Now I've got a lot of rides on airplanes under my belt. In the Arctic I flew on skis many times. I flew on floats and landed in lakes and rivers. I flew on wheels and landed on dirt and grass strips . I had to good fortune to fly on all kinds of small planes with floats or skis or wheels.
However my first ride with Johnny May was not because of Johnny May. It was the landing.
So I'd had a wealth of experience but I had never landed on the sea! I had no idea what to expect. We were flying in an old Beech 18 which was 1930's technology. This was a twin engine with Johnny May as pilot.
We made the approach to Wakeham Bay and lined up. There was a swell of about 5 feet. Being a prairie boy I knew nothing about the sea or tides or swells. When these pilots had to land with swells they would very slightly touch the top of the first swell and then skip from the top of each swell until they lost air speed. The plane was then tossed around in the swell. The tricky part was to turn across the swell and get to the dock.
I was not prepared for any of this . I really wondered if we were going to make it. These landings had been done many times and pilots like Johnny May were very skillful at it.
So here's the old Beech 18 after making another successful landing
Wow! You are really brave. I don’t like to fly in even big airplanes. That would probably scare me from ever taking a flight.
ReplyDeleteThere have been a couple times I was worried but flying is very routine.
DeleteI never realized.
ReplyDelete???
DeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteThe first plane ride was spooky but still fun. Great photo.
Take care, have a happy weekend!
We really don't know what to expect on that first ride. It's like that when you ride on a different plane for the first time.
DeleteWow. I think I'd be seasick!
ReplyDeleteIt didn't last that long.
DeleteI've pondered if I was going to make it landing in a wheeled plane on a concrete runway so I can't imagine the terror I would probably feel in the situation you just described.
ReplyDeleteMost things in flying are very routine, Safety standards are very high.
DeleteYour adventures in the Arctic continue to be interesting reading.
ReplyDeleteYou had to be adventurous to enjoy the Arctic.
DeleteMy stomach would have been in knots! Did you ever get airsick or seasick?
ReplyDeleteI've never been airsick but was a little sea sick once.
DeleteI've jumped out of those old Beech 18s in past years. They were a bucket of bolts even then. I remember one hard landing (on the runway) and we lost bolts out of the ceiling when we landed.
ReplyDeleteYes, those old Beaches were quite the machines. They were cheap but a good reliable airplane.
DeleteYou've had such a variety of flying experiences! I did look up Johnny May online and found quite a bit of interesting information. I would say you have flown with a legend!
ReplyDeleteYes, Johnny is classified as a legend in many of the sites.
DeleteWhat an adventure to experience. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI look back with pleasure on all my northern experience.
DeleteIt must have been a heart in your throat moment. It would have been for me!
ReplyDeleteI had a few other experiences that were tenser!
DeleteScary!
ReplyDeleteNope! Fun! Did Ian ever take you far a ride?
DeleteThat is some tricky and skilled flying to land like that.
ReplyDeleteSkilled for sure. there was a lot of rocking around.
DeleteToo much adventure for me!
ReplyDeleteThere are many other types of adventure. Just imagine the experiences of a good minister?
ReplyDeleteThe only water I've landed on was a lake in New Zealand so landing on the seas that I see from my window would not be something I'd welcome. However, fortunately, the Johnny Mays of this world generally know what they are doing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a daredevil Johnny May must have been - to skip upon the waves like that and bravely bring his small plane down. They should make a film about him with Leonardo di Caprio as Johnny May and Justin Beiber as Red Kline.
ReplyDeleteYikes! That sounds stressful!
ReplyDeleteSounds exciting!
ReplyDeleteMust have been a moment there when you were thinking that Johnny May or may not! Johnny May is also the name of an English rugby player - very strong, very fast but just a little reckless.
ReplyDeleteSounds scary! But it makes for a very interesting story.
ReplyDeleteYou've had some incredible experiences Red. Skipping from swell to swell must have been quite a ride and thankfully Red sounded like an experienced pilot. Always enjoy your posts, thank you :)
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