Robbie Culver, A Friend Of ANN, Achieves A Lifetime Milestone

It's hard to explain... unless you've done it... you know -- devoted months and years of hopes, dreams, elbow grease and the sweat of your brow (not to mention an untold number of aero-monetary units) to crafting a real-live flying machine of your very own.

It happens hundreds of times a year and there's never enough fanfare, in my opinion, given to those who not only cast gravity aside... but do so in vehicles that they crafted for themselves. It starts months and years ahead of the event... filled with puzzlement, accomplishment, disappointment, confusion, eventual comprehension/understanding and lots of 'just plane' hard work. But when you're done, you trundle this contraption out to a runway and commit your dreams, as well as yourself, to undertaking aviation in a way that only a few can boast of... after all; it's the first flight of a aircraft that you crafted -- yourself.

ANN is pleased to note yet another such achievement... this time to a friend of ANN, a fellow who has worked with us at Oshkosh as one of our stringers and has generously contributed to the path that ANN has arduously followed for two decades. Robbie Culver, a Chicago area pilot, chose to build a Sonex using John Monnett's Turbo-Vee installation and following nearly half a decade of intense planning and actual building, took that little beast for its first flight a few days back... and thereafter penciled the completion of a 'Bucket List' item into his life's history that SO FEW will ever match, let alone understand.

Robbie impressed me with aspects of his first flight narrative with some cautionary thinking that showed that he took this first flight seriously, and was better prepared than most, for the potential appearance of a "Murphy Moment" and more than willing to temper the enthusiasm of a first flight with the caution of a guy who was oh-so-interested that there be many, many, MANY more flights to follow. I had nothing to do with any of this... but couldn't help but be proud to know that a guy this careful and this smart was not only 'one of us' but was one of the many that have been friends to the ANN dream.

From Robbie's first flight comments...

"The entire time, I kept telling myself I did not have to fly, and if I did I should expect an emergency abort on my first takeoff. But things felt good, the airplane seemed ready, and the engine was running fine.

A brief run up showed no surprises, so, I taxied out and called ground.

I felt calm and collected, determined, and focused. I told the ground controller this was a first flight, remaining over the airport and climbing to 2500. She told me to expect a Runway 27, so I called the tower. With no traffic, I was cleared for takeoff immediately. The engine was warm, so I taxied out to the runway.

I took a deep breath as I pulled on to the runway, lined up on the centerline, and slowly advanced the throttle. It was cool and calm, and my turbo powered AeroVee came up smoothly and I was off the runway in less than 800 feet. I instinctively kicked in left rudder, hearing Mike Farley and Joe Norris in my head....

Keeping the nose down, I made a small bank left and right and verified I had no control issues. So, I continued the climb gently, and the tower gave me a choice of left or right turn. I chose right, as the northwest corner of the airport is mostly empty and gives easy access to three runways (four if you count the unused grass strip).

The Sonex was a dream to fly and after years of thinking about this, it was an incredible feeling to know I was flying what, until now, had been a project. Now she is an airplane, flying. Wow....

I climbed to 2500 feet and stayed right over the northwest corner of the airport. Gentle banks each way, sped up to easy cruise, then slowed down. No changes in flight characteristics.

After about 15 minutes or so, I called tower and asked to come back in. I was given the right downwind to 27, so I circled down slowly to pattern altitude. Once in the pattern, I just slowed the Sonex down as Joe Norris drilled into my head. A notch of flaps abeam my touchdown point, easy power reductions, then a second notch of flaps on base. I stayed close and made a gently curving turn in to be certain I could make the runway if the engine quit.

In short final, I pulled the nose back to slow further, continued to ease the power off as I approached the runway, then put her in the three point altitude as I felt the time was right. It must have been the right place, because I landed with the gentlest of bounces, keeping the stick back in my lap.

On rollout, as I slowed, the engine stopped. That got my attention! It appears my idle needs adjustment and may possibly be too rich. Not sure yet. (The engine never hiccuped once or ran rough in flight)

I coasted off the runway and ended up pushing it to the ramp where my wife and son were waiting. After a lot of hugging and high fives, I climbed back in, fired her up, and taxied back to the hangar. No major surprises were found in a post flight inspection.

All in all a huge success and I am still amazed that I finally flew her."

Congrats to Robbie Culver and the VERY supportive family that made this dream possible. The US aircraft population's sum total just notched an uptick with a new airframe... courtesy of Robbie Culver, his family and friends.

OK, ANN readers and viewers... which one of you is next?

FMI: www.sonexbuilders.net, http://chicagoskydreams.com