I read the article with interest and surprise. Scott Knowlton in the July issue of COPA Flight related a story of how he was selling his Stinson and bought a Challenger Ultralight. Hmmm!!! He told of the day that he took the doors off the Stinson for something different and was wowed with low and slow flight. It is also interesting to note that Scott mentioned his day job is an airline pilot.

It reminded me of how I had caught the flying bug. I had long wanted to fly and had tried some introductory flights. When I spent some time in the lower Fraser Valley, I went to the mountain top to watch the hang gliders and thought interesting but I’m not quite that brave. I took an introductory flight with a coupon my wife had given me for the Abbotsford flight school but really wasn’t grinning ear to ear after the flight. I had gone for a flight with a friend in his 172 around the Red Deer area and thought “well that was OK but…”.

So, what happened that got me going? It was that ride in the Beaver Ultralight that really got me thinking about getting in the air. There is something special about the open-air ultralight that is tough to equal.

I recently flew the Buzzard to Glenn Bishell’s. It was an early morning in late June flight that was one of the special ones. The air was smooth and the 582 ran flawlessly. I would have had the doors open but there were too many unsecured papers, CFS, maps and stuff to make that a good idea. Radio calls on the way down got me a reply from Glenn as he was headed to follow the Red Deer River for a pleasure flight.

The Buzzard is about to be wingless as a recover and rework is in the plans but the Avid is near ready for its first flight. I bought the Avid Speedwing as a project and have been working on it steadily to get it ready to fly around this area. It is supposed to fly closer to the 100-mph range rather than the 65 to 70mph that the Buzzard can cruise at. Why the change to a faster plane? Why the need for speed?

It seems like everyone wants to go faster and faster. The cars we drive today cruise much faster than the cars of just 30 or 40 years ago. Communication is almost instant with just about everyone carrying their phone on their hip. The world is moving at an alarming rate and that early morning or late evening flight is a chance to slow down and calm yourself.

So again, I ask, why the need for speed? The Avid was bought thinking that a folded wing aircraft might be a little easier to find hanger space, and it appears I may have been right in that now have a plane within 30 minutes of home. The speed is just a byproduct of a smaller thinner wing. I’m hoping that it will still fly well at 60 to 75 mph but give me a little more to get where I’m going a little quicker when needed. Time will tell.

So, if you’re bored with your current ride and the doors open for flight, try something different the next time you’re out. Open the doors and let the sunshine in. At 500’ AGL you won’t have to pick many bugs from your teeth, and fresh air gives you a whole new perspective on your flight. This month starts a new series that Ken and I are trying called “Everybody Has a Story”. We kick the series off with a bio from Bert Hoskins. Bert is a fairly recent member to CRUFC and tells us of his jump into the world of Ultralights. We are looking forward to your story so please get ready to tell.

Till next time: Good Lies and Smooth Skies.