The insurance issue was made easier by the fact that our policies were through the same company. That company already had my pertinent data and flight times so, my currency in tail wheel landings and the insurance premium were the final issues to be resolved. To be absolutely certain, the day before I left for Louisiana, I made three landings in our 450 Stearman from the back seat and then four landings in the SNJ from the front seat. Being satisfied with my performance, I left it at that.
The next day, at the urging of my wife, D'Marie, I left a few days early to familiarize myself with the P-40 Warhawk. While waiting for my connection at the Dallas/Ft Worth Airport, my insurance agent called to request the number of back-seat landings in the SNJ that I had!!! After some frantic phone calls, this "bump in the road" issue was solved after arriving in Louisiana. An underwriter approved instructor was located in Tallulah, LA, some 148nm North of New Orleans. With the loan of a Cessna 150, I was off first thing in the morning to get a back seat check-out in a T-6. Steve Gustafson could not have been a better choice. He told me what I needed to know, gave me some great tips and then we went flying. After a little bit of airwork, one landing in the front seat and three in the back, I was ready to fly back to New Iberia.
The flight back was over the Mississippi River until I got to Ft. Adams and then South Westward to New Iberia. Afternoon thunderstorms were building on the horizon and I landed just as a rain shower approached the field. Getting wet from rain was the least of my worries after a day in the heat of Southern Louisiana!
The next day was Friday and the day before I had scheduled my departure for Air Venture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The day started early with a cup of java and some eggs at the local eatery in the middle of town. Dick and I then drove to Lafayette where the plane was kept in a hangar next to the airline terminal. The P-40 had been taken down off the "jacks" and was ready for action! I received some additional instruction on cockpit procedures by John and Dick; hey, it was their baby! I had studied the pilot manual over the previous few days and felt that I already knew most of what they were telling me! Still, the tips they offered were greatly appreciated. I practiced starting and taxiing with a short trip to the wash rack and another start and taxi to the East side FBO for fuel. Please understand that this was no turn-key operation. It took multiple steps and hand movements to get this machine running.
The moment of truth had now arrived.
I conducted one more start, performed a quick run-up and kept my time on the ground to a minimum because of overheating issues in high ambient temperatures.
On my first takeoff, the first thing I noticed was the high torque of the engine as I added power. Although I had been instructed to add two degrees of right rudder trim for takeoff, I found that it was necessary to apply additional right rudder to keep the plane going straight and that I needed right aileron to hold the right wing down. Recommended power for takeoff is 45 inches of MAP but, 40 inches is more than enough. I added power slowly to keep the aircraft under control and to keep it from torqueing off to the left. Once airborne, I applied brake pressure to stop wheel rotation and raised the gear. The aircraft accelerated rapidly to 150 mph for climb-out. I reduced power for the climb and closed the canopy.
The first thing on my agenda is some air work before I went into the landing pattern at New Iberia. I alerted the New Iberia tower of my intentions to do some maneuvers to the West of the field prior to entering the landing pattern. I extended the gear and put the flaps down to get the airplane into a slow flight configuration in order to get the feel of the aircraft as it would be in the landing pattern. I then flew around a bit before raising the gear and flaps and heading to New Iberia for some landings.
The New Iberia controller cleared me into the pattern and, thankfully, there was no other traffic. The pattern for the P-40 is flown much like the SNJ pattern except slightly higher and faster. Power is carried throughout the approach and right to touchdown. A slight reduction is necessary as the aircraft nears the ground and enters ground-effect. Rollout is normal with the necessary working of the rudders to keep the aircraft straight. No touch-and-goes are performed and because of the taxi-back, the engine has a tendency to overheat.
After the second landing, I decided to stop to allow the engine to cool. It was just as well that I did because a series of rain cells arrived overhead to wet and cool the field. My friend Dick was waiting at his hangar. He had been observing my landings and we have a brief discussion about the landing technique of the P-40 before I go out to get one more landing in.
We tied the aircraft down in front of Dick's hangar in anticipation of an early morning departure for Oshkosh. I had a lot to think about and spent the evening thinking about flying the airplane, inflight procedures, fuel stops, what to bring in the limited baggage space, storms along the route of flight and everything else that pops into one’s mind before a flight! I managed to turn in at a decent hour to get some much needed rest.
