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Unedited copy as submitted for the July 28, 2000 issue of Airventure Today.
Around the Field
By Jack Hodgson All Sorts of Birds Here at AirVenture

He may not fly, but he sure is loud. There's a new member of the Ultralight team. His name is "Extra Crispy", he's a rooster.

For years now the front porch of the ultralight Red Barn has been known as the Chicken Coop. Well this year one ultralight volunteer was inspired by that name to play a prank on Chairman Chazz Humphrey.

Chairman Jim Beckman, who insists that he isn't the culprit in this, tells the story of this guy whose daughter had a rooster. The guy told his daughter, "You don't eat that bird, I want it for Oshkosh."

Jim continues with the story, "Well on Friday night I, err, I mean, the guy who did this, smuggled the rooster onto the field and left it in a car in the Volunteer parking lot. Now this bird is really loud you see, so at 5:20 am the next morning the bird is crowing like crazy, so this guy's wife makes him move the bird."

"He moved it over to Pioneer Airport, where the next morning the neighbors complained. Next it was taken in by the folks who live across the road from the ultralight barn. But they couldn't take its noise for more than one night."

"So at 3 am on Tuesday, I ... umm, this guy moved the rooster to a spot next to Chazz and Susan Humphrey's campsite, where at 5:25 am it proceeded to awaken them for their busy day."

Extra Crispy has his own elaborately filled-out prop card, and has a weekly AirVenture wrist-band around his neck. He's currently living in a cage in the Chicken Coop in front of the Red Barn where, if he follows form, every day he will announce the dawn. We're guessing the next person to complain will be the yodeller.

When we last saw Matthew Liknaitzky he was down at Sun 'n Fun, alone with his backpack and an ultralight. He left Lakeland and spent the next 26 days flying his Aerotrike Safari back to his home in the Los Angeles area. Nine of those days were spent on the ground waiting for weather to improve. The Safari has a range of about 3.5 hours on a tank of gas so he made a lot of stops.

"Everywhere I stopped I met friendly people." Says Matthew. "Many of them invited me to stay in their homes."

Matthew traveled to AirVenture 2000, from his home base in Hemet and Bear Creek Airports in Southern California, by more conventional means. He's working with the Aerotrike manufacturer and will be talking with attendees in the ultralight area about his adventures, and showing the latest model, the Aerotrike Cobra.

The Mickels are one of many who make AirVenture a family affair. Tim and Betty first attended in 1972. They drove in from Freeport, Illinois planning to just spend the day. They had so much fun they didn't want to leave. So they slept in the back of their Volkswagen and stayed longer. TheyÕve been back every year since.

Tim learned to fly when he was in college in the late 60s. He bought a Taylorcraft when he was a senior. Nowadays they fly their Cessna 140 to AirVenture from Alburtus Municipal Airport in Freeport, Illinois. They found the 140 in a barn in 1986. It took five years to restore and it now has 1100 hours on it.

Tim and Betty's older daughter, Natalie, learned to fly in the 140. So did the daughter of Tim's partner. Now, Betty and younger daughter Kathryn are learning in it.

Tim, Betty and Kathryn arrived at this year's AirVenture early and Natalie will be joining them in a few days. It's a family thing.

Rubber Chicken Air Force has expanded its fleet. Two years ago in this column we met Brent Blue who owns the legendary C-310 that can be found each year in the North Forty campgrounds decorated with numerous rubber chickens. This year Brent has brought another plane to AirVenture.

Parked in the flight line grass just south of the fly-by buildings, is Brent's 1957 Flaglor High Tow. This bright red bi-plane was bought by Blue in 1996 and has recently been restored by Aviat Aircraft. Due to it's interesting nature the plane will be judged in the "Contemporary Homebuilt" category.

The High Tow was designed and built by Ken Flaglor as a glider tow plane. It was able to tow two gliders and carry a passenger at the same time. The bi-plane's home base is Driggs Field in Idaho.

By the way, Brent celebrated his 50th birthday here at AirVenture the other night. He hosted a big bash that included rubber chicken key-chains for guests, and drinks created with a gasoline-powered blender.

Hey Brent, you're not getting older, you're getting better.