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| DATE : Friday, April 18th, 2003 | TIME : 17:00 (23:00 ZULU) |
| FROM : Kestrel Airpark (1T7) | TO : Heritage Airfield (TE86) |
| FLIGHT TIME (Total) : 2.0 hours | AIRCRAFT : 1946 Aeronca Champ (7AC) |
| TERMINAL AREA FORECAST (TAF) : Unknown |
| METAR (Weather Observed) :
Since I was the passenger, I did not obtain a weather briefing. If memory serves me right, the weather involved a broken layer around 4,000 feet with strong, gusty winds (up to about 20-25 knots at least) and forward visibilities of about 8-10 miles with haze. |
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I met Brad Marcum at the Stinson Air Center, where I learned to fly. Brad is a flight instructor at Stinson and after crossing paths with him again at the EAA Chapter 35 Pancake Fly-In a week earlier, I was thrilled when I received an offer to join him for a flight in his Aeronca Champ. Brad is co-owner of a beautiful 1946 Aeronca Champ 7AC complete with a Continental 65-horsepower engine!
I met Brad at Kestrel Airpark where the Champ is hangared and it wasn't long before we were taxiing for takeoff. Kestrel's runway can make for some challenging landings. It's north end has a noticeable slope upwards and there are small bluffs to the sides of some sections of this 3000x40ft runway. Brad mentioned that it's not uncommon for the windsock at one end of the runway to tell a very different story than the windsock at the other end! The takeoff roll was very impressive. I was amazed at the shortfield capability of the Champ as we climbed into the sky at around 55-60 knots. We leveled off at about 2,000 feet and headed east to keep north of San Antonio's Class C and Randolph AFB's Class D airspace. The Champ does not have a transponder. It also doesn't have a built-in radio. Our communication system consisted of a handheld radio tied to an intercom. It worked beautifully! In fact, it became quickly clear that there was a beautiful simplicity to the Champ - from its basic instrument panel to its fabric wings. Brad used a sectional chart and landmarks to mark our position. The Champ's low speed and our low altitude made it very easy to navigate visually. Brad handed over the controls to me for some enroute flying and I enjoyed the new experience of piloting an aircraft with a stick versus a yoke. The rudder response in the Champ, at least to this novice pilot, felt noticeably more responsive than the Cessna Skyhawks I love and fly. Zuehl Airpark soon came into view and as we passed over, we realized that Heritage Airfield, our destination, would be coming up quickly. Heritage Airfield has a turf runway 3,100 feet by 70 feet. Despite some gusty winds on our final approach, Brad's expert piloting resulted in an impressive landing. We taxied over to a beautiful Citabria Adventure where Brad introduced me to some of his friends that are building at house at Heritage. After a quick visit we were soon airborne again for our return to Kestrel. The wind seemed to be even more gusty and I was noticeably impressed that by the time we had complete our crosswind to downwind turn we were already passed the opposite end of the runway! That's some gusty, low-level winds! With a strong tailwind, our return to Kestrel was quick and once again Brad demonstrated his ability to land the Champ under some challenging wind conditions. I sincerely appreciated the experience of enjoying a true, BACK TO THE BASICS, VFR experience. Thanks Brad!!!
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