MANITOULIN EAST—The skies above Manitoulin East Municipal Airport were clear and blue, but a ring of thunderstorms and bad weather surrounded the Island, preventing pilots from across the province and nearby states from dropping in on schedule—but as the weather cleared, several planes did manage to land.
“We were a little disappointed in the weather,” agreed airport manager George Dobbs, “but we did have eight or nine planes come in, so it wasn’t a complete washout.”
Among the planes were a couple of homebuilt aircraft, noted Mr. Dobbs. “There was a Zenair 250, which is a pretty neat little plane,” he said. “There was also a twin tail Alon Aircoupe. It looks like a little fighter plane.”
Mr. Dobbs noted that he had owned two of the Aircoupe models. “I had a 1947 and a 1957,” he said. “They were a unique little airplane, very easy to fly.”
Too easy, apparently. “They never really took off, which is too bad,” said Mr. Dobbs. He explained that the Aircoupe does not utilize foot pedals, just a steering unit much like a car. “They have a trailing link on the landing gear, so when it touches the runway is just lines you up on the landing,” he said. “It won’t stall, won’t spin, just a super little airplane.”
The ease with which the plane can be flown resulted in the US Federal Aviation Authority refusing to certify the plane for training. “It was too easy to fly,” said Mr. Dobbs. “You could fly it with about a half-hour of instruction.”
Since many of the skills needed to fly foot-pedal equipped aircraft could not be taught in the Aircoupe, it was not suitable as a trainer.
The handful of pilots who made it in to the airport arrived later in the afternoon than planned, but were feted with hot dogs and muffins nonetheless. “They really enjoyed their time here and we filled a few rooms at the hotel,” said Mr. Dobbs. “Hopefully we will see more coming in next year.”
