I've Got Steve Pierce's Plane...Kind Of

[crazyivan]

OK. Maybe I don't technically "have it" handy, but I know where it is. Here's the story.......

I sold the Kitfox to a gent in Midland TX. I figured that it would be a simple thing to fly the Kitfox to Midland, catch a ride down the road to Graham (I guess 250 miles is considered "down the road" in TX), buy Pierce's Pacer, and fly it home to Maine.

Let me start by saying that weather forecasters suck.

So a week before my journey, I was finishing up synchronizing the carbs on the Rotax when I noticed A FR#@&!ng CRACK in the engine mount! Not enough time to order another one, I called the buyer and gave him the low-down. I was planning on a deal breaker, replacing the mount, and selling to the next guy in line (I had 5 people cash-in-hand wanting my 'fox). Nope, Mr Midland welded together a trailer, loaded up his wife into the Chevy Silverado, and showed up on my doorstep 5 days later. I had cash in hand, he had Kitfox on trailer (and made it home in 3 days...Mapquest that trip and you'd be amazed), and I was on my way to Graham via cattle car, aka Continental Airlines.

Great weekend in Graham meeting the Pierces (super people!!!!!!) watching a P-51 Mustang zip around and battling the famous Texas winds. With a big @$$ storm front bearing down on TX, I got the heck out of Dodge. Closely monitoring the weather forecast, I figure I can make it to South Carolina in 3 legs over 1 day, spend the night, and get going, all the while keeping ahead of the front.

Graham to El Dorado Arkansas was bumpy with low ceilings. Almost scraped the wing tip with the shifting gusty winds, but I was able to get that wing back down. Nice airport, by the way.

El Dorado to Marion County Airport (HAB) in Hamilton, AL, bumpy and low ceilings. Nice airport and great service from a very friendly staff.

HAB to Greenville Donaldson Center. I gotta tell you, the guys at AvServe are awesome. They got me a hotel room at the local Holiday Inn (recommended), they let me into the hangar 30 minutes before they officially opened the next morning because it was raining hard with 400' ceilings, they helped me stuff the Pacer into the hangar, and they gave me a ride to the international airport so that I may rent a car to drive the remainder to Maine. Good prices on 100LL too.

So here is where I started this sordid tale. I "have" the Pacer but I don't rally have it. Saturday morning I'm flying to SC, and see if I can get 'er home again. The weather forecasters say I should have good weather. :evil: I'll let you know.

Dave

[Cathy Pierce]

We're keeping our fingers crossed for you that you have great weather the rest of the way home! I guess your son was disappointed that you didn't show up with the airplane?

[crazyivan]

Yeah, Jack keeps saying, "Daddy, I'm gonna get the screwdriver (pronounced 'soo-diver') and go get your plane unstuck." Then he wants to go flying. That's my boy: tools and planes. Lee reminds me of an older version of Jack.

[Steve Pierce]

Man you know how to hurt a guy. :D Been trying to forget about selling my airplane and now you gotta bring it back up. We did have a great time taming the Texas wind and watching the Mustang fly around all weekend. Be sure and let us know when you get her all the way home and what jack thinks of her. ;)[attachment=3:3suhmal5]100_0846 (Medium).JPG[/attachment:3suhmal5][attachment=2:3suhmal5]100_0849 (Medium).JPG[/attachment:3suhmal5][attachment=1:3suhmal5]100_0875 (Medium).JPG[/attachment:3suhmal5][attachment=0:3suhmal5]100_0876 (Medium).JPG[/attachment:3suhmal5]

[Curly]

I once had an instructor who gave me a great piece of advice on VFR flying - "If you have the time, fly - if you must get there, drive!"

It's a philosophy I have always tried to follow, particularly after a charter just after I got my commercial. Full of myself (read "big head") I thought I could handle anything. With a bad case of "gettheritis, I was scudd running in a 210 and just managed to miss a radio transmission tower (500' agl) by a few feet. It was a very chastened pilot who quickly changed his attitude to aviation. :oops:

Our type of flying is supposed to be fun - so don't feel bad about leaving the aeroplane and having to pick it up. Gives you another excuse to go flying!

Curly

[crazyivan]

I am convinced that every airfield east of the Appalachians are built 90 degrees to whatever winds I am going to be flying in. Let me 'splain.

OK, so I check the Wx and everything looks good this weekend, except for a little thing called wind velocity, that the forecasters can apparently NOT forecast. "Winds subsiding at 1600" to me means the winds will subside around...well, 1600. To the forecasters it means they will continue to blow and gust like heck directly perpendicular to the runway I am trying to land on. Correction, they blow 45 degrees off the runway and the gusts are 90 degrees to the runway.

That's how I taught the good folks at the Charlottesville airport that a PA-22/20 is much more adapt at grass than it is on asphalt. Problem: I was on the grass perpendicular to the runway I was trying to land on. You can breathe, Steve...I kept the wings level, I steered her between the runway edge lights, and the grass was smooth. I found that the PA-22/20 likes wheel landings in the wind (you're right Cathy!) but as soon as you let that tail down, the wind wreaks havoc with those Hershey bar wings. I found the PA-22/20 does not like 20 knots of direct crosswind. Oh, by the way, I landed at 1830.

Charlottesville for the night, woke up this morning and went to Frederick, Maryland. I saw the AOPA and AVEMCO buildings, and a LOT of planes. That is what an airport is supposed to be! Kind of scary when there are helos, gyro-copters, LSA, GA, gliders, turbine twins, all using two intersecting runways all at the same time.

