I have been a flying enthusiast (read "flying nut") forever. My first flight was when I was eleven. My Uncle Bud House took me flying at a penny a pound event sponsored by the agriculture extension in my home county. I remember it was a Beech Bonanza owned by the Chevy dealer in River Falls Wisconsin.
Like all kids, I built and crashed lots of wooden models when I was growing up. Then, I joined the EAA(Experimental Aircraft Association) in 1962 and began flying lessons in 1964 at Rainbow Airport outside of Milwaukee. The family was growing and it was 1968 before I finally earned my ticket.

Over the years I had an off again/on again connection to flying as the family continued to grow and other issues demanded time and money. I have owned many airplanes and belonged to several flying clubs. But, the crowning achievement to date was building and flying my own experimental aircraft. My son Devin was indispensable in this effort. For several years, I regularly flew the experimental between Phoenix and our home in Puerto Peñasco.

Over all this time, my career as an engineer and manager in the aerospace industry complemented my personal flying. I rode the back seat of a QF-106 exceeding the sound barrier on the USAF Edwards range in 1988, obtained my instrument rating in 1988, received an aerobatics endorsement in 1992, and attended the US Test Pilot School in Mojave CA in 1997.

Then, in the spring of 2006, I sold N493DB. The reason for selling was the fact that I have become a diabetic and I was worried about keeping my FAA physical. It was hard to see this beautiful plane go away but I feel it has gone to a good home with an owner that will appreciate it.

So, now what? Well, there was a newly designated category of aircraft known as LSA for "light sport aircraft". This category has somewhat limited capability but, can be flown with a current driver's license in place of an FAA medical certificate. For me, it is an opportunity to build another aircraft. I chose to build the S6 coyote II designed by RANS. I modified the S6 design to incorporate a 6 cylinder Jabiru engine with plenum chamber cooling. I finished the aircraft including a detailed testing program in 2008. This aircraft was also sold to a new owner and I found myself effectively grounded -- physically if not in spirit.

I invite you to roam the site and poke in the dusty corners of my hanger. It is hard to tell what you might find.