Up and out early today to get to Chino airfield, near enough to San Dimas for anybody who gets my post title. Had a hearty american breakfast (eggs, bacon, and pancakes) in an old-style diner by the airport. I was out there as my godfather had advised a Virgin pilot on buying a 'experimental aircraft' (read as home-made). The morning fogs burned off slowly under the relentless Californian sun to reveal a clear blue sky as far as the eye could see. Most of my time at the airport was spent observing the aging aviation buffs and the goings-on around the hangars.
I was lucky enough to get a brief spell up in the air in one of the planes which had been built by it's owner since 1980. It was a handsome 'pusher' plane (a 'pusher' has its propellor at the back rather than the front), quite a tight fit - these home builds are obviously not meant for the larger brand of man. Though short, it was exciting - a near collision shortly after take-off (explained later) and failing brakes shortly after landing (a bolt caught the brakes and jammed them on, making taxiing from the runway impossible - some manpower quickly had it out of harm's way). Whilst the brakes were being investigated - the problem was an odd occurrence caused by a recent addition to the plane - I was just by the runway watching landings, take-offs, a controlled crash, and a butterfly catcher. Seriously, I never thought I'd see a butterfly catcher, especially not by a runway. Takes all types.
The crash, if it could be called such, was the plane which had nearly (by aviation terms - I wasn't screaming in fear of imminent death) hit us on take-off. Its nose cone had collapsed and the landing gear couldn't some down (meaning the front wheel - the other two don't go up). The landing was a dramatic affair, emergency services waiting by the runway. The plane came down, killed its engine, then braked causing the propellor (on the front) to tip down and smash on the ground, skidding to a halt. The pilot escaped unhurt except that the bill for that sort of incident is 'about $35,000 dollars, easy' - that's a year's pay for all you probationary teachers.
The drive back through the mountains on the toll road was beautiful and barren. I whiled away the rest of the day with job searching and lake cruising. It's a hard life. Back to my strawberry margarita...
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