T-Flight experience

[HenryVoris]

Just returned home from transition training with the guys at T-flight...

The worthless no-good-nics at my insurance company required me to get 10 hours of duel-stick time-in-type (might have something to do with stacking up my 46 Luscombe...). Impossible to get that kind of training in Hawaii, so it was off to Oshkosh.

Gotta admit, I was skeptical about training for the crazy windy conditions I encounter on Maui, in a place known as America's Dairy Land... Boy was I wrong... After a couple of days bouncing around the pattern in the wind while dodging migrating flights of geese, I did a little research... Autumn in the Great Lakes area can be quite blustery. Think SS Edmund FitzGerald...

Due to a rainy day and me getting ill, I soon fell behind schedule. I had to push my departure date back a couple of days. The guys at T-flight worked with my schedule... Even coming in on Sunday to make sure I got all my hours in.

I flew with Joe Norris (who runs the program) and Tom Helm. Both of them are Sonex builders and have gobs of aviation experience; floats, skis, executive jets, airliners, helicopters, and I'm sure, more I don't know about. They didn't just bounce around the pattern with me to burn off the required hours. They both made suggestions that I feel helped me to improve my technique. Thanks guys.

I was getting close to my Bi-Annual Flight Review. So I got that done while I was there.

When I first arrived Joe took me around the factory and introduced me around. Everyone was friendly and willing to answer questions. The first person I ran into was John Monnett. I went up, shook his hand and thanked him for a great plane. Nice guy, willing to waste a little time talking to a nobody like me. The factory was a fount of technical information. Ask any question and the answer comes straight from the horse's mouth. Priceless...

Accommodations... First I stayed at the Hilton, then as my time in Oshkosh lengthened I moved to the Americinn just across the street.

The Hilton backs on to the runway and has it's own ramp for aircraft parking. They offer a shuttle to and from the Sonex factory (about 1.5 mi.). One morning the GM of the hotel drove me. Said he knows the Monnetts and some of he crew at the factory. When making a reservation make sure you get the Sonex discount.

AmericInn is a perfectly acceptable hotel with a buffet breakfast included in the room fee.

How to get there... Although Oshkosh for one week each year is the busiest airport on the planet, there are no regular scheduled flights. Closest airport with airline service is Appleton WI (AMT). A hack to Oshkosh will set you back 60/70 bucks...

In conclusion... I am very pleased with my transition training. I recommend T-flight to anyone looking to transition to a Sonex aircraft or just looking for a demo ride. Their stable includes a complete selection of the Sonex piston driven aircraft (Sonex, Waiex, Onex and Xenos), with 80, turbo or 120 hp, tail-dragger or tri-wheel.

Hope this helps...