Ethanol kicks gas!!!
Terry Wood Jr., his lovely wife Misty and I arrived at the media day fly-in at the Columbus, Georgia Air show Friday March 14, 2008. We walked up to a red trailer owned by Greg Poe, and were greeted by his operation manager Dax Wanless. Greg owns the red and black Fagen- sponsored MX2 and a fantastic white Bonanza. Dax was a very friendly man who loves his work. Dax reviewed the use of ethanol fuel with us, which is what their aircraft burns. Dax talked about the lower engine temperatures the MX2 had using ethanol versus that of AV gas. Dax finished his narration just about the time Greg came out of the hangar. I was impressed with Greg, who appeared not only friendly but very professional. Greg also was excited about the use of ethanol and was informative on the virtues of the fuel. The conversation continued until Greg said, “Well, which one is going flying with me?” Eyes flashed between our small group and finally Greg turned to me and said, “Carl, you are the lucky one.” Greg explained that the front of the MX2 isn’t very big and the person who sits in the front seat should be short enough that his or her head would not touch the canopy, so to my surprise I was drafted. Mind you, I was not kicking and screaming at this point; I was too much in shock. Terry and Misty would be flying in the Bonanza chase plane and would take photos. I gave Misty my Nikon and asked for a lot of photos. My brain was screaming “I can do this” and that this experience would really be cool. Dax brought me a parachute, explained the proper way to wear it, tightened the straps, looked at me, grinned and tightened them some more. Dax said, “We don’t want you to fall out now, do we.” I laughed but my smile did not reach my eyes; it kind of drooped, but only just a little. Then he started the emergency lecture about bailing out of the MX2. Now wait a minute, my brain was reeling, and he didn’t really expect me to jump out of this beautiful airplane did he? He went over the procedure for a fire and loss of power and then he said, “If Greg says, ‘Bailout-Bailout-Bailout!’ jump out of the plane.” My response was a weak “OK” but secretly I said, “Are you s%#$ me?” (Sorry for the profanity, but I was out of control at this point.) With all of the years of airshow experience Greg has I had confidence in him and the flight; it was me I was not so sure of. Dax helped me in the plane (he did not have to use much force; I was rather limber) and I put one foot on the right side and one foot on the left side of the fuel tank. No problem, right, I already raised my children, but the thought of a fuel tank separating my legs did not lower my level of nervousness.
Greg started the highly modified 385 hp Lycon Performance engine. The plane shook, the wings started to vibrate, and my anticipation went through the canopy. Dax started the Bonanza chase plane and we started taxing out toward the runway. We passed Greg Koontz and his crew. I was getting braver and I thought, “This can’t get any better; just breathe and enjoy the ride.”
We were holding short on the runway waiting for clearance, Greg said after take off he was going to slip the MX2 toward the Bonanza. (What?) We started our roll with the Bonanza to our left. Just after we left the ground Greg indeed turned the MX2 toward the chase plane going sideways; it was outstanding. Up we went; as we flew over the beautiful city of Columbus Greg completed, with expert precision, several maneuvers for photo shots. Terry and Misty were busy taking pictures and enjoying their ride in the Bonanza. After we left the downtown area Greg asked if I was OK; I could talk at this point and said I was having a great time. Greg said that if I could handle the flight so far that it was time to have some fun. We flew over a practice area and Greg told me to hold on. We did a loop and I started feeling the G force on my body. I have heard all about what G’s feel like, but this was different - my jaw felt like it was falling off my face and someone had jumped on my mid section. I got a whole new prospective and appreciation for G’s. We went inverted; wires fell in front of me, and I felt like I was going to lose my glasses. That maneuver was the only one I didn’t like. When I looked down at the ground I said to myself, “What if this belt breaks?” When Greg turned the plane back over I was OK again. We then did aileron rolls, slow rolls, and just for fun we went straight up. This was awesome; all of a sudden we stopped and I felt weightless for a second and then we were going straight down. I have watched the “Hammer Head” maneuver at airshow for years and always thought it would be the scariest maneuver, but I loved it. We joined up with the Bonanza chase plane and flew back to the airport.
Greg and I talked about airshows and why they are so important for our young people. We discussed positive role models and what positive influence aviation has on young and old. We landed and taxied back to the hangar. Getting out of the MX2 I felt joy, a since of calmness; a feeling of satisfaction fell over me, but most important I had not gotten sick. They helped me out of the parachute and I thought back on what had just happened. I have been to and watched many airshows, dreamed of an experience like this, but never thought it would ever happen. My legs decided to acknowledge the fact that I had landed and started to tremble; this lasted several hours, but what a rush!
I want to thank the people at Fagen Inc., Greg Poe, Dax Wanless and the ethanol MX2 for such a great experience. For me the Fagen Inc. ethanol MX2 does “KICK GAS.”
Story by Carl Wilcox- Photos by Misty and Terry Woods Jr.