_ Opinion

« Reporter has stomach churned in loop-to-loop

by Mare Davis
The Review

Stunt pilot Andy Robin knows
how to iron out the wrinkles in a
person’s face.

He just takes a hapless pedestri-
ans like myself and subjects us to
five times the force of gravity
while flying a “split” maneuver in
a propeller-driven Cessna aircraft.

By making a sheer vertical
climb and performing a reverse
U-turn at about 140 miles per
hour, Robin can stretch the skin on
your face back toward your ears

and smooth it out like a pancake.

In my case, the sensation of
having 700 Ibs. of G-force squish
me down into my seat was like
having an invisible elephant in my
lap.

What’s that supposed to mean?
Well, my eyeballs seemed to sink
into the back of my head, while
my lower jaw sagged like lead
towards my ankles.

And my stomach probably
ended up in some farmer’s field.

Hurtling downwards at the
speed of a freefall with the air-
craft’s nose pointed directly at the

ground once again induced crush-
ing G-forces that pulled my face
into an awful grimace, like a silent
scream.

All the while, Robin is coolly
coaxing the plane’s joystick with
the kind of intense concentration
and skill needed to keep such
daredevil maneuvers from turning
into a living nightmare.

I’ve just a moment to catch my
breath before my fearless pilot
flips the aircraft on her back and
the comers of the world seem to
tush up to meet us.

Hanging upside down, I’m glad

TheReview

my industrial-strength seat belt
has me tightly strapped in, and the
knowledge that I’m wearing a
parachute gives me a little added
comfort.

Next, the plane banks sharply to
my right and performs a number of
corkscrew barrel rolls that have me
wondering what is up and what is
down ... and how long I can keep
my breakfast from reappearing.

Robin takes me through a few
more gravity-defying stunts that
keep the adrenalin coursing
through my veins and have me
wondering where the pull cord is

Wednesday, March 20, 1991 — A119

on my parachute.

He’s one of the best barnstor-
mers in Canada. But I still wonder
why I’ve entrusted my life to the
hands of a virtual stranger, as the
world spins around me.

I'm all smiles when we’re back
on terra firma with the thrill of
knowing that I’ve just been on the
ultimate roller coaster ride.

As I stride off towards my car
there’s a spring in my step. I’ve
fulfilled my dream of being an
aerobat and, without the G-force, I
no longer weigh twice as much as
Hulk Hogan.

MONITOR - RECEIVER
| With 700 lines of resolution
181 channel capability

MTS stereo
Smart remote
| | aw ey | —_
ee 4 | 7 Y : = |
fs Bg | TN / 4 :
a y y , ~ f B =e ¥
| Bae Ff me
y “a= | seal y
y | [ 4 (es f
FREE NSS pe

SORDIESS TELEPHONE

i
BEST BUY!

3/7’ ELECTROHOME:

GREAT BUY! -

c

Bf”

PANASONIC
LIMIT 1 PERCUSTOMER

Ary?
ZAS
Be

e228

Cri
oli d
Color monitor-receiver

With remote control

ONLY

ea tS

99” ELEC

MONITOR -
With 600 lines of resolution
181 channel capability
MTS stereo
Deluxe remote control

ONLY

CITIZEN j

w SF | LIZeiN
Color monitors receiver
With MTS stereo
& remote control

ONLY

NIM OVOT RATT
'TROHOME!

RECEIVER

Color monitor
With remote

ONLY

Color monitor —
With remote

ONLY

PANASONIC BLECTROHOME
2 Head VCR 2 head VCR
With remote control With remote control
ONLY ONLY

BEAUTY — QUALITY — VALUE Where else ie

AC/DC VIDEO CASSETTE PLAYER

IACANIC
ASONIC

Auto power on-power play
Remote control

ON

|
Auto rewind e

ISLAND FURNITURE MARI

2513 Beacon Avenue, Sidney mon-saroamepm 656-3724 656-3032 = |