Bill's Flying Adventures

2011

Althought I didn't fly as many hours as in 2010, it was still an excellent flying year.   The RV ran flawlessly all year -- albeit a flat tire rolling out at Bay Bridge -- and I logged a few hours in Bruce's Cub as well.  The years highlight was flying the Santa Fe Trail and then touring the Southwest with Lynnette, flying up the California coast, then flying back to Maryland.   I tried flying to Sun 'N Fun but couldn't make it due to weather, which was just as well given that a tornado came through later and destroyed 90 planes.  AirVenture went much better where I enjoyed the company of my Dad and two Bro-in-Law Bruce & Doug.   I continued to fun flying formation with Dragon Flight.  On the building side of things, I continued to help Bruce on his Xenos motorglider project -- which should fly in 2012 --  and started my own new project:  a World War One Fokker DR1 Triplane replica.  (Yes, as a matter of fact, I am out of my mind!). 

  • December 22, 2011 - Triplane project - Rib Jig 
  • December 18, 2011  - Flying in December
  • December 11, 2011 - EAA Chapter 571 Christmas Party
  • December 4, 2011 - Massey Aerodrome Winter Fly-In 
  • December 3, 2011  - Holly Run to Tangier Island
  • November 15, 2011 - Wings of Texico Airplane Collection
  • November 5, 2011 - Flying with F(x) & Son
  • October 23, 2011 - Mount Wings on the Xenos 
  • October 22, 2011 - Golden Age Air Museum Great Pumpkin Fly-In
  • October 15, 2011  - Flying to Auburn, Alabama for the Auburn-Florida game
  • October 12, 2011  - Upgrading the Basement Workshop
  • October 8, 2011 - Giving rides to Boy Scouts 
  • September 18, 2011 - Flying with Matt O. 
  • September 17, 2011- Essex Skypark Wings & Wheels Fly-In
  • August 23, 2011 - Flying with Bader
  • July 26 - July 29  - AirVenture 2011
  • July 16-23, 2011  - Eastern Caribbean Cruise with Tau Gamma
  • July 9, 2011  - Golden Age Air Museum Fly-In
  • June 22- July 6 - Flying the Santa Fe Trail - Southwest vacation
  • June 4-5, 2011 - EAA Gas Welding Workshop 
  • May 30, 2011 - Campbell Field Soup On Sunday 
  • May 29, 2011 - Golden Age Air Museum Fokker Triplane
  • May 21, 2011 - 34th Annual Horn Point Antique Airplane Fly-In 
  • May 7, 2011 - Giving Young Eagle rides at Bay Bridge Airport
  • April 30, 2011 - Massey Aerodrome (MD1) Spring Chili Fly-In
  • April 30, 2011 - Formation practice with Dragon Flight
  • April 26, 2011 - Xenos Wings Complete!
  • April 15, 2011 - Flight over U.S. Naval Academy with Old Shipmates
  • April 10, 2011 - Sun 'N Fun 2011 Bust 
  • March 11-13, 2011 - Formation Clinic at Smyrna, Tennessee
  • February 17, 2011 - EAA Chapter 571 Meeting at Bruce's Garage/Xenos Project
  • February 13, 2011 - The Essex Skypark pilots fly to Frederick, MD for breakfast
  • February 6, 2011 - Cape May, NJ
  • January 16, 2011 - Fly to Crisfield, Maryland

      • 2010

      What can you say about 2010?  It was an awesome flying year.  The best I've ever had.  All the pieces were in place:  the RV was proven, flying great and looking good with insignia and invasion stripes; the weather was usually good, and Lynnette started flying on trips with me.  I took full advantage of the opportunity and flew nearly 200 hours.  The highlights were trips to Sun 'N Fun, Pensacola Naval Air Museum, Auburn Alabama, Kiawah Island South Carolina, flying the Missouri River like Lewis & Clark to Idaho, Oshkosh, Indiana, Franklin North Carolina.  I learned to fly formation with the Dragon Flight team, culminating in a 23 ship formation with Team RV and getting my FFI Wingman card. 

