A little soft, but wide and long with lots of room. Takeoff video - notice the caboose doing new duty as a lakefront cabin as I cross the shoreline.
Couple more pics on the way in:
A flat top mountain called "The Table" that I used to play on with helicopters in days past. It is just north of Brohm ridge, where we saw a couple dozen snowmobilers taking advantage of late spring packed snow.
Black Tusk, seen from the "easy" side. Climbed it a few years back.
Water is pretty low in Downton Lake on our left. That's Gun Lake just in front of the spinner.
Short walk down to the lake. Snow-capped mountains in every quadrant.
Blackcomb Helicopters has a small shed on the strip, along with a pad and probably jetfuel. The tiedown area is gravel and hard.
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So, the day after our visit to Rowena, it was time to head
to Squamish for a day of aerobatics. Jodi Rueger was running a little introduction
to aerobatics course, hosted by Glacier Air, who operates a wonderful little
machine called a Super Decathlon.
Because the Super Decathlon was down for maintenance since December,
it was also a day for Jodi to get a recurrent on her favourite airplane.
Jodi hitched a ride with James Shephard in his gorgeous RANS
S-6S Coyote up to Squamish via Point Atkinson and Howe Sound, arriving at
approximately 10:00am with the expectation of Jodi going up shortly after that
with Michael for her recurrency flight. As it turns out, that flight was
delayed and didn't leave the ground until shortly after the two Davids arrived at
Squamish Airport in David B's Titan Tornado.
Speaking of the two Davids, we departed King George Airpark
in the speedy little Tornado and took the Indian Arm route up to CYSE
(Squamish). It's practically a straight line from King George to Squamish and with
a ground speed of +100kts, we were able to get up there in approximately 30 minutes.
As we taxied in to the Glacier Air apron, we saw Jodi and
Michael taxiing out for departure on their flight.
Once we shut down, we
were greeted by our friends James, Frank, and Heidi who had all come up to
Squamish to take part in the fun. We socialized as pilots very often do, while
Jodi and Michael rolled, looped, and flipped in the skies above us.
Once back on terra firma, Jodi led us through
an aerobatics ground briefing. She introduced us to the ballistic roll (aileron
roll), the basic loop, and the stall turn (Hammerhead), including all the entry
speeds, control inputs, and common errors associated with each manoeuvre. These
manoeuvres are the primary building blocks for more advanced aerobatic manoeuvres, so it was the perfect place for us to start.
Jodi finished the briefing by providing us with a demonstration on the proper
fitting and use of the parachutes we would be wearing during our lessons.
Though not required by law in Canada, we would be operating Glacier Air's Super Decathlon with each person on board wearing a parachute.
After the briefing, Jodi took her first student up, Ali, a
young man very keen on competing at aerobatics competitions. He also had a
tight schedule to stick to, so we were more than happy to let him go first.
While they were up, David B took Frank up for a ride in the
Tornado. Frank was crowbarred into the back seat, and they departed for a local
flight up past Garibaldi Mountain, Daisy Lake, and the beautiful Brandywine
Falls.
When they returned Frank was just buzzing. He clearly had an enjoyable
time and you could see in his eyes a look that told you he was doing the math
and budgeting to determine if buying an ultralight of his own was a feasible
option! David B is clearly a good ambassador for the ultralight community.
Not wanting to be left out, Michael offered to take Heidi up
in the Decathlon, which he had flown up from Vancouver in for the day. Yes, a
Decathlon, not a Super Decathlon.
Now, some of you may be wondering to yourself "What's
the difference between a Decathlon and a Super Decathlon?" Well, both have
inverted fuel and oil systems which make them both ideal for aerobatics, but
the older Decathlon is fitted with a wooden wing spar, while the Super Decathlon
has an all-metal spar. Also, the Decathlon has a 150hp Lycoming O-320 engine,
and the Super Decathlon improved upon that by using a 180hp Lycoming 0-360 engine.
That extra 30hp gives the Super Decathlon improved climb performance, which is very
handy when partaking in aerobatics. I'm sure there are other minor differences
between the two, but it would take a very keen eye to pick them out.
Anyways, Michael and Heidi had, what from the ground appeared
to be, a wonderful aerobatics flight, and soon after that Jodi and Ali came back in
the Super D, signalling that it was time for lunch.
As we learned through story, and not through personal
experience, it is important to eat before doing aerobatics. Low blood sugar and
dehydration will lead to a person getting sick quicker. It is best to eat 1-2
hours before aerobatics. Everyone has their own motion sickness threshold, and
what is most important is to monitor how your body is feeling and to cease
unusual attitudes before a technicolor yawn in the airplane becomes
unavoidable. Most of us were hungry at this point, so we headed into town to
find a place to eat.
Heidi and Frank had both driven up from Vancouver and became
the taxi service for the people that had flown up. None of us had a clue where
to eat, so we googled a couple places, and then headed into town. We ended up
settling with a restaurant called the Watershed Grill.
From the road it looked
kinda shabby, like a house converted into a restaurant, but once we were inside
and onto their patio, it felt like we were in a completely different world. The
view from the patio was simply stunning, with the Squamish River flowing literally
meters away, and the majestic coastal mountains rising up to the skies above.
The food was great too, but since we were all going to be aviating after lunch
none of us had a beer, which would have really completed the scene. Talk about
will power, right? Or perhaps it was easy for us because of our overpowering
obsession with flying, which easily trumps all other temptations.
After lunch we headed back to the airport and James was
quickly made ready for his first ever aerobatics lesson.
Judging by the spring
in his step as he exited the Super Decathlon, he had an amazing experience
under the watchful eye of Judi Rueger. It also seems that James is quite eager
to do it again!
