The Plane Newsletter

A publication of Chapter 1111 Experimental Aircraft Association

October 2004 - October 2004 - October 2004 - October 2004 - October 2004 - October 2004 - October 2004 - October 2004

From the President

Annual Dinner

The tenth annual dinner will be at the Oak Tree in Woodland on Friday, Oct 22, 2004.

Cocktails are at 6PM, Dinner to be served at 7PM in the MT. Adams Room. Parking is on the north side of the building and the entrance to the banquet rooms is also on the north side. The price including gratuity is $23.00.

Food choices are:
1. Top Sirloin Steak with Deep Fried Onion Rings
2. Deep Fried Prawns
3. Boneless Chicken Vienna with Almonds and Cheese Sauce

Each selection will include their famous Oak Tree Salad, Baked Potato, Rolls, Coffee or Tea and dessert.

All reservations must be made and prepaid by October 15th. Make all reservations payable to Beverly Lewis.

Bev and Mike will not be at the Oct 7 meeting as they will be in Las Vegas. Reservations can be collected at the meeting by giving the payment to Al Drewry and Bev and Mike can pick up the checks from him when they return, or they can be mailed to Bev at 911 Schaffran Rd., Castle Rock, 98611.

CHEHALIS CHAPTER 609 POKER RUN A SUCCESS
The poker run held on Saturday, October 2, was a success, especially for Jim McClellan who held the winning hand. The flight included stops at Scappoose, Kelso, Toledo, Chehalis and Olympia. Pilots and planes from these airports and La Center joined in the activity which wrapped up with a picnic lunch (more like dinner) at Chehalis.

While getting our poker cards at Scappoose, we met up with Leon Smith in his Lancair ES. He and his wife were over for the weekend to celebrate his mother’s birthday. Their new home near Prineville is nearly done, and Leon promised he will fly more, when the house is finished. We also ran into Dwight Irby at Scapoose who had just flown from Victoria and Friday Harbor.

The weather could not have been better, nor the company. The "flight of two RV's" went from Kelso - Chehalis - Olympia - Scapoose - Toldeo - Chehalis back to Kelso. Jerry Sorrell and Jim McClellan flew a loose formation the entire trip. Eric H rode back seat in Sorrell's bird and was treated to a fantastic day of flying. We checked out the composites outfit at Scapoose and their Viper jet project. We stopped to talk to the man at Toledo who is building four Express aircraft for various people, we watched the goings-ons at the warbird show in Olympia. The line for fuel in Scapoose would have made many FBO's jealous as it was easily a twenty minute wait and the planes just kept coming in. The bar-be-que picnic to finish things off was very satisfying and when Jim announced three Aces, everyone knew they were beat. All in all, it was a great day to be in the air!

Plane Thoughts

KEEPING IN TRIM
While the title may sound like a lifestyle suggestion, it really refers to aircraft trim devices and their purpose. The information below comes from various sources that also include my personal experience, which is always a good teacher as long as the personal experience is not too frightening.

Trim tabs can be fixed or moveable and are designed to take pressures off the primary flight controls. These control pressures occur due to a number of factors such as the center of gravity relative to the center of lift, prop thrust vector, engine mount offset, speed of the aircraft, vertical fin offset, fuel quantity differences in wing tanks, and the quality of aircraft construction. (Everybody wants to say, “My airplane flew hands off first flight!” which is meant to be interpreted as “I built this so square and true, it had to fly right!”)

Many factory airplanes will have fixed trim tabs on the ailerons and rudder which are usually fine tuned to the airplane by the factory test pilots. The elevator trim tab is ordinarily adjustable by the pilot who will move a lever, crank, wheel or electric trim switch to reduce or eliminate the pitch loads on the stick or wheel. The higher scale planes may have moveable rudder and aileron trim tabs.

Let’s take a look at the moveable trim tab that nearly all experimentals have which is elevator trim. A properly designed elevator trim will also provide back-up pitch control in the event that the primary pitch control to the elevator fails. An elevator trim which depends on adjustable spring pressure against the stick or the wheel may accomplish the desired trim result, but can not be considered as a backup safety feature in the event of primary pitch control failure. Some years ago, a T-6 Texan pilot was practicing his air show routine in the vicinity of Scappoose Airport. The exertion of a maneuver broke the elevator control at the elevator bellcrank. The pilot, who was very familiar with the T-6, regained pitch control with the elevator trim tab and made a safe landing at the airport. A spring loaded trim device at or near the control stick would have been useless in this case.

