Aiming high

Bob Crichton and Derek Mays are two guys who share a house that borders a small field on Old Sprigg Road. To the rear of the house is an old barn and some cows that glance quizzically at the airplane tied to a tree nearby.

The cows probably aren't the only ones wondering what the heck the plane is doing there.

To Crichton and Mays, the two-seat Rotec Rally 3 Big Lifter ultralight aircraft is the beginning of a dream.

The two Southeast Missouri State University students purchased the experimental airplane a few weeks ago over the Internet with the hope of launching their fledgling aerial photography business.

So far they have the airplane and a company name, Birds-Eye Photography. Now, all they need is a camera.

Now 22, Bernie, Mo., native Mays has been flying since he was 16.

Crichton, 26, is from Nashville, Tenn. He flew for the first time last summer in Alaska while working for the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The pair ended up with a plane in their yard after deciding to put their mutual love of flying to work for them.

In between classes and studying for finals, Mays and Crichton have been making repairs to the plane, including replacing the engine. They've also had to repair the rear flaps, damaged in Tuesday's windstorm.

May's friend, Shawn Wooldridge, also from Bernie, has been helping with the project, too.

Mays, who has flown ultralights before, said there was nothing to compare to the open-air feeling of the small plane. "It's just awesome," he said.

After researching the topic on the Internet, aerial photography seemed like a good way to make money doing something they love.

Finally, Mays made the eight-hour trip to Dover, Ark., to buy a plane.

"It cost about $4,000, but we've spent at least $1,000 and counting in repairs," Crichton said.

Passersby have been getting curious.

Jo Renfro, who owns the property, was driving by a couple of weeks ago when she saw Crichton and Mays assembling rainbow-colored wings for the aircraft.

"I thought, 'What in the world?'" Renfro said.

When their landlady stopped and pulled in their driveway, Mays and Crichton winced.

"We hadn't asked her if it was all right," Crichton admitted. "But Mrs. Renfro was very cool."

Crichton and Mays offered to give her a ride when the plane is ready, but she declined.

The plane is definitely an ice-breaker.

"A few days ago, some ol' boy stopped, and he must have chatted with us for about an hour," Mays said.

With the blessing of their landlady, they mowed an airstrip in the field next door. Though the pattern looks a bit like a drunken crop circle, Crichton and Mays said there's a method to their madness.

"We've got something from north to south and from east to west," Crichton said. He borrowed a buddy's riding mower to cut the paths.

With a 10 mph wind, the plane only needs 30 to 40 feet to take off. With a 15 mph wind, the little plane can lift off like a helicopter.

Last week Mays was testing the plane's new engine. It worked too well, he said. He was about 20 feet in the air when the powerful motor shattered the propellor.

"I was in the house, and it got quiet so I thought he had taken off," Crichton said. When he walked outside to look, he found a shaken Mays standing next to the plane.

Mays brought the plane down safely but said it was a scary moment.

Thursday, a new, adjustable propellor arrived by parcel service.

But before the plane goes into the air again, "every bolt, every screw, everything is going to be checked and double-checked," Mays said.

Crichton agreed. "I'd like to enjoy this thing and not die trying."

abuchanan@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160