As Ken Boyd (Sand Dollar) approached the airplane he had built by hand, his nerves threatened to overcome his confidence. Yet, as soon as he settled into the cockpit to take the aircraft for its first flight, a sense of calm washed over him. He had been imagining this experience, every single day, for more than four years. While meticulously completing his preflight checklist, he thought back over the events that led to that moment.
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Model Airplanes. This Guy Built the Real Deal!
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hile growing up in Streator, Illinois, about 80 miles southwest of Chicago, Ken and his two younger siblings were exposed to aircraft from as early as they could remember. “Flying was the family hobby. My dad had a 1946, two-seater Aeronca Chief.” During his youth, Ken did his part to support his family. “I had paper routes and I always worked. My parents needed me to work; we didn’t have much money. I think
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Early on, Ken understood the importance of education. He received his undergraduate degree in sociology from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1961. Following graduation, he married a bright young woman named Carol, and the pair went on to pursue higher education at Michigan State University. Ken graduated from MSU in 1963 with a master’s in social work.
Taking Flight Once out of grad school, Ken bought a 1961 two-seater Piper Colt. “I got the airplane before I had my license. Actually, I bought it before I ever took a lesson. I just knew I wanted to fly and I was going to make it happen. The Colt was a good training airplane.” He completed all of his instruction and licensing in the Colt and flew it for a couple years before upgrading to a 1968 Piper Cherokee 140. “That was a nice airplane,” he recalled.
Once I was out of grad school, I bought a 1961 two-seater Piper Colt. I got the airplane before I had my license. Actually, I bought it before I ever took a lesson. I just knew I wanted to fly and I was going to make it happen. the fact that we had an airplane was very telling of how important flight was to my dad. We didn’t take traditional family vacations or do other things so we could continue to fly. My brother, Jim, became a United Airlines captain.” 6
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Ken’s time in the air was relatively short lived in those early days. In fact, by 1970 he stopped flying to focus on his growing family and his career. At that time, he became the president and CEO of Family Resources in Davenport, Iowa. “We had the whole range
of services – family therapy, mediation, employee services, foster care, adoption, group care, residential treatment for kids, education programs, victim services, etcetera. We had multiple facilities and 120 beds. There were safe houses for domestic violence, group homes for young mothers with children, residential treatment options for people who were considered criminals, and more. It was intense.” Ken retired from Family Services in 1996 after 30 years of serving as the president and CEO. “If I hadn’t retired, I wouldn’t be here today. I wouldn’t have made it. Looking back, I see that 30 years was way too long to do that. I was just so committed to it.” Ready to relax, Ken and Carol began spending their winters at Siesta Bay in Fort Myers and taking trips to see their children. “Our daughter is a professor of piano studies at Butler University in Indianapolis. Our son has a master’s in music composition and he lives in Sydney, Australia. We go there to visit him every year.” Ken knew that his son, Doug, had inherited the family interest in aircraft. “His grandfather took him for rides when he was younger. It’s genetic. I understand that. But when he told me that he was going to build his own airplane in Australia, I thought he was nuts!” During a trip to Australia in 2003, Doug signed him up for an aviation construction workshop. “We went out for a couple days and learned some basic skills involved in building an airplane. It was fun!” From that point on, Ken was hooked. He started going to the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, each year. “Everything you could ever want to know about aviation is there. You can learn about new designs, frames, construction methods, and more.”
The Greatest Gift In 2005, Ken and Carol moved their winter home from Siesta Bay to Shell Point. Their biggest draw to the community was lifecare. “It was the greatest gift we could give our children. They have their lives and their careers. We wanted to take control of our future so there never has to be the big family gathering where they wonder what to do with us.” Some of their friends had questions about the affordability of Shell Point. “People have told me, ‘I don’t want to give Shell Point all my money.’ In my opinion, coming to Shell Point preserves your money.
You have made provisions for your future and you’ve eliminated the possibility of one person ending up in a care facility and then passing away and leaving the other person impoverished for the rest of their life. It’s like an insurance policy. The resort aspect of it is just icing on the cake. We really believe in what we did for our kids.” The summer after moving to Shell Point, Ken came across a RANS airplane model, the S-19 Venterra, at the EAA event and started asking questions. He went back to that same model the next year and posed even more questions. “I bought the first parts of that plane from RANS in 2007. I didn’t even have an active pilot’s license at that time. I hadn’t flown since 1970!” He set up shop in his two-and-a-halfstall garage in Bailey’s Harbor, Wisconsin. The parts were all delivered in flat boxes, and it was up to Ken to put it all together. “I spent several thousand dollars on special tools required for the project.” Over time, the plane slowly began to take shape. When he outgrew the garage, he bought a heavy outdoor shelter. Eventually, he began storing parts throughout the house. “I actually had parts under our bed at certain points,” he said. “Carol was very supportive. And when I assured her that the next plane would be built much faster, she just laughed and said, ‘I’m sure your next wife will enjoy that!’” From May through October each year, Ken spent every day working on the plane. “It was my life,” he recalled. Throughout the process, he discovered it wasn’t the physical aspect that wore him out, but the mental strain. “I had to do a lot of reading and I went to a number of schools to learn. I went to electronic school sponsored
Ken completed the majority of production process from his home in Bailey’s Harbor, Wisconsin.
