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Q-Talk 162 - Sanjay's First 100 Hours!

Last Sunday [November 10, 2013] my Q crossed the first 100 hours of flying. The first flight was in summer of 2011.

For the 100th hour, I mounted a micro cam on the tail and shot a video that I have reduced to 12 minutes.

Quickie Q-200 flight tail camera Nov-10-2013

 
Created by Sanjay Dhall
12 November 2013

Video is neither HD, nor has music, just wind rushing past the camera. Also, being cold, the camera battery quit before landing. Just as well, since the landing was less than spectacular.

As a short update, I have been flying somewhat regularly, through most seasons, gradually working the bugs out of the airplane, and me. The Hobbs actually has about 120 hours on it. The non-flying hours were spent equally between taxi testing/training and ground running.

Did not fly most of this summer (2013), when, suspecting I may have damaged the engine due to a several minute ground run without oil pressure, I had the engine rebuilt. I have 10 hours since engine rebuild.

It sure is proving to be a fun and exciting airplane!

Thanks,
Sanjay


[EDITOR'S NOTE: Speaking of Sanjay’s first 100+ hours. . . I want you all to read this Holiday note from our founder Jim Masal.]

ASTONISHING Qers

On the weekend of Nov 16, this year, I was in the midst of an early Thanksgiving visit to Detroit. My wife comes from a huge family, now of10 living brothers and sisters and they celebrate big holidays early to avoid the crowded air terminals and highways on the actual holiday date. Often these gatherings are highly choreographed but I had a Sunday afternoon open... and so did Sanjay Dahl, a local kid (hee hee) who just crossed the 100 hour threshold in his Q200.

Sanjay and I spent an interesting afternoon together. He was raised in India, “Old Delhi, he sez, and came over here to America at 21 to attend the University of Toledo. He stayed here and eventually formed a small company providing computer software services to larger companies. As time passed he started nosing around in aviation first by a sailplane ride with his wife in a Schweitzer. One thing led to another and he acquired a partially completed Q200 kit and fell in with a nest of active and skilled men of a local EAA chapter. He put a nice looking yellow-bellied Q200 on the FAA register.

I saw his plane up close and personal that Sunday... and I made some observations. As QBA founder and a successful Quickie finisher I get a little respect and often when I am "inspecting" a project or completion a craftsman will openly point out the flaws he has found in his workmanship. I like that attitude when it shows up because you older guys know I do not have a hypercritical eye. Sanjay has a slick and glossy paint job on his aircraft that he sprayed himself and it happens to have a drip here and there. Big deal, ho hum.

What I want you guys to understand is that those drips do not exist in a garage or a hangar workshop. They have been traveling very fast for a hundred hours in God's blue sky. For Sanjay and some of you still working away the question has to be "Is the point to fly it or do you just want to show it off like a shiny diamond in a goat's ass???"

In the entire history of flight, something just over 100 years, there have been only perhaps 20,000 to 30,000 aircraft built and flown by the same guy. In the US that's out of over 300 million humans. Worldwide the numbers must be staggering! I think you guys who have finished these birds or WILL finish these birds are astonishing. Let’s not be stymied, stalled or stopped by seeking perfection. Show me your flying airplanes… and sooner is better.

Do you realize how astonishing you are? Sit for a moment in your quiet easy chair and think about it.

-Jim