What do you get when you put a turbine engine on one of the most versatile of all bush planes? A pretty epic race-winning STOL aircraft, and this yearâs winner of the 2018 High Sierra STOL Drag competition. Brainchild of self-taught engineer and successful entrepreneur Mike Patey, Draco is the ultimate backcountry airplane. With its bright red skin, tall legs and heavy cloud of dust around it, Draco commands attention everywhere it lands.
For the full Plane & Pilot feature on Patey’s Draco click here. To check out photographs of Draco being built and in action scroll through the gallery.
Getting ready to swing the PT-6 into place onto Draco's new engine mounts for the first time, Patey operates the engine hoist with care. (photo by: Jim Raeder)
