Cape Breton's Magazine

something flies down as low as twenty miles an hour, it's no damn good at all. Because what happens then, like when you're turning in on final to come into the airport to land, once you start the turn, and you bank her to start the turn, it means that inner wing now is sloped back. She's starting to lose lift in it, due to the airflow striking it on an an? gle. And the other one is starting to come more square with the wind, so it's picking up lift on the outside, so it tends to want to roll in. It's the only thing I ev? er flew that you had to go around a left- hand turn, you had to go around with full right-hand stick and out right-hand rud? der, to go around a left-hand turn. To keep her from rolling in, 'cause if she'd roll in she'd go in a spiral or something and kill you. So I didn't figure that was very safe. So, I said to myself, "Jeeze, I can make one to fly as good as that." I'm not supposed to be an engineer, so I got an old piece of calendar, back of a calendar, and I drew out a profile of what I'd like it to look like. So, I went with a pusher engine because, what I'd used to find, when I'd come in the airport after I'd been out flying, if there'd be people around, or kids around, they'd all make a run for the front of the airplane. I was scared some- Cape Breton Auto Radiator co RADIATOR HOSES • REPAIRING • CLEANING • RECORING c'oi- . COMPLETE CYLINDER HEAD SERVICE _ . 518 Grand 'uTO * truck * industrial bydney Lake Road Complete Line of Gas Tanks 564-6362 • NOW DOING AUTOMOBILE AIR CONDITIONING • (Eapp'lrrton 'nM'' Cape Breton Island ''S''IS'/'''''' You're always welcome to come and enjoy the warm hospitality of Cape Breton Bed and Breakfasts. It's the best way to get close to the heart of Cape Breton ' and the real people who call her 'Home.' If you appreciate the personal touch, then check into a Cape Breton B&B; on your island vacation. 1-800-565-9464 for information Cape Breton Island Bed & Breakfast Association Tourism Cape Breton P. 0. Box 1448 Sydney, N.S. BIP 6R7 body'd run into the prop sometime, with it on front. So I decided to make a pusher with the props behind, so this couldn't happen, you see.... I sold (one of them) two years ago. By God, didn't he kill himself in it. He only had four hours instruction flying, first of all. And then when the D.O.T. inspector called me from Moncton about it--the De? partment of Transport was doing an inves? tigation on the accident, you see--they have to investigate every accident. And the first words he said were, "I'm inves? tigating an accident of an aircraft that you built." And then he says, "Were you ever able to fly that airplane without putting gas in it?" I says, "No." He says, "Neither was he." It was out of fuel. There was no fuel in it. He said the only fuel they could find--there was so little --was in the lines. There was none in the tank or in the carburetor or nothing. 'Cause after he took off, she was trying to climb out and she quit. So of course he just--he went down right into the woods. (So he didn't put enough fuel in it?) No. And you know what his job was? He was driving an oil tanker truck! So, I always say, there's no such thing as an accident. There's always an element of stupidity in every accident. Just the same as when I got this hand off, see. There's no way that I should have run it by that side while we were chopping. That was stu? pidity. There's the element of stupidity. Same as the day I fell off that dang ladder down there at the airport. I was putting sliding doors up on the hangar, the door of the hangar, and I had the track up in place, just tacked up with a couple of nails, but it was too long, so I had to cut a piece off it. So I had the good ladder, a heavy-duty aluminum ladder--I was in the 1D THE IbROINTTO-DOMINION BANK Your Bank. Your Way Comer of Charlotte & Pitt Streets P. O. Box 117 Sydney, NS B1P6G9 Phone 567-3610 or 539-6637 • Fax 539-6337 S & M Trucking Ltd. • General Trucking • Local & Long Distance • Loader & Trailer Rentals Float, Flatbed, Drop Deck Service r- OFFICE 1 567-2260 FAX 564-1443 • ' LGfi IF Operating in: NS, NB, NFLD, PEI, ONT, PQ, and the U. S. A. Donald Sives Manager GARAGE & DISPATCH 564-2011 BUSY CALL 564-0204 - ;j SYDPORT INDUSTRIAL PARK • SYDNEY • NOVA SCOTIA 92