Starting out the New Year, I was very pleased with the attendance that we had at the meeting, and on a cold winter night too. A B.O.D. meeting preceded the meeting. I will try to keep the meetings interesting during the coming months. Any suggestions, ideas or comments would be appreciated. Skip Budny had a very good program about his tour in Vietnam. I know I can get him several speaking engagements if he so desires. Many thanks again, Skip.
January's meeting
January's meeting was held January 7, 2009, 6:30 p.m., in the Operations Building at Hendricks County Airport, and chaired by Chapter President Dale Gustafson.
In Attendance: John Broyles; Skip Budny; Dave Clark; Mark Eminger; Troy Grover; Dale Gustafson; Doug Hatfield; Dave Helton; Bob Howard; Dave Kopeschka; Steve Kopeschka; Mark MacKenzie; Dirk Melchior; Doug Moncreiff; Michael Mossman; David Parker; Rick Princell; Gary Reynolds; Paul Ruley; Jim Snyder; David Stucker and Paul Vogel. If you were there but we didn't record it, let us know.
Guests: Jim Buist and Harry Sutton.
New Business: Rick Princell recovery report: Was in the hospital one month and has been out since December 3. Went from a wheelchair to a walker to a cane, and will be OK when cast is off. He does not remember any details of the accident. Gary Reynolds, has old aviation publications from 1929 to WW-II stuff, free for the taking. Jim Snyder announced that a Fisher Skeeter partially built, is available for $1,500. Dave Clark moving Tri-Pacer to Pam's Place airport. Gus Gustafson said that the chapter dues are staying at $15.
President's Remarks: The new TSA rule is not directly in place yet but it will affect general aviation in corporate flying. Recommended reading for anyone who needs more information is Charles Spence's column in the December 19, 2008 edition of General Aviation News, page 8. Doc Swenson is 92 years old and is still flying his Ercoupe solo. At the Chapter 67 meeting the held a general discussion about getting young people interested in aviation. Dave Clark would like an "open house" to show young kids airplanes and should be able to coordinate it with Young Eagles. Targeted groups could include Boy Scout troops, churches, etc. We should consider taking newspaper and TV people for a ride. Paul Ruley asked why don't petition the FAA to get rid of the "Experimental" designation for home built aircraft, as it might be scaring people away from airplane rides.
50/50 Drawing: Bob Howard won half of the $40 collected and donated his proceeds to the chapter.
Program: Skip Budny presented part 2 of his slide show on his experiences flying helicopters in Vietnam.
To get a downloadable PDF membership application see http://www.eaa1311.org/PDF_files/membership_application.pdf
Dues are Due!
Please send your $15 dues to the treasurer: Vern Sullenger, 1763 Ramsey Lane, Plainfield IN 46168, or give it to Vern at the next meeting. Make your check out to EAA Chapter 1311.
Board of Directors Meet
Treasurer's Report: As of January 2, 2009, with all funds deposited and current expenses paid, the chapter's bank balance is $1,485.93, which is close to the 2008 beginning balance. Our chapter's EAA fees and insurance have been paid, and we are current with the Secretary of State's corporate filing.
Chapter meeting dates, times and location(s) to remain the same throughout 2009, which will be the first Wednesday of the month, 6:30 p.m., in the Operations Building at Hendricks County Airport.
Dave Clark recommended moving the Christmas Party to a Friday or Saturday, with the location closer to Hendricks County. Dale Gustafson proposed forming a committee for the party location and date.
Chapter dues will remain at $15 per year.
The Board of Directors discussed program ideas for the coming year. Doug Moncreiff will continue as program director.
Gary Reynolds will continue managing the tool kits used in the Eric Gustafson tool fund.
Chuck Long will continue as the Young Eagles coordinator.
The chapter will need to find a new storage place for the metal chairs, as Dave Clark is giving us his hangar at Hendricks County Airport and moving it to Pam's Place.
Aviation on the Web
To read more on this story click on the CNN link: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/01/12/florida.plane.crash/
Wright Brothers Quiz — Revealed!
1. Which of the Wright brothers is wearing a mustache in the picture above? — In almost every picture of the Wright brothers, Orville wears a mustache while Wilbur is clean-shaven.
