| [Wings 'n' Things/Aviation...column 320... September 20, 2004]
HOOKED ON FLYING Talk about hooked on flying! Doug and Jane Craig, residents of Love's Landing Aviation Community near Weirsdale, both learned to fly not too long ago, within the last 10 years, after doing many other things in their lives. Retired to Florida and living in Flagler Beach, they took their training at Bunnell's Flagler County Airport. Doug said he had first gotten the flying bug in Alaska in the '50's while in the Army, and had even started lessons two or three times, but he was heavily into car racing, and that always took precedence. But once he started flying this time, in 1996, the aeronautical snowball just kept on rolling! He started lessons again, but this time he also bought a Cessna 172 and earned his private pilot's license in it. His wife, Jane, followed suit. Then they bought an RV-6A kit and started working on it in their two-car garage in Flagler Beach. They were waiting for the promised new hangars to be built at the airport, but got impatient and started looking at residential airpark communities. After lots of looking, plus talking to people, they made their choice, purchased a lot at Love's Landing and started building their house and attached hangar. Little by little things fell into place. Once the house and hangar were ready, they moved in and got back to working on their RV project. But somewhere along the way, still flying their 172 when not working on the RV, they felt the need for speed and replaced the 172 with a Grumman Tiger. The next change was when the sprightly little yellow, white and black RV took to the air. Once Doug had flown the requisite time off the RV, they sold the Grumman. Now you would suspect that that would end the story, right? But not so. The Craigs took a road trip to and around Alaska in the summer of 2003 and were impressed by all the airplanes used as a major mode of transportation. Both wanted to return to Alaska, but wanted to fly there the next time, but they didn't feel the low-wing RV wasn't the right plane for the gravel runways in Alaska. After considerable research they decided on the Murphy Elite, another kit plane. They chose a high-wing this time, noted for its roominess and superior climb performance as well as slow landing speed. The first of a succession of many boxes were delivered on January 8th. Doug and friend Leonard Elmendorf began the assembly process in Elmendorf s hangar on the Johary Airpark in Summerfield. The men set a tight work schedule, working on it every day. This is how they managed to accomplish what many would consider impossible - they completed the plane in just under six months! Love Field's newest home-built took to the skies on June 18th! When asked why the pair worked on the plane at the Elmendorf hangar instead of staying at home, Craig said Elmendorf s paint booth was a big part of the decision. He also said, "If you didn't have somebody who really knows how airplanes are put together we'd have really been in big trouble." Congratulations on a job well done. Guess the next story about the flying and building Craigs will be about taking the Elite to Alaska! |