AirVenture 2006 has come and gone and the focus will become how to make 2007 even better. A lot of water will flow over the dam in the meantime.
We have had many guests over the past few months and many people have expressed an interest in our organization. Look around and see if you have any friends, family members or acquaintance that are interested in aviation. Take the time to invite them as a guest to the next meeting. If you see somebody new, introduce yourself, welcome him or her, and invite them to sign up.
At the annual Chapter Leaders Breakfast on Saturday, July 29 at AirVenture,
Michael Mossman garnered third place in the Newsletter Awards.
During the awards ceremony, the presenter read the following chapter comments: "He has been the key person in the development of the newsletter and also in the development of the Chapter itself. The newsletter is the main communication between the Chapter members." The judges commented "The variety of Chapter news, EAA news and aviation news is great."
Each entrant must submit printed copies of their March, April and May newsletters along with the application form. The first round of newsletters is judged by the EAA staff, then approximately 30 newsletter finalists are forwarded to the appointed three to five judges. Each judge scores the newsletters independently with a scoring sheet in four categories, with up to 30 potential points for each category. After the scoring sheets are forwarded to the chapter office, each newsletter entrant's scores are averaged. The five highest average scores are the winners for the year.
According to Brenda Anderson, EAA Chapter Administrator, the judges scored Chapter 1311's newsletter with 26.5 points for Consistency, 26.5 points for Appearance, 26 points for Layout and 24 points for Content, for a total score of 103 out of 120 potential points. Judges noted a possible area of improvement was in the layout design.
Other award winners were: Alex Von Bosse, first place, Chapter 1414, Poplar Grove IL; Mike Perkins and Tom LeGates, second place, Chapter 790, Barrington IL; Bart Stone, fourth place, Chapter 976, Carrollton GA; and Mike Hoover, fifth place, Chapter 232, Columbia SC.
(Note: The awards contest judges the print versions of the newsletter; web newsletters or email versions such as Chapter 1311's newsletter will consistently score lower points in Appearance and Layout. To view the print versions of the newsletter submitted for the judging visit http://www.eaa1311.org Click on the link "Members Only" (no passwords required, then click on the link "Newsletters" and download the PDF versions. The web version of the newsletter is not judged.)
Ruberson flies Grand Champion Chief to Middletown
Some background about me, would be that about 6 years ago, I had an episode where I was awakened in an emergency room one Sunday afternoon. A serious condition existed and may remain to be a continuing situation. Hmmmm ... amongst a whole litany of other, possibly more serious things to consider, such as how to get well again, my thoughts were that there goes my flying days, right out the window. A long story short, was that I undoubtedly would not be able to be a pilot again, so put the airplane that I then owned on the market for sale. It sold in a short time and was sad to see it go. It was an old straight tail Cessna 172, a really nice, polished one.
Upon landing an hour or so later, Scott said, you can fly one of these. Sure, I know I can fly it. He replied, no, you can fly one of these legally, are you aware of that? Well, I had been aware of the Recreational Pilot Certificate, but, ultralights, trikes, homebuilts, etc., didn't hold much interest for me. He told me all about the relatively new program called the Light Sport Aircraft license. I have never been turned down on my medical exam, had my private pilot ticket, and nothing pending against it, so what the heck, let's find out all the scoop on it.
After searching out several sites on the internet, visiting several airport and their flight schools, I learned some things about this relatively new program. Basically it is this: If you have your private pilot's license, or better, and have never been turned down on your medical exam, have a valid driver's license from the state in which you live, you are qualified to fly under Light Sport Pilot's rules. Otherwise, there is an abbreviated program for those unlicensed to get this type of license. To say, that just because you've never been turned down on your medical, doesn't give you entitlement to be a pilot if you're in bad health. The Feds will probably visit this provision before too long, I would guess. The best source of information is on the EAA's web site, click on Recreational Pilot link.
All that said ... "bling", on went the light bulb. Let's go looking for an airplane. There are so many places to look in this day of ours. Online is one of the better sources, and is really a boon to the market place for airplanes. Sure beats the heck out of Trade-A-Plane, touring airports, etc. I might mention that Trade-A-Plane has a web site, of course. So searching all the web sites that I could fine, including E-bay, I started looking. I wanted a nice one, but it sure didn't have to be of ''show quality''. I ran across several that sort of caught my eye. One in particular that I found was in Georgia, called the guy, who said that he already had somebody on the hook to buy it. But there were some difficulties, etc. He didn't describe the ''difficulties" but took my number and said he would call me. Anyway ... on again, off again, finally they made their deal, and this one was gone. Bummers!!! Still looking, I went to look at Luscombes, Champs, Taylorcrafts and even an Ercoupe, all good airplanes, but none flipped my trigger. For some reason, I've never cared for J-3s that much.
