Oregon vacation report (really long)

The wife and I just back from our Oregon vacation that you helped us plan. You guys did a wonderful job.

Day 1: Left OKC on a Canadair regional jet to Phoenix. Boarded a 737 whose APU wouldn't start. 107 degrees on the
tarmac and no AC. And we left our Cherokee at home why? Oh well. Landed at Portland about 10:15 pm. Grabbed a
rental car and drove to Seaside in occasional rain.

Day 2: Drove to Fort Stevens. Spent the day with the in-laws. Toured the gun emplacements, etc. Found out my
father in law's well intentioned free fishing guide trip fell through. I wasn't pleased. The trip was not getting
off to a good start. We went to visit some of their friends across the Astoria bridge.

Day 3: Drove to Aurora. I thought while the weather was good, we should tour the Vans aircraft factory and see if I
could swing a demo flight. Very pleasant people. No begging necessary. The tour guide asked us which airplane we
were interested in. I told him the wife had the final say. He gave us a tour of each area of the factory. Then the
wife and I sat in and tried on an RV-7A, RV-8A, & RV-10. The RV-10 was her choice until I told her what the kit
cost. I liked the RV-8 better than I thought I would. She didn't like the tandem configuration and said it was
harder for her to get in and out of. All of them were harder to board than a Cherokee.

I hooked up with Bruce, our demo pilot. We strapped in, he briefed me on what the flight would consist of, we taxied
to the runway and launched.... and I do mean launched! The acceleration from 200 horses in a 1100 pound airplane
pushed me back in the seat with the same feeling I used to get in my hopped up1968 440 Magnum Dodge Charger. The RV
grin was immediately engaged. I was trying to be objective, but a1600 fpm climb & traffic pattern altitude by the
end of the runway, holy moly, I was caught off guard. Bruce flew us to a practice area explaining the aircraft,
then demo'd slow flight and a couple of steep turns and stalls. Then he handed the controls over to me. I expected
a twitchy, over responsive airplane ready to bite my Warrior trained butt the instant I dropped my guard. And
instead I found a confidence inspiring aerospace vehicle capable of "you think it and I'll do it if your brave enough
to try"! This was just too easy! You can fly it with your feet flat on the floor. Rudder is seemingly necessary
only for aerobatics and taxi. I thought Cherokee rudders were needless accessories but this thing was amazing. The
controls were light but had very good feedback. As airspeed increased, more force was needed on the controls. This
only increased stability and pilot confidence. The airplane was quieter than I had imagined. The vent airflow was
more than adequate. I guess I'd read and believed too many flying magazine write ups. Any preconceived notion that
an RV-7 is a handful is nonsense. I say this knowing, that I in no way explored the entire flight envelope and have
heard that spins should not be allowed to go beyond a turn or two as they wind up quickly. Any of you RV plots care
to comment? A few glances around to clear traffic and then a few "wifferdills" and Bruce took control again. He set
up a cruise and pointed to the ASI which was pointing at 200 mph. (We had a low ceiling and were at 2500' or we
might have been faster. Unfortunately I forgot to look at RPM. I did glance at the VSI and altimeter to make sure
he wasn't fudging the numbers a bit).

Bruce then demonstrated roll rate capability by entering a very steep turn and then cramming the stick "hard right"
to the stop. I was impressed.... real impressed! (120 degree/sec. roll rate). Bruce turned the little airplane back
over to me and told me to follow the river back to the airport. The river had sharp bends and I chased it as we
headed back. Fun, fun, fun! As we neared the airport, Bruce took over and flew the pattern. He explained
everything he was doing. I thought he was going too slow. An airplane that fast and responsive just shouldn't fly
like this. He slowed to 80 mph, (the same speed I use in my Cherokee) and the sight picture looked very familiar. I
expected a firm arrival, because we dropped the last 6 inches or so, and instead I had another pleasant surprise in
the cushiness (new word)? of the main gear. There was no tendency to bounce, it just absorbed the shock like a
bungee cord working in reverse. It was incredibly soft. It would have jarred our teeth in my old bird. We almost
made the first turn off and it was close to the end of the runway. I'd guess we landed in 6 or 700 ft or so.

The first thing the wife said was, "Boy you guys sure got off the ground in a hurry"! My mind was racing at this
point, trying to think of the right questions to ask. Bruce kindly showed us his own personal RV-6 and we talked
about the model differences and pro's & con's of each. Going in, I was leaning toward a taildragging RV-7 with
sliding canopy. Both the tour guide, (who was building an RV- 7A) and the demo pilot said that of the three company
employees who've built the sliding canopy models, their next RV would all have the tip up canopy. They also highly
recommended the "A" model (nose gear) due to the lower insurance costs. I just got my tailwheel sign off last summer
and I can count my logged TD hours on both hands. By this time I'm more confused than when I arrived. Bruce says
that happens to everyone who visits. There was no pressure to purchase, but they did mention that they had an entire
kit on the shelf that I could walk out the door with, which is unusual. There is usually a waiting period. Good
thing we were in a rental car. If I'd have had my Dodge 3/4 ton diesel and trailer I would be sitting here typing
this on a much thinner wallet. Am I going to order one? Two kids in college, but on the other hand I'm not getting
any younger. The wife didn't say no. The tail kit may be a Fathersday gift? We'll see. I was impressed with the
whole operation. It is no wonder at all that there are nearly 4600 of these things flying. They sell about 50 kits
per month. All I can say is, "that is one sweet flying airplane"!