2. Which of the Wright brothers is the eldest? — Trick question: There were actually four Wright brothers and one Wright sister who reached adulthood. Reuchlin, the eldest, was born in 1861. There was also Lorin (born 1862), Wilbur (born 1867), Orville (born 1871) and Katharine (born 1874). There were two other Wright siblings: twins who were born in 1870 but died in infancy.
3. Which Wright went all the way through high school? — Another trick question: Wilbur Wright completed all his courses at Richmond High School in Indiana with good grades (about a 95 average) but never applied for a diploma. Orville, on the other hand, started a printing business when he was 15, was running a weekly newspaper during his junior year, and never went back for his senior year.
4. Which Wright was known as "Bubs?" — In the Wright family, Orville was often referred to as "Bubs," and Wilbur was called "Ullam." Their sister Katharine went by the nickname "Swes."
5. Which Wright owned a dog named "Flyer?" — Flyer was the name of the stray dog adopted by Wilbur while he was in France in 1908. Orville had a St. Bernard dog named Scipio. In their youth, the boys reportedly had a pet cat called "Old Mom."
6. Orville and Wilbur tossed a coin to see who would take the first turn on the 1903 Wright Flyer. Which one won the coin toss? — Wilbur won the toss and took the controls on Dec. 14, 1903, but the plane stalled at takeoff and was damaged. Repairs were made, and Orville made the first successful flight three days later. The turns continued for three more flights on Dec. 17, but after the fourth flight, the plane was irreparably broken.
7. Which Wright won the Collier Trophy, one of aviation's highest awards? — Orville won the trophy in 1913 for development of the automatic stabilizer. A year earlier, Wilbur had died of typhoid fever.
8. Which Wright predicted in 1901 that "man would not fly for 50 years?" — Wilbur Wright came clean in 1908: "I confess that in 1901 I said to my brother Orville that man would not fly for 50 years. Two years later we ourselves made flights. This demonstration of my impotence as a prophet gave me such a shock that ever since I have distrusted myself and avoided all predictions."
9. Which Wright was married? — Both were lifelong bachelors. The Wrights' colleague, Charles Taylor, said he was often asked why the brothers never wed: "I remember that Orv used to say it was up to Will to marry first because he was the older of the two. And Will kept saying he didn't have time for a wife. But I think he was just woman-shy. ... I don't recall that Orville was that shy, but after Wilbur died I guess he just didn't feel like getting married. I think both the boys were mentally flying all the time and simply didn't think about girls."
10. Which Wright was first to express a serious interest in aeronautics, as reflected in the published record? — The two brothers had been interested in the possibilities for flight since childhood, and said they began looking seriously into aeronautical literature in 1896. But it was Wilbur who wrote the Smithsonian Institution on May 30, 1899, asking for any available information on the subject and saying that he was "about to begin a systematic study of the subject in preparation for practical work to which I expect to devote what time I can spare from my regular business."
Building a Wood Airplane
There were several semi-regular transient aircraft: a Lockheed Load-Star (Inland Steel Corporate aircraft), Beechcraft Model 36 Bonanza (owned by an automobile dealer from Brooklyn, MI; first name "Red"), a Cessna 195 (Charlevoix Aviation, Charlevoix, MI), and a three-place Piper Cruiser (owned by a hardware salesman).
The V-Hi-Max I am building is JDT Plan No. 142, Model No. 1550 V-Hi-Max, Plan Date: 4/4/2006. I picked up the plans early April 2006. My first goal is to have the fuselage assembled by April 2009. The second goal is to have most of the other parts cut, sanded, marked and ready for assembly and have the manufactured parts purchased. The third goal is to acquire all of the instruments and com/nav equipment. The fourth goal is to acquire the engine and mount.
My plans are a composite of the strongest and longest wing design, the firewall located for a 65 hp VW base engine, the fuselage for a model 1550 mid wing VW base engine and model 1700 high wing, a modified landing gear (single-piece aluminum spring) and a "wide body" redesign by JDT. The fuselage design has been widened by 2 inches (inside cockpit increased from 24 inches to 26 inches). The horizontal and vertical stabilizers are the same for all models, as are the rudder and elevator. An in-flight adjustable elevator trim has been added to this design composite. The design composite goal was to have the strongest and fastest components incorporated into the JDT MiniMax proven design. The few modifications in the design that have been made by the JDT designers are the "wide body" fuselage, the mounting design for the aluminum spring landing gear and the addition of mechanical brakes and brake operator details.
