All you guys are AWESOME ! ! ! ! !
My Buddy called me this morning and he told me he was on his way to the field. When I got to the field, there were already three friends flying so my wish for an empty flying field did not come true but heck, what good is a hobby like this if you don't have friends to share it with, right? . . . . . .
. I took my plane out of the back of the Durango and about the time I got everything together, my Buddy showed up. He brought his transmitter so we could set reference points and make sure my radio was set up properly. I didn't take long before it started to get hot and very humid. My Buddy and I sat under the shelter and talked while my other friends flew their planes. The next part didn't go as planned, but I filled the tank up on the Extra and started the DA. With all the rain we've had, the grass was very thick even though it was cut Friday afternoon and the wheel pants got hung up in the grass and tipped the plane over until the prop touched right on the edge of the runway. So another friend and I walked out to the plane and started it while my Buddy held the transmitter. Our runway is an old conveyor belt and the plane would not stop rolling so my friend just touched the throttle and off she went. So I walked back to he pilots station where my Buddy was and I watched him fly the Extra. After a couple of beautiful slow rolls (like only an Extra can do), my Buddy asked me when did I want him to hand me the transmitter and I said, "after you land it". . . . .LOL. My Buddy flew it for a few more circuits, then he started to get too hot so he landed the plane and we went to sit down in the shade again.
After a minute or two, another club member started up his beautiful 40% Krill and he flew it around for a while. He came across the runway and pulled up into a hover at a fairly high altitude. Then the unthinkable happened, his engine quit. He had enough altitude to get the nose pointed down and build up a bit of airspeed, but he pulled up too soon and overshot the end of the cut grass and landed in some tall stuff. As soon as the wheels touched down, the plane immediately flipped over onto its back at which point it made a terrible noise. The fuse broke in half and it destroyed one of the wings. . . . . . .
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After the big Krill was retrieved and brought back to the mans trailer, I walked out and topped of the fuel tank in my Extra. It was very hot so I told my Buddy that he could stay in the shade to keep cool and I asked another friend (and very experienced pilot) if he would walk out with me. We got he DA purring and my friend asked me if I wanted him to take the plane off for me and I politely said, no thank you. I taxied out to the runway, touched the throttle and off she went. . . . . . .
. As usual with me, my heart started to pound as I taxied out to the runway, but I have to be honest. After about 30 seconds, all my nerves were gone and I just flew the plane. After flying around for here or four minutes, I advanced the throttle to do another loop and the engine didn't respond. . . . .
. So I immediately turned down wind and started my landing routine. I was still very high when I turned back towards he flight line and that's when the engine quit. So I pointed the nose of the plane down and headed for the runway. After what seemed like an eternity, I heard my friend calmly say "pull up". I said thanks and proceeded to do one of the best landing I have ever done. . . . . . .
. You know fellas, it is amazing to me how well you can do something when you have no other choice. . . . .
. Needless to say, my day couldn't have gone any better if it had to. Even the dead stick was a blessing as I am sure you guys have already figured out that the engine went lean and that's why it quit. I am glad because it answered the question of why it quit when my Buddy flew it a couple of years ago.
I hope all of you gentlemen had an AWESOME day, just like I did. Next weekend is our club Scale Fly-In and now I have a scale plane to fly. . . . .
. Will always put a 
