Avon/Danville, Indiana
Chapter 1311 meets on the first Wednesday of the month. See schedule for location and dates
Monthly Newsletter —July 2010
Section 1
I keep hearing the term "blog". I think the definition of the term is something like "written material containing no useful information". Using that definition, this month's message is a blog. You might find it entertaining though, so give it a shot.
Earlier this month I entered a flight in my logbook that filled the last line of the book. That one is book #2 for me. What was interesting was that the total time was 1003 hours. Reaching this milestone caused me to reflect on my flying experiences. As I transferred the numbers into logbook #3 I did some totaling that will make questions the insurance companies always ask easier to answer.
I also remembered a time shortly before I purchased my Cherokee when I asked one of the senior executives at my work how many flying hours he had accumulated. He was an avid and active aviator, one of my aviation mentors and just a few years younger than I am now. I was astonished to learn that he had accumulated just over 1000 hours, none of which involved his work or military. In other words, all on his credit card. Now I am amused at how closely my aviation experience has tracked his. Now let me share the breakdown of my 1000+ hours while you compare them with your experience. There is to be no snickering from any of you that accumulated thousands of hours while receiving a paycheck from the airlines or military.
The first flight entered in the logbook was on August 12, 1969. First solo came on September 26, 1969, after 8 hours of instruction. I was signed off by Bob Duncan for the Private Pilot Flight Test on September 27, 1970, with 46 hours in the log book, 14 of which were solo. The 1000th hour came 41 years after that first logged flight. I was able to identify 36 different airplanes in my logbook, only one of which had a tail wheel and only 2 hours in it. That is a deficiency in my experience that I would like to correct. Just under half of the total time qualifies as cross country. All but about 145 of those hours have been in aircraft that I owned and 85 of those in one I helped build. All of it has been in VFR or almost VFR conditions. Only 6 hours have been at night. Single engine at night makes me a little squirmy.
As you see, most of my adult life I have been as a pilot and at no time did I ever consider aviation anything more than a very rewarding hobby. It has not disappointed. Hopefully you have found this reminiscing entertaining. I would be interested in hearing your stories so please share them with me when you see me. My first thoughts were that we'll compare stories and see if we're normal but then I remembered, if we were normal we wouldn't be pilots.
Happy aviating.
Vern
In Attendance: Bob Howard Doug Moncreiff, Michael Mossman, Gary Reynolds, David Stucker, Vern Sullenger and Jim Winings. If you were there but we didn't record it, let us know.
Guests: Glen Holton, Colin Oberthur, Mike Oberthur, Gaylon Piercy, Dave Stewart, Rich Suiter and Jennie Thompson.
Because this was an "off campus" meeting, no official business was conducted.
Program: Jennie Thompson, Gaylon Piercy and Rich Suiter conducted a hands-on tour of the PV-2 Harpoon aircraft. See feature story later in this newsletter.
To get a downloadable PDF membership application see http://www.eaa1311.org/PDF_files/membership_application.pdf
Project Report
Hitting the Fly-In Circuit
The wind that morning favored runway 23. There wasn't any traffic in the pattern so we headed straight into the downwind, set up a short pattern, touched down and cleared the active runway without anyone rushing us. As soon as we got to the taxiway we were greeting by ramp rats and a golf cart with a large "Follow Me" sign on the back. Sheridan had the 9-27 grass runway closed for the event and were parking the fly-in traffic on the grass. They had a few warbirds on the ramp; I guess that Chuck and I didn't qualify for the show plane section. By the time we got there, the grass parking was starting to fill up.
Some of these small town airports have patterned their fly-ins around Ray Johnson's model up at Marion; they host a car show on the airport along with the aircraft. This guarantees a crowd rain or shine, plus attracts a bit broader clientele. Sheridan's car show was filling up the property quickly. The antiques, classics, hot rods, exotics and otherwise quirky autos entered from the road on the west side of the property, then were stopped in front of a PT-26 trainer, where each car was photographed. Finally, the cars were directed to a parking spot for display.
By the time I finished my breakfast, the sun was starting to come out in full force and the temperature was rising to the 90's. Chuck had an afternoon appointment and had to get back, so we began the trek back to the airplanes. The grass runway was starting to fill up with airplanes, making the event a good fly-in along with the auto show.
Sheridan ended up with a great day for a fly-in, even though it was getting very hot that day. Later that evening, I saw on the news that one of the Stearmans that flew in for the day had an accident at another field. Reportedly, the brakes locked up on landing and the aircraft nosed over. The report stated that no one was hurt.
