teakettle31

A Site To Catalog My Aircraft Adventures

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)

North American T-6/SNJ Texan/Harvard

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Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: North American Model: T-6/SNJ. Nickname: Texan or Harvard
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane SE Piston
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane SE Land
> Engine Description: Single Engine piston

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 4/20/2025
> Number of Hours Flown: 12
> Number of Times Flown: 9
> Other Aircraft Models Associated:

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 40
> Date First Flown: 3/30/1998
> Location First Flown: NAS Patuxent River, MD
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: Bob Ellis, Kalamazoo Air Zoo

Kalamazoo Air Zoo SNJ (c) targeta.co.uk

Recollections: My first flight in a T-6/SNJ was with Bob Ellis of the Kalamazoo (Michigan) “Air Zoo” museum in 1988.  He brought the T-6 to Pax River for a student Qual Eval and I flew it as part of the Staff.  Next time was in 1997 for a very similar exercise (this time with a different vendor, whose name I did not record).  The next time was in 2024 for my “FAM 1” with amazing Warbird Pilot Michael Kopp after having purchased into a partnership!  The airplane is amazing, in part because it flew with the South African Airforce from WWII thru 1995. Having been professionally maintained by an Air Force for all those years means it’s in wonderful shape and has virtually every mod. That has continued to this day with a great group of partners dedicated to preserving this wonderful machine.

The T-6/SNJ was the Army Air Corps’ and Navy’s advanced trainer in WWII.  Aspiring aviators would fly the Stearman and then the Texan/Harvard.   

Being lucky enough to be part owner of one now, I appreciate the complexity of this WWII design, with an interesting hydraulic system and full instrument panel.  It’s a pleasure to fly and I feel lucky to be able to preserve the history.

T-6D N246Z (Stock photo)

deHavilland DH104 Dove

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Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: deHavilland. Model: DH104. Nickname: Dove
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane ME Piston
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane multi-engine land
> Engine Description: twin piston

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 6/25/2024
> Number of Hours Flown: 1.1
> Number of Times Flown: 2
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: Sea Devon Mk20?

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 117
> Date First Flown: 3/12/2002
> Location First Flown: Mojave, CA Airport (KMHV)
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: National Test Pilot School, Greg Lewis

N11XW at NTPS (File photo)
(c) aerialvisuals.ca

Recollections:
The de Havilland Dove was a “school aircraft” at the National Test Pilot School (a civilian flight test school located at the Mojave, CA airport) when I attended the school for a 6 week “FAA certification testing initial” course.  I felt lucky to have gotten to fly here, with the school’s incredible instructor, Greg Lewis and 5 of my classmates who were sitting in the back collecting data (I probably traded seats with a pilot classmate at one point in the flight, per the usual process at NTPS).  To be honest, I don’t remember much about the airplane on those two flights at the school (other than the cockpit is NOT big) but I do remember coming back 3-4 years later and looking forward to flying this classic piece of British engineering, only to find out that she wasn’t being flown much or at all, due to maintenance issues.  With each recurrent training period (every 3-4 years during my 21 years with FAA Flight Test), the plane was less and less airworthy, and was totally retired, then sitting sadly in the “boneyard” at Mojave.  Thoughts of buying her and restoring her were dashed when I talked to some of the maintenance crews. Still, what a beauty she is.  If only I were a billionaire…this would be in my collection.  

N11XXW in the Mojave “Boneyard”
(c) Paul Daly, 2019

Douglas DC-3/C-47 Skytrain

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Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Douglas. Model: DC-3. Nickname: Skytrain
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane ME Piston
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane Multi-engine land
> Engine Description: twin piston

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 6/25/2024
> Number of Hours Flown: 1.4
> Number of Times Flown: 1
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: C-47

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 80
> Date First Flown: 9/30/1995
> Location First Flown: Santa Monica, CA Airport (KSMO)
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: USNTPS Qual Eval, with Jan Aarvik

Recollections: I flew DC-3 as part of a USNTPS “Qual Eval” session.  Like many of these Qual Evals, I was simply amazed that I was getting to fly an airplane I could only dream of flying.  This was no exception.  That said–and while I’m sure I did some “test pilot stuff” and likely wrote a “daily report” of my findings…the thing I remember most about the flight was the pilot I was flying with.  My log book didn’t record his name and all I remember was (1) he didn’t speak much english and (2) I distinctly remember him leaning over from the right seat on each takeoff, raising his right hand in front of my face with two fingers extended in a side-ways peace symbol and loudy saying over the intercom “wee-too”.  This was my signal that I could rotate, at “V2” (the takeoff safety speed).  Writing this recounting for my recollections, I came across the following AOPA article from the year before I flew: LINK TO ARTICLE

This article mentions the following: “The DC-3 based at Cloverfield Aviation at Santa Monica (California) Municipal Airport is owned by the husband-and-wife team of Jan (pronounced Yon, as in Don) and Britt Aarvik. Jan was a pilot in the Norwegian Air Force and has amassed more than 17,000 hours (4,000 in DC-3s).”  So, yes, I think I flew with Jan!  

DC-3 Serial Number 11693 (N7500A) (file photo)
(c) airhistory.net

Years later, after retiring from the FAA, I decided I’d once-again become a DC-3 pilot, this time paying for an SIC rating at the Historic Flight Foundation at Felts Field, WA.  This gorgeous museum, unfortunately went under before I could complete my rating, so it remains a “bucket list” item.  If I do ever fly the “skytrain” again, I’m convinced I’ll hear “WEE-TOO” as I rotate.