AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 99
RUDDER & WRENCH
NEVER AGAIN /
The hill
How I turned an airplane into a tractor
BY S. ROBERT WILLIAMS
FINALLY!
A CARD
FOR PILOTS.
1%
Cash Back1
A CASH BACK1
Every Purchase
REDEMPTION IS APPLIED AS A STATEMENT CREDIT.
QUARTERLY BONUS POINT CAP OF 2,500 POINTS
HAV ING BEEN a trial lawyer for almost
40 years, I've seen more than my share
of bad judgment. Mishaps and occasional
tragedies are often the result of a series of
mistakes that anyone can make, regardless
of their experience.
A friend and I were flying my 1940
Stearman to Batavia, New York, in July
to get some radio work done. The trip
would be an hour each way, which meant
we needed a full tank of gas. It also meant
the airplane would be heavy. The airport
where I kept the airplane was out of fuel,
so we landed at an airstrip in the middle
of the Finger Lakes region. The northsouth
turf runway ran up a hill. At the
northern end sat the owner's house and
at the southern end, at the top of the hill,
were a farmer's bean fields. The runway
was a little short for a Stearman. The sectional
chart says it's 2,000 feet long, which
would be accurate if one were to count the
owner's living room and back yard. It's
more like 1,800 feet.
The day was not oppressive, but
still hot at about 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
Because the Stearman is an aerobatic airplane,
we decided to do some loops and
rolls on the way, so we wore parachutes,
adding weight.
The friend I was flying with was a surgeon
who, with an airline transport pilot
certificate and 5,000 hours, had far more
experience than I did. But he was just
starting to learn the Stearman. Although
I had nowhere near his total hours, when
it came to the Stearman I was no novice,
with 400 hours in the old biplane.
A stock Stearman is a magnificent airplane,
but by design it is underpowered.
There's a saying about a 220-horsepower
Stearman: It's a safe airplane; built like
a safe, glides like a safe, climbs like a
safe. The reasoning was that in World
AOPA PILOT / November 2021
99
Switch today to the AOPA
World Mastercard®
paying too much on your
aviation purchases.
, and stop
Visit
AOPA.org/creditcard
to learn more.
*Certain points and purchases restrictions apply, see full Rewards
Terms and Conditions for full details at AOPA.org/creditcard.
1. Rewards points can be redeemed for Cash Back or other items provided
through AOPA Pilot Rewards. A Cash Back redemption is applied
as a statement credit. The statement credit will reduce your balance
but you are still required to make at least your minimum payment. A
minimum of 2,500 points is needed to redeem for Cash Back. Values
for non-cash back redemption items such as merchandise, gift cards,
and travel may vary.
SARAH JONES
http://www.AOPA.org/creditcard
http://www.AOPA.org/creditcard
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021
Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - Intro
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - BB1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - BB2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - Cover1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - Cover2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 4
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 5
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 6
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 7
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 8
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 9
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 10
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 11
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 12
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 13
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 14
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 15
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 16
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 17
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 18
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 19
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 20
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 21
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 24
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 25
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 26
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 27
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 28
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 29
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 30
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 31
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 33
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 36
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 37
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 40
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 41
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 46
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 53
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 54
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 56
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 57
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 58
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 59
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 60
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 61
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 62
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 63
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 65
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 66
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 67
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 69
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 70
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 71
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - Cover3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - Cover4
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