My April 2006 effort was put into a study of the plans and details. I made the decision to cut and fabricate all of the parts and pieces from dimension lumber. Where the building will be from dimension stock cutting plans and full scale assembly drawing were made. I purchased the first wood for the project during the last week in April 2006. The parts cutting and fabrication began in a cloud of dust (saw dust). My initial work task was to cut, sand and label the majority of parts, with the piece count approaching 2,500. The wing ribs have 1,056 pieces and the completed wings will total about 1,204 pieces. The empennage has 232 wood pieces plus 44 metal parts, excluding nuts, washers and bolts. The basic fuselage parts count will be in excess of 400 pieces. Bulkheads, formers, stringers, braces etc., will add about 100 pieces and the other miscellaneous pieces will number about 234. The total for the wood parts as described is 2,470. There are also about 100 metal parts to fabricate. The cabine, cabin and turtledeck parts will push the wood parts count well over 2,500 pieces.
Full size assembly plans are necessary as the plan dimension may not provide the correct fit at the time of assembly. Assembly sequence is critical. Consider the elevator as an example. The V-HiMax elevator has parallel spars; the trailing edge and front spar, the end ribs and every other rib are at 90° to the spar. Assembling the leading edges for the vertical stabilizer, elevator and horizontal stabilizer (all three piece and two piece laminations) was the first step. The use of jig blocks and fitting of the individual ribs and gussets pieces on a flat surface for the elevator before gluing is similar to using cleco sheet holders for an aluminum assembly. The jig blocks hold the pieces in position and clamp blocks hold them to the workbench surface.
Having all the parts and pieces fitted and put together in a "dry run" is the building approach I prefer. There are usually two pieces that are cut over length and trimmed to fit during the "dry assembly." The landing gear has been simplified with the selection of an aluminum spring gear. The "plans" landing gear shows an axle from gear strut to gear strut; it would be a real tall grass catcher and may be the cause of putting her on her nose. Spring gear eliminates that heavy drag about five inches above the ground. It also makes me feel better about the landing gear design. Preparing the spring for drilling holes and painting takes "elbow grease;" Steve Lathrup recommended the use of Scotch-Bright. The axles, bearing, spacers, brakes, wheels, inter-tubes and tires will be good very cold weather tasks that I will do in a heated space. I get to use a heated space as the assembly of the landing gear makes no saw-dust.
Before I may be ready it will be time for covering and painting. I'll do the weight and balance and get all the preflight test done then it will be ready to fly. Vern Sullenger is urging me to get the job done so he can fly the V-HiMax; I take that to mean he will be the test pilot. He is truly a man of faith or ...
For more information on Mini-Max series of aircraft, visit their web site at http://www.jdtmini-max.com.
Doug Moncreiff is a former vice president of Chapter 1311 and is a civil engineer.
Newsletter continued on Section 2
Web Newsletter in Two Sections
The web newsletter is divided into two sections to take some of the sting out of the download time. If you receive only one section of the newsletter, or if the sections you receive are missing the embedded photo attachments please contact the newsletter editor at michaelandkatie1@comcast.net. The PDF version that gets posted on the website will remain as one file. See http://www.eaa1311.org/newsletters.html to download a PDF newsletter. (PDFs are posted within one week of the email version.)
Welcome New Members
Prior to the January meeting Paul Ruley joined Chapter 1311. He obtained his private pilots license in October 1970. He's ATP rated with a Citation Type rating. He flew corporate aircraft until October 1998, with the eight years prior to that with American Trans Air. At that time he finished his interdisciplinary engineering and mechanical engineering degrees and is now a lead technical design engineer for Caterpillar. Paul says that he and his wife Mary are avid aviation nuts and enjoy going to museums, airshows and Oshkosh. Mary is a schoolteacher at Battle Ground Elementary, Tippecanoe School Corporation. Paul has not flown since 1998 and the bug has bitten him again. He started on a RV-9A kit in October 2008 after attending the class at Grov-Air.
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. Paul and Mary live in West Lafayette.
