The Pilot page

*I'm Richard LeBlanc. Welcome!*
See my other site too: www.RichardLeBlanc.net

I'm a pilot! Flying is a wonderful hobby and I enjoy it very much. My goal is to fly at least once per week. I must acknowledge, however, my current work schedule makes it very difficult to fly that often. I'm flying a Piper Cherokee P28-180. Check out the photo's. The Westland Observer newspaper featured a wonderful article in 2005. A copy of the text is attached below.


From the Westland Observer Newspaper - April 24, 2005 Smooooooth... Boyhood dream of flying fulfilled 30 years later. LeBlanc pilots his way into wild blue yonder Sunday, April 24, 2005 By Darrell Clem Staff Writer Richard LeBlanc turns the key, and the engine of the four-seat, single-propeller Cessna 172 starts with a loud rumble. That's a good sign. Right? Never mind that the airplane sounds like little more than a noisy farm tractor. Forget that LeBlanc - yes, the Westland City Council member - became a pilot just four months ago. Ignore weather reports that winds have picked up around Oakland Southwest Airport in New Hudson. One propeller. Somehow, it seems reassuring that LeBlanc, 46, has a reputation as a city leader who pays meticulous attention to detail. Some critics say he's too meticulous. Suddenly, it's a welcome trait as he checks that cabin doors are properly closed, that flight controls are working and that fuel levels are adequate. "Ready for takeoff," LeBlanc says, speaking through headphones that allow him and his two passengers to communicate over the noise. There's no turning back as the Cessna 172 rolls down the airport runway, reaching speeds of 65 mph. One very important propeller. Then, the aircraft leaves the ground. Smooooooth. Into the sky Houses, freeways, cars and lakes become smaller and smaller as LeBlanc pilots the airplane skyward at 500 feet per minute, before leveling off at 4,300 feet. He appears relaxed as he starts pointing out familiar sites. Interstate 696 looks like a toy race car track. Walled Lake looks like little more than a pond. So does Kent Lake. Though firmly in control of the plane, LeBlanc momentarily seems less like a skilled pilot than the teenage boy who, 30 years ago, dreamed of flying. "Isn't this cool, gosh darn it?" he asks, soaring across the sky at nearly 140 mph. LeBlanc apologizes for a sudden wind shear that didn't really seem to rattle the plane much. Moments later, he maneuvers the Cessna sideways to get a better view of the lakes that dot the landscape below. One propeller. Working fine. LeBlanc, a Ford Motor Co. staffer and Canton reserve police officer, recalls being around 10 years old when he first climbed aboard a small plane. A neighbor who was a corporate pilot gave him a ride. "We were able to fly over our own houses," LeBlanc said, during an interview on the ground. "But, I was probably 16 when I thought it would be really cool to fly a plane by myself." He had to put those hopes on hold for nearly 30 years. First, he married his wife, Cheryl, and he couldn't afford to spend thousands of dollars to become a pilot. They needed the money to raise their two sons. Later, LeBlanc's political career as a city council member became a higher priority, but he found that he had more time after he lost a mayoral race in 2001. "I mentioned it to Cheryl. She was not - and is not - enthusiastic about it," he said. "But, as she has done throughout our marriage, she acquiesced." LeBlanc became serious about his dream in 2003, after he passed a medical exam and received his student pilot certificate. He first flew with an instructor in July of that year. "He let me assume the controls for a bit," LeBlanc recalls. "I still get goose bumps thinking about it." He started his lessons in earnest last June, flying with an instructor three times a week. "He really didn't falter much. It was definitely a good progression," the instructor, Erik Fisher, said. "I'd say he's a very safe pilot. It's a learning process. As long as you live through it, you learn from it." Flying alone LeBlanc made his first solo flight last July. "I darned near wanted to cry," he said. "I worked hard for this, and I had waited a long time. It was a blast. It was euphoric." In all, he has logged more than 80 hours in airplanes that he leases, and he officially became a pilot in December, meaning he could then bring passengers aboard. On New Year's Day, he took his wife and another couple for a flight along the Detroit skyline. "He was very good when we went up, but I don't like the little planes. They scare me," his wife said. "We flew over Comerica Park and over the waterfront in Detroit. The water was what scared me. I always think of John F. Kennedy Jr.'s plane going down. "I think he's really good, though," she said of her husband's piloting skills. "Most things that he sets out to do, he does very well." LeBlanc plans one day to fly to his family's cottage in Moorestown, Mich., near Houghton Lake - a trip that would take about 100 minutes. "I really don't envision flying beyond a vacation destination like that," he said. "My goal is flying for pleasure." In the air, that becomes evident as he starts returning the Cessna toward Oakland Southwest Airport. He points to the landing strip. "We're three miles away," he says, even though it looks closer. LeBlanc starts descending at 1,500 feet per minute. Houses, freeways, cars and lakes look bigger and bigger. He turns the plane and starts descending toward the runway. "We're a little off course," he said. "But it will be fine." One propeller. Still working. Closer to the runway. Closer still. And, finally, touchdown. Smooooooth.