ANN met up with STOL Competition Pilot, Steve Henry, at a STOL demonstration at Sun ‘n 2021. Highly stimulating, the flying that took place in what has become known as ‘Paradise City’ on the outskirts of the Sun ‘n Fun complex, drew hundreds whenever they flew. Henry has a devoted following around the aero-verse... and flies a uniquely reconfigured Just Aircraft Highlander STOL aircraft powered by a much modified Yamaha Apex powerplant that was built up for this role by Edge Performance out of Norway.
This is more than just a cool pastime for Steve, as he’s turned it into something oa business--helping pilots build and outfit the STOL platform of their dreams. Still; he’s having a ball showing off his handiwork, noting a ‘personal best’ takeoff distance of 2 and a half feet and the landing roll of just fifteen feet!
Even though it's obviously built as a STOL Platform, Henry notes that he flies it everywhere and only recently began trailering it due to the number of competitions that have popped up... making his travel requirements a bit more than he can normally accommodate. He’s used it for aerial camping trips and is pleased to have a lot of baggage room for that purpose, in particular. Based in Idaho, he gets to see the best of Mother nature that way but seems even more impressed by the people who he flies with and/or meets along the way, explaining that “there’s so many good people in this industry...”
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