May 7, 2008 — TBA
June 4, 2008 — TBA
July 2, 2008 — TBA
August 6, 2008 — TBA
September 3, 2008 — TBA
October 1, 2008 — TBA
November 5, 2008 — TBA
December, 2008 — TBA
Chapter 1311 Board of Directors for 2008
Newsletter editor: Michael Mossman, 1-765-483-9533, michaelandkatie@insightbb.com
Classified Ads
WANTED TO BUY: Used Rotax 912, Jabiru 2200 or Rotax 582 engine. Contact Mark Rinehart 317-745-2466, capt_riney@yahoo.com.
FOR SALE: Piper jumper cables in excellent condition (round plug type), $50 or make offer. Portable intercom, $20. Contact Larry Rush k9hxt@sbcglobal.net or 272-2153
AIRCRAFT FOR SALE: Cessna 150, at Sheridan Airport. Contact Gus Gustafson at 317-293-4430 or dalefaye@msn.com
WANTED TO BUY: Used 4-foot brake and 4-foot shear. Contact Troy Grover, 317-919-6594 (cell phone), rv6grover@sbcglobal.net
AIRCRAFT FOR SALE: One-third interest in an RV-7A. Fully equipped for IFR, including autopilot and extended range tanks. Based at Eagle Creek Airport. $35,000. Contact Vern Sullenger at sullenger@iquest.net, cell phone 317-695-7929.
AIRCRAFT FOR SALE: '57 C172 TT approx. 3700 hr. Engine approx. 700 hr since overhaul. Good paint, nice interior. VFR: Narco Mode C, Narco 720 channel comm.; Horton STOL kit w/gap seals. Last annual 7/07. Hangared at Franklin, IN. $30,500. Reason for selling: starting a project. Tom Chapman, cell 317-625-3126, home 317-888-6866, tschapman1@aol.com
AIRCRAFT FOR SALE: One-half interest in a beautiful Tri-Pacer in great condition. Located at Hendricks County Airport. $9,000. Reason for selling: starting a light sport aircraft. Dave Helton 317-590-5001 davehelton@heltonassoc.com
AIRCRAFT FOR SALE: 1966 Alon A2, TT-2539, SMOHE 930, IFR panel, nice, $27,750. Mark Eminger 765-528-2146 or Robert Barnhart 765- 448-4024 for information 7-10:30 EST.
2008 Membership Roster
Did we miss anybody? Please let us know; we'll get it updated right away.
Aviation Humor
Back at police headquarters the chief constable fired off a stiff complaint to the RAF Liaison office.
Back came the reply in true laconic RAF style:
"Thank you for your message, which allows us to complete the file on this incident. You may be interested to know that the tactical computer in the Tornado had detected the presence of, and subsequently locked onto, your hostile radar equipment and automatically sent a jamming signal back to it. Furthermore, an air-to-ground missile aboard the fully-armed aircraft had also automatically locked onto your equipment. Fortunately the pilot flying the Tornado recognized the situation for what it was, quickly responded to the missile systems alert status, and was able to override the automated defense system before the missile was launched and your hostile radar installation was destroyed. Good Day."
Quote of the Month
April's Program
Kopeschka's airframe is sitting on the tailwheel and a fuselage stand in the front, and he is in the process of installing the main landing gear. He says that he is close to building the seats and controls.
Corvair engine conversions consist of locating an engine core and cleaning it up, re-grinding the cam, adding dual points or an electric system and starter, and putting it back together. Some builders had added Volkswagen cylinders and other parts to increase the engine displacement to 3,300 CC, but that modification needs a lot of very accurate machine to create an operational engine. Kopeschka's engine will be largely stock. Wynne does have an option for a different oil system and Steve is considering it.
Although the Corvair engine has been out of production for forty years, there doesn't seem to be a lack of suitable cores for rebuilding. Kopeschka says that the going rate for a rebuildable engine is about $500. Wynne is said to have "hundreds" available.
Since Kopeschka is shooting for completing the entire project for about $10,000 total, he is building the aircraft from scratch, including the engine rebuild and conversion. He says that he has spent about $3,000 on it, so far. Because the rotor and rotor head assembly are not easy to fabricate in a small home shop, he will be buying those components pre-built.
