Hello!
I'm a 44-yo under-employed software engineer,
so I can't really afford to be here; but,
I'm a 44-yo under-employed software engineer,
and I can't really afford NOT to be here.
Last month, during an 80-mile hike on the John Muir Trail in the Sierra Nevada's, my youngest son started asking lots of questions about my flying days. Tyson was turning 12 on the trail, and we had already discussed his desire to join Civil Air Patrol once we returned.
CAP had paid for a large portion of my Private cert when I was 17. I'm still a very-low-time pilot (about 120 TT, most in 172's), and I haven't flown in over 25 years. Still, Tyson seemed fascinated at my stories: airshows, fly-ins, under-wing camping along the California coast, working a fuel truck a few summers at Nut Tree airport in Vacaville.
But his excitement cranked up a few notches when I told him about the BD-5 my friends' father was building in his garage (late 1970's). Tyson's always been a bit of a builder, and he insisted we find out more about the current state of home-building as soon as we got home.
It didn't take long for me to find Van's Aircraft. I learned, as you all know, that the performance:value ratio makes these planes irresistible. I was sold on the plane long before I started lurking here in the VAF Forums.
But after a few hundred hours of reading the archives here, I must say the straw that broke my back was the rich culture you all have built up in this Van's Community. Sure, the usually disagreements and flames peek out occasionally, but I've been online since the Arpanet (that's the pre-cursor to the Internet), and I've never seen a group more consistently friendly, helpful, supportive, and caring toward one another.
So I blame you all for the totally unwise path my son and I are beginning now. We ordered the Preview Plan's for an RV-7/7A last week, and we've been poring over them since they arrived on Tuesday. We're sold. We're committed to starting sometime before my 45th birthday next May, and to finishing before my 50th. That would put Tyson just a little past 17, ready to slip the surly bonds on his own.
We decided a few hours ago to fly down to LOE to join all of you in person. Since we don't have an airplane, we'll have to fly less than an inch or two AGL, thanks to our nation's asphalt airways. Still, I'm hoping 17 hours each way from Utah will be worth it. Sure, we could save the money and put it toward our first kit, but I'm anticipating spending the weekend with all of you will be worth the expense.
Please introduce yourselves. We'll be the father-son team, joined at the hip, taking lots of pictures, asking lots of questions, grinning a lot, and trying not to be too annoying (okay, perhaps we'll be ONE of the father-son teams with those attributes, but find us anyway).
A small benefit to meeting us: we'll be taking a nine-seat Suburban (bronze, Utah plates) with plenty of extra room to shuttle people around. If you weren't able to find a rental car, just flag us down and we'll take you wherever you need to go. We might pester you with questions on the way, but I hope that serves as your fare. If not, just ask us to shut up; the fare's still free. :-)
Okay, like I said,
I'm a 44-yo under-employed software engineer,
so I can't really afford to be here.
But, let's face it,
I'm a 44-yo father, with a rabidly curious 12-yo son, and we both want to fly like our heroes.
I'm certain we're in the right place.
High flying,
Stephen and Tyson
http://fatherson.posterous.com/
Hello: new father-son build team joining you all at LOE
Linear Mode
