Super Decathlon-N452S/Flying with Kingsnake

[TX-EcoDragon]

The Super Decathlon I fly out of Attitude Aviation at LVK






The Pilot's view forward is excellent on the ground unlike
most tailwheel aircraft.


Here is the pilot's view left


Ben "Hwkmn" shot this as I flew inverted in the Mount Diablo
practice area. In the back seat his forward view wasnt great,
it mostly consists of the front seat pilot, but the side windows
are tall, and the skylight helps im sure! You can see the Golf
course out the skylight window here. You can also see the
carpet flug and dust and whatnot
that is sitting in the skylight. . . when pushing negative G's it
is always wise to squint and keep your mouth closed. . .  
unless you like eating carpet flug. The image quality wasnt
great with this little digicam of Ben's, but we didnt really
want to do acro while he tried to hang on to a more expensive
camera!

S!

TX-EcoDragon
Black 1
TX Squadron XO

[TX-Kingsnake]

Is that a custom TX skin?

[TX-Rahman]

Eco,         Man....I wished I lived closer to you guys.  Alas...I will live my aviation life through your pictures...  Can't afford to get my license right now.... Regards,TX-Rahman"BLUE 2"

[TX-EcoDragon]

Well, a commercial airline ticket isn’t too expensive ;-) If you’re ever out west you know where to find me! As far as affording it . . . you're not alone. . .I know I have said this before, but find a mentor, sign up with him/her. . . do that and you might be surprised what happens. . . things fall into place. Just ask Ben Hwkmn. . . 6 months ago when he said he was a pilot he had to add the words "R/C" to the beginning. He didn't really feel like he had the money to have another R/C model. . . and now he is an instrument rated private pilot! I decided to be his mentor even though he didn't have any extra funds at the time. (Though neither of us have a little noodledude to raise either)Replace your daily lunch for one year with TopRamen purchased in bulk from costco (wait, unless you already do that since you are the infamous Rahman/noodledude! ;-) instead of a Sandwich and drink at $11.00 . . . this should save ~ $10.25 a day. At the end of the year you should have $3,741.25 saved up, and be finishing up your private certificate funded by the courtesy of Nissin noodle Co. ;-)OK, I can't really endorse the scurvy inducing TopRamen diet, but you get the point!That's pretty much how I did it!S!TX-EcoDragonBlack 1TX Squadron XO

[TX-EcoDragon]

This shot was taken today,  coming over the top (inverted) portion of a loop.  I decided to add it to this thread for safe keeping. Ben also got some videos of a hammerhead and such also with his new Powershot S410 that he isn't afraid to take while doing acro. . . that works out good for me as I am too paranoid to take mine along  ;-)Here are the specifications for the Super Decathlon, AKA Bellanca/American Champion 8KCAB:Specifications: Powerplant Lycoming AEIO-360-H1B Horse Power @ RPM 180 @ 2700 rpm Recommended Engine TBO 1400 hours Propeller, Standard Constant Speed Hartzell HC-C2YR-4CF/FC7666A-2 Propeller Diameter 74 in. Length 22.9 ft. Height 7.7 ft. Wingspan 32 ft. Wing Area 169.1 sq. ft. Wing Loading 10.64 lb. / sq. ft. Power Loading 10 lb. / HP Seats 2, Tandem Cabin Length 8 ft. 10 in. Cabin Width 2 ft. 6 in. Cabin Height 3 ft. 11 in. Empty Weight (typical) 1340 lbs. Maximum Gross Weight 1800 lbs. Useful Load 460 lbs. Payload with Full Fuel 226 lbs. Fuel Capacity, Standard 40 gal. (39 gal. Usable) Oil Capacity 10 quarts Baggage Capacity 100 lbs. (10.4 cubic feet) Performance: Acrobatic Limit Loading +6, -5  g's Maximum Inverted Time 2 min. Takeoff Distance, Ground Roll 495 ft. Takeoff Distance Over 50-ft Obstacle 904 ft. Maximum Demonstrated Crosswind Component 17 kts. Rate of Climb, Sea Level 1280 fpm Never Exceed Speed 200 mphMaximum Level Speed, Sea Level 155 mph Cruise Speed / Endurance with 45 Minute Reserve @ 75% Power (Standard Fuel Tanks) 147 mph / 3.4 hours Fuel Consumption @ Altitude 9.5 gph @ 5000 ft. Cruise Speed / Endurance with 45 Minute Reserve @ 55% Power (Standard Fuel Tanks) 128 mph / 4.4 hours Fuel Consumption @ Altitude 7.6 gph @ 5000 ft. Service Ceiling 15800 ft. Landing Distance over 50-ft. Obstacle 1051 ft. Landing Distance, Ground Roll 425 ft. Limited and Recommended Airspeeds: VX (Best Angle) 58 mph VY (Best Rate) 80 mph VA (Design Maneuvering) 132 mph VNO (Maximum Structural Cruising) 160 mph VNE (Never Exceed) 200 mph VR (Rotation) 56 mph VS1 (Stall, Clean) 53 mph  Here is a page of another SuperD with a little video too: http://www.tail-wheel.com/gallery.htmS!TX-EcoDragonBlack 1TX-Squadron XO

