This morning at Einstein's Bagel we came to the realization that the blog could use a post that addresses the pattern of questions that we've been receiving from talking with people outside the aviation community. Hope this is informative for everyone.
Q: Can you fly over water?
A: Technically yes, but, generally speaking it's a bad idea to fly over anything you wouldn't feel comfortable landing on should your one and only engine fail. Sometime's it is unavoidable like flying through mountain passes where the ground beneath you is unwelcoming but under those circumstances you try to minimize the risk by tightening the weather tolerances and giving yourself more buffer with altitude.
Q: Does Caroline fly?
A: Sort of. Caroline has taken a "pinch hitter" course that covers all she needs to know in case I should be incapacitated for some reason. The course covers basic operation of the radios, an understanding of the flight controls, and an overview of navigating to an airport and making a landing that would be survivable. I hope this is the spark that will eventually lead to a private pilot's license, but that is just a hope for now. On the flip side, she will likely be a better pilot than I am and I obviously can't have that.
Q: How do you decide where to land?
A: Given the class of aircraft that we have, relatively small and light, we can land at most airports. So, on long trips the decision is a mixture between being in the right geographic location for the trip; being close to amenities that we need like hotel, food, etc; fuel prices, and weather factors (whether or not they have a suitable runway given the wind, etc.) While it's perfectly legal to land at an airport like Chicago O'hare, most light aircraft are not welcome there because of the speed differential and the already heavy workload on the tower managing the jet traffic. So, the small airports outside of town that have a sleeping dog on the porch and homemade pies are the preferable refuel destinations for us.
Q: How do you get fuel? How do you pay for it?
A: It's pretty much exactly like pulling into a truck stop, getting gas, picking up snacks, and stretching your legs. Most airports these days have self service gas pumps that you pull up to and pay with a credit card. Some airports still have full service where a line person comes out and fuels the airplane for you. Some airports can support a dedicated fuel truck that will come to your airplane's parking spot to refuel. It's all about how much convenience you want to pay for. Aviation grade gasoline (100 Octane Low Lead in this case) runs about $2 more than the local car gas. The last few fillups we made ranged between $4-$5 per gallon.
Q: How far does it fly?
A: It depends. The distance you can travel primarily depends on the prevailing winds at altitude. A strong headwind means you spend more of your time (and fuel) going slower over the ground vs a favorable tailwind that pushes you along. In a no wind situation the book answer would be 500 miles which would equate to about a 5 hour flight. I personally don't plan for a leg longer than 3.5 hours or about 380 statute miles just because by that point you are ready to get out of the plane for a bit to take a health and comfort break. Not to mention that things don't always go exactly as planned so having a fuel reserve is not just the law, but a pretty good idea.
Q: How fast does it go?
A: I calculate my flight planning based on 105 knots (120 MPH) indicated airspeed (the speed read off the airspeed indicator on the airplane).
Q: What is maintenance like?
A: I'm learning as I go, but, the airplane is mechanically like a Volkswagen with wings. The biggest maintenance risk is the engine but even with that it is only a very simple, carbureted, air cooled, flat six cylinder engine. By volume, what is ahead of the firewall is only about 10 percent of the total airplane, it translates to 50+ percent of the value and maintenance expense. The rest is essentially an empty aluminum can.
Every year the airplane must go through a very thorough inspection of all the critical systems to head off any potential unexpected problems. If nothing turns up this runs about $1,000 in labor. If problems are found, that number can go up by up to 5 fold or more. Again, mostly in the engine. Fortunately, preventative maintenance and prompt attention to issues reduces the one time impacts significantly.
The other big expenses come from improvements which any aircraft owner has a weakness for. "Wouldn't it be nice to have such 'n such" syndrome". I'll try to temper that as best I can but I don't expect to be too successful.
Q: What trips do we have planned?
A: This is the fun part! We want the airplane to be a door opener to other activities we enjoy doing. B&Bs along the California coast, diving in Monterey, Fly fishing the Sierra Nevadas, visiting family in the San Francisco Bay area, Denver, and beyond!
Q: Which route are we planning on taking over the Rockies?
A: The northern route through the Black Hills of South Dakota, through Custer national park in Wyoming, on to the Great Salt Lake, and over the Sierras through Donner pass.
Q: What is a taildragger?
A: Literally, the term comes from the fact that the tail sits on the ground and is being "dragged" around on the tailwheel. This was the way all airplanes were built prior to the advent of hard surface runways. In the days of gravel and turf strips it was beneficial to have a long wheel base for stability and to keep the propeller as far from the ground as possible should you hit an unexpected gopher hole. It's also a very simple and lightweight design.
Because the design of a taildragger places the center of gravity behind the main wheels, it is challenging to keep the pointy end forward given the natural affinity to go the opposite direction and the tendency to weathervane into the wind. Think about how tricky it is to steer a shopping cart from the wrong end. Aircraft engineers addressed this issue by mounting the wheel responsible for steering in the front, placing the center of gravity ahead of the main wheels thereby keeping things moving in the proper direction with little input from the pilot. This improved controllability significantly and was made possible from paved runways, taxiways, and ramps. Back in the day this was considered the new design which is why taildraggers were referred to as "conventional" gear. The nose-up-front design was the unique, "newfangled" idea.
I wanted a taildragger partly because the off-airport, grass strip capability is appealing to me but mostly because I enjoy the challenge of it. No landing is ever a given in a taildragger - it makes you earn it each and every time.
