Atlantic Flyer - February 2012 Issue

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ATLANTIC FLYER © 2012 • 27 Years In Publication

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www.AFlyer.com

2012 Photography Contest

IN THIS ISSUE: Stories: With a Little Help From My Friends Kent Carlomagno Declaring an Emergency Evektor Harmony Help Youself - Cockpit Distractions B-29 Tour She’s Gone An Elephant Walk New Hampshire Aviation Museum Embry-Riddle Dual Enrollment Program

Airshows: Coming Next Month - 2012 Season Listings

Fun Stuff: Classified Ads Cartoons: Chicken Wings - Smilin’ Jack

Our Columnists:

• From Maine To Florida • In over 1,200 Locations

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Auliard, Cilio, Ellis, Evan, Hartop, Kern, Kula, Lagonia, Nalli, Sullivan

Page 2

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Editors & Publishers Richard Porter

Richard@AFlyer.com

Unsolicited stories and photos are welcome, please submit by E-mail to Richard@AFlyer.com Sandy Porter

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Requests for classified advertising, meetings, and checkpoints can be submitted by E-mail to Sandy@AFlyer.com Telephones: Office: 203-458-3348

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Marketing Inquiries: For information about advertising and the Sales Representatives in your area please contact Richard Porter.

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Page 3

Columns 04 06 10 12 13 14 18 30

A NTIQUE ATTIC: GILLES AULIARD EVAN FLYS: EVAN ISENSTEIN-BRAND SAL’S LAW: YOUR LEGAL EAGLE: SAL LAGONIA, ESQ AIR TO GROUND: ROSE M ARIE K ERN BYDANJOHNSON.COM HOT AIR, WINGS, AND FLYING THINGS: JIM ELLIS OVER THE AIRWAVES: BOB MILLER COMMON CAUSE: MIKE SULLIVAN

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS LEARN TO FLY - FLIGHT SCHOOLS CHECKPOINTS CLASSIFIED A DVERTISEMENTS

WANDERING WINDS 845-794-7995

Features 07 B-29 TOUR 09 2012 PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST BEGINS 15 SHE’S GONE 16 FLIGHT 4 LIVES UPDATE 17 CIVIL AIR PATROL’S CHANGING MISSION 21 ALTON BAY ICE RUNWAY 23 KC10 ELEPHANT WALK 26 DUAL ENROLLMENT HIGH SCHOOL AVIATION PROGRAM 26 AVIATION MUSEUM OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

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Page 4

Antique Attic

February 2012

by Gilles Auliard

With a Little Help From My Friends bit, I discovered that the wings were shot.

The fuselage was in good condition, but all the wood was delaminating and the stringers were falling out. We had to do a complete restoration and rebuild the wings over an eightyear period. However we kept a few pieces of wood to preserve the DNA of the airplane.”

Checking my six, I spot the shark-nosed airplane closing in on my tail. Tucking in closer, I can see the broad grin on the face of its pilot, ready for the kill. Have I stepped in a time warp, one split second away from being blown out of the skies, or am I in another photo shoot?

As you might have guessed, since you are reading these lines, I recently found myself in one of the most enjoyable and productive airto-air photo sessions in my life, thanks to two exceptional formation pilots.

I was seated on the front seat of Ted Miller's Stearman. Chris Price was displaying for my benefit (and yours, through the lens of my cameras) Eric Rearwin's one-of -kind Rearwin 6000C Speedster N15865 (c/n 302).

How did I end up in such a situation, might you ask? I could never dream coming up with a better answer than the Beatles: with a little help from my friends.

A new friend, Tim Talen(in photo above), made this momentous flight possible. Tim is the owner/operator of the Ragwood Refactory, a restoration shop located five miles east of Springfield, Oregon, on a ridge overlooking the Willamette River.

He presents his company: “I started it at the Chico Airport in 1976.

We moved to Oregon in 1978, and did not have much work at the beginning. Along the way, I took a keen interest in Interstates, and Pete Bowers inspired me to do the restorations as authentic as possible.

We specialize in the 1930's light airplanes, and we have done pretty much any type of the pre-WWII era Piper J series (except the J-4), Aeroncas, Porterfields, and a few Rearwins.

We knew about this Speedster, and I had checked it out. Eric Rearwin contacted me, asking about the airplane. We went back and forth on the subject for years, and one day, he called me up saying that he had made a deal with the owner and that I would be the one to restore it.”

Eric Rearwin, of San Pablo, California, Great-Grandson of Raymond Andrew Rae

Rearwin, who founded Rearwin Airplanes in 1928, explains his motivations: “There was not any Speedster flying at the time, and I figured I wanted to bring it back as a family heritage. This is a very rare, Cirrus powered model 6000C. They only made two before switching to Menasco. The first one basically was a prototype and was destroyed during testing, so this is the only surviving example. The Rearwin Speedster was a high wing strut-braced monoplane of conventional design with an enclosed cabin and fixed gear.”

He continues: The CAA at the time had really strict spintesting requirements. The airplane actually had a smaller fin at the beginning, and it would not pass the spin tests. It took almost four years to get it certified. By then there were a lot of other competing models that made it outdated. That is probably why they made only 14.”

C/n 302, the second Rearwin 6000C Speedster built, rolled out of the Fairfax County Airport facility of the R.A. Rearwin Co. on May 25, 1936. It was registered the following day to R.A. Rae Rearwin as X-15865 (X for experimental), its certificate bearing the mention: Demonstration purpose only. No person may be carried except bona fide members of the crew.

Transferred to the Rearwin Co on August 25, 1937, with the commercial registration NC15865, it remained as a demonstration machine until sold to Rudolph Edward Collioud of Montclair, New Jersey, on July 1st, 1939.

After a succession of owners, including Dexter D. Coffin, in 1962-63, a well known aviator and yachtsman with Connecticut connections, the Rearwin ended up in the early 80's, in the hands of Aubrey Weeks of San Leandro, California, who sold it to Eric Rearwin on April 10th, 2003. Soon after, Tim went to pick the airplane up with his trailer. He describes what he saw: “When looking at the airplane in the gentleman’s hangar, the project looked like a million bucks. However, peeking around a little

After a pretty eventful first flight in August 2011, and a subsequent adjustment of the blade angle of its ground adjustable metal propeller, the Rearwin, according to Tim Talen: “. . . flies like any kind of airplane should fly.

In that regard, there was no surprise. I was afraid of running out of ailerons, as they are pretty small for the wing area, but we were pretty sure to have good rudder control, especially at full power.

To this day, I have not touched the original airplane rigging, as it is close to perfect. Trying to make it better would probably be like chasing rainbows. The airplane flew very well right off the bat. The elevator is very positive, the rudder very nice, and the ailerons work pretty well, even in crosswind conditions.

Crosswind landings are easy to control, and you can straighten the wings with the ailerons down to stall speed. You even still have some aileron control on the ground.”

According to 1930's test pilot Mark Karant, the Speedster was: “A clean cut light plane that looks like an airplane that was designed in the first place, not merely assembled.”

Nowadays, it is a living icon of a bygone era.

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Page 5

Taking Local to the Next Level When people think of AOPA, they most often think of Washington, D.C. That’s not too surprising. After all, our headquarters is just north of the city and we do spend a lot of time advocating for general aviation on Capitol Hill. We even have a small office in the heart of D.C. so we can keep a close eye on the agencies and decision makers that affect our freedom to fly.

But AOPA also has a strong, and growing, presence nationwide. Our Airport Support Network volunteers are based at more than 2,300 fields all across the country. They serve as our eyes and ears at their home airports, building good community relations, heading off potential problems, and keeping us informed about the happenings where they fly. They are a vital link between AOPA and thousands of general aviation airports.

And for decades we’ve had regional representatives to keep an eye on legislative issues in their states. But now we’re taking this kind of local outreach to a new level with the creation of our new Regional Manager Program.