    • December 4, 2010 - Holly Run to Tangier Island
    • November 18, 2010 - New Tires on the RV
    • November 12-14, 2010 - Team RV Formation Clinic, North Carolina
    • October 31, 2010 - Form Practice with Team RV
    • October 24, 2010 - Foliage Flight in the Cub
    • October 17, 2010 - Form Practice and Soup on Sunday
    • October 9, 2010 - RV Flight to Indiana
    • October 2, 2010 - RV Flight to Auburn, Alabama -- War Eagle!
    • September 25, 2010 - Pancake Breakfast at Gettysburg Airport; EAA Chapter picnic
    • September 21-24, 2010 - Kiawah Island, South Carolina
    • September 18, 2010 - Essex Skypark Wings and Wheels Fly-In
    • August 29, 2010 - Brunch at Arnold Palmer Airport, Latrobe, PA
    • August 21, 2010 - Golden Age Air Museum Airshow
    • July 19-29, 2010- Missouri River - Salmon, Idaho - AirVenture 2010
    • July 9-11, 2010- Weekend Getaway with Lynnette
    • July 5, 2010 - Civil Air Patrol Cadet Fly-By
    • June 27, 2010 - Cape May Airport
    • June 26, 2010 - RC Club Fly-By; B-25
    • June 20, 2010 - Dragon Flight at York Open House 
    • June 19, 2010 - Visit to Jenkins Boneyard
    • June 17, 2010 - TurboCub Project, EAA Chapter Meeting
    • June 12, 2010 - 6-Ship Formation with Dragon Flight
    • May 31, 2010 - Soaring & RVing at the Flying Cow
    • May 26, 2010 - Blue Angels
    • April 10, 2010 - P-8 Poseidon
    • May 22, 2010 - Virginia Festival of Flight, Suffolk, VA (SFQ) 
    • May 16, 2010 - Dragon Flight flys with the Ohio Valley RVators; Wedding Fly-by 
    • May 15, 2010 - Pancake Breakfast at New Garden, PA; Warrenton, VA Fly-In; Soaring at Flycow 
    • May 5, 2010 - Midweek fligiht after work
    • May 2, 2010 - Landing at Clearview
    • May 1, 2010 - Essex Skypark Flyer Monthly Breakfast
    • April 24, 2010 - Massey Chili Fiesta Fly-In 
    • April 16, 2010 - Tennessee Air Museum
    • April 15, 2010 - Museum of Naval Aviation 
    • April 12-14, 2010 - Sun 'N Fun 2010
    • April 3, 2010 - Stripes are done! 
    • April 2, 2010 - Paint Black and Clear
    • March 27&28, 2010 - Painting Invasion Stripes on the RV 
    • March 20, 2010 - Dragon Flight Form Practice -- great pictures
    • March 7, 2010 - Form Practice with Dragon Flight
    • March 6, 2010 - National Air & Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center
    • February 28, 2010 - Form practice, snow
    • February 27, 2010 - Submarine Group Change of Command
    • February 6, 2010 - Most snow in Maryland history
    • January 31, 2010 - Snow at Essex Skypark
    • January 23, 2010 - Form Practice with Mike R.
    • January 17, 2010 - Wheel Pants maintenance
    • January 16, 2010 - Form Practice and first immediate family member flies in the RV.
    • January 8-10, 2010 - Vacation in Marathon, FL

        • 2009

        2009 was a big flying year as after five years of effort my RV finally flew for the first time on April 9th.  Next up was the 40 hour test flight period.  I had a little trouble with the engine getting too hot -- my own fault, I didn't secure the electronic ignition sensor wire good enough and it got cut slightly -- but once I resolved that, I rapidly flew off the 40 hours.  Followed by a flight to the Mecca -- AirVenture at Oshkosh.  It was a thrill flying into AirVenture in an airplane I had built myself.  I ended up with almost 100 hours on the RV by the end of the year.   I had a chance to visit the Royal Air Force museum over the pond in London which is one of the world's great aviation museums. 

         

        2008

        Well, not having the Citabria made for a noticeable drop off in Flying-related stuff for 2008.  I did get two hours of transition training in an RV-7 with Mike Seager.  I also enjoyed visiting the Chino Planes of Fame Air Museum.  Still, here they are:

      • December 24, 2008 - Hang Wings on Cub 
      • November 29, 2008 - Helping move Cub to Essex Skypark
      • November 8-12, 2008 - London
      • October 11, 2008 - EAA Chapter Picnic
      • September 14, 2008 - Transition training in Oswego, NY
      • August 31, 2008 - Flying in a RV-7A
      • August 16, 2008 - Soaring & Family Picnic
      • August 3, 2008 - Soaring
      • July 28, 2008 - Bruce's Cub and Baby Ace Projects
      • July 19, 2008 - Aerospace Museum of California in Sacramento
      • July 15, 2008 - Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
      • July 14, 2008 - Planes of Fame Air Museum at Chino, CA
      • July 9, 2008 - Soaring at Minden, Nevada
      • June 15, 2008 - Citabria over Antietam
      • June 7, 2008 - AOPA Open House in Frederick, MD
      • April 17, 2008 - Fishing the Bay
      • April 1, 2008 - Cherry Blossoms

        The good news was that I devoted the time not spent flying to building the RV and came close to finishing the plane in 2008.

        • 2007

        Not as many hours as 2006 and no real long cross-countries but still a great flying year.  I enjoyed one of my better soaring years and broke all my altitude, distances and duration records on one great flight  -- in July of all months (not usually known for good soaring conditions).  I enjoyed some great Fall flying.  Our airport, Essex Skypark, was liberated from the ADIZ.  I flew an All Grass All Day with the Trunk Monkeys on the eastern shore.  Then Bruce and I flew a cross-country to Dayton, Ohio to visit the Air Force Museum, which was great.  We also flew the Hudson River corridor; flying alongside Manhatten is always awesome.  We sold the beloved Citabria at the end of the flying season.  At the end of the year I got a few hours in one of the all time great planes -- the Piper Cub. 

         

        2006

        I logged more hours this year than ever before:  155.  The highlight of the year, of course, was the great Oregon Trail trip out to the west coast and back in June.  Trip of a lifetime.   

        2005

        I started the year off with a bang by getting my first ride in an RV, on a formation hop no less!  The years highlights were trips to Sun 'N Fun and Maine in the Citabria, and two "All Grass All Day" tours with a bunch of Citabria drivers in the Mid-Atlantic area. 

        2004

        2004 was a banner year flying-wise for me personally.   I flew 100 hours,  my highest annual total ever.  I flew 85 hours in the Citabria, including a cross-country to the Disneyland of Aviation, Oshkosh, 13 hours in gliders and 1.5 hours in the Corben Baby Ace.  I ended the year with 480 official flight hours, 513 unofficially  (includes my Ultralight time, which should count, believe me!)  It breaks down into 287 tailwheel hours, 382 hours under power, and 99 hours without power (glider). 

        Here are the highlights:

        2003

      • Oshkosh 2003 
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