Winging it: Building an experimental aircraft is more than a hobby

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Jun 27, 2003 | by Carma Wadley Deseret Morning News

With the help of his son, Shane, he is now building his second plane, an RV-8, which will "have a bigger motor, tandem seats, be more responsive and nimble."

Seal, too, remembers his first flight. The takeoff was so fast, that one minute he was on the ground, and "Bam! The next minute I was 2,000 feet up. I thought, 'I put this thing together, and here I am?' It was a thrill, but there was still kind of a gulp, too."

"That first flight is definitely one of the most exciting things you do," says Peter Stevens. "It's one of the cardinal events of your life. You practice, and you think you know how it will go, but there are always surprises."

Stevens has had several homebuilts. "I'm one of those guys that finishes one and looks for another. It's an addictive thing to do." He plans to have his latest project, a Bearhawk, finished by the time his daughter graduates from high school in three years. "Then I'm taking her to Alaska."

The Bearhawk has also caught the fancy of Rod Sorensen, who actually spent the last year or so building a car from scratch. "Just as soon as that's done, we're doing the plane." The Bearhawk, he says, "is one of the nicest planes I've ever seen. And I've been flying since 1940, when I trained as a Navy pilot."

At last count, says Froelich, there are about 215 different airplanes, seaplanes, helicopters and ultralights that can be built from scratch, with kits or plans. About the only restrictions with experimental aircraft, he says, are that the plane may not be used for commercial use and the builder must also serve as the chief mechanic.

But, he says, having a small plane, "gives you the freedom to go where you want, when you want." Weather permitting, of course. "Oh, yeah, I've had some interesting experiences in places I'd never planned to be because of weather."

Flying at the lower altitudes, he says, "gives you a whole different concept of what the United States is all about." That's one of the things Froelich most enjoys about it -- that and the camaraderie he shares with other pilots.

"I met more people out here after I started building a plane than I met in six years working at the VA hospital. A homebuilt plane is like a magnet. And they are such a neat group of people." Both the builders and the fliers.

E-MAIL: carma@desnews.com