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Show Feature SOUTHERN UTAH NEWS WEDNESDAY MARCH 20. 1996 By Barbara Pyles Wilbur and Orville Wright played with fanciful toy flying machines when they were children. As adults, they experimented with gliders in their bicycle shop. Then, they mounted like putting icing on a cake. The chanical tools. aircraft was completed in early Peters isnt sure if you need 1996. mechanical know-hoor not. Unlike the Canard, the RV-- 6 You have to be able to read is an almost all metal aircraft. plans and understand what Only the cowling, wing tips, el- youre doing, he says. I have evator tips, and wheel tips are seen people who didnt have that on one of a light-weigmade of fiberglass. much mechanical knowledge engine their gliders. On December 17, Peters says his aircraft will build airplanes, and they did a 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Caro- cruise 210 miles an hour at 75 good job. Peters added that he lina, the brothers launched their power at about 8000 feet. The has also seen some homebuilt airplanes that he wouldnt go up w ht in. As for Peters, the construction of an airplane is not a mat- This Turn of the Century photo is courtesy of Ferre! Spencer. The group photo is a reminder of the upcoming pageant in Orderville, The Land Of Our Destiny ". The pageant will be performed for the public this July in honor of the Utah Centennial. ter ofjust assemblingthe parts. He is very safety minded. There is a sticker on the instrument panel of his plane that says this airplane is amateur built. Its a sticker that Peters is very proud of. The man who designed the RV-- 6 is an aerospace engineer. He is very re- Reminder of pageant coming in July spected in the homebuilt kitplanes and Pilot Gene Peters takes a test spin in his Van 's RV--6 kitplane. The plane is the second one Peters has built. first engine-powere- d airplane. Orville was at the controls and flew 120 feet for 12 seconds. The world had changed. Unlike the Wright brothers. Gene Peters played with real toy airplanes when he was a kid. He also built model airplanes. But never in his wildest dreams did Peters think about building a real aircraft. Nevertheless, aircraft carries two people and challenge. After working more than 3,000 hours over several years in his garage, Peters built his first airplane, a Canard. It was not an average factory plane, but a 575 pound fiberglass plane made from a kit. Several years later, Peters, a retired TWA airplane mechanic, weight. he says. The RV 100 pounds ofbaggage, and holds fuel for 4 hours plus 30 minutes of reserve. Thats longer than I usually fly anyway, says Peters. Three hours in an airplane is long enough. Many builders choose con- verted auto engines for homebuilt airplanes. Peters chose to use a Lycoming 180 boxes arrived.. .pieces were HP engine because of its reputation for reliability and becataloged. ..drawings studied...and like the Wright cause of the weight. A car brothers, Peters would meet the engine adds a lot of extra kitplanes are designed to use Lycoming engines. And just what tools does a person need to built an amateur-built aircraft? According to I feel very safe with his design. How long did it take Peters to finish his aircraft? Longer than he thought, but then he didnt have a goal fixation. Peters took the time to do the job right. And did his marriage survive? Of course, his wife, Carol, loves to fly. A person just doesnt build an airplane and take off. There are rules to follow. The plane goes through an inspection by the FAA. The first 25 hours, Peters had to fly in a proving cycle in a 30 mile radius from the Kanab Airport. He has completed that task. Now, he can carry passengers and fly anywhere he wants By Myrna Cox Young ladies from the late 1800's don fancy clothing. The high-to- p shoes (much like lace-u- p ropers), Crispin pins, embroidered cuffs and collars are a touch of the look of the day. The 90s women are often accused of being rather vain, one could speculate about the ladies in the photo, which appear a bit fancy for the early days. Perhaps they saved their vanity for Sunday dress and allowed themselves one day from the hard life and the labors of their hands. Or per chance, photo day was an appropriate time to spiff up and wear the best threads, as such an occasion may not have happened very often, as photographers were few and far between in the early days of the Utah settlement. The ladies are a reminder of the United Order pageant. Please watch for future information concerning the tryouts for the production The Land Of Our Destiny. The original pageant was written by Orvilla Heaton and Lorene Lamb in the 60s. The outstanding production had great audience appeal and will be performed in July of this Centennial year, with equal appeal plus modern technology to enhance the to. As for navigating: first he lays out a route on a chart and records his flight plan in Cedar City. Peters uses a navigation unit called Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) in his plane. You cant get lost unless the unit goes out, he says. And why would anyone build an aircraft in the first place? For the satisfaction, says Peters. And because they love to MAMMOGRAMS Salt Lake Regional Medical Center Mobile Mammography Unit will be at: Peters: an air compressor, air drills, some electric drills, a grinding wheel and basic me fly. LDS 7th Ward, Kanab 604 South 100 East Tuesday-ThursdaApril 4 for an appointment Call 7 y, 2-- 644-253- started building his second kitplane, a Vans RV--6 in the same garage. The plane arrived in four sub-kitempennage, wings, fuselage, and finish. The empennage, tail, elevator and rudder, were built first. Next he built the wings on a 4 x 4 jig that he glued to the floor and the ceiling. Then with the construction manual always by his side, he built the fuselage and installed the engine. After finishing construction on the tail and the wings, he moved the aircraft to the Kanab Air- It took Peters nearly 3000 hours to finish building his first kitplane, a Canard. port to complete the job. When He never kept track of the hours he put into his second kitplane pictured . . . the finishing kit arrived, it was above, a Van .RV-' t i i i i Valley Medical Center, Orderville 425 E. State Street, Hwy 89 Friday, April 5 for an appointment 4 Call s: 6. . 648-253- Insurance claims win be submitted by SLRMC Patient Financial Services. For low income or those without insurance, a voucher for a free mammogram may be available from the Health Department You must have foe free or cancer exam to receive the vouched low-co- st SLRMC Mobile Mammography: ACR Accredited, FDA Licensed . t 1 4. |