AirVenture 2010 News
The latest addition is a DC-3 and C-47 "Max-Effort Day" on Tuesday, July 27, that will include formation flights and aerial displays from all DC-3 aircraft that wish to be flown that day. That includes groups of the aircraft type in airline and military configurations, plus others.
"This event will celebrate the legacy and people of an aircraft that played a massive part in the development of both civil and military aviation," said Adam Smith, EAA vice president of membership. "Merging both ground and air operations into a single spectacle is sure to leave those in attendance with memories they'll be able to share and recall for years."
Among other highlights of the weeklong DC-3 celebration:
EAA already has commitments from a large number of DC-3/C-47 operators who intend to arrive at Oshkosh. Other DC-3 and C-47 operators who wish to participate should contact EAA at dc3@eaa.org, and will be sent specific details on arrival procedures, aircraft parking, accommodations, and other important logistics.
Electric Aircraft Symposium Planned for AirVenture 2010
The day-long World Symposium on Electric Aircraft sponsored by GE Aviation Systems, scheduled for Friday, July 30, will feature several influential industry leaders discussing electric propulsion aircraft in an open forum, offering what they envision is the future for this rapidly growing flight segment that is attracting the attention of scientists, engineers, manufacturers, and investors.
"We're really excited about this electric aircraft partnership with EAA," said Chet Fuller, GE Aviation Systems president and scheduled speaker for the World Symposium on Electric Aircraft. "We believe the path to electric flight is through fundamental technologies, and the research and development GE is doing within those technologies include generation, distribution, energy storage and platform-level load management."
Among the confirmed participants for the symposium are Scaled Composites founder Burt Rutan, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, Electric Aircraft Corporation founder Randall Fishman, Yuneec founder Tian Yu, Sonex Aircraft founder John Monnett, Earthstar Aircraft founder Mark Beierle (EAA #47579), who displayed his eGull ultralight aircraft at AirVenture 2009, and commercial pilot and flight instructor Erik Lindbergh, grandson of aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh.
Daily themed forums will be held at the Aviation Learning Center presented by GE Aviation Systems on safety and airframes; motors, fuel cells, and propulsion; advanced batteries and controls; and regulations. The week will conclude with working sessions on Saturday, July 31.
Airplane concepts and active prototypes will be on display throughout the week capped off by with special flight demonstrations to showcase these aircraft.
If you'd like to register to attend the free symposium or participate in the event's forums or presentations, contact Kelly Meyer at EAA headquarters at kmeyer@eaa.org or 920-426-4800.
EAA AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH is The World's Greatest Aviation Celebration and EAA's yearly membership convention. Additional EAA AirVenture information, including advance ticket and camping purchase, is available online at http://www.airventure.org. EAA members receive lowest prices on admission rates. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 1-800-JOIN-EAA (1-800-564-6322) or visit http://www.eaa.org. Immediate news is available at http://twitter.com/EAAupdate.
Barefoot Bandit Bagged in the Bahamas
Harris-Moore pleaded guilty in the Bahamas of illegally entering the country, which followed his Cessna Corvalis plane crash, which was allegedly stolen in Bloomington IN. After the crash, he was arrested after a high-speed boat chase. He was fined $300 for the crash, which was likely paid by the U.S. Embassy so they could get him released for extradition to the United States. He was transported to Miami on a commercial flight, accompanied by FBI agents, who were not authorized to arrest him in the Bahamas.
Correspondents Needed
We are looking especially for correspondents for some of the upcoming fly-ins. If you are heading to any fly-ins this coming year, would you please consider submitting a story and photo or two about the event? We'd love to hear about it and hope that one of our members or readers will be there and write about it. Please contact the newsletter editor at michaelandkatie1@comcast.net.
Chapter 1311 Builders' Local Resource Directory
Check out our online directory at http://www.eaa1311.org. Click on the link "Homebuilder's Resources" on the left. Note that all resources listed are merely suggestions; as a chapter we do not endorse any of them. Our recommendation: "Caveat Emptor" (let the buyer beware).
Boone County Airport News
Young Eagles News
As a coincidence, a transient pilot flew in that day to take some family members for a ride. We discovered that he was an EAA member so we got his EAA number, registered the kids and claimed two more for the tally, leaving us with 12 Young Eagles total for the day.
Chuck Long has scheduled another Young Eagles event for Saturday, July 17 at Hendricks County Airport. The main group will be another Boy Scout troop that is looking to earn some Aviation merit badges. There may also be a few other qualified kids on hand for a ride. We will be looking for pilots and ground crew. To volunteer, please contact Chuck at charles.long@allisontransmission.com or 317-417-1604.
