Artyom Liss now flies a 1946 Auster from Utena Aerodrome in Lithuania. It’s a long way from his introduction to aviation — flying with Microsoft Flight Sim in 1998.
But his journey is one many pilots can relate to: “I started gliding and I wanted to fly further,” he recalls of his introduction to actual flight at an airfield in England.
Next step was powered aircraft, flying a Eurostar.
“A friend offered me a flight in a Piper Cub,” he says. “I was instantly hooked. The simplicity of vintage aircraft, the way they handle and the reality that you are surrounded by history is to me a great attraction.”
He joined a flying club and flew other Cubs and then eventually a Tiger Moth.
Work commitments took Artyom to Lithuania. Exploring what he might fly locally, he reports he was not enticed by “spam cans” at the local airfield.
“Amazingly, I found this Auster locally in good condition,” he says. “Its owner had been trying to sell it for a couple of years. It was a deal I simply could not resist.”
“I love the quirks of the Auster,” he continues. “For example, the mixture control is fixed, wire locked at the factory in 1946. The fuel sight gauge is a calibrated ruler, only readable on the ground as it shakes so vigorously in the air.”
He recently performed an upgrade to his vintage flyer, installing a Trig Avionics radio and Mode S transponder.
He reports that the engineer for the company that installed the radio and transponder replaced old audio wiring and resolved an interference issue with new magneto wiring.
“He was also keen to try out his brand new 3D printer,” Artyom says. “He used it to make a bespoke tray that now smartly houses the Trig radio and transponder beneath the instrument panel.”
Artyom’s next upgrade might be a major one.
“I am seriously considering a C-90 Continental engine upgrade,” he says. “The extra speed and range would be appealing.”