We’ve divided the country into seven sections, each headed by an experienced regional manager. These managers will closely track issues in their regions, work with state and local lawmakers to make sure the needs of the

general aviation community are recognized and met, and And now we’ve created a Regional Manager program to make AOPA even more effective at the state and local level. We’ve divided the country into seven regions, each with an experienced manager to lead the way on state and local issues. As full-time employees of AOPA, our managers will have the resources and authority to take action to protect our freedom to fly. The program also marks the first time we’ve been able to extend regional representation to Hawaii.

At the same time, many of our regional representatives will continue to have a visible presence, representing AOPA at airshows and events in their areas.

Expanding our representation in the states is especially important now. For the past several years, cash-strapped state governments have been looking for new sources of revenue to close growing budget gaps. Many of those state governments have considered imposing new or higher taxes on general aviation to raise needed funds.

So far we’ve been able to work with lawmakers to prevent the passage of any new taxes on GA—and in a couple of cases, states have even

repealed or reduced taxes that were already in place. That’s great news, but as time goes on and the economy remains sluggish, we can expect to see even more aggressive attempts to impose taxes and fees on general aviation.

With our regional managers in place, we’ll be ready to meet those challenges whenever, and wherever, they arise.

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Page 6

February 2012

That's kind of sad because Yaks are really amazing planes but no one knows about them.

Undiscovered treasures - thank you Evan.

So which do you think would win in a dogfight at let's say 15,000 feet, a P-51 or a Yak.

I got together with my friend Kent Carlomagno and we had a chance to talk about the amazing and rare Yak Airplanes. Kent has a beautiful Yak 11 he takes to a lot of air shows.

Here is our interview.

Kent, can you tell me about Yak airplanes?

The Yak is a wonderful airplane Evan. They were made around the late 1930s. There were two different varieties that are currently flying, the Yak trainers and the lighter under 400 hp aerobatic airplanes, and then there were a number that were taken out of the Egyptian Air Force that were like Black Moose that were redone with American engines. They were picked up by John Baptiste Salis from France who exported them after getting them from behind the Iron Curtain during the 1970s. They were imported around the world and to England and the United States and they were redone. It was very difficult to get the Russian engines so they put the American engines in them. There've been a few new build Yaks built from Romania and about eight or nine from Orenburg Russia that have the in-line Allison engine. The other Yaks which were the 11's were built as a Yak 3 with a Pratt & Whitney engine in it. So we had two versions of the fighters, some with the Allison V-12 and some with the Pratt & Whitney. And then you have the Yak trainer and aerobatic lighter type airplanes like the Yak 50, 52, and 53. The Yak 18 was a version that had the M-14 engine which is about 360 hp and that could carry four passengers with an enlarged cockpit.

Can you tell me how Yaks compare to the wellknown American Planes?

The Yak is an undiscovered jewel, it's undervalued and sometimes I hate to say it unappreciated in the American aviation community because people don't really know about them. A high-performance airplane, they have a very high rate of climb below 10,000 feet, and they can out turn most of the American airplanes. Basically, in Russia, they were built at a lower economic price and as a result because there are less of them they haven't really gone up in value in the United States like American airplanes have. Everyone's familiar with our treasures in this country like the Mustang, the P-38, the P-47 and people have a tendency to want to treasure and enshrine what we have in our country.

It's debatable at that altitude. I know that Yaks, particularly the ones that are currently rebuilt with a 1710 Allison engine, would definitely have more vertical penetration and have a higher rate of climb and can out turn at or below 10,000 feet. At 15,000 feet, when you start getting up in the middle of the higher altitudes, the Mustang for example has a great flap system that can retract and lower to various settings so it will allow it to turn.

The deal with the Yak is, the Yak is lighter.

Most of them are anywhere from 2000 to 2500 pounds lighter than a P-51 and as a result of that, with the same energy and same performance, the Yak can out climb and out turn. As far as in level flight the performance is pretty much matched. At higher altitudes I think the P-51 and some of the other aircraft would do better for like bomber escort, longrange, and in downhill performance.

So tell me why you think Yaks are not well known in the US. I just think that there are unfortunately a couple of reasons for that. One is that there is so few of them and the American public and the pilot associations aren't really educated about them. A lot of people have not flown them and I think that there's also a stigmata a little bit about the airplanes. The fact that since it's a Russian airplane and since the Russians were kind of our allies by need during World War II and now apparently our foes, that there may be a little animosity towards the Russian people which has kind of transcended into the aircraft. As a result of that, people kind of scoff it off and say, "oh, well that's inferior" because they want to feel that it's like they take a lot of their political feelings and unfortunately translate it into the material design of the airplane.

So in America very little is known about Russian fighter pilots and what they did in World War II. I bet you know about that. Could you please tell me about them?

I can tell you about one in particular Evan; his name was Kojedub. He flew an airplane that was similar to mine though lighter. It was

constructed of wood and called a Lavochkin.

I won't go into a lengthy details about that but when I was back in Russia in August of 2005 I went to the Monino Air Museum and they had one that was a re-rendition of Kojedub's airplane. This guy had 62 confirmed victories. The Russians were very aggressive pilots with their airplanes. What they tried to do was they wanted to out gun the Germans and so they actually put cannons in their airplanes, bigger than even the armament that we had, so all they had to do was get a couple hits on a ME109 or a FW190 and it would go down in flames.

Yeah I heard that the Yak 9K version had a 75 mm gun in the nose.

And what would happen Evan is when they fired that unfortunately they had recoil springs in it and it would break the firewalls loose, and when they bring it back the Russian crew chiefs would have to go through and reinforce the engines and the airframe because it would actually slow the airplane down about 20 miles an hour from the recoil.

So what are the differences between the Yaks and let's say a Mustang?

The Mustang is definitely the Cadillac of the skies and overall as far as a sexy looking, functional airplane, and fast airplane, it's the king of the skies. Basically, overall in the aerodynamics, the Yak has a different kind of wing.

It has a smaller elliptical wing. It took a lot of the technology from the Howard Hughes era, from the Howard Hughes H1 racer, and they kind of incorporated it. The Russians took some of the technology from the English, the Americans, the French, and they also took German engine technology and incorporated it. The Americans took a lot of their technology from the English and they also incorporated it into their own design. The Russians also copied from Pratt & Whitney because they found the radial engine design to be very durable.

So basically the Mustang has a beautiful, clean airframe, the Yak is pretty much too.

With the Yaks they tried to make everything a little bit smaller so when they put the cooling system in they had smaller ports for the cooling than in the Mustang. They were by American standards probably a little bit more crude in terms of their design but I personally think they have a beauty all of their own.

Kent is a really neat guy who is a great storyteller. Be sure to say hi to him the next time you see him at an air show.

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Page 7

The B-29 Lives When I was younger I always marveled at how the B-29 seemed so enormous. As a matter of fact I never saw one “in the flesh” until I visited the Enola Gay at the Air and Space Annex in Dulles, VA and again when I visited the United States Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio where Bockscar is housed.

The presence of the aircraft left me in awe. Further, the contributions of the aircraft are staggering and are most well known for leading to the end of World War II with missions over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The B-29 would later go on to later serve in the Korean Conflict before being retired in the 1960’s. The B-29 even "dropped" Chuck Yeager and the Bell X-1 that went on to break the sound barrier!

The specifications of the aircraft size up the stature of the aircraft.

Length: Wingspan: Height: Empty weight: Max takeoff weight: Bomb Payload:

99 feet 0 inches 141 feet 3 inches 29 feet 7 inches 74,500 pounds 133,500 pounds 20,000 pounds

Armament: 10 .50 caliber Browning guns in remote controlled turrets and 2 .50 caliber Browning guns with a .20 caliber M2 cannon in the tail position.

FIFI has left the building…

Fast forward a bit. I knew of “FIFI” operated by the Commemorative Air Force but I thought with her high cost of operation, I’d likely never see her fly unless I happened to be at a middle-America airshow or to visit her then home in Midland, Texas. Further, recent years had not been kind to FIFI. In 2005, she was grounded due to multiple engine issues. A large donor was needed or FIFI may never be aloft again. Through the generous support of volunteers and donors and a sizable donation from Jim Cavanaugh, founder of the Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Addison, Texas, FIFI looked like she would once again reach for the clouds. In August 2010 FIFI returned to the air after a long absence.