Elevator trim tabs also bring surprises in the event of a malfunction. I often listen to the aircraft scanner in my shop and heard a pilot call Portland tower and say that his airplane wanted to go into a dive. He told the tower that he thought the elevator trim had “run away” and that both he and the passenger were pulling hard to keep the plane level. The landing must have been uneventful, as I did not recall any coincidental plane crash stories in the media.

In my flight experience, I had a trim tab cable come off the pulley on a Taylorcraft. This happened during climb out and the tab went hard to “nose up” trim. I was amazed that while airspeed was about 60 mph, the foreword push necessary to regain level flight was great. Had this happened at 90 mph, the control loads to bring back to level flight would have been a handful. I have read of a light plane test pilot stating that a trim to the full position at high speed can create stick forces up to 100 pounds. Those little trim tabs are powerful! The pilot better be just as powerful while the situation is dealt with.

With the above in mind, it seems reasonable that the phase 1 flight test of an experimental aircraft should include the examination of the effectiveness of movable trim tabs at various speeds and through the range of weight and balance limits. What does the designer say about this? Ask if the designer has ever tested the plane will a full up or down trim in the event of a “run away” trim tab. I am not advocating that anyone do anything they feel is unsafe or that is contradictory to what the designer calls for. As in all flight test activities, approach this systematically and with caution.

Again, the elevator trim tab is a powerful device that can (1) make flying more relaxing, (2) serve as an emergency pitch control, or (3) create a frightening experience due to “run away”. With good construction, maintenance, and an understanding of your trim tab, you hopefully will not have to experience the last two.

Check out the online EAA Chapter Reference Paper Library!
>
> Go to this web site:
> http://www.eaa.org/chapters/resources/reference/default.asp and check
> out the EAA Chapter Reference Library!
>
> This web site offers 34 reference papers, specifically written to help
> EAA Chapters.
>
> In addition to the EAA Chapter Reference Papers, there are also
> several other resources on the EAA Chapter's Home Page: http://www.eaa.org/chapters/default.asp
>
> Please pass this message along to all of your Chapter Members, and
> feel free to post this in your EAA Chapter Newsletter and/or EAA Chapter Web Site.
>
> If you ever need anything from the EAA Chapter Office, please do not
> hesitate to contact us, we are here to serve you.
>
> EAA Chapter Office Staff
> chapters@eaa.org
> 888 322-4636, ext. 4876
>
>
> EAA - The Leader in Recreational Aviation
> www.eaa.org
> EAA is about participation: Be a member! Be a volunteer!
>
> EAA AirVenture 2005 -- July 25 - July 31
> Launching the Next Century of Flight
> www.airventure.org

EAA Member e-Alert - Unauthorized Young Eagles Survey
Dear EAA Member and Young Eagles supporter:
It has come to our attention that an individual or group has been contacting EAA Members by telephone claiming to be conducting a survey on behalf of EAA in support of the Young Eagles Program. The caller often inquires about the type of aircraft you fly, the certificates you hold and other information regarding your flying activities. EAA is NOT currently conducting any surveys of our members regarding the Young Eagles program; however, we are asking for your assistance in helping us determine the extent of this apparently fraudulent activity and the motives behind it.
If you or someone you know has recently received a call of this nature or are contacted with something similar in the near future, please report the event immediately to the EAA Government Relations Department by replying to this e-mail at govt@eaa.org or calling us directly at 920-426-6522. Please note the date and time of the survey call, the nature of the questions you are asked, and any other observations you may have about the call. Please also be sure to let us know how we can best contact you to follow up, if necessary.
EAA is dedicated to preserving the future of sport and recreational aviation and at the heart of that effort stands the Young Eagles Program. The commitment of our members to providing young people with their first flight experience demonstrates the very best that the recreational aviation community has to offer and we are justifiably proud of your collective achievements. We are deeply saddened that anyone would take advantage of such a positive youth program by invoking its name for some unauthorized intent and hope that you will continue to support the EAA Young Eagles Program and all the good it stands for well into the future.
Thank you for your support and assistance.

