A guy came and looked at the plane today. After looking it over we decide to go for a ride. I had flown it a couple weeks ago so I expected everything to be fine. We hop in and find the battery is dead, I hand prop it so no big deal...just a little embarrassed. Oil warms up and we are ready to go so I call up ground and there is major static in both headsets. Ground hears us fine so we go anyways, I'm a little redder in the face. The flight goes good and he seems to like it so we go back to the airport to shoot a few landings. He does a good landing but gets some major TW shimmy. I'm like what the heck, can nothing go right? He does another landing and gets the shimmy again, then I do one if the worst landings I've done it years, seriously. So we park the plane, I'm red in the face and can't believe how all this could have happened on this flight. On my 3 hour flight 2 weeks ago none of these things were an issue. Just my luck.

Dont feel too bad wee, I usualy have the same kind of luck. I think your luscombe doesnt want a new owner

Sometimes fair knight, the dragon wins. I was embarrassed the few times I flew Luscombe from the left side. Why does a stick feel so awkward in the left hand? A control wheel doesn't bother me in either hand. When I couldn't find anyone to ride in the left seat to operate the brakes, I considered just staying in the right seat. I would have felt bad running over something, so I didn't.

contactflying wrote:Sometimes fair knight, the dragon wins. I was embarrassed the few times I flew Luscombe from the left side. Why does a stick feel so awkward in the left hand? A control wheel doesn't bother me in either hand. When I couldn't find anyone to ride in the left seat to operate the brakes, I considered just staying in the right seat. I would have felt bad running over something, so I didn't.

I thought you didn't need brakes?

Whee,

In Kodiak, there was a pizza joint situated right on the shore of Lilly Lake, the seaplane base in town. In fact, that pizza parlor was located with a perfect view of the touchdown point most likely with prevailing winds. Furthermore, my dock was right next to the pizza joint, and they had windows facing all directions.

I always hated coming in to land in the evening.....all day out on the island, I could just slide that plane on every time.....come in to Lilly Lake at dinner time, and I'd bounce it every time. And, then, the taxi of shame, and tying up to the dock, securing the plane, etc....all while knowing that EVERYone in that pizza parlor was staring at me and laughing.

Hope you get the bugs worked out and the guy comes back for a better flight.

MTV

We've all done it... I took a friend who was interested in flying up and ended up sideways and into the grass. The only thing I damaged was my ego...

Jeredp- Yes, for taxi turns. When they don't work or the cable broke the pulley, it is a little embarrassing to go around twice to get lined up just right. But, I have done it.

That's normal. It usually exponentially compounded with each pair of tits in the observation crowd. I did witness an exception at a blue angels airshow in Idaho falls. They let an allegiant bombardier In During The Show And He Greased It In Front Of 60000 witnesses.

Not sure why my device just capitalized everything.

It happens whee. I was trying to sell a vehicle and a couple came out to look at it. Got in for a test drive and it wouldn't move, no matter what we did. I had just driven it the week before and not had any issues, and drove it yesterday again amd no issues at all!

Thanks guys. Just one of those things I guess.

It seriously makes me wonder sometimes if the things we own got souls. They seem to have a sense, and can get downright uppity when ur trying to unload them. Sort of like a woman, except less dangerous.

last season I let my plane get away from me with four clients on board, it started floating away in front of the three different clients that I was picking up I had to swim after it. I was soaked, and emptying my hip waders in front of everyone At the end of the season I was talking with the old owner (a legend in the area) he just laughed and told me that when that happened to him, he had to get a boat to get out to the plane as it floated away in the Cook inlet. That made me feel a lot better....shit happens.

That made me feel a lot better....shit happens.

Or as the kids say these days, "It is what it is." Somehow the world keeps turning, the sun still comes up in the east and sets in the west, but still the pretty girls call me "sir" and hold the door open for me! Darn!

Cary

whee wrote:Thanks guys. Just one of those things I guess.

I test-flew a number of planes last year with various sellers, and I have to say that very few of them seemed like routine flights. So much so that I started to get a bit unnerved about it. Maybe the seller is selling because they're not too current in that plane, and haven't been in a long time, or there's poor communication about who's the PIC, or there's this huge distraction about the possibility of a small fortune changing hands. Maybe it's a new make and model to you, or maybe it's familiar, but just happens to have all the instruments and controls in unfamiliar configurations. And all the while you're trying to feel out the plane, (or demonstrate the plane, as the case may be), with someone you just met looking over your shoulder intently. Kind of a recipe for weird flights, IMO. No fault of anyones, but I give them an extra measure of caution just the same.
-DP

When I was on the hunt for an airplane I went to look at a beautiful J-3 in Atlanta. I found it on a airport community field, the guy was late... then he let me look at the books for as long as I wanted. Then he said it flies better with just one pilot - you take it up!!! Great flight, great guy, nice airplane, just not what I was looking for....

So maybe you should just let the customer fly it

Sorry to hear about your troubles whee!!

If it makes you feel any better, I got a flat battery on my flight test, way back.... first ever hand-propping lesson, with the instructor in the plane... no pressure

At least you were prepared!

I didn't touch the controls till the guy asked me to do a landing. That botched landing just put it over the edge.

You would think that because I have a starter I wouldn't have as much hand proping experience as I do. Maybe the service I've been getting out of that G25 battery isn't as good as I've been thinking it has been.

Double post.

whee wrote:Maybe the service I've been getting out of that G25 battery isn't as good as I've been thinking it has been.

Do you own a boat? Having a spare anchor is never a bad thing.