Hi everyone!

             I’m Marty Spies. I live northeast of Dewitt Iowa. My wife is Lori, daughter Shanna, age 17 and son Chase age 13. So you see I need lots of help. Really I’m blessed with a great family.  I retired from farming of 29 years and currently have been employed @ Kunau Implement, an Ag dealership for 16 years. I enjoy golf, not good at it and boating.

             I’ve been flying 26 years now, some where around 2200 hours worth. I had two neighbors that flew, one a crop duster and they always fascinated me. They were great mentors and coaches. I learned a lot being around them. Then one day I found a $1000.00 Weedhopper and this was the beginning. I did 3 pass down my grass strip and off I went. I stayed up from an hour learning the plane. The wind started blowing like the dickens, really only about a 5 M.P.H. cross wind, but seem like a Gale wind. So since it was early May I headed into the wind and landed in the corn field. Taxied back to my runway, then in the shed and off to work. Self trained but knew the fundamentals.

Now I fly the old wrecked Erie club plane. I traded Pat Earl some attorney money for the challenger. We have a nice group that meets Sunday A.M. and leave somewhere by 8:00. The colder it is the closer our destination is. No kills yet in an Ultralight but 25 dead sticks. 5 in the challenger, from broken belts, props, blow engines and my son just simply finding the kill switch @ age of 4. In the air kill switch is the proper name.

I’ve got a speed prop on and always tell people I’ve flow in 100 mile-an-hour winds. This is true, the air speed has reached a 100, but at first they think the wind not air speed. So I always told my friends you can fly in lots of wind, its relevant to your air speed. I always told them to keep a cool head if they are out some where and the wind comes up.

You can do it; it won’t be fun but hang in there. Little did I know I had to listen to my on words.

One evening there was a high wind warning out. It was July, so calm and nice; I’d take just a short ride. Well I headed east and after a half hour I noticed nasty clouds above me. I turned for home watching the tall corn not even flickering. One half mile from home, think I was going to make it, it hit. My air speed indicator went for 70 to over 100. The wind shield popped in, dust was blowing and the corn looked like a raging river. I said well it’s here. I said to my self, keep cool, the wind not as fast as I’ve flown. I headed to the neighbors strip, it was a cross wind on mine. Then I said, I can’t land there, my plane will be at the west end of the strip and have no protection. I can’t let my plane tumble away. I know I’ll ride it out, it can’t last forever. So here I am bouncing around in the air, waiting, thinking wondering how not to wreck my plane. The corn’s tall, I could land in the tall corn and hope my plane won’t blow away. Then I thought I’d try the highway and hope when get close to my house and wind break I’d get wind relief. I started my landing, first wheel touch @ 70 mph. ground speed 30? By now, the wind was WNW so still slight cross wind. My plane was being pushed to the edge and a no passing sign was coming. Hit the gas and banked harder, got back up about 20 feet and moved over. Down again to the pavement, still 70 mph got a wheel down. Basically flying on the road with one wheel touching. It was lined up good to the road, so held the line easing off power. I felt less wind now as I was about 1000 feet from my lane. Got 3 wheels down now wishing I had hydraulic brakes. Now 500 feet from my lane, the wind was block but now I’m going to fast to stop before I get past my place. I said if I don’t commit on it I’m done. So I smashed right and hoped. It turned, I skidded my nose wheel into my lane and power pole caught my right wing and helped turn and stop me. Almost lost my plane on the ground trying to get it in the shed, but I made it. Now it was time from Jack Daniels, to calm me. I checked my weather station in the shop, it recorded wind of 54 mph, and I had some protection from my wind break. Yeah some damage to the rudder linkage, nose wheel and my underwear, but ended well.

So remember, keep cool and don’t panic in troubles. You are all better pilots then you think, just not always fun to find out how good.

Well long enough. Want to know more about me? Fly over and visit or sit a spell with me when I’m at Erie. I really like people and love to visit.

Marty Spies,   DeWitt IA.