I started construction of Excalibur N53DZ in January of 2006. After researching the available kits within my meager budget, I chose the Excalibur based on the cost and the quality of materials used as well as the attitude of Tom Karr, president of Excalibur. The process of construction turned out to be very simple and requires only minimal skills. Most of the work is drilling holes and pop-riveting everything together plus the fabric covering. The first flight was on August 22, 2006. I made one trip around the pattern and landed. It was a brief flight, but at least I was able to determine that the flight controls were working correctly. My next flight was for an hour. I got up to 8000 feet MSL and just spent time making gentle turns and trying to maintain altitude and speed while watching the engine temps. After a while I">
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Dirk Zahtilla’s Excalibur


I started construction of Excalibur N53DZ in January of 2006. After researching the available kits within my meager budget, I chose the Excalibur based on the cost and the quality of materials used as well as the attitude of Tom Karr, president of Excalibur. The process of construction turned out to be very simple and requires only minimal skills. Most of the work is drilling holes and pop-riveting everything together plus the fabric covering. The first flight was on August 22, 2006. I made one trip around the pattern and landed. It was a brief flight, but at least I was able to determine that the flight controls were working correctly. My next flight was for an hour. I got up to 8000 feet MSL and just spent time making gentle turns and trying to maintain altitude and speed while watching the engine temps. After a while I…


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