Dan Dorr
Airline Pilot
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Dan Dorr
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After I graduated from college, I went to work as an aeronautical engineer at the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB. I began to formulate a dream of building an airplane with my own hands. I considered several designs, as the dream became more important to me. I knew that, when I was finished, I wanted to have an aircraft I would not only be proud to have built, but I would also be proud to fly. The design needed to be a reasonably high-speed traveler, and it had to be fun to fly (aerobatic with sweet flying qualities). I chose the Falco. I've been building for ten years now, and the experience has been just what I went looking for. The fuselage and tail are complete, and the wings are now being skinned. The process takes time, and I have many other interests in life, so the construction is prolonged. But that's okay; slow, steady progress is all right with me. I spent several years working for NASA as an aero engineer and a pilot, and now I work as a pilot for Southwest Airlines. The airline job gives me a little more free time, so the Falco is getting a little more attention these days. I wouldn't recommend building an airplane to anyone who just wants an airplane. You need to want the experience of building, or you will lack the determination to finish the project. But if you desire the experience of building and then flying an aircraft you built yourself, then few things in life will be as rewarding. Dan Dorr
Dan Dorr is an aeronatical engineer and airline pilot in Fremont, California, who worked for NASA research until recently. Telephone: (707) 537-1860, Cell: (707) 478-6215 Email: dandorr@earthlink.net Photographs Articles |
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