Monarchist
MTO Sport Owner
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2007
- Messages
- 1,066
- Location
- Austin, TX
- Aircraft
- MTO Sport, R22/R44, Cirrus SR22-G3 Turbo, Bonanza B35-N (dead engine), Aurora Butterfly
- Total Flight Time
- 800
A quick background: my older brother Dusty and I became interested in gyroplanes about the same time, circa 1989....I had been to Sun-n-Fun that year and took a gyro ride with Dennis Fetters. I brought back an Air Command videotape and showed it to my brother...he was as intrigued as I was. We looked at the Air Command dealer list and our closest dealer was Ed Alderfer in Hamilton, OH.
The following year or so we spent many weekends driving to Ohio and camping out at Ed's hangar and flying with Ed. It was a great time, and he was really an interesting character.
Well, Dusty and I were reminiscing a little this evening on the phone (he's in WV, and I'm in TX) and on a lark, I googled "Ed Alderfer"...he's still listed as a dealer on their website.
Next thing I know, Dusty has called up Ed and suddenly we're on a 3-way call with him! Dusty hadn't talked to him in close to 15 years, and the last I spoke with him was in Waxahachie at the PRA fly-in in 2002.
I thought it would be interesting for those of you who know him or know of him to hear about our nearly 2 hour conversation.
We talked gyros a lot (of course)...some interesting tidbits from our conversation:
He still has the same non-CLT gyros he had back when we were there in 1990, still running the same Subaru engines, combined 4000+ hours total time and he said they have run flawlessly, not a single problem. He's only flying the single-seat pretty much these days, but he still has them all.
He'll be 70 years old on his next birthday...since the decline of the popularity of rotocraft, he had to find a new line of work...he's now a truck driver during the week (he has a regular route) and he still flies his gyro pretty much every fair-weather weekend.
He was surprised to hear he was still listed as a dealer. "I haven't talked to those guys in probably 8 or 10 years." I think he said.
He recounted how he originally taught himself to fly helicopters in the Scorpion...everything from pedal turns to autorotations. He said his was the smoothest-flying Scorpion he had ever seen, very stable. He was hurt once when the snowmobile engine siezed during a high hover...we didn't talk about that, I just remember the story from way back when.
We talked a bit about how rotorcraft aren't as popular now as they once were...he said his business dropped off significantly after 9/11, and his personal theory now is that people spend all their free time on their computer instead of being out and doing things. He said he hasn't turned his computer on since 2002.
Anyway...we had a great conversation and it was really great hearing him re-telling the stories of days gone by. He sounds exactly the same as he did in 1990, and when I saw him in 2002 he didn't really look like he had aged significantly either. I guess gyro flying keeps you young? (Let's hope!)
Dusty is planning a trip out to see him sometime hopefully this Summer. Dusty sold his Air Command about 10 years ago, but he's starting to get the itch again, especially after talking to Ed.
Ed is an interesting character and a hell of a nice guy. It was great talking to him again...I just wanted to let those of you who know him know what he's been up to and that he's still flying.
-John
:hail: "Helicopter Ed" :usa2:
The following year or so we spent many weekends driving to Ohio and camping out at Ed's hangar and flying with Ed. It was a great time, and he was really an interesting character.
Well, Dusty and I were reminiscing a little this evening on the phone (he's in WV, and I'm in TX) and on a lark, I googled "Ed Alderfer"...he's still listed as a dealer on their website.
Next thing I know, Dusty has called up Ed and suddenly we're on a 3-way call with him! Dusty hadn't talked to him in close to 15 years, and the last I spoke with him was in Waxahachie at the PRA fly-in in 2002.
I thought it would be interesting for those of you who know him or know of him to hear about our nearly 2 hour conversation.
We talked gyros a lot (of course)...some interesting tidbits from our conversation:
He still has the same non-CLT gyros he had back when we were there in 1990, still running the same Subaru engines, combined 4000+ hours total time and he said they have run flawlessly, not a single problem. He's only flying the single-seat pretty much these days, but he still has them all.
He'll be 70 years old on his next birthday...since the decline of the popularity of rotocraft, he had to find a new line of work...he's now a truck driver during the week (he has a regular route) and he still flies his gyro pretty much every fair-weather weekend.
He was surprised to hear he was still listed as a dealer. "I haven't talked to those guys in probably 8 or 10 years." I think he said.
He recounted how he originally taught himself to fly helicopters in the Scorpion...everything from pedal turns to autorotations. He said his was the smoothest-flying Scorpion he had ever seen, very stable. He was hurt once when the snowmobile engine siezed during a high hover...we didn't talk about that, I just remember the story from way back when.
We talked a bit about how rotorcraft aren't as popular now as they once were...he said his business dropped off significantly after 9/11, and his personal theory now is that people spend all their free time on their computer instead of being out and doing things. He said he hasn't turned his computer on since 2002.
Anyway...we had a great conversation and it was really great hearing him re-telling the stories of days gone by. He sounds exactly the same as he did in 1990, and when I saw him in 2002 he didn't really look like he had aged significantly either. I guess gyro flying keeps you young? (Let's hope!)
Dusty is planning a trip out to see him sometime hopefully this Summer. Dusty sold his Air Command about 10 years ago, but he's starting to get the itch again, especially after talking to Ed.
Ed is an interesting character and a hell of a nice guy. It was great talking to him again...I just wanted to let those of you who know him know what he's been up to and that he's still flying.
-John
:hail: "Helicopter Ed" :usa2:
