ET's Info-Stew

The father of Jenny's friend Crystal, Mike, owns an Ercoupe 2-seater and stores it in a north-east hanger at Livermore Municipal Airport (KLVK). He is a very nice guy and likes taking people up in his plane, if nothing else than because it gives him an excuse to fly. All he asks in return is a Mountain Dew, though I think in the future I will offer to pay for half the fuel if he takes me up.

When we first got to the airport we drove around the parking area and hangars and Mike taught me about the different kind of planes, how to recognize them, and what some of their capabilities are. Really we were just trying to kill time because the wind-sock was indicating a robust 90 degree cross-wind. Next we went to his hangar and we talked about his plane for a while. Eventually he decided that we could pull it out of the hangar and start it up. We climbed in, he showed me where everything is and tuned ATIS, which said that winds were "340 at 14 gusting to 19". The winds were just too high to fly safely. But that doesn't mean we couldn't have some fun.

After starting the plane, Mike controlled the throttle and brake as I steered to the edge of the taxi-way. He gave me a tip that will probably stick with me: a good pilot is cool and relaxed and never in a hurry, and this significally reduces the potential for problems. Mike had me practice calling Livermore ground; "Livermore Ground, Ercoupe 87336, at north-east hangars, with information Charlie, request taxi to fuel." I made the call and we got the clearance. We taxied to the fuel station (me steering), which is just in from of the main airport building. One important tip is that steering is easier and safer (with respect to prop clearance) when pulling back on the yoke.

We hung out in the building for a while. I picked up a free aviation newspaper, and he showed me the very large map, the bulliten board, and the weather review terminal. We headed back to the plane and took one last look at the wind-sock, which was still indicating a bad cross-wind. Mike let me start up the plane, talk with Livermore ground, control the throttle, and taxi back to the hangars. After I turned off the plane and got out he moved it back into his hangar and covered it up. Mike lent me an analog VHF radio, tuned to the ATIS, so that I could listen from home (I don't get any signal here, though).

Next we headed around to nearby hangars where we met briefly with a couple of fellow Ercoupe aficionados. The second person, Jeremy, was working on a home-build plane, the RV-7. It was cool to see the plane in such a state, with another year or so of work to go. We headed home after that, and he offered to be my mentor so that I could receive a few months of "Flight Training" magazine, by the AOPA. Just before we split, Mike asked if I would want to try again tomorrow, with the hope that the winds would be more in our favor. I sure hope they are, but if not, I know now that it will happen sometime. I'll be sure to bring the Mountain Dew!