Departed Frederick with the plan to spend the night in Springfield, MA. Winds were forecast to be, you guessed it, 90 degree crosswind 12 gusting to 20 in Maine until after dark. I learned my lesson the other day. Guess what? Springfield had the 15 gusting to 20 (but only 30 degrees off) and Maine winds subsided by 16:00. Ugh! I laid up in Springfield because it was too late to press on.

Tomorrow is a quick 160 miles and I'm home....I think I just jinxed myself.

[Tadpole]

Good luck, hope you get home soon!

[Gilbert Pierce]

Crazyivan,
I got to tell a story on Steve in that airplane. We were on way to Sun'N Fun in 2007. Steve was coming from Texas and his mother and I were coming from Tennessee. I told my wife it was too windy to go. She said well let's go take a look. First landing in Alabama was 20 knots gusting to 30 across the runway. That was exciting. We survived that without too many tire squalls. Went on to Marianna, Florida in the Panhandle. Landed at noon. Nice tree line parallel to the runway. Wind 25 gusting 30 coming over the trees at about 70 degrees to the runway. That was it. Told my wife I was thru for the day, we would wait for Steve and Cathy and spend the nite. I talked to the FBO operator and asked him to tell me when Steve called in on unicom. About 5PM he called. I got on the radio and told him there was a nice 800' taxiway right into the wind. Come over the top of the FBO hangar and land. I was standing out side. There was a medevac helicopter crew on the field. The helo pilot was standing outside next to me when Steve came over the top of the hangar at about 20'. The pilot panicked. Said "he is going to crash". By the time I could say he was landing on the taxiway he had the medevac crew running out. By then Steve had touched down, rolled about 50 feet and was back taxing. The next day was severe clear, nice tailwind and a great smooth flight into Lakeland.

[Steve Pierce]

Just think Dave, a month from now it will be a great story to tell around a campfire. :lol: Nothing like trial by fire. :shock:

[crazyivan]

Well, we made it. Last leg from Springfield, Mass, to Maine was as sweet as can be. Light winds on the deck with a smooth 20kt tailwind at 5500 feet. All the stress melted away.

Curly, Funny you should mention towers. One of the reasons I called it quits in South Carolina the other week was because that area is littered with 1000' to 2000' towers in my direction of travel. I didn't want to scud run in the forecasted marginal VFR conditions with those widow-makers grabbing for me. I'll admit that the non-forecasted 400 foot ceilings and heavy rainshowers made that decision even easier for me. ;)

Gilbert, Yeah, Steve is a cool customer when it comes to flying. He was in the right seat giving me an intro flight in 2814Z. On my first landing I made it a point to inspect the runway edge lights on both sides several times. Steve's comment "straighten it out a little" was made in the same tone as one would use when ordering a cup of coffee.

[Cathy Pierce]

Steve's comment "straighten it out a little" was made in the same tone as one would use when ordering a cup of coffee.

You're lucky you got that tone! You should have heard him on my landings in the Pacer. Some things I can't repeat!!!!! :shock:

[Hillbilly]

Well, we made it. Last leg from Springfield, Mass, to Maine was as sweet as can be. Light winds on the deck with a smooth 20kt tailwind at 5500 feet. All the stress melted away.

Curly, Funny you should mention towers. One of the reasons I called it quits in South Carolina the other week was because that area is littered with 1000' to 2000' towers in my direction of travel. I didn't want to scud run in the forecasted marginal VFR conditions with those widow-makers grabbing for me. I'll admit that the non-forecasted 400 foot ceilings and heavy rainshowers made that decision even easier for me. ;)

Gilbert, Yeah, Steve is a cool customer when it comes to flying. He was in the right seat giving me an intro flight in 2814Z. On my first landing I made it a point to inspect the runway edge lights on both sides several times. Steve's comment "straighten it out a little" was made in the same tone as one would use when ordering a cup of coffee.


Thanks, now I got a visual of Steve walkin into the local breakfast hut and in his most panic stricken death scream- "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, ONE COFFEE TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Gilbert Pierce]

Thanks, now I got a visual of Steve walkin into the local breakfast hut and in his most panic stricken death scream- "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, ONE COFFEE TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hillbilly if you knew Steve you would know that that comment from him would be very uncharacteristic of him.... VERY uncharacteristic!

[smcnutt]

Steve's comment "straighten it out a little" was made in the same tone as one would use when ordering a cup of coffee.

You're lucky you got that tone! You should have heard him on my landings in the Pacer. Some things I can't repeat!!!!! :shock:

Cathy, I'm sure it's a product of who owns the plane. I would guess Dave had already written the check so no need for Steve to sweat the landing. :lol:

[Hillbilly]

Thanks, now I got a visual of Steve walkin into the local breakfast hut and in his most panic stricken death scream- "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, ONE COFFEE TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hillbilly if you knew Steve you would know that that comment from him would be very uncharacteristic of him.... VERY uncharacteristic!

Its only my warped sense of humor Gilbert. I would not expect anyone to actually do that, especially cool hand Steve.

[Steve Pierce]

I think he is referring to my potty mouth that really irritates my mom sometimes. :oops:

Dave, Glad you got her home. Home you and Jack have as much fun flying her as Lee and I did. :D

[Curly]

Love the expression "Potty Mouth" But it's not only the blokes!

I was sitting just outside the delivery room door when my grandson was born (Cathy - I am sure you will understand this) and during a nine hour labour, my sweet little daughter let fly with some of the best expletives I have ever heard :shock: - Jesse is now 15 and all he wants to do is fly very fast keroburners - I am giving him a TIF for his 16th birthday. :D

[Bultaco Jim]

So Gilbert, has he always been cool, or has years of flying shortwings rounded off all the sharp edges?