Getting to Know Scott Alair

At age 8, Scott became fascinated with airplanes when his dad gave him his first ride in 1971 in the family plane, a Beechcraft Debonair. This was a first step in his dream to be an astronaut. “Follow your dreams, and you can make them come true!” was his motto. Although he hasn’t become an astronaut, he did become a pilot in 1987, when he received his rating as a private pilot SEL. Scott grew up in Sacramento. Pleasanton CA became home from 1984 —2023 until he moved to Sequim in February 2024 and joined our chapter.

In 1999, Scott went to a fly-in in Redmond Oregon where he was inspired while talking to pilots about the Lancair Legacy, which evolved from the Lancair 235/320 series, but with a larger fuselage and more powerful engine. He had a ride in the prototype Legacy. In 2001, he and his wife, Lynette, picked up his carbon fiber, retractable gear kit after a one-week Builder Assist Program where they learned the basics of advanced composite construction and bonding the parts of the plane together. When they brought the plane home to finish it, he found the most difficult parts were building the canopy and cowling. The first flight in his plane was in 2004. He now had a 2-passenger plane, with a Wingspan of 25 ft 6 in, Gross Weight 2,500 lbs, Fuel Capacity 64 gal, Cruise Speed 276 mph, Range 1,150 sm, and Climb Rate 2,200 ft/min. The engine is a Continental IO-550 310 HP. He named the plane Obsession 77 and his nickname for the plane is the Time Machine.

“When I was a young boy, my Father took me to the Reno Air Races and after that, I had many Day Dreams about Racing around the Pylons in Reno.” One of his many flying adventures was in 2005 and 2006 when he participated in the Reno Air Races (“racing around the pylons”).

To qualify for the races, he attended a 3-day pylon racing seminar with the Sport Class and learned the recovering process if the plane becomes inverted, along with a class in formation flying. During this seminar, prospective Sport Class pilots receive formal Race Procedures and Safety Training culminating in a check ride. The aircraft must have a current FAA Airworthiness Certificate. Pilots must have at least 500 hours of flight time-in-type, and be EAA formation flight certified to participate in a race. In 2005, Scott won a Silver (2nd place) in the Sport Class.

Included in his aviation adventures are: Flying his Legacy to many West Coast Airshows and Fly-in’s in the past 20 years, Oshkosh in 2004 2007 2010 2019 and 2021, Copperstate in Casa Grande, Golden West in Marysville, raced a Corvette at the Pine Mountain Lake Fathers Day Fly-in, raced in the Copperstate Fuel Venture 400, and Airventure Cup Cross Country Race in 2007 and 2010.

Before painting his plane, he flew it to Oshkosh and participated in the Homebuilder’s Review. In addition to being the fastest plane, he had a taste of flying in front of thousands of people.

In all the hours spent sanding his plane, he had a couple of daydreams: flying to Alaska and flying around Denali National Park, and flying his Legacy to the First Flight Airport in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. These are both on his bucket list.

Scott and Lynette traveled many miles in the California hills on their motorcycles. According to him, there is a correlation or similarity between riding a motorcycle and racing a plane. “If you can ride a motorcycle, you can be a race pilot.” There is a spatial relationship and situational awareness in both vehicles. When you are navigating a motorcycle, you are figuring speed, roll-in and roll-out for corner approaches and while racing an airplane, you are managing a very complex, high-risk environment fluidly and naturally.

Besides airplanes & flying, some of his favorite things to do are bike riding, hiking, RC Model Planes, and shooting pistols. If you are heading up to Hurricane Ridge and pass a guy on a road bike, it might be Scott, since this is where he goes every Monday morning.

Scott was a member of Chapter 663 in Livermore CA until he joined our chapter in 2024.

His life moto: Life’s Short, Fly Fast!