Tailwheel flight instruction and specialty aircraft sales – East Haddam, CT (42B)
About
Our Airplane
1946 Piper J3C-65 Cub N7238H
The Piper Cub was the foundation of pilot training for thousands of newcomers to the field during and after World War II. Ours has a 90-horsepower engine, seaplane propeller, and auxiliary fuel tank for greater performance and reliability into the 21st century. There is something about the control harmony, classic looks, and ease of a Cub that has attracted pilots to them for nearly a century. We're proud to say that it's our business to introduce a new generation of pilots to this exceptional airplane.
Available for rental from $150/hour.
Solo rental not permitted.
Luc Zipkin
Owner & CFI
Luc learned to fly in gliders first, in the mountains of northern Vermont, before transitioning to classic taildraggers. Today, he has flown 25+ different types of vintage and tailwheel aircraft in a variety of professional, non-profit, and family-use contexts.
He is a flight instructor in single-engine airplanes, and licensed as a Commercial Pilot in single-engine land- and seaplanes, multi-engine airplanes, and gliders. Away from Goodspeed Flying Service, he is a second-in-command on the DC-3 with the Tunison Foundation, a pilot and leader in the Commemorative Air Force, an aviation writer, and an undergraduate at nearby Wesleyan University.
Ground and dual instruction in our Cub at $50/hour.
Instruction in your aircraft starting at $75/hour.
Flight Log
Instruction and ferry services completed to date
John Morris, J-3 Cub ferry CT–WI 7/2024
Roan Schaffer, tailwheel endorsement 7/2024
Brian Smith, tailwheel endorsement 7/2024
Dustin Nablo, BFR 7/2024
Ben England, tailwheel endorsement 7/2024
Graham Ramsden, tailwheel endorsement 7/2024
Tim Wilson, tailwheel intro 7/2024
Emilio Arce, C170 intro 6/2024
Walter Rijkse, tailwheel endorsement 5/2024
Katarzyna Duszkiewicz-Cenda, AR11 transition 4/2024
Emilio Arce, C180 intro 4/2024
Sebastian Arce, tailwheel intro 4/2024
Emilio Arce, tailwheel recurrent 4/2024
Clara McGee, tailwheel endorsement 3/2024
Echo Atkins, J-3 intro 2/2024
Eric Mobiglia, BFR/tailwheel intro 2/2024
Garrett Fleishman, C180 recurrent 2/2024
Ben Smith, C180 intro 2/2024
Jack Dennis, tailwheel endorsement 1/2024
Elliott Martin, C180 intro 1/2024
Isaiah Gershon, Skywagon intro 1/2024
Jesse Farnham, C140 BFR 12/2023
Clara McGee, tailwheel intro 12/2023
Will Drake, tailwheel intro 12/2023
Katia Michals, tailwheel intro 12/2023
History
A family aviation tradition
The family tradition of aviation that became Goodspeed Flying Service began in 1951, when Herbert Zipkin, a World War II veteran, earned his Private Pilot's License through the G.I. Bill. He soon bought a surplus Boeing Stearman biplane for $1,200 and began a decades-long love affair with flight.
In the 1990s, his sons Eric and David learned to fly, too, with roots at Goodspeed Airport, where Eric was a seaplane instructor early in his career for Eagle Aviation. Together, the brothers founded Tradewind Aviation in 2001 with the callsign "Goodspeed."
Through a fortuitous partnership with Bill McEnery and Kim Edwards and supported by grants from the Recreational Aviation Foundation, the Zipkin family purchased Goodspeed Airport in November 2020. Soon thereafter, they began an airport revitalization plan that brought back flight training, aircraft maintenance, and seaplane docks, and made key investments in airport infrastructure.
Led by third-generation pilot Luc Zipkin, Goodspeed Flying Service is proud to continue a tradition of grassroots aviation into the 21st century.
