Dreams of past flights...
By Rob Stapleton
Jan. 29, 2008
Birchwood, AK (BCV)-One of the greatest things about flying a weightshift trike is how low you can fly over flat terrain, or water, very low...
A few years ago in the winter I had the occasion to make one such flight just to practice flying low and slow.
The air was clear, and cold, it was a beautiful March Spring day in Southcentral Alaska and I couldn't sit at a computer editing photographs any longer, I remember it well.
The sky was calling!
My Antares MA-33 was ready, on skis, radio charged up, full of fuel. This would be a solo flight around the upper Knik Arm. I pulled on my helmet, climbed in, fastened the seat harness, and yelled "CLEAR" to start the engine.
The trike leaped into the sky off of Runway 01 on takeoff, trailing a mist of snow from the skis as I headed straight North toward the Village of Eklutna.
Once abeam of the village at 2,000 feet I made a shallow clearing turn to the right and then made a 90 degree left turn to fly direct over the upper Arm near the mouth of the Knik River.
I like crossing the ice laden river, or Knik Arm here because it is narrow and would allow a glide mid-channel to either side should the engine fail. Plus there are trails that lead to road access from this area that would allow a walk to civilization should an emergency arise.
The trike was headed for Solo Lake, where I would let down and do some ground skimming. Once over the lake only about 12 minutes into the flight I let down to about 500 feet circled the lake looking for anyone else. No one around, good.
I set up for a landing in a slight glide with power to get a closer look at the snow conditions. I had landed here before when there was no snow and it was icy. I remember it took me for ever to get a single place Tundra Trike stopped, eventually it bumped into a log frozen into the lake, and came to sudden halt.
A bit of an embarrasing moment, but no damage done. Lesson learned...don't land on wind blown lake ice with skis.
Today would be different the snow was hard packed by wind but crusty where no one else had landed. Good I want to make my own tracks.
Adding power I climbed up a 100 feet, made a left circle, headed the nose and wing into the wind, and cut the power back to idle.
Just as the main skis touched the snow, I gave the control bar a brief push to flair, and then came back bar neutral for a soft, smooth touchdown in the snow. Sliding straight ahead I came to stop.
After checking the wind, or lack of it, I gave the trike full power and took off.
Climbing up to 100 feet, I eased the power back to around 4500 RPM, made a shallow turn to the left and followed a creek to the opening, or the mouth of the Knik Arm.
Slowly letting down, 75 feet, then 50, then 30, 20, 10 feet and into ground effect I held the bar neutral, with just a little back pressure. Feeling the air in the wing I knew at this speed I could hold the same altitude and airspeed all day.
Skimming over the flat snow, glistening bright white, near the inky glacial mud, the air was still, and I was following the tracks of a wolf, keeping a keen eye ahead to look for anything in my way.
The two-cycle engine was purring, the Exhaust Gas Temperatures looked good, around 1100 F. A fine flight, smooth with a slight smell of salt water in the air.
What a rush.
Following the tracks I crossed another creek and was coming up on a bluff that was about 500 feet higher than I was flying. Full power I climbed up, up , up and circled to my left away from the bluff, let off the power and glided down to the same trail, this time at about 50 feet.
Indicating just at 60 m.p.h.-- bar neutral--I eased back on the power and continued to fly northeast following the western coastline of the Knik Arm. After crossing back over the wolf tracks I continued to fly toward the upper Knik Arm, to the river.
As I crossed the river to the Eklutna side, I gave the two cylinder engine a bit more fuel and climbed up to 500 feet just before making a right turn and crossing over slow moving ice floes coming out of the river toward the upper Cook Inlet. Once on the other side I headed south, over Eklutna and back to Birchwood.
After landing and taxing back to the northeast ramp, I thought, "Now this is what trike flying is all about, low, slow flying, and a chance to see the snow covered country at 60 m.p.h. from 50 feet--a real thrill."
Now, where's that coffee thermos full of Colombian blend?
Jan. 29, 2008
Birchwood, AK (BCV)-One of the greatest things about flying a weightshift trike is how low you can fly over flat terrain, or water, very low...
