28 Vol.3 No.9 / September 2014
INTRODUCING THE THATCHER CX5
Author's note: Mr. David Thatcher Sr. is an octogenarian and
the purest form of a gentleman, in addition to being a lifelong
supporter of general aviation. As such, I chose to refer to him as
Mr. Thatcher throughout this article.
MR. DAVID THATCHER'S BEAUTIFUL single-place CX4 graced the
pages of EAA's Experimenter e-newsletter in
April 2010 , May
2010
, August 2010 , January 2011 , February 2011 , June 2011 , and
September 2011 as well as EAA Sport Aviation magazine in March
2009
. For those who aren't immediately familiar with the little
plane, it epitomizes the spirit of homebuilt aircraft by being
af ordable to build and operate while having beautiful classic
lines and performance specs that align perfectly with its mission,
within the confi nes of the light-sport aircraft rule. If it had a fl aw,
it would be that we as pilots can't share the joy of fl ying with our
friends in this little gem since it only seats one.
But Mr. Thatcher, EAA 65426, has changed that. He recently
completed the two-place CX5 prototype with the hopes of
taking it to the 2014 Sun 'n Fun International Fly-In & Expo in
Lakeland, Florida, but the airplane just wasn't ready in time.
Last-minute modifi cations caused setbacks with the FAA Phase
I fl ight testing program.
But now the CX5 is ready to fl y. Dr. Glen Bradley, EAA
164271, of Pensacola, Florida, has not only been Mr. Thatcher's
right hand during the build of the prototype but also has been
the test pilot throughout the entire test fl ight program. The
following is the story of the journey from Mr. Thatcher's fertile
mind through the building and fl ight testing of this long-await-
ed, second masterpiece.
HOW'D I GE T M Y SEL F IN T O T HIS SI T UAT ION?
Like so many builders on the verge of a fi rst fl ight, this was the
question on Glen's mind on December 17, 2013, as he strapped
himself into a homebuilt plane that had never fl own. Worse yet,
this was the prototype of a new design, not one built as a replica
of hundreds that had fl own before. Glen is a 66-year-old retired
college professor and CFI—not a professional test pilot. Surely
we can appreciate his apprehension and anxiety.
The CX5 in its actual all-metal confi guration.
Photography courtesy of Dr. Glen Bradley
The CX5 began as a wooden mock-up that quickly led to the fi nal design.