Middlef ieldPOST Volume 9 ~ Issue 12
Jan. 21, 2015
www.middlefieldpost.com
Neighborly News from Middlefield, Parkman, Huntsburg and Surrounding Communities
Five Brothers Flying
Inside ...
Middlefield Village Page 4
By Kim Breyley
The five flying brothers: (l-r) Lee Wiegman, Wayne Link, Curtis Cook, Dave Nuss and Brian King.
For more than a year, a fascinating project has been progressing at the Geauga County Airport located just south of Middlefield. In March of last year (2014) five local guys began constructing an airplane. Brian King, Middlefield resident, professional pilot for United Airlines and active member of the Geauga branch of the Experimental Aviation Association (EAA, Chapter 5), approached several men with the idea of building a plane together, at the airport. After researching available airplane kits, observing partnerships for such ventures and talking with insurance companies, he enlisted four flying enthusiasts who were also EAA members, and involved at the airport in one capacity or another. They named their group Five Brothers Flying Adventures. These equal partners and brothers (as they refer to themselves) all with no prior building experience are: Curtis Cook a retiree from Parkman; Dave Nuss, a mechanical engineer
Cardinal Schools Page 5
Berkshire Schools Page 8
Plain Pages Page 10-11
and certified flight instructor from Cortland; Lee Wiegman, an IT systems engineer with Progressive Insurance from Claridon and Wayne Link, a retiree from Burton. Vans Aircraft, based in Oregon, designed and offered the ideal kit. “We picked this airplane because it was relatively easy to build,” said King. “And we knew we could build it within a year.” What clinched the choice was a conversation King had with his copilot on a red-eye flight back from Vegas. The Cleveland-based copilot had just finished building the same plane with plans to sell it and was so impressed, he decided to keep it. The airplane kit is developed for first time builders and includes very specific instructions; it is designed for success. As far as safety, King states, “In the eyes of the FAA (Federal Aviation Association) they don’t even consider us builders; they consider us assemblers, because the kit is so superb.” The brothers opted to add the optional finished interior package and a light kit
which will allow night flights. The plane is a low-wing, two seater with a newer-style, light-weight, quiet engine which affords close-to-the-front seating for the pilot and passenger allowing for expansive views. It will house stateof-the-art instruments, and fuel usage is extremely efficient as it uses regular automobile gasoline. ($3/gallon versus $6/ gallon) It can fly four to 500 miles nonstop, the approximate distance from Middlefield to Augusta, Georgia. A prebuilt plane would cost twice what the brothers spent for this kit. King had opportunity to fly a factory-demo model when he was once on layover in Portland. “Since I was a young boy, I always had an interest in planes, said Cook who works on the plane approximately four days each week. “I got my license in the mid 60s, and have been involved at the Geauga airport for more than 10 years. “I always wondered if I could build an airplane,” he said. “So this Continued on page 2
For up-to-date community news go to www.MiddlefieldPost.com By Nancy Huth
A Sportswriter At Burton Library
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f you were one of the lucky ones, you were at the Burton Library on Dec. 2 to hear Cleveland Plain Dealer sports columnist Terry Pluto talk about sports and faith. The room was overflowing with 80 eager listeners. Terry’s first remark was that sports has taken on an over-proportionally prominent role in our culture today. His comment to us and to the man who said to him, ”If only the Indians would win the World Series, I could die in peace,” was “Remember, it’s just sports.” Sports is a diversion. Terry says he likes sports, but loves to write. He’s been a sports writer for more than 30 years. He’s worked for the Cleveland Plain Dealer since 2007 and before that for the Akron Beacon Journal. He is a nine-time winner of the Ohio Sports Writer of the Year award and has received more than 50 state and local writing awards. In 2005, he was inducted into the Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame. Terry started writing while attending Benedictine High School working for the school paper. His father instilled a fascination for sports in him at an early age. The family lived near a bowling alley and Terry’s first job was cleaning bowling shoes, after they had been used. His mother suggested he write
about the bowling alley. In answer to the question about what his In addition to sports Terry writes a biggest challenge is as a sports journalist, he column on faith. When asked how his faith mentioned that the proliferation of various has impacted his sports writing, he said he media types today makes it hard to connect criticizes the action, not the person. Nameto an athlete as an individual. Are athletes calling is not effective. Go positive, before paid too much? Terry gave just one example. negative, Terry recommends. He feels that Continued on Page 2 in society today it’s so prevalent to have an opinion right away, without waiting a while. He tells people that life is hard with God or without God, so take your choice. Terry has been doing jail ministry for 17 years. He maintains that we cannot do everything. “Every need is not a call,” is his motto. Sometimes we commit to too much. What we do, we should do well. Terry Pluto enjoys signing books at the Burton Public Library