Member Spotlight – Ron Wright

by Bruce Estes

This month, we feature member Ron Wright. Like a lot of us, Ron built model aircraft as a kid. But, his entry into flying was unconventional.
When Ron was fourteen, he built a wing, strapped it to himself, and jumped off a roof. The neighbors were amused and Ron did not get hurt. When Ron was nineteen, he started flying again, for real. Ron flew hang gliders for a couple of years until he crashed and broke his arm.

As a senior class project for Ron’s son, Ron and his son got their ultralight pilot licenses. Ron flew ultralights for five years. Several years later, Ron bought and built a Jabiru airplane kit. The workmanship on this airplane was so good that Jabiru displayed Ron’s airplane in the Jabiru booth at Oshkosh in 2006. Ron sold the Jabiru in 2014 and made a huge step up by buying a Columbia 400. The Columbia cruises in the mid teens at 170 knots. Ron says this airplane is a rocket ship.

Ron started his business, Catalina Imaging in 1985. Ron is our current EAA chapter president and stays VERY busy between EAA and Catalina Imaging. Ron is also a past vice president of the chapter and was a board member when the chapter was formed a few years ago. Ron’s goals as president of Chapter 1541 are for
our chapter to purchase a hangar so we have a home and to develop programs for youth education in aviation.

This photo of Ron was taken when Ron flew a round trip to Colorado to pick up a puppy. What a great use of his airplane. (via Ron Wright)