This page is the culmination of a little over 14 months of efforts to finish our plane, appropriately named Tigger by Paula, due to my propensity to bounce it in upon landing.  My landings have improved with practice, but the name has remained.  Thanks to everyone that has made this dream a reality.  Zenith Aircraft, Mexico, Missouri, Skyshop, Palm City, Florida, Czech Aircraft Works, Stare Mesto, Czech Republic, and most of all to Rob Rollison, Rollison Airplane Company without whose sage instruction I would probably have never learned how to land, thanks Rob!  There are a series of photos that follow, some with text explanations, some without.

Me, attaching the wings and installing the struts.

Attaching the tail assembly.

Attaching the rudder cables.

Paula installing the pitot tube.

Installing the fuel lines via the fuel selector valve.

The finishing touches, installing the spinner!

First Fuel!

The powerplant, a Rotax 912S, 100 peak horsepower.

First engine start and test, SMOOTH!

Us, with our CH 701 STOL, Tigger.

First takeoff!

Off I go into the wild blue yonder, YIPPEE!

This next set of images are at Sebring Airport and the flight home after flying the required 40 hours within a specified area pursuant to FAA regulations.  I was restricted to a 40 nautical mile area centered at Okeechobee Airport which is about 25 miles from Sebring.  Following the completion of the restricted flying we flew cross country accompanying Allistair Wilson flying a Eurofox, a new light sport aircraft.  We flew from Sebring to Inverness, Florida, to Decatur County, Georgia, to Bessemer, Alabama.  We overnighted in Bessemer, just south of Birmingham.  Then to Bowling Green, Kentucky to Frankfort, HOME!

The overflow parking area guard at Sebring Airport.

We made new friends while we were in Florida.  This is Paula with Owen and Jennifer Mounsey from Huntly (North Island), New Zealand.  They have a Ch 701 they built with some interesting and useful modifications.

Taxiing at Sebring during the LSA Expo.

Allistair Wilson flying the Eurofox over Florida on our cross country flight home.

Our first stop, Inverness, Florida.  We diverted from our original flight plan due to the weather.  We took a more westerly course due to the low ceiling and winds over the more hilly terrain to the east. 

Home, October 31, 2004.  We had an average groundspeed of 125 mph on the trip home!  Nice XC!

Kentucky's Capitol, from our strip about 5 miles by air.