Tailwheel flight school & specialty aircraft sales East Haddam, CT (42B)
About
Learn Tailwheel
1967 Champion 7ECA Citabria N2811G
In 2025, Goodspeed Flying Service will add this Citabria to enable solo rental and primary instruction for our students. Light, efficient, and renowned around the world as a fantastic tailwheel trainer, the Citabria has taken many forms since its introduction in 1964. This is an early model with the smallest engine, making it a practical training platform for our students. It is also equipped with a uAvionix EFIS and Garmin radio.​
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Available for rental at $200/hour.
Solo rental available with type checkout.
Not available for aerobatic instruction or rental.
Learn the Classics
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.
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Available for rental upon special request at $150/hour.
Solo rental not permitted.
Luc Zipkin
Owner & Flight Instructor
Luc learned to fly in gliders first, in the mountains of northern Vermont, before transitioning to classic taildraggers. Today, he has flown 30 different types of aircraft in a variety of professional, non-profit, and family-use contexts.​
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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.
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Ground and dual instruction in our aircraft at $75/hour.
Instruction in your aircraft starting at $100/hour.
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.
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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." Later, they became involved in historic aviation, with experience operating numerous types.
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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.
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Led by third-generation pilot Luc Zipkin, Goodspeed Flying Service is proud to continue a family tradition of grassroots aviation into the 21st century.
