This past week I had another meeting with our Century Link representative to better our social networking skills and advance our name to the greater US. She taught me how to make a personalized URL for our Facebook page so it is more easily accessible. Instead of having a long painstaking mash-up of random letters and numbers following Facebook.com/… we now have it set up so anyone that is looking for our page can now just type in WestMetroAviation following the base URL (www.facebook.com/). This will help anyone who is trying to access our page that hasn’t “liked” it yet. Therefore making it easier for the rest of the nation to find our page in hope that more and more people will like and follow the West Metro Aviation page. She also went about showing me how to “like” things on Facebook through our Twitter page. This will also help link our name to several other pages that will overall help our name spread amongst the aviation community. The more people that see our name, whether on our page or not, the faster the West Metro Aviation name will spread and be heard about. Which goes into the next segment of the meet I had with Century Link. They showed me how to tag other page’s names in the posts that we make. Let’s say we want to get the attention of the John Klatt Airshow fans and followers we can make a post on our West Metro page that has a “tag” of John Klatt Airshow’s. That whole post will show up on our wall and theirs. This will overall help both their pages and ours be heard and seen. Since we have been working with Century Link and learning how to better our social networking, we have gotten 31 likes to the West Metro Aviation Page in the past couple months! Hoping this blow up to becoming hundreds of likes within the next year. Will Century Link's help I believe this will be possible.

Lucas Oil Sponsors Mike Wiskus

Lucas Oil Products recently announced they have formed a partnership with aerobatic pilot Mike Wiskus as a sponsor of his Pitts S-1-11B. Wiskus is a 17,000- hour professional pilot, corporate flight department manager, and member of the United States Advanced Aerobatic Team.
The Lucas Oil Products sponsorship enabled Wiskus to ship his Pitts to Ljungbyhed, Sweden, for the 2004 Advanced World Aerobatic Championships (AWAC) held August 5-13. Wiskus built his Pitts S-1-11B especially for the AWAC over the course of 2 years and 1,200 hours of labor.
Wiskus, 45, resides near Minneapolis, Minnesota, and has been involved in aviation since he was 16 years old, washing airplanes and cleaning hangars in trade for flying lessons. Wiskus has been flying aerobatics for seven years and has won numerous trophies. In 2002 he won the U.S. National Intermediate Championship and qualified for the 2004 U.S. Advanced Aerobatic Team at the 2003 U.S. National Aerobatic Championships.
“Lucas Oil Products provides the winning edge for many motorsports competitors, and I’m thrilled to join their high-performance roster. Our partnership allows me to represent the United States on the world stage. Without the support of Lucas Oil, I would have to rent unfamiliar aircraft. Flying my Pitts will give me the competitive edge I need to compete for gold in Sweden,” says Wiskus.
Lucas Oil Products, the world leader of heavy-duty and high-performance oils, greases, and additives, has been a long-time sponsor of the motorsports industry through multiple series, race, and team sponsorships. Based in Corona, California, Lucas Oil Products is one of the fastest-growing additive lines in the consumer automotive industry. Through innovative product research and development, along with aggressive marketing programs, Lucas Oil Products has established itself as the top-selling additive line in the auto part retailers and American truck stop industries.

This past week I had a session with Qwest’s small business services to help West Metro Aviation with social networking and getting our name more well known. We went over how networking yourself with other companies or people can expand our name much more quickly than by word-of-mouth. She had us like other pages on Facebook that were aviation related and had many more viewers than we did. After that I would make a post on their “wall” so everyone that goes to their page would see West Metro Aviation; they would then hopefully go to our page and like it. The more “likes” our page gets the more people will see the page and the faster we will become known. Once the name gets out to people in our area the quicker it will grow to the surrounding areas and across the nation. When we “like” another page they will also get more views also, so it benefits both companies. It’s like killing two birds with one stone. All it takes is a couple clicks and we have the potential to have thousands of people look at our page. Social media for small businesses is an easy way to have exponential growth of the number of people who know about our maintenance shop and flight school. Qwest has been there to answer any questions that have arisen and will continue to help our company with expanding into the social networks.

