(This story originally appeared in The Republic, February 29, 2004)
By Jerry Battiste
jbattiste@therepublic.com
SEYMOUR -- At least once a week Bruce Cochran comes to Freeman Field to perform regular maintenance on his airplane and talk shop with other pilots.
"I always dreamed of flying, when I was a kid right on through as I grew up," he said.
"One day I realized if I didn't get busy doing it soon, I would never get around to it."
So, in 1999, Cochran started flying lessons in a Cessna 150 and not long after getting his pilot's license, bought the Cub.
"It's a little cold in the winter. The heater doesn't work real well," he said.
But lack of heat doesn't stop him from getting in the air every chance he gets.
"There's just nothing like it," he said.
Charlie Gokey, of Louisville, is an airplane enthusiast who takes great pride in building his own planes and keeping them running.
His Volksplane uses a 4-cylinder Volkswagen engine he salvaged from a junkyard more than 20 years ago.
He said many pilots today build experimental aircraft using prefabricated kits, but his plane is all original.
"The design plans are from the late '60s, and I had to build every part you see, or get it from somewhere," he said.
Converted engine
The Volksplane is an all-wood homebuilt aircraft that was designed in the 1960s by W.S. "Bud" Evans. Hundreds have been built around the world, and most are powered by a converted Volkswagen "Boxer" engine.
All homebuilt aircraft are classified as experimental by the Federal Aviation Administration, and the builders themselves are given a repairman's certification that allows them to do all needed maintenance on their planes.
Certified aircraft, those approved for commercial or private use by the FAA, must be serviced by a certified aircraft repair crew every year.
"I think that's why a lot more people are choosing to build their own airplanes," Gokey said. "They can work on it themselves and it's a lot less expensive than buying a plane and keeping that running."
Forget about the complexity of building an airplane, just finding time to do the work required to keep an aircraft "airworthy" can be a challenge.
David Timbers, a Seymour resident, has been a pilot since 1945. He keeps the 1939 J4 Cub he bought 20 years ago in the same hangar as Gokey, but hasn't flown it in almost a decade.
"It takes a lot of work to keep these planes going, and I just haven't had the time," he said.
High hopes
"Maybe this year I'll have it flying, but I've been saying that every year for the past several years, so I don't know."
When his plane was new, Timbers said it probably sold for about $1700. Today the plane is worth more than 10 times that amount.
"That is the good thing about antique aircraft," he said. "You don't have to fly them to keep them valuable. Just sitting right where it is it increases in value every day I own it."
Timbers and Gokey are members of the Experimental Aircraft Association. Timbers attends the Columbus chapter, and Gokey the chapter in Louisville.
Both men say flying gives them a sense of freedom most people do not get to experience, an experience they share with as many children and adults as they can.
The EAA's Young Eagles program offers free airplane rides to young children who might normally never have a chance to fly in a small aircraft. Members volunteer their time, money, fuel and aircraft to provide the rides.
Timbers said there is great satisfaction in providing the rides and even makes room for adults every now and then.
"Several times a year the EAA meets at air shows and events around the country," Timbers said.
"We both (Gokey and Timbers) participate in the Young Eagles program. It's a great feeling to watch a kid's face light up when you take them for their first plane ride," he said.
"There's nothing else like it."
