Standish man fulfills lifelong dream

Bill Mucci is a 65-year-old man who lived his whole life wishing to become a pilot and to own his own airplane. That dream is now a reality.

Bill cannot recall a time in his life when he was not fascinated by planes. When he was a teenager, he would go to the airport at night and just sit in a plane and dream about someday being a pilot and owning his own plane. His face lights up when he talks about them.

He has a large library of books with schematics and diagrams and licensing laws and rules and regulations, and more information than the average person would be able to absorb in one sitting, but he lives and breathes airplanes. His night-time ritual consists of reading and re-reading these manuals and devouring every word. Most of his spare time is spent in the garage working and reworking some aspect of his plane.

Close friend and mentor is 83-year-old Arthur Shute from Sebago. Bill said that he learned just about everything that he knows from Arthur and he would not have achieved his dream without the help of his friend. Anytime that he has a problem or needs to know something more, Arthur has been there to help him out and he taught him what he needed to learn to fulfill his dream. His friendship with this man has been invaluable over the years.

Bill received his pilot’s license in 1997 at age 55. He has a license that qualifies him for life to pilot as long as he passes his physical examination. There is a different license for pilots age 40 and over. Once you reach 40 years of age, you need to pass the physical in order to continue to qualify to pilot a plane. He has to see an aviation physician who then qualified him to fly for another three years. His license is classified as third class.

Bill laughed when he talked about the process of acquiring the plane. The plane that he has is a kit-built aircraft. It came in one large, long wooden box and when he opened the box there were hundreds of parts that had to be assembled. Today it is a handsome red and white cab that is made of fiberglass. The bright yellow, white and turquoise wings are made from Dacron.

When he purchased it, he paid $11,000, but the costs did not end there. He did say that airplanes appreciate in value. When he opened the box he had to inventory each and every part to be sure that it was intact when he got it. Bill does have a maintenance background so he can fix things and assemble parts, but this kit took assembling to a whole new level for him. It took him one year to assemble his plane. All of the hardware on the plane is aircraft grade. You can’t just go to a hardware store and pick up spare parts.

His plane is an Experimental Amateur Built Aircraft with a weight of 254 pounds. The word Experimental is written on the front, and he is required to display that word to differentiate it from a standard factory built plane. In a sense Bill is considered to be a manufacturer since the plane was made by him and not by a factory.

When Bill transports his aircraft, he moves it on a trailer with the wings removed. He then has to replace the wings at his destination. His gas tank carries 10 gallons and he is required at landing to have 30 minutes of fuel left in his tank. His plane is certified for 105 miles per hour which is referred to as 105 VNE and he finds that it is best to fly at day break or after supper when there is less wind. The wind should not exceed five to seven miles per hour. When you first fly you are required to fly 40 hours within a radius of 25 miles of the airport that you are flying from. Bill’s plane did not come with a battery, but he installed one so that he could have a two-way radio. This small plane is a one passenger.

Bill is amazed at what a journey this has been for him. He has learned so much. He has had disappointments that he’s learned from, and successes that he could celebrate. At 65 years of age it has finally all come together for him. Now the airplane that he proudly sits in is his own.

Standish Recreation Committee Wish List

Standish Recreation Committee is desiring the donation of miscellaneous equipment to start an outdoor recreation program for Standish youth in the fall. Below is a wish list for donated goods.

Archery Equipment

Bows – any and all (especially youth size)

Arrows – good & bad (wood, fiberglass, aluminum & carbon)

Archery Accessories – arrows, finger tabs, arm guards, stuff for arrow repairs

Targets – foam block, bag, 3D & burlap to make targets.

50 lb. Burlap seed bags

Old tarps – boat shrink

Fishing Equipment

Spin casting rods & reels (new or used – working or not)

Light-to-medium action spinning rods

Any and all miscellaneous tackle, hooks, weights, bobbers.

This is a great opportunity to help youth who would otherwise not be able to do this type of activity. It will help you to recycle unused items, and help to clean out cellars, attics and garages. It is also tax deductible.

Call Standish Recreation at 642-2875 for pick up or just drop it off at the Recreation Office.