The Aeromaster was always one of my favourite planes. It was originally built by Stan Lyons around fifty years ago. Stan’s building and flying skills were of an elevated standard. He was particularly fond of this plane and flew it regularly at the former Raco AFB in Michigan. He also flew it at our first “field” a very narrow strip of scrub land beside the CPR tracks. The landing strip was as wide as  a car and was just tamped down earth maybe forty feet long. Stan could take off and land from that.

He had a customer at his store whose name was Urban Payment, but was known as Pogey ,a man in his late 20s who lived on MI2. Pogey was born with not fully developed mental capacities. His father was a local MD who did everything he could for his son, including a fat allowance to indulge his hobbies of modelling and flat boating and fishing on the adjacent St. Mary River. After his father died, Pogey collected giant scale plans as the appeared on the market, and became one-eyed Stan’s pit crew. One day Stan let Pogey fly the Aeromaster. Unhappily he smashed it to smithereens.

They gathered up every piece they could find. Days later I visited Stan who showed me the paper bags full of scraps, not including the smashed Super Tigre bits. I offered to buy it; we actually haggled over price, as it included the Aamco plan and instructions. It was a steal at seventy-five cents. I paid no duty at Canada Customs. Not worth the paper work.

It became a 3-D jigsaw puzzle rebuilt around firm new longerons and spars. I installed a new Webra .60 in it and with my son Rob took it out to our new Strathclair field to fly it. It took a long roll out to take off. The landing was so fast it was harrowing. But it was so pleasant to fly I repeated the experience. I offered young Rob a chance to fly it. He said, “Sure, but is it okay if I take off and land upwind?” The model was later sold, but I don’t recall who purchased it.

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