TTMFA – Part #4<\/h4>\n
While still in the final editing stage<\/strong>\u00a0of\u00a0“That They Might Fly Again – Part 3”<\/a><\/strong>, I have commenced the 2013 shooting schedule<\/strong> of interviewing and gathering flight footage for TTMFA<\/strong>\u00a0Part 4<\/strong>. That is where Ike<\/strong> and “The Miracle Maker”<\/strong> came in. \u00a0I met Ike<\/strong> by referral from his friend, also a premiere pilot and warbird owner, Greg Shelton<\/strong>. Greg<\/strong> performs aerobatics<\/strong> in airshows<\/a> across the USA and South of the Border. Greg’s Fighter of Choice<\/em> is the Wildcat<\/strong> and he will also be featured<\/span> in Part 4\u00a0<\/strong>of my series.<\/p>\n There is just way too much to tell about Ike<\/strong> in this installment of Sky Surfing.\u00a0<\/strong>You’ll just have to watch\u00a0Part 4\u00a0<\/strong>of the series when it comes out… Suffice to say, Ike<\/strong> and his beautiful wife Liz<\/strong> have a wonderful assortment of aircraft and own a large flying service in Canada.<\/strong> They also have acquired a number of hunting and fishing lodges<\/a>. That’s why I said in the opening line that they reside “part time”<\/em> in Tulsa<\/strong>. During the “warm months”\u00a0(in Canada that means the couple of months some<\/span> of the snow melts…)<\/em> they head North<\/strong> to attend to the lodges\u00a0leaving the red dirt of\u00a0Oklahoma<\/strong>\u00a0behind.<\/p>\n I contacted Ike<\/strong> this Winter<\/strong> to see if he would be interested in participating in the series. After some discussion as to my aims and what would be required of him, he heartily agreed. After that, we stayed in contact alert for auspicious occasions upon which I could conduct two interview sessions I needed. Also opportunities to shoot some action footage of the Mustang<\/strong>. On\u00a0Tuesday<\/strong>, the 7th of May<\/strong>, we were able to taxi the P-51<\/strong> out on the ramp so Ike could perform a “walkaround”<\/em> on camera and describe this most famous of WWII Fighters<\/strong> in great detail.<\/p>\n Ike Enns & “The Miracle Maker”<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n I am very happy to have Ike<\/strong> and “The Miracle Maker”<\/strong> in my movie. While those who own and fly their own P-51 Mustang<\/strong> are all<\/span> members of an\u00a0unquestionably select group<\/em>, I believe Ike<\/strong> stands alone in this crowd for a number of reasons. First<\/strong>, he has owned “Miracle”<\/strong> for 20 years and has flown many hours<\/span> in it in all types of conditions. Second<\/strong>, he knows it inside and out<\/strong>. Because he is also a certified aircraft maintenance technician<\/strong> (known in Canada as an\u00a0aircraft maintenance engineer<\/a>), Ike<\/strong> is intimately familiar with the engine, structure and systems of the Mustang<\/strong>. Third<\/strong>, Ike<\/strong> has raced<\/span> the bird at the Reno Air Races<\/a><\/strong> many, many times. Taking into consideration these elements, I don’t think there is anyone in the world today who knows as much about the\u00a0“Ace Maker” of\u00a0<\/strong>World War Two<\/strong>\u00a0than Ike Enns<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Ike describes the forward section<\/p><\/div>\n After waiting all Winter<\/strong> and through the early part of Spring<\/strong> for the perfect confluence of weather and scheduling availability, the day to do our “walkaround”<\/em> of the “51”<\/strong> finally arrived. As it panned out, though, this was three days prior to Ike<\/strong> and Liz<\/strong> having to leave for Canada<\/strong> for the Summer<\/strong>. They had a million things to accomplish before heading North<\/strong>. Oh… And<\/span>, it was Ike’s\u00a0Birthday<\/strong> with a party being thrown later that evening… Nonetheless, Ike knows how to FOCUS<\/strong> and once the three of us were out on the ramp it was magic time.<\/p>\n While Ike<\/strong> was tying loose ends together prior to our “walkaround” interview time, I took a few snapshots of just a few<\/em> of their\u00a0beautifully restored and maintained aircraft<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Liz’s Chipmunk<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n Here’s their Canadian T-6…<\/p><\/div>\n …and in the other hangar, the American T-6 – only fitting for a couple who divides their year between the two great nations.<\/p><\/div>\n “The Miracle Maker” and yet another Chipmunk<\/p><\/div>\n A SuperCub and a J-3<\/p><\/div>\n The service trailer for Reno trips<\/p><\/div>\n Radial Runup<\/p><\/div>\n To give you some feel of the character of \u00a0Riverside Airport<\/a>, while I was “snapshotting” some of Ike’s planes, down the hangar taxiway from his hangar, the fine Stearman<\/a> you see above was rolled out so the owners could start up the engine. There are machines like this all over the field.<\/p>\n Yet another shiny Chipmunk<\/p><\/div>\n OK. The trip to Tulsa was “A Hit”<\/strong>. Ike<\/strong> was able to discuss many interesting things about the famous Mustang and I got it all on camera for later editing.