Evening beauty.

Teaching the girls some air racing tonight! #msfs2024

Took a break from teaching to have a fun flight this afternoon. The Pacer teaches the skills, but the Kitfox brings the fun! #GrassStrip #SlopeLanding #Kitfox5

This teaching people how to land tailwheel airplanes is growing on me. This was on my third lesson with this low-time but active pilot working on his tailwheel endorsement. I did not have to touch the controls. Nice work! #WatchingTheLightComeOn #CFI #LandingPractice #TailwheelInstruction #PiperPacer #TailwheelEndorsement

Learning is a fascinating process to me. I teach pilots how to fly little airplanes with tailwheels. As I've described in past posts, they present unique challenges to the pilot, as they are inherently unstable with they are touching the earth. The modem "tricycle" landing gear is, by design, stable on the ground, because it wants to continue in a straight line, the opposite of the tailwheel. As we learn to transition to a tailwheel, we learn to become the stability device for the plane, recognizing quickly if the plane is tracking straight or trying to turn to one side. As first, the feedback loop between observing, orienting, deciding, and acting is large and slow. As the learning pilot advances, the circle shrinks and speeds up. At first, it feels like a 150' wide runway is too narrow. Later, a 30' wide runway is plenty to keep out of the tall grass. It's fun to watch the learning pilot shrink the loop and take control. #FlightInstruction #TailwheelEndorsement #PA20 #PiperPacer #Landing

We had the propeller repitched for better takeoff performance. It worked. Time to get back to instructing tailwheel skills. #PA20 #PiperPacer #Takeoff #TailwheelPilot

Found some fall colors! #FallColors #ColorFlight #Flying #Kitfox5

If only. If only the terrible events of the past almost-a-month were just a dream. If only the our neighbors, friends, family, had not suffered an unimaginable event. But we must do the work before us. Rise. Recover. Rebuild. Heal. Regain a sense of balance. Restore our lives while keeping alive the memories of those who are lost. The grieving process takes time. But it must happen if we are to do all else that is before us. Don’t forget to play a little. Do things that brought smiles before. You will smile again. #AppalachiaStrong

Steve and I welcomed Sean and his beautiful and recently-finished Rans S20 to join a fly-out to one of our favorite places to fly into here in East Tennessee. After a bunch of relief flying, a little fun flying was really nice. #STOL #FlyingWithFriends #LowDensityAltitude #FallFlying #SuperCub #RansS20 #Kitfox5 #EProp #EdgePerformance #AlaskaBushWheels #AcmeAero #FarmStrip

Most of the flying I do could be classified as recreational. After all, usually I’m competing with myself for the best or the shortest takeoffs and landings I can pull off. The reality is that I often wish I was able to fly for a real purpose. You know, something that makes a difference in the world. I did most of the preparation to be a mission pilot, but realized that I am not a fundraiser. This week, all of that STOL practice I’ve been doing for the last four years has finally been useful for something more than bragging rights and sweet videos. I’ve been flying in support of the volunteer K9 team working in my home flying area, carrying their team leaders downstream to get a handle on the scope of the mess they are trying to search. That they find nice spots for me to land is a cool bonus. I really respect the grim work these specialists and their dogs do. It takes a special kind of person to do what they do. And I’m honored to help them a bit with my little airplane. Sorry no music with these clips. I really don’t feel right trying to match music with flying for this reason.

Wayne Smith, MD, AME, CFI

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