Never did I think that the aircraft would fly and visit my home state of Florida. However things have changed. FIFI is flying high and barnstorming around the United States.

What even better is that the public has the opportunity, with a donation to help keep the aircraft operating, to tour the interior and exterior of the aircraft as well as the cockpit at

each stop. Ever better, flights are offered that will allow patrons to flying with FIFI and experience the living history FIFI can offer from above your town! FIFI and her crew plan to fly from coast to coast and offer more than 100 living history flight experiences in 2012 and tour schedules are updated continuously at the CAF website. (www. cafB29B24.org) C’mon out! The Tour schedule has been announced for a visit in Alabama and multiple visits in Florida.(seen below) February 2012 24-26 Mobile, Alabama, Downtown Air Center (BFM) 26-28 Gainesville, Florida, University Air Center (GNV) March 2012 1-4 Daytona, Florida, Yelvington Jet Aviation (DAB) 7-11 TICO Warbird AirShow - Titusville, FL (TIX) 14-18 Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Banyan Flight Service (FXE) 21-25 Florida International Airshow - Punta Gorda, Florida (PGD) 27-31 Sun N Fun - Lakeland, Florida (LAL) April 2012 3-5 T allahassee, Florida, Million Air (TLH) Make your plans to visit FIFI and explore the only flying B-29 in the world.

About the CAF: The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) has dedicated themselves to Honoring American Military Aviation through the flight, exhibition and remembrance of these wonderful aircraft. For further information visit: www. cafB29B24.org.

Page 8

February 2012

012 2 g n i c n Annou phy Contest Photogra

Submissions accepted: Until March 31st.

Contest Open to Everyone.

A maximum of 6 entries per photographer - per category.

GRAND PRIZE Our friends at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome are offering a VIP package for the Grand Prize winner. It consists of free and unlimited access to the activities of the Artist, Authors and Photographers week-end, as well as a photo flight to take air-to-air of one or more of the airplanes of the Old Rhinebeck fantastic collection. The week-end will also be an opportunity to meet Gilles Auliard, our staff writer/photographer, and work with him on a story that will be published in the Atlantic Flyer under your name. This is your chance to break into the exciting world of aviation photojournalism and, maybe, the beginning of a new career. So, give us your best shot.

BEST IN CATEGORY PRIZES The winner of each category will receive a copy one of John Cilio’s books. You can see his work at www.VintageFlyer.com.

Photo Categories

• Air Shows • Air to Air • Artistic

• Classic & Vintage Planes • Family and People • Scenic Views

Please email your entries to Sandy@Aflyer.com or send to: Atlantic Flyer 800 Village Walk #289 Guilford Ct 06437 For the sixth year in a row, we are organizing an aviation themed photo contest. It has been a successful contest attracting photographers from all over the country and Canada as well. Submissions will be accepted from February 1st to March 31st 2012

No matter what software you are using to process your pictures, you have at your disposal a series of very simple tools to improve them. Cropping, color correcting and contrast controlling are some of the interventions that can make an exceptional picture out of a good one.

Here are some helpful hints on how to improve your chances of being in the running for the top prizes.

One note of caution, however, all those controls are wonderful but should not be abused. Overusing the sharpen tool is a dead giveaway that the picture was originally soft.

One very simple step is to look at the picture(s) you are intending to offer for evaluation with a critical eye. I know it is difficult to be analytical with an image you took, but you should ask yourself: “Is it a picture I would like if I did not take it myself?”

“Is it in crisp, well exposed, with vivid colors?”

“Is the composition pleasing to the eye and leading to the main subject?”

“Does it present something of interest to anybody outside of my family circle and friends?”

Once these questions are answered in a satisfactory -to you- manner, the pictures have to fit in one or more of the categories defined in the contest.

Our judges will always, for example, be able to spot a ground-to-air picture, which will disqualify it from the air-to-air category. Why not present the same picture in the Airshows section?

By the same token, sending the highest resolution available will allow us to make a better judgement on its quality. Age took its toll on us and we need glasses to look at postage stamp size images!

No picture taken is perfect straight out of the box, so, remember that every little imperfection can be mitigated.

None-the-less, your best chance is to surprise us. Be creative and bold. Send us something we have never seen before and you may have a winner!

Explanation of Cateories Airshows - Photos taken at an Airshow: Eg. Performers, people, a composition that captures the essence of the airshow experience.

Air to Air - Photos taken from one flying aircraft of another flying aircraft.

Artistic - The topic of the photo may fit another category but something about the elements of composition (color, lighting, textures, emotion) make us go oooooo! or wow! We do not focus on entries that are greatly changed by computer software like Photoshop. Rather, the original photo stands on its own without excessive tweaking.

Classic & Vintage Planes - Self explanatory, the main topic is the classic or vintage aircraft.

Family and People - These are photos that focus on the people within an aviation scene.

Scenic Views - These tend to be photos taken from an aircraft offering a lofty vantage point. They may also be scenes from the ground with an aviation theme.

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Page 9

Reader’s Choice Grand Prize Winners of the past five years Doug Towns 2007

Jack Tyson 2009

Penny Jacobs 2008

Rich Filteau 2010

Dariusz Siusta 2011

How Reader’s Choice Works Photographers submit there photos by March 31st.

The judging panel reviews the hundreds of photos that are submitted, and selects the top 3 photos for each category.

The top three photos in each category will be posted in the May issue.

Readers will e-mail their choices to Sandy@AFlyer.com. The votes will be collected until June 8th.

The winners will be announced in the July Issue.

Page 10

February 2012

SAL’S LAW: YOUR LEGAL EAGLE N.M. @ HPN: Sal, I am a recently minted Instrument Pilot and have worked on maintaining my currency for the past six months. I now read that the FAA has changed the rule and that a pilot must now obtain a new Instrument Proficiency Check if we should lapse the currency standards. However an experienced pilot at our flying club said the old rule was that the actual period of lapse has to be a year. Who’s correct?

Sal’s Law: NM, under the law the FAA is always correct. OK, well at least they think so. As in so many things with governmental agencies, the minute the agency sets out to simplify a rule and it’s language, the more they muddy the waters. The answer is that there is not a new standard for maintaining instrument proficiency. In the old days (last year) the standard was to complete six instrument approaches, a few holding patterns and fly airway courses within six months of an IFR flight.

If you let your instrument currency lapse, all you had to do was complete those same minimum requirements within a year with a safety pilot in the seat next to you and you were back current again.

However, the FAA has changed the language of Rule 61.57 to read: (d) Instrument proficiency check. Except as provided in paragraph (e) of this section, a person who has failed to meet the instrument experience requirements of paragraph (c) for more than six calendar months may reestablish instrument currency only by completing an instrument proficiency check.

Therefore, many people took the change to mean that once your experience requirements have lapsed, you have to schedule an IPC or Instrument Proficiency Check with a CFII. The FAA tells us that this is not the case. If you read it the way they meant it – the first six months after the lapse can be cured by flying the necessary requirements with a safety pilot. If you go beyond the next six month period of actual lapse then the IPC become necessary. The truth of the matter is that it is of great importance to maintain currency and more importantly, proficiency which are not necessarily the same thing. An IPC is always a great idea, but the rule requiring an Instrument Proficiency Check after an initial lapse has not changed.

P.D. @ OXC When I fly VFR I almost always ask for flight following from Air Traffic Control. On a recent flight I received the advisories all the way to my destination, which is a Class “C” Airport. Do I have

to get specific permission to enter the Class “C”, or is communicating with the flight following controller automatically sufficient.

Sal’s Law: This is a good opportunity to review the hierarchy of the various classes of airspace. When flying into Class “B” airspace, you will always need a separate clearance even if you are on flight following and speaking with Air Traffic Control (unless you are on an IFR flight plan). Class “C” and “D” do not require a separate clearance, however.