A few years ago in the winter I had the occasion to make one such flight just to practice flying low and slow.
The air was clear, and cold, it was a beautiful March Spring day in Southcentral Alaska and I couldn't sit at a computer editing photographs any longer, I remember it well.
The sky was calling!
My Antares MA-33 was ready, on skis, radio charged up, full of fuel. This would be a solo flight around the upper Knik Arm. I pulled on my helmet, climbed in, fastened the seat harness, and yelled "CLEAR" to start the engine.
The trike leaped into the sky off of Runway 01 on takeoff, trailing a mist of snow from the skis as I headed straight North toward the Village of Eklutna.
Once abeam of the village at 2,000 feet I made a shallow clearing turn to the right and then made a 90 degree left turn to fly direct over the upper Arm near the mouth of the Knik River.
I like crossing the ice laden river, or Knik Arm here because it is narrow and would allow a glide mid-channel to either side should the engine fail. Plus there are trails that lead to road access from this area that would allow a walk to civilization should an emergency arise.
The trike was headed for Solo Lake, where I would let down and do some ground skimming. Once over the lake only about 12 minutes into the flight I let down to about 500 feet circled the lake looking for anyone else. No one around, good.
I set up for a landing in a slight glide with power to get a closer look at the snow conditions. I had landed here before when there was no snow and it was icy. I remember it took me for ever to get a single place Tundra Trike stopped, eventually it bumped into a log frozen into the lake, and came to sudden halt.
A bit of an embarrasing moment, but no damage done. Lesson learned...don't land on wind blown lake ice with skis.
Today would be different the snow was hard packed by wind but crusty where no one else had landed. Good I want to make my own tracks.
Adding power I climbed up a 100 feet, made a left circle, headed the nose and wing into the wind, and cut the power back to idle.
Just as the main skis touched the snow, I gave the control bar a brief push to flair, and then came back bar neutral for a soft, smooth touchdown in the snow. Sliding straight ahead I came to stop.
After checking the wind, or lack of it, I gave the trike full power and took off.
Climbing up to 100 feet, I eased the power back to around 4500 RPM, made a shallow turn to the left and followed a creek to the opening, or the mouth of the Knik Arm.
Slowly letting down, 75 feet, then 50, then 30, 20, 10 feet and into ground effect I held the bar neutral, with just a little back pressure. Feeling the air in the wing I knew at this speed I could hold the same altitude and airspeed all day.
Skimming over the flat snow, glistening bright white, near the inky glacial mud, the air was still, and I was following the tracks of a wolf, keeping a keen eye ahead to look for anything in my way.
The two-cycle engine was purring, the Exhaust Gas Temperatures looked good, around 1100 F. A fine flight, smooth with a slight smell of salt water in the air.
What a rush.
Following the tracks I crossed another creek and was coming up on a bluff that was about 500 feet higher than I was flying. Full power I climbed up, up , up and circled to my left away from the bluff, let off the power and glided down to the same trail, this time at about 50 feet.
Indicating just at 60 m.p.h.-- bar neutral--I eased back on the power and continued to fly northeast following the western coastline of the Knik Arm. After crossing back over the wolf tracks I continued to fly toward the upper Knik Arm, to the river.
As I crossed the river to the Eklutna side, I gave the two cylinder engine a bit more fuel and climbed up to 500 feet just before making a right turn and crossing over slow moving ice floes coming out of the river toward the upper Cook Inlet. Once on the other side I headed south, over Eklutna and back to Birchwood.
After landing and taxing back to the northeast ramp, I thought, "Now this is what trike flying is all about, low, slow flying, and a chance to see the snow covered country at 60 m.p.h. from 50 feet--a real thrill."
Now, where's that coffee thermos full of Colombian blend?
Labels: Aeros, Alaska, Antares, Birchwood, flying on skis, ground skimming, Rob Stapleton, Sport Aviation, trikes, ultralights, weight shift
posted by Akfotoman at 7:00 AM
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