All
Our "Lady Windmaker" Tuuli-Ilmatar Europa XS Monowheel
OH-XRT #417 took-off on Sunday 29/4/07 at the Tampere-Pirkkala
airport EFTP. Runway 24 in use, wind 14 knots gusting 19 knots from
330 degrees (my first taxi practise was earlier after first run-upp durin
g
night and snow storm at -20C so why not first flight with some side wind
?).
We asked our very good family friend Dirk Oyen from Belgium
to check the plane and we made a deal that if he feels comfortable in
it he would fly it. So it went and during 17 minutes flight everything
was just normal. Landing was really an interesting moment and I
wanna state it was so beautiful.
We had a good company of some relatives, friends and those people
who are Europa-related and had champagn=E9 and strawberries etc
in a party afterwards.
Next day - yesterday - was my turn to get some fast taxi practise.
It was practically my first real tailwheel experience and it was exciting
.
Wind conditions were still bad but I was able to fast taxi at the speed
of 40 knots (very near by our Europas rotating speed 45 knots).
Even complex things are easy to learn with an excellent teacher!
So it went that today it was finally my moment to get airborne.
After remarkable short take-off I climbed up to 3000 feet and what
a climber it is: I saw 1200 f/m with two of us in it! There was about
5 engine hours completed w/o any worries and so we decided to visit
my home near by and show some of it=B4s flying characteristics to my
Ladies who were watching down there.
Here is Dirks=B4s statement of our Europa OH-XRT:
"The weather was not particularly good; strong side winds and gusting.
Marke (Raimo=B4s wife) and I taxied to holding Juliet 06. The plane felt
quite normal except for the white leather interior, I felt like sitting i
n
my Europa XS OO-145. Due to the gusting wind, Lady Windmaker was
swinging from one outrigger to the other all the time. Back to the apron,
Marke got out and now there was no excuse anymore...
The ATC wished me good luck (yes, he did, it is on tape!) and the Lady
Windmaker took of the sky: she felt happy to climb, cruise, bank and stal
l
and after 17=B4 of flight landed safely back on earth EFTP! Congratulatio
n to
RT and his family."
Building took 8 years with several long delays (I got married, got
childrens
and developed my business) Actual building hours were 2576 and half of
them during 2006 and this year. Understanding "it will really be complete
d
soon" stimulated me at the final. Classically I did not understood I was
in
a situation 80 % done 80 % still to do. The best part was doing panel an
d
and installing electrics and some equipments. To see it as painted was al
so
a great moment - thanks to my wife=B4s painting schema and decoration pla
ns.
I wanna thank first of all my wife and daughters Arla, Tuuli and Merete,
friends and all the Europa community and of course Europa factory
and my brave and competent maiden flyer Dirk, famous adventurer
---From Belgium.
I am happy but I wanna also say:I have no special Europa grins at all,
this is just a one good part of my wonderful life with my lovely Ladies.
Regards, Raimo
Raimo M W Toivio
37500 Lempaala
Finland
tel +358 3 3753 777
fax +358 3 3753 100
gsm + 358 40 590 1450
Cessna C172 OH-CVK, totally restored, coming soon back home from Polar
Circle
Beechcraft C45 OH-BLL, waiting DC3 -mechanic
Europa XS Monowheel OH-XRT #417, test flying
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