This is the story
of how we lived our dream and brought our Eagle home!
Part 1: The
Dream
Part 2: First Flight
Part 3: Plan "B"
Part 4: First Solo
Part 5: Eagle Update
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Part 4: First Solo
The
next day Owen got one flight in before the winds went up to well over 40 knots. Okay,
so now we are home and the weather won’t cooperate here either. There were times
when Owen and I said to each other “do you think this is a sign that we aren't supposed
to have this plane?” At this point, and at many others, we both wondered. Because
we couldn’t fly on Sunday due to the high winds, we kept Rich with us until Tuesday,
a day longer than planned. We flew like crazy Monday and Tuesday. Owen got the days
off of work and I only had to go in to teach two hours on Monday and was able to
get the rest of the time off.
 On Tuesday morning, while Rich paced the
tarmac and we both listened on the radio with crossed fingers, Owen soloed the Eagle.
All went well and one happy Owen climbed out of the plane that morning. It had taken
about 50 landings to feel pretty solid in the plane before soloing. At this point
on Tuesday morning, I had done only 20 landings. We knew I would have to finish up
my soloing in May when Rich was scheduled to come back and work with us on some aerobatics.
Later that day, Owen and I flew another flight or two before Owen and Rich had to
run to the International airport, Owen for a business trip and Rich to get home for
a day or two before going to Sun ‘n Fun.
Since that Tuesday we have been out polishing the plane, fixing up the hangar with
shelves and chairs and the like and, of course, flying. Owen got himself more comfortable
with the plane so he can land from the front and I can get some good stick time from
the back seat (sans landings until Rich finishes me off). We have put 15 hours on
the plane since it landed in Minnesota.
We hope to get out to some contests this year although we both have a ways to go
before flying a Sportsman sequence. At at least one contest this summer we would
like to meet up with our Eagle’s sister plane, Jim Barrett’s new Eagle, which sports
a three bladed prop and some 300+ HP.
We are happy with our new plane even though getting it was not easy. It would have
been much simpler to keep flying the Decathlon, to give up when things seemed impossible
and to quit when the weather was awful. But we didn’t. We made it happen. Was the
experience worth it? You bet! The Eagle has finally landed.
Here ends The Eagle Has Landed.
To find out more
about our Eagle adventure read...Eagle Update
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