Don MacArthur is a retired air traffic control officer who lives right here in Okotoks.
He came to Foothills Composite High School to talk with me about his fantastic vintage plane, the 1946 ERCOUPE.
This plane has a very interesting history. It was designed in the 1930s but manufacturing was interrupted because of the Second World War, before starting again in 1946.
It was the first airplane that was a tricycle gear. Most planes at that time were tail-draggers, but flying this plane was supposed to be “as easy as driving a car.” Everything was controlled by the control wheel rather than rudder pedals and you didn’t have to do anything with your feet.
MacArthur has enjoyed his plane for three-and-a-half years.
“I wanted something vintage, that was older than me,” he said. “I looked at other planes but I chose this one because it was available in Alberta and the price was right.”
MacArthur earned his private pilot’s licence over nine months when he was 18, right out of high school.
His dad flew during the Second World War and carried on as a commercial pilot.
“He was my inspiration,” MacArthur said.
He said he feels free in the air and he likes to meet up with his pilot friends at airports around Alberta. They enjoy packing a picnic or going for lunch.
“There’s camaraderie,” he said.
The little plane goes 160 km/h and has a range of 350 to 400 kilometres depending on the direction of the wind.
MacArthur admits he was a little nervous when he first flew by himself. An interesting feature of the aircraft is that you can open the windows by sliding them with your hands.
“In the summer, I love it with the windows down and my elbows on the sill. That’s one of the things I love about the plane," MacArthur added. “This airplane is probably the last I’ll have. I’ve had others in the past.”
MacArthur can do his own inspections and his advice is pretty useful.
For example: “Do a walk around before every flight. Make sure everything moves freely and everything looks good, that there aren’t any bird nests behind the propeller if the plane’s been sitting there awhile.”
Another fascinating tidbit is that planes don't age like a car.
“This plane is 77 years old now and it’s perfectly airworthy,” he said.
On a final note, when I asked MacArthur if he liked to race his friends, he laughed.
“I would lose. My plane is one of the slowest," he said. "My friend’s plane is faster than mine. His is a newer model, a 1967 ERCOUPE.”
Maybe he was right, but at least MacArthur’s plane will always be known as…the little plane that could.
Silus Baekeland is a Foothills Composite High School student doing work experience at the Western Wheel.
