Today Izzy and I speak with Nate Mullins, founder of 3:23 Composites LLC.

Nate grew up in Spokane, WA and spent his teen years building countless RC aircraft. He also formed a band and toured the country, eventually landing in Nashville, TN. Nate continued to chase the music business but also worked as a business banker. Here’s an interesting tidbit, he worked for the Hobby Lobby RC superstore designing and testing new RC aircraft. 

2010 was a big year for Nate, he got married and started his flight training. That is when his passion shifted from music to aviation. He earned his PPL in 2011 and worked as the airport manager at the Springfield, TN airport, M91. That’s when he decided to build a LongEZ and N316NM was completed in 2014. 

Nate recognized a need in the industry for quality composite services so in 2016 he founded 3:23 Composites LLC. 3:23 provides mobile composite services as well as custom parts for the Rutan line of aircraft. Nate is currently in the process of designing an all new tandem canard with the goal of jet performance on a piston budget. 

https://323composites.com

https://www.facebook.com/323composites/

Defiants have gotten quite a bit of press in the last year and CanardCast is continuing that trend as Terry interviews Vernon Asper, builder and owner of the Lycoming equipped Defiant N22VL based at KDKX in Knoxville.

I met with Vernon last October at the Hangar Hotel in Fredericksburg, Texas as part of a gathering of Defiants. He had flown N22VL in to meet with five other Defiants we cobbled together in an attempt to break the known record of seven Defiants in one location set back in the early 1990’s. At that event Vernon and I also joined a small party on a short ground excursion to the location of the Mooney Aircraft Factory location in nearby Kerville, Texas. 

Born and raised in PA, Vernon later moved to both Hawaii and to Massachusetts to attend school then on to Mississippi to serve in his career an oceanographer. He has spent more than 1300 days at sea all over the world, including 20 trips to Antarctica and dives in 3 different submersibles.

Vernon is well versed in academics holding the trifecta of a Bachelors from Messiah College of PA, a Masters from the University of Hawaii and Ph.D from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Vernon’s first introduction to flight was in Hawaii in 1979 and he began taking flight lessons in MA in 1980 where he earned is private pilot license.

He pretty much only flies his Defiant except when a flight review instructor demands that he uses a school plane since his Defiant doesn’t have rudder pedals on the starboard side.

Vernon married in 1977 to Lindell who earned her license in 1984.  He has two Daughters and four granddaughters. Alicia with granddaughters Daphne and Penelope live in Belgium and Jennifer with granddaughters Maddie and Grayson who live in Knoxville, TN.

Enjoy the interview!

We continue season 4 with Izzy's conversation with Tyson Bradley. Tyson is a captain in the 36th Airlift Squadron of the United States Airforce and flies the C130J. He graduated from the Air Force Academy where he served as an instructor pilot in the TG16A and DG1000 sailplanes. Tyson has had the opportunity to fly many interesting aircraft since becoming a pilot including the T6, T38 , and a 1937 Taylorcraft.

He became interested in homebuilts and was able to fly a Sonex as well as a Defiant before purchasing his Cozy MkIV, N244CZ. Tyson was born and raised in Nashville but now lives in Abilene, TX with his dog Luna. Luna is a husky and flies along happily in the back seat. He shares many of his flying adventures on his Instagram page. Let's learn a little more about Tyson and Sally, his Cozy MkIV, N244CZ.

Follow Tyson on Instagram!

https://www.instagram.com/charliezuluviews

Today Izzy speaks with the founder of Jet Guys, Robert Harris.  Robert was "invited" to join the army early in life and then retired from Northwest Public after twenty years.  He has been an airframe and powerplant  mechanic for over 40 years.  Robert's canard journey began long ago when he built his Rutan VariEze.  He enjoyed the project so much that he started "The EZ Hangar," a company aimed at providing support, services, and education to the growing canard world.  The EZ Hangar grew and is now known as The Jet Guys, based in Covington, TN at the M04 airport.  The Jet Guys work on more than just jets, staying true to their canard roots.  Robert's crew can rebuild your existing canard aircraft or even help you get your own project across the finish line.  If you find yourself in Robert's shop you will hear classic rock tunes playing in the background while he enjoys his favorite Marie Callender's lunch.  Who knows, maybe you will even catch a glimpse of the custom "horseless carriage" that he built.  But that's a story we will have to get to another day.  For now, let's jump into the middle of Izzy's conversation with Robert about canards and N86LE, his Long-EZ lovingly named "Purple."

