Friends,
We heard last night that one of the best liked and most respected builders in the Corvair movement, Patrick Hoyt, changed his status from ‘builder’ to ‘builder & flyer’. Patrick has been hard at building for a number of years, but has always rounded out his aviation seasons by heading to events like Brodhead, Oshkosh and a College. His easy-going nature and travels made has made him one of the movements better known builders, and many people were glad to spread the news that Patrick had passed the milestone of his first flight.
Above is a picture of Patrick’s aircraft. It has a 650 canopy arrangement, but the airframe is a 601XLB. The photo is from an article written for the experimenter by Corvair/Wagabond builder John Schmidt. The whole article can be seen at this link: http://www.eaa.org/experimenter/articles/2012-05_learning.asp John and Patrick are good friends and the story is written with the benefit of this perspective. It also recognizes the positive support Patrick enjoys from his wife Mary. Patrick’s plane has a 2700cc Corvair with a Dan bearing and all of our Gold system parts and installation components.
We are now entering our 9th year of Corvair powered Zeniths. Patrick’s plane is the 61st 601/650 to fly on Corvair power. After our personal 601 was the first in may 2004, It took 3 more years to get another four of them flying. Builders have their own pace, commitments and priorities and to see a large positive impact, you have to be in this for the long run. Patrick’s plane follows Jim Ballew’s 601 by only 3 weeks. Lately we have had new Corvair powered Zeniths taking to the sky at 15-20 day intervals. I regard builders as friends, not just customers, and it is very rewarding to play a role in the achievement of an ever-increasing number of builders.
We received this note from Patrick last night:
“Hi William. I took N63PZ up for the first time today, shortly after sunrise. Other than being the experience of a lifetime, the actual flight was uneventful. Wonderful that we live in a country and in a time in history when this is even imaginable. To think that I built this airplane and the engine with my own two hands, along with the generosity and inspiration of so many others. Sure it took a few years, but I did it, and today I flew it. I really appreciate everything that you’ve shared over the years. I’ve learned a lot from you.
Thanks,Patrick Hoyt
N63PZ
601XL/Corvair”