EAA1111 October 2002 Newsletter

The meeting this month is on the 25th of October at the Rutherglen Mansion!! Steve Wolf will be talking about the Hughes Racer!! Don't miss this event!! More details follow

Steve Wolf and Significant Other, Bob Taylor and Significant Other, Harry and Dot Blair, Gary and Ruth Trenner, Jerry Sorrell, Mike and Bev Smith, Terry and Linda Creamer, Carlo Calica and Significant Other, Charlie Rosenzweig, Jay and Lou Ann Tabor, Leon and Betty Smith, Buzz and Vi Benham, Jim and Joan Ylvisaker, Sam and Sandy Archer, Eric and Betsy Hoppe, Bill Pieper and Significant Other

If you choose you can pay at the door but it should be noted that if you make reservations you need to plan to pay whether you attend or not as the reservation will generate a meal for you and club will not be responsible for your bill

In the last week of September, Mike Lewis and I flew to Cubcrafters in Yakima to look over the production and reconstruction of Piper Super Cubs.

This is truly a small airplane factory, with both new and rebuilt machines moving down the line.

By using approved parts manufactured by suppliers and using Supplemental Type Certificates (STC), there are many variants of the Super Cub available. While the airplane is identical to a Super Cub and is designated a PA-18 model, it can not be called a Super Cub due to name infringement. So, they call it a “Top Cub”!

They even had a Top Cub with a gear “UP-DOWN” lever on the instrument panel. WHAT? OK, so it was a cub on amphibious floats.

Cubcrafters is actually a parts assembly factory that uses Wag-Aero, Univair, and other suppliers to build up the planes. They do not weld up from scratch.

Mike and I really enjoyed the visit and tour. If you plan to stop there, please call ahead so they can arrange to have a tour person available. Learn more at the web site. http://www.cubcrafters.com

Upon landing at Yakima and exiting the plane, I had inadvertently bumped the remote activation button on my ELT. That is another story for another time, and it did not take long to be “caught” by the officials.

Plane Thoughts

There is an old adage which says, Let the buyer beware. I have a new one. Let the seller beware.

This summer, during a peak of insanity and a possibility of retirement facing me, I decided to sell my plane. I contacted a seemingly reputable, and I still think reputable dealer in Aurora. We went over the books and even though the plane had some damage history, they felt with the records and maintenance, it should demand top dollar. Not surprisingly I agreed.

A buyer was indeed found, within a week of the time it went on the market. I had readily agreed to a pre-sale inspection. That¹s when things got ugly. I had spent the day I received the offer an emotional wreck, feeling like I had just sold my first born. When the broker called me and said the pre-sale mechanic was amazed the plane was being flown, considering the advanced state of deterioration it was in, my mood quickly shifted from sorrow to fury. I called Mike, I called Daryl, my original mechanic, and other "interested parties." All expressed the same amazement I had. Among other things the carburetor was leaking gas all over the place, the right wing tip rib was completely crumpled and the second one badly damaged, plus 17 other items. The participating mechanic refused to release the finding, since the prospective owner, rather than me, had paid for the inspection. The prospective owner and the mechanic discussed the situation and decided that I probably wouldn¹t pay for all the work which needed to be done, and since so much needed to be done, it was decided it would not be a good purchase. The brokers said I would need to cancel any option of them selling it since it was so bad it would probably have to be sold as a "project plane." I was somewhat elated, but very upset.

The first thing I checked out was the carburetor. My plane has an accelerator pump in the throttle, and I suspected that they had primed it and flooded it. I had another mechanic check this one at the field before I flew it home. In flight fires have never been one of my favorite items. Sure enough, everything was OK, it was merely flooded. I went ahead and paid half the cost, $200 of the inspection, and got the report. Of the 17 items on the list 10 were obvious and had been there when the plane received its new airworthiness certificate after it was rebuilt. Four were things Mike and I had discussed at the last annual and had decided were things which needed to be watched but not done immediately. As soon as I landed, however, I taxied over to Mike¹s and we checked the MAJOR damage in the wing. Yes, there was a very small buckle, which had been straightened and riveted in the first rib and a very small 1/4" vertical crack in the second rib, which had been stop drilled and reinforced. Mike¹s assessment was that it would in no way affect airworthiness. From now on, you may refer to my plane as "that pile of junk." I¹ve had some interest in people wanting to buy into it, and I¹ll get partners before I sell it.

However, there is a problem here. I had a friend in Florida who went to sell a twin. The people who looked at it had a mechanic who found a lot wrong with it, and threatened to sue them over undisclosed mechanical problems. Her husband is a lawyer and they put the kabosh on that, but now, nine months later, the people are coming back and trying to sue for travel expenses.

Member Profile

This is a new section in our newsletter which will hi-light a member every month. We will be starting with the earliest members from the birth of the chapter and working forward. The profiles will be autobiographical. This excellent idea is the brainchild of Karen Fenton.

