Email: MrToyman1@aol.com

Age: 47

Occupation: General Manager, Tuffy Auto Service Centers of Flint

Wife: Deanna

One Child (Christopher, age 22)

One Grandchild: Melanie (6 weeks)

For almost as many years as I can remember, I have always dreamed of someday flying my own helicopter. The freedom of being able to lift straight into the air and fly off to the horizon has simply fascinated me.

The control and agility a pilot has when flying a helicopter is almost magic!

The problem was, I understood the only way one could fly a helicopter was to first learn to fly an airplane! I had been told you had to learn fixed-wing flight and then transition (with additional costly training) to a helicopter. I all but let go of my dream because I had absolutely no interest in flying a plane! I saw nothing exciting about being confined to runways, busy airport traffic, and expensive hanger fees! I also realized the cost of owning your own helicopter was something only intended for the "very rich". You see, prices for even a used "commercially-built" ship seemed to start at well over $1,000,000.00. So, I had pretty much given up hope.

A few years ago, however, I gained access to the Internet and began perusing pilot licensing requirements. It was then I discovered one does not have to obtain a fixed-wing license prior to beginning to fly helicopters! Wow, I wouldn’t have to waste all that money on lessons to learn to fly something I wasn’t interested in. Now, what to do about that high cost to own a ship? I then remembered something I had read about "experimental" aircraft — something you could build yourself! I certainly considered myself to be fairly handy when it came to building things. But building an aircraft? Wasn’t that exclusively for the "rocket scientists"? I did some research and found there were "kit" manufacturers out there that took all of the guess work out of the equation. All you needed was to be fairly competent with mechanical abilities, own a few tools, be able to commit a fair amount of your time to the project and you could build your own two-seat, dual-control, fully functioning helicopter!

After considerable research, I discovered Rotorway seemed to be the most reliable, safest, and best supported kit on the market. It was so technologically advanced for a homebuilt kit having fuel injection, FADEC computer control, and fully redundant operating systems. Best of all, it wasn’t nearly in that $1,000,000.00 bracket! I discovered for a tradeoff of investing my own time into building the ship, I really could afford my dream!

In June 1998, I finally made the plunge and purchased my kit. I began working on it, as my spare time would permit. I discovered there was a whole network of Rotorway owners out there full of knowledge and experience for every question I ran into. There is also tremendous factory support. I discovered a wealth of information at fly-in gatherings like the EAA convention at Oshkosh Wisconsin. The only problem seemed to be, it is very easy to get "hooked" by the competition of building a show-quality ship. So, I figured as long as I was this far along, I might as well go for the gold! I was already being meticulous about every detail of the construction and maintaining extremely close tolerances on every part I built — why not join the competition and give it my best shot! I added all kinds of neat little accessories like stereo intercom jacks, interior lighting, and a GPS navigation system. I began remaking parts out of stainless steel so I could polish them to a chrome-like finish. I polished all the aluminum parts so they would shine too. I had the interior upholstered by the best trim craftsmen I could find (Kimball’s Auto Trim of Flint, MI). The next task was to find someone to paint the ship. Not just any paint job, you see, but something that could impress even the most impetuous judges of the air show circuit. Obviously I couldn’t trust this pride and joy to just any spray jock! I searched and searched to find someone with the talent to give her an outstanding, unique identity. I spoke with a number of painters that specialized in custom work. None of them impressed me more than Dave Satterwhite. His competence is quickly sensed after just a brief conversation. His history of award winning paint schemes in the bike world speaks for itself. After a few discussions on ideas for this project, we came up with a plan. I have now entrusted the ship in his hands — with the confidence of a guaranteed show-stopping winner to result…….