Dan Parish, another Houston pilot, likes staying a little closer to the ground than Harry, and he agrees about the cost bonus of owning an ultralight.

Dan has his regular pilot license and used to own a Cessna airplane. Now "...a cup of gas gets me all over the place!" He likes the flexibility of where he can take-off and land. "Ultralights are a lot less regulated," he tells me.

Dan loves being in the air and is amazed there aren't more pilots around. He flew from the Houston airport to my place, landing in my back field, to deliver a CD of pictures. When I thanked him, he said, "I only hope this helps get more people interested." He pointed to his ultralight and said, "It costs $10,000 for a regular pilot license these days. For $10,000 someone can own an ultralight and get their license."

In Canada, ultralight pilots must pass a Transport Canada-approved ground school, be at least 16 years old, and be able to pass a Class 4 pilot medical. This latter, unless you have gone through surgery (which Harry did after a heart attack in 1993) can be "declared", meaning you only have to sign a statement saying you are healthy. As long as Harry continues to pass a doctor's medical every 5 years, he is good to fly for as long as he wants to.