Experimenter

April 2013

Experimenter is a magazine created by EAA for people who build airplanes. We will report on amateur-built aircraft as well as ultralights and other light aircraft.

Issue link: http://experimenter.epubxp.com/i/118927

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est airport, I would have been in violation of federal law. They made it very difficult. However, once we got past all of the regulations, the trip was absolutely magic. The trip from Los Angeles, where we assembled the airplane, to Oshkosh was largely for transportation and a little rushed. However, the trip from Oshkosh back to Los Angeles was for ourselves, but at no time could we escape the magic of discovering America. "On my first trip to Oshkosh I made a mistake and saw the airplanes but missed the people and the country. So, on this trip I was determined to see and get to know both as much as I could, given the time constraints. One of my very first impressions about America is that I'm luckier than many of her citizens because I've now seen so much of her beauty that is not seen even by those who live there. Traveling by small airplane removes the visual limitations imposed by roads and highways and opens up vistas that are not to be believed. In many cases I simply wasn't prepared for what I saw and experienced. For instance, until you're at 8,000 feet flying through Provo Canyon and the city of Provo, Utah, suddenly opens up in front of you, you don't know the feeling of being insignificant. This country is so huge, with so many different overwhelming sights and has so much diversity, that you're continually being challenged to take it all in and put it in perspective. "I also think Americans have to be the friendliest, most upbeat people on the planet. It was amazing how people who had just met us were willing to stop what they were doing to help. The guys in Chapter 92 in Chino, California, where I did the assembling, for instance, went far, far out of their way to help us get the airplane together and on its way. At virtually every airport and small town where we stopped, someone would be there to help. They even gave us crew cars to go to town, or drove us in. The people were incredible almost everywhere we went. "I was amazed by the quality of airports at even the smallest towns. Although I heard local pilots complaining that they have to fight to survive, they can't imagine how much higher quality their airports are than most of the rest of the world. I also know many aren't happy with the FAA and the systems they've set up for aviation, but from what I've experienced elsewhere, I think every country should shut down their own airspace and regulatory systems and contract with the FAA to do them. America's systems work, and for the most part, are easy to understand. I was blown away by how friendly and efficient all the air traffic controllers were. They made what could have been difficult tasks, like figuring out LA's airspace, almost easy. "And then there were the people at Oshkosh. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. I met a lot of people I'd only known via e-mail and formed some permanent friendships. In all honesty, I was a little uncomfortable with the bit of celebrity that my arrival from New Zealand caused: The interviews and such put me very much out of my element, but it was fun, nonetheless." So, now that he has gone through what most people would have to categorize as an almost life-changing experience, what's next on his aviation horizon? "While I was in LA, I picked up my next project, a 1979 Bellanca Viking. I've already taken it completely apart for re-cover and restoration. It's going to be a wonderful traveling airplane, but I already miss the freedom I had when building a homebuilt in the ability to make improvements. Being a certificated airplane, I now have to do some things that are clearly outdated, but in the end, I'll still have a good four-place airplane. Of course, when that's done, I'm certain I'll do another homebuilt. I just have to decide what. But it'll happen." It's always gratifying to see our country through another's eyes. With all of the doom and gloom occasionally raining down around us, the truth is that we in the aviation community in the United States have it much better than so many others. Plus, regardless of what happens on the political front, it's impossible to physically change the land that is America. And it often takes nothing more than a Kiwi in a tiny wooden airplane to remind us of how great our country is. Power for George's Falco is an overhauled 160-hp Lycoming IO-320 paired with a Hartzell prop. Both were " fugitives" from a Twin Comanche. Photography by Jim Raeder Budd Davisson is an aeronautical engineer, has flown more than 300 different types, and has published four books and more than 4,000 articles. He is editor-in-chief of Flight Journal magazine and a flight instructor primarily in Pitts/tailwheel aircraft. Visit him on www.AirBum.com. EAA Experimenter 15

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