Newsletter continued on Section 2
July's meeting
July's meeting was held July 7, 2010, 6:30 p.m., at Mount Comfort Airport, and chaired by Chapter President Vern Sullenger.
Web Newsletter in Three Sections
The web newsletter is divided into three 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.
Welcome New Members
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.
By Mark Rinehart
I'm making a lot of progress on my Kolb Mark III Classic project. The airframe is complete and painted, fuel system done, instrument panel installed, and I'm working on the electrical system now. I hope to start mounting the engine and prop next month. I really could use help from someone who knows something about the Rotax 582.
By Michael Mossman
On Saturday, June 26, Chuck Long and I decided to hit the fly-in circuit and practice our formation flying skills. We gathered early that morning under some gloomy skies, which were predicted to improve. Chuck had a student from Washington State with him, who was interested in aviation. He had never attended a fly-in before, so we decided to head over the Sheridan to see what they had planned for the day.
The air was fairly smooth that morning but the ceiling was fairly low so we didn't gain any altitude during the short ride over. Fortunately, there aren't many towers in that part of the state so it was easy to keep a legal clearance from obstructions and still remain in VMC. I flew lead on the way over, with Chuck working on maintaining position and practicing crossing from side to side.
There were a few homebuilts parked among the type certificated aircraft. While we were at Sheridan, there were three Zenair 601s parked together. I think that this was the first fly-in that I attended where the Zenairs outnumbered the RVs; it might also be the last. I know of several RVs that flew in while we departed — including Chapter 1311 member Chuck Leucht in his RV-9A — so we might have been outnumbered after all.
Sheridan wasn't having a pancake breakfast that morning but they did have a few independent food vendors firing up the grills. It was a bit early for a turkey leg, elephant ears or deep fried vegetables. But I saw Vern Sullenger sitting at a picnic bench, finishing a hearty breakfast. One of the vendors had a breakfast special so I had that. It wasn't too bad, considering that it wasn't a "destination" type of food.
Sheridan had an air show planned for early afternoon; I would have loved to stay for it but hadn't made plans and had some chores to tend to. Chuck and I headed to our aircraft them departed on runway 23 with a short break in the arriving traffic.
Huge DC-3 Celebration Planned for AirVenture
EAA News Release
EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wis. — More elements to the huge DC-3 75th anniversary celebration at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2010, which will be held July 26-August 1, have been added, creating more opportunities to enjoy a unique gathering of these aircraft at "Aviation's Family Reunion."
In addition, a rare DC-2 aircraft will be joining the assembly at Oshkosh, as well as a beautifully refurbished DC-7B aircraft.
EAA News Release
EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wis. — As part of its commitment to advancing electric flight, GE Aviation Systems has agreed to sponsor the World Symposium on Electric Aircraft as well as the Aviation Learning Center, which will host a week full of activities devoted to the emerging era of electric-powered flight at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2010 being held July 26-August 1 at Wittman Regional Airport.
Colton Harris-Moore, a 19-year-old from Washington state, was arrested in the Bahamas as the alleged "Barefoot Bandit." Although lacking a pilot's license or any formal flight training, Harris-Moore is accused of stealing many aircraft in the United States, often crash landing them before eluding authorities.
Chapter 1311 is always looking for correspondents and contributors to our monthly newsletter. Whenever you have a story or photo that would be of interest to our readers, we would like to publish it.
Start thinking of the places where you locally buy for AN hardware, sheet metal, paint, tools and other items. We'll need an address, phone number and web site, if they have one. Be sure to let us know if you would recommend them to others or not. The idea here is that members should be able to look to suppliers that you trust and would continue to do business with. Please forward your ideas and recommendations to Michael Mossman at michaelandkatie1@comcast.net
Hangar Space: All hangar spaces are full. Anyone desiring to base an aircraft at the airport or use the maintenance hangar will be required to join the association. For more information contact Michael Mossman, association secretary, or see the website at http://www.booneairport.org.
Since the Chapter 1311 Young Eagles event scheduled for Saturday, June 12 at Boone County Airport was a bust due to low ceilings, we came out again on June 19. 10 Young Eagles riders and their parents were out, with all 10 getting a ride with Vern Sullenger and Michael Mossman. Wayne Deckard and David Stucker provided ground support, and Dale Gustafson brought a Polaroid camera to commemorate the event.
EAA Young Eagles Update: By newsletter publication date more than 1,550,190 Young Eagles have taken their first airplane ride.