
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1150474583_lancinfo.jpg)
A very original WW2 era airfield (note all the original buildings around it) that I passed on this same trip. Trivia question. Do you know where it is?
It is said to be the only original Commonwealth airfield left in existence.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1150474635_airfield.jpg)
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"After seeing this historic event I headed north to a local airport to buy some fuel and grab breakfast."
Buttonville? They serve a good breakfast there...or used to.
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Hey Habu, cool flight. Great little advanture, wished I was there. I have very good memories of the Skymaster. I had to fly one for my previouscargo company. You could carry anything, as long as you could close the door, you could take off at the end of the runway :D
Mine was the civilian version, the 337, turbocharged, pressurized. Cruised at 150 indicated at 12K, 170 on the GPS, 26"/23 @ 22GPH. Could cruise at 33"/25 and pull 190Kt, but the fuel burn went skyhigh.
The only bad thing was the summer flying, it was hotter than hell in the cockpit due to the bleed air from the turbos runing the pressurization.
What are the differences between the O2 and the 337?
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/82_1150477988_mixmaster1.jpg)
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/82_1150478024_mixmaster2.jpg)
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/82_1150478051_mixmaster3.jpg)
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Did your twin time count in the 337 or is it logged seperately as an inline twin? I'm curious as I was told getting a multi engine endorsement in a 337 did not authorise non in line twin flights due to the assymetrical thrust of the other models.
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If invasion of the body snatchers ever becomes fact not fiction, I think I'd like to snatch your life for a day first, Habu! Great pics, thanks for sharing!
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The flight time counts as twin time, yet if you are not multi rated, you will only need to have an "inline twin" endorsement to fly it.
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Frenchy, all those radios and knobs, where's the DVD and CD player?
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Thanks Frenchy.
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Habu, You've got a PM.
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Originally posted by Curval
"After seeing this historic event I headed north to a local airport to buy some fuel and grab breakfast."
Buttonville? They serve a good breakfast there...or used to.
You have been in Buttonville? That is where I learned to fly. They have a Druxy's deli there but I went to Guelph for breakfast that day. Not a bad meal but the runway is like 20 feet wide.
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Lucky bastards!!
Cool pics :aok
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Originally posted by SFRT - Frenchy
Hey Habu, cool flight. Great little advanture, wished I was there. I have very good memories of the Skymaster. I had to fly one for my previous cargo company. You could carry anything, as long as you could close the door, you could take off at the end of the runway :D
Mine was the civilian version, the 337, turbocharged, pressurized. Cruised at 150 indicated at 12K, 170 on the GPS, 26"/23 @ 22GPH. Could cruise at 33"/25 and pull 190Kt, but the fuel burn went skyhigh.
The only bad thing was the summer flying, it was hotter than hell in the cockpit due to the bleed air from the turbos runing the pressurization.
What are the differences between the O2 and the 337?
Hi Frenchy
Thanks for posting those pictures. I always wondered what the stock Cessna instruments looked like.
The main differences between the military version and the civilian version (non pressurized one that is) are the following
Military version has
Military instruments
No vacuum system - all electric instruments.
Extra windows for better visibility.
Two alternators.
Thicker skin on wings and more ribs for higher strength and payload.
Higher gross weight.
No spinners on the props.
Military radios and rack in the back to hold the boxes.
Three seats only.
The civilian version is faster and lighter and burns less fuel.
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Originally posted by Habu
You have been in Buttonville? That is where I learned to fly. They have a Druxy's deli there but I went to Guelph for breakfast that day. Not a bad meal but the runway is like 20 feet wide.
When I went to York University we had to do a science course as a prerequisite for your degree. I chose the class called "Science of Flight". There was a WHOLE lot of fairly complicated (for me) physics involved in the class, which was somewhat of a nasty shock, but one thing we had to do was either:
1. Do a few flights on a simulator
OR
2. Actually take a plane up with an instructor.
Naturally I chose #2.
We tried to go on 3 different occasions at Buttonville Airport (which is why I had spent the time to sit and eat breakfast there) but each time the weather wouldn't co-operate. When we finally went the instructor let me take the controls for most of my flight...including take-off. He dealt with the radio, navigation, flaps and trim...but I had the yoke. Amazing experience.
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You know, I remember you looking around at various o-2's a while ago but never heard back on what you bought, from where, etc
Do tell!
