Doug Boyle's Page

Greensboro has an active airport called Air Harbor, which is located under the outer ring of Class C airspace. It is also surrounded by reservoirs and runs in an east-west orientation. I flew the Clipper there yesterday morning for my first aerial visit ever. Local pilots refer to Air Harbor airport as "Scare Harbor". The trees, rocks, water, and wind all contribute to an interesting affect on takeoff and landing. The last few days have been close to 100 degrees, and I hadn't been flying since… Continue

The annual trek to the Outer Banks of North Carolina included 65 people this year. I went down to fly my SeaWing on longer stretches than last year, where I mainly stayed local. The temps started off in the 70's for the first two days, which made for some chilly flying on the longer distances. On the way to Ocracoke Island, I had to land midway just to warm up! My knees were shaking....Once there, I landed again for the same reason and later found out that the beach was a protected area for the… Continue

Tonight was the third hour on the Clipper since its inspection. The winds were light and the turbs were non-existent. I practiced 360's in both directions and shot several landings. The Kiss450 wing is predictable and light on the roll. I'm starting to investigate the trim mechanism now and feel there is some performance still to be gained through getting the slight pressure off the trim bridle. I'd like to see the bridle "give up" any pull on the top wires. There is a slight deflection where th… Continue

Since the Clipper is flying now I figured this would be a good time to tear the SeaWing all the way down. It hasn't gone back together since return from the Splash-In, and for good reason. If it were back together I'd fly it at the first hint of decent weather, thus postponing the maintenance once again. I flew it long and hard in Florida and want to make sure it is ready for the annual OBX trip, at the end of May. I made a list tonight while walking around the bird, and it ended up being two pa… Continue

The Clipper flight went well this evening. The air was calm and the flight was very enjoyable. The engine is purring like a kitten and the temps are all in the green. The wing makes my SeaWing seem like a truck! I'll be sorry to see this one sell! Inspection was had yesterday and all went well. Love those Air Creation machines!