My early years of flying experience took place at Evergreen field in Vancouver. I learned to fly and test flew my first experimental there.
There was plenty of activity, with the Northwest Antique Aircraft Club, FBO training and various experimentals adding to the regular traffic.
Close to where I hangared a flying club Taylorcraft, I watched a couple of men unload a plane from the back of a large “U-Haul” type truck. They assembled the plane in a hangar over the next few days. The plane, a Rearwin, looked something like a Piper Cub with a five-cylinder radial engine.
On Saturday as I was flying the Taylorcraft, I noted that the men had the airplane nearly assembled and said they were trying to get it done that day. After flying, I returned home, but decided to go back to the airport to specifically see if the plane was going to fly.
The plane was on the taxiway when I parked between the two hangars at the east end of the field. This put me about 100 feet from the taxi-way and maybe 200 feet to the grass runway (28 left).
The plane taxied by and pulled onto the runway. Power was applied, and the plane quickly picked up speed. The tail came up, then very slightly down, and then the plane pitched up to a near vertical position. I could not believe this as it was happening in front of me!
The plane wobbled, pitched forward and with power still on, went vertically into the ground and over on its back. The crash made a splitting, ripping, smashing noise. The fuel splashed onto the engine, and made a cloud of “steam”. Most amazing there was no fire. I walked cautiously to the plane, wondering if the fuel vapor wound ignite. I observed the accident had caused fatal injuries to the pilot.
The airport manager, Wally Olson, ran up to the plane, looked inside, moved the control stick and immediately let out a string of curses and walked away. By this time, the fire department had arrived and I left the scene.
Wally knew the cause of the accident to be pilot error. He had observed that the movement of the elevator was reversed on the control stick. In the big rush to fly the plane, the men assembling the wings and tail feathers to the fuselage had failed to do a flight control continuity check and did not notice that pulling back on the stick made the elevator go “down”. The control cables were reversed! Had they both looked at it and the problem did just not register?
This object lesson, which I will never forget, strongly stated the importance of checking over an airplane before the first flight; especially a flight after any major work has been done. Next month, I will tell you about almost flying a plane that would not have been safe to fly, after it came out of the shop. The missing part was so small it was overlooked. Its function so big, that without it………..
Last week, Keith was changing oil on his RV-6 and thought about the mess that was about to occur with the removal of the oil filter.
He devised a small tube, with a press fit washer and gasket, that could be inserted in a hole drilled in the oil filter. The hole was drilled high enough on the filter, so no oil came out of it. With the small tube pushed into the filter and secured with tie straps, he rotated the filter about ¼ turn and drained the oil. The ¼ turn was not enough to back the filter gasket away from the accessory case, so no oil came out here. No oil slopped onto the engine or the firewall. Nifty!
I got an interesting link to a web page that is chock full of very unusual pictures and situations related to aviation. Try it out
The primary topic of discussion for the board meeting was the fly-in. Fernando gave status updates and was able to discuss pending issues with everyone present, such as who to get for volunteers to run the concession stand and who to get to direct traffic on the ramp.
The meeting was called to order with 21 people present including officers.
Al Drewry gave the treasurer's report as follows:
$118.57 in checking
$3366.46 in savings (building fund)
$7070.05 in the CD.
Eric Hoppe reminded everyone to go to our new web site for the latest in club happenings: www.eaa1111.com. He also mentioned his goal to have the minutes published in the 'draft' version of the following month's newsletter no later than one week after the meeting. Eric will be calling people to make sure they are getting the club's monthly information.
Fernando gave an update on the Kelso EAA chapter Fly-in. We got the ok from Merrill to use the south ramp which will allow us to use Karen's hangar as a great launching point for the Young Eagles. Fernando will also be calling on people to help with the fly-in. Please help him out and do what-ever you can.
Jim Y. gave an update on the Fly-out committee's efforts. That updated information will be published here and on the fly-out page as soon as it is received. The most pressing fly-out is the St. Patty's day search for a good corned beef and cabbage lunch. Jim found the Salem airport to be serving the desired grub. weather permitting, there will be a few planes heading south on Sunday the 17th! Bob Taylor is coordinating the St. Patty's Day run. Next on the date list is the Poker Run which is tentatively scheduled for May 11th or 12th.
Karen Fenton talked about her recent trip to Maui and her excellent experience with Maui Aviators. She said it was a GREAT way to flight-see Hawaii and was considerably less expensive than paying someone for a flying tour.
