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Flying Ultralight

After completing the Beaver, Harry attended an ultralight pilot school for a week in Vancouver to earn his ultralight flying license.

As with any homebuilt aircraft, the Beaver had to be government inspected before becoming registered. Soon he was off and soaring higher than ever before.

The Avid Amphibian undergoing engine tests without the wings
Click to zoom

After the Beaver, Harry built a helicopter. Then he sold both and bought an Avid Amphibian. This interesting amphibious aircraft had a seaplane hull and wheels which he could lift if he decided to land on water. He called it "...a poor man's lake aircraft."

Harry next bought a Zenair, which sits in his yard for sale because he has moved on to a Pelican. He now flies as fast or as high as he wants, reaching 12,000 foot in altitude. Click for a photo of the Zenair.

The instrument panel is very simple in an Ultralight. A GPS is at the bottom right.
Click to zoom

This area has seen a few ultralight mishaps- the most humorous being a prop flying off and the pilot being fished out of a nearby lake. Yet Harry has never had any serious scares.

He flies without a parachute, which on an ultralight is sometimes strapped onto the aircraft instead of the pilot. Harry figures this system may make you lose control of the plane and would prefer to use his craft as a glider to get down. "The higher you are, the more time you've got to think about where you're going to crash."

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