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1. 03:17 PM - Pleasant Experience! (Morocketman@aol.com)
2. 03:43 PM - Flying off the Phase I time. (Morocketman@aol.com)
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| Subject: | Pleasant Experience! |
--> Rocket-List message posted by: Morocketman@aol.com
I am sure many of you have enjoyed an experience similar to mine while in the
midst of building a homebuilt airplane. That experience is getting home late
in the afternoon and finding a package from U.P.S. or FedEx, or even the post
office. Opening it is like the joy of a child opening a birthday or Christmas
gift to find some new item for your airplane. When it is every bit as good
as you hoped it would be, your spirit is lifted, and you are RE-encouraged to
keep on keepin' on with the project. Another experience that is less often
encountered is that of dealing with a supplier who is helpful, and knowledgeable,
and really seems interested in helping you find that first experience I
described. Such was the case recently when I began shopping for seatbelt/shoulder
harness for my Rocket II. After a good deal of shopping, I called Team
Simpson of the racing car fame whose business is making flameproof driving suits,
helmets, and, of course top quality seatbelts. They call them "restraint
systems." (At my age I don't want anything that restrains me! Life is difficult
enough as it is!) Back to the story. I was connected to a young lady named
Belenda Seitz. What a joy to encounter her. She was enthusiastic, and
energetic, and mostly she was determined to make sure I had a "restraint system"
that
would satisfy me. She told me what information she would need for me to
provide measurement wise, and explained how she thought my system should differ
from
race car systems. Example, I thought I would have the adjustment straps
pull-up from the belts anchor points, but she explained that if I was securing
myself in the cockpit, I would need the pulldown adjustments. If I had someone
to help me like a pit crew in a race car, the pull-up adjustments would be
better. Everything she suggested was completely explained and her questions were
very informative to me in order that she could make sure I was going to be
properly "restrained." When the order was placed Belenda told me that the crew
who would assemble my belts was going home from work in about half an hour, but
that she would go to their department, show them the order, and make sure
that everything was set for work to begin the next day. You see, the next
weekend was the Labor Day Holiday, and Belenda was going to do her best to ship
the
next day, and assure the delivery of my system by Friday. I have never had
such incredible service! I am sending this e-mail to her supervisor, and am
asking him to not be to hard on her for spending so much time on one order. She
was phenomenal! The next day an e-mail arrived from Belenda assuring me that
the order had shipped, and that if U.P.S. did their job my "system" would
arrive on Friday. Sure enough, there it was, and WOW, what a gorgeous set of
belts. Belenda if we could just clone you and have you work at the other aircraft
parts houses we patronize.............., but alas, Simpson has you. Thank
you seems inappropriate to convey my sentiments. So a thousand thank you's!
Now guys, (and gals), if you are shopping for a
"system" for your Rocket, or RV-4/8 just call Team Simpson at 800-654-7223, ask
for extension 121, tell Belenda that you want exactly the same thing that Les
Featherston ordered, and you will be absolutely delighted. What I got was the
Platinum Series in 2" polyester webbing with the CamLock buckle. I got a 5
point system for the front seat, and a 4 point for the rear. Everything was
exactly the correct length, and the attachments were perfect. The materials are
beautiful, and the CamLock is really, really nice. And now the creme de la
creme! Simpson is offering a 20% discount on their belts till the end of
September, IF you send them the tags from an old seatbelt/shoulder harness that
you
have in that box somewhere in the hangar. Get creative, and you can get that
20% off. Most of all dealing with Belenda, and Simpson was one of the most
pleasant experiences that I have had in all the years of building "the beast"!
Les Featherston morocketman
N206KT Flying the Phase I test time off, and loving it.
Message 2
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| Subject: | Flying off the Phase I time. |
--> Rocket-List message posted by: Morocketman@aol.com
I flew my Harmon Rocket II, N206KT, for the first time on August 12th. What
a ride! The taxi out is very intimidating with that rumble in front of your
feet just shaking the beast gently. I told myself that I have flown all this
time up to now, and if and when there had been an emergency, I just handled it,
so why was today going to be any different? The power comes in, and as
Jackie Gleason said so well, "Away we go!" Things were happening so fast that
if
there had been a problem, I would not have been a reliable witness at the
hearing, so I just hung on and enjoyed the ride. Airspeed comes in such big doses
that it is hard to comprehend. I wanted about 110 knots indicated to climb,
so I pulled the nose up and saw 110 and then 120, so I pulled again, and saw
130, then I REALLY PULLED and she was at 140 and climbing about 3,000ft/min on
a
95F day. Everything went perfectly, and the chase RV-6 hovered around about
2,000 feet below me and 4 miles behind. No disrespect to the -6, but this
baby really goes. Very, very light on the roll inputs, and very solid on the
pitch feel. I couldn't believe all the years of work, and months of planning,
and weeks of effort, and days of checking everything over and over was finally
coming true in this moment. Kept it overhead the airport, just in case, and
tried some slow flight and approach to stalls. Then it was the "big" moment.
Could I get this thing on the ground in one piece? And "piece" it was, of cake
that is! She is so docile that you cannot believe it. I was so happy!
Remember all the help you guys gave me on the "list" trying to come up with a name
for the nose art? Well, it came to me as I taxied in, I am going to call my
Rocket "Airgasm"! That's what it was, so that's the name. I have now flown
it 14 times, and even got a ferry permit to fly a short (in a Rocket it's
short) cross country to Wichita, KS, and back, for some instrument adjustments.
This "Rocket" thing is the real deal. Thanks, John, for such a wonderful
airplane. Les Featherston The Missouri Rocketman morocketman@AOL.com
417-466-4663 Mt Vernon, MO
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