When I first took upon myself the task of writing bios for the group, I ran smack into the wall of whom to start with. It was really a dilemma. Do I start with beauty as in Sandy, Lou Ann, Ruth, or Bev, do I start with experience, as with Lee, Jim and Henry, do I start with builders as with Mike, Jay, Fernando and Jerry, do I start with professionalism as with Leon, Gary, and Bob? What a situation. Finally, after a great deal of cogitation and deliberation, I decided to look at who the original founding fathers of the group were, and which of those still belonged. After talking with several people, I came up with half a dozen names. My decision of whom to start with was based on both longevity with the club and holding down an important office.

Anyone who has spent any time at the airport, can’t help but have noticed the quiet gentleman with the mustache and the leather flying helmet. Add to that the very pleasant demeanor and interest in all things flying. The sure give-away is, of course, the beautiful red Great Lakes bi-plane which is often up, and which I have been promised a ride in, still undelivered. I sent him a set of questions and his reply, written in narrative form, was so much his own voice, I am going to let him introduce himself to you. Here, in his own words, is Jim Ylvisaker.
---Karen

I spent 30 years in the education field, all of it in Oregon. Yes I am one of those notorious PERS retirees enjoying a very nice retirement. But when I started in 1960 my salary was $5000 that first year and I had a master’s degree which bumped it up by $500. Even in 1960 dollars it was a challenge to get by. I taught U.S. History and Gov’t. as well as geography at Marshfield High School for six years, then moved to Gresham where I was involved in a team teaching experiment (highly successful, we thought) for three years. Next came a stint at the Oregon Department of Education of Social Studies Specialist followed by six and a half years at Tigard High School as Curriculum VP. I ended my career at Multnomah Education Service District, where I served as Director of Instruction Services for 12 years.

My first wife died of cancer in 1992. We had two children, boys, who live in the Portland area. Both are married with families. I married Joan LeMieux in 1994 and between the two of us we now have nine grandchildren, the oldest of which is a freshman of U. of O. this fall (GO DUCKS!)

I was born in 1932 in a small town in Southern Minnesota, where nobody had much in terms of material possessions but nobody expected much and most people were in the same boat. A nickel on a Saturday in the summer to buy a balsa wood glider made my day. Dad was a music teacher and often bartered music lessons on weekends for farm produce. We moved west in 1943. Dad had heard about the much higher salaries for teachers in the west and accepted a job as band teacher at Ashland High. My two brothers and I were amazed at the mountainous terrain in the west. At Ashland it took awhile to get over the strong feeling of being hemmed in by all those hills. You couldn’t see the horizon!

Since 1943, most of my life has been in small town Oregon (I called home Ashland, Medford, Roseburg, Coos Bay, and Gresham) but I learned to be a city guy when I moved the family to Portland in 1972. Actually, I already knew how because I had gone to PSU back in the late 50’s. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree from PSU in 1959 and then went on for a Master’s at U of O, which I received in 1960.

I always wanted to fly. As so many kids of the depression years, I built model airplanes, both solid models and stick. Solid models became a challenge during the war because balsa was unavailable and pine took its place. Boy was that stuff hard to shape compared to balsa. After I was married and working on developing a career, there was no way I had the time or money to learn to fly. Also, I think my first wife would have been scared to death to have her husband exposing himself to such “unnecessary dangers.” Anyway, that dream was pushed way back until in 1992 when I found myself a widower with both discretionary time and money.

I began ground school in Troutdale, but by 1993 was developing a relationship with aforementioned Joan L., who lived in Longview and I decided to switch my training activities to Kelso. Joan, believe it or not, actually encouraged my dream of becoming a pilot. My one flight and ground instructor all the through to PP ticket was Ward Cowen, now an ATP somewhere. I was lucky to get connected with a CFI that was just right for me at the beginning of my flight training. Ward was great. Not that he didn’t lose his temper and patience once in a while, but I still hear his voice when I’m turning final, “keep that nose down – control rate of descent with power! Don’t try to stretch that glide!” I remember his distraction ploys were pretty good too. He always tried to hook me on things he knew I had emotional involvement in; like about the time I should be calling downwind and adding carb heat he would ask “Hey, what happened to those Ducks last Saturday?”

I have had two frightening flying experiences: once with Ward while I was still in training and had just acquired my C-172, we lost power on take-off, about 50 feet in the air. Ward said “my plane” and got the barn doors open and headed back down to the runway before I really grasped the idea, “Hey, I think we lost power.” Consequently we landed with runway to spare. I have always been amazed at the lightening reflexes of that man. The other time I was sight seeing with friends about 500 ft. AGL south along the Oregon Coast, when all of a sudden another aircraft went by in the opposite direction at the same elevation within, I swear,about 50 feet. See and be seen never had a better illustration and I think I became a much better scanner after that. Also, when flying low on the coast I always use landing lights now.

My dream plane would be a C-185 in superb condition. That would suit me just fine. Yeah, a set of floats for it too, since we’re just dreaming.

