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Since I broke my left foot last Thanksgiving, it has kinda' slowed the

progress on my L-235. (An ironic statement, since I am into my 12th year on

this project.) I'm now wearing a Bledsoe Boot so that I can hobble around

somewhat, but even so it is hard for me to stand up on the bad foot for

very long since it swells up and the doctor said not to let that happen.



Anyway, I decided that I had to start off 1999 on the right foot (he-hee),

so I sucked it up and spent several hours at the hangar yesterday bracing

the instrument panel to the header tank (did they mention that part in the

plans?) and other things.



While I was there, I decided that since the O-290D2 hadn't been run for

over a month, I should fire it up. So I added a gallon of 100LL, pulled the

aircraft outside, and fired her up. (Farderup, as we say here in the South.)



Sitting there looking cool in my Polaroid Ray-Bans with the breeze blowing

through (what's left of) my hair (the canopy was not installed at the

time), fire extinguisher at my side, I decided to taxi down to the end of

the row and back. So I launched off with my left arm resting on the

longeron, foot and boot on the rudder pedals, just taking in the sights.



When I got to the fence at the end, I attempted to crisply execute a U-turn

to the left and head back to the hangar, but when I hit the left brake,

nothing happened. I kept going straight toward the fence! At that point, a

shaft of light descended from between two clouds, and I heard the voice of

my primary flight instructor in my head saying "Dammit John, do SOMETHING,

even if it's wrong!", so I stomped the RIGHT brake and made a quick circle

that way. At least that one was working! Stayed mostly on the asphalt, even...



Feeling good that the aircraft was back under control as I got the plane

turned around, I hit the left brake to stop the turn and head back home,

but once again nothing happened. I was stuck in a flat spin to the right!

Uh-oh...something is going on here, but you don't know what it is do you,

Mr. Jones...(Bob Dylan)



After several 360's, it dawned on me that my left foot was immobilized in

that rigid boot (Das Boot), and when I THOUGHT I was pressing the left

brake, all I was doing was pressing on the floor of the boot! Doh!



So at that point I did the right thing and shut the engine down and

proceeded to remove the boot. Took a "time out", you might say...



A man in a car who had observed my "circling maneuver" pulled up and said,

"What was THAT all about?". I explained that...uh...well...you see...I have

a cast on my left foot and it seems that I can't operate the brake pedal on

that side. He just rolled his eyes, shook his head and drove off...



After I got the boot off (not easy sitting in the left seat), it seemed

that the left brake was working just fine after all, and I was able to

navigate the 100 Yds. back to the hangar without further incident. No more

ground loops or anything...



Another mission completed successfully in the face of incredible adversity!