Helicycle invited to an Amish hogroast

[StanFoster]

Last Friday I flew my Helicycle on a cross country flight into the heart of the Amish settlement in Illinois. I buy materials from a cabinet shop there,and I was surprised and honored that they invited me to land in their yard for the all Amish hogroast. What an amazing contrast. Here I am flying what has to be considered extragent in their eyes, my turbine powered Helicycle, compared to their horse and buggy mode of transportation. I entered their coordinates in my GPS and made the 70 mile flight. I soon arrived and did a hi recon, then a low recon, no wires I assumed, but still looked for them! They had mowed a pasture for me but it had too much debris so I hover taxied over to their pristine yard and set it down. The sight of all the Amish hats and bonnets was amazing. These fine people were mesmermized by my alien spacecraft that had landed on their soil. I was leary of their thoughts of my presumably "heathen" ways, but was soon pleased that they respected it since I built it with my own hands, and to trust my life with it. They respect trades that require handwork and they commented that I had to know metal working, electrical, plumbing, painting, instruments, and to trust all this and make it all fly. These people will not allow pictures taken of them, but I did ask if I could take a picture of a horse and buggy next to my helicopter. They kindly obliged and one man named Wilbur showed me how to hitch up a horse to the buggy. He threaded the reins through some brass eyelets, and I commented that was similsar to my control rods going to my swashplate. Wilbur was looking under his horse, and came up and said" she is all preflighted!". I laughed at his excellent humor and how he had some aeronautical vocabulary. I have some excellent pictures and a much longer story that will be going into the Powered Sport Flying magazine. The filet-o-hog was delicious and they gave me a tour of their cabinet shop. All of a sudden it was a role reversal for me. I have a curved stairway shop , but was blown away by this Amish shop. They had the latest CNC routers, pneumatic equipment, table saws, dust collecting equipment, and their hand tools. Now I felt like I was Amish by comparison. However, I left very proud that I build curved stairways with minimal tools, and what another contrast that was unexpected. It was now down to the deadline for me to leave as I wanted to be back into my shop in a woods by dark. My turbine has always lit off, but I felt like Neil Armstrong just about to lift off the moon the first time. That engine must fire or I am stranded in horse and buggy country!! I hit the start/fuel button and the starter, and was greeted with that heavenly whooooommmppphhhh as the kerosene lit off in my T-62 turbine, causing the firery inferno that spooled up my turbine to 62000 rpm. I was amazed at the sight of 45 Amish hats and bonnets all waving at me as I pulled collective. I had to laugh as my rotorwash at liftoff caused some Amish women to clutch their dresses to their legs. Cotton and buttons were a moving! I lifted off, did a 360 hover, then backwards flight followed by a pirouette, then departed for home. What a pleasurable use of my Helicycle and had a smile on my face all the way home. I cruised at 110 mph and just got home at the edge of darkness, using my landing light for the first time. I love this machine! Stan

[gary-mike]

Nice story Stan,

 

You are having way too much fun with that helicycle. I want one!

[Whiteshadow]

What a great story! I enjoyed every bit of it. Keep having fun and make the most of those unique experiences!