Your First Left Seat Triple Tail Flight

Actually, Jonathon, I am that guy from NH. I lived in NH, even when I kept the airplane in Maine.

The Cruisair was grounded for wing rot in 2001. I found a guy in Vermont who was supposed to replace the wings with some we found in upstate NY in early 2002. After I bought the wings and the airplane was apart, he decided (but never came out and said) that he didn't want to complete the project, so now it's in storage. I'm looking to buy another Cruisair sometime in the next month. Then, I'll have all the spare parts I'll ever need.

I went away to the Middle East in late 2002. I thought I'd have an airplane to fly when I got home. Well..., the best laid plans of mice and men I guess...
 
Whew! So this is not your final aircraft after all, Michael :D

Sorry for your nasty surprise after returning home. Such a desperate need for wing overhauls, yet I doubt anyone could make a buck restoring them, given their structural complexity (e.g. no two ribs the same size) and how much these sweet machines are undervalued. Plus, for those of us who lack the time and skills, we've all suffered from unkept promises at one time or another. No, I'm not about to go on my shop worn rant about mechanics and triple tails :roll:

After my long suffering and patient friend finishes with my 'Master, when next it's time for an annual, I'm simply going to fly to Lynn's place now that I'm on the east coast again and my little flight planner tells me that he's only 140 or so miles away. "So, Lynn, ya think you can annual my Triple Tail while I hang out here?" Yep, I expect that scene from the movie Dodge Ball when Rip Torn starts throwing wrenches :lol: :lol: :lol:

No need to click on those evil face "Smilies" Lynn....just kidding.

Jonathan
 
JB, as I said" I will help you out" Lynn , Lord willin and the creek don't rise! :evil: :mrgreen:
 
Was just kidding, Lynn. I recall your offer and I know it's sincere (and DEEPLY appreciated). Plus having gone Plato to NATO (yikes - that old expression is woefully out of date) with yours, you'll either get night sweats when another one turns up, or you'll shrug and get at it, like most shops do with 172s.
 
For me, it was my first high performace and first tailwheel checkout. I bought the plane on reputaion, both the aircraft and the seller. He was old and backing down to a Cessna 172.
I seem to recall that he delivered it to Crest Airpark. I did my conversion training and first left seat flight there. I was pretty nervous about the tailwheel thing, but I was about 30 then and full of self confidence.
One thing I know for sure, I loved that plane and several friends took up flying after I gave them their first ever small plane ride in it.
I foolishly let it go; pressure from the soon after ex-wife, and an RV-4 kit....which I sold unfinished.
Later I flew a good friend's Aeronca. On landing, I was all over the sky and thought I would ground loop it while Gary laughed and laughed at me. I'd No Idea how good that cruisemaster had been to me those 6 years...
At first I loved the aelerons and the climb rate, then I became aware of the way the ground effect make landing so nice. The systems are simple and annuals were cheap. The engine (O-470K) powerfull and sounds so good, the McCauly prop so reliable.
I loved to taxi up to the clubhouse and stand on one brake, swinging the tail around to park like some Walter Mitty fighter pilot.
(12 years later) my new wife would roll her eyes when I'd look at the sky and say "Sure is a nice day for flying" she would think "He's wierd, but at my age it's had to get a good husband"....then after we were married about 4 years I got back into flying and she started lessons. We got an old Cessna 172....now she's a CFII and we are running trail on another Cruisemaster. She's a bit worried about the tailwheel now, but all for the challenge.
Here comes Chapter Two...
Scott
 
While waiting on Chapter Two, I just want to say, welcome to our cunning squadron, Scott :)

Crest is Dan Cullman's home, hangar and such. He was kind enough to give me the tour when I was there for a Cubs and Classics event in my Luscombe some years ago.

Jonathan
 
Jonathon,
I purchased my -2 form a friend so I had one right seat flight when I was 17 or 18 years old and remember it as one of my first high performance rides. He let me set up for landing but was afraid that my luscombe time was not enough to safely complete the job without brakes on the right, little did he know that most luscombe time is without much brake either.
20 years later i talked him out of the bird even though some of the elder statesmen from my local area recommended that a stay away from the old girl. The previous owner was an alaskan resident and pilot and a lttle bit of a rebel when it came to following rules so the airplane had not had a logbook entry for 20 years. I was still willing to take her on. I trailered it to another airport sideways ( 23' wide on the trailer) and spent one week trying to get it ferriable. The ferry permit only allowed required crew so I was it. Could not even take an instructor. My ferry flight was over Mount lassen to susanville and I was chased by my A.I. in his 310 with a few spectators. I made one high speed taxi and one very long full throttle run up ( since this bird had not flown for about 7 years) and I was ready, or at least I thought I was. My luscombe, and many other taildraggers in my past, prepared me for everything except the power. I was so concerned about the engine staying running that I did a max climb and by the time the 310 got in the air to chase me home I was so high they could not fine me. I flew her home stiff legged but it was still a thrill I wont forget. Bit off all my finger nails on the way over lassen at 10,000 ft and made a beautiful landing at susanville. It was a long hard job to get her legal but worth the reward when i finally got back in her for a retract flight. My fabric man, who has sinced passed away, always wanted a cruisemaster ride and he was willing to go with me on the first flights. I don't know if that was faith in the airplane, faith in the pilot or he was so old he did not care anymore, but he was impressed. We landed and he bragged to everyone that we could indicate 150 at 10,000 ft. That made me proud and happy I had gone through all the work. Still happy the hit that throttle every time I fly and don't like to pull her back. Brian Farrell
 
Thank you the story, Brian. I had no idea that you and that airplane had so much history together. And now I know why you always show up to the Luscombe fly-in at Columbia each year :)

I can't think of a better aircraft to teach a person the wonders and potential perils of conventional gear aircraft than a Luscombe.

