Trying To Reach 10,000ft in My 78 Year Old Airplane (1946 Aeronca Chief)

[@CthulhuInc]

nice flight, max - that chief is still getting it done!

[@thomasd9237]

Doubt you remember me Max but I'm the guy who grew up in one of those (we chatted about it a little). Very cool to see you enjoying a piece of history 👍👍

[@Jackie_Rosewood]

Wow! That’s so beautiful Max!!!

[@BasedGuitarist07]

Beautiful! My plane's engine just got finished and should be completely reinstalled and ready to fly by tomorrow! Can't wait to get back in the air!

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

Excellent! Bet she'll run better than ever.

[@boogerwood]

Just stumbled across your channel. Enjoyed that little flight. Flying an Aeronca Chief around LA is so cool. Going up to the mountains like that was even cooler. Literally.

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

Thanks!

[@ejmoss6990]

It was a pleasure meeting you, this past Saturday at the Low & Slow fly-in at Flabob(KRIR). Sorry, you weren't able to see the Zenith 750 Cruzer that a group of us are building.

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

Hey there! I did take a look at it! I was confused about the Honda engine but it was amazing to see it!

[@mikem9006]

Absolutely beautiful!!!

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

Thank you!

[@timesurfingalien]

Living the dream. AWESOME

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

Thank you!

[@madeofnapalm]

Thank you for sharing, great shots indeed! I miss flying 😑😑

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

Thank you too!

[@markmcatee1777]

I restored and flew my Chief out of a 7,300 msl field. 65 Continental did quite well and had enough ooomph to get quite a bit over 12,500 indicated...Took almost as much time to get down as it did to get up there! Just stumbled on your channel! Welcome to the Aeronca family.

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

Thank you! Did you have a specific prop on your Chief for better climb performance?

[@retropuffer2986]

Amazing footage

[@trustyaeronaut]

Ahh! Nice flight! 👍🏻

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

Thank you!

[@apfelsnutz]

Hey, that was a great feat...and I do mean FEAT ! I've been flying for 56yrs. now, Most of it in a 1946 C-140... I know how cold that was ! Nice thought and good video. The focus went out at altitude (because of the cold), but it was inspiring. You should come out and visit us at LOO For Breakfast sometime. The restaurant is open at 08:00 Sat. and Sun. only... the rest of the week it's 11:00. If you depart at )7:00 it's about a 60 min flight. I might see you on downwind, but if you can post a date (reply), and breakfast is on me. All the Best, Ron

[@planeflyer21]

Thanks, Max. After I sold my 172M, I rented a 172K one hot, sunny, summer day, here in southern Arizona. I could barely make 9,000' with the DA. Quite the adventure.

[@TheAirplaneDriver]

Sweet! I got to 10,500 in my ‘47 140 when I flew from Chicago to Oregon a few years back. Controls were a little mushy but the plane was still doing okay. Funny how tower asked for your airspeed….never heard that asked before. 😂

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

That must have been an incredible flight! I'd love to do a super long xc like that some day.

[@TheAirplaneDriver]

@@HeavyMetalHorizons It was character building that’s for sure. 😂. I made the trip in bigger airplanes capable of taking me over the mountains in a safer IFR environment, but a little 85hp 140 with a needle, ball and airspeed indicator is a different story. If you do it, the trick is to know exactly where you are all the time and not get suckered into a pass that ends up in a canyon you can’t get out of. It was a wonderful experience and I highly recommend it. Nice plane and nice video by the way!

[@ralphstrahm4429]

Nice flight Max. I fly a 1947 Taylorcraft from an airport that is below sea level to the Los Angeles Basin, crossing the coastal range at 4,500 feet. The cockpit can be drafty and cold, so I can appreciate your flight over 9,000 feet. Please produce more of your excellent videos.

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

Thanks very much! Yes, definitely need to dress warm for a flight like this. Next time I'll wear some heated gloves.

