Pitman Air LLC (Florida) Archives

Pitman Air LLC (Florida)

Website: https://baileymoyesdragonfly.com

Phone: 352-304-4512

Dunnellon, FL 34432 - USA

Grassroots Success Story — Dunnellon’s X35 Attracts New, Younger Aviation Businesses

By Dan Johnson || June 13, 2024 1 Comment

If I've heard one lament repeatedly over a long career, it is that current pilots don't see enough new pilots coming into aviation. Are you one who worries a little or a lot about that? If not, you are a rare pilot.

Marion County Airport attracts a wide variety of aircraft.

Is it any wonder, though? The price of aircraft is way, way up. This applies to used aircraft and new — just like it does with your groceries or gasoline. The cost of maintenance is high and rising. Insurance is very expensive (for airplanes as well as cars or houses). Hangars are unavailable with years-long waiting lists at many airports. More than ever it can seem, aviation is an activity for those with fairly thick wallets. The squeeze on modest budgets has rarely been this demanding.

Marion Main Men — X35 airport is managed by Mike Grawe (L), supported by industry experts Troy Townsend and Roy Beisswenger (R).

Yeah, all that, but this website nonetheless discovers the affordable end of aviation. In that pursuit, I was drawn to an airport with an encouraging twist on the affordability squeeze play. This story is about an airport but it focuses on affordable aviation and the aircraft serving that market.

Dunnellon's X35 Marion County Airport

Have you ever heard of Ocala, Florida in the central-northwestern portion of the state? If you aren't into horses, maybe not. If you are, you probably know this area bills itself as the "Horse Capital of the World." Drive around Ocala, in town, or by handsome country estates and you'll notice this is quite the affluent area.

Dunnellon is in Marion County, not Ocala but the close proximity helps both. Under airport manager (and pilot) Mike Grawe's leadership through the last six years, X35 has become a thriving facility with energetic new businesses sprouting up. What may be most important is the presence of new, younger businessmen entering affordable aviation. People like me with decades of experience fill a useful role but we're like disappearing airline captains. We'll be moving on and entry-level aviation needs fresh blood. X35 put out the welcome mat… and it's working.

Placid Lassie takes on fuel at X35.

Led by Mike, Marion County Airport, X35 is backed up with some local OG ("Old Guy") talent. First, I'll mention that Mike has engineered the construction of 40 new T-hangars. Although he still has a waiting list, those new quarters did two things: they relieved the prior need somewhat, and they provided a drawing card to new enterprises. An airport on the move is an attraction and Mike has the engine running. Mike and I talked briefly about hangar challenges. I've visited more airports than I can remember. Management at every single one said essentially the same thing, "If we could get (insert main need here), we could fill more hangar requests." Most airports have plenty of square area but permitting and financing on leased land presents major challenges. Constructions costs have risen sharply so hangar owners must charge substantial rent to recover investments.

Troy Townsend shows off his RV-10 project. His Icarus C42 is in the background.

Mike can be rightly proud of his new T-hangars and this impetus has attracted more enterprises who want to be part of something happening. Some of the talent surrounding Mike Grawe has been around longer. Others are new. All are supportive. Airfield entrepreneur, Troy Townsend, while not old is certainly one of the original OGs at X35. He became well known working for ITEC, the enterprise that created the Maverick flying dune buggy for use in their South American missionary work. Maverick was a rough and tumble ground vehicle that could hoist a large powered parachute wing up high on a long mast allowing it to launch from a surprisingly short field. As a dune buggy, it scooted energetically. Since his Maverick days, Troy has built his Pilot Examiner business, FliteChek.com, especially catering to the Light-Sport and light kit crowd in America's southeast employing his deep knowledge of this segment. He flies an Icarus C42 (Germany's most popular light trainer), which he uses to help Sport Pilots, Privates, and beyond earn their FAA certificate. Oh, and on the side, he's building an RV-10 kit, an aircraft with which he is also very familiar. I could fill an entire article with his exploits but this gives a taste.

