Lil’ Buster

Lil’ Buster showed up at my home airport yesterday. Quite a nice example of a classic aircraft, in this case a Luscombe. Take a look.

Lil’ Buster, Luscombe Aircraft

It featured that fancy paint job, complete with the name.

Cowling of the Luscombe, Lil’ Buster.

The instrument panel contains only the necessities, those instruments required by law, for safe operation.

Luscombe instrument panel.

A plane like this requires real stick and rudder skills. It’s all you, all the time, and I would venture to say, that’s what makes it fun and interesting. You’re flying under visual flight rules, using a chart and dead reckoning, and what you can see below to find your way. This is my kind of flying.

Published in: on August 31, 2012 at 10:13 am  Leave a Comment  
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Rivers of Clouds

Very pleasant flight this morning. Took off from home base and headed north by slightly east. After passing over Allentown, the rolling hills of Pennsylvania were filled with rivers of clouds. Here’s the photo:

Rivers of clouds as seen from 5,500 ft.

That photo was taken at 5,500 feet above sea level. Continuing north, I stopped off at Mount Pocono (KMPO). Great airport. Here’s the view from 3,500:

Mount Pocono Airport (KMPO) as seen from 3,500 ft.

It’s nice to have crossing runways because it gives you flexibility depending upon wind direction for landing. So, another couple of hours in the log book. The Diamond DA-40 flew like a dream and Allentown Approach did a great job keeping traffic flowing. Can’t wait for the next flight.

Published in: on August 23, 2012 at 4:55 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Cape May Airport, (KWWD)

On one of my recent flights, I flew directly over Cape May Airport (KWWD). Didn’t have time to land. Anyway, take a look through the prop wash in this photo and you’ll see the field.

Cape May Airport from 3,500 feet.

It was a great day to go flying. Clear skies, low humidity, and plenty to see along the way. Always do your checklist.

Published in: on August 20, 2012 at 2:45 pm  Leave a Comment  
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A Plane In Pieces

If you remember a post back in June, there was a plane crash at the airport from which I do much of my flying. Well, one of the planes that was damaged on the ground had since been declared a total loss. Hence, along comes the salvage artists. Here they are in action:

Dismantling an airplane for salvage.

As you can see in the photo above, they have the wings off and are lifting the fuselage. It’s a shame because this plane had many years of flying in it. Not anymore. There was some surprising internal damage. Here’s another view.

Damaged aircraft loaded for transport.

The plane was disassembled and loaded on a pair of flatbed trucks for transport to the boneyard. No doubt the pieces will be used to repair other planes, which is a good thing. So ends this episode. Remember, always do your checklist, and flying in machines and conditions you can handle.

Published in: on August 3, 2012 at 3:55 pm  Comments (1)  
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