The Ride of a Lifetime

Please don’t let me reverse-eat! That was the main thought going through my mind as I got ready to board Mike Mancuso’s Klein Tools Extra 300 last week for a media ride. Klein Tools is the sponsor for Mike Mancuso, and their PR department had been trying to arrange a ride for me for several years. Last Friday I was finally able to take them up on the invitation to take the ride of a lifetime! I arrived at Week's hangar at Wittman field at about 9:15. The ride was scheduled for 9:30, and I arrived a little early to make sure I was ready. The hangar was buzzing with EAA-related activity. I was told that my flight would be a little late because the flight before mine was running late. While I waited, I introduced myself to the mechanic that was working for Mancuso. His name was Mike. “So, do you travel with the aircraft to all the shows?†I asked him. “Yes,†he said, “it is a pretty cool gig. I service the aircraft between flights, help the passengers get strapped in, and perform inspections on the aircraft.†I asked him how he got the job. Mike told me he just got his A&P. He happened to know someone. It was one of those right place at the right time sort of things. I shared with Mike that I was a little concerned about getting sick during the ride. He told me not to worry. “A&Ps usually do just fine,†he said. When Mancuso got back to the hangar, Mike went up and helped the other editor out of the aircraft. Then he fueled the aircraft and serviced it with the potion that makes the smoke. He then helped me strap on my parachute. Next thing you know, I was buckled in the front seat of the plane as Mancuso buckled himself in the rear seat. We spent quite a bit of time taxiing on the ground, waiting for an opening to take off amid the crazy Oshkosh traffic. (For those that don’t know, during the week of AirVenture, Oshkosh becomes the busiest airport in the world.) Once we got clearance to take off, Mike applied full power and the plane took off like a bat outta hell. In no time at all we were airborne and over Lake Winnebago. Mike told me we would start off with a roll. He pitched the nose up a little and did a nice smooth roll. He then said we would do a quicker four-point roll. Then it was snap, snap, snap, snap as we completed the roll, stopping quickly at each 90-degree point. Then he followed with an eight-point roll. “Now, let’s fly inverted!†he said. He snapped the plane over upside down, and we flew inverted for about 10 seconds. He then flipped back to a normal attitude. “How are you doing?†Mike asked me. “Fine,†I said. It appeared my fear of getting sick was unfounded. I was feeling fine and having the time of my life. “Good†he said. “Do you want to take it up a notch?†“You bet!†“OK, then. Let’s do a loop,†he said. He then pulled the aircraft through a loop. As we came over the top, I could see the smoke toward the ground that he had turned on when we started the loop. As we came around, I could feel the G’s start to push me into my seat. I didn’t have an accelerometer in the front cockpit, but I guess it was a couple of G’s we were pulling. Over the next 10 minutes or so, he kept on asking me if I was doing OK. Each time I told him yes, and he would do something a little crazier. We did another loop, this time rolling over at the top of the loop and going into a dive. Then he did a vertical climb, hovered for a few seconds, and we went down over the left wing tip as we went diving straight down with some aileron rolls along the way. In his last maneuver, we did another climb. As we came back down, he did some crazy maneuvers. I don’t know what to call it except insanity. The aircraft tumbled around in all directions as we came down. I have always admired those that have the intestinal fortitude to become air show pilots. Being able to take a ride with Mike only reaffirmed what I had already thought – these people are indeed a special breed. When we got back to the hangar, I thanked Mike for the ride. Then, his mechanic Mike came up to me. “Well, how did you like it?†“It was AWESOME.†“Did you get sick?†“Nope, I felt just fine.†He smiled and said, “Like I told you, A&Ps usually do just fine.†To Mike Mancuso, his mechanic Mike, and the folks at Klein Tools that made this ride possible – THANK YOU! It was truly the ride of a lifetime!