Mistake #2: “I had control when I made the second mistake and got on the runway and felt completely compressing my right suspension trying to lift my wing.” In retrospect, he wishes he had waited for the front to pass through. This led him to make the decision to head out to the runway in conditions that weren’t favorable. Mistake #1: “I had control when I made that first mistake, to not wait it out a little bit longer.”Ī storm front was moving in, and Mike was attempting to beat the weather. The way Mike sees it, he didn’t have control once a strong crosswind gust picked up Draco’s left wing and turned the plane into a kite, but he did have control when he made two key mistakes leading up to that moment. I hope we all learn something and become better pilots because of my mistake…all my mistakes.” I will learn from my mistake, maybe showing where I failed others may learn as well.”Īs he relives the accident that led to Draco’s demise, Mike makes one thing very clear. In the video description, Mike shared, “I’m heartbroken. What caused the Draco crash & what are the learning lessons?īeing the stand-up take-ownership kind of guy that Mike is, shortly after crawling out of the wreckage of Draco, he filmed an after-action review (AAR) video titled Simply Draco Crash today. Initial reports stated that Draco was totaled. The aircraft banked to the right side of the runway, coming down hard and causing a wing and landing gear to collapse. Winds were picking up, and there was a strong gusting crosswind at the time of takeoff. The pilot was departing before a weather front arrived at the airport. “A PZL-104 Draco Turbine Wilga crashed during takeoff from Reno-Stead Airport, NV (KRTS). Conditions were windy with strong gusts.Īn accident report supplied by the Aviation Safety Network states: On September 16, 2019, Mike, his wife Chandra, and another passenger were taking off from Reno Stead Airport in Reno, NV, following the National Championship Air Races. Draco was featured on the cover of Plane&Pilot’s March 2019 issue, and Mike and Draco also won the trophy at the 2018 High Sierra STOL drag race. I wanted to take a plane I loved with great visibility and a lot of neat characteristics and make it exactly what I wanted for a backcountry extreme bush plane.” What recognition and awards did DRACO receive?ĭraco flew into EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2018 and quickly rocketed to celebrity status. And I just couldn’t find a plane that could go up to 14,000 feet with a density altitude of nearly 17,000 and land with camping gear and four people, so Draco was an idea from owning a Wilga 10 years earlier. I live in a high mountain desert we have mountain elevations that are over 14,000 feet. When speaking about his inspiration, Mike said, “I’ve always wanted to be able to take my family into the backcountry at a really high elevation. The impetus for the Draco design was a problem that Mike just had to solve. In 2016, he was inducted into the Sport Air Racing League Hall of Fame. Today Mike holds five world speed records, all earned in planes that he designed, custom-built, and flew himself. Not only did flying become Mark’s favorite hobby, but it soon became Mike’s as well. In typical Patey-twin fashion, he decided that if he was going around planes, he might as well learn how to fly them. Later, when the brothers started a healthcare records company, Mark spent much time in airports traveling from one speaking engagement to another. They were fascinated with learning how machines worked. They enjoyed taking apart and reassembling equipment like lawnmowers or televisions in their free time. Together, Mike and Mark started a decking business as teenagers, and their success rapidly grew from there. Despite, or perhaps because of, being labeled with dyslexia and ADHD in school, they realized that they had a unique capability for achieving greatness through problem-solving. As an entrepreneur, Mike started young alongside his twin brother Mark. Who built Draco?ĭraco was the handiwork of visionary aviator, entrepreneur, and innovator Mike Patey. In this mini-documentary, you get the behind-the-scenes tour and introduction to Draco. To see Draco for yourself, join fellow STOL (short takeoff and landing) bush pilot and aviation enthusiast Trent Palmer as he chats with the man who dreamt up, built, and proudly flew Draco. Fuel consumption: 28 gph at cruising speed.Fuel: Jet fuel (can also run on diesel or fuel mixes if jet fuel isn’t available).What’s all the buzz about? Let’s review the specs and introduce you to this one-of-a-kind custom craft. Plane&Pilot suggested that this “beast of a bush plane” is “the coolest airplane in the world.” They even referred to Draco as the ultimate fixed-wing helicopter. Garmin called it a bush plane reaching new extremes. In just over 1 year of life, a custom-built Draco became the stuff of legend.
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