In Class “D” airspace it is only required that you be in communication with the facility that has control over the underlying airport.

Class “C” airspace requires that ATC actually identifies your aircraft.

Therefore, if you are entering Charlie airspace and ATC tells you to “stand by”, you have not been identified and therefore may not enter.

If, on the other hand ATC answers “29Victor please stand by”, they have identified you and you may proceed into the Charlie. The obvious difference is that now they have been specific with your identity through the use of your tail number.

Given the information you provided, flight following has already identified your aircraft and therefore you do not specifically need any clearance into C or D airspace. I guess my answer sounds more like a Sesame Street episode.

Blue Skies all!

Sal Lagonia Esq., is an Aviation Attorney, Professor of Aviation Law and frequent speaker on aviation safety issues. Questions may be sent to Sal@LagoniaLaw.com or to his main office at 914-245-7500.

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Page 11

Flight School "Classic" from U.S. Sport Aircraft In the year following Piper's departure from the LSA market, you may have expected a big slow-down for importer U.S. Sport Aircraft (USSA). Many believed the removal of the Piper brand would cause a loss of loyalty and that sales would flat line.

Those people may have forgotten how well the SportCruiser did before Piper got involved. The dark forecast turned out to be wrong thanks to hard work by USSA boss Don Ayers, Donato Martino, and their staff. SportCruiser models have logged 20 registrations in nine months of 2011, a performance that keeps them high on our Market Share Chart even as Cessna has zoomed upward. Now, the Florida company has a new model and a new man to help promote it.

USSA President Don Ayres announced a new model of the Czech Sport Aircraft SportCruiser positioned as an affordable training aircraft. "The majority of our customers have transitioned from Cessna and Piper aircraft not because it fits in the Sport Pilot category but because the SportCruiser offers a more exciting experience at significantly lower hourly operating cost when compared with traditional aircraft." Flight schools value lower costs, too.

The SportCruiser Classic features the good performance and handling of the regular SportCruiser and is equipped with a traditional 6-Pack of analog gauges — attitude indicator, heading, altimeter, airspeed, rate of climb, and turn and bank — plus analog engine gauges. Avionics on the Classic include a Garmin SL40, Garmin Aera 500 GPS, Garmin GTX 327 Transponder and a PS Engineering PM 3000 Intercom. Adjustable rudder pedals with toe brakes, electric pitch and aileron trim and an Ameri-King AK-451 ELT are standard equipment on the Classic.

USSA set an introductory price of $119,500, which includes transportation and document charges, FOB Ft. Pierce, Florida or Dallas, Texas. The importer operates multiple locations to better serve customers. USSA plans to bring their new SportCruiser Classic and a new Dynon SkyView equipped SportCruiser SVA to Sebring. "We have several planes, including a few PiperSports in stock and available for immediate delivery," stated Ayres.

Like LSA Seaplanes? You Have Beautiful Choices!

Life is good if you like LSA seaplanes. I'll review five LSA seaplanes, either on the market or in development.

Today SeaRey reins as far and away the most successful and proven design with nearly 600 flying. While SeaRey has been an Experimental Amateur Built (EAB) model, they've been working diligently on SLSA approval and will eventually sell SLSA, ELSA, and EAB versions.

Priced around $70,000 as a kit, SeaRey is the most affordable seaplane.

Owners are intensely loyal to the brand (Progressive Aerodyne) and the model. SeaRey is having a workshop right before Sebring.

SeaMax is the next most proven and accepted seaplane. Manufactured in Brazil, about 100 are flying including a handful in the USA. SeaMax America is the new importer for the handsome LSA seaplane from prolific Brazilian designer Miguel Rosario. From Great Neck, New York Richard Rofe said, "We have added many new features and have moved to a much larger production facility. We plan to reintroduce ... the only SLSA [amphibious seaplane] that you can actually buy and fly!"

Now come three designs aimed directly at the LSA market; indeed, all have emerged since and as a consequence of FAA's new rule and each is quite outstanding in its design appeal.

Capturing the most attention is the Icon A5, which has garnered more than 700 delivery slot orders since its introduction at AirVenture 2008.

The stunning A5 benefited from top-notch design and engineering staff hired from Scaled Composites, famous for building SpaceShipOne and other creations. Icon is also the funding leader, professionally pursuing

deep pocket investors. Using its Silicon Valley roots and a Hollywood presentation, Icon generated a summer 2011 round of financing valued at $25 million. No one else is close. However, others are following.

Newly announced was the EQP2, which stands for Equator P2 Excursion a design of Norway. Equator Aircraft is in the news as the company reports earning 4.2 million Norwegian krones or roughly $750,000 of government development funding. The company says, "The EQP2 Excursion is a carbon composite, hybrid/electric amphibian aircraft." They plan an Experimental version first but plan to pursue the LSA market and more. EQP2 will be powered by the 125-hp (85 kW) Emrax engine.

Check their website for some eye-popping art of this pretty entry.

Also gaining increasing media attention is the equally distinctive Lisa from French designers Erick Herzberger and Luc Bernole. Though pricing is rather stratospheric (€300,000), the design standard and feature list are long including folding wings and their patented Seafoils, "a kind of hydrofoils located under the aircraft fuselage." The project is flying and, as with Icon and Equator, Lisa Airplanes has a very slick website with many quality images. I'll be writing more on Lisa.

Questions & Attitudes Erupt Over EAA/AOPA Plan "I'm of mixed feelings over this," express many Light-Sport Aircraft industry participants who have caused my phone to ring regularly since late September * [SEE NOTE]. That's when EAA and AOPA came together to address requests from some members for a driver's license "medical," which would allow aviators with certificates beyond Sport Pilot to fly GA aircraft with clearly defined limitations without the need for an FAA medical.

In the weeks that followed the announcement, numerous LSA professionals have expressed dismay with the initiative. A dozen cancelled sales have been reported and that is not likely to represent the whole picture. A common complaint is the industry was unaware of the plan announcement until just before it was made; no discussion occurred between the member organizations and the LSA industry.

For the record... work to formulate a written proposal to FAA is underway; a date for presentation to the agency has not been announced.

Many Light-Sport business people appear concerned that the initiative challenges head-on the most compelling sales tool for LSA sellers, specifically, the lack of requirement for an FAA medical. While LightSport Aircraft have many other positive qualities that will aid sales — lower prices, lower fuel use, less noise, roomier cockpits, modern technology, etc. — nonetheless losing the #1 selling reason has caused considerable angst among those who have invested years of their time and substantial amounts of money to build the LSA industry. While many are conflicted, others are just confused.

One intriguing question that just arose regards a new Sport Pilot who may wish to fly a four-seat GA aircraft (with no more than two persons on board, among other limitations). Does the Sport Pilot presently in training have to get a medical (part of the Private Pilot application process) to be able to solo a Cessna 172 or equivalent? Also, the Private certificate demands night and instrument training even though neither kind of flying can be done under the EAA/AOPA proposed initiative.

Must a Sport Pilot pay for training to acquire those skills even though they cannot use them (without a medical)?

These questions and more might be asked of EAA president Rod Hightower, who agreed to speak to LSA professionals at the Fifth Annual LAMA Dinner at the Sebring U.S. Sport Aviation Expo.

[NOTE] The mixed feeling comes as many LSA pros generally believe FAA ought to relax the medical requirement (as do EAA and AOPA members, according to the associations). Most agree that having to obtain a medical adds another barrier to student starts without substantially helping safety. Yet after businesspeople invested significantly in creating an LSA industry, a successful EAA/AOPA plan could install a major obstacle to LSA sales. Neither organization is guaranteeing success with their initiative, though they have addressed reasons that caused it to fail on several earlier attempts.

