{"id":1984,"date":"2014-09-22T14:33:41","date_gmt":"2014-09-22T19:33:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/?p=1984"},"modified":"2014-09-22T14:44:46","modified_gmt":"2014-09-22T19:44:46","slug":"flying-tiger-fan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2014\/09\/22\/flying-tiger-fan\/","title":{"rendered":"FLYING TIGER FAN"},"content":{"rendered":"

Local Attorney Larry Roach Talks About His Lifelong Love Of Flying And His LSU-Themed Light Plane \u2022 By Karla Wall<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201cI try to fly at\u00a0 least once or twice a week,\u201d says local attorney and light sport plane pilot Larry Roach. \u201cI fly for business and pleasure, to relax and unwind. (Flying is) serene and calming. You forget about your cares as you become one with the plane and the sky.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a surprisingly smooth takeoff in Roach\u2019s beloved light sport plane, an Allegro LSA Allegro 2007, I begin to see why light sport aviation is so addictive to Roach and thousands of other enthusiasts. For someone who\u2019s flown only in commercial jets (akin to riding in an automobile), this is an eye-opening experience.<\/p>\n

On this summer morning, the weather\u2019s calm, so the ride is as smooth as silk. The cockpit is covered in a special Plexiglass to afford maximum visibility, and it\u2019s clear from just below my seat to above my head, offering a practically 360-degree view of blue sky overhead and in front of me, and familiar landmarks below, seen from such a different perspective that it takes a few minutes for me to get oriented and recognize the landscape and landmarks below me.<\/p>\n

Peaceful doesn\u2019t begin to describe it.<\/p>\n

The headphones Roach and I are wearing cut out much of the engine noise. They\u2019re geared with microphones, so conversation is as clear and easy as it would be face-to-face on the ground, and as we level off and head toward the coast from Lake Charles Regional Airport, Roach points out the ship channel, the Intracoastal Waterway, boats on Big Lake, the Cameron Ferry, coastal erosion deterrents placed along Holly Beach, and the LNG facilities.<\/p>\n

\"r1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

He points out possible landing spots in the marsh below us, telling me, \u201cyou always look for possible emergency landing spots.\u201d<\/p>\n

I never said I didn\u2019t experience a moment or two of nerves.<\/p>\n

We skim the coast all the way to the Port Arthur area at 110 mph, then head north to follow I-10 back to Lake Charles, where, flying now at 140 mph, we get a bird\u2019s-eye view of the Cove Lane interchange project, the Golden Nugget Casino construction project, the Civic Center and the McNeese stadium.<\/p>\n

As we approach the runway back at the airport, Roach warns me, \u201cOkay, we\u2019re coming in a little bit fast, so I\u2019ve got to do a little maneuver here. Don\u2019t be scared \u2014 it will feel a little funny.\u201d<\/p>\n

The wing on my side of the plane dips so far down I can hardly see it. The nose of the plane dips down, as well, and the plane tilts to my side so much that I\u2019m looking straight down at the ground. The plane drops smoothly and slows, and Roach straightens it back up a bit before repeating the maneuver again. Far from nervous, I\u2019m again amazed at how smooth the plane flies \u2014 at the fact that there were no abrupt drops, as you feel when a commercial plane hits turbulence or changes altitude.<\/p>\n

I was disappointed when we reached the airport and landed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A Lifelong Passion<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Roach isn\u2019t just a casual pilot. Flying has been a lifelong passion for him, having grown up in and around planes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started flying when I was a teenager,\u201d Roach says, \u201cand my father owned several airplanes.\u201d<\/p>\n

He did his first solo flight in 1975, at age 16.<\/p>\n

When his father sold his planes, Roach, who was in law school, quit flying to \u201cdevote my finances to education and supporting my wife and family.\u201d<\/p>\n

He became an attorney, and has practiced in Lake Charles for 20 years. A few years ago, with a successful practice keeping him financially secure and his children grown and \u201coff the payroll,\u201d as he puts it, he began to revisit the idea of flying.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had the spare time and the money, and I wanted to fly again,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

He did some research, and decided that, instead of a regular private pilot\u2019s license, he would take advantage of a fairly new licensing option: a \u201cLight Sport Pilot Certificate,\u201d which allows a light sport pilot to become certified with 20 hours of training, as opposed to the 35 or so hours a regular private pilot\u2019s license requires.<\/p>\n

There are some restrictions to the sport license, however. Pilots must fly VFR, or visual flight rules, Roach says, with strict rules about minimum visibility, and distance below and above clouds. Sport pilots may fly with only one passenger, at no more than 10,000 ft. above sea level; and only from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset.<\/p>\n

