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An out of this world experience with Burning Blue (continued)
Rob suggested doing tumbles and described them. I don't think I can really explain it but basically, the tail of the plane whips past you on the side and the plane spins downward around the prop instead of the other way around. This was insane and the only stunt where I would not have had a clue what to do if Rob had suddenly said "Here, you take it and bring us back toward the airport." I literally had no idea which end was up but did see land -- and sky -- and land -- and a land/sky blender effect. Heh, that is why I can't explain it.
After that one, I was done but it was worth it. We headed back home to the airport and landing wasn't a let down. This plane is a tail dragger and is very short with small wheels. I later confirmed that Rob was making constant small corrections with the rudder to keep us going straight down the runway.
Lastly, I just want to stress again the unbelievable feeling of freedom and the smoothness of the flight. The plane just cuts through the air and regardless of the force of the maneuvers, the plane slices the air smoothly and that smoothness mixed with the responsiveness is addictive and wonderful. Add in a large helping of robotic precision at the controls from a guy like Rob Holland and you will never ever, ever, ever forget it.
The big problem is you will -- trust me -- you will want to fly one of these planes again. You may have trouble sleeping and begin bedwetting just as bad as when you were waiting for that first set of r-compounds for your car. Not that this ever happened to me you understand.
Product availability and resources
To learn more about Burning Blue and Lady Liberty, visit http://www.burning-blue.com.
Rob Holland's company is Arial Advantage. Rob can teach you how to fly like a bird -- a very demented thrill seeking bird. Think Jonathan Livingston Seagull meets Prodigy. Rides like mine with Rob are just $200. For more information on Aerial Advantage, visit http://www.burning-blue.com/aaa.html.
About this series
This week, we're running fifteen articles celebrating the anniversary of flight across all our magazines. Be sure to read them all; they are each quite exceptional:
Next week, we resume our regular coverage.
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Dave Spragg is a independent software engineer living near Boston, MA. He grew up in the farm lands of NY with a love of pushing and exceeding the limits of...just about anything. This led to racing...just about anything. He has since mellowed and enjoys road racing BMW automobiles mostly near the limit, teaching high-performance driving and racing, backpacking, motorcycle touring, recumbent bicycles, home brewing, writing cool software, and drinking greats brews with his lovely wife and friends. Previous flying experiences were in Cessnas of unknown specifics and commercial passenger aircraft. He may never be the same and is currently building wings for his beloved Honda Blackbird.
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