Page 12

February 2012

“Air To Ground”

by Rose Marie Kern

I have worked with a lot of pilots over the years: student pilots, GA pilots, military pilots, and air carrier pilots. All of them have been, and should be, very proud of their flying abilities. Although I do silently chuckle when a pilot files his time en route as “1 hour and 29 minutes” I realize that being precise is necessary in aviation. There was one pilot of a Learjet who actually filed 34 and a half minutes to Chihuahua, Mexico, one time -- he was disappointed that the computer would not take fractions of a minute. Unfortunately this also means that some pilots do not want to ask for help until the last minute.

Declaring an emergency is an easy call if there is some catastrophic malfunction in the aircraft. It’s those situations that are not immediately threatening or are somewhat embarrassing that I will address below.

Two of these pop quickly to mind – getting lost and getting low on fuel. As I worked Flight Watch a year ago, a VFR pilot called at 9:20 p.m. asking if I knew if he could get fuel at Goshen, Indiana, at that hour. I had him standby and called the FBO. They were closed for the night. I asked if he was low on fuel and wanted to declare an emergency. He said no, but asked me to check around other airports heading north from Goshen. He started sounding a little nervous, so after calling two other airports, I called Kalamazoo approach.

They confirmed there was fuel available at that hour and gave me a squawk for the aircraft. The pilot dialed it in and Kalamazoo confirmed they had him on radar. He admitted he had minimum fuel, but at that point he was close enough to make it in.

Was this an emergency? The pilot did not say so, but once I heard nervousness in his voice, I treated it as one just as all air traffic control personnel are directed to do whenever the potential for an emergency exists. He had set out with headwinds and thought he had enough fuel to get to northern Michigan – a common mistake.

When ATC feels there is a possible emergency situation brewing, they take several actions. If possible, the first one is to offload all other traffic on frequency to another controller so they can concentrate on the needs of the aircraft in difficulty.

A lot of the calls we get at Flight Service are from student pilots.

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Declaring an Emergency pen to a student than being too embarrassed to call for help.

When I worked in El Paso, Texas, there was an international flight school in Las Cruces, New Mexico. As part of the curriculum, the instructors routinely required the students to call Flight Service and request a practice DF steer (remember those?). They memorized 121.5MHz as the emergency frequency. As a result when the students really got in trouble, they knew whom and how to call for help. One day I got a call from a student – he was lost and below radar coverage. It turned out he was 50 miles southeast of El Paso – in Mexican airspace. Once I told him that and got him turned north, he also mentioned he was low on fuel.

While I spoke to the pilot, my co-workers called his flight school, US Customs and Border Patrol, and Air Defense radar to make sure everyone was aware that this was an emergency situation – even though the pilot did not declare it. This was not just a case of “minimum fuel” because of the potential for an international incident.

IFR or VFR, civilian or military, emergencies are taken very seriously by all levels of ATC. Controllers are run though various scenarios during their training. Tower personnel have direct lines to their emergency equipment on the field. Flight Service specialists are taught several methods of locating lost aircraft using the navigation equipment on board your aircraft and keep VFR sectionals available to help with identifying local terrain.

All facets of Air Traffic must go through refresher training annually on how to handle hijackings, bomb threats, and several other potentially dangerous scenarios. They know that when an emergency is declared, the pilot will feel much more confident if the voice he is listening to maintains a calm and logical tone.

Who can declare an emergency? The pilot, the aircraft owner, or an air traffic controller handling the aircraft. If possible, the first thing we do is ask the pilot to squawk 7700 on his transponder. If the aircraft is lost this is the fastest way to find him if he is within radar coverage. We determine the pilot’s desires, and then obtain enough information to handle the emergency intelligently. The primary civilian frequency for emergencies is 121.5MHz, but we will work with an aircraft no matter what frequency he calls.

Whomever the pilot has contacted is supposed to keep him on their frequency unless a transfer to a different facility is in the best interests of the pilot. We try to keep communications open, but not overwhelming to someone who already is dealing with a stressful situation.

Once the situation is resolved, documentation is made by ATC and the specialist’s handling of the incident is analyzed. Excellent responses prompt positive recognition for the specialist; if performance needs improving, the specialists may get more training. It is gratifying and helpful when a pilot sends a compliment to the facility.

Whether your emergency is mechanical, weather related, being lost or some other factor, do not be shy about calling ATC. We take pride in helping you get home safely.

NOTE: Last month I reported that the FAA intended to implement ICAO standards to the entire NOTAM system this coming spring.

The first part of that began in November with a few types of NOTAMs being affected. As of the last half of December the FAA decided to extend the date of implementation for the rest of the NOTAM changes to spring of 2013.

Rose Marie Kern has worked in ATC for over 28 years. If you’d like to ask Rose a question send her an email at author@rosemariekern. com

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Page 13

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February 2012

Hot Air, Wings and Flying Things by Jim Ellis Evektor Harmony: Excellent Low-Wing LSA The Evektor Harmony is a very nice low wing Light Sport Aircraft, a significant improvement on the SportStar made by the same company. It is a beautiful and sleek airplane. Like the Gobosh, it has a notched vertical tail that makes it noticeable when seen from the ground or from a distance. The canopy bulges out above the fuselage sidewalls to provide more shoulder room. Evektor claims a cabin width of 46.5 inches, but it is not clear if that is down by your butt at the fuselage or by your shoulders by the bulging canopy.

The bulging canopy is effective in providing a more spacious feel. Visibility out of the large canopy is excellent. The canopy had a large opaque section in the top to keep out direct sunlight, not a sliding curtain like some LSAs have. There is a panel light mounted on the canopy shining down on the panel.

The plane has a three bladed prop. It has split flaps, meaning that the flaps drop down below the wings. One problem with this is that you do not see flap movement from the cockpit. The flaps, activated by a lever between the seats, are three positions: 15, 30, and 50 degrees. The 15 degree setting is used for takeoff. Rotax requires alternate electrical systems if the aircraft will be used at night.

On the Evektor Harmony, the alternate alternator is on a direct drive accessory pad and does not use belts.

There was a large baggage area immediately behind the seats, with still more storage space on a large “hat rack” behind the baggage area.

(Of course, you are still legally limited to a max gross weight of 1320 lbs, but the substantial baggage area gives you the option of flying long distances with a lot of stuff with a single pilot.) Avionics are accessed for service through an avionics bay forward of the canopy behind the engine. A Galaxy parachute in a soft bag is also located in the avionics bay, with three steel cables from the chute to the aircraft fuselage. The parachute is activated by a red T-handle near the throttle in the center for the instrument panel.

In the panel were two Czech TL Elektronic Integra displays. The Integra displays had very nice graphics, much better than Dynons or even Garmin. There was a Garmin 696 in the center of the panel for a nav display. The comm radio and transponder were two small circular Becker units located to the left of the 696. There was a steam gauge airspeed indicator on the left side of the panel and an altimeter on the right.

Unfortunately, this was one of the worst demo flights I ever had. Art Tarola said he had over 7500 hours, and maybe it was too

Light Sport I have flown. The stick is large and solid. Responsiveness is very good. There are elevator and rudder trim tabs. These are activated by four buttons on the top of the control stick. There are two digital light bar displays below the throttle showing the position of the trim settings. An approach stall produced a very slight bobble and shake, with almost no noticeable drop of the nose. The plane descended at 500 fpm with wings level and nose slightly up. A departure stall barely produced a stall break. Both were easily recoverable. much, because he showed almost no respect for my 2500 hours in over 200 fixed wing aircraft. He was constantly tweaking something almost the entire flight, especially the vernier throttle and the trim. I had little opportunity to get a feel for the plane in the air, and no opportunity to get a feel for the plane in the pattern. Even telling him that “only one of us should be flying the plane” didn’t seem to get the message across. He did the initial takeoff; constantly made tweaks on my first and only landing attempt; and did the next takeoff. When I suggested that he demonstrate a landing so I could see how he wanted it done, after the landing he pulled off on a taxiway and ended the demo!