The morning came too soon but a light breakfast and cup of coffee were most welcome. We stopped at the FBO for another cup and a chance to check the weather before untying and loading the plane. The idea was for me to leave before the midday storms had a chance to form and to get as far North into more favorable weather patterns as I could. In the back of my mind I felt that it was important to leave before the temperature started to climb and the possibility of engine over-heating became greater.
During the climb-out, I made contact with Lafayette Approach who transferred me to enroute frequencies for flight following. I climbed at 160mph to 7500ft where the air was cooler and the possibility of engine over-heating is lessened. As I level off the airplane, the P-40 accelerated to 200mph and I set cruise power. The recommended cruise power setting would send the speed to 235mph! Since this speed is not necessary for this trip and for cooling considerations, I set the power to 2300rpm and 25 inches of MAP. This resulted in a comfortable speed of between 190 and 200mph.
Once cruising speed was achieved, I set about navigating. I brought out my trusty iPad and opened the Foreflight program to see how close I was to my planned track and my first fuel stop. About this time-only 35 minutes into the flight-the engine suddenly quit!! The silence was deafening and the adrenaline rush brought me to full alertness! A quick scan of the cockpit indicated that my front fuel tank of 35 gallons has run dry. I immediate switched to the back wing tank and the engine came back to life. I continued on my way as my heart settles back into a normal rhythm! I made a mental note to add to the inflight checklist: Timing of the three fuel tanks is an absolute must!
Two hours into the flight and I descended North of Memphis, Tennessee for landing at Kennett, Missouri to refuel. As I descended into the warmer air-as expected-the oil and coolant temperatures began to rise. I didn't worry because I knew that the engine would cool during my time on the ground to refuel and get a sandwich. I made my approach over the greenness of the adjacent golf course and landed on the 5000foot runway 20. A five thousand foot runway was within my comfort zone until I got more landing experience. A crowd gathered as I shut down the aircraft at the fuel island. The normal questions are forthcoming for this rare and unusual aircraft and one person said: "I've seen this airplane before!" Apparently, John has landed here for fuel in the past. I was offered a loaner car and given directions to the local sandwich shop.
A fish sandwich sounded like just the ticket and while waiting for it to come, I called my friend, Chuck Downey at Poplar Grove to see if an overnight was in order. Chuck agreed to pick me up at the Rockford, Illinois Airport. When Chuck asked why I didn't just fly into Poplar Grove, I had to explain that their 3773ft runway was just short enough to make me uncomfortable. By the end of the trip and after numerous landings, I would feel more comfortable flying into C77 at a future time. The nice people who owned the FBO and flight school and Poplar Grove also owned the FBO at Rockford and they offered to put the P-40 in their corporate hangar overnight at no charge!
Chuck, being the best of hosts, had cocktails and a very nice dinner planned for his upper deck as we watched the sun retreat to the West. Chuck has the distinction of being the oldest living Naval Aviator and is an an untold wealth of stories. We spend the evening in conversation as we enjoy his tasty dinner and extra dry cocktails. Since the next day was Sunday, I agreed to accompany Chuck to Church the following morning before leaving for Rockford and the final leg to Oshkosh.
Following Church, Chuck dropped me at the Rockford Airport to prepare the plane for flight. Before he left, Chuck requested a fly-by of the Poplar Grove Airport on my way North. There was plenty of time to pull the plane out of the hangar, fuel it and do some flight planning allowing Chuck to drive back to Poplar Grove to alert the local folks.
The Rockford tower was accommodating and gave me a left turnout and low level departure for my pass over Chuck's house. The Poplar Grove airport is just a few miles away and by the time my craft is cleaned up, its time to set up for a South to North pass. Chuck's house is very close to the runway and as I spotted it I descended for a window-rattling pass. Fortunately, there is no one in the pattern and I wiggled the wings and started a climb to the North for Fond du Lac.
Fond du Lac is at the South end of Lake Winnebago and is the arrival check point for the Warbird arrivals. Enroute, I had to fly around a storm cell and I approached Fond du Lac from the East where I turned North to Warbird Island and then to the Oshkosh airport for landing to the North. I heard only one other aircraft on the arrival frequency and it is about 5 miles ahead of me and I could tell by his call sign that he is a P-51 Mustang. The landing is uneventful - the best kind! - and I was directed to the Warbird parking area by the numerous ground crew. Parking is on the grass near the Warbird pavilion.
Read Part II »
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