Thanks guys.. and don’t feel bad about being excited about Legends 2004. You can bet that Neil would have been even if he was not down to fly this year (he would have been in the crowd instead I suspect). Neil and I attended Legends 2001 and 2002 together and we had a great time. So drink up and have fun 🙂

Right to left: Neil, me, and a group of “online” friends. We all played an online game/flightsim called “Warbirds”. As you can see, we were having a good time. This was at Legends 2002. Three weeks later I moved to the States.

Even if you can’t log the time, the experience will still be valuable. Have a great time!

Congratulations Steve! It’s a great feeling to pass the checkride. Enjoy and fly safe.

Personally I think that pilot experience should dictate how “vertical” and agressive a display routine should be for that season.

Season 1 should be pretty much straight and level flypasts if the pilot has only limited experience on a particular type of aircraft. Previous experience on similar types should of course be taken into consideration and maybe accelerate the progression (but any new type should always be treated with great respect from a pilot’s point of view).

As the hours on type increase then a more dramatic routine can start to be implemented built on a strong foundation of experience. It may be a little boring to watch for the first season or two, but we would at least know that this is going to improve each year, and the pilot would be a lot safer and more comfortable performing the display.

A stall at the top of a barrel roll can certainly have tragic results. Of course, if there is sufficient altitude for recovery then you will be ok.

Kodak, a Split S is performed by rolling inverted while in straight and level flight and pulling through a half loop. The result is a 180 degree change in direction, loss of altitude and an increase in airspeed.