Flew to
Triple Tree Aerodrome this past weekend with one of my flybuddies Tim. We had a great time and decided that we would try to get our wives to join us next year. The weather was on the wet side but the events, the meals, the unique grass runway, the great variety of planes and the friendly company of fellow pilots made up for it. With only 5 weeks to go until take-off for the
Abbey Animal Final Fixit Project in St. Croix (www.tripletreeaerodrome.com), this was a great way to test my cross country skills. I was able to fly all the way there and back simulating IFR.
For those of you who have never been to Triple Tree (), it is an airport that is located in South Carolina near Charlotte. It is a privately owned facility that has been used to host RC (radio controlled ) events. There is an 8000 ft. grass runway that is smoother then most putting greens. There are also two lakes, one of which can accommodate the float plane crowd. The owner has a passion for aviation, especially the fabric planes and the experimental planes. In the main hanger there is a Stearman that was the envy of the crowd.
During the Fly-in there were many experimental aircraft on display. The RV's were well represented and seemed to relish this environment. I don't think that I have seen so many of them in one place at one time (of course I have not been to Oshkosh or Sun and Fun… those are in a whole other league). But the envy of my eye was a Pitenpol experimental airplane, that looks like a great aircraft for a burgeoning builder to start with (the plans were first published in Popular Mechanics Magazine). Tim and I (mostly Tim, but me too) are thinking of starting a project of building an all wood (metal is an optional add-on), fabric covered plane. Tim has experience building planes and since he completed his RV-6A about 2 years ago, he is now getting the "itch" to start another plane. I have to admit that being around so many builders and so many experimental and restored aircraft, I am also ready to take the first step and get into building. The things I like about the Pitenpol are that its built of mostly wood, its very simple, it looks like fun to fly, and its relatively inexpensive to operate and build. One of the premier builders put his together for about $6800… and that includes the engine! We are trying to get about 5 partners together… that might be a tall order! Oh well, its a journey!
One of the events included a class on working with fabric.
Jerry Stadtmiller is well known for his passion of restoring fabric covered vintage planes. He transplanted his operation from Florida to Andrews-Murphy Airport (KRHP) in North Carolina. You can visit his website at (
www.bipeinc.com).
Well back to work, looking for a second cup of coffee… Pray for our projects, thanks for your support. Robin