You are cooped up in the aircraft, holding behind the white line on the taxiway. Temperature's almost 35 degrees C in the cockpit and sweat runs down your brow. Despite the wash from the propellers blowing in violently through the open windows, you still feel hot. Your shirt sticks to your back against the cushion. Despite the discomfort, you perservere and stay focussed, looking ahead at the converging sides of the taxiway.
You are awaiting clearance from ATC to proceed to line up or backtrack the runway. Mic jammed between your lips and its cushion partnering with your teeth, the earphones covering your entire ears and making it unbearably hot and itchy. You could hardly hear the following words amid the multiple correspondences on the air:
"XXX, backtrack runway 03."
You acknowledge the exact words back to ATC. Time to go.
Legs on brakes, left hand on steering column, right hand on throttle. Your right hand pulls back the throttle from min running speed to free, your legs simultaneously stepping to release the brakes and instinctively, your right hand pushes the throttle just a little forward to add some power. The engine guns loud and you check that the mix is rich and oil temperature isn't too high.
The aircraft starts to move slowly. You need to clear the taxiway and the runway fast as all the aircraft circling in the circuit above you and along the paralleling taxiways are waiting to use the runway. You control the drift of the aircraft using your rudders. You are moving too quickly, you feel. Your right hand eases off the throttle just a little and your legs apply a bit of brakes. Prior to entering the runway, you scan left and right, sounding out "Left and right clear!". Then you scan the skies left and right briefly for aircraft landing, sounding out "Approach clear, all clear!". Good to go.
You move out onto the runway, doing a quick teardrop (U-turn). Applying brakes, you stop along the centreline. Whole runway ahead of you is clear and in a distance, you can see shimmering heat waves from the talmac.
"XXX, cleared for takeoff." You repeat the same back.
Your right hand pushes forward all the way to apply full throttle. While the engine guns to its maximum, your legs jump off the brakes. The aircraft leaps to life, you are slightly thrown back in your seat as the aircraft throws itself forward, nose pitching up slightly. 20 knots, 30 knots, 35.... you do a quick glance at the instruments to check that the mix is rich and oil temperature is still green. You see the needle hit 50 knots and you pull the steering column back gently upon 55 knots. Suddenly the runway is now below you, getting further and further and the world's perspective changes as you rise higher into the skies. Your heart does a leap of excitement and pumps as hard as the engine.
Viva forever. Live forever for this moment.
You are awaiting clearance from ATC to proceed to line up or backtrack the runway. Mic jammed between your lips and its cushion partnering with your teeth, the earphones covering your entire ears and making it unbearably hot and itchy. You could hardly hear the following words amid the multiple correspondences on the air:
"XXX, backtrack runway 03."
You acknowledge the exact words back to ATC. Time to go.
Legs on brakes, left hand on steering column, right hand on throttle. Your right hand pulls back the throttle from min running speed to free, your legs simultaneously stepping to release the brakes and instinctively, your right hand pushes the throttle just a little forward to add some power. The engine guns loud and you check that the mix is rich and oil temperature isn't too high.
The aircraft starts to move slowly. You need to clear the taxiway and the runway fast as all the aircraft circling in the circuit above you and along the paralleling taxiways are waiting to use the runway. You control the drift of the aircraft using your rudders. You are moving too quickly, you feel. Your right hand eases off the throttle just a little and your legs apply a bit of brakes. Prior to entering the runway, you scan left and right, sounding out "Left and right clear!". Then you scan the skies left and right briefly for aircraft landing, sounding out "Approach clear, all clear!". Good to go.
You move out onto the runway, doing a quick teardrop (U-turn). Applying brakes, you stop along the centreline. Whole runway ahead of you is clear and in a distance, you can see shimmering heat waves from the talmac.
"XXX, cleared for takeoff." You repeat the same back.
Your right hand pushes forward all the way to apply full throttle. While the engine guns to its maximum, your legs jump off the brakes. The aircraft leaps to life, you are slightly thrown back in your seat as the aircraft throws itself forward, nose pitching up slightly. 20 knots, 30 knots, 35.... you do a quick glance at the instruments to check that the mix is rich and oil temperature is still green. You see the needle hit 50 knots and you pull the steering column back gently upon 55 knots. Suddenly the runway is now below you, getting further and further and the world's perspective changes as you rise higher into the skies. Your heart does a leap of excitement and pumps as hard as the engine.
Viva forever. Live forever for this moment.
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1 comment:
This is veryvery cool!
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