By LINCOLN BENEDICT
Brunswick Executive Airport (KBXM) in Maine is a retired naval air station now home to a vibrant aviation community.
The twin 8,000-foot runways have been taken down to one runway, 1R/19L, with the alternate 1L/19R opened every now and then for maintenance needs (or even functioning as a taxiway for Air Force One when it came to town).
The airport users range from business jets to a Cirrus-based flight school to powered paragliders, truly a smorgasbord of General Aviation.
One thing it didn’t have was a grass runway, but that changed when Ethan Brown worked with the FBO and airport management to create an informal 2,000-foot grass runway in 2024.
Ethan is also a budding private pilot and in June, when these photos were taken, he was ready to solo. (He has since earned his ticket).
His instructor (and my hangar neighbor) was headed out to watch, so I grabbed my camera gear.
It was the quintessential summer evening, a soft warm breeze blowing the new green grass with the sun gradually sinking to the west.
Watching Ethan solo his 1946 Champ 7AC was a joy — so much hard work had gone into this moment that you couldn’t help but break into a smile.
Heck, even the airplane seemed to be smiling!
Thanks for all your hard work, Ethan.
Congratulation and welcome to the club!
My first was in 1969 in J-3 at Zahns airport Amityville LI NY…..
Yes, You never will forget ……
CONGRATS, Ethan!
What a beautiful aircraft and a beautiful day to reach such an accomplishment.
Congratulations Ethan, this achievement will be remember forever (mine has not been forgotten 1981).
Congratulations on receiving your private pilot certificate. Hard earned and due to your diligent work. Fly safe and often for many years.
I too soloed in an Aeronca Champ. It was owned owned by the Young Field Flying Club at Young Field, just west of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The year was 1960 and the date November 18, 1960. It was my 20th lesson. I received my private pilot certificate on September 19, 1961. Later that day I took my mother, my first passenger, up in our Cessna 140, her birthday present. We had not told her we had been learning to fly.
At a later time, my husband asked me what our lives would have been like if we had not gotten involved in aviation. We both said, “BORING.”
The Champ I soloed is still flying in Alabama. Great little airplane.
Ann Holtgren Pellegreno
I saved your article from 2017. It is on my bookcase shelf.. Absolutely marvelous.
Great story and kudos for Ethan’s efforts. First solo in a ’46 Champ circa 1981. Fond memories of a grass strip.
Thanks for sharing!