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The Paradise P-1 light sport aircraft, piloted by Paradise USA sales manager Chris Regis and Jim Crone, prepares to take off from Sebring, Florida, on a flight to Paradise Valley, Montana.
Flying Y Ranch, located in Montana's beautiful Paradise Valley, was the destination and new home for the Paradise P-1.
Frank, with his wife Karen.
This barn houses the Montana Music Ranch which Frank established on his property to give new musicians a chance to perform in front of live audiences.
For all of us pilots, flying provides adventure and memories that last a lifetime. This past May an exceptionally exciting adventure was presented to me and I had no problem saying, “Yes!” to an invitation to fly a light sport aircraft from Florida to Montana. Flying an LSA is no different than flying a general aviation aircraft except it is more affordable and whenever you pull up on the ramp in a new LSA, you are suddenly the center of attention.
This particular trip was no small order: I was asked to deliver a new Paradise P-1 light sport aircraft from the final assembly facility in Sebring, Florida, to its proud new owner in Montana. The actual destination was Paradise Valley, Montana. You read correctly. Deliver a Paradise to Paradise.
Christopher Regis, the sales manager at Paradise USA told me, “Jim, this is a unique situation. The customer special-ordered an oversized tundra tire on the aircraft for off-airport operations, so it’s going to be slow.”
Indeed, the factory modified the landing gear and installed a set of huge (for an LSA) wheels and tires. This, of course, required removal of the factory wheel pants. The resulting loss of aerodynamic efficiency reduced our cruise speed to 100 mph indicated. So it might take a little bit longer to get there. Is there a problem here? It seemed to me the reason we love flying is for the sheer fun of it. So we get to spend a bit more time airborne on this trip. Sign me up! And I have to say, the little Paradise looked right at home, sitting there on the ramp up to its knees in rubber.
Regis and I departed Sebring just after sunrise. The flight eventually carried us right through the frontal system that had been flooding the Illinois/Iowa region. Despite the rain and dodging a few thunderstorms, it was excellent VFR and we sailed right on through. We also took a short course deviation to get up close and personal with the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The Paradise’s 26-gallon tanks gave us great endurance with the miserly consumption habits of the Rotax 912 engine, so we were able to pick and chose where we stopped for fuel.
The flight also included several planned stops to show the Paradise to a number of interested people. We also managed to fit in a few “demo” flights as well. The best entertainment we had en route was listening to all the controllers attempt to pronounce our call sign of N910ZZ. The callbacks usually ended up sounding like, “State your intentions Zelo Zuru Zurulu.” It seemed like everyone got it wrong so we started calling ourselves N91 Ozz, as in Dorothy and the Emerald City. Even with all the excitement, we were still able to keep to the schedule and all too soon we were flying through the mountain pass that led into Paradise Valley, Montana.
Photogenic, charming, breathtaking are all adjectives that apply to Paradise Valley. We were awestruck at the beauty. The private runway destination, found on the Great Falls sectional, is part of Flying Y Ranch, which sits 4,857 feet above sea level and is owned by a gentleman named Duane – a pilot’s pilot. He is living the dream. He has his own private runway, numerous aircraft, teaches flying and A&P mechanics, and has wonderful stories to tell about everything from his WWII flying adventures in spotter aircraft all the way to historical and current events in Paradise Valley. Oh yes, Duane is 82 and still flies every day that he can break away from hangar duties. We should all be so lucky. One of his secrets is working out in his gym, which is located in the hangar loft. Sounds like good medicine to me.
The density altitudes at Flying Y were averaging 6,500 ASL due to the high temperatures. No problem for the Paradise light sport aircraft. This is an aircraft that is usually airborne in about 250 feet at sea level. Even with the high-density altitudes, our ground roll at gross weight was still less than 1,000 feet.
A few Paradise checkouts were part of my mission so another day of fun, I mean work, ensued after our arrival. Then the founder of the Montana Music Ranch and the new owner of N910ZZ gave us a personal tour of the ranch. You might say we were settling right in with the warm hospitality in Paradise Valley. However, all too soon the adventure of a lifetime was over. The best part was all the new friends we made and the gift of more time aloft because of those big tires.
Info: Paradise USA, 446 Hendricks Field Way, Sebring, FL 33870. Phone: 561.632.8428 • Fax: 561.686.7999 • e-mail:
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• Website: www.paradiseaircraft.us
– Story and Photos filed by Jim Crone
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