Micheal Flight and Slot Ride with The Blue Angels

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bmf_c8cgOM&feature=related

Recently we have met up with the Qwest Small Business team to work with West Metro Aviation and assist us with our social networking abilities. In our last meeting our designated Qwest associate taught us a new tools to get our name out into the world more to further educate what we do here in the shop. She went through Twitter and Facebook; then taught us how to link the two together so when we blog something it also goes to our Twitter and Facebook page immediately. Doing so will inform more people of our business operations with just a few clicks of the mouse. Social medias for businesses allow anyone around the world to see what we do. It’s no longer just restricted to the people we talk to or the people that see fliers around town. Internet based computing also provides us with easy contact with other pilots and the community to inform them of events that are going to be taking place at and around the airport. Our associate also went through how to make initial “tweets” or status updates, and showed us how the different networks are linked together. That way we don’t have to worry about whether or not it is on one network and not on the other or vice versa. Also if is the weekend and we need to let other employees to know about an event, everyone is connected by “liking” our Facebook page and that way we all get updates every time we sign in. Qwest has helped us each step of the way and will continue to answer any questions that will arise.
West Metro Aviation
763.682.1516 office
763.682.1552 fax
westmetroaviat@aol.com
www.WestMetroAviation.com

Quest Small Business Marketing

Our maintenance shop, West Metro Aviation, uses Qwest's internet and phone service. We just recently signed up for their small business Core Connect plan to market our business online. Doing so offered us several email addresses, a hosting site for our website, and several other opportunities. Recently Qwest has started a new program which offers social media for businesses such as, blogging, facebook, and twitter help, which was very convenient for West Metro seeing as we have only been blogging for a year. Qwest was wonderful. The team member I was connected with helped me set up a Twitter account, an fully explained what and why you "tweet". She also helped me link my blog with my facebook page and my twitter account so when I post those incredibly interesting articles written about Mike (my dad), it automatically posts it on my facebook page and my Twitter feed. Jeez just listen to me using all these new cool internet terms. I know I am probably leaving all of you 50+ people out there in the dust with these new terms but don't worry, Qwest can help you with that. Working with Qwest has been much easier than going about figuring out how to connect all the different social networks by ourselves. They have always been just a phone call away with help for any questions about blogging.

West Metro Aviation
763.682.1516 office
763.682.1552 fax
westmetroaviat@aol.com
www.WestMetroAviation.com

The Flightline

Check out the episode of Flightlline this Saturday at 10:30. Mike is going to be a featured pilot in the show! For more information go to: http://www.theflightline.tv/

