ScottishMike1
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Sunday 25th. Jan.
Richmond (KRIC) → Frederick (KFDK)
FS9/2004
We had asked at the FBO if there were “older” craft for hire. The FBO manager scratched his head, rubbed his oily hands on his overalls looked at all three of us from head to toe: “Don’t believe there are” he replied after a long pause.
We headed for the hangar door. “Well maybe one.” he muttered.
“Available today?” we asked almost in unison, stopped in our tracks.
“Couldn’t rightly say. Old Kruger, has an old Cessna Airmaster. Hasn’t flown her in years but keeps her clean as a pin. Hei’s in here most days polishing and tinkering. If he’s here you’ll find him and the Cessna in the hanger next door. Good luck!”
I wondered why we needed luck.
“An Airmaster! It was powered by a radial used by many of the first aircraft to compete in the NAT. I remembered an old advert I came across in an aviation magazine of the 1930s:
She did look well kept. A noise from the cockpit led us to “Old” Kruger, he was polishing the interior leather.
“What can I do for you?” a mop of white hair and rheumy eyes staring at us quizzically.
“The FBO manager said you might be prepared to hire her out”. Suzanne nodded at the cream machine.
“$500 not a dime less, for one day” We looked at each other thinking his prices had stuck in the past with the plane.
“All her paperwork up to date?” Suzanne asked gently.
“Not flown her in a while, since my wife died, we used to fly together. The engine is run at least once a week though. Paperwork is in a box somewhere here”.
Paperwork was all up to date. Suzanne insisted on powering her up to test all that could be tested.
We all shoved her out into the snow, not allowed to fire her up in the hanger.:
She would not start for love nor money.
“I think the battery is flat” Callum said. I’ll see if they have a battery trolley. He returned with a ground power unit on wheels. We connected it up (in FS9, you have to re-load the model to get a charged battery) The C37 was still an absolute pig to get started, (Ctrl+ E not working) one had to manually use the starter key and keep it turning till the engine fired. Being rewarded by radial smog:
Once running she sounded sweet. She was equipped with a modern radio stack and GPS:
“She runs sweetly and is equipped for IFR flight.” Suzanne was happy, the only one of us with an Instrument Rating.
Old Kruger had wandered over: “You’re not thinking of taking her up in this?”
“Not sure” Suzanne replied.
“You guys, crazier than a box of frogs. Still she’s well insured, and maybe time I said goodbye. No point in pretending my wife is going to turn up to fly with…” he tailed the sentence off as he wandered back into the hanger.
“Maybe he’s right, the weather forecast here is not good:
and worse in KFDK:
Do we really want to be finding a rwy in 400m. visibility at 303’ with overcast at 1000’?” I asked Suzanne and Callum.
“We can do this” she replied.
“Only if you’re absolutely sure” I replied with sayings such as: Discretion is the better part of valour and the old saying about bold and old pilots running round in my head.
She was sure, so off we went, filed an IFR flight plan powered the C37 up again, with difficulty I must add and got clearance for IFR take off. Lining up on rwy 4:
The Cessna lifted within feet, climbing strongly:
We decided to cruise at 1200’ the ground just about still visible, wind 68 at 4 Kts.
The C37 more powerful than expected, we cruised at 150 Kts air speed, 144 Kts ground speed.
Conditions were getting worse, now fighting falling snow making visibility even worse:
END PART 1
Richmond (KRIC) → Frederick (KFDK)
FS9/2004
We had asked at the FBO if there were “older” craft for hire. The FBO manager scratched his head, rubbed his oily hands on his overalls looked at all three of us from head to toe: “Don’t believe there are” he replied after a long pause.
We headed for the hangar door. “Well maybe one.” he muttered.
“Available today?” we asked almost in unison, stopped in our tracks.
“Couldn’t rightly say. Old Kruger, has an old Cessna Airmaster. Hasn’t flown her in years but keeps her clean as a pin. Hei’s in here most days polishing and tinkering. If he’s here you’ll find him and the Cessna in the hanger next door. Good luck!”
I wondered why we needed luck.
“An Airmaster! It was powered by a radial used by many of the first aircraft to compete in the NAT. I remembered an old advert I came across in an aviation magazine of the 1930s:
She did look well kept. A noise from the cockpit led us to “Old” Kruger, he was polishing the interior leather.
“What can I do for you?” a mop of white hair and rheumy eyes staring at us quizzically.
“The FBO manager said you might be prepared to hire her out”. Suzanne nodded at the cream machine.
“$500 not a dime less, for one day” We looked at each other thinking his prices had stuck in the past with the plane.
“All her paperwork up to date?” Suzanne asked gently.
“Not flown her in a while, since my wife died, we used to fly together. The engine is run at least once a week though. Paperwork is in a box somewhere here”.
Paperwork was all up to date. Suzanne insisted on powering her up to test all that could be tested.
We all shoved her out into the snow, not allowed to fire her up in the hanger.:
She would not start for love nor money.
“I think the battery is flat” Callum said. I’ll see if they have a battery trolley. He returned with a ground power unit on wheels. We connected it up (in FS9, you have to re-load the model to get a charged battery) The C37 was still an absolute pig to get started, (Ctrl+ E not working) one had to manually use the starter key and keep it turning till the engine fired. Being rewarded by radial smog:
Once running she sounded sweet. She was equipped with a modern radio stack and GPS:
“She runs sweetly and is equipped for IFR flight.” Suzanne was happy, the only one of us with an Instrument Rating.
Old Kruger had wandered over: “You’re not thinking of taking her up in this?”
“Not sure” Suzanne replied.
“You guys, crazier than a box of frogs. Still she’s well insured, and maybe time I said goodbye. No point in pretending my wife is going to turn up to fly with…” he tailed the sentence off as he wandered back into the hanger.
“Maybe he’s right, the weather forecast here is not good:
and worse in KFDK:
Do we really want to be finding a rwy in 400m. visibility at 303’ with overcast at 1000’?” I asked Suzanne and Callum.
“We can do this” she replied.
“Only if you’re absolutely sure” I replied with sayings such as: Discretion is the better part of valour and the old saying about bold and old pilots running round in my head.
She was sure, so off we went, filed an IFR flight plan powered the C37 up again, with difficulty I must add and got clearance for IFR take off. Lining up on rwy 4:
The Cessna lifted within feet, climbing strongly:
We decided to cruise at 1200’ the ground just about still visible, wind 68 at 4 Kts.
The C37 more powerful than expected, we cruised at 150 Kts air speed, 144 Kts ground speed.
Conditions were getting worse, now fighting falling snow making visibility even worse:
END PART 1
