Tom keeps this at the Warrenton Airpark (7VG0). The Quicksilver is a true rag-and-tube ultralight from the old days - except that this one has an N-number and is now, technically, an Experimental Light Sport Aircraft, not an ultralight. It's about as minimal an airplane as you can get. It cruises at 55 mph, the same as my trike.

We filed SFRA flight plans on Tom's cell phone. The briefer paid us a compliment: he said we were the best-prepared filers he'd had all day. (OK, it was only 6:40am, but still.) I got the impression that people who do this regularly get a little cavalier. NOT US! We don't want to look like idiots. We have visions of them sending transatlantic flights on go-arounds because we're stuck sitting on the runway wondering what to do next. You get only one chance to make a first impression, and that's not the one we want to make. We're on our very best behavior today.