Earl, Doug, Randy and Kathy
EAA Government Relations Team

Please send replies to:
920-426-6522
govt@eaa.org

EAA e-Notice to Chapter leaders in Washington state
I have been asked to let you all know that Albert is the second EAA Volunteer AB DAR to be appointed in the state of Washington - the first one was Patrick Rose who lives in Sequim, WA. Patrick also has the authority to inspect and certify amateur-built aircraft for the entire state. You can reach Patrick at 360-683-8000.
The state of Washington has a total of 21 FAA DARs who have the authority to inspect and certify amateur-built aircraft. Of that total:
1. Albert and Patrick are the only EAA Volunteer AB DARs.
2. In discussions with EAA members, six additional DARs who are listed on the below web site have been recommended by EAA members as doing a great job.
Please feel free to e-mail or call EAA Headquarters here in Oshkosh with any questions you may have concerning using DARs or finding one in your area. 888-322-4636, extension 6806.
Randy

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Randy Hansen
> Sent: Tuesday, September 21, 2004 11:04 AM
> To: Randy Hansen
> Cc: 'Albert Ansell'; Brenda Anderson
> Subject: EAA e-Notice to Chapter leaders in Washington state
>
> This EAA e-Notice is being provided as a member service to EAA Chapters and their members in Washington state.
>
> EAA is very happy to announce the appointment of a new FAA DAR. Albert Ansell has been appointed as a DAR by the FAA's Seattle Manufacturing Inspection District Office (MIDO). Albert specializes in inspecting and certifying amateur-built aircraft.
>
> Albert is also an EAA Volunteer AB DAR, which means he'll only charge builders actual expenses (mileage, meals, etc.) to do the inspection, he will not charge an additional flat rate fee ($400.00 ++) that other (non-volunteer) DAR's would charge.
>
> If you or any of your chapter members have an aircraft that is nearing completion, please give Albert a call at: 360-653-2453. Albert lives in Lake Stevens, WA and has amateur-built aircraft inspection and certification authorization for the entire state.
>
> To find other DAR's with amateur-built aircraft inspection and certification authorizations please refer to EAA's members only web site:
> http://members.eaa.org/home/govt/help/ab_dar.asp or call EAA's Information Services department at 888-322-4636, extension 6806.
>
> Randy Hansen
> Government Relations Director
> Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)
> PO Box 3086
> Oshkosh, WI 54903
>
> 920-426-6522
> 888-322-4636, 1 then ext. 6522
> (f) 920-426-4885 or 6560
> rhansen@eaa.org
> http://eaa.org/
> http://www.sportpilot.org/
> http://www.airventure.org/ -- July 27 - August 2, 2004

Builder Updates

Here is the Sam and Sandy Elite getting very close to taxi time. Weight and balance work in progress.

Minutes/Notes From Last Meeting

Board and Chapter Meeting Minutes

Five officers, two members at the board meeting, five officers, fourteen members, and two visitors at the chapter meeting.

Treasurer reported $187.29 in checking, $3030.40 in the building fund, and $12770.88 in the CD

Jerry called the meeting to order

We have been invited to the Poker Run at Chehalis.

Jim Y. gave the report from the nominating committee. Some suggestions included: Charlie Ros for President, Paul Brown for VP, Jerry Sorrell for Secretary/Newsletter Editor, Bob Taylor for Web Master, Fernando and/or Mike Lewis for Treasurer, Steve for Member-at-Large

The hangar is is need of some work. Suggestion was made to have a get-together at the hangar to do a group effort work day. Discussion was not finalized.

Annual meeting/dinner... Bev will organize the banquet at the Oak Tree in Woodland. Jim Y is working on a speaker. We will be having the October meeting at the Kelso FBO on the first Thursday of October.

Kieth and Scott from FBO are here to talk about what they do and what they have to offer to pilots. Kieth is the co-owner of the FBO and Scott is one of the instructors.

Upcoming Events:
This Saturday is the Prosser fly-in
Oct 2nd is the Chehalis Poker Run

Mark Edwards announced AOPA talk at PDX about GPS's

Calendar of events

Next Board Meeting: Thursday October 7th, 6:00 pm at the Kelso FBO

Next Club Meeting: Thursday October 7th, 7:00 pm at the Kelso FBO

Program: There will be no program as we will be talking about our annual meeting and dinner

Classifieds

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.

Flight Funnies

Officers and Committee Chairpersons