[@kyushalimit5931]

Awesome Vid! Love seeing the old bird climb

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@cleblanc94]

Just crossed over 120 hours in my dad's 46 Chief. Been flying it for a couple years since I got my private. Glad I found your channel and looking forward to more uploads! Also, I'm in Central FL, I think the highest I've taken our Chief was 4500, maybe 5k? Impressive to see someone take it up to 9,400!

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

Welcome aboard! And thanks very much. It's too hot right now, but when in the fall I will try another high flight and see if I can break 10k! Have fun in the Chief! It's great that they are still flying.

[@n55ma29]

Mountain flying with 65 HP is like cruising to Tokyo in a canoe. Downdrafts, updrafts, rotor winds can easily exceed the climb rate of the plane. There are courses one can take to familiarize oneself with the hazards and develop minimums for flying peaks and canyons. that said, I'm based at Hawthorne and love the flight to Big Bear, great scenery and cheap fuel.

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

There's something very exciting about cruising to Tokyo via canoe!

[@EllipsisAircraft]

Sailplanes fly in mountains all the time. They are even more underpowered than a 65hp Chief. 1: Always be climbing. 2: Always find lift. Upwind slopes have lift, and never has a rotor. Sun-baked, south facing rock cliffs provide thermal updrafts. 3: Always cross ridges at a 45 degree angle to the rising terrain. A 45-degree turn is all that is required to stop the rising terrain. And only a 50-90 degree turn is needed to experience descending terrain. (Escape). 4: Do not dwell in downdrafts. North facing shaded slopes can create strong downdrafts. 5: Downwind of the ridge, you want to always remain above the ridge-lines altitude by 1,500' and extend for at least 200 miles down range. Any climbing or descending in the down-wind area of a mountain ridge, at or below the ridge-line altitude, should be done at or below Va, to keep your wings intact. (And if the rotor gets you into a stall/spin LET GO and grab your harness for the ride). You cant do anything about it. Anything you can do, will only pull your wings off or otherwise. Be ready to recover in a 90-degree perfect dive, at or beyond Vne. (Vd is 1.1x Vne, you'll be fine, maybe).

[@chuckbowie5833]

Nice, thanks for sharing!

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

Thanks for watching!

[@richardspurlocck5165]

Outstanding!! Really great content

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

Much appreciated!

[@clebozer]

Fantastic views! Great editing, but I wish you would look into the camera (on the ground) like you used to

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

Thanks! What's different about what I did here? I appreciate your input!

[@excellenceinanimation960]

This is the type of plane I want to get once I get my ppl!

[@hansenfuentes3541]

Great video, I just bough a champ 2 months ago, tons of fun……I noticed on ForeFlight your airport is a Delta that falls under class C airspace…..I don’t have ADSB, I assume yours doesn’t as well and you simply just stay under class Charlie? Or have you installed ADSB? Thanks and happy flying

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

Thank you! Yes, I just stay out of the Charlie. And Bravo of course. But we can fly underneath. I think some Charlie controllers will clear you in, at their discretion, but it's very hit and miss.

[@codebus]

very fast and furious

[@charliemancuso5690]

Nice Max. How many landing do you have now? In your plane that is.

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

I'm not sure... would have to look at my logbook but it's probably 50-100.

[@Frank-ke9uj]

Does the Chief have carb heat?

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

Yes.

[@HorrorHQ]

Im not gonna lie, there is no way I’d ever get into an airplane.

[@theinkroom5642]

Mr. T?

[@HorrorHQ]

@@theinkroom5642 I pity the fool.

[@strangeuniverse1199]

I've hiked up to the top of the Palm Springs mountain once at 10,000 feet. You can feel the oxygen deprivation in the air hiking that high up. These guys that summit Everest are insane and have a loose screw, pretty sad. 50 people made it to the summit of Everest yesterday (Monday the 13th). Must be good weather this climbing season.

[@strangeuniverse1199]

Mount San Gorgonio in the San Bernadino mountains is 11,000 feet in elevation and is about 13 miles from my home. Of course it would be impossible to hike the mountain from my home since there are no hiking trails that go up that high from my area.