A few years ago, I started on my commercial license so I’d have something to fall back on once I got to the point where I couldn’t handle a corporate job anymore. I have a good job that pays well, and I get to play with toys all day, but I also have to talk to other people from time to time; that I could do without.

It was getting expensive to build hours renting airplanes. I liked having a new C172 to fly with all the latest equipment, but at $175/hr, it was costing a lot of money with little to show for it. I figured that I could buy my own plane, burn off the hours, and then sell it. Even at a loss, it was no worse than renting, and I’d be able to fly when I wanted to.

I ended up purchasing a Zenair CH 250 with an O-320 from Salmon Arm. I’ve gone from cruising at 65 mph to 140 mph, which creates many new possibilities. Having an airplane to fly when I want is a lot more enjoyable.

Just about the time I found an airplane, I also realized my daughter was a teenager. They’re high maintenance. I didn’t do a lot of flying for a few years. Now that I can focus on flying again, I’m trying to get in about 15 hours a month. That’s become a lot easier now that I have 4 hours of endurance and can cruise at 140. I can stay in the air, and I can actually go someplace interesting. One of the struggles I had with the RANS was that going to places more than an hour away meant I had to be able to buy fuel on the way home. Now I can go pretty much wherever I want without having to worry about being able to get home.

Something else I’ve enjoyed about moving from an ultralight to a fast homebuilt is that I’m able to cruise at any altitude I want to. Using the NavCanada ASEP products, I’m able to find an altitude that gets me the best winds for my trip. On my last flight home from Edmonton, I climbed to 9500 and ended up with a 20 kt tailwind.

I haven’t forgotten my ultralight roots, though, and I still like to go places as a group. This weekend we went to Nanton and landed in a wheat field. That’s not something you can do in a rented club plane, but it’s a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to a lot more flying like this.

When I have more time, I’ll write about some of the stuff you can see when you can fly more than 60 miles away from home.