Who the h?ll is this guy and how come he’s our President?

I think I was 8 or 9 years old and remember constant air traffic from the small floatplanes that served the northern settlements. I grew up in a small Northwestern Ontario community that claimed the title “World’s Largest Seaplane Base” in the 20’s and 30’s. The Beavers, Otters, Norsemen and the odd twin engine Beach filled the air and kept my attention skyward. I even remember one company flying Bellanca air buses.

I don’t quite remember the exact day I became inflicted with pilot-itis but do remember being lucky that the .049 motor that I had placed on the front of a model of an Aeronca flying bathtub did not start. (Years later as an adult flying remote-control aircraft I managed to trim the end of my thumb with the prop of a .049 but that is a story for another day.)

A few years later my older sister was a stewardess (that’s what we called them in the 60s) for Air Canada so I asked her about me becoming a pilot. She promptly told me that I could never be a pilot because pilots didn’t wear glasses, and I had them since grade 3. (Dream Killer!) So that was about it for my flying career. When some of the other kids were going for flying lessons in their senior years of high school, I just grumbled kicking the can down the lane and again looking skyward with envy.

Years later my career in broadcasting took me and my wife Judy to Abbotsford, B.C. and there I took an intro flight from the local flying school. Nothing special. I also did a tour up the mountain to watch the hang gliders. Although interesting, they required more cojones than I wanted to show. That was in the mid 70’s.

Broadcasting then took me to Central Alberta where Judy and I spent 35 years raising our son and daughter. During that time my interest in aviation continued but it was only that, just an interest. I can remember flying with a friend, my son and my daughter in his 172 and getting bored after about a half hour. I had met this friend through my association with the Central Alberta Radio Fun Flyers (CARFF). My aviation interests were satisfied with model aircraft for almost 20 years.

During that time, I did the air show announcing for the pre-show at the Red Deer Air Show, as CARFF was part of the that and the true airshow announcer had to attend the pilot briefing. I think it was also my first introduction to ultralights as they too were part of the pre-show.

Clock forward a few more years. The friend with the 172 hosts a remote-control fly-In weekend on Father’s Day and I decided to go to the event with a fellow RC helicopter flyer. On the way back to Red Deer, the friend asked if we could take a slight detour to a farm field where his Beaver ultralight was hangared. I thought we had lots of time and what the heck, it would be interesting to see one of these things up close. Since we were there, he said he should start it to keep things lubricated and running well. He pulled it out of the T-hanger and pulled the rope starter. When it started and ran like a typical snowmobile engine, I thought a person would have to be nuts to put your life into one of these contraptions. After a full warm up he pointed it towards the runway and went full throttle. I couldn’t believe my ears. The blubbering snowmobile engine turned into a fire breathing monster. It jumped into the air before hitting the runway and flew like magic. I was speechless. After a few circuits he landed and taxied up to me. “Do you want to go for a ride” he asked and, though I was full of apprehension, I couldn’t resist the offer. We taxied out to the runway, back tracked it for extra safety and started a takeoff roll. I could not believe the feeling of looking down at the ground and watching it fall away as we lifted into the air. The low slow flight of the Beaver was what I thought flying should be. I was hooked. It would take another 15 years or so before I could do anything about it but I had found my way to the air.

Over the years I had moved from the broadcasting field to running a telecom communications company. In 2005 I sold the company and told Judy that I thought I should buy a motorcycle to occupy my spare time. Her response was “motorcycle?!? You’ve got more chance of getting an ultralight than a motorcycle” I thought that was permission (it wasn’t) so I bought a single seat Chinook and started my lessons in a Challenger from Kris Falk in Lacombe. That was in the fall of 2005 and my solo was July 1, 2006. Talk about a slow learner. Not really, just had a lot of things going on that year.

Judy has since forgiven me. I have moved up to a Lil’ Buzzard and my logbook shows about 350 hours.

During the time I have been flying I have been involved with the Red Deer Flying club helping with the website and organizing some fly out activities. I have had the pleasure of meeting many members of the CRUFC as they fly into Red Deer to enjoy Tipitina’s and now the Circuit Café. I met Bob Kirby and Carl Foreman coming out of the Linden Country Cousins one day and flew to Chestermere with Carl as my co-pilot (that’s another story for the future). I’ve watched videos on YouTube about the CRUFC and thought if I ever had the chance to be involved with this club I would jump at the chance.

Fast-forward to the present. I sold the company in 2005 and since I am semi-retired (it means trying to fix my fixed income) Judy wanted to be closer to the grandkids we moved to Airdrie. Remember that son and daughter we raised in Red Deer? Well, the son is in Calgary with a one-year-old grandson and the daughter is in Airdrie with a seven and five-year-old granddaughters. One of the passions Judy and I have come to enjoy is walking about 3 to 4 miles chasing a little white ball. I used to think that anyone that would golf as a sport had to be… well you know, but it is really pretty addictive once you get into it.

As it turns out Judy and I found a home on the close next to the golf course in a plus 50 community with our granddaughters’ school only a block away. Sometimes things just fall into place. I figure if Judy can put up with me having my head in the clouds, then I can help her with her dreams of being close to the grandkids. And as the Irish Spring girl says “And I like them too.”

It seems like I joined the club just in time to be present for the election of new officers, so when Stu and Ed were looking for fresh blood, I was happy to help. I look forward to helping the executive promote aviation in this area and hope to make the meetings as interesting and enjoyable as possible. I also look forward to some flying with fellow members, though for now my plane remains hangered in Red Deer. If you feel there is anything I am missing at meetings, or you have suggestions for guest speakers please let me know. This is our club, and we all have to work together to achieve the best we can. Let’s keep it safe and as I am a flyer and golfer, I wish you …

Good lies and smooth skies.