April 2008 newsletter ends on Section 3
President: Dale "Gus" Gustafson, 1-317-293-4430, dalefaye@msn.com
Vice President: Doug Moncreiff, 317-280-1621, cdmoncreiff@sbcglobal.net
Secretary: Michael Mossman, 1-765-483-9533, michaelandkatie@insightbb.com
Treasurer: Vern Sullenger, 1-317-839-8728, sullenger@iquest.net
Director: Dennis Crawley, 317-387-1737, Crawley27@comcast.net
Director: Dave Helton, 1-317-745-7916, dhelton@iquest.net
Director: Chuck Long, 317-892-3146, LoneEagleHDS@aol.com
Director: Glen Matejcek, 1-317-839-5444, aerobubba@earthlink.net
Director: David Morton, 317-745-4846, djamorton@sbcglobal.net
Director: Gary Reynolds, 317-745-6223, n98gr@att.net
Director: Paul Vogel, 1-317-272-2106, p_vogel@sbcglobal.net
AIRCRAFT KIT FOR SALE: Sonex kit #115. Have everything but the skins. Kit not started so it could be either a tri-gear or taildragger. $8,000. Contact Fred Baldwin 317-354-6200 (cell phone), bladex22@comcast.net
Current as of April 8, 2008
2007 Membership Roster
NAME EMAIL ADDRESS PROJECT(S) BALDWIN, Fred bladexz2@comcast.com Bladerunner twin jet BRAAF, Bob bbraaf@msn.com Cessna 210-5 BROYLES, John broylesjohn@sbcglobal.net — BUDNY, Skip skbudny@tds.net Mini 500 helicopter BYRUM, Jon jbyrum@byrumarchitects.net RV-7A CHAPMAN, Jeff PoP6756@aol.com Piper Tri-Pacer CHAPMAN, Tom chapman.t@insightbb.com 1957 Cessna 172 CLARK, David davecpd@att.net 1946 Aeronca Chief CRAWLEY, Dennis Crawley27@comcast.net Grumman Tiger EMINGER, Mark tjemee@yahoo.com Christavia Mk1 GRIFFIN, Jim jimg@netcapade.net Questar Venture GROVER, Troy rv6grover@sbcglobal.net RV10 GUSTAFSON, Dale DALEFAYE@msn.com Piper J-4 HATFIELD, Doug hatfielddoug@hotmail.com Z enair 640 HELTON, Dave davehelton@heltonassoc.com Piper Tri-Pacer HENDERSON, Robert robert_10215@msn.com Christavia MK2 KOPESCHKA, Dave iedvk@iquest.net Little Wing Autogyro KOPESCHKA, Steve stephen.j.kopeschka@rolls-royce.com Little Wing Autogyro LATHROP, Steve lathropdad@worldnet.att.net BearHawk LeBARON, Tim tjlebaron@sbcglobal.net RV-4, Breezy, Ercoupe LEUCHT, Chuck charlesleucht@sbcglobal.net RV-9A LEWIS, Jimmy rudder4@aol.com RV-7A LONG, Chuck charles.long@allisontransmission.com Zenair 601 HDS MATEJCEK, Glen aerobubba@earthlink.net RV8 MATEJCEK, Robin aerobubba@earthlink.net RV8 MONCREIFF, Doug cdmoncreiff@sbcglobal.net JDT Hi-Max MORTON, David djamorton@sbcglobal.net — MOSSMAN, Michael mmossman@fujifilmgs.com Zenair 601 HDS PRINCELL, Rick GRPContracting@comcast.net GP-4 RAHM, Kenneth riptide757@aol.com — REYNOLDS, Gary n98gr@att.net RV6A RINEHART, Mark capt_riney@yahoo.com Kolb Mark III Classic RUBERSON, Bryan bruberson@aol.com Aeronca Chief RUSH, Larry k9hxt@sbcglobal.net RV6A, RV-8 SHUMAKER, Kim kkrv-9a@sbcglobal.net RV-9A SMITH, Shaun — — SNYDER, Jim jim.snyder1@comcast.net Cherokee 180 STUCKER, David d.j.stucker@worldnet.att.net — SULLENGER, Vern sullenger@iquest.net Cherokee 140, RV-7A VOGEL, Paul p_vogel@sbcglobal.net Sonex VONDERSAAR, Bob rvondersaar@austin.rr.com Steen Skybolt VONDERSAAR, Teresa tvondersaar@ausin.rr.com Steen Skybolt WEATHERS, Steve indy.pilot@hotmail.com Wag Aero Sport Trainer WININGS, Jim winingsj@aol.com Rocket WINTERS, Ernie lwinters@pow-wowfitness.com Cessna 170 A
Current as of December 31, 2007
See our chapter roster online at http://www.eaa1311.org/memberroster.html
NAME EMAIL ADDRESS PROJECT(S) BAIN, Kyle dficeman@hotmail.com R/C models BEETHAM, John jabeetham@earthlink.net Fokker D VII, Piper Dakota DAVIDSON, Ginger planecrazy13@att.net RV3 DAVIDSON, Rich ifitsoldillflyit@msn.com RV3 LAURENZANO, Mike mikelaurenzano@yahoo.com Bushby Mustang II MELCHIOR, Dirk d-r-melchior@msn.com F1 Rocket MYRTLE, Bill WEMyrtle@yahoo.com Brantly B2B, Kitfox I NG, Bart bng@math.iupui.edu RV-7A ROBBINS, Will werobbins@flightline.com — ROEVER, Doug dmroever@iquest.net RV-7 Tail kit ROTTLER, Mark mark@rottler.org — SCHERMERHORN, Scott scottschermerhorn@yahoo.com Luscombe 8E restoration UTLEY, Ted ted.utley@in.ngb.army.mil —
Air Defense in the UK
Two British traffic patrol officers from North Berwick were involved in an unusual incident while checking for speeding motorists on the A1 Great North Road. One of the officers used a hand-held radar device to check the speed of a vehicle approaching over the crest of a hill, and was surprised when the speed was recorded at over 300 mph. Their radar suddenly stopped working and the officers were not able to reset it.
