AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021 - 112

PILOTS
John Chirtea
Always arriving in style
BY JULIE SUMMERS WALKER
LOGBOOK /
WHO John Chirtea
HOURS Approximately 1,200
R AT INGS Private airplane single-engine
land and sport gyroplane
EXTR A At EAA AirVenture this year,
Chirtea and his daughter Heather designed
and wore hats and T-shirts proclaiming
their fascination with the electric aircraft
BlackFly. " My bucket list top item is to ride
in one-and maybe buy one. I might have to
go to California again to do that. We made
two T-shirts and two hats for the BlackFly;
we were a hit at the show,' " he said.
EVERYONE KNOWS WHEN John Chirtea
has arrived. From his low and slow arrival
in his Ercoupe to his stylish outfit befitting
his aircraft's name Fancy Pants or
his infectious, boisterous laugh, Chirtea
brings joy wherever he goes. The retired
real estate developer has been in love
with aviation since he was a boy in Ohio.
Like so many, he started with airplane
models, winning a trophy for his balsa
wood Wright glider, presented to him
by Chuck Yeager. Daydreaming from
his rural school windows, watching a
crop duster work the fields, Chirtea first
started in an aeronautical engineering
program at Miami University of Ohio,
but too much daydreaming-and a lack
of calculus aptitude-convinced him of
other careers. But he started the flying
club at his university, and, with 15 other
students, purchased an Aeronca Champ
7DC in which Chirtea had his first lessons
and soloed.
After the Army, a family, and his career
halted his flying for a while, his success in
112
AOPA PILOT / November 2021
real estate in the Washington, D.C., area gave
Chirtea the means to pursue aviation again.
He wondered what had ever happened to
that Aeronca Champ. He found and bought
NC83515 in 2004. Following that purchase,
he bought a Cessna 172 in June 2006; a
Cessna 172 XP in April 2007; a Breezy in
August 2008; a Pietenpol in November
2010; a Fisher Celebrity biplane in October
2013; an Ercoupe 415C in December 2014;
a Magni M-24 gyroplane in June 2015; and
an Alon A2 in October 2017.
" My favorite aircraft would have to be
my 1946 Aeronca Champ as it is the actual
airplane in which I took my first half-hour
flight on December 1, 1955. I still fly it a
couple times a month to this day. But then,
every airplane I have ever had is/was my
favorite. My fleet is now down to the 1946
Aeronca Champ, a 1946 Ercoupe 415C, and
a 1965 Alon A2. "
Chirtea keeps his " fleet " at Eagle Crest
Aerodrome, a private grass strip located
between Lewes and Milton, Delaware.
" It's a real gem in this area, " Chirtea said.
His wife, Cindy, is also an avid collector and
has a gyroplane of her own. She makes sure
their collection remains manageable and
that her husband follows her one rule: " You
need to recycle your assets, and you can't
buy another airplane until you sell one. "
Chirtea enjoys sharing his passion
with others and is a member of the
Quiet Birdmen and the United Flying
Octogenarians. " There are always three
basic things a pilot tries to achieve in their
lifetime: They strive to own the airplane in
which they took their solo flight; they have
a desire to live on an airport community;
they want to find an airplane in a barn.
Fortunately, all three have been bestowed
on me, and my burning desire is to continue
to fly low and slow and enjoy them
for at least another decade. "
julie.walker@aopa.org
EDWIN REMSBERG
AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2021

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