The Plane Newsletter

A publication of Chapter 1111 Experimental Aircraft Association

Final - May 2002 - Final - May 2002 - Final - May 2002 - Final - May 2002 - Final

From the President

ALWAYS CHECK AFTER THE REPAIRS ARE MADE

Here are a couple of incidents that point out the importance of carefully inspecting the plane you are about to fly. This is especially important if maintenance has been done. The events go back many years, but I learned a lesson that still applies today.

During the annual inspection of a Taylorcraft that was partnership owned, the aileron fabric did not meet the strength test. All other inspections were taken care of and the plane was returned to the hangar. The mechanic had much experience with fabric and said that he would remove the ailerons, recover them and reinstall them.

About a week later, the mechanic reported the work was done and the plane was airworthy. Since the ailerons had been removed, I paid special attention to the direction of travel with the control wheel displacement. All was well. Upon closer examination of the aileron push pull tubes at the bellcrank, I noticed that the castle nuts had no cotter pins. The potential danger was for a control tube to become unhooked. The worst that could happen would be for the tube to jamb so as to limit or freeze the control wheel.

In another incident, the same Taylorcraft had come out of the shop after annual. I flew it some and then noticed during an oil check that the heat muff for carb heat had not be fully re-assembled to close firmly around the exhaust pipe. The possible consequence could have been insufficient carb heat to keep the carb from ice.

Nothing happened in either case, but the lesson learned is to give extra attention to an aircraft that has just been worked on. I am a proponent of owner assisted annuals whenever that is possible. Observing the way the aircraft is disassembled helps in the understanding of what it should look like fully reassembled.

KELSO FLY IN ALERT!!!!
The City has advertised the airport improvement project that includes runway and taxi overlay, fencing and a wash rack area. Depending on the price of the bids, not all of the work may be accomplished. However…. the wash rack and contractor storage area is the grass strip where we parked the cars last year. If the full contract is underway, we may have to go to PLAN B, which is the north ramp. We will know more after May 1, when the bids are opened….

The Public Works Director has been notified about our fly-in plans a few weeks ago. He did not think the overlay work would interfere, but the wash rack work may throw a wrench in the gears. This is only an alert at this time.

Minutes/Notes From Last Meeting

Board Meeting Notes

There were 7 officers present with Fernando also in attendance. Al gave a financial report (detailed in the club minutes). The current program and upcoming programs were discussed.

The rapidly approaching fly-in was discussed and it was decided the June 4th meeting will be devoted to prepping for the fly-in. Sport Aviation has the ad in their magazine, the portajohns have been donated, Bob Taylor is the food cook, logistics were discussed, the mailings are out. Needed is a person to man the raffle box. Ideas were shared as to ways to make the interactions between the car and plane areas better.

The Astoria Coast Guard may be available for the July meeting to give a talk on their aviation history.

Club Meeting Minutes

23 people were present including officers.

Finances were presented by Al Drewry. $105.94 in checking, $3510.14 in the building fund, and $7091.74 in the CD. Al announced a fire sale on the calendars at six dollars each.

Jim Ylvisaker gave a fly-out committee update and stressed the need for reservations for Tsuniah lake by th efirst week in April.

Wayne Brewer demonstrated a rudder gust lock the folks at Kelso Flight Service have devised for Cessnas and any other plane with a 'free floating' rudder. It is a very ingenious device. It is light, effective, and VERY easy to use. The design is such that there is no danger of damaging the plane or the paint. KFS is selling the rudder gust locks for $35 each.

Fernando passed around a list to get names of people willing to help at the Kelso fly-in. If you are available to help, please let Fernando know. Especially needed is a 'raffle barron and volunteers for airplane rides for the car drivers. We really would like to give the rides on the day of the fly-in this year for the folks who bring their cars. Sandy requested help with the Young Eagles. Please contact Sandi for more information.

Jerry discussed a MIG-17 he saw in a hangar and passed around a few pictures. The owner, Rich Melhoff, is currently in the middle of a restoration project on the MIG. Rich deals in chromolly, nuts and bolts, and aircraft grade spruce. He can be reached at 360-374-6025

The Program

Mike Robertson of the FAA gave a very interesting talk about a number of topics dealing with aircraft safety and construction. He also spoke about the proposed Sport Pilot certificate. Mike recently transferred in from Hawaii, is a commercial pilot, a chopper pilot, an a/p, and an inspector. He has built an RV6, a 3/4 scale Mustang, and is in the process of building another RV8.

Calendar of events

Next Meeting: Thursday, May 2th at the FBO in Kelso.

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

May 2nd at the Kelso FBO at 6 since Mike will be down-unda. I have received information from EAA HQ regarding our nominations for:

EAA Major Achievement Award
EAA Newsletter Award
EAA Web Editor Award

Submittals are due May 31, 2002. We, as a board, should look at each category and determine if we want to recommend, through the chapter, any names to EAA HQ for consideration of awards.

