Roy Stuart: Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, man building his own plane

CALEDONIA — For pilot and aircraft hobbyist Roy Stuart age means little. So does the notion of retirement.

At 90 years old, the Mount Pleasant resident serves as a volunteer and member of the Kiwanis Club of Greater Racine.

The one-time salesman for Massey-Ferguson and Cessna, also manages to keep working.

Every three months he hops in his car and travels across three states to visit the 75 customers he serves as a sales rep for Super Swivels in Minneapolis.

When he’s not working or volunteering, he spends his time in a small hangar at the back of the local Experimental Aviation Association (EAA Chapter 838) building at Batten International Airport, fastening rivets into gleaming aluminum and studying the plans for a Sonex light sport aircraft.

Stuart has been working on the plane since Nov. 1, 2008 — the date the kit for building the aircraft arrived in the mail.

Since then he has spent an average of 10 hours a week at the hangar, carefully constructing various sections of the plane.

Asked why, in his late 80s, he decided to take on such a large project, he said simply “because I want to fly again.”

On Wednesday Stuart was joined by his fellow Kiwanis for a special weekly meeting at the EAA Chapter building, 3333 N. Green Bay Road.

Instead of meeting at the club’s usual spot they decided to take a “field trip” of sorts, said members, so they could both celebrate Stuart’s birthday, which was Monday, and take a look at this plane.

Gathered around two long tables, members joked about not putting candles on Stuart’s cake with so much aviation fuel nearby.

After lunch, they huddled into the hangar so Stuart could give them a brief presentation on the ongoing construction of the plane. Some marveled as Stuart explained that what appeared to be the frame of a fairly small cockpit would be large enough to fit a flight instructor and student.

“I guess you have to like who you are flying with,” one member joked.

Asked what he thought about Stuart’s effort, Randy Savaglio said “The thought of building a plane is intimidating enough (at any age).”

When all the pieces are put together, Stuart said he plans to paint the aircraft white and green.

He hasn’t quite settled on a name yet, but so far he likes “Roy Express.”

His hope is that it will be all done in time for next year’s Fourth of July parade.

Asked what he would say to those who might question someone his age flying a small plane, let alone building one, Stuart said “It’s only years.”

“Most of the time I feel like I’m about 60,” he said.


Story and photo:  http://journaltimes.com