In Remembrance

A long time weight shift pilot who was a CFI and DPE passed away the other week. John Beaman had been flying trikes for many years having started out like so many others flying hang gliders. He became a motor head at some point along the way and trained a number of new pilots first as a basic flight instructor then as an advanced flight instructor under the old FAA exemption. With the advent of Sport Pilot, John became a CFI and was then appointed as a Designated Pilot Examiner by the FAA for weight shift control aircraft. His training school, Cloud Base Ultralights, was in Oregon but he had recently moved operations to Phoenix Arizona after an illness. John was not one to let a major illness slow him down or interfere with flying. He continued to teach and test new pilots through his illness. Unfortunately, complications related to his original illness overwhelmed John and he passed away.

John can be seen in this video and these 2 videos sharing his knowledge about these unique aircraft.