150IAS at 10k! Man, your bird hauls buttocks :lol:

Jonathan
 
JONATHAN, I HAVE BEEN ATTENDING THE LUSCOMBE FLYIN SINCE 1979 OR 1980 AND DID NOT MISS TOO MANY UNTIL RECENT YEARS. I WAS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL PUSHERS TO GET THE BELLANCA FLYIN AT COLUMBIA BUT NOW WITH THE LUSCOMBE FLYIN TWO WEEKS EARLIER ITS HARD TO HAVE TWO WEEKENDS OF FUN AT THE SAME LOCATION. AND i HAVE MISSED A FEW BELLANCA EVENTS OF RECENT ALSO. i DID NOT THINK MY BIRD WAS AS FAST AS OTHERS BECAUSE OF CRUISE SPEEDS QUOTED BY OTHER -2 OWNERS BUT MAYBE IT IS. THE MOTOR IS GETTING OLD BUT SHE STILL RUNS.
I ONCE SET HER DOWN RIGHT ON THE WAVES OF THE COAST NEAR EUREKA AND INDICATED 196 BALLS OUT. THAT WAS FUN TO SEE ON THE INDICATOR OF COURSE WHO KNOWS HOW ACCURATE THEY ARE. ANYWAY SEE YA SOON BRIAN
 
Uh...Brian....you may know this but your Caps Lock key is stuck :mrgreen:

Many people lie their backsides off when it comes to claimed cruise speeds. The 'Master is a 135-145kt airplane, on the lower side for a 14-19 with an unhappy O-435, and on the other side for a -2 with, pardon the expression, nice jugs. People will tell you different, but they are either "misstating" their speed, fail to know that the airspeed indicators on most Bellancas read high (quite high in some cases), or saw some wickedly high speed on their GPS once. Even that glassed wing hot-rod 14-19 with the -3 nose (260hp), and farings everywhere cruises in the 150-155kt range. Some people are lucky to see that on a Viking, though 160 is reasonable.

Thus, do not despair, sir :)

Jonathan
 
Ya I know about the caps button. I like to read caps better for my eyes. Does it take more computer space or is it OK to use? thanks for the 14-19 and 14-19-2 numbers from your perspective, I usually run around at 148-152 knots gps but I like to use MPH because the higher number is I much better sound to the ears when bragging. I made a non stop from redding to Canada a few years back and did it solo with 84 gals of fuel on board and did 162 mph at 11.2 gph at 13,500. seamed reasonable to me and beat the heck out of doing it in the Luscombe. Hey is that a subject for a new forum question or has that lying heavy subject been over worked already. May be more fun to explore in modern days since GPS is harder to lye about, at least for some. Brian
 
The caps lock thing is common with folks who are just getting into this email and online forum business, Brian. The problem is that it gives people the impression that you're shouting. I do a lot of shouting, myself, but here I used caps to EMPHASIZE something :)

Speed, like any aircraft attribute, is not a static, fixed thing. So much of an aircraft's performance does not come down to engines, airfoils, rigging and such. The final, and most important arbiter is the medium we travel through. Wind, heat, and humidity turn book numbers into lofty ideals. True, a faster airplane suffers less from a headwind, and benefits more from a tailwind, and more horsepower can turn a dicey takeoff on a hot day into a non-event, but 140kts or 150kts in the windless calm just doesn't matter much.

Still, Brian, I'd say your -2 makes good speed.

Jonathan
 
Thanks for the caps note guys. I never thought anyone would be anoyed by something like that. I do it becasue I am much faster at typing without using the shift key. Never thought i was yelling at anyone. So to satisfy the requests of some, I will type shorter messages that don't take as long. Brian
 
Who the heck told you to write shorter posts, Brian? If anyone did, ignore them...better still, cut and paste a long article on something like legumes that grow well in Bora Bora from Wikipedia into an email, and send it to them at least twice a day. :twisted:

This is an open forum, moderated by our President only when words are used that do not belong in the vocabulary of a public discussion are employed, and I don't think that has happened.

I'm happy to have you here, sir - most happy.

Jonathan
 
Well, I haven't flown a triple tail in more than 5 1/2 years, but I just bought Werner Heller's BEAUTIFUL 13-2, so it might nearly count as a first flight when I do get back into the air. (I did everything I could to talk myself out of buying it, but I finally had to succumb. D**n, Cruisairs are beautiful airplanes!) I taxied the airplane and fast taxied it for the first time on Tuesday, with a respectable wind, and I have to tell you that I'm kind of embarrassed to call myself a tailwheel pilot, it was so easy. I guess one of my non-pilot friends is right, though: choosing the right equipment is a first part of being a good pilot. Thank you, Giuseppe. I'm remembering why you have such a devoted fan club!
 
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