| Volume 2, Issue 1 - January 1, 2004 |
| Volume 2, Issue 1 - January 1, 2004 |
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How did I get in this position as editor of an EAA chapter that is based 1200 miles from where I live? The answer to this question is a long one, and it goes back many years. Sit back, relax and I will tell you my story. My love for all things aviation goes back to my childhood, when my father started building wind-up balsa wood airplane models in his spare time. We learned about things like spars, ribs and dihedral. My Dad would drive us down to Red Wing Park in Virginia Beach, Va. and we would fly our humble models all afternoon. It was a lot of fun for both my father and us kids. One day we lost a glider as it got caught in a thermal and just flew away rather gracefully. These trips to the park, test flying our latest models would have a lasting effect on me and at age 19, I decided to take flying lessons at a small grass strip airport In South Norfolk, which no longer exists. I soloed after 10 hours of instruction in a 1960's Cessna 150. It was 1978 and I still have the Snoopy card that my family gave me to commemorate the occasion. I would go on to fly another 12 hours mostly solo from their aging fleet of 150's. I was funding my flying education at the time and I came to a crossroads, when I had to decide between having enough money go dating or taking flying lessons. The girl won out and after 22 hours of flying I took a hiatus from formal lessons. It was about this time (1978) when I was watching the local news one night and I saw something that would make a strong impression on me. It was a news story about a local hang glider pilot who had custom installed a small 2 stroke engine/prop on his hang glider. He demonstrated it for the cameras. He took off on level ground giving it throttle while he started running (literally.) He was off the ground in no time and flew it beautifully for the news crew. As a result of this news story, I started taking hang gliding lessons down in the Outer Banks of North Carolina at the now famous Kitty Hawk Kites. At the time I subscribed to Glider Rider magazine and I kept up with all the latest hang glider designs. I loved this magazine and would read it cover to cover every month. I witnessed the ultralight industry unfold and evolve out of those daring young men who strapped engines to their hang gliders. It was an exciting time for aviation and hundreds of modern day 2 cycle kit designs evolved from it. One day while down in Kitty Hawk, I had the good fortune to meet the man responsible for the hang gliding movement, Francis Rogallo. He designed the now famous Rogallo wing in the 1960’s for NASA space capsule recovery. It was never used by NASA, but it would turn out to be one of the most historically important wing designs ever. It was this rather crude wing that would spawn not only the hang gliding movement in the early 70’s, but more importantly, the tube and fabric, 2 cycle kitplane industry that we take for granted today. It was an honor to photograph and meet Rogallo and I will always remember the historical importance of his wing design. Years went by and I moved from Virginia Beach to Madison, Wisconsin and started my own automotive graphics/sign business. I prospered and in my travels I came across an opportunity to buy one of the early ultralight designs. It was a Pterodactyl Ascender II (a canard design) with a first generation ballistic recovery system on it. It was 1987 and it had been built by a Milwaukee Police officer in 1980. It had a beautiful stars and stripes color scheme and I just had to have it. I paid $2800 for it including the chute, and after 3 hours of self taught lessons in an Alfalfa field, I took it around the patch. It was one of the most thrilling times in my life. The wind in my face, the temperature changes, the smell of the Alfalfa field, all remain in my memory. I simply had the time of my life flying it. I somehow managed to get a hangar space at a grass strip just ten minutes from where my wife and I lived. It was only $375 dollars a year, and it turned out to be a dream setup. I flew out of that grass strip from 1987-1998 in a variety of ultralight aircraft that I either built or help build. In 1988 I taught my youngest brother how to fly the Ascender. He went on to get his Private Pilot license and would later build a Rans Coyote (tail dragger). My brother and I were having so much fun flying our ultralights that my father started secretly taking flying lessons. He ended up building, flying and selling 2 beautiful Challenger II aircraft. We all flew out of that same grass strip just outside of Madison, and we had the best times of our life. Between the 3 of us, we built and/or flew 6 aircraft, all tube and fabric ultralight designs. My father and brother capitalized on our hobby, and started an aircraft graphics company. Today they design and produce the vinyl graphics on the Cirrus line of aircraft. My father designed the Centennial Edition SR 22 graphics and we produced 100 kits for Cirrus out of our shop in Middleton, Wisconsin. In addition, we manufacture and ship all the standard vinyl graphics for both the SR-20 and SR 22. Over the years, my father has designed custom graphics for hundreds of home builders and a handful of kitplane manufacturers. In the early 90’s I started researching airparks. My wife and I would travel all over the country on our vacations looking at hangar homes and residential airparks. In 1997, I was researching airparks in Texas when I met Norris and Joanne Warner. Norris showed my wife and I, some properties at Medina River Ranch airport and also at San Geronimo. Norris had absolutely nothing to gain by helping us. I was struck by his kindness and we have remained friends ever since. I was so impressed with the friendly nature of the people of Texas and the 300 days of VFR weather annually, that I would buy a couple of lots at Windermere airpark near Spicewood, Texas outside of Austin. I kept in touch with Norris and I would drive down from Lago Vista monthly to San Antonio to attend the Chapter 35 meetings and visit with Norris and Joanne. I remember Don Staats talking me into joining the chapter. I have been a member since 1998. I ended up selling both airpark lots at Windermere and more than doubled my investment. Homesick, and separated from my wife, I moved back to Madison and designed and built a hangar home in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, to be close to my family. While I lived there, I took the time to totally restore the Pterodactyl Ascender II which I had hung on to for 14 years. I bought a new airframe, sail, engine, cables and hardware and restored it to better than new condition. I flew it out of Mineral Point for about a year before the county courthouse started harassing the local pilots, reassessing our properties and raising our taxes among many other things. The courthouse decided that our leases were too long and wanted to change them to 20 year leases. The hangar owners refused to change their legal and binding leases, so the courthouse went on a vendetta against the pilots including myself. I saw my dream hangar turn into a bad investment and I ended up selling it to an American airlines pilot for a big loss. After paying off the bills, I took the remaining equity and put it down on a lot at San Geronimo airpark in April of this year. I hope to build a custom hangar home of my own design at San Geronimo next year. Over the years I have kept up with the chapter through the newsletters. When the opportunity to edit the newsletter came, I volunteered, mainly because I love to write and I saw it as an opportunity to make new friends in the SA area. I have found it to be a rewarding experience. Now you know the story of how a man, 1200 miles away, came to be your newsletter editor. It’s amazing what Balsa wood, rubber bands and a father’s love for his children can do. kgn |
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