AOPA Online (http://news.aopa.org/http://news.aopa.org/) has a news item about http://us.imdb.com/Name?Dorn,+MichaelMichael Dorn, who played Lt. Cdr. Worf on Star Trek: The Next Generation, appearing in a new video for the AOPA Project Pilot program. The http://www.aopa.org/images/whatsnew/newsitems/2002/02-1-122x.jpgphoto in the article shows him standing in front of an SR22! What better way to entice people to fly than by using a modern, state-of-the-art aircraft? Way to go, AOPA!
Anyone know if he actually pilots and/or owns the pictured SR22?
Glenn
p.s. Now I’m going to really drive Roger nuts by commanding “Engage!” every time he takes off!
Anyone know if he actually pilots and/or owns the pictured SR22?
Since he owns his own jet, the SR22 would be quite a step down.
I dunno about the SR22, but I saw a documentary on private jets where Michael Dorn was talking about his Sabreliner, so he is a pilot.
-Mike
No, although Michael Dorn evidently owns several aircraft (the Sabreliner and an F-86 at least) the SR22 in question is the Cirrus demonstrator which is regularly piloted by none other than Walt Conley. Walt graciously allowed me to fly the SR22 from Monterey to Santa Monica last Saturday, with Walt riding shotgun, and we hung around at Santa Monica for most of the day while a film crew shot for the Be-A-Pilot video and a couple of 10 second TV commercials.
I was told that they were using a Star Trek actor for the video, but did not recognize him until someone else told me he was Michael Dorn aka Warf. He looks (and sounds) a little different out of costume!
I’ll upload a couple of pics to this site.
Clyde
In reply to:
Since he owns his own jet, the SR22 would be quite a step down.
Unless you want to go into one of the thousands of airports in this country that have runways too short for even the smallest jet.
Unless you want to go into one of the thousands of airports in this country that have runways too short for even the smallest jet.
Now is the time for another 182 STOL pitch.
Now is the time for another 182 STOL pitch.
Kevin - that’s your cue!!
Stay my tongue!
I’ve just completed making mods to my SR22 It now has a forward canard, drooped wingtips and stall fences above the wings. We also had to add slats in the leading edge of the stabilizer, like the Cessna Cardinal.
It looks a little funny and I lost about 8 ktas, but I can land in a Walgreen parking lot and stall speed is down to 41 ktas. The best part is that Kevin can now break down and buy a Cirrus!
Photos! Photos!
In reply to:
Photos! Photos!
Kevin,
I know it can be hard to believe Marty at times… but I saw this one with my own eyes. I took the attached photo when he slowly orbited my house before landing in my driveway yesterday. [;)]
- Mike.
Likely I’m an ignoramus, but I can’t find a way to view your attached photo (Mac user–does it matter?).
At any rate, I doubt I’d break down and buy it, as it can’t possibly be funny-looking enough to suit me! 
some people have way too much time on their hands! Yes, I am jealous!
What I find most interesting about the picture is the nosewheel. It clearly to me looks like it is turned to the right in flight. No wonder people are experiencing shimmy. If the nosewheel was straight, you would see LESS of the front of the fairing than on either main, since it is farther to the right in the picture. But clearly you see more of the leading edge of the nosewheel fairing. Also, other pictures I have seen show that the upward sweep of the back half of the nosewheel fairing is similar to that of the mains, but in this picture it appears to sweep upward more than either main. That is because the back part of the fairing is canted away from the viewer. Maybe it is just my imagination, but it sure looks turned to my eyes.
I just clicked on “attachment” above Mikes Name.
Walt N224AZ
You’re right. It certainly looks like the nose wheel is turned to the right. Wonder if the propwash could be causing this. The propwash should be moving from right to left across the nose wheel and with most of the area of the wheel pant behind the pivot point, the wheel should want to turn to the right. Next question is whether this is related to nose wheel shimmy?
In reply to:
What I find most interesting about the picture is the nosewheel. It clearly to me looks like it is turned to the right in flight. No wonder people are experiencing shimmy. If the nosewheel was straight, you would see LESS of the front of the fairing than on either main, since it is farther to the right in the picture. But clearly you see more of the leading edge of the nosewheel fairing. Also, other pictures I have seen show that the upward sweep of the back half of the nosewheel fairing is similar to that of the mains, but in this picture it appears to sweep upward more than either main. That is because the back part of the fairing is canted away from the viewer. Maybe it is just my imagination, but it sure looks turned to my eyes.
Michael,
Actually, the real airplane in that photo was SR22 N703CD, piloted by Gary Black, who was in formation with me. To me, the nose wheel did not look turned, but it DID look as though it was pointing down (i.e. the back of the wheel pant was pointing up). When I took that photo, I was enroute to DLH; and when I showed it to the folks at CD, they were interested in that nosewheel’s “attitude” in flight, as a potential contributor to some vibration (although definitely not the sole cause).
Slightly different (and unmodified) photo attached.
Mike.
In reply to:
You’re right. It certainly looks like the nose wheel is turned to the right. Wonder if the propwash could be causing this. The propwash should be moving from right to left across the nose wheel and with most of the area of the wheel pant behind the pivot point, the wheel should want to turn to the right. Next question is whether this is related to nose wheel shimmy?
Lou
* In cruise, there is more power (thrust) being developed by the prop than at landing;
= more slipstream, therefore MORE deflection of the nosewheel.
* In cruise, there is greater forward airspeed than at landing;
= LESS deflection of the nosewheel.
* If the right deflection tendency of the nosewheel is in fact the catalyst for a shimmy,
then it follows that a LEFT crosswind could cancel it out, while a RIGHT crosswind
would exacerbate it.
Lou,
Even though the nosewheel looked straight to me at the time, your comment is logical and intriguing. My thoughts include…
I’ve personally experienced a shimmy only once, and if memory serves, there was a slight crosswind from the left (Clyde, do you recall?) Nose wheel air pressure was also low, although not as low as it had been before, or has been since.
It would be interesting indeed to find out that people have more shimmy issues with right crosswinds than left… anyone have any data?
Mike.
If shimmy is more common in the right crosswind landings than the left crosswind, this may support your theory.