Avon Livingston County Fathers

Slipping the surly bonds of earth

There are few ways to better break up the monotony of a mid-summer afternoon than by flipping and spinning above the waters of Conesus Lake.

There’s probably no better view of the lake, either.

Military veterans Luke Fitzwater and Bill Caufield experienced a ride in the sky that they will never forget when they were taken up in an aerobatics trick plane Friday at the Geneseo Air Show.

The rides were given to them by Rob Holland Ultimate Air Shows, an aerobatics company based out of Nashua, NH that maintains an initiative to offer special rides to veterans at each air show they go to.

Fitzwater and Caufield were invited to the Airshow’s practice day to go up in Holland’s Veteran Home Loans MX2 aircraft — a plane made entirely out of carbon fiber that Ultimate Air Shows’ operations manager Mike Ganor describes as a high-performance machine.

“Picture this plane as the Formula One car of airplanes,” said Ganor. “It’s about the toughest plane out there and it’s built strictly for aerobatics and air shows like this.”

The MX2 features a 385 horsepower engine that can reach up to 16 g-force and rolls about 500 degrees—or one and a half times around—per second.

While just reading those kinds of numbers could make one’s stomach turn, Holland said what passengers experience on their flights is entirely up to them.

“I haven’t had anybody who’s not liked the trip so far,” said Holland. “They’re always happy and smiling when they get back down on the ground. I’m not one of those pilots that try to scare or mess with people by doing crazy rolls and flips or anything like that. We go as fast or as slow as our passengers want to go.”

Both of Friday’s veterans were certainly more excited and anxious to get in the plane than they were nervous. These were guys that stayed on the ground when they served in the military.

Fitzwater is a former Marine and Caufield is a World War II veteran who served in the Army’s 26th Infantry Division—who never got to experience the thrills of the sky. Those Air Force pilots seemingly get to have all the fun.

Holland said the impetus for his company’s effort to put veterans in the sky was simple.

“You show up at a lot of shows and see all the guys on the ground directing air traffic or working on the planes and they never get to actually go up in the air,” said Holland.

“So we always tried to take a few of them up. Then we thought one day, ‘Why not extend it to vets?’ It’s such a little thing for us to do, but at least we’re doing something to give back a little bit.

Livingston County Sheriff's Report for 7/25/2011 - NEW YORK'S ...

 J acob D. McKeown , 18, Avon, NY, Lucas S. Terry , 16, Michael A. Terry , 20, and Alexander J. Chiara , 16, residents of Conesus, NY, were charged with Possession of Alcoholic Beverage With Intent to Consume by Persons Under 21 Years of Age on July 19.  McKeown, the Terrys and Chiara were released on appearance tickets to report to Livonia Town Court to answer charges on a later date.

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