END OF AN ERA!

First of all, I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of support I’ve received since the accident on February 1st. It really is amazing how many friends and family have visited and helped us out.

However, after 32 years with a pilot’s license and many more years of flying in the right seat beside Dad, I’ve decided to hang up the leather helmet and goggles for good.

As many of you read last month, I recently had a rather traumatic flying event that has left me with a rather messed up left knee. Unfortunately, some of the damage will be permanent. I have had some good news on that front. The surgery that we thought was eminent, now appears may not be needed at all! It’s a 50/50 chance that the knee will heal up sufficiently on its own. I also returned to work today and found it went pretty good. I’ve been ordered to have no weight-bearing on the left knee for six weeks from the time it was damage, which means it’ll be around the middle of March for my first tentative steps.

However, I have already started physiotherapy, which mainly consists of bending the knee and trying to get rid of the stiffness that built up in the first couple of weeks. The doctor was hoping to get me to about 45º60º in the first couple of weeks. I ended up achieving 90º in the first 20 minutes! I’m now using a stationary bike to improve mobility. Hopefully, the rest of the recovery goes as well.

Although this is a factor in my decision to stop flying, it’s actually just one of several. Over the past five years I’ve been able to maintain my medical in spite of having Type 2 Diabetes. Transport Canada’s requirements are actually quite easy to meet, since they want to see the blood/sugar readings at the high end of the scale. This prevents the possibility of blacking out due to the combination of low blood sugars and reduced oxygen levels in flight. Great… right? Well, not really. High blood sugars have really nasty long-term effects on the body including high risk of heart attack, stroke, blindness and loss of lower extremities (ie… feet!). My family doctor and endocrinologist want me to have much lower numbers for long term health, but it’s below Transport Canada’s threshold. There is also some new medication that I should be taking, but which Transport Canada doesn’t approve of.

Over the past couple of years, this has added a huge layer of stress to my annual medical renewal, not to mention cost! I have to undergo a battery of tests every year including a dilated fundal exam of the eyes, stress EKG, ECG, etc. All these test cost money that comes out of my pocket!

The third reason for calling it quits is my wife, Renée. Although she has not asked me to give up flying, I know she’ll never again be comfortable when I’m committing aviation. Renée has been a saint over the past couple of weeks. She gave up a trip to Newfoundland to visit with her ill mother. She’s been my chauffer, nurse, cook, house maid, Sherpa and companion through this entire ordeal. She went through hell those first few days, trying to get information on my condition and wanting to come visit me in Edmonton. I know she is relieved with my decision.

Of course, the final reason is that I don’t have a plane! Sure, there is the Buttercup, but it’s still years from flying. I’m really not as keen to continue putting time and money into a plane I may never be able to fly. To be honest, I really haven’t done much one it over the past couple of years mainly due to the fact I’m not as motivated anymore.

So, what’s to become of the Buttercup? Well, since I made many modifications to the plane that are not really documented, I’ve decided to part it out. If anyone is interested in an overhauled O-320, I have one for sale. In fact, I have a second case and crank to go with it!

Over the past couple of weeks or so, I’ve been keeping busy by purging much of the aircraft stuff I’ve collected over the years. Much of it will go into the recycle or trash bin, but I will try to find a home for a lot of the useful items. It feels good to clean up a lot of this stuff. When I’m in better shape, I plan on having an Aviation Garage Sale to get rid of a lot of the parts and tools I’ve accumulated, both personally and through Beanlands Aviation Ltd.

As for the Christavia itself, the insurance wants to dispose of the wreckage in the next couple of weeks. I suspect that given it’s a homebuilt, they will take the first reasonable offer that crosses their desk. Let me know if you’re interested in the salvage and I can get you in touch with the adjuster.

So, how do I plan to fill the void? I have a couple of ideas. I gave up R/C flying when I was in my midtwenties to spend my time, effort and money flying the Cessna 180 and building the Christavia. However, I am still quite interested in the hobby and look forward to getting back into it.

Renée and I also have a passion for sailing which I hope to spend more time at. We have a sailing dinghy in the shop that needs a little TLC to get back in the water. There’s also the cabin that needs a lot of finish carpentry work to complete and landscaping to get where we can finally enjoy it.

Finally, as many of you know, we’ve been getting more and more involved with the dog rescue organizations. I find the work incredibly rewarding and now have the time to put into that endeavor.

To be honest, I made this decision the morning after the crash and, so far, have not had a change of heart. Also, I have no regrets with this decision and look at it as a new opportunity. I’ve had a few comments that I may be jumping into this decision too soon and that I may change my mind after some time has passed. That may be the case, and if I do decide to get back into the hobby, I’ll look at buying something “Ready To Fly” (as they say in the R/C flying world) rather than investing the time and energy into building.

I’ve also decided that I will resign as newsletter editor. Without having a direct involvement in flying anymore, it just doesn’t seem appropriate to continue on as editor. Besides, March 2015 marks my 10th anniversary edition as editor and it’s time for someone else to take the reins! In general, I’ve decided to simplify my life and reduce the clutter. I can concentrate on healing and other interests I’ve put off over the years.