5-6-5-3-Romeo

5653R is the N number of my dad's Maule MX-7-180. Today was exciting because he let me fly the plane to FAT (Fresno Yosemite International) and was my commute today to work at Pelco.

I've been flying with and instructor who's helping me get my tail wheel endorsement. So far I've made 4 landings in the Maule with each one getting better. My senses are finally registering with the plane.

Aviation FYI: Some airplanes have a tri-cycle langing gear configuration while others have a tail wheel configuration. Most planes have the tri-cycle configuration. They are generally easier to land because most of the weight is in front of the main wheels. With a tail wheel plane the weight is behind the main wheels. If the pilot is not careful the weight could get ahead of the mains which result in a ground loop.

I learned to fly in a tri-cycle plane so this is a new experience for me.

I'll finish this post with a story involving a Maule and a couple of F16's:

NTSB Identification: MIA92LA147

THE PILOT OF N148DP FILED A VFR FLIGHT PLAN, BUT DID NOT OBTAIN NOTAM INFORMATION FOR HIS ROUTE OF FLIGHT. EN ROUTE HE REPORTED TO THE AIR FORCE AVON PARK OPERATIONS THAT HE INTENDED TO PASS TO THE SOUTH OF THE RESTRICTED AREA AT AVON PARK. WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT AT 1,400 FEET OVER INSTRUMENT ROUTE 34 (IR 34), N148DP ENCOUNTERED A FLIGHT OF FOUR F16 AIRCRAFT FLYING AT 1,500 FEET AT 500 KNOTS. THE F16 AIRCRAFT WERE IN WIDE FORMATION AND NONE OF THE AIRCRAFT HAD RADAR CONTACT WITH N148DP. THE LEAD AIRCRAFT PERFORMED A 6 'G' PULL UP TO AVOID COLLISION WITH N148DP. N148DP ENCOUNTERED WAKE TURBULENCE FROM THE F16 AND SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE STRUCTURE. THE PILOT OF N148DP CONTINUED TO THE DESTINATION AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. THE F16 FLIGHT CONTINUED THE MISSION AND RETURNED TO BASE UNEVENTFULLY. THE IR 34 ROUTE WAS ON A NOTICE TO AIRMAN (NOTAM) AS BEING ACTIVE AT THE TIME OF THE OCCURRENCE.