Terry Fulwider was born in Calamus, Iowa and grew up in Waco, Texas. Terry has two grown children with his wife Lynn, and they now care for two cats and two dogs. They married at the 8A1 Guntersville airport aviation museum in 2013. After developing his musical career in Nashville over 20 years, he now makes his home Albertville, Alabama since 2014 where he works supporting the IT infrastructure at a poultry processing company.

Terry’s Music career is grounded in his talent as a guitar player and his experiences playing the on the Honky-Tonk Highway in Nashville. Terry’s also gone on tour with well known American country music singer and songwriter Joe Diffie with whom Terry recorded a live album at Billy Bob’s in Dallas Texas. Terry also toured with country soul singer Billy Joe Royal whose song Down in the Boondocks became a hit in the 1960’s. Terry now has his own band and operates a recording studio in his home. He continues his service through music as a worship leader for his church.

Terry’s hobbyist interest in mechanics took flight in his late teens though the restoration of his 1966 Chevelle with the help of his father and continues today with a project to refresh an earlier restoration of a custom 1968 Mercury Cougar.

In 2008 Terry’s aviation engagement reached a significant milestone when he earned his PPL at Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport (KMQY). Terry is beginning the ambitious effort of building a Rutan LongEZ and is using OpenEZ LongEZ Plans to build Serial Number 0001 of the Fulwider LongEZ.

In preparation for this episode, Terry shared with me a story about a time when he was listening to podcasts on a long drive and discovered the CanardCast episodes. He recalled the rewarding feeling of getting a chance to hear the voices of the people he’d been reading about online and through his research in the process of reviewing the plans and preparing his LongEZ build. I found this exciting to hear as it reinforced one of the goals for the CanardCast project.

Terry’s interests and experiences all come together now: Media production and Sound Editing, mechanical vehicle restoration, Rutan canard builder, Pilot and IT Services support to perfectly cradle his new role at COBA. Let’s get to know our new producer, Terry a little more in the first episode of Season 4 of CanardCast!

Lochie Ferrier is a young test pilot who lives in Oakland, CA with his lady friend Cassidy, an accomplished pilot in her own right, as well as their Canard type-rated Labrador, Kane. His Cozy Mark IV N656TE built by Dr. Thane Ostroth is based at Hayward Municipal KHWD.

Born in Armidale, Australia, Lochie moved to Canberra (Kan-brugh) Australia when he was 12, and then later to the United States in 2014 to attend college at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he earned an Aerospace Engineering Degree. He received his undergraduate in 2019 and is presently working towards his Masters in the area of flight testing.

Lochie’s flown prototypes for the electric aircraft company Beta based in Burlington, Vermont including their electric design “Alia” for over 100 hours. He is presently working at Magpie Aviation in Hayward, CA.

Although Lochie is new to the Canard Community and only recently began operating a Cozy Mark IV, his reach for the sky began in his youth where he learned to fly gliders back in Canberra.

Long EZ builder and canard driver Ken Miller chats about his experiences with host David Williford. Ken is an A&P with an I/A and has extensive experience with Canard aircraft. Ken was born in Glenwood Springs, Colorado in May of 1951 but considers himself a Texan having moved to Hartley, Texas in the Panhandle with his family when he was just a baby.

Ken is a middle kid with two older brothers and one younger sister. The oldest brother earned his pilot’s license. Ken worked at his fathers tractor dealership in Hartley, and overhauled irrigation well engines in their spare time.