As we were flying, Bruce had asked if we were heading to the Spruce Goose museum next, and I'd said yes. He'd
pointed west and said its only 25 miles or so over there. He handed us a MapQuest map with directions as we were
saying goodbye. I thought the day had been perfect, but we were just starting. The museum was awesome. The goose
was huge! I've seen the Antonov 225 at Oshkosh and I was still impressed. (I'm sure using that word a lot aren't
I). An interesting fact that the tour guide told us was that the goose's ceiling was only 5000 feet. It carried gas
in (14) 1000 gallon tanks plus two smaller wing header tanks. It was so big that the 3000 horsepower radial engines
looked way too small.

The museum was packed with over 60 airplanes, all in excellent condition. You could watch craftsmen restoring a
Beloit. There were films and demo's. There was a very nice cafeteria and they had free wine tasting going on. Just
as we were leaving I saw the SR-71. I'd never seen one even though it has been my favorite airplane since high
school. This was no ordinary display. The left wing tip was tilted up, revealing the engine. The electronic
counter measures and radar signature recording equipment were on a cart below the aircraft ready to be raised aboard.
The camera was on display off to the side. Some details of this equipment are still classified so I was very
surprised to see it on display. I was like a middle school kid running around looking at everything. I could have
spent hours going over this one bird alone. If you have never been to this museum, I highly recommend you try and
make it!

We left and drove west to Pacific City. Some of you guys recommended the 101 highway drive up the coast. We
detoured over to the "Three Cape" road. Man what scenery! We drove up the coast stopping at overlooks and parks.
We walked on the beaches. We ate dinner at Tillamook but the cheese factory was closed for tours by the time we got
there. We headed up the coast back on 101, stopping at Cannon Beach, just short of Seaside and witnessed probably
the prettiest sunset I've ever seen. Oklahoma is known for pretty sunsets, and I've been to Big Bend National Park
and seen pretty ones there that rival ours, but this was out of this world. A near perfect day coming to an end.

Day 3: I took the newsgroup's advice and drove up the Columbia river gorge with the wife & in-laws. We stopped at
the water falls and Bonneville dam. The salmon weren't running, so that was a bit of a disappointment. Only shad
were climbing the fish ladders. This was a pretty drive, but to be honest, with all the driving we'd done the
previous day and having seen a big part of the Rockies, I'd rate it down the scale a bit. I actually enjoyed the
vineyards and orchards around McMinnville more, just because it was a different type of experience for me. It was a
pleasant and enjoyable trip though and we got to see the big sturgeon at the fish hatchery. I have to admit that we
did not take the old highway 30 route that some had suggested. We came back on hwy 26 and stopped at "Camp 18" for
ice cream and cobbler. The decor and lumber camp equipment was interesting. Another enjoyable day.

Day 4: We didn't want to do much driving after the two previous days so we went to the maritime museum in Astoria
and spent all morning and part of the afternoon there. Being a land locked Okie, I was like a fish out of water. I
found the area's history fascinating. After lunch we met the in-laws again and toured the light house at Cape
Disappointment and then the one at North Head.

Day 5: I went fishing off shore for the first time in my life. I had been on the cell phone, every evening, trying
to book a trip and all were full. However, someone finally cancelled and I got a call from a guide. I set my wrist
watch alarm wrong, (it was still on DST) and ended up getting up at 1:30 am. I couldn't go back to sleep, so after
some coffee, I drove to Garibaldi and went light tackle fishing. I didn't get seasick and caught quite a variety of
fish. I had to take the deckhand's word for what the hell I was catching. (I think they just make up fish names as
they go along. "Ling, China Rock, Copper Rock, Kelp Greenling" Come on! I thought kelp was a weed not a fish)!
There were 6 foot swells and two fisherwomen got sea sick. One girl was a trooper and got right back to fishing even
though she was 5 months pregnant. I was impressed, again. The off shore fishing trip was well worth the money. I
drove back to Seaside and took a nap. That evening we drove up to the Astoria Column and climbed the stairs to see
the view. Awesome!

Day 6: Went sturgeon fishing in the Columbia. Another guide had a cancellation. It was cold and overcast. We
caught 3 fish total. None were keepers. It was hard to release a 46, 43, and 47 inch fish. They were fun to catch.
They jumped and fought like a big Pike. There just weren't enough of them. Then we went back to Fort Stevens and
the in-laws cooked the ocean fish I'd caught and we had a great meal. We had enough to feed all of us and gave away
the rest to the neighbors. Then they took us to tower at the south jetty at the entry to the Columbia and also to
the shipwreck of the Peter Airedale. The wife was on a mission to find some intact sea shells. I think she finally
found three for the girls.

Day 7: Woke up to the sound of high powered revving engines. High lift camshafts and all that. It was "Muscle
Beach Cruz" weekend at Seaside. What an unexpected treat for an old street rodder. I nearly spent too much time
walking and looking at Hemi Cuda's and 440 six pack Road Runners. We had to hurry to Portland to catch the flight
home. We did stop at the "Largest Sitka Spruce" and take a few pics. The on the flight to Phoenix the weather
cleared and the captain called out the Grand Canyon as we passed. Nearly two years ago we flew over in the Cherokee
in about the same spot but at a lot lower altitude. It looked better from down there, I'll tell you.

Daughter #! picked us up from the OKC airport and we dropped her off and headed home. At 3 am we finally were back
in bed. It was a wonderful trip and I didn't get to do half of what you guys suggested. I think we put over 1500
miles on that rental car.

I will go back some day. We didn't even get to see Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Hood, Bend, The Columbia factory, Crater Lake
or any of that stuff. Let's see. 1200 nm divided by 200 mph in a new RV is only what, 7 or 8 hours including fuel
stops? We won't need to stinkin airliner! Gotta go call my banker!
--
Joe Schneider
8437R
RV-7A??
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