denverpilot
Tied Down
Nice story ending, and a new one beginning.
The End of an Era
- Thread starter Ted
- Start date
Ted
The pilot formerly known as Twin Engine Ted
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2007
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iFlyNothing
Today we head at least to Addison. I'm not sure if I'm going to continue to KHRL or spend the night near KHYI - depends on how the TAFs look for morning weather at KHRL.
But the headwinds... they will be mean. Figures.
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N6927Y
But the headwinds... they will be mean. Figures.
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N6927Y
flyingmoose
Pattern Altitude
Good luck to ya. Ill hold the fort down here!! haha
tonycondon
Gastons CRO (Chief Dinner Reservation Officer)
brutal south winds on the surface today. so much wind that we'll be pushing record highs in Wichita, low to mid 60's!
Ted
The pilot formerly known as Twin Engine Ted
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iFlyNothing
Yeah, it's going to be a slow flight. Sigh...
wabower
Touchdown! Greaser!
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2008
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Wayne
Think of it as more time, to reflect, ponder, meditate, instruct and enjoy your last trip while contemplating how much faster-quicker-slicker the new ride will be.
Ted
The pilot formerly known as Twin Engine Ted
- Joined
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iFlyNothing
A positive spin, for certain.
We'll see you at 5:30. Will just have to leave a bit earlier to get there.
wabower
Touchdown! Greaser!
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Wayne
See you there.
A positive spin, for certain.
We'll see you at 5:30. Will just have to leave a bit earlier to get there.
Dave Siciliano
Final Approach
What a wonderful write up, Ted! Amazing how attached we get to these wonderful flying machines isn't it.
I still have very fond memories of my A-36. While it was a great plane, it took me on some wonderful adventures with some of the folks I was closest too and those still stand out in my memory like I'm sure they do for you.
Great to see you. Hope you get down this-a-way again soon.
I'll PM you on another matter.
Best,
Dave
I still have very fond memories of my A-36. While it was a great plane, it took me on some wonderful adventures with some of the folks I was closest too and those still stand out in my memory like I'm sure they do for you.
Great to see you. Hope you get down this-a-way again soon.
I'll PM you on another matter.
Best,
Dave
found the pictures. they were about 8 meg each. a little big to post here. i'll try to email you one
If they are photos and not movies, google and download "pixresizer". It is a free program that will resize pictures quickly and easily. My digicam takes 8 to 12 meg photos too, and I store them full size and use this program to cut them down for emailing and posting.
-Skip
Just heard Harlingen Tower talking to Ted - could not hear Ted's side for some reason - but they cleared him for the option. Maybe Ted's getting one last pass for old time's sake.
Ten thousand hours and more, and it ends here. I know it's "just" a machine, but in the hands of a good soul, what a machine!
Nice work Ted (and Laurie and Danos). Many barks and more than a few mews continue thanks to y'all and Two Seven Yankee.
---
...and he'll pull mixtures, one last time, hear the gyros spin down, one last time, give her a pat on the nose...
...shucks, there's something in my eye again.
Ten thousand hours and more, and it ends here. I know it's "just" a machine, but in the hands of a good soul, what a machine!
Nice work Ted (and Laurie and Danos). Many barks and more than a few mews continue thanks to y'all and Two Seven Yankee.
---
...and he'll pull mixtures, one last time, hear the gyros spin down, one last time, give her a pat on the nose...
...shucks, there's something in my eye again.
Last edited:
gismo
Touchdown! Greaser!
Ted
The pilot formerly known as Twin Engine Ted
- Joined
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iFlyNothing
For me as well. We had a lot of happy memories in that plane!
Very well put, Dave, and I feel the same about the Aztec. We do, indeed, get attached to these machines and the memories that come with them.
It was great seeing you, as well, and hope to see you again soon. I'll look for your PM.
That is, indeed, what I did.
It must be going around... got something in my eye, too.
I hope you packed a hanky.
Didn't, but might not have been a bad idea entirely.
Full write-up to follow...
Ted
The pilot formerly known as Twin Engine Ted
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iFlyNothing
It is finished. The Aztec is delivered, and I have made my way back home.
Its final flight was a good one, and much like the sort of trips I normally took with it. David came along with me, and so we left around lunch time yesterday to make it to Addison in time for dinner with the DFW crowd. Headwinds the whole way, of course.
Dinner with friends was excellent. It was a great chance to catch up with old friends, share stories, and meet a few PoAers who I hadn't yet had the pleasure of meeting.
