Mayday

I was 19 and I was working on my private pilot's license. I only had about 30 hours of flight time. I was flying solo and doing some touch-and-go landings at Maple Lake, MN (KMGG). I was using runway 10, which has a lake at the end of it. Take off was normal and I was climbing to pattern altitude and was just about to make my turn to crosswind when the engine on my Piper Tomahawk stopped. A million things go through your mind at this point. But you're trained to fly the plane. Panic comes later, hopefully. I quickly pushed the nose over as I was trained and got the plane into a gliding attitude. I was only 300 feet above the ground, which did not give me enough altitude to turn around and land on the runway. I quickly assessed my situation and realized that I was going to have to ditch the plane in the lake. I would not be able to make it to land. At the far side of the lake I saw some kids playing on a floating raft. I thought if I landed near them they would certainly see me and hopefully be able to call for help or at least find my body. This all happened within seconds. Aviate, navigate, communicate. Every good instructor drills that into you and makes you practice by flying along and cutting the engine on you, forcing you to constantly think about where you would land in an emergency. Aviate, done. Navigate, done. Communicate? I got on the radio and called in a "mayday" knowing that I was on a rural unicom frequency and probably would not be heard. But I did it anyway and I'm glad I did. A few moments before, my instructor happened to walk into the FBO and heard my call on the radio. Thankfully, he knew I wasn't kidding. I'll never forget his first words, "Scott, do your check." Somehow he knew I would probably be freaking out and not have the sense to do my emergency check of the systems. Almost immediately I noticed that I had forgotten to turn on my backup electrical fuel pump. This is a redundant pump meant just for emergencies like this. It's incredibly rare that the engine's mechanical pump would fail. But fuel is important so that's why they make a backup and that's why the checklist says to turn it on when taking off and when landing. A few seconds after I turned the fuel pump on the engine came back to life. With the prop spinning in the wind, it was like popping a clutch on a car. I was only about 100 feet above the lake and the kids on that raft I was aiming for looked more panicked than me. They started watching me right after my engine went silent. I wasn't more than a couple hundred yards away from them when the engine came back to life with a roar. Immediately I stopped my glide, gained some speed and slowly turned toward the airport. I made the beginners mistake of getting back into the pattern. I should have slowly made my turn and landed on the opposite runway. But I was fortunate. I landed, taxied back to the FBO where I was met by my instructor. I got out of the plane and tried to keep standing on my severely weakened knees. "You know, it's rare a mechanical pump fails?" he said. "Oh really?" I replied. I left and stayed away for about two weeks replaying the scenario over and over. Then Jim called me and said, "It's time to get back on the horse." I never forgot to turn on the backup fuel pump again.

Fixed Gear Mooney

In 1963 Mooney introduced the M20D Master. The 20D is basically an M20C with fixed gear. The M20D was type certified on 15 October 1962. This airplane left the factory on January 31, 1963. Mooney is known for it’s retractable-gear aircraft so the idea that Mooney manufactured fixed-gear aircraft is new to most aviation buffs. The aircraft was intended primarily for flight training and for owners seeking lower insurance rates. The last M20D Master was produced in 1965. All but two have either been converted to retractable-gear M20Cs for increased cruise speed and climb performance, or they are no longer in existence. The other fixed-gear Mooneys still around are N1916Y located in Princeton, New Jersey and N6651U in Baltimore, MD.

Mooney build 100 M20D models in 1962 (serial numbers 101-200). The factory price was $13,995. In 1964, they built 51 more (serial numbers 201-251). The last fixed-gear Mooney aircraft were produced in 1965. It was a very limited run of only 8 aircraft (serial numbers 252-259). This makes N6630U a very rare bird. In fact, there are more WWII P51 Mustangs flying then there are fixed-gear Mooneys. Although she doesn’t compare to a P51, she does represent a very rare breed of general aviation aircraft.