This past April ... after about 4 months of looking, and searching, one came about, that for some reason, held my interest. It was a 1946 Aeronca Chief. Sure did look good from pictures. It was in McAllen, TX, and I made arrangements to go look. I got down there early one morning, it was windy, blustery, not a good day weather-wise. I went to the FBO, where the owner and I were to meet and inquired. There is nobody here by that name was the reply. Hmmmmm ... Boy, I thought to myself, did I come all this distance, only to be stood up?
After about an hour wait, almost decided to go back to terminal to await flight back home, along one of their taxi-ways came this little Chief, almost out of a dust cloud so it seemed. It sparkled like a jewel as the sun was glinting off it. I had pretty much made up my mind already, when I first saw it, tongue in cheek. We then put it into the FBO's hangar and climbed all over it, looking, admiring, etc. We went for lunch, made a deal, and after all of that, I owned an airplane. Part of the deal was the owner was to fly it here as I didn't have any tail wheel time. He did deliver it, taking three days to get it here.
I must say that the owner at that time is a Mexican national, living in Monterrey, Mexico. Apparently the Federales would not register this airplane in Mexico with the "N'' designation. So he would have had to repaint the airplane, etc. With that, he decided to sell it rather than tampering with it.
This airplane has a pedigree a mile long: Grand Champion Oshkosh, Grand Champion Sun 'n Fun, Grand Champion Middletown, and several other shows and exhibits. It is truly a 10 in all ways. I am so happy with it and grateful to be a part of it.
After getting my tail wheel endorsement, the first meet that I wanted to go to was in Kewanee, Illinois in May. I had some other commitments and could not make the date work out. Next up was the meet in Middletown, and for sure, wanted to go to this one. The fellow that restored my airplane was to be there. So, I made preparations to take my son, including hotel reservations.
June 16th, early morning, we did the preflight thing, set up the GPS, and lifted off Pam's Place (78I). Heading straight east, it was going to be a straight shot to Middletown. The air was as calm as calm could be, not a ripple. Just the way I like it; after all, this little thing weighs 800 pounds and is very sensitive to the controls. Bear in mind, this little airplane has 65 horses, scant few instruments, a very, very basic airplane. It seems like it took a long time to get to Franklin, then on to Greenfield, which was off to our left. We're doing all of 75 mph. But, we are having fun. We are having lots of fun. The GPS was right on the money and 1:45 later, we were touching down at Middletown.
Wow, there is already a bunch of Aeroncas there. All over the place. They directed us to our parking place, to which the fellow that restored the airplane was saving for us. He had his airplane there, next door to us, which is Chief # 2. That is like, # 2 off the production line. Later I learned that # 1 was destroyed several years ago. This is a real treat, I thought to myself, being next to a part of history.
Paul Gould is the fellow's name that restored my airplane. It was a real pleasure to meet him in person, and get to know him. I had talked to him numerous times on the phone, inquiring about the airplane. He is one of the ''treasures" in the Aeronca world. Paul is a virtual encyclopedia of Aeroncas and several other types of aircraft also. He looked over 9525E, my airplane, extensively, and I almost could see an envious eye, in that "Why did I ever sell this airplane" thought must have crossed his mind. Anyway, Paul is a great guy, and hope to see him much in the future.
Another fellow that was there, Bill Pancake, probably the most knowledgeable person on this earth, concerning Aeroncas was there also. To see Bill, and to talk to him, a West Virginia resident, he sort of looks the part as one would imagine a West Virginian to be. No offense to West Virginians, but they do come with some reputation. If ever you want to know anything about Aeroncas, Bill is THE authority, bar none. What a delightful gentleman. Others of note that were there included Ray Johnson, from Marion, IN, and several others down to the owners of Wag-Aero.
