Life is amazing. I’ve been under the weather and slowly getting better. Today I got up early and did my usual routine of making breakfast, feeding the dogs and playing with the dogs. Shower, dress and the rest of the morning activities. Then add to that packing the car with 3 airplanes and driving to the field.
Today was different though because I had a brand new P-51 Mustang to fly for the first time and that always has a certain amount of trepidation that goes with it. No matter how long I have been flying, doing any maiden flight grabs you by the gutt.
As I drove there I watched the wind increase by the mile. By the time I got to the field it was gusting to 22 knots. Not ideal conditions for the first time flight of any plane let alone a P-51 Mustang.
I unpacked the plane and placed it on the ground and it started rolling backwards, it was so windy.
I was about to scrub the flight and then something inside me told me it would be OK. Just do it. And so I did. I placed the plane on the runway and it started rolling backwards again so I gave it a little throttle and the 4 blade prop began to spin and pull the plane forward. The tail came up and I was on the step so I advanced the throttle to about 80 % and it was airborne. It did take a bit of right rudder to keep her straight in the crosswind.
Once about 50 ft off the deck I retracted the landing gear and we were flying. Even in the wind she was smooth as silk. I flew for about 5 minutes and the radio told me it was time to land.
It was so windy I didn’t need to use flaps. I just put the gear down and set up on final approach. I bled off the speed but kept about 35 % throttle and flew her to the deck, touched down on the mains and rolled to a stop.
I can’t begin to explain how I felt at that moment but it was wonderful. As we get older us pilots worry that we will one day lose our edge. But at that moment I knew I hadn’t. At age 70 that’s a good thing to know.
What’s next? I’m flying a brand new F-16 fighter jet in a Thunderbird scheme next Sunday.
The Art of Steve Neill 