[TX-Deck]

Is that blue thread tied to the spar some kind of tell-tale?TX-Deck out.

[TX-EcoDragon]

Yeah, there was a crack in the wing strut so I did a quick field repair with yarn to keep the wing in place.:-DActually, Threads are used in aerobatics, one on each wing, and placed in unobstructed airflow as you see pictured there. These serve as an indicator to the pilot that that particular wing is still moving forward, and by looking for any slack or buffeting of the string you can also get a sense of when to kick for the hammerhead. . . many aerobatic figures are flown with a point at which the airspeed indicator is on the peg on the slow side, of course usually at those speeds your too busy looking outside and flying to look at the panel anyway, but if you did it would read just like it does when your sitting on the ground.  In something like the Hammerhead timing is critical, you want the wingtip to remain fixed in space, and have the rest of the aircraft pivot about that point. Pivot too soon and you will fly over the top and carry too much airspeed to give a pivot, too slow and your left wing (usually we pivot to the left) will actually move backwards through the air and you may fall into a tailslide (flying backwards) which you really don't want to do unless you are supposed to, especially in an aircraft that is going to be damaged by such a manuver as the Decathlon may be. When I am flying aircraft that are approved for tailslides like the Extra300 then I also use the string to monitor the airflow reversal. In something that rolls as fast as the Extra does in the torqueroll the string actually goes nearly straight and up about 30 degrees above the horizon when backing up, but the indications are rather clear that you are now backing up, which can be rather hard to tell for the first few moments of the slide, at least until you get a sense of the timings involved with something as complex as a torqueroll.S!TX-EcoDragonBlack 1TX-Squadron XO

[TX-EcoDragon]

