This piece originally ran in the November 2023 issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine.

The journey of Fly Baby N363GM started in mid-2001 when I convinced my wife that I should use one of the garage bays of our newly constructed home as a woodworking shop.

Around this same time, my best friend was building a Pitts Special. As I watched him build the ribs for the Pitts wings, I decided that the first project for my newly minted workshop would be something aviation related — maybe even an airplane. It wasn’t that I needed something to fly — I owned an airplane that I flew regularly; it just seemed like something fun to build at the time.

I recall researching several different wooden airplane options, but the Fly Baby seemed like the best fit for me. The major components were made of wood, and it was touted as being easy to build and fun to fly. I ordered the plans from Mr. Peter Bowers, and on November 1, 2001, the first sawdust of the project was made. 

I started with wing ribs. Except for the cost of the mahogany plywood and the Sitka spruce, it seemed like an innocent enough start to see if this was going to work for me. I had fun building the ribs so the journey continued. For the first few years, my progress was steady; however, I am not a fast builder. Over time, I finished the framework of the wings and work on the fuselage, tail feathers, and gear portions followed. By this time, work had become sporadic. I would work on the airplane when I wanted but never felt the need to have to work on it. Weeks would go by without my touching the project — but it was always there.

After several years, with the wings and tail sections framed and the fuselage on the gear, I ran out of room in my small workshop. The project was transferred to my hangar 10 miles from my house. Progress ground to a standstill for several reasons. First, when I went to the hangar, the temptation to fly rather than build was extremely hard to overcome. Most notably, however, was the fact that most of the woodworking on the project was completed. I really enjoyed the woodworking. Looking ahead to what was left to be done were fabric covering, painting, engine installation, and building the cowling from sheet metal. I knew little, if anything, about these tasks, and the desire to learn them was waning.

This changed one afternoon while talking to my friend Sam. Sam was the technical counselor on my project. He had stopped by the hangar for a chat and commented, “If you are ever going to fly that Fly Baby, you better get moving.” This highlighted the realization that I may not have many flying years left. With the embers fanned, work on the project again became a priority, and most every weekend found me working on the airplane.

The airplane was ready to be covered. I decided to use the Stewart Systems glue, and thanks to its videos and instruction manual, I learned how to complete the covering process. Incidentally, the covering process became one of my favorite jobs of the project.

I had always assumed that I would paint the airplane in the traditional way of spraying on the finish. Thus, it was time to build a booth, purchase a large compressor and paint equipment, and learn to mix and spray paint. But did I really want to do that? Sam suggested that I might explore the option of using latex paint applied with a roller. He had used this technique successfully on a couple of his homebuilt projects. I also knew of Drew Fidoe’s experience using latex on his Fly Baby so I decided to try some test panels to see if I could get the results I wanted. Several test panels later, I arrived at a technique, roller, and paint combination that I liked. I am happy with the results. The finish fits the Fly Baby.

I purchased a Continental O-200 engine with a Culver prop that I had watched fly at my airport for several years. The airplane was being parted out, and I nabbed the engine and prop. With Sam’s help, the engine was installed. A rechargeable battery supplies power for the lightweight starter.

I finally ran out of building tasks in the spring of 2022. A visit from a designated airworthiness representative (DAR) was orchestrated, and on July 16, 2022, N363GM became certificated as an airplane — 20 years, eight months, and 15 days after it was started. First flight was October 16, 2022, without incident.

Had I known how much fun it was going to be to fly, I probably would have been a little more diligent about getting it completed. Flight characteristics are similar to an Aeronca Champ, although the Fly Baby is somewhat faster. Cruise speed is around 90 mph. Landing speed is around 40 mph.

Many thanks to Bill Chambers and Sam Buchanan for their advice and help. I would also like to thank Ron, Drew, Jim, Harry, and other members of the Fly Baby community for their input, suggestions, and encouragement.