April 2026

Forutnately the rain stopped and we had a good turnout for our meeting with Justin. He brought his Gyroflug Speed Canard. Inspired by the Rutan VariEze, the Speed Canard was an all-new design created without input from Rutan that was built in the 1980s and 90s in Germany. His was imported as an experimental by a German citizen even thought it is type certificated because FAA rules didn’t allow it to be imported as a certificated aircraft. Justin gave a fascinating talk about his experiences designing and flying drones, monitoring spacecraft, and his current job in Santa Maria: using drones to monitor wildfires.