Roy Beisswenger poses by his growing fleet of flight training aircraft housed at X35. He also occupies a corner office in the airport terminal building where he produces video and books.

Roy Beisswenger is another highly accomplished light aviation entrepreneur who gravitated to Dunnellon and X35 as he searched for an ideal place to operate his powered parachute flight training enterprise during fall, winter, and spring — in the summer months Roy operates from the Greenville, Illinois airport. After designing a soup-to-nuts professional training system and having literally written the Bible of powered parachuting, EasyFlight is the country's leading provider of PPC instruction.

At X35, Roy Beisswenger's EasyFlight consulted on testing for SkyRunner's PPC.

That's what Roy is doing now but what preceded that would take two or three articles to cover. Among them: Ultralight Radio, a very early online news outlet; Powered Sport Flying magazine for the rest of light aviation; his leadership at U.S. Ultralight Association and Light Aircraft Manufacturer's Association; a growing YouTube channel. I'm getting tired typing all this yet I'm only skimming the surface. Troy and Roy make a solid backup to Mike Grawe's management. Yet… now they have more.

Welcome, Newbies …the Aircraft Producers

As I wrote earlier, Randy Dorsey has brought back to Florida an iconic aircraft sought after around the world for its very particular flight qualities. Randy purchased the rights and tooling to Dragonfly, an affordably priced LSA or kit specially built to tow hang gliders but which is enormously fun to fly around for low-and-slow aerial sightseeing.

Randy has taken over an existing operation, is preserving the originator's names BaileyMoyesDragonfly and he's getting the supply line geared up for new production at Marion County Airport. He may start deliveries later this year but parts to existing owners are a present priority, a mission dear to most of the 150 Dragonfly owners/operators. A little further down the development timeline will come Nick and Charlotte Jones SkyKicker Aviation operation. This is a brand-new business (see recent article) by new entrepreneurs, a husband and wife who bring solid experience to the task. Nick and Charlotte are setting up to build the former Belite Chipper 2, originally created by James Weibe.

Screenshot

James had created strong interest for his Chipper project but a fire took him out of the game. Nick and Charlotte rescued this design after being drawn to it in one of those I-liked-the-product-so-much-I-bought-the-whole-company stories. They are currently improving the builder manuals and working to simplify the kit-building effort as much as possible while they renew relations with James' former suppliers.

These two new businesses join the veterans at X35 adding to the success Mike Grawe has been building. Central-northwestern Florida and its fancy equestrian ranches exist alongside a vibrant X35 airport that is attracting new businesses and fresh faces. I think this is worth celebrating and I trust you agree.

If I’ve heard one lament repeatedly over a long career, it is that current pilots don’t see enough new pilots coming into aviation. Are you one who worries a little or a lot about that? If not, you are a rare pilot. Is it any wonder, though? The price of aircraft is way, way up. This applies to used aircraft and new — just like it does with your groceries or gasoline. The cost of maintenance is high and rising. Insurance is very expensive (for airplanes as well as cars or houses). Hangars are unavailable with years-long waiting lists at many airports. More than ever it can seem, aviation is an activity for those with fairly thick wallets. The squeeze on modest budgets has rarely been this demanding. Yeah, all that, but this website nonetheless discovers the affordable end of aviation. In that pursuit, I was drawn to an airport with an encouraging twist on the affordability squeeze play.

Dragonfly Is Back Home in Florida — Hang Glider Tug … Working Ranch “Tractor”

By Dan Johnson || April 30, 2024 4 Comments

Throughout the '70s, hang glider designs accelerated smartly in glide performance and sink rate, stretching from slope-hugging 4:1 triangular-shaped wings to elegantly long and slender "bladewings" that could exceed a 20:1 glide yet remain foot-launchable and still be an aircraft you could carry on your shoulder (when folded down). Passionate enthusiasts thrilled to a 5X performance improvement in a decade or so.

