EAA Sport Aviation - February 2010

and hits me in the face! I know it’s trying
to ice up, but it never misses a beat,” said
Ken “;e first time it happened to me,
though, it was pretty exciting!”
For slow flight, it’s hard to beat this
Piet. Just imagine taking in the scenery
as it slips below your wing at 25 mph. “I
have a low-speed airspeed indicator in it,”
said Ken, “and I’ve flown 25 mph, just
chugging along at a real low rpm. It’s
amazing to me that it flies that slowly!”
He flies his approach at 60 mph and then
more or less just flies it on.

To date, Perk’s Time Machine has
logged more than 1,000 hours and has
introduced hundreds of passengers to the
ambience of 1929-style flying. But first,
those passengers have to figure out how
to climb into the front cockpit. “It’s very
di;cult to get in and out,” said Ken.
“First you step on the left main tire and
grab the left cabane struts, front and
rear, and then raise your right foot and
get in the front cockpit—and then you
lean clear over the other side of the air-
plane, carefully bring your left foot
inside, and then back up and lower your-
self down on the seat.” ;e pilot has
much easier access to the rear cockpit,
and there’s even a cleverly designed
hinged “flop” section of the wing’s trail-
ing edge that allows the pilot to slide into
and out of the seat head-bump free.

PENCHANT FOR PIETENPOLS
Ken is obviously a big fan of Pietenpols.
He said that it’s a reasonably good flying
airplane with no bad habits, and he likes
how well it has served the aviation com-
munity. “I think it’s a really amazing
airplane,” Ken declared. “Young people
can build one fairly reasonably, and they
can do it without a lot of investment in
tools.” He urges builders to consider a
traditional engine. “A lot of people want
more engine reliability, and they decide
to go with the 65-hp Continental, and of
course, more people are going with the
Corvair engine, which is a good choice,
too. But I’d encourage them to use a
Model A and not be afraid of it. ;ey’ll
really enjoy it, and it will get a lot of
attention,” he said.

Sparky Barnes Sargent holds a commercial glider certificate with a private single engine land rating, and she personally restored her 1948 Piper Vagabond.