From the time I was a Cub Scout, living near the College Park Airport (the oldest continuously operating airport n the World), I wanted to learn to fly. I got my pilot's license at the age of 35 in 1982. Ten years later I bought my first airplane, a Varieze. The Varieze is a home-built aircraft designed by aviation legend Burt Rutan. The plane I purchased was built by Bruce Evans, a bit of a legend as well -- Bruce was the Chief Mechanic on the Voyager and his name (and Burt's) are enshrined in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.
The idea behind buying the Varieze was that it was fuel-efficient and fast, and would afford an economical way for me to commute from our home in Carlsbad, California to my job at the Information Sciences Institute in Marina del Rey, California -- about 100 miles one-way. The Varieze could make the flight in 38 minutes while getting 20 miles to the gallon. It ran on car gas, and I could do all the maintenance myself. It was small enough to fit into an airplane hangar that I shared with Dave Kilbourne at the Palomar Airport.
Bruce was the builder of N64592, and his workmanship was praised by everyone in the EZ community. On Easter weekend, 1992, Nan and I, newly weds, drove to Mojave to meet Bruce, to inspect the plane and to try to convince Bruce that we were worthy owners. Bruce spent two days showing me everything about maintaining the Varieze. The plane looked so cool, and when Bruce took me flying in the desert to demonstrate it, I was hooked.
A few weeks later, Bruce delivered the airplane to us at Palomar. And thus began many adventures and memories!
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