Just then a deafening roar over the treetops revealed that the radar had in fact latched on to a NATO Tornado fighter jet, which was engaged in a low-flying exercise over the Border district, approaching from the North Sea.
Thanks to Mike Foushee, Chapter 729 Newsletter Editor
"Flying is like other things of beauty; unshared and unappreciated, they go away." James McCarthy, 1989 AOPA Pilot Letter to the Editor
By Michael Mossman
Chapter 1311 member Steve Kopeschka has always had an interest in aviation. Further propelling this interest in aviation was that he always knew he would build "something," whatever it turned out to be. Kopeschka like the Benson gyrocopters but those weren't very safe. In fact, the designer, Igor Benson, died from crashing one of his creations. Steve researched the data on gyrocopters and found that although the pusher gyros of the day were risky, the tractor gyros dating all the way back to the 1930s were in fact as safe as other aircraft. That revelation led him to his eventual project. And once he saw the cover of the September 2004 Sport aviation, which featured a Little Wing Autogyro with a radial engine, he got inspired to start his project.
Autogyros are a bit unusual in configuration. Since they had such a spotty safety record, Kopeschka's research focused on three key points for boosting the safety: one, proper training for the model; two, center line thrust; and three, adequate vertical stabilizer. The Little Wing Autogyro addressed points two and three, and Steve thought that it was the right size project to build solo in a single-car garage. All that remained was to build the aircraft, get the training and go fly it.
The Little Wing Autogyro looks a lot like the old autogyros from the 1930s: steel tube fuselage built like a Cub airframe, conventional bungee-sprung landing gear, horizontal stabilizer and elevator, and a "chopped off" vertical stabilizer and rudder. The vertical components need to be lower in profile to reduce the chance of the rotor from hitting them. Therefore, the vertical stabilizer extends much further forward than would be on an airplane, plus a pair of additional vertical surfaces are added to the ends of the horizontal stabilizer.
The autogyro's rotor "free wheels," getting its energy from the air flowing up through it. In order to get the rotor started for a shorter take-off roll, a pre-rotor is mounted to the top of the mast to start the rotation. Once the rotor is moving at a pre-determined speed, the pre-rotor is disengaged and the take-off roll begins.
Kopeschka's 4130 steel tube fuselage and tail are nearly complete. With no covering on the fuselage, the chapter members got the opportunity to examine Steve's welding, which many said was excellent. He didn't have a welder when he started the project so he bought a Lincoln TIG welder for the airframe. He hasn't normalized the welded joints yet. He says that one of the benefits of buying a welder is that all sorts of welding projects across the neighborhood and from family started to come out of the woodwork, giving him the opportunity to test his skills on other peoples' projects before committing to his own materials.
Kopeschka's choice of an engine appears as unconventional as his choice of airframe: a Corvair auto engine conversion. But the six-cylinder, air cooled Corvair engine has been used in homebuilt aircraft for many years. In fact, as Steve pointed out, Bernie Pietenpol flew behind a Corvair engine in 1960, the first year the Corvair came into the market. No one seems to be talking about how he got an engine that early in its production.
Corvair "guru" William Wynne has been promoting the use of the Corvair engine in aircraft for many years now and has designed conversions for a variety of aircraft. Since the engine usually runs in RPM ranges very similar to what a conventional aircraft engine would run, a direct drive prop is a natural.
Although Wynne suggests a nitrided crankshart, Kopeschka will be using a standard crank, as the Corvair cranks were forged at the factory. There have been some Corvair aircraft engine conversion failures in flight, which Steve says is due largely to operating the engine at higher RPMs. He says that proper sizing of the propeller will keep the RPMs in check.
While researching the engine possibilities for his project, he acquired some videos of other Little Wing Autogyros flying, some with two-cycle engines. The sound of the aircraft flying around a low altitude was very annoying. The sound of the Corvair engine should be much less objectionable.
Steve has a few years to go before his Little Wing will be ready to fly. In the meantime, he can putter around town on his beautifully restored Cushman motor scooter. Originally powered by an eight horsepower Briggs & Stratton engine, Steve's bike now has a two-cylinder engine. A previous owner had modified it by cutting off the brackets for the wheels and welded them below the frame, raising up the tail. Steve's father cut them off and welded them back in the original position. And Steve's mother sewed the seat cushion, making the restoration a family affair.
Go back to Section 1