Let’s think about a sports analogy… as in your team has the ball. It doesn’t matter what the other team did with the ball. If you want to play the game, and score points, and ultimately win, you have to move the ball toward the goal. You can’t sit around whining about what the other team did. You can’t moan about the rules. You can’t blame the fans for not cheering you on. You can’t win on defense. You have to get out there and carry the ball before the other team takes it away from you.
Think about that when you’re reading the newspaper or watching television. Too many people are blabbering about nothing, about the past, about things that don’t matter. Too few are executing the job at hand. Maybe they’re incompetent. Maybe they’re out of their league. Maybe they should be replaced.
Just saying.
This is one operated by PENNSTAR, affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania Hospital. I’ve seen these helicopters in action. It’s impressive. The pilot’s fly in all kinds of weather and have to land at the sites of car wrecks, train derailments, even other plane crashes. This is difficult duty to say the least. Then there is the pressure of flying with someone’s life in danger, which adds more pressure to an already stressful task.
Of course, my favorite is the Gadsden Flag in the upper left corner. (That’s the one that says, “Don’t Tread On Me.”) Don’t miss the George S. Patton one in the upper right, either. There are the ones with the American Revolution theme, space exploration, and nautical history. My supplier must have a deep well of these because I send approximately 50-60 pieces of mail to both US and international destinations each month. He’s never run out and I’m grateful.
The proven design still flies, which is testament to Piper’s philosophy. Today, most people refer to planes of this configuration as “tail draggers,” meaning that there is a small wheel at the tail which sits lower than the nose. Truthfully, the correct term is “conventional” gear as opposed to “tricycle” gear. Well, this may be an esoteric digression here at The Bent Page, but I just wanted to set the record straight. And here’s a look at the power plant that pulls this craft through the sky.
It only takes four, air-cooled cylinders to do the job as this is a very light airplane. The cylinders are exposed from the cowling to promote cooling. These engines typically operate for about 2000 hours before requiring an overhaul. Then there is the cockpit.
As you can see, only the basics are here. You have an airspeed indicator and an altimeter, a tachometer for the engines along with oil temp and pressure. There’s a compass to point the way and a turn and slip indicator which is that curved, clear tube in the center with the black ball in it. The turn and slip indicator lets the pilot know that he’s flying in a coordinated fashion (or not) and this is an important concept in flight. If the aircraft is uncoordinated, it is slipping or skidding just like a car on ice. The problem is, in certain adverse conditions a slip or skid can lead to a spin and spins can end in tragedy. Hence the simple yet highly effective device.
The Bent Page 
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