....do not attempt to fly at night.
I've been getting off work at 4:00PM this week and yesterday we happened to have unseasonably warm temps for southern Indiana (54*F). Plus it was rather dry, wind was not too bad, and the sun was shining. A beautiful day........I just had to fly!
The bird of choice: my newly restored Tiger 2. I did have a few things to work on and some adjustments to make after its "maiden" flight, but I figured I could beat sundown if I hurried. By the time I got the plane ready and got things together it was after 5:30 PM.....hmmmm, I can still get in at least one flight. Unfortunately the field is over 20 minutes away. I didn't get there til about 6:00. Sun was below horizon.....doh. No problem, it was still light enough. But then the engine wouldn't start! Once again, my electric starter wouldn't even turn it over (any suggestions on a better starting solution than a Tower starter with a 12v lead acid are welcome, heh). After turning it over by hand a while, it was loose enough I could spin it up with the starter. Ignition soon followed, but now the sky was starting to get rather dim. Hey, I can do this...............takeoff, make a turn.........oooops. Hummm, it's rather dark to the southeast, but hey I drove all the way over here, spent my last $5 of cash on gas, I've had a rough day at work and want some fun, I'm gonna make it worth my while. I could make out the outline of the plane more or less, until it was at a low profile angle (like directly from front or back), then it would almost disappear. After a brief turn around the patch, to the southeast where it was darker, I decided I definitely wanted to land! Once I got the plane back towards the north I could see it better (outlined against the sky). Fortunately the field runs in such a way I could make an approach from this direction. Quick approach, surprisingly decent touchdown, and the plane was decelerating as the wheels caught the grass and I lowered the tail. WHEW!!!!! It's been a long time since I've been THAT relieved to get a plane down in one piece!!!!
I was pretty mad at myself for doing something so stupid. I could easily have lost the nicest plane in my fleet, on the second flight since its restoration. I'm glad for the experience though, it was a little bit of wake-up call I guess.
In full-scale flight training they're always telling you about stress, meeting schedules, "get-home-itis", and other pressures, and how not properly dealing with these things can lead you to going over your normal personal limits (either by skipping over important things, or flying when maybe you shouldn't). It all makes sense, but yesterday really drove the point home. I have a new personal limit now: no flying after sun-down.
On the plus side, the less windy conditions of yesterday vs the day of the "maiden" flight gave me a better idea of how the mod'd plane flies. It was a lot easier to handle, plus I'd backed off elevator travel a bit which I'm sure helped. Looks like the current setup yields a sweet flying plane, perhaps even a little better than before the restoration (and very quick). I was also a bit surprised to see that, when slowed down as normal, the plane sticks to the ground on landing just like it did before when it had tricycle gear. Just had to hold in some up elevator to keep things reasonable. I love the way these things land, so cool....the plane just sort of attaches itself to the ground.
I have to admit, once I got things loaded back up and started driving home, I realized I actually got a good kick out scaring myself like that.
-Matt Bailey