Minnesota Mikes

Minnesota Mikes

Imagine yourself in an aerobatic airplane, rolling and looping at 150 mph. You are having fun and then look down and notice a host of other aerobatic airplanes on an unfamiliar ramp and seven aerobatic judges watching you. Suddenly, you realize you’re not in Minnesota anymore. You are in Ljungbyhed, Sweden, at the Advanced World Aerobatic Championships (AWAC), and you are one of eight members of the United States Advanced Aerobatic Team. Sound like an impossible dream? It would be for most of us, but it soon will be a dream come true for two Minnesota aerobatic pilots – Mike Niccum and Mike Wiskus.
Last September, Niccum and Wiskus qualified for the U.S. Advanced Aerobatic Team at the U.S. Nationals in Denison, Texas. They are the first Minnesota pilots to ever fly on a world aerobatic team and will travel to Sweden this summer to represent Minnesota and the United States as members of the U.S. team.
Niccum and Wiskus will fly against more than 60 of the best Advanced pilots in the world. Some of these competitors have the advantage of being able to fly their own airplanes to the contest and have their competition expenses paid by their government. Such is not the case with the U.S. team. Our team members have to ship their planes to Sweden at considerable expense, or rent an unfamiliar aircraft, to fly in the AWAC. Sponsorships and donations help defray the expenses of the U.S. team. But, by and large, team members spend thousands of dollars of their own money for the chance to win and individual gold medal and bring home the gold for the United States.
Niccum and Wiskus are working their day jobs, Niccum as an aircraft mechanic for Wipaire and Wiskus as a commercial pilot and aerobatic instructor, to save money for their trip. They are also seeking sponsors and donations and are researching ways to ship their airplanes to the contest. There are a lot of details to get in order before they depart. Mostly though, they have faith things will fall into place and concentrate on practicing aerobatics. To get ready for the AWAC they will practice as much as possible, two to three times a day every day if the weather allows. They will fly regional contests to keep their competitive edge. Plus, they will train with their coach, Dick Schulz, who is a national aerobatic judge, and other aerobatic pilots, who can critique their flights and help them hone their skills.
There are usually seven judges on the line during an AWAC competition. Most of these seven will be European judges. All judges want to see perfectly flown figures, but the European judges place a lot of emphasis on flow and presentation of the overall flight. On top of that, they often prefer monoplanes that “show” well in competition.
The importance of flow and presentation had Niccum worried after he qualified at the Nationals. Airplanes flown at the AWAC must be less than 260hp. Niccum’s 180-hp Pitts really struggled to keep up with the other, higher horsepower airplanes. To do well at the AWAC, Mike felt he needed an airplane with more muscle. Niccum’s friend, Unlimited competitor and air show pilot Pete Tallarita, has a 230-hp Extra 200S that was made especially for AWAC competition. Mike Mike contacted Pete by e-mail to see if he would be willing to let him use his airplane. “Pete called me two days later and said, ‘ the plane is at your disposal.’” “When I came to,” Mike said, “Igot on his insurance and was able to fly for several hours before the weather turned cold.” After a long winter, Niccum is practicing in earnest to get used to his borrowed aerobatic mount.
The airplane that Mike Wiskus is flying was also made especially for AWAC competition. Wiskus started his competition career flying a Pitts much like Niccum’s. At the end of the 1999 aerobatic season, Wiskus realized he wanted to get an airplane that could carry him into world competition. He started looking for the perfect plane. A friend, Tom Kerns, found a wrecked Pitts S-1-11 on eBay. Tom wanted the engine and a few parts and wondered if Mike wanted the airframe. He did. Wiskus stated a painstaking restoration process. After more than 1,200 hours of work, Wiskus has the ultimate flying machine, a highly modified airplane he describes as “1,100 pounds of pure adrenaline’ – the Telex Pitts.
Niccum and Wiskus have dreamed of being on the U.S. Advanced team since they started flying competition. They took their dreams one step further, set goals, and are working to make them happen. There have been times when the AWAC has seemed so far out of reach that many of us would have given up. But, Niccum and Wiskus have the drive and determination to carry them to Sweden and home again. They will make us proud to say that Minnesota sent two pilots to the 2004 Advanced World Championships.