The throttle is a vernier control, which Art Tarola used much of the time. The throttle did have a large button that allowed full movement. My impression was that it was too “fussy” for a simple airplane, and a simple push-pull throttle would be better (although this may an effective Evektor answer to the problem of Rotax engines automatically going to higher power if the throttle is not locked down, which I had noted in the Gobosh and the Vans RV-12). Tarola was using the tiny carb heat knob a great deal, more than I have seen in any other Rotax aircraft. He said the manufacturer’s recommendations were to use carb heat below 4000 rpm.

In cruise flight and during steep turns, the plane had one of the nicest control feels of any

Overall, the Harmony is a very nice airplane.

The avionics displays are excellent. However, one design feature that makes it a very easy to fly and safe airplane may be very limiting as an effective trainer for a pilot intending to fly a range of aircraft. It has adverse yaw designed out, so that you can almost forget about using the rudder pedals. (Tarola was constantly telling me to keep my feet on the floor: not how dozens of other instructors have taught me to fly aircraft over the years.) It would be a very good plane as a trainer for someone who wants buy the Harmony and to learn to fly in their own airplane. It would be very easy and safe to learn to fly this airplane, and would probably help the novice pilot to learn to fly in close to the Sport Pilot minimums.

The overly benign stall characteristics and no need for using rudder pedals mean it would not be an especially good trainer for pilots who are planning to transition to other aircraft, particularly legacy aircraft. Even if you only intend to fly Light Sports, you should know how to use rudder pedals (what they call “stick and rudder” skills). “Cub clones” are some of the top selling Light Sports, and I am sure you need to use rudder pedals in those.

The Harmony as flown costs approximately $135,000 (depending on the latest US DollarEuro exchange rate). It is built by Evektor Aerotechnique in the Czech Republic. Tarola stressed that Evektor has been building aircraft for over 40 years, and is a strong Czech company in the automotive and consumer products areas as well as aviation, so is not likely to go out of business. Unfortunately, you also have to be concerned about the American importer. If he goes out of business, you or your mechanic will be on your own dealing with Evektor in the Czech Republic.

Interested in the Evektor Harmony? Contact Art Tarola at AB Flight LLC at Queen City Airport in Allentown, PA. Check their website at www.abflight.com or call 610 7629909.

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Page 15

SHE IS GONE I met Captain Stephen Matteo several years ago through a mutual friend of ours.

It was sparked by my interest in renting a Cessna 172 directly from an owner to avoid the higher fees that my local FBO charges. Well, I got lucky. Stephen Matteo I found out owned a Cessna 172, which he purchased for his son who was using it for his flight training to follow in his Dad’s footsteps.

Stephen retired on October 1, 2011 after a consistent 27-year career at American Airlines off of the Boeing 767/757. His son Stephen, Jr is now a First Officer at American Eagle. N2854E was the bird that Stephen Jr did most of his flight training in and the airplane I was flying as well. I say, “was” because she’s gone. Well, sort of. Stephen finally sold the airplane, which left me back on a “hunt” if you will. It was upsetting to see the airplane go but I’m happy to see that he was able to sell.

It’s amazing when you consistently fly the same aircraft how a bond begins to develop, even though it’s just an airplane. I know this might sound a little corny. It has kept me and my passengers safe. One trip especially sticks out in my mind, the night Kelly and I flew back from Nantucket after an issue starting the cold Lycoming engine. December of 2010 we flew out to Nantucket for the yearly Christmas Stroll, which is an event that lasts a week. After a nice stroll through town, and a greasy but delicious meal, we decided to head back to the airport so we didn’t have to fly at night; so I thought. It wasn’t a brutally

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cold day. Low 40’s is what I remember. We were shoulder to shoulder with our winter jackets on and a cold sting in the cockpit air. Several attempts to turn the 160hp engine, and it was just not happening! After a 30 minute “time out” in the FBO to use the facilities, and make some phone calls I decided to try this one more time. If our second chance didn’t allow for any luck a hotel would have been in our near future.

At last, success! The cause of the issue, well I might not ever know for sure. It’s a healthy engine. To be honest, it might have been operator error. Perhaps I should have primed it more then I did on the first attempt, since it was a bit chilly. With the engine purring, oil pressure in the green, and oil temperature rising there was a sigh of relief.

A 3500-foot broken layer of clouds was now the current sky conditions. Ok, not a problem. What was a problem to my copilot and to me was now nightfall was upon us. El darko. This is something I never thought twice about on a cross country, but now as time has marched on, this was just not a position I felt I wanted to put myself in, a single engine airplane at night. I know, a big debate. There is a higher risk if an engine were to fail, but a risk I was going to take. Healthy airplane, healthy pilot. What can go wrong? I say, “Discuss amongst yourselves”. It was a terrific flight back to home turf even though I know someone who would disagree with me. I wasn’t happy about it, but with flight advisories all the way home, life vests on the ready, and a course that kept us close to shore, all was on our side. Tied her down back at spot number 51, thanked her for the safe journey.

There were so many other trips that were such a joy. Block Island in the summer, practicing landings on a fall weekday, or I remember the day just going to the airport to prepare for an upcoming cross-country.

Sad to see her go but I look forward to a new airplane to create new memories. I’m now checked out in another friend’s Cessna 172 at my home turf, which I look forward to flying, and then reporting back to you in the future. Fly safe.

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Page 16

February 2012

Flight4Lives Update

After running down the east coast of Trinidad, we coasted out for the long crossing to the Venezuela/Guyana border. After passing a few oil rigs, there was nothing for a rather long time. Not even boats nor radio contact with anyone as we had to stay offshore from a now less than friendly Venezuela, not that there was much there anyway other than the vast Orinoco delta which we knew we were abeam of when the water turned a chocolate brown.

Excerpts from Chris and Corrine's January 5, 2012 posting: Just a quick note to say that we depart Naples, FL in a couple of hours. First stop will be Jupiter, FL to meet with Thierry and the guys at Air Journey and get our flight permissions and stuff. Then the Bahamas.

We had some set up issues with the Datatoys video system which we hope have been rectified but this gave us time to accept Allan Schraeder's kind offer of the loan of two pairs of Lightspeed Zulu headsets. ...Prime Planes in Naples have prepared the airplane, we have our charts courtesy of Jeppesen, the new iPad is really quite amazing and we'll be running Foreflight and Air Nav on it. Air Nav is a little buggy but has Brazillian WAC charts and ONC charts for the rest of South America which is huge. And it was only $10 to get those maps!

We just got awesome news from the Argentine Government in the form of permission to fly out to the Falkland Islands. We have chosen Jan 28th to depart from Rio Gallegos to Stanley, returning Feb 1st to Rio Grande in Patagonia. From there, we'll head down to Ushuaia on Tierra Del Fuego. The return flight back from Stanley will be an issue if there are strong westerly winds and we'll need to keep an eye on that.

Happy New Year and here we go.....

Update: January 11, 2012: Well, we're on our way properly after departing Palm Beach, FL the other day. After refueling at Stella Maris in the Bahamas, we made Providenciales in the Turks & Caicos at around sunset. As well as fabulous scenery, we have already met wonderful people.

After a day off, we have now flown to Saint Maarten where our friends at Signature Flight Support have helped us immensely. We were met by the wonderful Alanna who smoothed out the arrival process and are off to St Vincent today as recommended by Thierry and Guillaume at Air Journey.

The only problem so far has been the video system... On the other hand, the Lightspeed Zulu headsets are very nice and quiet. Useful when listening to Spanish ATC in the Dominican Republic.

Update January 14, 2012: Today was another amazing day. After running around the Grenada airport for ages dealing with paperwork, we launched into an approaching shower and turned south into skies which rapidly and thankfully lifted as we sped across towards Trinidad. We were supposed to land at Port of Spain for what would have only been an uplift of 7 gallons but had heard such alarming things about how long it took to get out of there that we decided to overfly it and press on directly for Georgetown, Guyana. This was a rather long leg but if we could keep our groundspeed at or around 100 Kts, then we would land with an hour left in the tanks.