After James, it was Frank's turn in the Super D.
Now, Frank
can be a fairly excitable guy, but doing his flight training has taught him to
contain himself when airborne, and to wait until the airplane has come to a
complete stop and to ensure that he is well clear of the airplane before
reacting to how awesome his flight was. His training came in handy here, as you
could see that he was ready to burst with excitement as they taxied back to the
apron after his flight. Pop goes the harness, open swings the door and Frank
hops out of the plane and proceeded to communicate how amazing his flight was by
doing what might be considered interpretive dance combined with loud
non-descript vocalizations. It very well could have been the coolest thing he'd
ever done, but you'd have to ask him yourself to be certain. One thing is for
sure, he definitely thought his ride was well worth the price of admission.
By this time the sun was getting closer and closer to the
horizon. Being cradled in the mountains meant that sunlight would soon be lost
in the Squamish Valley. With night looming and a flight home to an unlit
airfield still to come, we knew we had little time to waste on getting home.
The only problem was that I, David M, still had to do my
aerobatics flight with Jodi. The Super D was already warmed up so once strapped
in, we blasted off. I immediately fell in love with the Super Decathlon. It was
a complete package of an airplane. Compared to the lovely little Jodel F11, it
felt more solid, and understandably more powerful. As I have a decent amount of
taildragger time, Jodi trusted me with the take-off, which was straight forward
and enjoyable. After the immediate 30 degree right turn after take-off from
Runway 15 for noise abatement, we continued our turn north up the Squamish
River valley to the aerobatics training area. Once we got to a safe altitude we
did our HASEL Check: Height, Area, Security, Engine, and Lookout. Then Jodi
demonstrated a ballistic roll (aileron roll), followed by me doing one myself.
Lower the nose to attain 132mph, momentarily return to straight and level,
pitch to approximately 30 degrees nose up, stick fully to the left, and around
she goes, rolling 360 degrees around the longitudinal axis of the plane, stop
the roll, and ease out of the dive. Satisfied with the roll, we moved to loops,
with Jodi demonstrating, and me duplicating the example as best I could. Lower
the nose to gain 140mph, return to straight and level, check stick back and
maintain constant back pressure throughout the manoeuvre. As you lose the
horizon behind the cowling, look out to the left wingtip and watch as the
horizon spins past vertical, and when over the top of the loop, and with the
horizon coming down from the top of the windscreen, return to looking forward
and keep the back pressure in until you return to a normal straight and level
attitude. Piece of cake! The last manoeuvre was the stall turn (Hammerhead) and
like the previous two manoeuvres, Jodi demonstrated first, and then I tried to
duplicated, but I'll admit that my stall turn was rather poorly executed. Let's
just say that I'll be requiring more tutelage with that manoeuvre. The way you
begin a stall turn is the same as entering a loop. Lower the nose to gain
140mph, check level, pull back and do a quarter loop and use forward/back
pressure as necessary to maintain a perfectly vertical climb, while travelling
upwards you'll need to apply rudder to counteract the adverse yaw, and just as
the airplane runs out of upwards momentum, you kick the rudder in the direction
the nose naturally wants to go, and use aileron inputs to eliminate any rolling
motion that may occur. Once pointed straight at the planet, ease out of the
dive just like the last quarter of a basic loop.
Because Jodi and I
both had a time crunch we quickly headed back to the airport. On our way Jodi
asked what my favourite maneuver was, I said "Roll," and she said
"Okay, do another one!" So, I did. What a fun new skill (only to be
done in airplanes approved for doing so)! Then, it was time to descend for the
circuit back into Squamish. The circuit is interesting on base and final as
there is rising terrain and tall trees. In fact, it's not unusual to lose site
of the touchdown point when you're on downwind and about to turn base. So I
slipped the Super D onto final and went on to land it too. Despite a slight breeze
blowing from 30 degrees from the left, the Super D made my landing look
good-ish. It was a bit of a rushed lesson, but all the manoeuvres were
completed and I was ecstatic to have had such an enjoyable flight with the
always classy, Jodi Rueger. Can you believe my entire flight in the Super D was
only 0.3hrs? That's right, from engine start to engine shut-down, only 18
minutes!
As we taxied in, I could see David B in his Tornado with the
engine running. He was warming it up, so that we could take off as soon as I
got myself strapped in. James was also sitting in his Coyote waiting for Jodi.
We both ran up to the front desk at Glacier Air, filled out some paperwork,
paid for my flight, and I swiftly made my way back down to the apron. With few
words said, I hopped into the back of the Titan, strapped in, and we were off.
We took off from runway 15, abated the noise with a swift
right turn, and climbed up towards the Chief (Stawamus Chief). The very next
day a chunk of the Chief had broken free and fell to the valley floor, and apparently,
it was not, and I repeat, not the sound of David B's Tornado that caused it.
Through Indian Arm we cruised,
popping out at Burnaby
Mountain, then over the big Canada flag in north Surrey, and into King George
Airpark via the Panorama Ridge approach. We landed with plenty of time before
night fall, but of course, it is better to be safe than sorry.
It wasn't long after the Tornado was put away that James and
Jodi arrived in the Coyote and since we hadn't gotten completely sick of each
other yet, we agreed to go for dinner at the Big Ridge Brew Pub. Surprisingly,
Frank, who had to drive back down from Squamish met up with us at the pub with
little delay, as did David's wife Jen, and Leon who we bumped into at King
George.
Finally, we could have some libations. What a brilliant day.
Good friends, good flying, good food, and a beer to round out the day.
