Dells man wins award for his self-built airplane
Contributed
Dells resident Richard Reinboldt built his own two-person airplane recently, which won the People's Choice Award at the Erie, Ill. Airpark Fly-In on Sept. 19 and 20.
By Andy Steinke, Dells Events
For one Dells man, building an airplane was very rewarding.
Richard Reinboldt, 62, a lifelong Dells resident, recently visited Erie, Ill. for an annual Challenger get-together held by Quad City Ultralight Aircraft Corp. He came home with a first- place plaque heralding his plane as the People’s Choice Award winner.
Reinboldt’s history with airplanes dates back to his time in the Army in the late ’60s.
After graduating from Wisconsin Dells High School in 1966, he joined the Army. When he did, he took an aptitude test to see how his skills could best be used. The test landed him in the aircraft, airframe and power train repair shop. “Mechanically, things always came naturally to me,” he said.
After serving three years in the Army, Reinboldt didn’t return to airplanes for a long time, but stayed busy with his hands by rebuilding a 1970 Chevrolet Corvette that won first place at Automotion one year.
Reinboldt drove semi-tractors/trailers for 30 years and is now retired.
Two years ago, he started building his Challenger 2 — a Quad Cities Aircraft vessel with rear-mounted engines that push the plane forward — in Neshkoro with help from his mentor Greg Kemp.
“The plane came in a kit. That’s how most of them come now, because of (Federal Aviation Association) standards,” Reinboldt said.
When he was finished purchasing the kit and other necessary parts, such as an engine, the plane cost about $30,000.
An FAA inspector from Milwaukee awarded Reinboldt an air worthiness certificate about a year after he started building the plane, and Reinboldt began school to obtain a pilot’s license.
He attended a flight school at MATC and had to pass an FAA test to complete the course.
Reinboldt’s next step was one-on-one training with a flight instructor for 15 hours in the air and five hours on the ground.
Reinboldt’s last hurdles to clear before he was granted a license were 20 hours of solo airtime – he actually flew twice that – and a solo air test. Included in the test is a longer three-leg flight, which Reinboldt took from Reedsburg to Wautoma to Portage and back.
Reinboldt passed his test and received a sports license, which is more restrictive than a private license.
With a sports license, Reinboldt can fly with only one passenger; his plane must have a fixed propeller, fixed landing gear and weigh less than 1,320 pounds; and he cannot fly faster than 120 knots (138 mph).
“I usually fly between 60 and 70 miles per hour,” Reinboldt said, because it gives him the best fuel economy and because he’s flying to sightsee, not travel. “I burn four gallons per hour with this and can use premium car gasoline. I can burn aviation fuel, too.”
His furthest trip has been to the Quad Cities Fly-In at Erie Airpark, which was two and a half hours by air at 60 mph. The same trip would’ve taken five hours by car, he said.
Reinboldt has also obtained a mechanics license for his airplane, which means he is qualified to work on his plane and give it its annual inspection.
“The FAA came up with this five years ago, because it’s less expensive,” he said. “They are trying to get more people involved (in flying).”
Now, Reinboldt is putting the finishing touches on his hangar in Reedsburg, which cost about as much as his aircraft. He’s been storing his plane in a friend’s hangar in Baraboo while he finished his own.
Once his hangar is complete, Reinboldt said he is looking forward to having more time to fly, and said he definitely plans to return to Erie for next year’s Fly-In.