AUSTIN, Texas — There are a multitude of different ways to experience a golf tournament, but Gary-James Knight might have the most unique one at the Dell Match Play.
“Usually, the number one question is, ‘what is it?’” Knight said.
For the past two years, Knight has flown an Icon A5 to the Austin Country Club, landing it on Lake Austin. It’s a lightweight, amphibious aircraft that turns into a jet ski-like vessel once it’s on the water.
“Landing an airplane on the water is actually one of the most thrilling things that you can actually learn to do as a pilot,” Knight said.
Built out of carbon fiber, the plane is not meant for cross-country travel, but instead the experience of flying it locally.
“I’m not running out of things to do and learn and experience in this airplane,” said Knight, who’s a regional sales director with Icon. “Go buzz around and find a sand bar, find a restaurant on the water, find a golf course.”
But instead of dealing with the crowds on land, Knight’s spot provides a new perspective on the world’s best golfers while also showing off the plane to fans.
“The typical reaction is exactly what I’ve always hoped for,” Knight said. “Being able to put an aviation product in a non-aviation environment, and then see people who would otherwise not care about airplanes all excited about it, is something that’s incredibly gratifying.”
Knight has about 400 hours and nearly three years flying the seaplane, but he’s been fascinated with airplanes since he was a little kid.
“They couldn’t get me to pay attention in little league, because I was always looking up at the sky,” Knight said with a smile.
Now he’s the one who’s looking down from above.
“There’s so many little things about flying that you can appreciate,” Knight said. “This airplane was designed to just accentuate those little things.”
The airplane that turns into a jet ski. Or is it a jet ski that turns into an airplane?
Either way, it’s one of the coolest places to watch the PGA Tour’s best in Austin.