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| Photo of a Bonanza on display at the Dairy Queen in Centerville, Utah. This photo of the photo taken August 2019. |
Dear Santa, I've been very good this year. On my wish list for Christmas is a Bonanza, a Gulfstream, and a Hughes 500 helicopter. I could even help deliver presents! And by the way, I'll need a hanger too. Sincerely, Ralph
That letter's not too far off. Ralph shared that if he had all the money in the world, those would be the aircrafts he'd purchase, as those are his favorites. And if nothing else, he'd love to have a picture taken in front of all 3 aircraft together. (Who can we call to arrange that???)
When asked what his favorite airplane is to fly, without hesitating he answers: A V-Tail Bonanza! Why? According to Ralph: If you fly it right, you get the best performance out of it of any airplane.
Not everyone knows how to fly a Bonanza. But Ralph was taught early and was able to perfect his skill. And he related, if you fly it properly, it flies better than any other airplane.
In fact, he's loved teaching how to fly this aircraft, as it has nuances that are not intuitive as compared to flying planes, and he recalls students laughing when the lightbulb turns on in their heads.
Aerodynamically, the way the wings and the v-tail are built, if you simply fly it flat, you have to keep one foot on the rudder to hold it otherwise it will sashay back and forth. But if you take it up and push it forward a little bit to get the v-tail in the air - it actually looks like it's pointed down - you can add 10-15 knots to the speed and you can take both feet off the rudders because the tail is up high enough to stabilize the plane.
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| Ralph in front of a Hughes 500. (Year?) |
The Hughes 500 helicopter - turbo powered! "It's fast, maneuverable, and just fun to fly!"
In the video above, Ella added: "He'd rather be in the air than on the ground." No denying that. :D
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Sources:
- Video filmed 16 August 2019
- Conversation on 26 October 2019
- Conversation on 4 December 2020
Read the entire collection of Ralph's flying experiences here.
