Airplane – Eskildoodle Photos and Feelings

Past Plane and Simple

Thanksgiving reminiscing always includes memories of airplanes, starting with this 1941 Taylorcraft, NC33932. The first airplane ride that can I remember was in this aircraft, and I thoroughly did not like it! Later, however, I came to love the airplane and looked forward to each chance to go for another ride. Both my brothers flewContinue reading “Past Plane and Simple”

Well, This Ain’t Gonna Fly!

Seated just behind the wing, I took this photo and thought: There’s no way they are taking off like this. I waited for the announcement of delay due to deicing, but it never came. The plane left the gate and taxied towards the runway; en route to the deicing bay, I thought. Soon all airportContinue reading “Well, This Ain’t Gonna Fly!”

Pull Up To Go Down

It is often said on TV programs that to make an airplane go up, pull back on the control stick and to go down, push forward. That only works in a very narrow range of flight attitudes. Keep pulling back and the airplane slows to a point that the wings suddenly quit producing lift andContinue reading “Pull Up To Go Down”

Back to Earth

It’s a strange feeling to exit an airplane 3000 feet above the ground. The 80 mph slipstream tries to push you back into the aircraft as you get into position on the wheel and wing strut. Perhaps the wind is trying to tell you something. When you let go and step off the wheel, thereContinue reading “Back to Earth”

Piper Clipper

This is the airplane that flew over the mountains on the brink of winter in yesterday’s blog, and is the airplane that I truly learned to fly in. It was built in 1949 and was simple, rugged, and functioned like an airborne jeep. I flew it in and out of hayfields and a golf courseContinue reading “Piper Clipper”

Snowy Ghost

Charlie Love and I set out in my Piper Clipper to get pictures of the Knife Point Glacier in the mid 1980’s. He was a geologist at Rock Springs Community College and was studying the retreat of the glacier. It was September, and this was the last chance we had to get pictures before winter’sContinue reading “Snowy Ghost”