Once again it's time for Chapter 1311 members to ante up with dues. The chapter's board of directors again set the 2009 dues at $15 to help meet the chapter's on-going expenses. Since we don't have any chapter fund raising events, we need to pay our EAA assessments, insurance, web site maintenance, and other internal expenses with what we raise from dues.
EAA Chapter 1311's Board of Directors met prior to the general chapter meeting on Wednesday, January 7, 2009. Among business conducted:
Dave Clark provides this month's web fodder. It's about Marcus Schrenker, an Indianapolis-area financial manager who allegedly faked his death with an airplane crash in Florida to escape investigation for securities violations and recently filed divorce papers from his wife.
The members for attended the Christmas party took following MSBNC quiz, testing their knowledge knowledge of aviation history. It also appeared in the December 2008 newsletter. How many did you answer correctly?
By Doug Moncreiff
On December 7, 1958, I made the decision that I was going to build an airplane when I had the time. At that time I was a Civil Air Patrol Squadron Commander, Wisconsin Wing. Our squadron had the use of several observation type aircraft: a Piper L-4 Grasshopper, Piper J-3 Cub, Taylorcraft BC-12D, Aeronca Champ and Fairchild 24R. Our base was Schoolcraft County Airport, Michigan, located east of Manistique, Michigan. Manistique is top center of Lake Michigan on the upper peninsula. Our pattern for runway 1-19 was partially over Lake Michigan. Our squadron was (by default) the operators of the airport for Schoolcraft County. In 1958 the Upper Peninsula of Michigan was still in the "barnstorming days." The FAA was not concerned about what or who was in the air.
I am building a JDT V-Hi-Max. The photo of the recently completed white and blue Hi-Max was built by Don Strait. You will note that Don installed a "ballistic chute" located behind the pilot seat. The design fits what I am looking for in a light small aircraft. It is a single place high wing, wood and fabric, taildragger with a fully enclosed cabin; 26 ft 6 in. wing span (droopy tips added), 16 ft fuselage length (spinner to rudder tip), tail height of 6 feet, 65 HP VW base engine type and wing area of 118 square feet. Wings have full span ailerons, vee struts and are removable. Gross weight is 730 lbs (or more), with 10.5 gallons fuel capacity in two wing-mounted tanks. Cruise speed is 76 to 80 mph, stall speed 38 to 41 mph, NTE 110 mph, take-off run 100 ft or less, and the landing roll from touch-down to full stop is 250 ft (more or less), with no brakes as shown on the design plans.
The plans for this aircraft are somewhat unique. The wings, fuselage, and empennage are the same basic design for seven configurations of the aircraft. These seven configurations are a mid-wing open cockpit, a mid-wing enclosed and a high-wing enclosed, with several engine variations. There are a total of seven aircraft configurations from the several strength-modified components. The firewall is located to accommodate several engine sizes, types and weights. With the modification for the "wide body" and aluminum spring landing gear there are now nine (9) configurations.
The project requires wood working tools and a wood top workbench. The bench should be 24 inches wide and have 36-inch height, with a length of 16 feet or as long as required to assemble the longest assembly.
Due to the size of the fuselage parts my plan included cutting and assembly of the fuselage as one step in the building process. The longerons are 3/4 inch X 13/16 inch X 14 feet long and are "noodley." This part the plan was changed to complete the side trusses assembly and wrap them in plastic store them out of the way. One of the photos shows the fuselage side trusses. Parts organization is a very important aspect of building. Each part has an alphanumeric ID that shows in two places; on the part and on the specific plan sheet(s) where the specific part may be shown. A photo of the elevator in-process shows this detail of parts numbering. An organized approach to making parts is also helpful; cut sheet and full size patterns help to reduce scrap, over count, under count, and piece duplication.
The suggested sequence is to assemble the skeleton frame, then when the epoxy sets add the gussets. Staples work well for holding the parts and pieces together while the epoxy is setting.
This basic process of parts cutting and assembly approach is repeated until all the parts are put together and they look like an airframe. The rigging phase will be next in the building process. Installing the controls and fitting them so they work smooth through the full range of intended movement will be time consuming. Again, there will be a lot clamping and fitting before gluing, fastening and safety wire twisting. It is my guess that rigging, controls, electrical, and related tasks will take almost as much time as building the airframe.