She spent 15 years outdoors in the elements and was grounded due to corrosion issues. She’s been brought back to life by Cris and Les and flies regularly with her three partner-pilots.

A Love Story

I have a box filled with goodies from when I was in kindergarten. The paper has the smell of “antique” which is somewhat disconcerting. To think that anything I created smells antique makes me realize just how far away I am from my earliest memories. One stack of papers has paintings I made of airplanes. It reminds me that my earliest goal was to someday be a pilot.

When I was 19, that dream came true. I worked hard for a year, spent my paycheck on flying lessons and ground school, and could not believe it when my instructor got out of the airplane and trusted me to fly the airplane myself. Later on, when I met all the FAA requirements, someone trusted me enough to award me my license, allowing me to take passengers.

Then life happened. I flew a couple more years. The cost and commitment was too much for me to maintain. I was in college and had no money. Soon, my license expired. But I always wondered if I would ever be able to get back into the air someday and renew my license.

I’m in my mid forties and my planned midlife crisis is hitting me hard. Couple that with having a very difficult year at work and I was going home each evening absolutely spent. I busied myself doing things for others but never really did anything for myself. Then, the opportunity to fly again presented itself so I jumped at it.

On Friday, July 30 at 7:00 PM, Captain Kevin, my extraordinary flight instructor, signed me off again as a private pilot. It’s been 25 years since I last took to the air. Captain Kevin got me back up to speed in just 10 hours. I kept hearing that it would all quickly come back. But I can’t remember my wife’s cell phone number, let alone a skill I haven’t used in 25 years. How was I going to do that?

It was long, tough, nerve-wracking and exhausting but on Friday night, Captain Kevin took me up into the pattern and we shot 5 more touch and go landings. He even gave me an engine failure on one of them. Then, he said it was time. I could feel myself getting choked-up (another sign of my age). I didn’t want to go by myself so I took my friend, Les, the man who got me back into the air, and up we went. I was now the PIC (Pilot In Command).

After a quick run around the pattern, I landed and taxied back to the hanger where Captain Kevin pinned me with Mickey Mouse wings. I cannot tell you how elated I was to have re-accomplished this achievement. Surrounded by my flying buddies, we went from the hanger to Third Street Aleworks to celebrate. We told flying stories and did a lot of smiling.

Thanks to Captain Kevin for the most difficult but excellent flight training anyone could have. He used to train the pilots for Japan Airlines so he really knows his stuff. Thanks to Captain Erik in Forest Lake, Minnesota. He let me fly his Cessna 150, the plane I first trained in. Those simple flights renewed my confidence at a time in my training when I really needed it. It reminded me of when I was 18, first taking to the skies. It helped to bring back something I feared I had lost. Captain Erik has no idea how much those flights meant to me, especially landing in that wicked crosswind in Duluth on the shore of Lake Superior.

Thanks to Les, the guy who said, “I want you to be my partner in this airplane I bought.” Even though I faced some challenges due to past medical issues, he kept pushing me to investigate and do what needed to be done. He was a bulldog and would not let up. And, thanks to my wife. She’s put up with my little dream for a very long time. She’s scared to death of little planes and is building up the courage to actually fly with me again. But without her encouragement, Friday night would not have happened.

I look forward to going on flying dates with my bride of 24 years. The ability to fly over the California mountains in one quarter of the driving time puts us in easy range of Lake Tahoe, Mount Shasta, Monterey Bay, etc. In just a couple of hours we can be someplace amazing without dealing with the insane traffic. And now that we’re empty nesters, getting to date my wife again is something I’m really looking forward to. I know how blessed I am to be able to do this.

When you look at that plane in the sky and the engine stops, understand that it’s probably Captain Kevin with another frightened student. About 500 feet above the ground the plane will restart and they will fly off. And inside, a confident Captain Kevin will know he’s doing what’s best for his student. And that student will, in turn, be getting an incredible gift.