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DEREK'S WEB SITE
Welcome to my experimental aircraft Web site. I have had a love of airplanes since I was very small. I remember playing in the hall closet for hours making believe it was my own plane. I started flying in 2002 and got my ratings up to MEL Commercial. I went to a professional flight school and did the first officer program. I decided not to pursue the airline career I dreamed of because of the downturn after 9/11 and my age. I first heard about homebuilding hanging around an airport near Ft Worth. A couple of guys there were building RV-4’s I thought doing something like that would be impossible for someone like me who is "mechanically challenged." If you have read any other builders websites, you have heard the many different reasons for people wanting to build their own personal aircraft. Like many other RV builders, the choice for the RV was one of the best total packages of quality, cost and performance to be found. No airplane is perfect. If money were no object, then I could just buy a P-51 or a VLJ. From what I have read, and researched everything kept leading me back to the RV series of aircraft. Through my research, I heard about George Orndorff's aluminum builders weekend seminars. He lived about an hour from my brother's house so I booked the class and attended. I learned a lot! I also found it to be not too difficult at all if you have the right tools. After satisfying myself that I could do something like this, I next had to find a support group close enough to me to go to when I needed guidance. That was not too difficult at all. There are 3 EAA chapters around my geographical area, plus I have made many new friends online. The icing on the cake though, was meeting Mike McMains of McGregor at a fly-in I had heard about. I was talking to him about building and flying when he offered me a ride in his beautiful RV-7. Wow! 'Nuff Said. It was totally different than any flying I had ever done. This was more like a roller coaster ride! It wasn't long before I started acquiring the tools I needed and then I ordered the kit in December 2006...
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