Infatuated With Flight

Infatuated with flight!
Mike Wiskus was 8 years old, growing up on his grandpa’s farm. One day he saw a glider fly over the farm, low and slow with no sound. He rand to get his grandpa because he thought it was going to land in the north pasture, a pasture mowed just the day before. Mike ran over to the glider in the field, on e wing up, one down. It was like seeing an angel, the pure white glider sitting there. The pilot was standing beside the glider. He was from Minneapolis. The pilot asked Mike, “Have you ever seen one of these before?” “No sir,” Mike replied. “Then get your butt over here.” Mike was only too happy to comply. The pilot picked Mike up and put him in the cockpit and closed the canopy. Mike knew then that he had to fly. He asked the pilot numerous questions and watched him disassemble the glider, pack it up, and tow it away. Little did the pilot know how he steered Mike’s life when he landed in the field that day.
Mike attended his first air show at age 10. Seeing performances by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds in their F-4s and by Marion Cole in his Pitts, Mike knew he had to fly aerobatics some day.
When Mike was 15 years old, he could have taken over his grandpa’s farm. It was the easy, safe thing to do. But fate would have it otherwise. One day he rode his bike out to the airport and met FBO operator Jerry Dwyer. Mike started bugging Dwyer for a job and hanging out at the airport. “There were always guys ganging out at the restaurant drinking coffee on Saturdays, talking ‘war stories.’” Mike would hang out and absorb all the talk. His persistence paid off. Dwyer finally offered Mike a job. Mike put the money he earned at the FBO on account to use for flying lessons. He continued to work for the family farm and also at the Sirloin Stockade making Texas toast, finally earning enough to start flying lessons.
A number of local pilots appreciated Mike’s enthusiasm and offered him the opportunity to fly their airplanes. One of those men was Dr. “Red” Buttonbaugh who owned a green and white Bonanza. “It was the coolest thing in the world.” And then there was Shirley Pardun who owned a Great Lakes biplane. Pardun took mike on the ride of his life. “My eyeballs were sticking out so far it’s amazing they didn’t hit the prop. I was completely hooked on aerobatics after that ride with Pardun. I’ve had the privilege to fly with so many different pilots with so many different pilots with different styles; guys who had a passion for flying. They took care of me.”
Mike’s dad didn’t know he was taking flying lessons. At age 17 Mike earned his private pilot certificate and took his dad for a ride. “He was blown away.” Mike’s dad bought into a Cessna 172 and went on to get his pilot certificate.
Mike attended Waldorf College and continued to work Jerry Dwyer. He started flying sky divers in a Cessna 182 at Ron Green’s drop zone in Forest City, Iowa. Green was one of the developers of the tandem sky diving rig. By age 21 Mike had accumulated more than 1,100 hours. Mike met a pilot who worked for traveling evangelist Lowe Lindstrom. The pilot was moving on to another job and recruited Mike for the position. Mike flew Lindstrom all over the country in a Mooney 201, averaging 25 days of flying a month. He once flew friends of Lindstrom’s, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.
In 1980 Mike started his first cargo flying job with Air Freight Express in Minneapolis, Minnesota, flying piston Cessna 207s. Air Freight Express bought Blackhawk Airways in Janesville, Wisconsin, and Mike started flying Beech 18s when no one else had jobs. “My buddies were losing their flying jobs, and the controller’s strike was in progress. I felt fortunate to have a flying job.”
In 1989 Hal Rodenberg, owner of Charter Fights Inc. in Minneapolis, called Mike and asked him if he’d like to own a charter company. The company flew Piper Cheyenne IIXLs, Chieftains, Navajos, Aztecs, and Saratogas. Mike became chief pilot, bought into the company, and eventually took over it. Mike later became involved in the management of flight departments for a number of Twin Cities-area companies and continues today with flight management programs.
