Demo Flights

Demo Flight

The Challenger is best experienced in its natural environment - the sky. We are pleased to offer qualified, prospective customers a scenic discovery flight of approximately one hour in duration that will explore the majority of the flight envelope of the Challenger: including (and respectful of your wishes of course):

Pre-Flight Inspection, Warm-Up, Run-Up, Taxi and Takeoff
Cruise Flight
Slow Flight and stall characteristics
Normal turns
Steep turns - you just pick an interesting spot you'd like to orbit and we'll do the rest.
Water take off and landing (conditions permitting and assuming our floats are installed)
Snow take off and landing (conditions permitting and assuming our skis are installed)
Cruise and slow flight at lower levels (but always at safe and legal altitude and proximity)
On hot summer days when there are appropriate thermals, and appropriate terrain available, if you wish, we may reduce the power to idle and show you the Challenger's soaring capabilities.
On occasion, field conditions permitting, we have been known to land and take off at our farm en-route if we happen to be in the vicinity. We are not likely to put down in just any old field, however. It tends to annoy the farmers!
Landing (this maneuver is a required element!). If we're favoured with a cross wind, you'll get to see just what an incredible airplane the Challenger is.

Our airplanes are equipped with headsets and a two place intercom so we are in constant communication with you, and you can hear us on the radio to airport and en-route frequencies. We explain what we're going to do before we do it, so there are no surprises, and so you feel comfortable and are aware of what we're about to make the airplane do.

Bring your camera - the view is awesome!

Weather Considerations

While the Challenger is quite at home in rough air, wind, etc., and we're happy to fly in this kind of weather, we generally prefer to do demo flights on calmer days. Calmer air makes the experience that much more enjoyable for you, and for us because we never really know in advance of a flight just how much light airplane experience folks really have. Some folks are just prone to bravado, and only fess up once they have slipped the surly bonds!

So while we're happy to crank and bank in the roughest air, we prefer to do it when there isn't a new flyer in the back seat turning green!

Demo Flight Scheduling and Considerations

This section might seem a bit harsh, and if you're offended, please accept our apologies in advance. We're in the business of selling airplanes, not airplane rides, and we've been at it long enough to know that the words here are legitimately necessary.

Demo flights need to be booked in advance, are subject to our judgment of acceptable weather conditions, and also on us coming to know you and confirming that you are actually a legitimate potential buyer of a Challenger.

Please appreciate that we are in business to sell and support new Challengers, or premium pre-owned Challengers that we are representing - not to provide joy rides, or opportunities for people surfing the web for used Challenger bargains to use us to confirm interest in the airplane. If you are looking at a used Challenger somewhere other than with us, please go get the owner of the airplane you are considering to take you flying in the airplane you're considering. If you don't feel safe with that pilot, or in that airplane, then perhaps you shouldn't buy it, but in no case do we want to waste our time helping you buy someone else's airplane. If it looks or sounds too good to be true, it probably is. There is no point in coming up for a ride in one of our pristine airplanes, and then buying some bargain that has likely been flown into the ground, and repaired without you knowing it.

We don't do discovery flights for folks trying to decide if they want to try out flying. There are dozens of flight schools in Alberta, staffed by professional pilots, who would be very happy to take you up for a Discovery Flight at a very reasonable hourly rate. Wetaskiwin Air Services and the Edmonton Flying Club are two such fine establishments who would be more than happy to take you sightseeing on a discovery flight to see if you might be interested in taking flying lessons.

We have to drive for almost an hour each way from/to our farm and the airport where we base our aircraft, and we have expenses for airplane fuel, engine overhaul allowance, airplane maintenance, etc. so, please appreciate that our time is very valuable, and we have a very significant investment in our well maintained aircraft.

Want to convince us that you're genuinely interested? Put a deposit on a kit, and then ask for a demo flight. We were already building our first Challenger long before we ever went for a ride in one.

Free Photos

If Tracy and I are both in attendance, which is often the case, we like to take some high quality digital photos of you in the plane before takeoff, takeoff, landing, and after landing. We'll email these pictures to you. We quite enjoy capturing and preserving what is affectionately known as the Challenger Grin.