I nearly had a heart-attack when in the midst of all the loop-de-loops and twirls, snap-rolls, knife-edge flying, and -2 to +4 G forces (actually, zero G is the worst feeling, especially flying upside down floating in a mini plane)... lots of tricks that rivalled any rollercoaster I've ever been on...the pilot accidentally-on-purpose stalled the thing in mid air as we were shooting vertically upwards! So we started falling back to earth backwards, until the plane tilted and nose-dived with me in the front seat. I was apparently saying a litany of "ooooh fuck, fuck fuck fuck fuck" (excuse my language, but had to keep it in the account for authenticity)that the pilot thought was hilarious. I do vaguely recall swearing slightly. :P He followed that by a maneuver called the Lomcevak (basically translates as "headache") - where the plane just bounces end over end in the sky...feels like it is completely out of control, but apparently it's not. Riiight. Hey, they didn't give me a parachute when I got in, so I was relying on this just being normal procedure! Besides, let's face it, with one tandem jump under my belt I'd hardly be qualified to somehow extricate myself from a plane in mid-air and deploy a parachute...even if I then knew how to use the thing to get safely back down to the ground as opposed to eating grass as I did the last/first time!
But, all's well, that ends well! I landed safely back down on the ground. Apparently, because its a stuntplane they don't have flaps to slow it down, so you essentially dive-bomb at the runway and then apply brakes if and when the wheels skid onto tramac. Quite possibly the second scariest maneuver of the whole experience!
But, all's well, that ends well! I landed safely back down on the ground. Apparently, because its a stuntplane they don't have flaps to slow it down, so you essentially dive-bomb at the runway and then apply brakes if and when the wheels skid onto tramac. Quite possibly the second scariest maneuver of the whole experience!
I didn't have to use the sick bag, didn't feel dizzy all day of black out as I'd been warned to expect... just really really addicted to flying now. I need, I want, I MUST LEARN HOW TO FLY. Just straight for now though - kinda think knowing which way is up is a prerequisite for doing aerobatics!
(http://www.fightercombat.com/vid_03Sep04.htm
"What's Happening? The Lomcevak - (pronounced LOHM-sheh-vock). A Czechoslovakian word translated as "Berserk Headache", it is actually a colloquialism meaning "Drunken Bum." The Lomcevak, also called the lump-lump, appears to be a totally out-of-control maneuver in which the plane tumbles nose over tail, wingtip over wingtip, across the sky."
http://rafaero.free.fr/voltige4-eng.html (for video of Lomcevak at the bottom)
(http://www.fightercombat.com/vid_03Sep04.htm
"What's Happening? The Lomcevak - (pronounced LOHM-sheh-vock). A Czechoslovakian word translated as "Berserk Headache", it is actually a colloquialism meaning "Drunken Bum." The Lomcevak, also called the lump-lump, appears to be a totally out-of-control maneuver in which the plane tumbles nose over tail, wingtip over wingtip, across the sky."
http://rafaero.free.fr/voltige4-eng.html (for video of Lomcevak at the bottom)
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