Below: L-R: A collection of devices called clecos are used to temporarily hold together two pieces of metal to ensure holes remain aligned during the riveting process. The tail surface of the SR-19 Venterra is covered in sheet aluminum. Ken painted all of the parts of the plane in the garage at his house. The painting process alone took 11 weeks.
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Clockwise from top: Ken attended engine school and received a repairman’s certificate that allows him to do all of his own inspections and maintenance on the airplane. Everything in Ken’s plane is computerized. The glass cockpit features two computer screens. Ken purchased a hangar at the local airport for final construction and ongoing storage. 8
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by EAA. I also went to engine school.” As a result of his ongoing education, Ken received a repairman’s certificate that allows him to complete all of his own inspections and all of his own maintenance on his airplane. “I am a licensed mechanic for this aircraft. I know more about this airplane than anybody else.” When he returned to Shell Point each winter, he left the plane behind and kept his
hands busy in the Wood Shop making furniture and other beautiful creations. He also became involved in Habitat for Humanity, serving as the supervisor for a build in the local community. Meanwhile, Carol has enjoyed volunteering at the Community Thrift Store. And when they can find the time, they enjoy attending the various concerts held within the community. “We stay really busy,” he related.
Ken took his custom aircraft up for its first flight on Saturday, October 27, 2012.
End In Sight
windshield during the maiden voyage, he actually spent his time in the air making note of various issues to address. “Problems on a plane are called ‘squawks.’ At first I had a heavy left wing and I noticed that the passenger seat needed adjusting.” After completing a safe landing and celebrating the success of his first flight, he got right to work spending the next few hours making adjustments. Then he went back up and tested it again. Following that process, Ken has gone up as many as three times in one day. He will have plenty of time for calibration and adjustments, as the first 40 hours of a new aircraft are designated as the testing period. “I can’t take anyone up with me during that time, unless it is a person that is required to come up to help with an instrument. I’m also restricted by the FAA to a
certain flight area during this testing period.” Ken currently has 20 flight hours logged on the S-19 Venterra. He and Carol are already planning trips for the plane once it receives final certification. “The plane will stay in Wisconsin. And once Carol can come up with me, we will probably take a trip to see our daughter, head over to Macinaw Island, visit my brother in Iowa, and take various short trips together. We might even take it down to Florida for a quick summer vacation. At 130 miles per hour, it won’t take too long!” Reflecting on the four and a half years spent constructing his plane, Ken shared, “There were times when I got tired, but giving up was never an option. It is a very rare accomplishment and I take pride in what I’ve done.”
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During the final stages of production back in Wisconsin, Ken loaded the fuselage onto a trailer and transported it to the local airport. It was there that he added the major components, such as the wings, tail, and control surfaces. “I also had to complete all of the rigging to ensure that the plane would fly correctly. There were a lot of little details of connecting wiring and lighting. None of the wiring came with the plane; I had to design all of that myself.” Yet, during the rigorous process, Ken never got antsy or wanted to quickly jump to the finish. He recalled, “People kept trying to make me that way, but it never got to me. I just said, ‘It will be done when it’s done.’ I never got anxious about the timing.” With the end in sight, the time came for Ken to renew his pilot’s license. “That’s an experience in itself,” he related. “The fact that you haven’t flown in 40 years gives one pause. Flying has never been hard for me, but I thought it would be hard for an older person to get back up to speed. But once I got back in the cockpit, it was like I had never stopped flying.” On Saturday, October 27, 2012, the day had finally arrived for Ken to take his custom aircraft to the skies. By law, he was only allowed to go up by himself. But Carol was there to capture the moment, and she proudly snapped photos from the ground. Ken shared, “It was the most incredible experience; there aren’t words to explain it. To think that you actually flew a machine that you assembled yourself; it just…” he trailed off while recalling the sweet memory of his first flight in the S-19 Venterra. That first flight lasted about 30 minutes. And while it seems natural to imagine Ken gazing with wonder through the fresh
When the required 40 hour testing period is complete, Ken and his wife, Carol, are looking forward to taking small trips in their SR-19 Venterra.
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