It has been one busy month. I made the first flight in the M1 about four and a half weeks ago and flew it every chance I got to get the 40 hours off to get it to Oshkosh. The day after I did my first cross country from the east coast of FL to the west coast and over the Gulf of Mexico. The day after I went about 100 miles each way to show the plane to the person who started it and lost his medical before it was done. You could not imagine how happy he was to see it fly. I just wish it had two seats so I could take him for a ride. All of you that have been building for years remember this and make it a priority to get your KRs done while you are young enough to fly them!
The next day I left for the 950 nautical mile trip to Oshkosh. I got there in 7.1 hours of flying time. It has been my life's dream to build a plane and fly it to Oshkosh since I was about 10 years old. I thought my first trip there would be in a KR last year, but life had other plans for me. I was in the line to register the plane when the stress of getting the plane done, flying off the hours, and making my longest flight ever finally went away and I realized that I had just lived the dream I have had for 25 years. The happiness and pride hit me like a ton of bricks and I had to get out of the line and take a walk for a half hour. I have not felt like that since the day my son was born. All of you that have been working on your planes forever, and you know who you are, get them done and live your dream. Don't worry about making everything perfect now. Build a strong and safe plane now and worry about all the little additions that take all your time later. You will be wondering why you didn't get it done years ago and having the time of your life. I have flown 59 hours in 30 days and now it is time to take a little time off from flying and fix some oil leaks, finish the wheel pants, and finish my wing root fairings. Then back to the KRs that I have neglected for far too long. Oh, and a very nice KR I had never seen before was at Oshkosh. An older couple that did not make long flights in it brought it to Fon Du Lac about a thousand miles on a trailer. They assembled it there and flew it to Oshkosh for a few days. They flew it back and put it on the trailer for the long drive home when they left. Now that is dedication to an Oshkosh dream. Brian Kraut Engineering Alternatives, Inc. www.engalt.com
