It was a pre-September 11 world when writer Alton K. Marsh and photographer Mike Fizer alighted at Madras, Oregon, last year from Super Rabbit, a B-25 bomber (see " Bombing With History," page 84). Since that time, aircraft owner Jim Morgan has become concerned about legislators who look on antique warbirds as a security threat, and he remains vigilant against any new restrictions. However, the events of last year have heightened the public's interest in aircraft that contributed heavily in the past to the defense of America's freedoms, Morgan reports. The Madras Air Fair, where Marsh and Fizer staked out the Eberhard's Dairy ice cream concession when not aboard the bomber, will not be presented again until the summer of 2003. But Super Rabbit continues offering the public history lessons this year, most recently in Pendleton, Oregon, where Gen. (then lieutenant colonel) Jimmy Doolittle's B-25 pilots practiced for their daring 1942 daylight raid on Tokyo.
What's the best way to prepare for a first-time flight in a brand-new airplane such as the Premier I? Spend a few hours taking a simulator-based training course, such as the ones offered by FlightSafety International. That's what Editor at Large Thomas A. Horne did as part of his research for this month's article about the Premier I (see " Raytheon Premier I: Little Big Jet," page 66). Always simultaneously humbling and educational, sessions in FlightSafety simulators now have an extra component. As Horne found out, FSI's new FlightVis software captures every control input, graphs every approach path, even videotapes every simulator session — all the better to analyze your technique. Viewed during postflight debriefing sessions, FlightVis shows exactly where you went right — or wrong. "It's a great learning tool," Horne says. "But now I know why they erase those recordings. For every lofty, ego-rich moment, there's always the chance of a counterpoint to your brilliance. Things happen fast in a jet like this."
"My student and I had just lifted off from Santa Monica in a Stinson Voyager when the Franklin engine threw a rod. Contrary to conventional wisdom, I made a one-eighty and returned to the airport because it appeared that we were high enough to do so even though the engine had failed," says author Barry Schiff. "Everything went well until my student decided to help me arrest the sink rate by abruptly hauling back on the control wheel when 10 feet in the air. The Stinson stalled, and we landed with a thud, a broken landing gear strut, and, thankfully, no serious injuries. I'm uncertain what the outcome would have been had we landed straight ahead and in a densely populated neighborhood." This is when Schiff decided that pilots needed more guidance about determining when to consider reversing course following an engine failure after takeoff. His article, " Engine Out!" which begins on page 99, is a comprehensive overview of what Schiff has learned about this critical subject during his almost 50 years as a pilot.
Related Articles
