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I have been wanting to build an airplane since I was 16, and my girlfriend's father introduced me to the EAA. He was a pilot (Cessna 206 with Robertson STOL mods), and was building a Sonerai 2L in his garage. I flew a good bit with him, and loved every minute of it.
I became an Army Chief Warrant Officer (helicopter instructor pilot) with Commercial Instrument rating in Helicopters. I then pursued my Private and Commercial ASEL ratings. I quit flying for financial reasons when the kids were born, but never lost my dream to utile my own airplane. Now, with the kids grown, and off the financial dole (college, etc.), I resumed flying, and found that I still enjoy it as much as ever. Bought an airplane, but never lost the desire to build my own.
Fast forward to last year, when I started hearing about Bob Barrows designs. When I saw the Patrol 2-seater, I realized immediately that I'd found the airplane I wanted to build. I may not ever get to Alaska to land on sand bars, etc., but I will get to explore every grass field I come across! The safety margin of low stall speed, short field capability, while still maintaining reasonable cross-country speeds, makes this a great airplane for me, and the nearly 1000-lb useful load in a 2-place plane is simply phenomenal. Add to that the wide cabin (as wide as some low-end 2-place side-by-side designs), ample leg room, and comfortable seats, and it's a winning package.
I'm looking forward to starting Mark's Quick-build Kit very soon, with the stretch goal of flying it to OSH for Airventure 2017. That might be a bit of a challenge, but I plan to enjoy the journey, and if we don't make OSH 2017, we'll be there someday!
I became an Army Chief Warrant Officer (helicopter instructor pilot) with Commercial Instrument rating in Helicopters. I then pursued my Private and Commercial ASEL ratings. I quit flying for financial reasons when the kids were born, but never lost my dream to utile my own airplane. Now, with the kids grown, and off the financial dole (college, etc.), I resumed flying, and found that I still enjoy it as much as ever. Bought an airplane, but never lost the desire to build my own.
Fast forward to last year, when I started hearing about Bob Barrows designs. When I saw the Patrol 2-seater, I realized immediately that I'd found the airplane I wanted to build. I may not ever get to Alaska to land on sand bars, etc., but I will get to explore every grass field I come across! The safety margin of low stall speed, short field capability, while still maintaining reasonable cross-country speeds, makes this a great airplane for me, and the nearly 1000-lb useful load in a 2-place plane is simply phenomenal. Add to that the wide cabin (as wide as some low-end 2-place side-by-side designs), ample leg room, and comfortable seats, and it's a winning package.
I'm looking forward to starting Mark's Quick-build Kit very soon, with the stretch goal of flying it to OSH for Airventure 2017. That might be a bit of a challenge, but I plan to enjoy the journey, and if we don't make OSH 2017, we'll be there someday!
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