"Nonster" (noahnic)
06/29/2015 at 09:55 • Filed to: None
3
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"Nonster" (noahnic)
06/29/2015 at 09:55 • Filed to: None | 3
| 7 |
Got a call Sunday from a buddy. “Hey the weather is nice, want to go fly an old school biplane?” Uh...hell yeah!!!
Admittedly, I’m not as well versed in older aircraft as I am in cars, boats, or motorcycles so I can’t remember what kind of plane it is. I’ll ask my buddy and report back, but I’m sure someone around here probably will beat me to the punch.
Once we were up in the air I got to take over the stick and fly around a bit. It was soo much fun to just soar through the sky like a bird. It’s easy to take the feat of flight for granted in this day and age. Most people’s experience with aircraft is with your usual airline and that can be exciting in it’s own way. But it’s a whole other experience to be in an open cockpit aircraft much closer to the ground in a much more sensitive plane. A good analogy would be that riding in a 737 is like riding in a bus whereas getting behind the stick of this biplane is (because this is oppo) like driving a Miata AW11 MR2. Was gonna say Miata, but a Miata is more forgiving. An MR2 is twitchier and more prone punish you if you screw up.
Anyways, I snapped some pictures so enjoy!
All fueled up
And we’re flying!!! Yes it’s Ohio, there’s not much to look at.
Look down at those plebians and their water-based transportation huhuhuh
we may have hit 5 g’s during some of the loops and rolls. Much more fun than any rollercoaster ride.
They use this plane for skydiving. They didn’t fly it that day, but they did fire it up and taxi around.
Who knows, I might think about getting my pilots license now...
Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole
> Nonster
06/29/2015 at 09:59 |
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That’s a Stearman. My grandfather paid for me, my brother, my cousin, my aunts and my dad to go up in one when I was about 13 or 14. It was a blast!
desertdog5051
> Nonster
06/29/2015 at 10:09 |
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Radial engines are so cool.
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Nonster
> Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole
06/29/2015 at 10:19 |
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Ah thats right, it was a Boeing-Stearman. It was so much fun, I was really impressed by some of the maneuvers that old bird could pull off.
phenotyp
> Nonster
06/29/2015 at 10:31 |
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Man, that plane looks real familiar.
I don’t think it’s the same one (my pops sold it a few years ago, owned it nearly 20 years), there are enough differences, but I’m willing to bet that my dad knows whose this is, and has probably worked on it at some point. Where in Ohio is that? I grew up in NE OH, learned how to fly in a Stearman, and can still smell that oily radial blasting away in front of me.
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Nonster
> phenotyp
06/29/2015 at 10:41 |
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It’s in Waynesville, on the northeast side of Cincinnati. I don’t know how long the folks there have had it, but it looks really similar. The 531 painted on the sides looked like it was done a while ago though.
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phenotyp
> Nonster
06/29/2015 at 10:45 |
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Yeah, it’s not the same plane, for sure. But the Stearman world is small, I’m sure my dad knows them. Very cool. Flying open-cockpit is just about the greatest experience, and every year a rarer one. Awesome that you got to do it.
beautimouse
> Nonster
06/29/2015 at 11:12 |
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That is extremely cool! A flight in a biplane is an item on my list.