I have had many awe-inspiring moments while flying. In fact, everytime I get into either the Great Lakes or the 172, I’m in awe of my good fortune to be able to do this. I just love to fly. I like the serene mornings, the bumpy afternoons, the challenge of planning a flight with weather considerations, exploring new terrain, learning a new skill, sunset cruises and perhaps most satisfying, introducing kids to the world of flight. Over the years since EAA introduced the Young Eagle’s program, I have flown approximately 150 Young Eagle Flights. I think Lee Dines has flown at least that many also, and I believe that our club now has a total of somewhere around 1,000 YE flights. I am proud of our club for that because I believe we have an obligation to keep general aviation healthy with plenty of new starts, but also just because we have chosen to go to the trouble of sharing a dream with kids who probably would not ever otherwise experience the miracle of flight.

---Jim

Minutes/Notes From Last Meeting

Board Meeting Notes

Finances: $84.86 in checking, $4536.83 in the building fund, and $7202.59 in the CD

Money raising was discussed and Jerry will contact DOT about the rest stop/coffee booth for a fundraiser activity. Al will determine availability of 2003 calendars.

Membership drive was discussed. Eric will get addresses of locals who may be interested in joining the chapter. Address info is available from EAA HQ.

The paving project at Kelso was discussed. People are becomming anxious for the project to be done.

The annual dinner will be at the mansioin again on October 25th and will cost $25 each. The officers will stay for another year. The Member at Large position is the only one to be voted on at the annual dinner.

Club Meeting Minutes

The audit of the 2001 books is done. Jerry made a motion to accept the audit, there was a second, all aye.

Henry talked briefly about some props he found at a rumage sale. There was also lots of other misc stuff for sale. If anyone is interested, call Cindy at 578-3972.

Karen proposed a member profile be added to the web page so we can get to know each other a bit better. Be prepared to be interviewed and have a photo taken in the future.

Bev will be organizing the annual dinner. A show of hands had about 30 people express interest in the dinner. The dinner will be on October 25th at the mansion (same place as last year). The cost will be $25 each. Cocktails will be at 6 and dinner will be at 7.

The officers will stay for another year. The Member at Large position is the only one to be voted on at the annual dinner. Gary T. & Charlie R acting as the nominating committee put Mike L. up for another year as member at large.

We had a couple of visitors to the chapter meeting. Thank you, gentlemen, for coming. We welcome you and hope to see you again.
Monty Hughes
Jim Lowry

There was some casual discussion about John Travolta's flight around the world on a mission to help restore a sense of security and goodwill.

During the month of September, Jerry did the annual filing with the Washington Secretary of State as to the ongoing status of our corporation. It cost the chapter $10 and is something we have to do each year.

The Program

The presentation was given by Mike Lewis and Leon Smith on their trip to Australia this spring. Five couples from the Pacific Northwest (four from Chapter 1111) took a flying tour of Australia. Pictures, stories, maps, and souvenirs were shared. We even had a tasting of some of Australia's fine wines.

Calendar of events

Next Meeting: The annual dinner!!! Friday, October 25rd at the mansion.

If you would like to go directly to this map yourself on Yahoo, please click here

Upcoming Program

Steve Wolf, builder and pilot of exotic aircraft, will be our guest speaker at the Annual EAA Meeting, October 25th. Two years have passed since he spoke last, and there is more to tell!

He will bring videos of the Hughes Racer replica and will provide us stories that only he can share in his own way.

Also, he will bring his friend Kathy, who has recently learned to fly and has taken up aerobatics for fun and competition.

Tech Visits / Project Updates

Classifieds

Buy, Sell, and Swap your stuff here!!! Please keep your editor informed of any status changes for the following listings.
Please Note!!! All classifieds will start to bear a date. After they have been in the newsletter for 3 publications, they will be moved to the classifieds section of the EAA 1111 web page. Thank you in advance for alerting the editor when and if your ad can be removed.

The EAA 2003 calendars are here!! This year we have two models to choose from. A wall hanging version and a desk top version with a picture for every day of the year. We will be asking $12 for the wall and $15 for the desk and $25 for both.

At 07:24 PM 9/20/02 -0700, you wrote:
Sirs: I obtained your Email from the EAA website. I have four items I would like to sell from my Dad's estate. I would appreciate it you would share this flyer with your chapter members. Thanks so much for you time and attention to my request.

Monthly Funny

Airspeed, altitude or brains. Two are always needed to successfully complete the flight.

A smooth landing is mostly luck; two in a row is all luck; three in a row is prevarication.

If the wings are traveling faster than the fuselage, it's probably a helicopter - and therefore, unsafe.

Flashlights are tubular metal containers kept in a flight bag for the purpose of storing dead batteries.

Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a person on the ground incapable of understanding it or doing anything about it.

Officers and Committee Chairpersons

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

If anyone sees these people, please have them contact me with their updated email addresses. Thanks -eric hoppe

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

The Plane Newsletter

A publication of Chapter 1111 Experimental Aircraft Association

October 2002 - October 2002 - October 2002 - October 2002 - October 2002 - October 2002

From the President