Aside from the training time, Roach says he went the light sport route to avoid the medical restrictions and numerous medical forms required for a private pilot license.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can use your driver\u2019s license to satisfy the FAA\u2019s medical certification requirements,\u201d Roach says. \u201cThat lets you avoid an FAA medical. That opens the door for older pilots, and those with underlying conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes.\u201d<\/p>\n

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High Tech Ride<\/strong><\/p>\n

Roach also did extensive research on light sport planes, and settled on the Allegro 2007, which he purchased in October of 2012.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the most economical, capable and advanced light sport plane, in my opinion,\u201d Roach says.<\/p>\n

And Roach\u2019s plane offers some high-tech features most light sport craft don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

The plane\u2019s lightweight aluminum and composite construction makes for a light yet strong plane, weighing in at only 640 lbs. I watched Roach pull the plane out of the hangar himself, as if he were pulling a garden wagon.<\/p>\n

The plane\u2019s aluminum wings are more easily repairable, Roach says, \u201cand a plane is most easily and most often damaged on the wings.\u201d<\/p>\n

The wing\u2019s dual-tapered, gull-shaped wings (curving underneath) make for better performance, as does the tapered Kevlar propellers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe props are very high tech, and allow for maximum efficiency and more power,\u201d Roach says.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s inside that the high-tech really shows. The instrument panel includes two video-game like displays, one showing a regular analog readout \u2014 dials showing speed, direction, etc. The other is a vehicle GPS on steroids. With the switch of a toggle, Roach can see a display showing an icon of the plane and a colored line showing his position and direction; icons for nearby airports; information about each of those airports; obstacles (and distance from those obstacles); navigational charts; a graphic of the terrain below; a radar-like display showing current weather and weather forecast; and more.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a rocket-propelled parachute that\u2019s designed to gently bring the whole plane down in an emergency.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Flying (LSU) Tiger<\/strong><\/p>\n

Roach loves flying so much that it\u2019s one of his goals to introduce others to the hobby. One way to do that is to generate conversation about his plane, and Roach\u2019s plane is definitely a conversation starter.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I bought the plane, I had planned to paint it in McNeese colors, but my kids, two of whom graduated from LSU and one of whom is still there, insisted I paint it in LSU colors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roach says he quickly found that people, no matter where he goes, recognize the LSU colors and want to talk about the team, his plane and flying.<\/p>\n

\u201cI promote light sport flying everywhere I go, and the LSU theme draws attention and starts discussions,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The plane\u2019s decked out in LSU colors, painted by the manufacturer, with gold wings, and white fuselage with purple and gold stripes. But that\u2019s just the backdrop.<\/p>\n

Roach had local airbrush artist Dave Fare, aka \u201cBig Dave,\u201d paint an LSU game ball on the \u201cprop spinner,\u201d which attaches the propellers to the plane and turns them. He also painted an LSU helmet worn by a rather fearsome looking tiger on the wheel fairing, the aerodynamic covering on the front wheel.<\/p>\n

A decal depicting a flying tiger (an homage, Roach says, to both LSU and the famed Flying Tigers WWII air group commanded by Lt. Gen. Claire Chennault) adorns one side of the nose of the fuselage; a similar decal, this one of a fighting tiger, decorates the other side of the nose.<\/p>\n

The cockpit seats are upholstered in purple and gold. Uniformly Fit of Lake Charles embroidered flying tigers on the headrest. There\u2019s an LSU Tigers pillow resting between the seats.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been an LSU fan, and I frequently fly to games,\u201d Roach says.<\/p>\n

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Try It Out<\/strong><\/p>\n

Roach loves sharing his passion for flying, and bringing new people into the hobby. So much so that he opened a business, Light Sport Aviation, to promote light sport flying.<\/p>\n

\u201c(The business) is for those who want to learn to fly in a light craft. Through the business, I can sell light sport planes, help people get instruction to fly, and help people who want to join a flying club,\u201d says Roach.<\/p>\n

For more information on light sport flying, visit eaa.org or aopa.org, and call Roach at 337-540-4953.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Local Attorney Larry Roach Talks About His Lifelong Love Of Flying And His LSU-Themed Light Plane \u2022 By Karla Wall   \u201cI try to fly at\u00a0 least once or twice a week,\u201d says local attorney and light sport plane pilot Larry Roach. \u201cI fly for business and pleasure, to relax and unwind. (Flying is) serene [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":1994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[4,446,51,447],"yoast_head":"\nFLYING TIGER FAN - BestOfSwla<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2014\/09\/22\/flying-tiger-fan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"FLYING TIGER FAN - BestOfSwla\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Local Attorney Larry Roach Talks About His Lifelong Love Of Flying And His LSU-Themed Light Plane \u2022 By Karla Wall   \u201cI try to fly at\u00a0 least once or twice a week,\u201d says local attorney and light sport plane pilot Larry Roach. \u201cI fly for business and pleasure, to relax and unwind. 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