Aerobatic maneuvers can be unforgiving, as the
author found out one day while having a little too
much fun in her Piper Cub. Fortunately, both pilot
and airplane were unscathed after the incident.
Key Takeaways:
The author recounts her self-taught journey into aerobatics, beginning with an impulsive loop in a Cessna 150 and later teaching basic maneuvers, despite her initial apprehension.
She describes a terrifying incident during a playful "Snoopy chasing the Red Baron" routine in her Piper Cub, where she unintentionally performed a violent tail slide followed by a whip stall, maneuvers unsafe for that aircraft.
Despite the extreme stress on the plane, the Cub remarkably sustained only minor cosmetic damage, leaving the author shaken, repentant, but physically unharmed.
The experience served as a profound lesson in humility, the unpredictable dangers of complacency, and the critical importance of respecting aircraft limitations.
Martha Lunken is a lifelong pilot, former FAA inspector and defrocked pilot examiner. She flies a Cessna 180 and anything with a tailwheel, from Cubs to DC-3s.