Talk About Confidence

I recently witnessed Howard Rush become less than pleased with the pipe on his 40VF, this installed in his Impact.

While I was flying he flopped that sucker in a PVC-pipe stand, swapped out one pipe for another. The model went directly from the stand to the circle. As I held, Rush fired it up.

No tach in sight. No hesitation, no feints toward the needle. He just cleared the starter and glow battery from the immediate area and marched to circle center.

It ran great. Improved fuel mileage as the stinger on the installed pipe is of a smaller diameter, but a longer run was predictable due to this difference between the pipes.

Still, I had never seen an act such as this. I was more than a little surprised.

So surprised that I recently asked PW about the experience. He just shrugged and said something like, "Well, when you really understand the setup..."

I'm still surprised. I have been known to change plugs, same brand and configuration, just replacing old with new, and getting a tach reading. Or grabbing a new gallon of fuel--same brand, same mix, from the same shipment--and getting a reading.

Not only am I surprised, I am impressed.

Dan --

Howard shouldn't surpise you much. He does have justified confidence in himself. In his FIRST PA meet, he entered in ADVANCED! He felt it would be unfair to the Intermediates to start at that level!

Larry Fulwider
"It ain't braggin' if you can do it"

Larry,

I think you're wrong on this. My recollection is that Howard made his beginning in PA by flying in Expert.

That was regarded as normal, although I know Howard well enough, he knows me quite well, that we, uh, sometimes operate with different rules than more normal folk.

What's funny is that it's all "normal" between us; it's only when truly normal people intrude that we realize our compass is off by a few degrees.

Still, no matter...

Howard (or Mary Lou) could no doubt end this controversy, but it is my recollection that Howard's first official NW Stunt Contest was in Advanced. Saw it in Flying Lines, page 4. Aw, just kidding about the page number. June '95? Steve

>Howard (or Mary Lou) could no doubt end this controversy,
>but it is my recollection that Howard's first official NW
>Stunt Contest was in Advanced. Saw it in Flying Lines, page
>4. Aw, just kidding about the page number. June '95?
>Steve

Steve,

True or not, the worst of it was Rush was flying an early version of the ARFs: An older "Bad News" from PW...

And don't you be calling Marilou. She is rumored to have had an encounter of the left-turn lane kind. No one was injured and she was not hauling around an Impact, so there is some good news.

"Bad News," good news, see how all this stuff works out...?!

I remember watching Howard flying Paul's Bad News at a Boeing contest. Wind was howling and no one else would fly. He got through a fairly recognizable pattern. We were all impressed.

Howard's comment: still wasn't going as fast as a combat plane.

Dan --

>I think you're wrong on this. My recollection is that Howard
>made his beginning in PA by flying in Expert.

I stand corrected. Now that I think on it, I am sure you are right.

>That was regarded as normal, although I know Howard well
>enough, he knows me quite well, that we, uh, sometimes
>operate with different rules than more normal folk.
>
>What's funny is that it's all "normal" between us; it's only
>when truly normal people intrude that we realize our compass
>is off by a few degrees.

The fun folks in life are those that see the horizon as rising up about 20 degrees or more to the right. I don't (and doubt if you do) talk to people who aren't at least that abnormal!

My mom used to say we are all dizzy!

I have known Howard a long time. Let's just say that I am very glad to say I know him!

LAST EDITED ON Jun-14-06 AT 07:29 AM (CST)
 
I remember Howard flying Paul's Orange "The Shape of Things to Come" at the Raider Roundup in September of 1992.