In the beginning, most pilots launched off mountains to get enough height to catch thermals. Yet lots of America doesn't have mountainous terrain. Florida had plenty of pilots eager to fly hang gliders but to find the best soaring, they had to load up their gliders and drive 10-12 hours to the hills of Tennessee where flight park operators like me catered to them with mountain launch sites. At home they did boat towing regularly but that rarely got them high enough to catch thermals. One Florida man dreamed of a solution.

Enter Dragonfly by Bobby Bailey

Bobby Bailey was one of the hang gliding faithful in a large central Florida flying community. These gung-ho young guys in excellent physical condition used no-run starts to leap off the beach towed on a long line by a powerful ski boat. They had fun and it got them in the air, but extended duration flights were simple luck because boat towing generally didn't lift the glider high enough for those early wings to effectively work the lift.

Now well-evolved, Dragonfly flies all over the world. More than 150 have been delivered, an impressive achievement for a purpose-built aircraft.

Bobby observed the parallel development of Part 103 ultralight vehicles, growing from low-powered single seaters to more powerful two seaters. He saw that with enough thrust, he might tow a hang glider into the air much like a Piper Pawnee tows a sailplane aloft. Hang gliding pioneers like Bill Moyes tried towing behind conventional aircraft but it was scarily too fast. He barely managed to keep control of the glider flying near its never-exceed speed. Bobby knew the challenge was not to speed up the hang gliders but to slow the tow plane. He adapted a modified King Cobra* (a Quicksilver-like design of that day) with large ailerons and made other changes. It flew slowly but not enough. He realized it needed to be a clean-sheet design, made purpose-built to tow hang gliders.

Note the tail structure (tube rising vertically) built to allow a V-line bridle for towing hang gliders. This method greatly lessens the impact of the glider on the tug aircraft, a significant safely improvement along with weak links on each of the tether line.

Towing from a point under the tailplane like a Pawnee does is not optimal either. The hang glider is weight-shift controlled and needs more control flexibility than a single tow point allowed. Notice the tube extending from the rudder stabilizer. A V-line from that high point to a low point lets the hang glider rise or descend with minimal impact on the towplane. All this needs to happen at 30-35 miles per hour, even with two persons on board the towed aircraft. A Pawnee stalls at 62 miles per hour even with full flaps. That's way too fast for any hang glider. Dragonfly would eventually fill the need perfectly. Within a couple years (about 1991, I believe) Wallaby Ranch hang gliding air park operator Malcolm Jones invited me out to a open field where I watched Bobby fly an early Dragonfly.

Right then, I knew the hang gliding game had changed forever.

Hang gliding could now happen almost anywhere. In combination with the rapid performance increases, Dragonfly could efficiently haul a hang glider up to 2,500 feet — typically it takes only 5-8 minutes even if the towed glider has two persons on board. At that height a skilled pilot can catch thermals and fly for hours. Flights in unpowered hang gliders have successfully run the north-south length of Florida into Georgia, all after release at 2,500 feet from a Dragonfly. Mountain launch sites continue to have appeal but Dragonfly made everywhere a hang gliding site.

Back Home In Florida

New Bailey Moyes Dragonfly owner Randy Dorsey purchased the business from Ed Pitman's estate after he passed away (unrelated to the aircraft). Ed had broadened Dragonfly's appeal by getting approval as "farm equipment" (article link below). Over the years deliveries climbed beyond 150 aircraft, an impressive achievement thanks to Ed's efforts. From California Randy and helpers brought inventory and tooling in a school bus to set up shop at Marion County Airport, X35, in Dunnellon, Florida.

This central-northwestern area is home to fancy equestrian ranches and the spacious airport has begun to thrive from light aircraft operations. Airport manager Mike Grawe supported by industry expert Roy Beisswenger and airfield entrepreneur Troy Townsend welcomed Randy Dorsey along with another business setting up to build the former Belite Chipper 2, the latter operated by husband-and-wife team Nick and Charlotte Jones. Along with two powered parachute operations and 40 brand-new T-hangars (sorry, already fully booked), X35 looks alive and thriving. Learn more about plans for Dragonfly back home in Florida in the video below. You can also read several articles below from my earlier reporting.

