Every builder who completes a homebuilt aircraft has a lot of their story in the plane. But for Leo and Ginny Knowlden, of Clarkson, Michigan, the RV-10 that they flew to Oshkosh AirVenture 2021 goes deeper.
The first thing you notice about the plane, named Windwalker, at least if you’re a pilot, is what a great job the builder did. Leo says he put more than 2,700 hours into the build over the course of around five years. It first flew on January 15, 2020, with Leo at the controls, but it was not long after that when it became clear that the couple’s dream of taking it to OSH 2020 wasn’t going to happen. They had to wait, and fly. The plane has 235 hours on it since that first flight!
As beautiful as the construction is, you don’t need to get very close before you realize the paint scheme is extra special.
The image on the tail is of Leo’s father, who was Comanche, and made Native clothing and goods, like those shown in the image. Though he was Comanche, he was taken by the work of another plains people, the Crow, so the clothing shown in the portrait of Leo’s dad is Crow. The painting of the plane was done by Jake Stahr, and the portraits of Leo’s dad, and the arrows and peace pipe, were painted by Larry Winborg. The portrait shown here is also called Windwalker. Winborg painted it in 1980, and it is on the cover of a book.
Thanks, Leo and Ginny, for sharing your amazing plane and story with us and with all of us here at #OSH2021! [Not a valid template]