After the purchase of Charter Flights Inc. Mike finally had some discretionary income, and he decided to pursue his dreams of aerobatic flight. He met Ken Terry and longtime IAC Director Tom Adams at Crystal Airport (MIC). Terry had a Super Decathlon in which Mike started taking aerobatic lessons. Mike went to Oshkosh in 1991, and while there he walked into the IAC Pavilion. He joined IAC and bought a bunch of aerobatic tapes and books to quench his thirst for aerobatic knowledge.
By the time Mike turned 38 in 1996, he realized he hadn’t accomplished what he wanted to do. He bought a 150-hp Citabria 7GCAA and flew if for about two years. In 1997 he bought a tired Pitts S-1C. It hadn’t flown in 15 years, so he rebuilt along with the help of Jerry Sears at Stanton Airfield Airport (SYN). He got five hours of dual in a Pitts S-2A from a friend John Wastvedt and then flew his S-1C. “In 1998 I was on top of the world. I joined IAC Chapter 78 and flew my first contest at Aurora, Illinois, in 1999.” He placed third in Sportsman and was the highest scoring first-time Sportsman at the Aurora contest. He placed third in Sportsman at Fond du Lac later that year.
Along the way Mike learned the capabilities and inabilities of his S-1C. He had read an article on the Pitts S-1-11B by Budd Davisson in Sport Aerobatics and started the hunt for another airplane. Mike thought, “What would it be like to strap into an airplane that weighed only 200 to 300 pounds more than my S-1C with more than twice the horsepower?”
Fellow IAC Chapter 78 member Tom Kerns knew of Mike’s love of the S-1-11B. Kerns called on afternoon in spring 2000 and told Mike there was an S-1-11B for sale on the website eBay. It had been wrecked and was for sale by the insurance company. Kerns wanted the engine for his Pitts project, so he offered Mike the airframe. Kerns placed the winning bid, and they drove to Houston, Texas, Loaded it on a trailer, and drove it home to Minneapolis. Mike started stripping the airframe and sent the wings to the factory for rebuild. One-and-a-half years later into the project Mike flew his S-1C to San Francisco to its new owner to help finance the new engine, a Monte Barrett-build AWAC-legal IO-540. IAC Chapter 78 members helped extensively in the build. Tom Kerns continued to lend his expertise, Mike Niccum and Joe Wakely helped rig the wings, and Brandon McNeilus helped build the engine baffling. Todd Sutton welded the airframe and painted the entire airplane. Mike said Sutton is the Jedi master of aircraft building. “My airplane looks the way it does because of Todd.” Mike was grateful for all of the help. “This airplane would not have been finished without the help of my friends in Chapter 78. That is a fact. And of course, I wouldn’t have done any of it without the love and support of my wife, Tammy and my kids.”
After a two-and-a-half year rebuild the first flight was on July 3, 2002. Mike remembered sitting on the end of the runway for takeoff thinking, “I tore this airplane down to its bare bones. Did I remember everything?” He did and the airplane flew almost hands-off on the first flight, requiring some very minor adjustments afterward.
Mike then logged more than 100 hours of aerobatic practice and flight time in his newly rebuilt Pitts to prepare him for the U.S. National Aerobatic Championships held just two months later in Sherman, flight home to Minnesota with the first place U.S. National Intermediate Champion trophy in hand. “This was just the first step,” said Mike. “My next goal is to make the United States Advanced Aerobatic Team during the 2003 team tryouts, and then I’ll focus on the AWAC in 2004.”
Mike’s airplane was the third and last factory-built S-1-11B. It features full-span ailerons and squared-off tail feathers. Mike describes the roll rate “as a blur.” A wide chord MT 203 prop is bolted to the front of the stout Lycoming. A JTI engine monitor keeps tabs on engine health, and a Garmin 250 XL GPS/comm shows the way to contest sites.
It was a long road from an Iowa farm to being on the verge of world-class competition aerobatics. Mike summed it all up when he said, “I’m having more fun than I had ever imaged!”