ARTICLES ON DRAGONFLY: Listed oldest to newest

Is It Affordable? — In early 2024, a factory-built Dragonfly Special LSA with 100 horsepower Rotax 912ULS lists for $99,995. If you have the time, skills, and facililties to assemble an Experimental LSA version, the price with that same engine is $69,995. "The ELSA is a great deal, but so is the SLSA. For $30K more, you get a factory-built Special LSA, saving over 200 hours of build-time labor. SLSA buyers will have the ability to use their Dragonfly for hire as well as qualifying for a tax write-off," said Randy. "SLSA owners also get factory support and will have priority for factory service and annuals." Potential buyers can shave off another ten grand by choosing a Rotax 582 Dragonfly ELSA for $59,995. An Experimental Amateur-Built version can save even more but for details on any of these choices please contact…

BaileyMoyesDragonfly, company website, or
Go direct to pricing guidelines

With prices of everything you buy up 50% or more in the 2020s, those costs to own a Dragonfly may be considered reasonable (though I clearly understand everybody's budget is different). Only you can decide if one of those descriptions above is truly affordable for you. * Earlier I reported an Advanced Aviation Hi-Nuski was the proof-of-concept aircraft. I was corrected thanks to Barb and Steve Flynn, who along with several other local pilots, were involved in the development of that first tug.

Recorded in late April 2024, this Dragonfly update has the latest information about the ongoing manufacture of this popular aircraft. https://youtu.be/Xio65Ma7dNo

A Tribute to Bobby Bailey

Barely a week before I visited Dunnellon to record the video above, Bobby Bailey, 71, was killed while flying a Dragonfly. No official evaluation has been released but the loss of this talented designer is tragic and will be deeply felt in the hang gliding community.

A man of highly innovative design but very few words, many knew Bobby for years yet learned little about him. He was rarely one to talk about himself in public settings. I always figured that much of the time he was designing the next aircraft in his mind. A celebration of his life is planned for Sunday, May 26th, 2024 at 6548 Groveland Airport Rd, Groveland, FL 34736 — the airport Bobby called home for decades. Florida and southeastern U.S. pilots who knew him can gather to share personal details and tell tall stories of Bobby's numerous flying exploits. Learn more here. Bobby is survived by his wife Connie Bailey; his siblings, Marlene and Michael; his nieces, Ginger and Mira; his nephew Chick; and his close friend Logan Harris.

So Long, Bobby — Forever Soaring…

Never Forgotten

One of Bobby's other creative designs made use of a single float intended for a larger aircraft. It ended up making a beautiful shape (at least to my eyes). My old friend Gregg Ellsworth dubbed it "The Flying Float." Bobby named it after his wife.

The Flying Float — Connie by Bobby Bailey

Dragonfly was born in Florida in the early 1990s. Back-of-the-napkin sketches started in the 1980s following the dynamic 1970s when hang gliding swooped into national awareness. What one designer did with Dragonfly would become one of the most celebrated developments in hang gliding. Throughout the ’70s, hang glider designs accelerated smartly in glide performance and sink rate, stretching from slope-hugging 4:1 triangular-shaped wings to elegantly long and slender “bladewings” that could exceed a 20:1 glide yet remain foot-launchable and still be an aircraft you could carry on your shoulder (when folded down). Passionate enthusiasts thrilled to a 5X performance improvement in a decade or so. In the beginning, most pilots launched off mountains to get enough height to catch thermals. Yet lots of America doesn’t have mountainous terrain. Florida had plenty of pilots eager to fly hang gliders but to find the best soaring, they had to load up their gliders and drive 10-12 hours to the hills of Tennessee where flight park operators like me catered to them with mountain launch sites.