Sunday, April 11, 2010 Found the Cable Ends

As I sat around the following Sunday afternoon, a thought dawned in my muddled brain. I wonder if the lost ends of the upper engine cables might still be attached to the upper frame plate. I checked it out and sure enough! The cable ends were there. I quickly unbolted them and included them in the cable bundle. So one hurdle has been breached.

I still don’t know the function of the two short light-weight cable ends I found. I hope I can determine as I assemble the wing for the first time after the spars have been straightened.

Don Lindemann, the flight instructor who instructs in trikes, had called earlier in the week and told me that if the weather held, we could get in some dual time in his trike. It worked out as planned; after an hour of driving to the New Richmond, WI, Municipal Airport, I arrived and we proceeded to fly around the Wisconsin countryside. It was a incredible experience. When taking up a new student, Don usually flies the first time in the front (the pilot’s seat), but after we talked, he convinced him that I could fly in the front seat.

The first take-off was frightening because of what I had previously experienced when the JetWing crashed. Because of the way the trike is configured, with the pilot so close to the nose, the climb-out seems much more vertical than a conventional light aircraft. I applied full power, and immediately experienced a clear flashback of my accidental take-off in the JetWInig back in September. The sensation was identical and that experience and my initial reaction was to back off the power, which was the exact thing that caused the devastating crash in the JetWing. But this time I resisted the temptation and we climbed out with full power. Of course had I given in to my temptation, Don would have overridden the power setting. But it was not seriously an issue and even had I been alone, I’m sure I would have known better and carried the proper power setting. It was just a brief surreal feeling.

We flew for about an hour and a quarter, did several T&G’s and a little airport nearby, Amery, and also did some turns and roll-outs and other maneuvers, and after the time was over, I think I have a good feeling about attitude flying in the trike. It was chilly, but the experience out in the open air was unforgettable. We’ll be doing that again soon, I hope.