A few weeks ago Simsbury Airport hosted a fly-in in which there was a raffle to win a flight in an experimental airplane. I won this flight and went on it a few weekends ago. The pilot’s name was Mark Sigal and we were flying in a single prop- plane he built himself. The plane was crafted as a very maneuverable 2-seater, and throughout the day we did some aerobatic maneuvers.
We took off from Simsbury Airport and headed toward the reservoir. At this time most of the leaves were still on the trees and you could see all the foliage. We flew until we reached a cruising altitude for about 10 minutes and then he showed me a maneuver in which you raise the nose dip one side of the wings and pull out, doing a 180° turn. After doing it both directions, he gave me the controls and let me try it out. He said I did well, but that’s debatable.
The next maneuver was an aileron roll, or one which you raise the nose and barrel roll. This one made my stomach complain, but I was otherwise fine.
After a few rolls, we turned around and headed back into Simsbury Airport. It was very windy, so the landing was a little shaky, but I still made it home in one piece. The pilot thought I did pretty well today, and I told him he did better. I thanked him for the ride, and that was the end of that. I’d have to say it was a very thrilling ride.
Here are some photos I took that day.
Andrew Fletcher
