Wasn't me this weekend, but I'll pass along the kudos.

I was there on the 4th however! Proud to have participated in the one and only airshow of 2020 so far...





(photos by the most talented Gary Daniels!)

Robert

Stan and Scott,

I take your comments about the mass and inertia to heart. That makes sense intuitively. I mentioned the Pitts only because the back seat is pretty blind in it. I know the six weighs 3 times as much. And I suspect that the control effectiveness of the six is not nearly as good as the 12. The great thing about the 12 is that you have LOTS of control authority down to very low speeds. But once the six gets its weight moving in one direction it will take a lot more to stop that movement, correct it, and re-establish the correct path.

My friend and I are both fully committed to getting good instruction and doing this well. Flight training and maintaining alike. We know it will be new and different. That's why we want it. To keep learning new stuff and getting competent in a new type.

If you accept the statement that we're committed to getting a good instructor, do I have a background (on paper) that looks appropriate for taking this step? That's really what I'm asking.

Zeke

Stan,

Would you elaborate on what the dark corners are in the T6? Stall, Configuration, certain aerobatics? I assume the “air show turn” is a dive followed by an aggressive pull up and 180?

Finally, my Stearman can be a handful in crosswinds or any mis-alignment with the runway. Is the T-6 just an amplification of this due to mass or something peculiar to that airframe?

I always enjoy reading your posts

Richard

Zeke-

With the right attitude, ie prepared to learn and absorb, I'd sure. What you need, besides the dough to do it, is WANT-TO and willingness to learn.

As far as I can tell.

gunny

Stan,

Would you elaborate on what the dark corners are in the T6? Stall, Configuration, certain aerobatics? I assume the “air show turn” is a dive followed by an aggressive pull up and 180?

Finally, my Stearman can be a handful in crosswinds or any mis-alignment with the runway. Is the T-6 just an amplification of this due to mass or something peculiar to that airframe?

I always enjoy reading your posts

Richard

Back in the 90s when Jim flew with the 6 of Diamonds.
From Jim's stories Flying wing was an adventure out there but cemented a healthy energy management in warbird acro for him.
RIP Bill Dodds
Our SNJ is #23 in GITMO markings.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/UWbBMn8TL24[/youtube]

The big dark corners on the Six are the Stall and the spin/departure. I've got a few videos up on that (as well as engine failure) on my YouTube Channel... FlyWire. Check it out.

Gunny,
Checked out your videos, very good stuff and thanks for the info.
Richard

Be careful flying at an airshow, even just low passes down the runway, without all of the boxes checked. A friend of a friend had his ticket pulled for flying aerobatics at an airshow.

The organizer and air boss asked him to fly his glider. No one at the airshow said a peep to the FSDO and the FAA folks that are always roaming the airshows didn't blink. ...but then he posted the video to Facebook or YouTube and someone (bored/overzealous ASI) turned him in and a certificate action and 6 months as a landlubber/wingrunner ensued.

I don't have a lot of sympathy for your friend here... The airshow world is highly regulated and while, yes, the Airboss shouldn't have let him fly acro, this is also a case where your friend's ignorance of the law doesn't excuse what he did.

Anyone can fly low passes at an airshow. The floor of the passes should be briefed and is also called out in the airshow waiver (200' is common, but it can vary).

However, if you want to do anything more than low passes with sedate (< 30 degrees of bank and < 45 degrees of pitch, from memory, but that might be the wrong numbers) turns to reposition, you need some variety of a "Statement of Aerobatic Competency" (aka "SAC Card"). Note that there used to be a logbook endorsement to allow you to do more aggressive turns, but that no longer is valid and has been replaced by the Dynamic Maneuvering SAC card.

Also note that if you get any compensation for appearance or flying at an airshow (or static display event), even if it's just gas, it is a commercial operation and requires a commercial certificate and 2nd class medial.

If anyone wants more detail on this, PM me (or anyone else who operates in that world - There are a few of us here).

Robert

Robert stated it perfectly.

If you get *anything*, burger, gas, or free hat....you have to have a commercial ticket to fly in the show.

If you do any aggressive maneuvering, you have to have a SAC card...even if it's just "dynamic maneuvering".

If you fly formation in waivered airspace, you have to have a FAST card.

Thanks Stan - Forgot about formation!

Minor nit: I don't believe it has to be a FAST card - FFI and TRARON will also work as will others (although I can't think of another formation credential at the moment).

The waiver wording is something like "[pilots wishing to fly formation].. must possess a current and valid industry formation training and evaluation credential".

Oddly, you can get an FFI card in a Bonanza and be perfectly legal to fly formation at an airshow in a T6 or anything else.

The airshow waiver usually is 'waiving' regulations, but the formation stuff is one area where they are actually adding more regulation since you don't need a formation card to fly formation normally.

Robert

Bob, I saw that video and a discussion about it on another forum. If I recall, it wasn't really an airshow so much as a car show at an airport that had a few planes show up for static display. Then someone asked him to do some acro in his glider. Is that right? It seemed way informal, no airboss, no formal show box, traffic still arriving and operating while he was up...

There probably was a time in my flying career that I wouldn't have known there was anything wrong with that, either.

Thanks Stan - Forgot about formation!

Minor nit: I don't believe it has to be a FAST card - FFI and TRARON will also work as will others (although I can't think of another formation credential at the moment).

The waiver wording is something like "[pilots wishing to fly formation].. must possess a current and valid industry formation training and evaluation credential".

Oddly, you can get an FFI card in a Bonanza and be perfectly legal to fly formation at an airshow in a T6 or anything else.

The airshow waiver usually is 'waiving' regulations, but the formation stuff is one area where they are actually adding more regulation since you don't need a formation card to fly formation normally.

Robert

Obviously, I wasn't there...but in the absence of a waiver, in the absence of an acro box, I suspect he was in violation....

Robert,

While we're picking nits... as I understand the rewrite of FAA 8900.1.
Somebody can correct me.

The FFI card will serve as the required formation training/currency for the bonanza pilot to fly a warbird in waveried airspace to the rather benign pitch and bank restrictions of "standand manuvering" limits. Those are basically now just race track "fly by" formations.

But...8900.1 now has currency and practice requirements.
Our bonanza pilot would have to have practiced and met the currency requirements in the warbird for the airshow.

So... bottom line.... no bonanza pilot is going to be doing airshows without practicing the performance in the warbird.

Leldon