Flying East

But I never saw any UFOs…

Several years ago as a reporter for WESHTV News in Orlando, I had an opportunity to cover a collection of experimental aircraft and meet the pilots who built and flew them. Most of them, aviation enthusiasts all, worked in the space program at nearby Kennedy Space Center.

There was a tiny “mosquito” sized plane built by the owner in his home’s spare bedroom (despite protests from his wife about metal shavings in the carpet). Its cockpit was so small it could accommodate only an aluminum lawn chair for the pilot.

“The Mosquito” below. The man in the red jacket being interviewed by me was the builder/pilot.

(Above) I’m with my cameraman while he gets B-roll of the amazingly tiny flying machine.

(Above) Me again, getting an up-close look at this streamlined home-built beauty.

Johnson “John” Murphy, Jr., (former mayor of Cape Canaveral from 1979 – 1982) built a Glasair, a sleek composite, low wing homebuilt. When he invited me to “go up,” with him, I jumped.

Thrilled at the chance to experience this two-seat equivalent of a fast sportscar, we taxied out, and within moments we were up, up, and away!

Thee photos were taken by my cameraman Dave McGuigan who, flying in a much slower Cessna that was desperately trying to keep up with us, captured our speeding bullet as we did barrel rolls, loops and dives in this fast, sleek, low-wing flying machine. The photos below show what Dave captured as we flew over Space Coast beaches.