10 Years ago...2003

CLS447

Platinum Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2003
Messages
6,324
Location
Reading, PA
Aircraft
Air Command 503 & Air Command SxS /EJ2.5
Total Flight Time
Aprox 400 gyro
Mentone 2003...Rotec radial on Ron's little Wing. I think he let Dave Dewinter fly it that year.

Tristen was very intrigued with this one of a kind SxS Dom with a experimental powerplant. I think it belonged to that guy....Joe Swanson or something like that. I wonder if it is still around & flying ?

I got a ride in a Safari !

I aced the cyclic simulator !
 

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ROC 2003.....it rained ! & rained but we got to meet alot of you people & ones that are out of the game too !

Ron had that cool red dom !

Jamie had the biggest & fastest single place.

Shar got a ride with Dan L.

That was the first time I met Terry Eiland.

John Stevens had his brand new KB.

Wow.....Terry is dead,..... John S , Maxie, Dave D., Jamie, Dan L. all gave it up ??? Oh yeah....Animal don't talk to me no more ???Because of some joke I said that must have hurt his feelings.

I forgot to mention another great guy.......Pat Mcnear !

Ken Rehler....still miss him for sure ! Things sure have changed !

Hey Tim Animal.... If you read this... I hope that you & your girlfriend got that land in Florida ! We had a good time at ROC didn't we ?
 

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Training with Ron Menzie.... Larry had just got his first RAF.

Remember Ron Menzies old machine ? Just looking at that thrust line offset makes me upset !

Ron sure does have it made. I hope business is good.
 

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Just look at these pics....
 

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Blast from the past!

I think that was my third Mentone Convention?
 
CHRIS: If the thrust line seems to high on the RAF take a look at the new two place enclosed gyro's from europe,They all have high thrust lines, it's that over the years we have resolved the push over problem with better designed gyro's to take care of that issue.

Best regards,eddie.....
 
CHRIS: If the thrust line seems to high on the RAF take a look at the new two place enclosed gyro's from europe,They all have high thrust lines, it's that over the years we have resolved the push over problem with better designed gyro's to take care of that issue.

Best regards,eddie.....

Eddie ...that was all joke. The only time I felt uncomfortable in an RAF was at the Waxahachie Convention. I got a ride with Doffin Fritz. While we were gaining altitude after leaving the runway, he was telling me about all the BS people were saying about the RAF. He said that he would bet them he could fly that machine with no hands on the stick & eat a peanut butter & jelly sandwich while he flew for so many miles. He was trying to prove stability to me. The whole time he was only using the trim wheels. Finally he let me have the stick. I was doing a whole lot of nose chasing in that machine ! With all the brainwashing that was going on at the time, It made me feel a little worried. I have been in several different RAFs since then....some with stabs & some without. I took my practical test with Marty Weaver in OK. His machine only had the stabilator. I did good & actually passed !

I remember back then really taking a good look at the RAF. 25K in installments got you a brand new kit with your choice of anodizing (oh no ! anodizing !) & whatever color seat covers you like ! 2.2 FI. Larry Martin was there showing off his new "Bad Stab" , overhead console, & exterior fuel cells with race car seating ! How cool is that ?

I thought to myself.....if all this thing needs is a stab.......I'd be putting one on immediately ! The factory must have been insisting that it don't need one & it actually hinders handling. I'll be the judge of that !

Then I got a ride in Gregg Gremmingers brand new 914 powered Magni !
The show price was then 35K ! I had the pilot show me that turbo ! WEEEEE!!! Tjhat was alot of dough back then.....now I guess 100K is chump change......I must have missed the day they were handing out the cost of living raises !

Anyway in hindsight the RAF was alot of gyro for the money !!! I still feel like I am driving in a car with the cabin & the doors. That's not a bad thing in the winter !!!

Those were the good old days for me ! I still want SxS seating & no stinking enclosure !

Better yet....was when I bought my very own Air Command Death trap back in the mid 80 ! That was just the coolest gyro you could get & I got my very own ! I am still waiting for it to kill me. Sure alot of people lost their lives in them, but people die everyday in their cars. I mean how can a car kill you ? It never even leaves the road surface.....normally ! I think that I would rather die flying or crashing my gyro then to die a slow painful cancer death !

One more thing....you see how we sat down into the machine instead of climbing up into it ? They also had a folding mast which means alot to portability !

I wonder how many Sparrowhawks are flying compared to RAFs ??? I'll never forget my ride with Pat Mcnear in his 2.5 powered RAF !!!!! That baby launched & you didn't have to ask what your passenger weighs !!!
 
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