AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 33

PEOPLE /
Meet Charles Jay
Expert in composite aircraft,
as well as his own rag-and-tube
BY SHEILA HARRIS
WHEN CHARLES JAY got out of the U.S. Air Force
in 1990, he became a self-described wanderer. " I
drifted around the world teaching scuba diving
lessons, " he said. " It helped pay for my habit of
deep-wreck diving. "
On a gig as a commercial diver in Florida,
he became fascinated by the airplanes and helicopters
flown by students from nearby aviation
schools. When his father had a heart attack, Jay
left the Sunshine State for the plains of Yates
Center, Kansas, to help with the family farm,
so both diving and thoughts of airplanes were
shelved, at least for a while. In Kansas, a job with
Cobalt Boats led to a new passion for Jay, one that
spilled over into aviation.
" Molding boats from composites was an art
form I fell in love with, " Jay said. When Cobalt
began taking orders for composite test samples,
Cessna Aircraft was the first in line. " I created a
sample they loved, " Jay said, " and went to work
for them not long afterward. "
Cessna reimburses its employees for flight
training expenses, which made working for the
company even sweeter for Jay. " For a while I'd
do anything just to be flying, " he said. He soloed
in a Cessna 172.
Wanderlust knocked again when Jay received
the opportunity to interview with Scaled
Composites, then owned by Burt Rutan. " Because
I worked with composites, Burt Rutan was a hero
of mine, " Jay said. The six-hour job interview
went so well that the company told him they'd
be mailing him an official offer. " A week later, "
Jay said, " I read that Northrop Grumman had
bought out Scaled Composites, so I didn't get
that job offer. "
Afterward, Jay began his own composites
business in Kansas, where he manufactured,
among other items, aircraft parts. He sold the
business a few years later to wander again.
Jay is currently working on a Wittman
Tailwind, an airplane he likes for its speed in
relation to its relatively low horsepower. The
plans for the 1950sera
" rag-and-tube "
Tailwind consist of
pencil and paper drawings
with handwritten
instructions and imprecise
construction plans,
which frequently
include calls to those
who have built that type
of airplane before him.
Jay has been on the project for more than two
Jay has been on the project
for more than two years but
isn't in any hurry to complete it.
The process is as rewarding
as having a finished airplane,
he says.
years but isn't in any hurry to complete it. The
process is as rewarding as having a finished airplane,
he says. When he does finish it, Jay plans
to have an A&P check the Tailwind out before
he flies it.
" I don't mind diving into the ocean, " he
said, " but I don't like the idea of falling out of
an airplane. " Sheila Harris is a writer from
southwest Missouri.
AOPA PILOT / January 2024
33

AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024

AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - Intro
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - Cover1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - Cover2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 4
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 5
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 6
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 7
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 8
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 9
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 10
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 11
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 12
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 13
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 14
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 15
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 16
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 17
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 18
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 19
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 20
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 21
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 22
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 23
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 24
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 25
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 26
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 27
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 28
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 29
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 30
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 31
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 32
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 33
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 34
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 35
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 36
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 37
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 38
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 39
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 40
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 41
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 42
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 43
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 44
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 45
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 46
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 47
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 48
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - R1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - R2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - R3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - R4
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 49
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 50
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 51
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 52
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 53
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 54
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 55
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 56
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 57
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 58
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 59
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 60
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 61
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 62
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 63
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 64
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 65
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 66
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 67
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 68
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 69
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 70
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 71
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 72
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 73
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 74
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 75
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 76
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 77
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 78
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 79
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 80
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 81
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 82
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 83
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 84
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 85
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 86
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 87
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 88
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 89
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 90
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 91
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 92
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 93
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 94
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 95
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 96
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 97
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 98
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 99
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 100
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 101
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 102
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 103
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 110
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 111
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 112
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - 113
AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2024 - Cover4
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