By Zinnia Kilkenny, IAC 437244
ZK: You live life with panache - from skydiving to motocross - and now the pinnacle of flying: aerobatic competition. What, or whose, great enthusiasm encouraged you to pursue acrobatics?
EM: My good friends Ted and Elaine relit my passion for flying. I spent the last 15 years road racing motorcycles, and they were part of my track family. He had a Mooney, and she a Grumman Tiger, but it wasn’t until Elaine started receiving aerobatic instruction with Sonny Weller in his Extreme Decathlon in the summer of 2018 that really piqued my interest. After racing for so long, I had accomplished all the goals I had set for myself, and I knew that I would get back into aviation. I just didn’t know in what capacity.
Seeing Elaine’s enthusiasm as a budding aerobatic pilot spurred me to get current again and to try aerobatics myself. After that first aerobatic flight with Sonny, I was hooked. It scratched the itch left by road racing. It checked all the boxes. The precision and discipline were just like road racing. Having had the competition background, I was instantly drawn to the competition side, as that, in my opinion is the true litmus test of your abilities. Elaine was a beautiful person whose enthusiasm was infectious. We were learning at about the same pace, and it was great to share that excitement with someone.
ZK: You’ve recently acquired a Laser 230; what are your plans?
EM: I purchased my Laser in February of this year after selling my Pitts S-1E to Sean Moran. I had been flying the Pitts harder and harder with the goal of trying to go to Advanced. I had kept an eye on this particular Laser, and when it came up for sale, I decided to go for it. Either that or put some serious money into the Pitts, which I was unwilling to do at the time. I ended up flying the Laser cross country from Florida to Phoenix with just a quickie self check-out and a broken tail wheel, it was uneventful, but that’s a story for another time. It’s true that if you can fly a Pitts, you can fly just about anything.
My plan is to finish this year competing in Intermediate and try to fly Advanced and go to Nationals next year. I know I am nowhere near that level now, but I have the drive and work ethic to get there. I enjoy pushing myself and expanding my capabilities, and of course, the fun and camaraderie of participating in contests is a huge motivator.
In my racing career, it was always about arriving first. In aerobatics, I am only competing against myself, trying to be better than the last time. Placing in a contest is just a bonus if you happen to be the best on that day. I enjoy it immensely but put much less pressure on myself than I did when racing. That keeps it fun for me and keeps me coming back.
ZK: Do you have any rituals that help get you through the rigors of practice and competition? Words of wisdom for those considering competition?
EM: Every time I go flying, I have a plan for that session. Having structure keeps me on track and makes the most of the flight. It may be flying a sequence or working on a specific figure or set of figures. I spend more time on the ground preparing for each flight than I do in the air. The night before (I generally fly at sunrise before work), I plan and decide what I will accomplish on the morning flight. Arriving at the hangar, I change into my flying shoes (ratty, well-worn indoor soccer shoes) then pre-flight the aircraft in exactly the same way.
I have a short stretching routine to get loose and get my mind up to speed. Then I take a few minutes to walk through the flight. I have an “aerobatic box” taped on the floor about 10-foot square and I’ll walk the flight, calling out airspeed and altitudes, where to look and when, and review box placement based on forecast winds aloft. I can’t overemphasize the importance of the walk-through. If you are unsure during the walk-through, you will make the mistake in the air, so maximize the time on the ground to make the most of the time in the air. On the days that I fly twice, morning and afternoon, I will debrief the first flight, review the GoPro footage, take notes, and decide what to improve upon for the afternoon's flight.