Finally, we made landfall over dense jungle and coastal mudflats as flocks of Scarlet Ibis flew beneath us. For the next 90 minutes, we descended to around 500 ft and snaked down rivers and beaches until gradually signs of life appeared. First, it was houses along rivers and the odd boat. Then, a road and signs of agriculture and finally small towns before the huge Demerara River appeared ahead of us with Georgetown on the far side.

At the suggestion of friend Ian Brand, we asked if we could switch from the main airport to the downtown Ogle Airport instead which was approved and Corrine landed there before the now familiar paper chase began again. It felt like a whole different vibe than the Caribbean and everyone turned out to be very nice with the day finishing at the hotel after new pal Lennox took us for a fascinating drive around this small city still full of signs of its colonial roots.

Well, our intrepid aviators are already in South America! Look for another update on Chris and Corrine's flight from Nantucket to the southern tip of South America and back to raise awareness for human organ donations (that saved Chris's life) next month.

Chris & Corrine McLaughlin www.flight4lives.com Flight4Lives on Facebook Submitted by Ken Kula

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Page 17

Attending a FIRC One of the most popular methods of renewing your instructor's certificate is by attending a FIRC. One advantage of attending a FIRC (as opposed to renewing on-line) is the chance to meet and interact with a variety of instructors, exchange opinions and network.

Some instructors may not realize that, although most FIRCs are oriented towards a particular aircraft type (usually airplanes, helicopters or gliders, etc) any CFI can renew at any FIRC, regardless of aircraft type (AC 61-83G, 9/30/2011).

On March 10 & 11 the non-profit Soaring safety Foundation (SSF) which is part of the Soaring Society of America (SSA) will be presenting a Glider FIRC at the Concord, NH Downtown Holiday Inn (603-224-9534). Any registered attendees qualify for a crew discount rate of $85 per night if they reserve at least two weeks ahead and identify themselves as attending the Soaring Safety Foundation FIRC. To register, go to http://www.soaringsafety. org/events/firc.html and select the March 1011 Concord, NH FIRC. Note that, while it is possible to "register" by just filling out the form, it is essential to select the credit card payment method and complete payment in order to be guaranteed a seat!

Did you know that the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) does not charge its members for instruction? For glider instruction there is only a nominal $3 (yes, three dollar) assessment per flight as a set-aside for maintenance. There is also a cost for tows, but the bottom line is you can get a glider rating very economically. CAP Glider Instructors will be present at this FIRC and recruiting! We are especially looking for Airplane and Helicopter CFIs to join the CAP - they will have the opportunity to add the coveted Glider rating to their Instructor's certificate at minimal expense in return for making themselves available to use that new glider rating to instruct some of our cadets and senior members. Of course, Glider CFIs are also welcome!

For general information about the SSA, go to www.ssa.org For information about the CAP, go to http://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/

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That was the prevailing theme recently when Connecticut Wing members gathered at the Bradley International Airport Sheraton for the annual wing conference. They heard Col. Cassandra Huchko, wing commander, drive home the point that CAP is “the best-kept secret” in the U.S. arsenal, ready to adapt to a changing world and take on any mission thrust into its path.

During her “State of the Wing” address Huchko also touched on the importance of the wing’s performance throughout the year and how it’s adapting to the nation and state’s changing needs.

Despite adverse weather conditions, the wing flew more than 278 hours per aircraft, for a total of, 1392 hours. Cadet orientation, counter-drug, and Long Island Sound Patrol flights were all part of the mix. In addition, cadet flight training hours were up more than 100 percent, with two cadets receiving their private license.

The most memorable moment of the afternoon session proved to be the presentation of Disaster Relief Ribbons to aircrews, ground teams and staff for their efforts and assistance in dealing with Hurricane Irene and its aftermath. Wing members’ training paid off, as the hard work and dedication of all involved has helped make CAP the go-to organization when the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Connecticut Department of Emergency Management and other agencies need to get assets in the air and boots on the ground quickly to respond to a disaster.

The afternoon sessions provided a peek at CAP’s future role and the arsenal of new technology available to meet that challenge.

A presentation by the Northeast Region’s emergency services officer, Lt. Col. Paul Ghiron, focused on CAP’s role in cutting-edge programs like the GIIEP (Geospatial Information Interoperable Exploration Portable) system as well as on the training needed to bring members up to speed.

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the organization’s most important mission, Maj. Michael Heath, wing director of emergency services, conducted a workshop on how to use existing technology like the Nikon D-90 camera to generate a better product for CAP’s customers. Equipped with the latest GPS technology, members can now provide high-resolution aerial photos embedded with latitude, longitude, altitude and direction.

When night fell, the stars came out for the awards dinner, where the guest of honor, U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. James M. Skiff, provided an in-depth view of the military’s changing role during his 44 years of service to his country. Skiff, who flew 200 combat missions in Southeast Asia and 25 combat missions in Bosnia and southern Iraq, also assured his audience that “cadets are the next great generation.”

A hush came over the room when Maj. Jeff Travers, master of ceremonies for the dinner as well as finance officer for the Royal Charter Composite Squadron, read the details of Capt. Lenny Kimball’s heroic efforts during an in-flight emergency when he and his Royal Charter squadron aircrew experienced an onboard electrical fire during a recent training mission. Kimball’s professionalism and quick thinking helped avert a potential disaster, and the plane and crew landed safely at Waterbury-Oxford Airport.

Without question, the highlight of the evening was Huchko’s presentation of the Connecticut Wing and National Cadet of the Year awards to the parents of Cadet Col. Ryan Chapman of the 801st Cadet Squadron.

Chapman, in his first year at the U.S. Military Academy after an early appointment, was presented with his award at West Point.

As the festivities wound to a close Huchko told the audience that the last award was the toughest to decide. Everyone cheered when Col. Lloyd R. Sturges, wing director of operations, was presented with both the Commanders Award and Connecticut Wing Staff Officer of the Year for 2011.

Page 18

February 2012

Over the Airwaves - The Journal for the Proficient Pilot Shooting in the dark Each year, the AOPA Air Safety Foundation publishes a statistical report of general aviation accidents. This is called the Nall Report. It's named after Joseph Bob Miller, CFII, ATP P. Nall, an NTSB Board member who died as a passenger in an airplane crash in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1989.

Regrettably, based upon the paucity of new information contained in each annual Nall Report, I'm likely one of only a dozen or so people who actually read the 2010 edition cover-to-cover. I did so this in the vain hope of discovering something other than the positive spin on our chronic fatal accident rate that its editors and statisticians so dutifully apply year after year. Instead, it was the same findings, rationales, and defense of an industry that should be ashamed of its abhorrent safety record. Thus, no surprises were found.

If it is the GA industry's intent to convince the nonflying community that general aviation is safer than it really is - and that our safety record is improving with each passing year, the Nall Report rates an 'A plus'.

On the other hand, the Nall Report's usefulness in helping to formulate improvements in the way we train pilots, in uncovering the mysteries behind our chronic fatal accident rate, and in providing guidance to us veteran pilots on how best to optimize our proficiency, it deserves little more than a 'D minus'.

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The faulty denominator Hold the e-mail. I'll admit that the problem is not entirely in the hands of the Nall Report editors and statisticians. Much of the problem lies in the inherent weaknesses of the data they use to compile the report. The most serious offender in this regard is the FAA's "estimate" of annual aircraft hours flown.

This "estimate" is derived from a simple FAA-administered survey of a sampling of GA pilots - about one percent of the total pilot population. Curiously, I suspect that only active pilots actually complete and return these survey forms. The pilots who have curtailed or stopped flying likely never return their survey forms.

Given the fact that this "estimate" forms the basis of all reported accident RATE information, we can reasonably conclude that the Nall Report is little more than an "estimate" of what is happening in the real world of general aviation. This makes for a nifty way to spin the data whichever way one likes.

