Hank Billings
(Photo: News-Leader file photo)
Commercial.
For most folks, it's the price for TV.
For pilots, it's a step above a private license, enabling them to fly for hire.
It was suggested I needed a commercial license to fly newspaper photographers for aerials.
I wasn't sure and didn't know how to finance it.
Pilot pal Bob Fiedler came to my rescue.
He had an instructor's rating and offered me free dual if I paid for the aircraft rental.
I jumped at the bargain.
Bob had a wonderful sense of humor.
He asked me to do a lazy eight, showing good control coordination.
"What was THAT?" Bob asked.
"A lazy eight,' I replied.
"Oh, I thought it was s crazy eight," Bob replied.
That joshing went on during other skill maneuvers and day and night cross-country flights.
Finally, Bob warily pronounced me ready for a flight test. And we were still pals.
Bob Soehner was the first FAA flight safety agent assigned here to flight test the many who earned licenses on the GI Bill of Rights.
I took my test in an Aeronca Champion at McFarland Airport.
Bob gave me a forced landing on takeoff.
I reached for the carburetor heat lever.
Bob opened the throttle.
When the test was over, Bob told me, "I nearly washed you on that forced landing. Reaching for the carburetor heat would have caused you to wash out the landing gear. If it had been a real forced landing, you wouldn't need the heat anyway."
Next week, I'll describe some flights the commercial license permitted.
- Source: http://www.news-leader.com