<\/p>\n Now for the\u00a0“Miss”<\/strong>. I had planned my second Ultralight Adventure of the 2013 Flying Season<\/strong> for the following Saturday<\/strong>. My destination was to be Ellinwood, Kansas,<\/strong> a stop on the famous Santa Fe Trail<\/strong>. As always, I had checked the weather forecast before embarking on the journey. The winds were supposed to be from the North Northwest<\/strong> all day. As per The Sky Surfing Formula<\/strong><\/a>, I would take off at Sunrise<\/strong> to fly “under the wind”<\/em> to Ellinwood<\/strong> and then ride the wind back after spending some quality time there taking in the sights.<\/p>\n As I drove down the final stretch toward Selby Aerodrome, I saw an atmospheric phenomenon<\/strong> of great rarity in my part of Kansas (and most of the state)<\/em> Ground Fog<\/a>. That’s how calm<\/strong> the air was…<\/p>\n Just before sunrise. I pulled off Hydraulic Blvd to grab this image. Dead Calm<\/strong>.<\/p><\/div>\n A little farther down, Hydraulic crosses “The Big Ditch”<\/a>. Just to drive home the point, here we see The Selby Aerodrome windsock<\/strong> hanging limp in the foreground with my Quicksilver MXL<\/strong> and more ground fog in the background.<\/p><\/div>\n I had come to the hangar Friday afternoon to do a meticulous pre-flight<\/strong>. This allowed me Saturday<\/strong> to roll the plane out, warm it up and “hit the “High<\/em> way” without delay. Although the temperature was already in the mid 50’s, I stuck with my plan and wore my snow suit. (<\/strong>The Sky Surfer hates to be cold when riding the waves)<\/strong>\u00a0This time of year the temperatures can vary significantly from the surface up to 1,000 feet. I have been stuck flying in the cold wearing a t-shirt ONCE<\/span> and never forgot it. Since then I always overdress.<\/p>\n Everyone on the planet has seen “The Wizard of Oz”<\/a> and therefore knows of The Emerald City<\/strong>. I am convinced L. Frank Baum<\/a> was inspired in his naming of this fabled city by traveling through Kansas<\/a> in the Springtime<\/strong>. If he was able to fly above it in the wizard’s balloon, I AM CERTAIN OF IT. Following are some photos to help reveal the emerald green beauty of new wheat.<\/p>\n 700′ AGL looking West Southwest just after leaving the pattern<\/p><\/div>\n Looking North Northwest from 700′ AGL<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n See what I mean?<\/p><\/div>\n The words of Jesus<\/strong> came to mind as I slowly crossed Highway 50<\/a> heading North Northwest for Ellinwood<\/strong>. While His discussion with Nicodemus<\/strong> here is not specifically about weather, the point is well taken. Meteorologists do better than ever but they can’t be as precise with their prognostications as we would like. The Sky Surfer<\/strong> knows this and does his best to be prepared out here on The Great Plains<\/a>…<\/p>\n Goddard, Kansas<\/a>, home of former Congressman Todd Tiahrt<\/a>, as seen from 1,000′ AGL looking West Southwest.<\/p><\/div>\n About the time I took the picture above I received a good jolt from a wind gust<\/strong> almost directly out of the West. You can see from the shadows<\/strong> that it is still pretty early in the morning<\/strong>. I had not expected the wind to increase in velocity quite this early. The way to avoid wind is to drop down to about 75′ AGL\u00a0(Ultralight Flight Level 75)<\/em> and get under it.<\/p>\n America<\/strong> is home to all types. There’s City People<\/strong>, Suburban People<\/strong>, Swamp People<\/strong>, Country People<\/strong>, etc. In this list, the differences noted are based on the type of environment<\/strong>\u00a0folks have chosen for their living space. “City People”<\/strong> may look at the scene below and declare it “wide open prairie”<\/em>. Not so<\/strong>. There are parts of Kansas<\/strong> over which I have flown wherein a vista of this magnitude might not reveal a single human habitation. I’m not saying it is crowded. What you see below definitely qualifies for the “rural” label. The problem for me on this particular day, though, was that it did not provide me the “elbow room”<\/em> I require for a “nap of the earth”<\/em> flight under<\/span> the wind.<\/p>\n I took the picture right after passing the Goddard<\/strong> area. FAA Regulations<\/a> require one to fly specific heights above and to the side of populated areas. We are not to buzz people’s houses. This is quite reasonable and I obey these restrictions. It is really just common sense courtesy.<\/p>\n The problem was that I did not expect the higher number of farmsteads in my path to Ellinwood<\/strong> as there are. Last year I flew to Great Bend<\/a>, which is fairly close to Ellinwood<\/strong>, and was able to make a relatively straight course at low level without having to skirt very many farms<\/strong> and cattle herds<\/strong>. I assumed the path to Ellinwood<\/strong> would be the same. Wrong<\/span>. The farther I headed in the direction shown in the photo below, the more I was having to make course deviations in order to avoid flying too close to farm houses or livestock. This burns more gas and thus shortens one’s range. On top of this, within 20 minutes of leaving the Goddard<\/strong> area the wind became downright brisk and choppy. \u00a0Worst of all, the wind dropped down to the surface as it gained in speed and “choppy-ness”.