Rides at Sun N Fun

[Bill Greenwood]

It's Sun morning, the last day at Sun N Fun. The weather has been about perfect this week, but today is cooler, overcast and looks like it might rain.
I got a brief ride in a Mustang. Man is it noisy on takeoff! I had forgoten how good the visibility is from the rear seat looking out of the bubble canopy, except for down under the wing. It was not hot at all at 7000 feet, this one had 2 good vents in the rear seat. We sure landed fast, the airspeed read 145 mph at the threshold, gear down and full flaps. We were down on the main wheels and rolling and still indicating 115mph. The last notch of flaps is very effective, still used a lot of brakes.
I got to fly from Winterhaven to Lakeland with Carol de Solis Atkins in Jerry Yeagen's RAF Chipmunk, a neat little plane, and all too short a trip. Carole flew well, as she ownes her own Chipmunk.
I usually like to try for an ultralight ride, but it was kind of windy most days and I didn't even get over to their side.

[Matt Gunsch]

Bill,
Do you want to know how long it has been since I flew in a Mustang ?

Taken 3-9-82
I was 12
I would ride my bike everyday after school to a local mall where the AZ Wing had a Ha1112 on display for a week. I would stay until the mall closed, then ride home, about 5 miles each way. So, since I put in more time with the Ha1112 than anyone else, Mike Clarke took me up in the 51.
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p51regis ... 74446.html

Yep it is the infamous Chino cow killer

Last edited by Matt Gunsch on Sun Apr 13, 2008 7:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Lynn Allen]

Bill, I bet the ride in Silver Lady, the B-25 that we rode in at Breckenridge one year was louder the the Mustang on take off, remember? Who's Mustang did you ride in??

Lynn

[Glenn Wegman]

The the airspeed read 145 mph at the threshold, gear down and full flaps. We were down on the main wheels and rolling and still indicating 115mph.

WOW.........Are you serious????

At what speed was the gear extended?

[Bill Greenwood]

Glen, I am not sure of the extension speed perhaps 175, but I watched the ASI closely during the approach, and final was at 150, that's mph not knots, touchdown about 115, with some power on, no real flare.

[Glenn Wegman]

Guess it's better than WAY too slow!

[Chad Veich]

Mike Clarke took me up in the 51.
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p51regis ... 74446.html
Yep it is the infamous Chino cow killer

My favorite Mustang ever. I didn't get to fly in it but I did sit in it once. I was very young but I still remember that it had some of the straightest metal I'd ever seen on a warbird and the natural finish and drop tanks were pretty unusual for that time frame. (mid '80s) I've got a pic of the HA-1112 fuselage on the trailer somewhere Matt from one of the Deer Valley airshows as I recall.

[Matt Gunsch]

That was the one I was with. It had a custom built trailer to hold the fuselage, with fold down arms to support the wings. We could unload the fusalage and have the wings on in about 30 min. I sat in the Ha-1112 and thought it was tight then.