teakettle31

A Site To Catalog My Aircraft Adventures

Extra 300/330

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Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Extra Flugzeughbau. Model: EA300/330. Nickname: Extra
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane SE Piston
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane Single Engine Land
> Engine Description: Single Piston

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 11/5/2024
> Number of Hours Flown: 3.2
> Number of Times Flown: 3
> Other Aircraft Models Associated:

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 189. (actually 110th–see note below)
> Date First Flown: 8/8/2022 (actually 4/9/2001; error)
> Location First Flown: NAS Patuxent River, MD
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: USNTPS Qual Eval

Recollections: [THIS POST IS IN ERROR IN THAT I SHOW IT AS MY 189th Type flown, but it actually came earlier and would be between my currect 109 and 110th flown; too hard to correct!].

The Extra 300/330 is an amazing airplane, FAA certified (aerobatic category).  If you want to do airshow acrobatics, this is one of the airplanes to consider.  It’s good for +/- 10g (way more than I can handle).

Qual Eval at USNTPS in 2001.  The Extra returned in 2002 after I left TPS as CO in 2001 and, unfortunately, there was a fatal mishap when a pair of Extra 300’s, doing an interval takeoff, collided when the first one aborted, and the second one–unaware of the abort–ran into the lead. 

Later, in 2022, I flew the Extra as part of an FAA course for Spin training.  The course, provided by Prevaillance Aero, was excellent and we performed multiple upright and inverted spins, with various abusive control inputs and recovery methods, all part of staying current in spins in the event a spin program for certification comes along.

Extra 330 N945PV, Prevaillance Aero (Stock photo);
(c) airport-data.com

Express Millennium

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Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Wheeler Technology. Model: Express. Nickname: Millennium
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane SE Piston
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane SE land
> Engine Description: SE Piston

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 11/5/2024
> Number of Hours Flown: 1
> Number of Times Flown: 1
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: EDI Express

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 106
> Date First Flown: 6/27/2000
> Location First Flown: Olympia Airport, Olympia, WA (KOLM)
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: unknown

Express N511EA Qual Eval at Olympia, WA airport
(c) Bob Stoney

Recollections:
I flew this airplane as part of a USNTPS staff field trip.  Flew it the same day as the A-1D “Spad”.  I had no memory of this flight, just what is in my logbook but later I found a photo of me in the cockpit…the aircraft appears to be a homebuilt design and looks somewhat like a Columbia 400.  Anybody out there know anything more about it?

Express N511EA, Stock photo, (c) airport-data.com
Cockpit of N511EA from Qual Eval
(c) Bob Stoney

Antonov AN-2 Colt

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Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Antonov. Model: AN-2. Nickname: (NATO codename) Colt
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane SE Piston
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane SE Land
> Engine Description: Single engine piston

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 11/5/2024
> Number of Hours Flown: 0.5
> Number of Times Flown: 1
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: n/a

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 94
> Date First Flown: 6/27/1997
> Location First Flown: North Las Vegas airport
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: Maloney

Recollections: I flew the Colt during a staff field trip.  We were visiting nearby Nellis AFB, NV (to see some really cool airplanes which–at the time–were quite classified) and took a day to contract for Qual Evals.  I flew the Colt, an R-44, and a Beech 18.  What a day! 

AN-2 Colt (c) Wikipedia

I flew the Colt for just half an hour but I did 7 landings!  Not sure I ever left the pattern.  I remember finding the airplane pretty easy to land a really a lot of fun to just sit in.  It is HUGE.  The wings and tail are fabric covered and, being a Russian design, many of the system controls were unusual to my eyes.  A wonderful QE in terms of stressing our “adaptability”. 

Douglas A-1 Skyraider

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Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Douglas. Model: A-1. Nickname: Skyraider or SPAD
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane SE Piston
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane SE Land
> Engine Description: Single engine piston

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 6/25/2024
> Number of Hours Flown: 1
> Number of Times Flown: 1
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: —

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 105
> Date First Flown: 6/27/2000
> Location First Flown: Olympia Airport, Olympia, WA (KOLM)
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: Name redacted, Olympia Flight Museum

Douglas Skyraider (EA1-E) N188BP. Stock photo copyright jetphotos.net, Mike Head

Recollections: By now, you’ve read about the reason for and importance of the “Qual Eval program”.  This particular flight, conducted on a student field trip, was lining up to be a total dream come true.  

The Skyraider, or SPAD.  Gotta be the most beautiful taildragger ever.  Ginormous engine, incredible lines…it just LOOKED like it would fly GREAT.  I was on the schedule to fly the airplane of my dreams, with a very famous national aviator.  In the end, the latter’s attitude and air of superiority ruined my experience with this beautiful design, to the point that the flight is a bad memory.  Thankfully, I can count on two fingers the times I’ve had experiences like this in aviation, with a person who was so difficult to get along with as to defy reason.  I’m just sorry it happened with this machine, one of my “top 10” designs.

Piper J-3 Cub

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Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Piper. Model: J-3. Nickname: Cub
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane SE Piston
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane Single Engine Land
> Engine Description: Single engine

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 11/5/2024
> Number of Hours Flown: 1
> Number of Times Flown: 1
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: various “Cub” models, including PA-18

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 86
> Date First Flown: 9/28/1996
> Location First Flown: Van Nuys Airport, CA
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: Unknown

Recollections:
Ok, first…why do I count this as a different airplane than the Super Cub, upon which I’ve also written a recollection?  The answer: because I will never forget flying this J-3 from a Los Angeles area airport while conducting a “Qual Eval” as part of a USNTPS Class Field trip.  I believe it had the original 65 HP engine.  I do NOT remember who I flew with but I remember taking off, enroute to conducting some “high work” (test pilot stuff like stability and control tests) and listening to the “pock-it-a, pock-it-a, pock-it-a” of that little motor.  What seemed like 20 minutes later, and we were climbing thru 1000 ft AGL.  Needless to say and owing to the very low climb performance, I elected to truncate my high work before returning to the pattern for 5 landings.  Everyone loves the CUB.  Generations learned to fly on it, people praise other airplanes by saying “it flies just like a cub”.  This flight in the J-3 showed me the beauty and serenity of the cub in it’s purest form…with little power available but with wonderful flying qualities.

Piper J-3 Cub. (Stock photo c Ruud Brins, airliners.net)