At one count, there were 100 Aeronca tail draggers and a couple of nose draggers. Yes, they did make a few nose draggers. More came in after my count to 100. I had a report that the final count was 162 total. Also, there were several other breeds including Taylorcraft, Ercoupe, Piper J3, etc. So, to say the meet was well attended would be a true statement.
There were a couple of PT-19s that Aeronca built during the war. Several folks did not know that Aeronca built several during the war. All of the aircraft attending were nice. I would have not thrown any out of the hangar. Some of course, were simply beautiful. They came from all over, Oregon to Maryland. There were three L-16s from Michigan, beautifully restored in a bright yellow Navy paint scheme. Wow, I didn't know the Navy had L-16's. Turns out, they didn't, but the three guys thought it would be neat to have them done up this way. It is neat. These airplanes were striking, and according to one of the owners, they fly together to several shows, put on a little demonstration, etc.
It's almost cliche to say that the airplanes are wonderful, but the folks one meets is the real pleasure in all of this. That's my feelings exactly. To a person, all were extremely nice, friendly, and helpful to me a ''novice'' at this.
When evening time came, they had a dinner set up in one of the FBO's hangars. It was a good meal, and a good program. And good fellowship.
The next morning, Saturday, we caught the shuttle back to the airport from the hotel. There was some discussion about the weather out to the west of us. A fellow that we had met and kind of chummed with while there, had his laptop. Sure enough, on his computer, weather west of Indy was turning bad. Bummers!!! This event was to disburse Sunday morning, but with the weather, we wouldn't stay that long. We had a little time to visit with some of the folks, and decided by 10:30, we should be on our way home.
With that we took off about 11:15 and headed west. In this little thing, the westerlies concerned me a bit. As you know ... going east is always easier than going west. Well, true to form, coming back west, a slight quartering headwind was visiting us. Along with that, it was warming up quite a bit, making the ride not nearly as smooth as the trip over. Bear in mind, again, we have 65 horses, and we're light as a feather. The trip turned out to be uneventful, and made it home in 2 hours, only 15 minutes longer than the trip going the other way.
If you have flown in an airplane such as this, or whenever you do, they are a real treat. That is if you love to fly, which you must, since you're in the EAA. These are pretty much as basic as it gets. Perhaps an open cockpit Stearman, would be a little better in that respect. I've never had the opportunity to fly in a Stearman, but, one day I may get the chance. When flying low and slow, looking down on traffic along a thoroughfare, heck, they're out running us. I just think to myself, that they're not having nearly as much fun as I am. I'll guarantee you that. At the beginning of this rant, I mentioned Scott Hinton and his little Chief. He told me that he would spend 8 hours piloting a Coast Guard C-130 on a mission, come home, go directly to his Chief, and spend a couple of hours of ''real'' flying. He has got it right!!!!
I am so pleased that I have a chance to fly again. This new category of license has given general aviation a real boost, in my estimation. For all kinds of reasons, general aviation has been in decline, and had been in a dying situation. Hopefully, there will be a lot of regeneration and a lot of new "old" interest in this activity.
And a last note, that tail dragger thing for all of you nose-draggers? What a trip!!! It's something to experience.
Try a tail-dragger sometime!!!
After lunch they held several more ultralight flying contests, including a balloon burst, where a helium-filled balloon is then an already airborne ultralight tries to pop it with its propeller. Another contest is the toilet paper drop, where a competing aircraft drops a roll of toilet paper at 4,000 then attempts to cut it as many times as possible without going below 500 feet AGL.
NTSB Internships Available
Members With the 'Right Stuff'
Support Our Servicemen
SERVICEMAN UPDATE NEEDED: In December of 2002 Jim Griffin joined Chapter 1311. Shortly before the war with Iraq started Jim signed back up as a Major with the Marines and has been serving in Iraq. He had been receiving the newsletter via email but this past couple of months the emails to him have come back as undeliverable. If anyone knows how to contact Jim, or knows of his whereabouts or of any way to track him down, please contact the newsletter editor at michaelandkatie@tds.net.
Newsletter Publication Schedule
Get back editions of the newsletter at http://www.eaa1311.org. Click on the link "Members Only" at the left (no passwords required) then when the members Only page comes up click on the link "Newsletters."
August 2006 newsletter continued onto Section 2
By Bryan Ruberson
Recently, I have joined both the national EAA group and the local chapter that meets at Hendricks County Airfield (2R2). I've never been much of ''joiner'' of any kind of clubs, etc., as was always too busy, or whatever. I am sort of new at these kinds of things, so bear with me. However since retirement a few years ago, I have more time, and a different mind set, I guess.
