AirVenture 2009 - Ford Trimotor Flight
I joined the Gaithersburg group on a Ford Trimotor ride.  I had doubts whether it was worth $55 but I ended up thoroughly enjoying it. 
 
Climbing aboard. 
 
There are nine passenger seats, five on the left side, four on the right, each with its own window.  I was in the last seat on the left.  Remember, the Trimotor is a taildragger so the cockpit was well above me. 
 
The engine instruments are on the engine itself -- the pilot looks out the window at them. 
 
With the engines fired up, the entire airplane rattled and shook.  Pretty noisy too.  Reminded me of flying the open cockpic Baby Ace. 
 
Taxiing past the Sonex and Vans booths. 
 
The Gaithersburg group. 
 
A Tower Controller got to ride in the co-pilots seat.  A well-deservered gesture, I mgiht add.  Wittman Field during AirVenture week is the busiest airport in the world with more takeoff and landings than Chicago O'Hare or Atlanta. 
 
We took off on runway 36 and turned east towards Lake Winnebago.  This is looking back to the west.  There is a big army vehicle depot of some sort on the east side of the north-south runway  -- hundreds of vehicles. 
 
Almost to Lake Winnebego. 
 
About this time, Mike goes to a knee and proposes to Karen! 
 
The paparazzi goes wild!
 
The ride is basically just a single big right-hand pattern.  Maybe a ten minute flight.  That's the seaplane base in the center of the picture. 
 
About to turn final for 36.  For AirVenture, they also use the taxiiway on the right side of 36 as a runway.  Later in the week I would land my RV on it.  I didn't realize how many planes are parked on the south side of Wittman Field.
 
It's unbelievable how many planes fly-in to AirVenture. 
 
On final, we flew by the Ultralight field. 
 
Watching the left wheel hit pavement.
 
Great flight!  Worth every penny. 
 
The happy newly engaged couple. 
 
 
Darren had smuggled, I mean brought in, a couple of bottles of champagne, I mean grape juice, to celebrate with. 
 
The Trimotor people were so impressed with the in-flight proposal that they asked Mike and Karen to sign their operations shack wall.  It's actually very prestigious.   Normally you have to be somone like Chuck Yeager or John Travolta to get to sign.  I'm still unclear why I wasn't asked to sign ...
 
Happy days! 
 
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