Buffalo Fly-In and Breakfast

Go check out the video made of the whole day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AHh-wx6VFA

An Aerobatic Education

This was an article previously published when Mike initially started learning aerobatics:

     A few years ago, I purchased an inexpensive experimental Pitts biplane to learn and fly aerobatics. It was a basket case that needed major engine work and a face-lift, but nonetheless I wrote the check and trucked my little orange prize home.

     Eventually I invested more time and cash than any sane person should just to make it airworthy, but when I was finished I was convinced that I had the ultimate aerobatic machine. 

     I pursued the world of aerobatics with several how-to-do books. You know the ones with pictures describing just how to fly the maneuvers. You’d think that I was building a deck for my house or fixing the sink in my bathroom. 

     But I was lucky that little plane that I had found was strong enough to endure my mistakes and forgiving enough to get me out of trouble and back home alive. 

     I participated in several International Aerobatic Club sanctioned contests, making new friends and enjoying my new found hobby, but the more I competed and the more that I practiced, the harder I began to push my 30-year-old little orange biplane as well as my 40-something-year-old body.

     Over a two year period, I played hard, practicing, for more than 300 flight hours. Moving from the sportsman category to intermediate, I was ready to push the envelope even further. 

     Outside maneuvers were next on the to-learn list, so I readied my trusty little orange, prepared myself by reviewing the do-it-yourself acro-books and began the process of breaking down the outside and push maneuvers into segments leading up to the outside loop. 

     But something was different, my practices were frustrating and progress was slow. It just didn’t feel right. What was I doing wrong? The outside pushes were crushing, and my concentration was lost halfway through each maneuver. 

     I was scheduled to fly the corporate airplane to San Jose, California, that month. I remembered hearing of an aerobatic school just south about a 45-minute drive, so I called and arranged some time with an instructor named Ken Erickson. 

     Ken is a very big man, very laid-back with a gentle confidence. He listened to me brag about my Pitts and how I taught myself the fine art of aerobatics. He smiled, asked me what I wanted, and then he began a 30 minute conversation about outside flight and what I should expect. 

     His 30 minutes on the ground was worth 30 practice flights in my little orange Pitts. I was blown away by his ability to explain the maneuvers and describe the forces acting upon the aircraft. 

     My first flight with Ken in the Pitts S2C lasted 35 minutes. I struggled to perform the maneuvers that he asked and still was very uncomfortable with the effects that it was having on me physically.

     I explained my discomfort to Ken after our first flight, and he began to ask me a series of questions, including what I was doing to prepare for the maneuver just before and during each push. I began to explain my G-tolerance methods as he smiled, nodded and suggested that I try his method and reminded me to try to relax throughout the maneuvers. 

     He was right; the problem was my misunderstanding of what the positive and negative forces actually were doing to my body and how I should be compensating for them.

     My next flight with Ken was incredible and the most fun that I ever have had flying aerobatics to this day. Pushing to hammerheads, pushing to outside loops, pushing to tail slides the light was turned on.

     Ken had revealed the world of outside maneuvers to me in less than two hours of combined ground and flight training. I wrote my check for 425 and raced home, ready to try out my new moves in little orange. 

     Thinking back in my experience with Ken and the training that I received, I can’t help but think how much time and money I wasted by not getting professional training earlier. Three hundred hours of practice in a Pitts isn’t cheap.

     And what about Safety? Not only could I have raised the quality of my aerobatics in less time, it would have been safer to receive spin training and recovery from unusual attitudes from a professional instead of fumbling through it on my own. 

     Minnesota and the Twin Cities have some fantastic aerobatic air show pilots; John Mohr, Julie Clark, Joe  Dooley, Pete Tallarita, Bill Witt and Alan Miller, just to name a few. Ask any of them how to get started in aerobatics and all of them will recommend that you find a good school and get professional training. 

     This winter I plan to revisit Mr. Erickson and to review all of my maneuvers, including the proper recovery methods from upright and inverted spins as well as other unusual attitudes. Maybe I’ll even try to Lomcevak.

     For a list of IAC and EAA approved aerobatics schools, go to www.iac.org. To find out more about local aerobatics and events, go to the Minnesota Chapter 78 International Aerobatics club website at www.isd.net/chapter 78 or call (952) 943-2182. Chapter meetings are held the third Saturday of each month at Flying Cloud Airport. Dirt side up!

Michael Wiskus

Lucas Oil Air Show Pilot

West Metro Aviation

Teaching power on stalls

     In all my time as an instructor, I’ve learned that many students get very nervous when they start to learn how to do a flight maneuver know as a “power on stall” or a “departure stall”. In this maneuver, the pilot slows the airplane way up, as slow as it will fly, then applies full power while raising the nose until the wing stalls (stall means the wing has exceeded its critical angle of attack and can no longer fly)

    

     I can understand student’s reluctance to complete the maneuver (I remember my legs started to shake every time I practiced them). After all, they are taking an airplane that is flying perfectly well in a straight and level cruise flight and suddenly pointing the nose towards the sky, the engine screams at full power, the flight controls begin to feel lethargic and suddenly the wing stalls and they feel like they are dropping uncontrollably out of the sky. At first students feel totally out of control, but they quickly realize they are always in complete control. When I was learning to fly, stalls scared the crap out of me. What makes power on stall particularly tricky is pilots must use the correct amount of rudder input prior to the stall, to ensure the airplane is stalled “coordinated”. When an airplane is stalled “coordinated” it ensures that both wings stall at the same time, so a spin does not develop.