This past Christmas, while visiting my daughter and son-in-law in North Carolina, I had the opportunity to take a ride in an Aeronca Chief. It belonged to one Scott Hinton, a friend, and fellow Coast Guard pilot friend of the son-in-law. Surely, I never turn down a ride in an airplane. Scott's Chief was very, very nice, and as most planes of that vintage, was very spartan, hardly any instruments and of course, no electric. Anyway, I got in, Scott propped it, and got in, with that, off we went. It was so much fun, so sweet, just to be up there, with all of 65 horses, full bore. "Low and Slow!!!"
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The premise of this story is supposed to be a report on the Middletown Aeronca Aircraft meet, so Bryan, get with it. This event meets every two years in Middletown, OH, the place where Aeroncas were originally built. Since they quit making them in the early fifties, other manufacturers have picked up the type certificate and built some of the models until fairly recently. Does Decathlon or Citabria sound familiar?
Hitting the Fly-In Circuit
By Michael Mossman
Saturday, August 12 was another of those unbelievably beautiful days that only occur just a few times during the year. With temperatures in the low 80s, very low humidity, no clouds and visibilities at 50 miles or more, it was nearly the perfect day for a fly in. The folks at Wheeler's Westfield Airport hit the meteorological jackpot, as Indy Fliers, a group of ultralight aficionados, held their fly-in that day.
The Indy Fliers started the day's events with a Poker Run that began at Elwood, then on to John Ward's private field. After Ward's they flew on to Arcadia then Sheridan and finally ending up at Westfield. Trike pilot Mark Poliak won the Poker Run. Meanwhile, on the ground, Indy Fliers volunteers grilled a delicious lunch of hamburgers, hot dogs, bratwurst plus side dishes such as baked beans potato salad and desserts. The food was free but most visitors generously stuffed bills into the donation jar.
Ultralight pilot Charles Westerfield headed over to Westfield from Boone County Airport with Chuck Leucht in the left seat of the FlightStar, while Chad Williams flew Westerfield's T-Bird. With a headwind coming out of the east, the pair crept along at ground speeds that were between 19 and 29 miles per hour miles per hour. Although the ground speed was low, they had no problem climbing to safe altitudes. During the trip to Westfield the three flew over a hot air balloon that was leisurely travelling westward. Upon returning, they noted significantly higher ground speeds ranging from 74 to 84 mph. Zenair builders Chuck Long and Michael Mossman, accompanied by friend Skip Bartz, flew in loose formation for the lunch.
Westfield is a small, grass airport that is perfect for ultralights. The 18/36 runway is long enough for most ultralights to get out in either direction, and if the cross wind is too strong the brave souls could venture out on the 9/27 "taxiway." Although Saturday's wind impeded the progress of the Boone County folks, it didn't keep the ultralights grounded. About 30 little aircraft flew in from all around central Indiana, with one RANS ultralight pilot flying from as far as Twelve Oaks field near Martinsville.
Tim LeBaron, former Chapter 1311 president and now an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, is looking for students who are interested in volunteering for the NTSB as an intern Air Safety Investigator. A great resume builder, these unpaid positions may be converted to temporary, paid assignments and potentially could become paid, full-time positions. LeBaron is in the process of developing a brochure for applicants. Since the first intern period starts in the fall of 2006, interested persons should contact him directly at 817-652-7817 or timothy.lebaron@ntsb.gov.
Recently, Chapter 1311 has had several new members join who have expressed an interest in learning to fly, building an aircraft, partnering in an existing aircraft, or were looking for a Tech Counselor or other aviation-related service or skill. While the newsletter editor knows most of you he doesn't know all about you. We'd like to offer to our members to opportunity for more of you to network with the new members and make your skills known.
Be sure let the newsletter editor know if any of our members or their families has someone in the service, especially if they have been called up for active duty. We'd like to recognize them and thank them for representing us so honorably.
In order to report on the monthly meetings and programs, and give adequate notice of the next month's schedule, the EAA Chapter 1311 newsletter is published by email on the 15th of each month. PDF and HTML versions are available on the chapter web site on or around the 20th of each month. Newsletter contributors: Please email your material to the newsletter editor by the 14th of the month.