Aviation enthusiast Dennis Hutchinson is flying high over a national magazine writing an article about his restoration of a rare experimental Davis DA-2A. Most of us have hobbies like golfing, cooking, or watching Netflix. For Dennis Hutchinson, it’s flying his Davis DA-2A Airplane. Dennis owns 1 of an estimated 75 Davis airplanes in the world.  Why is this airplane so unique? Probably because you build it yourself! This simple-to-build airplane (relatively speaking) can be built from a kit to create a fairly inexpensive airplane. The Davis airplane design has one goal: “get the most performance out of the least horsepower and the fewest bucks.” In fact, one version of the airplane used a 20-hp lawn mower engine!

Dennis bought his Davis DA-2A as a somewhat repaired, yet damaged airplane. He is the fourth owner of the plane after he bought it from a father and son who rebuilt the engine and nothing else. It took about a year and a half for Dennis to finish the rebuild and add personal touches. In July of 2016, Dennis was flying his own plane. He explains that, “the DA-2A [is] an absolute joy to fly. It is quite responsive, but not ‘twitchy’ at all. It does exactly what you tell it to instantly.”

The DA-2A is the third airplane Dennis bought. Recently, he purchased a fourth airplane and is currently remodeling it. His passion for flying started from a young age. Dennis even earned his pilot’s license before earning his driver’s license! The next time you see Dennis, ask him about his airplane. Maybe you’ll see him up in the sky!