After dinner, David and I flew down to San Marcos. The night flight reminded me in many ways of the first flight I'd ever made in it. Out my side were beautiful stars on a moonless night - much like when, as a 10-hour student pilot, I flew the plane with my instructor from Maine back to Williamsport for the first time. In San Marcos the clouds went from 400' down to right around 200-300', making for a night ILS breaking out right about at mins. I thought it was a fairly raggedy ILS, but the guy in the right seat seemed to think it was alright. Either way, the needles stayed more or less centered and the runway was there when we broke out.
This morning, I woke up for what would be the last flight the Aztec would ever take. As always, the engines fired right up beautifully. As always, I flipped on the avionics and lights, and picked up my clearance.
On the flight, I thought about the first flights I had made in it - my initial multi-engine training, my first time flying it solo, my first passengers, the numerous other passengers (both human and animal), and all the wonderful milestones that have occurred in this plane, of which there were many. There was something in my eye a good bit of the way.
Initially, the TAFs had looked like it would be an instrument approach at Harlingen, where the plane was going. Fortunately the weather cleared up and it was an easy visual approach there. And so, I requested tower for permission to do a low-pass, which I did, somewhere around 200 indicated.
The Aztec had her last display of power, and then came around for a greaser of a landing, I'm proud to say. I taxied her in to parking, pulling the mixtures back for the last time, shutting off all the switches for the last time, and hearing the gyros spool down for the last time. I did it all slowly and enjoyed it.
I flew the plane as I had always flown it, and it flew the way it had always flown. As always, it did what I asked it. In the 1,000 hours I've owned that plane, not once has it not done what I've asked of it, and today was no exception. It always was a workhorse of an aircraft, and never let me down.
The director of the A&P program and I were talking about the plane's future and the future of A&P mechanic training, and I am confident that the plane will have a productive future. What makes the plane such a great fit for the school is that all the systems on it work, but that it also provides some good project opportunities. There are parts that need paint, parts that need sheetmetal work and the like. Really, I don't think they could have found a better fit for their school. It made me happy to see.
And so, I patted the airplane on the nose one last time, said to her "Farewell, old friend," and walked away with a smile.
I will miss that plane. I don't think that this is the second (or first) happiest day of owning her, though.
On the first day:
And on last day:
Its final flight was a good one, and much like the sort of trips I normally took with it. David came along with me, and so we left around lunch time yesterday to make it to Addison in time for dinner with the DFW crowd. Headwinds the whole way, of course.
Dinner with friends was excellent. It was a great chance to catch up with old friends, share stories, and meet a few PoAers who I hadn't yet had the pleasure of meeting.
After dinner, David and I flew down to San Marcos. The night flight reminded me in many ways of the first flight I'd ever made in it. Out my side were beautiful stars on a moonless night - much like when, as a 10-hour student pilot, I flew the plane with my instructor from Maine back to Williamsport for the first time. In San Marcos the clouds went from 400' down to right around 200-300', making for a night ILS breaking out right about at mins. I thought it was a fairly raggedy ILS, but the guy in the right seat seemed to think it was alright. Either way, the needles stayed more or less centered and the runway was there when we broke out.
This morning, I woke up for what would be the last flight the Aztec would ever take. As always, the engines fired right up beautifully. As always, I flipped on the avionics and lights, and picked up my clearance.
On the flight, I thought about the first flights I had made in it - my initial multi-engine training, my first time flying it solo, my first passengers, the numerous other passengers (both human and animal), and all the wonderful milestones that have occurred in this plane, of which there were many. There was something in my eye a good bit of the way.
Initially, the TAFs had looked like it would be an instrument approach at Harlingen, where the plane was going. Fortunately the weather cleared up and it was an easy visual approach there. And so, I requested tower for permission to do a low-pass, which I did, somewhere around 200 indicated.
The Aztec had her last display of power, and then came around for a greaser of a landing, I'm proud to say. I taxied her in to parking, pulling the mixtures back for the last time, shutting off all the switches for the last time, and hearing the gyros spool down for the last time. I did it all slowly and enjoyed it.
I flew the plane as I had always flown it, and it flew the way it had always flown. As always, it did what I asked it. In the 1,000 hours I've owned that plane, not once has it not done what I've asked of it, and today was no exception. It always was a workhorse of an aircraft, and never let me down.
The director of the A&P program and I were talking about the plane's future and the future of A&P mechanic training, and I am confident that the plane will have a productive future. What makes the plane such a great fit for the school is that all the systems on it work, but that it also provides some good project opportunities. There are parts that need paint, parts that need sheetmetal work and the like. Really, I don't think they could have found a better fit for their school. It made me happy to see.
And so, I patted the airplane on the nose one last time, said to her "Farewell, old friend," and walked away with a smile.
I will miss that plane. I don't think that this is the second (or first) happiest day of owning her, though.
On the first day:
And on last day:
