Canards fly in Perry over the weekend

PERRY, Ga. — Pilots nationwide had a show-and-tell of sorts on Saturday morning, proudly displaying aircraft on the tarmac at Perry-Houston County Airport. Many of them were built entirely from scratch.

At the third annual Canard Fly-In, the weather was windy, but that didn’t stop the public from coming out to view the impressive experimental aircrafts on display, taking their interest in aviation to possible new heights. While it was too windy to stage a full fly-in, many pilots came in that Friday night to display their hand-made planes, and multiple aircraft landed and took off from the runway during the event.

Mike Beasley organized the fly-in. As an aviation hobbyist, Beasley spent 19 years building his craft, that he lovingly calls “Scooter.”

The long-easy craft, meaning the seats are behind one another, was a labor of love for Beasley. He started by cutting foam pieces to size, then laying down reinforcements, like fiberglass and epoxy. Repeat the process — multiple times — and you have the components of an airplane’s shell.

After nearly two decades of work, once the craft was ready to take to the skies, Beasley was relieved. He was ready to fly, confident of his building skills.

“I didn’t think that day would ever come. It seemed like it took forever to get there. But it was unbelievable, in that sense. It was incredible after sitting in the airplane in your garage, making airplane noises in the garage,” Beasley said, laughing. “When you’re lined up in a runway, and you push the throttle up, I just thought ‘Wow. I’m finally here. And this is awesome.’”

Since then, Beasley has taken his plane nationwide and to the Bahamas. His longest non-stop flight was 6 hours, from Kanab, Utah to Tulsa, Oklahoma.

For the event, Beasley was thrilled to share his experience but also to give pilots the runway.

“It’s great to bring everybody out from the surrounding air to middle Georgia, to see what Perry-Houston County Airport is all about,” Beasley said.

It’s not only pilots that benefit, but also the public, as Beasley explained that he hopes to inspire a love for aviation by showing the community the crafts up close and personal.

“I did all of this, just by having the effort to learn it. Anybody can do this. Anybody can learn how to fly, how to build this airplane. When I started this plane, I had never touched a piece of fiberglass, but I learned it over 19 years,” Beasley said.

For James Marquardt, the airport’s manager, the event is all about camaraderie and he agrees with Beasley’s wish to inspire the next generation of pilots.

“We would like to raise interest in young kids who might want to fly, or for that matter, adults who think they can’t fly,” Marquardt said. ” It’s a lot easier than you think it is. I didn’t start flying until I was in my 50s. It’s to feed the passion.”

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