28 Vol.4 No.1 / Januar y 2015
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE BUILDING
IN 2010 WHILE LOOKING for a retirement project for myself—a
senior aerospace avionics engineer—I came across a shiny
Hummel Bird built by Blackie, a serial craftsman, for sale in
Texas. However, the newly introduced Hummel H-5 was
already on the market and seemed to better meet my anticipated
needs. So I jumped into my car and drove to the badlands of
Texas from coastal California to check out the Hummel design
philosophy, kit fabrication, and factory support. I also got
checked out for fl ight in a light-sport aircraft after 55 years and
even fewer hours in general aviation aircraft.
Following conversations with Terry at Hummel Avia-
tion, I settled on a tri-gear H-5 kit with the big 2.4-liter,
85-hp Hummel engine and a pair of 5-gallon wing tanks.
This would give me the range to visit sons in Nevada and
Washington and the incentive to add lots of avionics like a
real cross-country airplane. My wife agreed that she would
contentedly continue to use commercial flights until I add
another seat and more engines to my (next) little plane.
In a year and a half, after working about four hours per
day in an ample garage, we rolled out the H-5 and loaded
it onto a borrowed trailer for a 10-mile trip to the regional
airport and a borrowed hangar. During the next few months,
the wings were attached, avionics checked out, and a few
hours of taxi testing done to assure myself that the steer-
able nose gear really would steer. Shortly after a designated
airworthiness representative determined it was airworthy,
A California Hummel Bird
N144HV—my retirement project
BY DAVID V. DICKE Y, E A A 399543
Photography by David Dickey