distraction

Ten days ago, I learned about this:

Bob's Dragonfly Project

The $4,500 was the right price but I needed to see it in person. So this past weekend, I drove to Canton Il:

Bob's Inspection

Tuesday, I took a personal day and after some fact-finding, mailed the check. It will take a couple of weeks before I can bring the plane from Canton to Huntsville but either by November 11 weekend or over Thanksgiving, that plane will be home in Alabama. A 20+ year old dream comes true.

In 1976, I bought a Cherokee 140 and hired a flight instructor. I also bought a motorcycle since if it is safe to fly it is safe to ride a motorcycle. But in 1980, I had to choose between the wife and the plane and we are still married.

I looked long and hard at different aircraft and decided the Dragonfly was the right plane for me. It has high aspect wings with low wing loading. The designer, Bob Walters, did it right and in 1996, I bought the plans hoping to find time and space to build it. Then 10 days ago, I learned this plane was available.

My Prius studies often generated detailed performance charts even if not understood by others but this is how we do things in aviation. It is not opinion but physics and careful measurements, often expressed in charts and graphs, that we gain insights to fly safely.

Aviation also teaches that safety has to be addressed and discussed openly and without rancor. Nobody likes FAA regulations but they were written in blood. We choose to follow them because they also conform to how we like to fly and sometimes stay on the ground to fly tomorrow.

Finally, flying requires absolute honesty, especially with ourselves. The are old and there are bold pilots but there are no old and bold pilots. That also means sometimes admitting you've made a mistake and if you search for 'bwilson4web' and 'apology', you'll get hits.

It isn't that I'm giving up on my Prius studies but this evening, I learned about a better way to mount the engine in my Dragonfly. So I'm already planning how I will retrofit this modification on my plane that is still in Canton Il.

It is more accurate to say if I have some Dragonfly stuff to do, it will be done first. As for Prius stuff, it won't have as much of my time as it had in the past. Not because I don't like my Prius and hybrids in general but if I screw up the Dragonfly, I and/or my wife might die . . . the infrequent Prius accidents are survivable.

So don't read anything into my reduced participation Prius affairs other than I might be distracted with my new airplane!

Thanks,
Bob Wilson