Cross Country Flying in Microlight Aircraft

By Jack Mccornack
Published on November 1, 1979
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The microlight aircraft cross-country flying adventure began on the west coast with mountains to cross.
The microlight aircraft cross-country flying adventure began on the west coast with mountains to cross.
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Microlight aircraft pilot and entrepreneur Jack McCornack.
Microlight aircraft pilot and entrepreneur Jack McCornack.
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Keith Nicely, the author's companion pilot on the trip.
Keith Nicely, the author's companion pilot on the trip.
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The author jokes with a friendly state trooper.
The author jokes with a friendly state trooper.
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In flight on a cloudy day.
In flight on a cloudy day.
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The eastern U.S. leg of the journey provided an extended opportunity to test home-brewed alcohol as aviation fuel.
The eastern U.S. leg of the journey provided an extended opportunity to test home-brewed alcohol as aviation fuel.
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The ground crew.
The ground crew.
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The two aeronauts stayed in visual contact and communicated via hand signals.
The two aeronauts stayed in visual contact and communicated via hand signals.
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Mt Rushmore as seen from the air near sunset.
Mt Rushmore as seen from the air near sunset.
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Taking off for another day in the air.
Taking off for another day in the air.

When Keith Nicely and I decided to pilot our Pterodactyl Fledgling microlight airplanes from the West Coast to the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Fly-In at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, we didn’t have much trouble coming up with a solid economic rationalization for the trip. After all, I’m president of Pterodactyl Ltd and Keith is my San Francisco area dealer, so it was easy enough to chalk the cross-country jaunt up to good business promotion.

But while such practical justification served to explain the excursion to our business partners, Nicely and I were actually interested in the adventure because it offered us three weeks of real freedom and a chance to relive the freewheeling spirit of aviation’s early days: seeing the country by air and landing anyplace that looked inviting!

(Incidentally, the Fledgling is just about the ideal craft for the sort of cross country flying that we had in mind. Microlight aircraft, you see, can land in a small field, are relatively inexpensive–about $3,000 in kit form–to purchase , and (best of all) are classed as hang gliders by the government’s regulation agencies. You don’t even need a license to fly’em! )

Over the Road

On the 4th of July, Keith and I unfolded the wings of our craft (the planes looked a little flimsy when we considered the distance ahead of us). After taking a quick swoop over the Pacific to make sure that we were, indeed, leaving from the West Coast, we flew northeast from Monterey, California.

Our first day’s flight was pretty much limited to soaring over the foothills and lowlands while we experimented with an air-to-air communication system. We worked out hand signals for “low on fuel” and “follow me,” and big grins for “we’re in the sky and the world is absolutely beautiful” … just the essentials.

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