Gorgeous planes....love to find a worthy one someday
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Hi LePaul
Right now I own an ultralight trike and a 1957 Cessna 182.
The Cessna is getting a major restoration with new long range tanks, wing extensions, Horton Stol kit, Fuel flow instrument, new paint and some minor sheet metal work.
The O2 in the pictures has been sold as of last week to some buyers in North Bay Ontario.
I have my eye out for another O2-A that is more authentic. That one had the radio rack removed and the did not have a gunsight etc. As a warbird it was missing enough stuff that I thought it would not have the same value as one that is original. I have found 2 others that I am interested in and will post the details when I go see them.
Having said that I will miss that plane. I logged almost 200 hours in it over the past year. It was a great plane to fly.
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Thanks for the thread Habu! :)
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While the O-2 fleet was retired and mothballed to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, as recently as 2005, 0-2s were spotted operating out of the military side of Baghdad International Airport in Iraq.
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Boy that's not an inexpensive upgrade!
One of my friends has been re-doing a 1980-something C-172. I happened to be there when his new motor and prop arrived. $29,000 bucks right there. He had just put the seats in instrument panel back in the aircraft...he had it in his paint shop for a fresh priming and several coats of white paint. He's putting the wings and elevators back on in a few weeks.
I so miss flying. Since I bought a house and the affiliated costs that come with it, flying was the first thing to have to be sacrificed for now.
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Hi LePaul. Here is another photo essay on the other two planes.
On Saturday I decided to go and visit the place that is working on my Cessna. Since it is 4 hours away I decided to take the ultralight. Below is a picture of the it. It has a 100 hp engine and cruises at 90 kph.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1151265806_trike1.jpg)
View just after takeoff. Climbing out over some trees.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1151266016_trike3.jpg)
En route. This is what the earth looks like from 3000 feet up. I am making 100 kph or just about 60 mph. The beautiful scenery is southern Ontario. I had a bit of a tail wind so my GPS (not shown) indicated I was actually making close to 70 mph over the ground.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1151266049_trike4.jpg)
Another shot of beautiful southern Ontario. There are not a lot of people living in this part of the province. The roads are never busy. This lake is man made, there is a dam at the other end.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1151266076_trike5.jpg)
I landed and gave the guy the parts that he needed to finish my airplane. Here is a picture of the fuselage without the wings and tail on. It is about to be stripped. I will post a picture of it once it is painted.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1151266121_trike6.jpg)
Flying home. Remember that tail wind on the way there? Well now it is a headwind. To try and avoid it I climbed up above the clouds. Wind often is vastly different just above a cloud layer. I was rewarded with a wind that was blowing opposite in direction so I had a tail wind both ways. Only problem is that at this altitude it is damn cold. Even though it was high 80's on the ground it was close to freezing up here.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1151266148_trike7.jpg)
A shot of my instruments on the way back. Notice I was over 6400 feet at this point. I eventually leveled off at 8000 feet as that is where the best wind was. Hard to believe that a thing that looks like a lawn chair under a hang glider wing can motor along at 90 kph and climb up to 12,500 feet (the highest I have had it up to.)
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/972_1151266202_trike8.jpg)
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:eek: I'll be craping my pants.
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I sooooo would like to jump from your lawnmower... 6000 ft would be plenty enough!
Very nice pics, thanks :)
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Awesome pictures. You are a lucky man Habu.
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Thanks for all the comments.
Sometimes when I fly really high I do get vertigo. I start to think of my whole life hanging on a single bolt and it is all I can do to keep from descending as fast as I can down to 1000'.
Of course any drop over 50' is probably not going to have a great ending so there is no rational reason for being afraid at 9,000' and not at 1,000'.
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Habu,
what brand/model of ultralight is that,wondering what one might cost . its a very cool plane. thanks for the pics.
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Mine is a DTA Voyageur 912S. It is an expensive one since it is priced in Euros and the exchange has been bad. I paid about $50,000 CDN for it when I got it 2 years ago, I see they are now listed for $38,800.00
on the US dealers site. It is very robust and I wanted one that had been overbuilt in terms of strength. However there are good ones out there that cost less.
DTA Trikes (http://www.adventuresportaircraft.com/)
If I were buying one now I would also check out this one made in Australia. They make a good one with a 912 engine as well.
Airborne Trikes (http://www.airborne.com.au/pages/home_n.cfm)
You can also get them with 2-stroke engines for under $20,000 USD new and probably half that used.
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cool,thanks.