Ben "Hwkmn" and I flew the 182RG down to Livermore and picked up the Super Decathlon. I was going to be flying in the Box at NewJ and getting critiquing on the 2005 sequence. . . it became more of an adventure than that though. . read on. . . Ben Grabbed some pics along the way. Here they are:Anybody have some tape? After I flew my sequence I noticed an inspection cover had nearly departed the aircraft. . . if not for that strip of tape it would have had a frightful plummet to earth. . . These actually are held pretty losely in place by the metal tabs that should keep the cover in the fabric hole. . .should. . .Here is Ben Freelove ready to roll on RWY 12 before practicing his Intermediate Freestyle.And Here is a Ben F. in his Pitts on a fast Knife Edge passAfter the day's festivities we flew to LVK to drop off the SuperD and pic up the 182RG. But while we were out the weather came in quick. . . LVK was IFR so I turned back and headed to TCY hoping to find Ben Freelove tucking his Pitts in for the night. . .sure enough. . . I did. He offered me the use of his hangar for the night, which was a great help, though there isn't tons of room in here. . . in our favour is the fact that Pitts is a rather small!But we managed to make it work!  Next we had to get a ride to LVK, 5 people in a 1978 VW Rabbit over the Altamont pass was an adventure, once at LVK we had to jump a fence, provce to security that we just forgot the gate pass, and get to the 182. . . then we picked up an IFR clearance back to Davis. Back to the Pics. . .put these in the artsy ie indistinguishably blurry category:6016C just came out of the avionics shop after a nice panel upgrade. . . we are now running a Garmin GNS 530 GPS NAV/COM. . . it's a very nice piece of equipment!! Here it is, the centerpeice of the cockpit, with night cockpit illumination only. . .sure it's all a blur. . but you can tell that something big and bright and cool is sitting in the middle of the panel!A closeup on the 530. . . you see that here we are a few miles northeast of concord (CCR) airport. Here is Danville, norht of Livermore where the clouds begane to dissipate, you can see the layer just over part of the city.  Here is Antioch in a surreal blury luminous glow. . .This morning we had to fly back down to TCY to pick up the SuperD. Ben H. Dropped me off, I picked up some fuel and we headed off to Livermore in a  formation of two.  Ben's Passenger grabbed some pics. (too bad the SuperD looks so ungainly with it's unpainted landing gear and missing wheel pants) Here I am in 452S off Ben's right wing:S!TX-EcoDragonBlack 1TX-Squadron XO

[TX-EcoDragon]

Today I picked up our own TX-Kingsnake at Sacramento International, we headed out to Davis University Airport and flew the 182RG down to Livermore, where we flew 452S. After the SuperD flight we flew the 182RG back to Davis and watched the sunset over San Francisco bay, then did a night flight up to Red Bluff. I presume King will give you some sort of report when he can, I just thought I'd mention it real quickly though, and post some pics from today. . .we didn't get many, and we didn't get any together, which is unfortunate.After the aerobatic flight in 452S (sadly the little video camera he is wearing on his headset crapped out so we didn't actually get any footage):S!TX-EcoDragonBlack 1TX-Squadron XO

[TX-Kingsnake]

