Impressions Of A Newcomer

My childhood dream of flying became reality in 1981 at Wittman field when I first flew under a WWII veteran by the name of Laurance Mache in a Cessna 150. Starting out flying at a tower field was supposed to be the best training but on occasion Laurance would take the controls and land at a buddy's grass strip for a cup of coffee (he would subtract the time from my bill). After more hours of dual, solo, and 2 solo cross country trips (both included Wausau as the third leg), the only thing I remember after 18 years is that grass strip and the time at the farmhouse coffee table with the Cessna sitting outside. I believe the reason this is my strongest early impression of flying is that it was just for fun. At the time I was seriously trying to be an adult and thought that flying had to be complicated. I was a good student but got tired of all the rig-a-ma-roll. Squawk this say that, look at these instruments, but don't use those on your cross country (IFR). After a week out of the plane, I had to relearn it all. I spent way too much of my limited mental capacity on cockpit management to concentrate on the act of flying, let alone the joy of flying. I met my future bride (now wife of 17 years) and simply stopped flying, cold turkey, and choose the sport of fatherhood. At that time Ultralights were getting popular and I was fascinated by the variety at Oshkosh but they seemed frail and unproven, nothing more than a toy to a "real" pilot like myself. Over the years these toys started looking better to me, and making more sense. I started realizing that regulation and litigation on both pilot and plane makers was doing more to drive the cost of aviation through the stratosphere, than to improve safety. The internet came along and now I could learn much more about the obscure sport of Ultralights, and I liked what I saw. A few clicks of the mouse later, I had a buyers guide in my hands, with local contacts to call. Called Steve Krueger and he said to come to the meeting at John Verfueths the next weekend and the rest is history. Now, after a single (Chapter 75) meeting at John Verfueths, I'm hooked, line and sinker. Joy of flying is alive and well in Central Wisconsin! What resources we have, friendly grass strips, great instructors and builders, helpful members, and even a Rotax guru who speaks English! Steve Krueger took me up on an introductory flight at Johns, against his advice. Winds were gusty and downright spooky-he warned me. But after seeing Dean and the gang doing low passes dropping "bombs", I thought, "If I'm going to do this, I've got to do it now!" Steve was right as I tried not to pass out (the nice thing about a Quicksilver trainer is they provide bars to squeeze not unlike biting on a stick while Clint Eastwood is removing the bullet from your leg with a bowie knife)- Pass the Tequila!! A week or so later I took my first Ultralight lesson with Steve Krueger, very professional all the way. But it was when he said, "isn't it perfect, it's so beautiful", that I knew that this instructor knows when to relax and enjoy, even with a new student on the stick! Now Steve's trainer isn't exactly laden with instruments, so it was quite a leap for me coming from an IFR equipped Cessna. He caught me looking at the tach while checking the magnetos, "don't look at that cloudhopper, use your ears". On climb-out he caught me looking at the Hall airspeed indicator, "don't trust that cloudhopper, feel the wind". With no VSI or dashboard for reference he said, "look at the wing angle cloudhopper, this is straight and level flight". I thought to myself, " Zen and the art of flying", and this was only my first lesson! I only pray he is not warming up the Weber when I arrive for my first solo in an Ultralight, "its time to spread out the briquettes boys, cloudhopper's on final"! Jokes aside, that is what flying is all about. Now I know why it was so easy to give up on my pilot license 18 years ago, lots of hassle and money to go up in a plane that offers about the same (or less) visibility as a car, what's the point. I want to fly like a bird and shake off all the restraints and anger that land travel has become without adding too much complexity. I think that Ultralights can offer me this, I'll let you know. Russ Post (written in September 1999)