Re: Getting farther off topic, but I guess air crashes in...

I had had a thrilling moment in a '152. I was returning to OC airport
(John Wayne, Orange County, CA) after a fun noon hour of buzzing the
beach. I'd just reported downwind for 19L, reduced power, when WHAM!
I was seeing double and the fillings in my teeth were ready to come
out.

My first thought was "there goes that damn nose wheel shimmy again!"
except I was at 800 ft AGL. I cut the throttle, declared an emergency
and rounded out a very abbreviated downwind, base and final for a
dead-stick landing mid field.

I found out the next day from the FBO the Continental had broken the
a connecting rod, which took out the adjacent jug on the left side.
Also the engine mounts were bent. Wonder what would have happened had
it decided to do that when I was 1 mile offshore at 100 MSL. Can you
say Bob Denver?

Had no problems how to wear that pair of underwear again, brown in
the back, yellow in front!

Mariss