Karen also mentioned she would like to trade her hangar with someone else at Kelso. She is having a harder and harder time being able to open her hangar doors. She would prefer something of similar size to the hangar she has now (one of the 'A' hangars). Please contact Karen Fenton for more details.
Unfortunately, Mr. Robertson from the FAA was suffering from the nasty bug so many are getting and could not make the meeting. He has changed his commitment to the May meeting.
As a pinch hitter, Bob Taylor stepped up to the plate and brought a promotional video for the Tsuniah Lake resort in B.C., Canada. About 200 miles north of Vancouver, this resort boasts fantasitc fishing, astonishing scenery and a 4000' grass strip. Our club may use this as an extended fly-out later in the year. Please stay tuned. The Chapter Events area has some links to more information on a couple of different lodges in the Tsuniah Lake / Chilko Lake region. For the avid fisherman, Fish B.C. was recommended as the best place to get all the latest fishing info.
The Tsuniah lake video was about 20 minutes long (I still have that music in my head!!) so we were not able to watch another installment of the EAA chapter video.
Meetings are usually held the first Thursday of the Month, 7:00 p.m. Unless otherwise noted, they are held at Kelso Flying Service located on the east side of the Kelso airport. Everyone is welcome! Bring a friend!
Board Meeting 6 pm April 4 @ Mike's Shop. We will try to keep it to about 1/2 hour, as to be at the airport for our FAA guest.
Our FAA guest, Mike Robertson, will join us to discus the new sport pilot proposal, situational awareness and other safety issues.
Time permitting, we will also be watching another quick installment of the EAA Chapter video distributed by EAA HQ.
Bob Taylor announced at the meeting he is the proud new owner of a new Glastar kit from the New Glasair/Glastar Company in Arlington.
NEW
ELT MEANS BUY NEW TOOLS
I just bought a new "ACK" ELT which has a remote
activation / reset switch. The connection from the ELT to the
switch uses a four conductor telephone line. The line that came
with the ELT was about 10 feet more than I needed. I really do
not like to coil up extra line, so I bought a four-conductor
splice and crimping tool at Radio Shack. So, if any of you have a
similar ELT and want to shorten up all that lead, see me for the
tool to do it. (Or if you have some 4 conductor phone line work
to do at home) ---Jerry Sorrell
Leon Smith is selling a dimmer controller from Vans and an altitude switch to alert the pilot when a chosen altitude is passed.
Paul and Loretta Unrein have listed their beautiful house and 80% scale P-51 Mustang (Restless) for sale. Their house is on the paved, private strip (Parkside) just north of Battle Ground. They can be reached at (360) 687-7330. Eric Hoppe has some pictures of the property.
Wanted: Women Pilots, to give Young Eagle rides to girls in the AWSEM Program. Please call Marcy Lange @ 503-397-6916 or e-mail: marcy@langair.com. The Portland Chapter of 99s has another Site Visit in March with girls in the AWSEM Program. (AWSEM stands for Advocates for Women in Science, Engineering, & Mathematics)
The
calendars are still here!! The calendars are still here!!
Even with the initial mad rush on the calendars, we still have a
few stragglers. Try your best to find homes for them before the
year gets too far along. The calendars are going for a mere $10
each (a few dollars less than ordering from the EAA web page). Al
Drewry is in possession of the calendars.
Jerry Sorrell has an electric turn coordinator, which was recently swapped, out of his plane for a new one. He says his old one could very well be used as a trade-in core or may even be parted out. Please contact Jerry.
Tony Bequette has a few items for sale and/or trade. Contact Tony at tbquette@pacifier.com or contact Jerry for Tony’s phone number.
Complete "Whing Ding” plans and instructions dated 3/24/71.
A complete Aqua Glider plans and instructions.
Book, "How to build Ultralights" by Herb Beaujon, no date but of early '80s vintage.
Book, "Hang Gliding" by Dan Poynter 1974
A small vacuum venturi.
A "Tactair, Inc" directional gyro w/ t-3 autopilot, requires 4 in vac source. Condition unknown but seals still intact.
Two pair clearance lights: (One pair source unknown complete, One pair Grimes, model A 1 missing green lens)
One white lens Grimes an 3091-2
Gauges: (One Manifold pressure, One vacuum )
One tachometer cable 36 inch
An Osprey 2 Project, approximately 60-70% complete, fuselage structure, tail feathers, one wing, some metal fittings (landing gear) plans, instructions, builders log book.
Occasionally, airline attendants make in-flight safety lectures and other announcements a bit more entertaining. Here are some actual examples:
As the plane was coming to a stop at Washington National, a lone voice comes over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella - WHOA!"