For a few years I’ve been in an online virtual flight squadron running a flight simulator made by the Russians. The virtual flight squadron consists of members throughout North America and occasionally we have guests from over seas join us on the radio. Eco is our best licensed pilot and certified to fly performance aircraft for aerobatics: spectacular stunts, such as rolls and loops, performed in an airplane. I expressed an interest in an aerobatic flight and Eco taught me some maneuvers in an aerobatic competition sequence in the flight simulator. I booked an airline flight to near where Eco lives and decided to meet up with him. I wanted to fly with him, and I told my friends I was going on an aerobatics flight. After explaining the difference between aerobics and aerobatics and that we weren’t going flying with legwarmers they asked me how I met Eco. I met him online. This raised an eyebrow; does he know what he is doing? You met him online, what if he is a weirdo or a lunatic, they supposed the pacifist vegan aerial trapeze artist had a dark side. I said if he is a weirdo then he is in good company, after all Gonzo is a weirdo and I’m certain Eco isn’t blue. As for being a lunatic, it is a safe assumption that anything requiring a parachute is lunacy. I make friends online so Eco picked me up at the airport and we drove to a private airstrip. We flew to another airport in a Cessna 182. In flight he let me have the controls and I practiced coordinated flight using rudder and aileron to minimize adverse yaw in turns. We went over power, trim, and GPS navigation. I have one formal lesson towards my private pilot license and after years of flight simulation I am finding real flight very different. In the air I was in complete concentration to keep the aircraft in coordinated flight while reading the instruments and watching for traffic. I had flown in a Cessna 152 once before and it made flying the Cessna 182 feel like a Cadillac with wings. After a short flight we landed and taxied to a hanger with an assortment of impressive aerobatics aircraft. Of particular note was a two seater jet available for $2,000 per hour. Eco wasn’t interested in switching our reservation for the jet. He told me our flight in the Super Decathlon would be far more exciting. From there we went over the preflight checklist and safety briefing for the aircraft and parachute. I’ve never worn a parachute. I’ve always flown knowing if something happened we would glide to a landing. The brief was thorough and serious regarding the dos and don’ts and bailout procedures in event of structural failure. I had a nervous laugh during the brief at the thought of the wing coming off. I also had a laugh at how the parachute leg straps made by package look. Once I got into the seat and harness I could hardly move. I drank a Green Machine smoothie just before flight and my stomach was in knots. We taxied for takeoff and on the takeoff the Super Decathlon eagerly leaped off the runway. I immediately felt we were in another class of aircraft. On the first turn after takeoff Eco made the first aerobatic maneuver with an abrupt starboard turn that seemed near 50 or 60 degrees bank angle. I was sideways and firmly in my seat looking over my shoulder at the ground. From there we proceeded to the practice area, climbing up to about 8,000 feet. On the way Eco let me at the stick and rudder to get a feel of the aircraft by doing wing rocks and aileron-rudder coordination excercises. I was in the back seat with no view of the instruments, only rudder, throttle, stick, and carb heat. HAMMER HEADI was really excited and feeling buoyant. After I was comfortable with the high bank turns Eco took us into the next aerobatic maneuver, the hammerhead. We went into a decent to an airspeed near 200 mph and pulled 5 Gs up into a climb. I thought I was ready for it. We pulled up and clenched as we grunted through the pull. My neck was pulled back against my every effort in a slow crunchy sound as each of the vertebrae popped like dominos. My head fell back into the netting behind me. The air was squeezed out of me and my face flattened out as I grimaced through the hook. The upline was an axial ascension to the heavens. Pure azure sky lay before us as our bodies came to a weightless moment of suspension at 7,000 feet. The moment of zero was fleeting as the maneuver is named the hammerhead the aircraft instantly rotated toward the ground. One moment was sky and the next was ground. I felt my weight again as it increased through a 5 G dive recovery. I shouted, Oh Nye! Ostanoveete zto! ÷òî ÿâëÿåòñÿ Âàìè âûïîëíåíèå! I needed a minute to gather myself. LOOPNext was a loop. Again a quick dive for airspeed and a 4.5 G pull up though the inverted at the top. The inversion was the top of the world looking up at the ground and being completely off my seat held in by the harness. I’ve never been sitting with my butt off the seat. The downward motion of the loop forced me firmly into the seat as I held on uhhhhhng, Grrrrrr hooook – wholly cow! Again I needed to settle for a bit. AILERON ROLLWe went through a simple aileron roll and I did not like the experience of 1/2 G and  negative 1/2G. At positive G loading I am fine, and to an extent negative G is ok, but the oscillation between the partial negative and positive G I felt nauseous. Eco asked me if I was OK and I said I needed a moment. Again he asked if I was ok noting that he smelled Green Machine he suggested we call it a day. I had to bust out the Ziploc aloha baggie. I put the bag over my face saying a mantra Rahman, Rahman, Rahman, into the bag until I knew I wasn’t going to give up the Green Machine. Fortunately I didn’t vomit or Eco might have gotten splattered in the back of the head like a cabdriver on a Saturday night. BARREL ROLLOnce I was ready we did a Barrel Roll. I was disoriented in the roll and pull and tried to follow the stick as Eco pulled through. Being very dizzy and on the recovering end of a sinus cold I felt disoriented in what I assumed to be an ordinary maneuver. The horizon spun around as I held on to my seat growling whoa man.   HALF CUBANThe Half Cuban was just like the loop for the first part. After the top of the loop the aircraft was held inverted at 45 degrees down and rolled upright. Then we leveled out at the bottom on an opposite heading to the entry. If you got lost in that last part, you can imagine I was completely disoriented.  IMMELMANAgain an aggressive high G load pull on the upline. The entry is like the loop and the exit is at the apex where just before or at inversion we rolled upright. The roll to upright was a brief sinking feeling as the horizon came to level and my stomach protested. Eco said we did just under 6 Gs on this one.SPLIT ESSIn level flight the throttle was pulled back and with an abrupt roll we went straight down and pulled to level out at the bottom on an opposite heading to the entry. The Split Ess was much faster than I thought it would be. It wasn’t as gut wrenching as the other maneuvers due to positive G loading.  After all of that he asked me if I was up to pulling a loop. I really wanted to despite my every effort to keep the Green Machine down. I was so dizzy I thought it best to work up to the loop with a series of practice pulls. The pull to the loop is aggressive and I tried the loop entry three times. I really had to pull hard at the loop entry as I felt the G load increase. I got through the entry on the third try and got the angle of attack to about 60 degrees vertical where I had to level it out or I was going to loose it. Leveling out after an aggressive pull to 60 degrees leads to a sinking feeling as we pushed forward on the stick to level out. It felt like riding out a tidal wave swell in a boat. That was all I could take and all we had time for.The aerobatics experience was comparable to a rollercoaster stretched up to a skyscraper. Watching it on the ground it is looks graceful and awesome. In the cockpit it is faster and more forceful than anything I can think of to compare it to. The absolute concentration and clarity required at every moment is an ultimate high. There can be a bit of a hangover if you get airsick. I took the wildest ride of my life. It felt more exhilarating than mountaineering, rafting, racing, or boating. Radical rapid changes in speed, force, and position left me beaming for days. After the aerobatics flight we debriefed over lunch then flew back. The flight back in the Cessna 182 was scenic. The sun set behind us with a spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge. We landed after a long day and headed out again into the night with another plane, a Cessna 172. The night flight was yet another flight ahead of us filled with radio procedures and instrument navigation. Looking down at the 500 mile long traffic jamb I reminisced on my day dreams about all those times I was stuck in traffic and wished my car had wings. Look at all that traffic. Eco let me take the airplane for a good portion of the flight. I followed the GPS navigation system as Eco handled the radio and instrumentation. We trimmed for the decent after Eco quizzed me on our decent calculations. I couldn’t worm my way out of it with a quote from Rep. Jones "As a rule, I don't do math in public.”  As I scanned the dark of night for the runway I began thinking the runway should be here by now. Eco remotely turned on the runway lights with 7 clicks on the radio push to talk key and like a red carpet the runway rolled out in sparkling white lights right in front of us. TX-Kingsnake

