The Councilman & His Velocity

Larry Parham Goes Fast in his Experimental Airplane

Larry Parham loves to fly. Fast. And he can do it in his Velocity experimental airplane, where he can be found most afternoons. The Velocity's propeller and engine are in the rear, pushing the airplane, rather than pulling it from the front in the typical aircraft.
The previous model was the Long-EZ, slightly bigger, designed by Burt Rutan who has now gone into space travel development. The Velocity weighs only 1500 pounds, has four seats but mostly carries two, and can fly 200 mph at an altitude of 12-15,000 feet. The gas mileage is great--about four gallons for a 45 minute ride. The first models came out 15 years ago and had two seats, front to back.
Parham, who currently serves on the Grove City Council, took a demo ride at Wiley Post Airport in Oklahoma City at age 20 for about 15 bucks. He took a lesson but it was 10 years later that he really got serious about flying. In fact, he purchased an airplane before he even got his license.
His flight instructor was Grand Laker Rabbit Hare, who still flies in his 80's and was a photographer for the Tulsa World at one time. Parham doesn't even think about the cost of flying. "If you do that, you won't fly," he says. "Just enjoy the experience, pay the bills, but don't add them up and worry about it."
His Velocity has a 220 horsepower Franklin engine and literally jumps off the runway. It has a stick instead of the usual wheel. Parham likes to fly above the clouds where it is smooth, long distances to Colorado City, TX, his hometown, or Addison north of Dallas. Cruising speed is 175 mph so he can get places in a hurry. Since it is white, it is sometimes hard to see, so Parham always flies with his lights on.
He spends a lot of time cleaning his Velocity, removing the bugs and stuff that accumulate on the front.
We took a flight over the lake, up to Twin Bridges and around Honey Creek and the Grove area. The aircraft is quieter than most since the engine and prop are in the rear.
At about 2500 feet one can see that the recent rains have filled the stock ponds and Green Country is returning. Escaping the earth's surface, it is easy to see why people love to fly. You see things from the air you never knew about from the ground.
When he isn't flying or doing council work, Parham can be found at his Radio Shack store on Main Street. He has a reputation for being thrifty, and finding others to manage his day to day business affairs. "That way I can enjoy everything that the day has to offer," he says. He also has an inquisitive mind…always checking the numbers and details. But checking the details is what keeps good pilots in the air.