After a particularly rough landing at Memphis: "Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as h*#l everything has shifted."
"Welcome aboard Southwest Flight XXX to YYY. To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt, and if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised."
"In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, oxygen masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with two small children, decide now which one you love more.
Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but they'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Southwest Airlines!"
"Your seat cushions can be used for flotation, and in the event of an emergency water landing, please take them with our compliments."
"There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane..."
"We do feature a smoking section on this flight; if you must smoke, contact a member of the flight crew and we will escort you to the wing of the airplane.
"Smoking in the lavatories is prohibited. Any person caught smoking in the lavatories will be asked to leave the plane immediately."
Pilot - "Folks, we have reached our cruising altitude now, so I am going to switch the seat belt sign off. Feel free to move about as you wish, but please stay inside the plane till we land... it's a bit cold outside, and if you walk on the wings it affects the flight pattern." Then, after landing: "Thank you for flying Delta Business Express. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride."
As we waited just off the runway for another airliner to cross in front of us, some of the passengers were beginning to retrieve luggage from the overhead bins. The head attendant announced on the intercom, "This aircraft is equipped with a video surveillance system that monitors the cabin during taxiing. Any passengers not remaining in their seats until the aircraft comes to a full and complete stop at the gate will be strip-searched as they leave the aircraft."
Once on a Southwest flight, the pilot said, "We've reached our cruising altitude now, and I'm turning off the seat belt sign. I'm switching to autopilot, too, so I can come back there and visit with all of you for the rest of the flight."
"Should the cabin lose pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the overhead area. Please place the bag over your own mouth and nose before assisting children or adults acting like children.
"As you exit the plane, please make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants." Following a long pause: "Please do not leave children or spouses."
"Last one off the plane must clean it."
And from the pilot during his welcome message: "We are pleased to have some of the best flight attendants in the industry... Unfortunately none of them are on this flight...!
Heard on Southwest Airlines just after a very hard landing in Salt Lake City: "That was quite a bump and I know what ya'll are thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendants fault.....it was the asphalt!"
Overheard on an American Airlines flight into Amarillo, Texas, on a particularly windy and bumpy day. During the final approach the Captain was really having to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant came on the PA and announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Amarillo. Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!"
Another flight Attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing: "We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."
An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers exited, smile, and give them a "Thanks for flying XYZ airline." As he said that in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally everyone had gotten off except for this little old lady walking with a cane. She said, "Sonny, mind if I ask you a question?" "Why no Ma'am," said the pilot, "What is it?" The little old lady said, "Did we land or were we shot down?"
After a real crusher of a landing in Phoenix, the Flight Attendant came on with, "Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Captain Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt up against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we'll open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal.
A part of a Flight Attendant's arrival announcement: "We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us today. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of us here at US Airways!"
January is the month to make sure you renew your everlasting support to the club!!! Please take care when writing out your checks and lets not have everyone rush Mr. Drewry at once! Dues are $24.00 per year. If you join midyear, they are pro-rated $2.00 per month. Send dues to treasurer Al Drewry. Include your National EAA number, as the Chapter 1111 bylaws require it for membership.
Now that we have our own domain on the web www.eaa1111.com,we have lots of room for pictures and such. Please don't be shy and let's get some pictures of projects published!!! If anyone has anything they would like to share, (a nice trip, lessons learned from flying or building, project status, or whatever) please don’t be shy. I would love to work with you to get your thoughts and ideas published. Your contributions make the editor’s job much easier and it makes for a better newsletter.
Although we will send the newsletter to you via ‘snail mail’, please seriously consider receiving it electronically via email as it saves the chapter significant amounts of money.
| President & Tech Counselor | Jerry Sorrell | 263-1532 | jsorrell@wa-net.com |
| V. President | Mark Edwards | 225-8821 | cubace32@hotmail.com |
| Treasurer | Al Drewry | 274-6115 | |
| Secretary & Newsletter Editor | Eric Hoppe | 263-6691 | behoppe@tds.net |
| Tech. Counselor | Jay Tabor | 425-6278 | jtabor@scattercreek.com |
| Member at Large | Mike Lewis | 274-8860 | michael@kalama.com |
| Historian | Bev Smith, Lou Ann Tabor | 274-8860 | michael@kalama.com |
| Hospitality chairperson | Bob Taylor | 576-3806 | bobtaylor15@attbi.com |
| Young Eagles Coordinator | Sam and Sandi Archer | 425-7777 | sas@toledotel.com |
| Fly Out Director | Jim Ylvisaker | 636-0242 | jlemieux@teleport.com |