<\/p>\n A definition is in order. For The Sky Surfer<\/strong>, the general velocity of the ambient air is less an issue than its intermittent velocity<\/em>. I don’t mind flying in 30 mph wind when it is smooth. That Saturday, though, fairly early in the morning the wind speed began to alternate from 20 mph to as high as 33 mph in quick order<\/span>. That is “choppy air”<\/em><\/strong>. Even that would have been OK if is was smooth down near the surface. It wasn’t.<\/em><\/p>\n So, between having to circumnavigate all the haciendas<\/strong> and fighting the choppy air<\/strong>, I was burning more gas than I had planned on. All was not lost, though, because I had the foresight to carry some extra gas in a “pony tank” behind the seat. This extra baggage is not “plumbed in”<\/em> to the engine fuel system. If I needed more gas to make it to Ellinwood<\/strong> I would have to land, unstrap it and pour it into the gas tank overhead which is connected to the engine in order to use it.<\/p>\n Mighty Crowded<\/p><\/div>\n All of these issues were on my mind as I continued to my destination. It wasn’t like I could really “mull it over”<\/em>, though, because the wind conditions were providing my right arm and two feet plenty of “stick and rudder”<\/em> practice. It’s is fun and challenging but it does engage your mind. Also, the extra physical activity inhibited my photographic efforts<\/em>. That’s why I don’t have many pictures at this point of the flight. Finally, though, because I had come to the major waypoint<\/strong> of my journey, I grabbed the camera with my left hand to take the photo below.<\/p>\n Hutchinson Naval Air Station<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n I must say I was doing an admirable job maintaining my course even with all the meandering. Suddenly as I passed from behind a tree row – “voila” the decommissioned Hutchinson Naval Air Station<\/strong> appeared off my right side. I had never been there before so I was surprised how big the runways are. It was built during World War Two<\/strong> and is no longer a military installation. Now it is privately owned and the home of The Sunflower Aerodrome Gliderport<\/a>.<\/p>\n About 20 minutes from the time this picture was taken I was wishing I had made a better mental image of the airfield’s surroundings to find it again…<\/p>\n People have this idea that they can do a variety of tasks at the same time. The term is “multitasking”<\/em>. Many are quite proud of this non-existant skill. I say it does not exist because this has been proven scientifically. Behavioral Scientists<\/a> have spent great effort to study the capabilities of people under “multitasking stress”<\/em>. Fighter Pilots<\/strong> in combat are thought to be operating at the upper limit of this perceived ability. Most people trying to drive their cars and “text” at the same time are pushing the edge of this envelope (often breaking through).<\/p>\n The fact of the matter is that humans can only concentrate on one thing at a time<\/strong>. What appears<\/em> to be “multitasking” <\/strong>is actually “serial tasking” <\/strong>or “circular serial tasking”<\/strong>. Sure, some people’s minds are naturally faster to recognize changes in various parameters than others. But notwithstanding the natural differences between people’s cognitive speeds, the real success in preparing people to cope with “high input stress”<\/em> is simply training<\/strong>. It is the process of making your mind more efficient in the use of its ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/fitzvideo.com\/skysurfing2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/2013-05-07-14_52_05_CU.png\")
<\/a>\u00a0Not A Casual Owner<\/h4>\n
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<\/a>\u00a0A Very Busy Day<\/h4>\n
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<\/a>RL Jones\/Riverside Airport<\/h4>\n
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<\/a>A Hit and a Miss – “The Miss”<\/h4>\n
Ground Fog<\/h4>\n
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This is the excellently maintained levy project that keeps the Ninnescah River<\/a> from flooding the west side of Wichita<\/a> when it rises from heavy rains.<\/p><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/fitzvideo.com\/skysurfing2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/IMG_1497.jpg\")
<\/a>\u00a0Calm Air – Relatively Warm Temperature<\/h4>\n
The Emerald Plains<\/h4>\n
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<\/a>\u00a0John 3:8\u00a0The\u00a0wind<\/b>\u00a0blows where it wishes<\/strong> and you hear\u00a0the\u00a0sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going<\/strong>;<\/h4>\n
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<\/a>\u00a0No Elbow Room<\/h4>\n
Dilemma Building<\/h4>\n
Choppy Air<\/h4>\n
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<\/a>The Desire To “Press On”<\/h4>\n
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<\/a>Right On Course<\/h4>\n
Cogitation Science<\/h4>\n