     The reason we teach power on stalls is so that students know how to recover from a stall if they accidentally got too slow after takeoff. One of the first things students learn when practicing stalls is that the airplane wants to fly. It is not easy to make it stall. Even when it stalls, the airplane will recover by itself by simply letting go of the control yoke. To recover from a stall quickly the pilot simply lowers the nose. That’s all. The airplane will start flying immediately. It is that simple.

     When I teach this maneuver, just like any maneuver, the more students practice it, the more comfortable they get. Eventually power-on stalls become a “non-event”. The recovery procedure becomes instinctive (lower the nose). When I give a flight review to pilots, we always practice power on stalls. You really learn the “envelope” of your airplane. It is amazing how many warning signs the airplane gives you before it stalls. Warning signs can include; a high pitch attitude (usually), mushy flight controls, an aerodynamic buffet or shaking, stall warning horn and lower cockpit wind noise. The airplane seems to scream, “You are getting to slow stupid, and I can’t fly much longer!”

     I hope next time you try a power on stall; you can approach it with confidence and respect. If you are a private pilot and have not tried one in a while, find a flight instructor to practice some with.

James Aarestad

Flight Instructor

West Metro Aviation

This was a past article for the Minnesota Flyer Magazine in 2000: By Mike Wiskus

     I grew up in a home that had an embroidered framed phrase hanging on the kitchen wall. Mom had it placed by the table so it could be seen from any one of the chairs at breakfast, lunch or super. It read:

 "The hurrier I go, the behinder I get."

     I always thought that a picture of an airplane would have looked better in its place, but hey, it was mom's kitchen. If she wanted that dumb phrase hanging on the wall, that was up to her. Who would have thought that embroidered phrase would have come trickling from my lips 23 years later.

     The winter of 1999/2000 wasn't that bad-not much snow and only a few weeks of ultra-below-zero cold. I remember flying my Pitts until December 10 or 15 and then tucking it away only until March. 

     Still, I was very anxious to start the new aerobatic season, and when I finally got to roll my orange beauty out into the early spring sunshine, I began practicing with every free moment. I wanted to be ready for the first competition scheduled in Nebraska in early May. I was pumped for the contest and wanted to start the season off with a win. 

     The first contest date came quickly, and I was anxious to get to Nebraska to practice in their aerobatic box and get used to the references. Unfortunately, the tone of the trip started when at 7 a.m., just after stowing my gear, putting on my parachute and getting ready to prop my non-electrical bird, I realized that I had for-gotten my wallet at home. 

     The race began. After a few choice words and the slamming of my pickup door-mom would not have been proud-I made the round trip home and back in record time. 

     Again, after putting on the parachute, checking my gear and attaching the cable to the tail wheel and the light post so I could prop-start my bird without it getting away, I began my morning workout routine by hand-propping the Pitt

     "Now what? It usually starts in the first three tries!" 

     Priming again, sweating, propping, mixture off, throttle forward, mixture on. What's the deal? Time is wasting! It never acts likes this! More propping, sweating and breathing hard, and with arms that felt like rubber, I walked around the airplane and looked over the settings in the cockpit one more time. 

     The magnetos were off. "What? The mags are off! I'm a 15,000-hour pilot and I forgot the stupid mags! Give me a break!"

     Yes, I yelled all of those words. 

     Okay, so I forgot to switch the magnetos on-get a grip and lets get going. I'm already two hours behind schedule. Flipping on the mags, I walked around the front of my little airplane and made one pull through on the prop. Roar! The engine started all right-at full power.

