Welcome again all you Ultralighters - Here it is May and the traditional start of summer a mere three weeks away. Summer flying is about to begin as is evident by the number of Fly Ins scheduled (check out our calendar for things happening in your area).

I would be remiss if I did not open this issue of "Around the Patch" by thanking the folks at Hq USUA for the great picture of Plum Krazee that now graces this column. Yep - that's my airplane - the one that is flying, that is. Her Aeronca hangar mate will, hopefully, soon be joining her in the air. My magnetos have made it back from Hayward, California, where Al Savage did such a great job on rebuilding them that you couldn't tell them from a set of new Bendixes (except that Bendix doesn't make that kind any more).

Last month's Around the Patch ended with three pilots from USUA Club 27 in Akron, Ohio having just touched down at First Flight Airstrip in Kill Devil Hills, NC. I promised to let you all know how they made it back home after their memorable flight to that historic place.

From their article in the "Lite Sport Flyer", newsletter of the North Coast Flyers, we learn that the three pilots, Gerald Jackson, Don James, and Jonathan Gamble could not resist the opportunity to memorialize their feat by taking pictures of their airplanes in front of the Wright Brothers Memorial. These pictures are published in their newsletter, and I'm sure they occupy a prominent place in each of their homes.

While at Kill Devil Hills, they visited the Museum, the replicas of the Brothers' workshop and living quarters, the gift shop, the rest room, and the pilot center for a weather update. (I'm not sure they visited each place in that exact order.) Donning their life jackets for the over water-flight, the trio departed for Currituck County Airport at 0955 and, owing to the headwind that they now encountered, completed the 32 mile leg at 1050 hours. A quick refueling (somewhat prolonged as they watched the busy hang glider operations for a while), and they were once again airborne at 1125; heading for Suffolk Muni in Suffolk, Virginia - which proved to be somewhat busy!

As Jonathan neared Suffolk County, radio chatter indicated that an inbound Corsair was developing a crack in his windshield and, needing to get down in a hurry, the Corsair pilot opted to land on runway 25 because Jonathan was already on final to 22. As Don, who was following, was about to enter downwind, an Albatross, some distance behind, began announcing his intentions to land at Suffolk County. Don, knowing that an Albatross was a single engine, vintage biplane with a top speed of about 90 mph thought, "No Problem. I'll be down and clear well before he gets here." But, the Albatross asked Don his speed and Don replied, "60 mph", to which the Albatross advised that he was travelling at 160 mph. It turns out that THIS Albatross was an "S-16 Albatross, twin engine amphibian as tall as a two story house". Don, did a 360, deferring to the faster airplane, before entering the downwind for his landing.

Safely on the ground, both Ultralight pilots refueled their airplanes and their stomachs and departed for Dinwiddie County in Petersburg, Virginia, while Gerald, in the Cherokee, was climbing to 10,000 to avoid clouds. The sixty mile trip took just ten minutes short of two hours, and the guys started planning on where to spend the night (the Cherokee had already begun its descent over Tappan Lake in the, now, cloudless skies of Ohio). Both Orange County and Grant County were within flying distance, and a couple of phone calls were made to determine which airport would offer the best accommodations for two happy, proud, but tiring Ultralight Pilots.

I know I promised to follow these folks all the way home to Ohio, in this issue of Around the Patch, but due to the vagaries of Snail Mail, we have not received the next issue of the "Lite Sport Flyer" and the end of this saga, so.....until next time, Ultralighters....

VISE GRIPS - n. A tool used to round off bolt heads if nothing else is available. They can be used to transfer intense welding heat from the workpiece to the palm of your hand.

I need to add - but fly safe and knowledgeably. The story of the two C150 pilots who got lost and busted the Washington ADIZ has just broken, and we are reminded that there are some places that it is prudent not to fly in. No criminal charges have been filed, but I'll bet a month's pay that the FAA has a few choice words for those two. Don't let this happen to you. Friends don't let friends fly without a chart....