Upcoming Program

The owner of the Prescott Pusher, Mr. Hibler will talk about his plane.

The Astoria Coast Guard will likely be at the July meeting to give a historical talk.

Tech Visits / Project Updates

Fernando
announced his project is painted and he is ready to mount the engine.

Project visit to Mark Edwards
On Friday, April 5th, Jerry visited Mark Edwards Wag Aero Cub project in Woodland. Mark has the Lycoming O-290 mounted to the firewall and is completing the engine control and monitoring connections.

This work is only preliminary, since Mark will remove the engine and disassemble it for a full inspection. The Cub is going to perform very well with an O-290, as Mark is keeping the project light and simple.

Jay is polishing those Glastar wings
Jay Tabor was out to his hangar on Sunday, April 7th, trying out different polishes on the aluminum wings. With a little buffing effort, the aluminum becomes mirror-like. There is a lot of area, so Jay will attack it a little at a time. (But he would rather be flying.)

Misc Points

Maintaining Herb Wainwright's Plane
On Sunday, April 7th, Jerry met with Chris Wainwright, Herb's son, and Todd Becker to review the logs and determine what maintenance would need to be performed to keep the late Herb's plane airworthy. There are some items to address before flying may be resumed. Chris intends to get his pilot's license and fly the plane. Todd will help by performing maintenance checks and run ups while Chris works on his license.

Classifieds

Buy, Sell, and Swap your stuff here!!! Please keep your editor informed of any status changes for the following listings.

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.

Monthly Funny

Aviation 101
Takeoff's are optional. Landings are mandatory.
If God meant man to fly, He'd have given him more money.
If you push the stick forward, the houses get bigger, if you pull the stick back they get smaller. (Unless you keep pulling the stick back -then they get bigger again)
Flying is not dangerous; crashing is dangerous.
It's better to be down here wishing you were up there, than up there wishing you were down here.
The propeller is just a big fan in the front of the plane to keep the pilot cool. Want proof? Make it stop; then watch the pilot break out into a sweat.
Speed is life, altitude is life insurance. No one has ever collided with the sky.
It's best to keep the pointed end going forward as much as possible.
The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.
Flying is the second greatest thrill known to man.... Landing is the first!
Every one already knows the definition of a 'good' landing is one from which you can walk away. But very few know the definition of a 'great landing.' It's one after which you can use the airplane another time.
The probability of survival is equal to the angle of arrival.
Always remember you fly an airplane with your head, not your hands. Never let an airplane take you somewhere your brain didn't get to five minutes earlier.
You know you've landed with the wheels up when it takes full power to taxi.
Those who hoot with the owls by night, should not fly with the eagles by day.
A helicopter is a collection of rotating parts going round and round and reciprocating parts going up and down - all of them trying to become random in motion. Helicopters can't really fly - they're just so ugly that the earth immediately repels them.
Young man, was that a landing or were we shot down?
Learn from the mistakes of others. You won't live long enough to make all of them yourself.
Trust your captain .... but keep your seat belt securely fastened.
Any pilot who relies on a terminal forecast can be sold the Brooklyn Bridge. If he relies on winds-aloft reports he can be sold Niagara Falls.
Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment.
Aviation is not so much a profession as it is a disease.
There are three simple rules for making a smooth landing: Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.
The only thing worse than a captain who never flew as copilot is a copilot who once was a captain.
Be nice to your first officer, he may be your captain at your next airline.
Any attempt to stretch fuel is guaranteed to increase headwind.
A thunderstorm is never as bad on the inside as it appears on the outside. It's worse.
Son, I was flying airplanes for a living when you were still in liquid form.
It's easy to make a small fortune in aviation. You start with a large fortune.
A male pilot is a confused soul who talks about women when he's flying, and about flying when he's with a woman.
A fool and his money are soon flying more airplane than he can handle.
Remember, you're always a student in an airplane.
Keep looking around; there's always something you've missed.
Try to keep the number of your landings equal to the number of your takeoffs.
You cannot propel yourself forward by patting yourself on the back.
There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold, pilots!
Things which do you no good in aviation: Altitude above you. Runway behind you. Fuel in the truck. Half a second ago. Approach plates in the car. The airspeed you don't have.
Flying is the perfect vocation for a man who wants to feel like a boy, but not for one who still is.
Asking what a pilot thinks about the FAA is like asking a fireplug what it thinks about dogs.
Being an airline pilot would be great if you didn't have to go on all those trips.
Gravity never loses! The best you can hope for is a draw!

Dues

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.

From the Editor

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.

Officers and Committee Chairpersons