Karl, Dolly, Ancestors, Progeny and Activities
Camping with friends
Dolly and I drove our Roadtrek RV to Airventure rather than fly the Swift so as to not be distracted from our prime focus on Vans RV building information. It also allowed us to camp with over twenty others from Dalton Airport (3DA), our home airport. We were the first of our group to arrive on Thursday before the convention
. The site in Ed’s Campground adjacent to the airport and just off the end of the ultralight runway was gorgeous.
A Surprise Decision
06/11/14
Vans shipped the RV-7 preview plans yesterday. I’ve been reading everything I can find about construction. Hope for a ride at Oshkosh.
06/15/14
Plans arrived. Is that the beginning of an RV Grin?
This is the Michigan pole barn that is being converted into the RV-7 construction site. Today I completed a pad and cover for our 20 gal air compressor to sit outside the barn. There is still much cleaning to do before it is ready to receive the quickbuild wings and fuselage next spring.
05/17/2014
Karl is a retired engineer, financial officer, air charter manager, and computer consultant. He started on his aviation career in 1954. At age eighty-one Karl owned a Globe-Temco Swift, and had FAA Commercial SEL, SES, MEL, and Glider certificates collected in 3,000+ hours over the intervening years. His CFII rating is lapsed.
Dolly is enthusiastic about aviation and knitting.
Photo: The cockpit of Howard Hughes “Spruce Goose” in McMinnville, Oregon.
Saturday May 17th 2014 was the day I decided I was not too old to start building an E-AB aircraft. I started on my aviation career in 1954. At age eighty I own a Temco-Globe Swift, and have Commercial SEL, SES, MEL, and Glider certificates collected in 3,000+ hours during the intervening years. I have allowed my CFII rating to lapse. It was a hurdle to overcome the idea that I might be too old to start building a full scale airplane.
During the last three summers my wife, stepson and I completed a studs out remodeling of an apartment that is to be our summer home in Michigan. This year, contemplating how bored I’d be without some project, I came to the conclusion that doing an aircraft build is age independent.
I haven’t committed to the make and model of the build, but it likely will be an RV-7, tail wheel configuration. I’m just in the early stages of researching the project, and plan on attending the Airventure in July, armed with many questions.
The Swift is going up for sale,
with the expectation that it may contribute to the build cost of the homebuilt. Currently the Swift is home in Florida. Next week we again bring it North to the Swift Nationals, and then up to 3DA, Flushing Michigan, six miles from our summer home.
A new adventure begins. Empinage this winter in Florida and QB wings and fuselage in the MI barn next summer.