[Public-List] Mini-pre-misery-trip

[Gordon Laco]

So there we were…

Not many nice weekends left in the season, now that we’re on the sliding down side of September.   Because I have to be down in the city today for an RCN event, we decided to make our own weekend by scarpering to the boat Thursday morning and doing an overnighter up the coast, coming back Friday.

The weather Thursday was splendid, but as is usual these days featured an odd south east wind.  That was fair for getting out of Severn Sound so away we went.  Our friend Dave Hadfield was already up at Beausoliel Island aboard DRAKE, his wooden ketch, so we motored away until we caught up with him off Adams Point, both of us bound for Beckwith Island.

Any of you who have an interest in historic aircraft have likely seen Dave’s youtube videos… he flies vintage aircraft for the Vintage Wings collection in Gatineau.  The first time I flew with Dave was in a deHaviland Tiger Moth, used by the Commonwealth Air Training Programme in 1940 at the height of WW2 as a primary trainer.  What an experience… after we’d clambered into our cockpits (me in the pupil’s seat in  front, Dave in the instructor’s seat aft) the ground crew fellow called ’SWITCHES OFF!  FUEL ON!’  Dave repeated the call and I heard the magneto switches behind my head go click-click.  The prop was walked around four times, then the ground crew fellow called ’SWITCHES ON!’  Again Dave repeated the call and again there was a click-click behind me.  One heave on the prop and the Gypsy Major engine coughed and spluttered, then settled down to a smooth rumble.  

Dave waved away the chocks (I didn’t see that of course but did see the results of his signal) and with a burp of throttle we began bumping away over the grass.  We trundled down to the downwind side of the airfield, staying on the grass to preserve the tail skid from the pavement, where a fellow was waiting for us in a lawn chair, reading a book.  He put the book down, sauntered up to us and casually grabbed the grip on the wingtip and leaned back.  Dave burped the throttle again and round swung the Moth, now facing down the strip of grass.   The guy went back to his book and after magneto checks, away we went.   Up throttle…. tail up right away… a few fairly dramatic bumps then suddenly smooth and climbing away.  

The wind in the open cockpit was about the same as I was used to in my MG on the highway… which makes sense because the speed was about the same.  The Moth left the ground at 50 knots and climbed away at about 70… level cruising was 80-90.

While landing, sideslipping to come down in steps, I was thinking ‘If I sell the boat, and sell the MG, I think I could buy one of these things!’  Well I didn’t, but flying was amazing.  I’ve flown since in higher performance aircraft with Dave, but I think the Moth is still my favourite.  Here’s a couple of his YouTubes…





Gordon Laco
www.gordonlaco.com
705-527-9612