AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012 - 81

Bohannon, of Angleton, Texas, has a long history with RV aircraft. “The first time I flew one, I fell in love with it. That airplane is quite possibly the best airplane I’ve flown in my life,” he said. The only problem? That RV–3, like the RV–1, had only one seat. Bohannon built an RV–4, then he built the Flyin’ Tiger— primarily from RV kit components—in which he went on to set 30 world altitude and time-to-climb records, and an unofficial altitude record of 47,530 feet during his quest to reach 50,000 feet. VanGrunsven is very modest about his design, Bohannon noted. “The airfoil on that airplane really surprised everybody. I think I could do a four-point roll at 40,000 feet, it flew that well up there. When you tell Van what a fantastic wing it is, he just says, ‘Aw, it’s just an old [NACA] 2300 series I picked from a book.’” “This has been a really fun project because everybody wants to contribute,” Dye said. “There’s such a depth of RV people in this area, and Jay’s been so generous in donating the use of his shop.” Louise Hose, Dye’s wife, said the RV–1 project attracts her for two reasons. “We’ve been building on the [RV–] 3 and I’ve picked up a lot of skills. I’ve never built [an airplane] before, and I found that I really enjoy it,” she said. “And this is a really great group—it’s a fun group to be around.” Stan Price of Grapevine, Texas, shares Hose’s sentiments. “I’ve got a bunch of friends who are RV guys—I’m not—and I really like being around them,” he said. “The craftsmanship of some of these people is amazing.” Price owns a 1946 Swift and is involved with the Swift community. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event for everybody concerned,” said R.E. “Ernie” Butcher of League City, Texas, who purchased the aircraft and has by and large orchestrated the project. A relatively new pilot who owned a Taylorcraft F22A then built an RV–8, he’s mustered volunteers and vendors alike to keep the project on track. “We’re trying to put it back as closely as we can to its original configuration, and make it airworthy for its summer tour.” An electrical system is being added—and a starter; the pilot will use a handheld radio, and a remote transponder will help to keep the panel original. The RV–1’s canopy was cracked, and VanGrunsven noted that it didn’t look like the original; Butcher said it had been replaced with a stock RV–3 canopy. Aero-Plastics molded a new canopy for the airplane.
AOPA PILOT • 81 • APRIL 2012

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A retired pilot’s ﬁght with macular degeneration to keep doing what he loves: ﬂying Ben Watson is a retired airline captain with over 40 years of professional experience. He has logged well over 30,000 hours of ﬂight time in a professional and military setting. He accumulated lots of time in the NAVY, ﬂying C-121 Super Constellation and also with a host of diﬀerent airline carriers. He is a general aviation enthusiast and also an AOPA member. He currently resides in Brighton, CO. Ben has been retired since 2001 maintaining a third class medical and holding his ATP; ﬂying his Beech Debonair a couple times per week for the passion and love of ﬂying. PacHealth spoke to Ben recently about his experience with Claroxan – the once daily tablet for vision improvement.

about six weeks and haven’t had to change my glasses prescription since I started using Claroxan.” Ben is one of many candidates we elected to feature this month due to the fact that he has been dealing with dry macular degeneration, an age-related disease that causes loss of central vision due to the degeneration of the pigments in the epilethal tissue under the retina. Claroxan contains a unique formula designed with ingredients that may aid in reducing the risk of developing Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). These ingredients are Lutein and Zeaxanthin and research shows they may help protect the eyes from constant UV exposure. Lutein and Zeaxanthin are concentrated in the macula of the eye and may provide pigments to protect the eye from oxidative stress.

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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2012

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