Nostalgia - Piper Super Cub Aerobatics
Back in the days when I was a cocky little SOB and very sure, at the age of sixteen, that I knew everything I was shown that I didn't. I experienced another rude awakening. This time the scene of my demise was at the Waters, Michigan Airport near the famous Bottle Fence next to the Old Waters Hotel that later burned down, years later.
If you remember, Waters was the site of a lumbering empire. The story goes that the empty bottles of booze that Mr. Stephens drank, during his life, made up the fence. It was at this grass strip that I had my experience with acrobatics.
The Regional Manager from the Piper Aircraft Company was in Gaylord to visit. Bob Nichols, the Gaylord Airport Manager, at the time, brought him down to Waters to his home.
He was flying a Piper Super Cub. Of course, I tried to tell him things about the Super Cub. He asked my Dad if he could show me a few things about the Super Cub! "How about a quick flight with me?" said the Regional Manager. I said, "Sure!"
Waters Airport was just a single runway grass strip running parallel to Old US 27. There was a paved road at the south end of the strip with high electrical wires running up the road.
The Cub, with me in the front seat, gained speed quickly and was airborne moments later. Instead of a slow gain in altitude the gentleman kept the Cub just above the runway going faster and faster. I watched, apprehensively as the end of the runway and the high electrical wires were coming up quickly. I made the mistake of asking when we were going up!
At the mention of "up!" he put the plane into a vertical climb and executed a perfect acrobatic loop that had me pulling my stomach back into my body and spent the next half hour surviving a series of wonderful aerobatic flying that I knew nothing about but enjoyed thoroughly.
Back in the days when I was a cocky little SOB and very sure, at the age of sixteen, that I knew everything I was shown that I didn't. I experienced another rude awakening. This time the scene of my demise was at the Waters, Michigan Airport near the famous Bottle Fence next to the Old Waters Hotel that later burned down, years later.
If you remember, Waters was the site of a lumbering empire. The story goes that the empty bottles of booze that Mr. Stephens drank, during his life, made up the fence. It was at this grass strip that I had my experience with acrobatics.
The Regional Manager from the Piper Aircraft Company was in Gaylord to visit. Bob Nichols, the Gaylord Airport Manager, at the time, brought him down to Waters to his home.
He was flying a Piper Super Cub. Of course, I tried to tell him things about the Super Cub. He asked my Dad if he could show me a few things about the Super Cub! "How about a quick flight with me?" said the Regional Manager. I said, "Sure!"
Waters Airport was just a single runway grass strip running parallel to Old US 27. There was a paved road at the south end of the strip with high electrical wires running up the road.
The Cub, with me in the front seat, gained speed quickly and was airborne moments later. Instead of a slow gain in altitude the gentleman kept the Cub just above the runway going faster and faster. I watched, apprehensively as the end of the runway and the high electrical wires were coming up quickly. I made the mistake of asking when we were going up!
At the mention of "up!" he put the plane into a vertical climb and executed a perfect acrobatic loop that had me pulling my stomach back into my body and spent the next half hour surviving a series of wonderful aerobatic flying that I knew nothing about but enjoyed thoroughly.