In his senior year at Hartley High, Ken was the starting center in basketball, made all district and ranked very high in scoring and rebounds aided by his 6’ 5” frame. Ken went on to Texas Tech College in Lubbock until the summer of 1972 when he struck out for Dallas.

There he shared a home in the Dallas suburb of Arlington with his older brother where he started flight lessons at Arlington Municipal Airport (KGKY). He flew both Cessna 150’s and 172’s and soloed with just six hours of total flight time. In 1980, with a fresh pilot license in hand, Ken started searching for his own airplane and was inspired by a friend who had just completed a Vari Eze. It was then he was bitten by the canard bug quickly partnering with an engineering friend to complete Long Eze plans #35 in just three years; FIRST fight on July 5th, 1984.

Ken flew that Long EZ for 5 years before moving to Florida with his fiancé, Diane. Diane and Ken met at Addison airport where she was taking flight lessons.

Once in Florida, Ken and Diane built their own Long EZ (N6KD), incorporating many enhancements. They flew N6KD all over the US., landing in most of the 48 states and with many wonderful flying adventures. Let’s listen to a few!

Today we have a special interview. We were able to record some conversations immediately following a pilot’s debriefing immediately following his first flight in a Cozy at Mojave Air and Spaceport. We will also get to listen in to his report home to his wife after is successful solo.

Antonio Becerra is a Director and Cinematographer from Oregon. Antonio fell in love with photography as a 12-year-old who learned the art of developing photos from his father. He later earned a Master’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in the areas of Photography, Film Studies, and Education from Oregon State. This former adjunct professor of photography at Oregon State University follows his passion for visual storytelling all over the country and his work appears in countless publications including The New York Times and Time Magazine.

An accomplished director and cinematographer, Antonio has created dozens of TV commercials in 9 states, and photographed the ad campaigns for 15 current members of Congress. His company is Alteza Films. https://www.altezafilms.com/

Today Antonio enjoys capturing aerial images and traveling to work sites in his Cozy IV N48AD formerly known as N287R. Antonio is new to Canards and Aviation with 100 hours and is currently pursuing his instrument rating.

Antonio speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese, and currently resides in Corvallis Oregon.

Good Day and thank you for joining us for CanardCast, Episode 2 of Season 3!

This is an interview from a different perspective in which we get to see a little of the canard experience from the viewpoint of our kids. In this interview, 24 year old Sarah Williford and her Father David Williford reminisce over some past father-daughter canard moments with the StaggerEZ N909EZ including memories of past flying lessons, animal runway incursions, "turns around a point" lessons, weight and balance vs minimum equipment list for her college dorm, instrument flying....well, sort of...if you count waking up in clouds.

Sarah is the youngest of two, her older brother Ryan is a student pilot. She is a Graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University. She is an elementary teacher of music and is the kind of daughter every father can be proud of. Let's listen in!

In this episode, we will get to know your CanardCast host David Williford and his aircraft N909EZ a little better. David Willford joined the Canard Owners and Builders CanardCast team as Host last season. David is now the care taker, pilot and restorer of a very special three place pusher canard with unique staggered seating arrangement as well as a dizzying array of builder enhancements based at McKinney National KTKI.

StaggerEze, built by Steve Wright, won Grand Champion Plans Built at Sun and Fun in 2005. Steve Wright also earned the Rutan Designer’s Award for his, Built “to the plans” Vari-Eze N9091A in 1986.

David and his wife Ginger of 32 years live in a Dallas suburb called "The Colony" and have two adult kids, 27 yr old son Ryan and his daughter 24 year old Sarah who teaches elementary school music in the DFW area. David is retired from a successful career in Information Technology.

Following this interview, you can find CanardCast Episode 2 simultaneously released where David and his daughter share a conversation on the topic of canard flights. I conducted this interview with David in-person at his home studio and workshop in Texas. I hope you enjoy this episode and all the rest coming in Season 3!