Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 32

consin. Unfortunately, the improving
weather brought headwinds and choppy,
humid air that slowed our progress as we
plodded toward Lake Michigan. A pop-up
thunderstorm over Kenosha meant a
last-minute diversion to Burlington for
fuel and a short rest. Then, the highlight
of the day was a smooth sunset flight past
the Chicago skyline at 1,000 feet agl.
" I've been to Chicago countless times
on business, " Flournoy said. " But I've
never seen the city from this perspective. I can't believe what we're doing is
legal. It feels like we're getting away with
something. "
The next morning, we took off from
the Porter County Airport in northern
Indiana just after sunrise-and barely in
time. A series of isolated but large thunderstorms was moving north through the
Ohio Valley, and we were barely ahead
of them. We landed at Mansfield, Ohio,
in winds gusting beyond 20 knots, and I
made the landing with Flournoy following through on the controls.
The most important trait for a tailwheel pilot isn't perfect technique, I told
him. It's a scrappy attitude. When the
wind pushes you, use every bit of control
authority you've got to push back.
We flew east through the Class B
airspace in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at

7,500 feet, but we couldn't quite make
our Maryland destination without a final
fuel stop. Flournoy selected Somerset
County Airport, an excellent pick due to
its turf Runway 14, aligned with a gusty
26-knot wind that shortened our ground
roll to 50 feet. Our takeoff was, perhaps,
even shorter.
We stayed below the clouds and
followed the Potomac River through
the jagged, lush valleys, spotting private
airstrips and potential future landing
sites along the way. " This is the kind of
flying this airplane was meant to do, "
Flournoy said. " This is the kind of flying
I aspire to do. "
The Potomac flowed into the Shenandoah Valley, and we hopped a couple
more ridges during our descent into
Frederick, the new home for Flournoy's
airplane.
MORE THAT UNITES US

It had been a long and demanding trip.
We'd flown as high as 13,000 feet over
the Rockies and as low as 600 over the
Plains. Visibility had ranged from 150
miles in Montana to less than five in
Minnesota.
It had been a successful ferry flight.
The airplane performed brilliantly and
seemed no worse for the wear. But the

Stay hydrated. It's
tempting to avoid
drinking in flight
to cut down on
bathroom stops,
but the downsides
to becoming dehydrated are worse.

TRAVEL TIPS
Make yourself
comfortable. A
memory-foam
seat cushion helps
avoid back pain
and keeps you from
squirming.

32

Noise is fatiguing.
An ANR headset,
foam ear plugs, or
both reduce noise
exposure and keep
you mentally sharp
through a long day
of flying.

FLIGHT TRAINING JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021

student only made a half-dozen takeoffs
and landings during the long trek, so that
didn't do much to advance his immediate goal of an intitial solo flight. Still,
Flournoy bonded with his airplane during
three long days in the saddle. He saw how
capable it was in terms of short fields,
high mountains, and long endurance. He
also came away full of enthusiasm for
future adventures.
" I'd never been on a cross-country
flight in a small airplane of any kind,
so I found it fascinating, " he said. " It's
made me even more motivated to fly. I'm
convinced I bought the right airplane.
And I'm interested in learning all aspects
of aviation-not just what's required to
pass a test. "
For me, the most refreshing part of
the trip was being reminded that two
people with opposing views can come
away from a shared journey with mutual
respect. We made a deal to avoid politics
and stuck to it. He didn't change my opinions, and I'm sure I didn't alter his-but
we treated each other with courtesy and
kindness, and we had some laughs. It was
a needed reminder that there's a lot more
that unites us as Americans, and aviators,
than divides us. FT
dave.hirschman@aopa.org

Turbulence is tiring.
Fly early in the
morning and late in
the evening for the
smoothest flight
conditions.
Fly slow and make
quick pit stops.
Flying slow
increases range,
and short ground
stops save time.



Flight Training - January/February 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - January/February 2021

Contents
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - Intro
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - Cover1
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - Cover2
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - Contents
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 2
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 3
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 4
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 5
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 6
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 7
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 8
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 9
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 10
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 11
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 12
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 13
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 14
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 15
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 16
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 17
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 18
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 19
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 20
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 21
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 22
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 23
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 24
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 25
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 26
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 27
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 28
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 29
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 30
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 31
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 32
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 33
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 34
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 35
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 36
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 37
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 38
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 39
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 40
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 41
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 42
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 43
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 44
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 45
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 46
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 47
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 48
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 49
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 50
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 51
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 52
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 53
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 54
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 55
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - 56
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - Cover3
Flight Training - January/February 2021 - Cover4
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