![]() I wanted to take a plane I loved with great visibility and a lot of neat characteristics and make it exactly what I wanted for a backcountry extreme bush plane.” What recognition and awards did DRACO receive?ĭraco flew into EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2018, and quickly rocketed to celebrity status. And I just couldn’t find a plane that could go up to 14,000 feet with a density altitude of near 17,000, and land with camping gear and four people, so Draco was an idea from owning a Wilga 10 years earlier. I live in a high mountain desert we have mountain elevations that are over 14,000 feet. When speaking about his inspiration, Mike said, “I’ve always wanted to be able to take my family into the backcountry at a really high elevation. The impetus for the Draco design was a problem which Mike just had to solve. In 2016, he was inducted into the Sport Air Racing League Hall of Fame. Today Mike holds five world speed records, all earned in planes which he designed, custom built and flew himself. Not only did flying become Mark’s favorite hobby, but it soon became Mike’s as well. In typical Patey-twin fashion, he decided that if he was going to be around planes, he may as well learn how to fly them. Later, when the brothers started a health care records company, Mark spent a lot of time in airports traveling from one speaking engagement to another. They were fascinated with learning how machines worked. In their free time, they enjoyed taking apart and re-assembling equipment like lawn mowers or televisions. Together, Mike and Mark started a decking business as teenagers and their success rapidly grew from there. Despite, or perhaps because of being labeled with dyslexia and ADHD in school, they realized that they had a unique capability for achieving greatness through problem solving. As an entrepreneur, Mike started out young alongside his twin brother Mark. ![]() Who built Draco?ĭraco was the handiwork of visionary aviator, entrepreneur and innovator Mike Patey. In this mini-documentary, you get the behind-the-scenes tour and introduction to Draco. ![]() To see Draco for yourself, join fellow STOL (short takeoff and landing) bush pilot and aviation enthusiast Trent Palmer as he chats with the man who dreamt up, built and proudly flew Draco. Fuel consumption: 28 gph at cruising speed.Fuel: Jet fuel (can also run on diesel or fuel mixes if jet fuel isn’t available).What’s all the buzz about? Let’s review the specs and introduce you to this one-of-a-kind custom craft. Garmin called it “ a bush plane reaching new extremes.” Plane&Pilot suggested that this “beast of a bush plane” just may be “the coolest airplane in the world.” They even went so far as to refer to Draco as “the ultimate fixed-wing helicopter.” In its just over 1 year of life, a custom-built plane named Draco became the stuff of legend. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |