Builders,
If you are building, and you are finding it a little hard to picture exactly what your plane will be capable of when it is done, he is a story that you will find enlightening and motivating at the same time. It is a very well written and illustrated travel log of Ken Pavlou’s recent trip from Connecticut to Florida and back in his Zenith 601XL
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There is an enduring misconception that you must have a $100K aircraft powered by a 180HP or more Lycoming to travel around the country. The people who expended the funds to buy such aircraft are heavily invested in perpetuating such myths, mostly because when a builder with <$40% of that in his plane has a great adventure traveling, it makes the expenditure people feel less special. The truth be told, simple, affordable aircraft like a Corvair powered Zenith 601/650 , when operated by a prepared pilot with respect for weather, are more than capable of consistently making long trips and having great adventures around our country.
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There will always be people who myopically look at aircraft speed, but for reasonable people, consider this: Ken’s outbound flight from Central Connecticut to north Florida was less than 8 hours flying time. To shave 90 minutes off this, to make it 6.5 hours, he would have to find, and then feed, an aircraft capable of cruising 35-40 mph faster. If someone’s sole focus of building is to have a faster airplane so they can spend less time in it, perhaps they should honestly ask themselves how much they like the fundamental act of flying itself.
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Above Ken’s view as he was about to cross the Delaware Bay on the return flight.
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Read Ken’s complete story here:
https://kenpavlou.wordpress.com/2019/05/05/2002-mile-round-trip-to-florida/?fbclid=IwAR0XOOQNRPfSNc_tq0Av7rTT1edoGZdK-I291FKV8aYVOhEXN0BFQ4ZQqwQ
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To look at a previous adventure of Ken’s in 2014, look at this story:
1,500 mile Corvair College flight in a 601XL
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If you have not yet met Ken, get a very entertain read here:
Ken “Adonis” Pavlou advises aviators: “Life is short, Live Large”
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