Tag Archives: eric

Flying in the Champ

wpid8348-AU0E9579.jpgWhile I was with Eric, he suggested we do a little flying in his Champ.  I haven’t flown a Champ before and Eric let me get some stick time.  Most of the aircraft I have flown over the years have been pretty benign in yaw with not a lot of need to use my feet.  The Champ is a different story.  Plenty of rudder is required to fly it properly and I did nothing of the sort.  A few turns later and I was starting to get a bit tidier but I certainly need a lot of practice to get comfortable with the aircraft.

wpid8352-AU0E9608.jpgEric also flew some more dynamic maneuvers while I was shooting.  I also grabbed some video clips.  They aren’t a complete story but just a few clips so go the video below gives you a quick glimpse of what we did.  Thanks Eric for a lot of fun and for reminding my stomach how long it is since I have flown anything resembling a dynamic maneuver!

wpid8354-AU0E9612.jpg

Bleriot XI

wpid8340-AU0E9517.jpgI was kindly invited up to Sonoma Skypark by Eric Presten to have a look at his Bleriot XI.  This is a replica that Eric and his family built in a short time span and that spends a lot of time in Wisconsin.  Therefore, it was quite unusual for it to be in California and in one piece.  It was about to be disassembled so I was keen to see it before it came apart again.

wpid8342-AU0E9519.jpgEric flies the aircraft occasionally but will happily tell you that it is not a particularly fun aircraft to fly.  It has wing warping rather than ailerons which are not the most effective – particularly at the speeds which this aircraft operates at.  However, it is a cool replica and one I would like to see fly at some point.  Eric kindly had the aircraft pulled out for me to get some shots.  Thanks for the great hospitality.

wpid8344-AU0E9529.jpgEric is an aviation photographer himself and has an outstanding collection of images of more aircraft than I knew existed.  He will happily sell you copies of his books so head to http://www.prewarpublications.com/Home.html to see his work.

wpid8346-AU0E9556.jpg