     After coming to my senses, I jumped to my feet and ran around the little biplane, bending my aerobatic sighting device 90 degrees. Dang, I needed that for my competition, I thought, then pulled the full throttle off and then the mixture.  

     I slid down the side of the fuselage and sat on the ground. It was quiet, even peaceful, for several minutes, and then it happened-those words from my childhood came streaming through my lips. 

     I didn't think of saying them out loud-it just happened. "The hurrier I go the behinder I get." I think I said it about four times. I was talking to myself as I had just taught myself a valuable lesson. "The hurrier I go, the behinder I get."

     I must have sat there next to my little orange biplane for 20 minutes wondering how I could have allowed myself to get so wrapped up in getting to that contest that I could forget about all the things that I had learned about flying over the last 23 years. I pulled my parachute off, gathered my gear and pushed the orange machine back into the hangar, then got in my truck and drove home. 

     I mowed the lawn that day. Beautiful sunshine, blue skies and me, taking my time mowing the lawn and thinking, "The hurrier I go, the behinder I get." Slow down, take your time and think. Aviation has a funny way of reminding us that it doesn't matter how much experience you have if you're in too big of a hurry to use it.

     Dirty side up!

Michael Wiskus

Question & Answer

Good Morning,

     I saw your ad and thought I’d ask a few questions.   I am a 1500 hr pilot with tail wheel endorsement and IFR rating.  I have owned 15 planes among them 2 Stinsons and 2 Aeroncas.  I currently own an RV3B.  I have never done any aerobatics.  My plane is certainly capable and the logs show the many aerobatic things done during the testing phase. ( it is a 2009 with only 90 hrs TT.)  The owner passed away before he could fly it and a friend who does fly aerobatics flew off the necessary hours for the FAA and made necessary changes.

   My question is this.  I would like to do some spins, a basic barrel roll etc. just to be comfortable with them.  I don’t plan to do them nor perform in my plane.  I just would like to learn about the entry, recovery etc.  and experience them.

   Please advise me what this would entail and the best time to set this up.  I understand its winter, so spring or early summer would be more feasible.

Thank you,

XXXXXX

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Mr. XXXXXX, 

     Sounds like you have a beautiful aircraft. I am somewhat familiar with the RV's and am very impressed with their stick and rudder pressures. I read your comment that, " I don't plan to do them, nor perform in my plane". Let me say that when you see how easy this aerobatic stuff really is, it would be hard not to pull up into a beautiful air show barrel roll in your RV.

     You may want to take a moment and review FAR. 91.303  and 91.307 to acquaint yourself with the FAA's requirements.

     Your aircraft is certainly capable of "light" aerobatics and spins. But please remember remember, capable vs. built for a lifetime endurance are two different things.

     Citabria's, Decathlon's, Pitts and Extra aircraft (I know there are many other aircraft that fall into this category), were built to endure aerobatics over it's lifetime. G-limits for these aircraft were determined for that reason. My Pitts S-2C has a g-limit of +6 positive and -5 negative. This was determined to be the capability of this aircraft for it's lifetime.

     Ask yourself how you would feel falling out of a maneuver and launching into a power on inverted power on flat spin in your RV.

     You need to also consider the wear and tear on your machine. I budget $100K a season for maintenance, prop overhauls, engine rebuilds and fabric repairs on my air show aircraft. I have copies of bills and expenses to prove it.

     Because you have an aircraft that is capable, please be aware that there is always a price tag attached.

Now back to your original question.

     Teaching you spins (upright and inverted) would be easier than you could imagine. After the spin recovery program, basic aerobatics is a walk in the park. Let me emphasis that the recovery training is a vital part of your training. Teaching you a loop, but not how to recover if you fall out of the loop would be disastrous.

     We could begin training as early as March. +20 F and warmer works in the Pitts.

     I hope this helps, call me if you have any other questions as well as scheduling.

Respectfully,

Michael Wiskus

612-812-3873