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smedley
Joined: 04 Feb 2020
Posts: 18
Location: Hatfield PA
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 Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2020 9:55 am Post subject: Early Days |
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Good Morning All,
I thought since there's not a lot of posts coming in I would fill in by
posting some stuff from my earlier days.
I started flying in 1983. My father owned a tree nursery in Fort Washington
PA. One day I was out in the field digging a tree when a little plane
flew over. It wasn't a regular plane. It was all open I and could see
the pilot. The wings were different colors. He was a few hundred feet high.
I never saw such a thing and stood there thinking that is so cool. A half
hour later he came back going the other way.
I told a friend about it. He said that's one of those new Ultralight
planes. They only cost two thousand dollars. (not)
The next week we sought out a place that had them. We found the Davis
Brothers had a place in Phoenixville PA that sold the Advanced Aviation
"Cobra". The Cobra was like a quicksilver but more sophisticated. It had a
35hp Cayuna engine, silver anodized tubing, double surface wing, steerable
nose gear. It was a great plane. Didn't go much over 50 mph. But it flew
like a Butterfly. The Davis's had a 2 place Cobra for training. We each went for a 20 minute ride. Before we got back I decided I had
to have one. $5,200.00 in a kit. I'll have to tell you a few stories about that plane sometime.
I flew it for 2 or 3 years.
The second year I ran into Mark Chrisman. He was flying a Kolb Twinstar out of a
field owned by Al Navarrow. A very nice man. Al had a Cessna
Cardinal. He tought a lot guys how to fly. I ended up keeping my plane there. Marks Twinstar had a red and
white sunburst on the wings. I couldn't fly around with him his plane was
fast compared to my Cobra. One day he said "when you get tired of
flying that lawn chair with wings I should consider a real plane. Like a
Kolb."
They had just come out with the Firestar the first time I flew over to the
factory. Needless to say I was Impressed. But the thought of building it
looked beyond my ability.
My advanced Aviation Cobra at Deverys. aka. A.G.A. Farm 1984. Behind my
Cobra is a Pterodactyl and a Maxair Hummer.
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Richard Pike
Joined: 09 Jan 2006
Posts: 1671
Location: Blountville, Tennessee
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| Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2020 6:48 pm Post subject: Re: Early Days |
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Thank you for sharing about the Good Old Days!
Yeah, since there is not much going on - I started with a Quicksilver B (plans only) My wife sewed the sails on her antique Singer sewing machine in our living room when she was 8 months pregnant! It flew, but only barely.
I got a Yamaha CT-1 175cc engine and hacksawed off the crankcase until I could make it work with a big flat washer welded to the primary gear, and a 36" home made wood prop bolted to the flat washer. It flew, but would not get out of ground effect. I sold it to a guy who was dumber than I was.
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Richard Pike
Kolb MKIII N420P (420ldPoops)
Kingsport, TN 3TN0
Forgiving is tough, being forgiven is wonderful, and God's grace really is amazing. |
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Richard Pike
Joined: 09 Jan 2006
Posts: 1671
Location: Blountville, Tennessee
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| Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2020 6:54 pm Post subject: Re: Early Days |
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My next fiasco: Back around 1981, Dupont sponsored some sort of contest promoting ultralight aircraft. Don't remember the specifics. But I just happened to have a couple of 8 hp engines that had been marketed for attaching to the crossbar of a hang glider to convert it into a ground launch hang glider. So I got busy.
Here is the result: it wouldn't get out of ground effect either.
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Richard Pike
Kolb MKIII N420P (420ldPoops)
Kingsport, TN 3TN0
Forgiving is tough, being forgiven is wonderful, and God's grace really is amazing. |
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west1m
Joined: 19 Apr 2014
Posts: 155
Location: Hastings, MN
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| Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2020 11:39 pm Post subject: Re: Early Days |
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While not the pilot you guys are I have been doing this off and on for quite a while. My flying started at around 6:30 AM in a bar after graveyard shift back in the mid 80s. My friend and i were sitting there thumbing through the throw away equivalent of craigslist. He found a hangglider and I found a Weedhopper.
The following weekend we went out to the Calif. desert and tried them out.
We never did get the hanglider to fly but after a six pack or so I was having a great time flying the Weedhopper. single cylinder and no ailerons of any kind and the desert was always windy. made turns fun sometimes!
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West1m
Hastings, MN |
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williamtsullivan(at)att.n
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2020 6:33 am Post subject: Early Days |
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I love these old stories! More!
Bill Sullivan
do not archive
On Sunday, April 26, 2020, 10:55:35 PM EDT, Richard Pike <thegreybaron(at)charter.net> wrote:
--> Kolb-List message posted by: "Richard Pike" <thegreybaron(at)charter.net (thegreybaron(at)charter.net)>
My next fiasco: Back around 1981, Dupont sponsored some sort of contest promoting ultralight aircraft. Don't remember the specifics. But I just happened to have a couple of 8 hp engines that had been marketed for attaching to the crossbar of a hang glider to convert it into a ground launch hang glider. So I got busy.
Here is the result: it wouldn't get out of ground effect either.
--------
Richard Pike
Kolb MKIII N420P (420ldPoops)
Kolb Firefly Part 103 legal
Kingsport, TN 3TN0
Forgiving is tough, being forgiven is wonderful, and God's grace really is amazing.
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west1m
Joined: 19 Apr 2014
Posts: 155
Location: Hastings, MN
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| Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2020 11:19 am Post subject: Re: Early Days |
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Of course you have to introduce your kid to flyin'
note the two coils duct taped to the main tube. No mag. just a 6V lantern battery under the seat and an alligator clipped wire hanging on the batt for power.
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West1m
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smedley
Joined: 04 Feb 2020
Posts: 18
Location: Hatfield PA
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| Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2020 8:23 pm Post subject: Early Days |
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I used to carry a 35mm around a lot including flying. Here are a few more. The fist photo is the same place as the last. I probably took it the same day. Im flying around the pattern. The Pteradactyl is in the pattern opposite me. This is at A.G.A. Farm. I think it's still on a sectional. NE of Pennridge airport in PA. The other is at the Kolb Camp at Sun & Fun. I don't know what year. The maroon Firestar is a later version than mine.
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smedley
Joined: 04 Feb 2020
Posts: 18
Location: Hatfield PA
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| Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2020 5:18 am Post subject: Early Days |
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Let me try this again. It looks like the photos didn't come through. Maybe one at a time. This is Deverys. aka - AGA Farm. about 1984. The runway down there used to be the Vargo Drag Strip. 2800 feet paved. Taken from my Cobra, You can see Kim Jacksons Pterdactyl in the pattern.
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smedley
Joined: 04 Feb 2020
Posts: 18
Location: Hatfield PA
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| Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2020 5:28 am Post subject: Early Days |
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Here a photo of the Kolb Camp at Sun/Fun. I think around around 1987. The Maroon Firestar is a later version than mine. The red low wing is the Kolb Lazer
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