[LW_Tornado]

Awsome story and editorial, really great story guys. Pics are kewl to, and now i know what the gr8 mr. french looks like , and if i may, where can i get MYSELF one of those spiffy deer hunter orange sweat tops bro ?!?! LOLS~ Tand thanks again for the awsome thread !!!!

[TX-EcoDragon]

I really enjoyed our flights! It was a full day for you I imagine, and I hope that you had a great time despite the woozy stomach! I certainly enjoyed reading your re-cap of the day and am glad we made it happen! I wish all of us TX and friends were a bit closer so things like this weren't such a rare thing. S!TX-EcoDragonBlack 1TX-Squadron XO

[TX-Kingsnake]

It was beyond anything I have done in my life. I am really glad I did this and I'm looking forward to it again!TX-Kingsnake

[TX-Rahman]

Reading his account made me woozy...  And how dare you screamith the Rahman name in vain!!  I hope to be able to take a ride with the Emu one day...  I think I'll buy one of those wrist watch looking nausea prevention devices from Sporty's to aid in and non-Raaaaahhhhmaaan chunkage spewing.  Maybe at Oshkosh we could do it Eco?Awesome account of the ride!Regards,TX-Rahman"BLACK 4"

[TX-CUDA]

Excellent reading Herr Kingsnake! Very articulate in your descriptions of the maneuvers and the flights that you and the great Eco made. I have to agree, I sure wish we all lived a little closer.TX-CudaMinister of Information