[Mike D]

It is the end of the year and I usually like to take a look back and see what has happened. This year it was heavily influenced by all you guys (and gals) and the whole RV and GA community. I won?t give you my life?s story here but just relate the RV related aspects of what happened and hopefully this will inspire everyone who is thinking of buying or building. I would love to hear others year end stories.

This was the first full year of owning an RV-6A. This is a huge goal in of itself. I can?t tell you how much this has changed my life and how many great folks I have met because of the RV. I have flown over 100 hrs this year and learned a lot. I have scared the c&@p out of myself a few times also.

The plane was down for a month to redo the panel. Here is a before and after picts. Huge thanks to the VAF and Hooks gangs for helping when I had questions.

Before:

After:

The wife likes flying now that she has gotten over the air sickness thing (for the most part). So for those significant others, push on through, and in about 5-10 hours of flight your body seems to accept the 3rd dimension of movement. It is always more fun flying and sharing with others.

We did our annual trip to Oshkosh this year. This time by flying the 6-hours instead of the 20+ hours in a car. This was a blast. Canh (wife) got air sick but she was a huge supporter of traveling this way. Seeing Wittman field was great for her , but I was so busy flying I did not get to see much. Guess I?ll have to do it again next year.

I will say that all the folks from the FBO?s, the controllers, and the volunteers at Oshkosh were excellent, and I give a huge thanks to them. Canh loved the flight following because it let her know someone was just a mic click away. Thanks to the 3 Daves for always getting to Oshkosh early and saving us a spot!!

For me, the biggest honor and experience this year was flying the RV from Houston to San Jose to give my 92yo grandfather a ride. Huge, huge, RV grin on my face. I am lucky to have had the opportunity to share a flight with this former B-17 pilot. He is a big reason I am flying today. It is just a miracle he made it through the war and is still here for me to share this with him. As an additional honor, I also got to give my uncle a ride. He is the guy to hook me up with my first flight in a GA aircraft. So huge thanks to him also.

There were many more fun flights this year. Each had their own lesson. And I now have a better handle on the maintenance thing thanks to the help of Mel, Bill, Dennis, and others. So owning a RV is not as hard as I had worried it would be, and I have had some great experiences because of it. I am looking forward to next year?s learning?s and experiences.

Thanks to everyone and hope to meet more of the VAF crowd in person next year!!

 

[Veetail88]

Congratulations on your great year Mike!

And thanks to your grandfather for serving.

Tell him for me that me and my family are enjoying the living daylights out of our freedom and sincerely appreciate that blessing in our lives that he helped, through his selfless service, to provide!

Merry Christmas!

 

[CPSONE]

Hats off to your Grandfather

Hats off to your Grandfather for his amazing contribution to world freedom, and I envy your fun year! I had a personal tour a the B-17 at the Palm Springs Air Museum last year and sitting in the Captain's chair was an amazing thrill. Looking out the Captain's window at those big radials and imagining what it was like for the young men sent chills down my spine. No heat, electric flight suits, being shot at. Thanks to your brave Grandad.

I flew my Turbo Seminole from the west coast of Canada to the Atlantic ocean and back this summer, stopping at Niagara Falls and Nova Scotia (Great Lobster) and Summerside PEI. Flew close to the great circle route on the way back and I knew I was way up north when there was a picture of Less Stroud (Survivorman) on the wall at the hotel. I'm an ATP rated pilot and I never tire of the thrill of flying. Looking forward to my RV7A being done so I can save a wheelbarrow full of cash on fuel!

 

[BSwayze]

Nice post, Michael!

Congratulations on a great year. It was a great year here, too. The highlight was finishing my fuselage kit, and mating the wings outside in the driveway a few months ago.

Your post hit a soft point with me, because I have an 83-yr old father. He loves coming over and helping me with the project, and one of my BIG dreams is to take him up in my flying RV when it's finished. He's never been up in an RV before. His only surviving sister lives in a distant city that's about a 12-hour drive from here. I could fly it in 3 hrs. I desperately want to take him to see his sister for lunch. We could be home in time for dinner. When I told him I'd like to do this, he said "you better hurry up and get it finished. I'm going to get old one of these days." He's a veteran, too. He served in the Navy right after WWII.

Here are a couple pictures of him. He cut all the stiffeners for my fuel tanks back when I was building my wings:

He shot all the rivets on my aft top skin on the fuselage. He shoots rivets like a pro. They're perfect!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

 

[DonFromTX]

I can only add: Do it while you can, don't put it off! My father was always so strong on aviation and proud that I actually flew planes, but I never got to fly him around, too busy with an Army career and never got the chance (meaning I just failed to make it happen).
He died at 63 from cancer back in 1975, and those expected golden years I intended to enjoy with him were never to happen. Just one of the very few regrets I have as I look back over my life, I COULD have made it happen. Beg, borrow, or steal a plane and take him for a ride!

 

[Geico266]

Good looking panel!

It has been a good year. I finished up the -12 and got it painted, then painted and installed the wheel pants on my -12 and flew to both SnF & OSH in a plane I built. Mission accomplished.

 

[Mike D]

Thanks VAF!

Mike and Jesse, Thanks! I too am living the heck out of the freedom they have given us. I will relay all the thanks for serving to my whole family. Granddad did 20 years (Army Air Core/ Air Force), Mom did 23 years in the Navy, and my uncle (that I gave the ride to) did his time in the Army during Vietnam. They are all so humble about their service so I don?t get many stories.

Don, this was my exact worry. I have begged and stole to make this happen for me. I was busy at work, flying over 180K miles this year, and spending several months in Asia, when I just told work that this was enough. I took the week off and made it happen. I truly mean it when I say it was an honor to fly my grandfather. I am just so lucky to have him still here with us, and that he is strong enough to climb up and get into the RV. No small accomplishment at 92. I think about this short flight almost every day.

Bruce, Thanks for the update and pictures. Looks like your dad is earning that ride.

Larry, Thanks! Needless to say, my grandfather was absolutely amazed at the panel.

Again, Thanks to the whole VAF family!!!

 

[DENMACRES]

panel, ride

Nice job, Mike! congrats to your grandfather and thanks too him. DenMac Aero

 

[CNEJR]

Mike.....

I met you up at Conroe at Dennis'. It has been a great year for both of us. Basically got the Phase I flown off on my plane and got my PL in it. What more could we ask for? Glad your having a good time in yours, I am having a ball in mine. Look forward to many more.