Equally problematic is the fact that the "estimate" of annual hours flown is nonaircraft type specific. For example, we really have no clue whether single engine operations are actually more precarious than multi-engine operations. Nor do we have an objective basis to determine if glass cockpits afford us any greater safety advantage than steam-gauge aircraft.

Does anybody really know, based upon actual accident data - by aircraft type, if Cirrus SR22 aircraft are more prone to fatal accidents than Cessna 206s? Does anybody really care? Those who pay insurance premiums might like to know.

"One size fits all" flight training curriculum Since we lack any objectively derived accident data based upon aircraft type, make, or model, those of us in the flight training business are constrained to offer a "one size fits all" training curricula. On the other hand, if low wing singles are more prone to fatal spin encounters than high wing aircraft, based upon actual data, then training curricula should be adjusted accordingly.

Are we seeing more landing accidents in glass composite aircraft like the Cessna Corvalis and Cirrus SR22 than we are in metal aircraft? If so, let's tailor the training curriculum accordingly.

Do flight schools using Diamond DA20 aircraft have a better safety record, again based upon actual data, than schools using Cessna 172s?

Curiously, we've been seeing a big spike in the number of fatal accidents involving homebuilt aircraft. From this, can we conclude that homebuilt aircraft are inherently more dangerous than production aircraft? This big spike could be attributed to a huge increase in the number of homebuilt aircraft hours flown. This would certainly spike the numbers.

Right now, of course, there is no way to correlate the number of homebuilt aircraft accidents with the actual number of homebuilt aircraft hours flown. Thus, any current criticism of the homebuilding industry is entirely without merit.

The Sport Pilot debate If anybody suggests to you that the Sport Pilot program is either safer or more risky than conventional flying, don't bother engaging in the debate. Why? The reason is, nobody - including the FAA and the NTSB - really knows. Sure, we know how many Light Sport fatalities there are in a given period, but we have no idea how many Light Sport hours are actually flown. Thus, it is impossible to develop any reliable data on the true risks of Sport Pilot flying.

Imagine that. We create an entirely new kind of flying, design and build a whole new classification of aircraft, authorize a new pilot certificate, allow pilots to fly without an FAA medical, and we have no objective way to measure relative safety of the Sport Pilot program itself! Only the federal government would allow such a debacle to occur.

The aging fleet dilemma We're beginning to be increasingly concerned about the aging of the GA fleet. Do aircraft with 7,000 or more hours total time suffer a higher fatal accident rate than, say, aircraft with 3,000 or fewer hours total time? Right now, nobody knows for certain.

www.AFlyer.com

Page 19

To be fair, we cannot lump all GA aircraft types, makes, and models in this age-related safety determination. If Beech builds a more durable aircraft than Piper or Cessna, the accident data should bear that out. Similarly, insurance premiums should reflect that finding.

As for an infringement of pilot privacy, we pilots waive any such right to privacy whenever we sign a medical history form each time we see the aviation medical examiner. Recall, we report the number of hours we have flown in the past 90 days. We also waive such right to privacy whenever we sign an application for a new pilot rating or certificate.

Training reform efforts The FAA recently formed the Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) that will review everything from the way we train pilots to the way that we retain our pilot certificates. "Everything is on the table," said Babbitt.

"This effort is part of a five-year plan for transforming GA safety."

Could this be a conspiracy?

Perhaps the reason we're not collecting actual aircraft usage data is due to fear on the part of the FAA that the total number of GA hours flown is substantially BELOW current estimates? Maybe GA is already standing on "death's door" and nobody really wants to have that fact objectively revealed. Well, sad as this may be, we deserve to know the truth. And once the truth is known, we can take REAL steps to fix it.

Everything is on the table, alright. Trouble is, nobody knows where the table is. How can we reform an industry that has no true handle on the extent of its problem?

How will the FAA know if its reform efforts are working when we have no valid way of measuring the extent of the problem in the first place? This is yet another example of a big waste of government time and money.

Banish the naysayers "Whoa," say the naysayers. "We can't possibly gather that kind of data. The costs would be prohibitive. The burden on the industry would be staggering. Besides, it's nobody's business how much I fly my airplane."

Predictably, AOPA would be standing at the head of the line protesting any such privacy infringement on its member pilots. The halls of Congress would be blanketed with form letters of opposition artfully crafted by AOPA for signing and mailing by its 400,000 member pilots. In the end, another positive step forward in improving our chronic fatal accident rate would be successfully thwarted.

In truth, gathering objective annual hours flown by aircraft type, make, and model would be a snap. Since every GA aircraft must go through an annual inspection or, in the case of home built aircraft, annual condition inspections, it would be a quick and easy step to record and submit to the FAA the aircraft type, make, model, year of manufacture, and number of hours each inspected aircraft has flown in the previous 12 months (or whatever period covered since the last inspection).

Bingo, that's it.

Curiously, the federal budget required to implement this procedure would likely be less than the money it spends sending out and analyzing pilot surveys.

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It's time we get real We live in a brave new world. It's a world where fatal airplane accidents should no longer be occurring. Sure, there will be the occasional screw up or dumb pilot trick that results in a fatality. Let's say that those type of accidents account for about 50 a year. But what about the remaining 200 or so 'fatals' each year? Why are they occurring?

There is currently no way of knowing for certain what impact ANY changes we make in the GA system have or will have on our fatal accident rate. None, nothing, nada. We're only guessing - and that ain't no way to run an airline.

So, naysayers, and that includes you, AOPA, let's get behind this effort to objectively quantify our annual hours flown by aircraft type, make and model. When you do so and this system is finally implemented, the Nall Report will finally offer genuine benefit to the industry. Until then, it's simply another way to spend member pilot dollars in a totally non-effective way.

Flying has risks. Choose wisely,

Bob Miller, CFII, ATP http://overtheairwaves.com

Page 20

February 2012

ACCOMPLISHMENTS FIRST SOLO Henniker Flying Club Doug Brogan Maurice Rean

Don Hebert CFII Don Hebert CFII

North Central Flight Center Greg Klama Don Turrell CFII Westfield Flight Academy John Yourous Michelle Plante Tim Moskal Ryan Hellyar Steve Mello Brian Shea Bobby Bergendahl Sylvester Halama

Mike Proulx CFII Keith Roxo CFII Keith Roxo CFII Keith Roxo CFII Mike Foy CFI Mike Foy CFI Mike Proulx CFII Mike Foy CFI

PRIVATE PILOT North Central Flight Center James Roche Don Turrell CFII Westfield Flight Academy Olivia Howry Stephen Haden CFII Jerry Gonzales Mike Foy CFI Leony Martins Mike Proulx CFII Ahmed Elhefny Keith Roxo CFII

FLYING CLUBS Looking for Fellow Enthusiasts Want to fly? Want to share the experience with others? You may want to consider becoming a member of a Flying Club.

A flying club or aero club is a not for profit, member run organization that provides its members with access to aircraft.

Some clubs also provide flight training, flight planning facilities, pilot supplies and associated services, as well as organizing social functions, flyins and fly-outs to other airports and so forth.

Most flying clubs own and rent small general aviation aircraft. However some clubs also exist to provide access to more specialized aircraft, such as vintage planes, aerobatic planes, helicopters and gliders.

There are two types of flying clubs - equity flying clubs, and non-equity flying clubs. In an equity flying club, each member of the flying club “buys in” to the club and owns a share of all the club’s aircraft. The member then pays both monthly dues, which cover the fixed costs of ownership (hangar, insurance, annual maintenance, etc.), and an hourly rate for his use the airplanes in the club.

In a non-equity flying club, the members do not own a share of the aircraft. Members may still pay an initiation fee (usually much smaller than an equity flying club), a monthly fee to help cover the fixed costs, and an hourly rate to use the aircraft. [citation needed] If you are already a member of a flying club and want Atlantic Flyer readers to know more about your organization... contact Sandy for info about getting into the paper. Sandy@AFlyer.com or 203458-3348.

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LEARN TO FLY LOCATIONS Connecticut Action Multi Rating 155 Tower Avenue Groton, CT 06340 860-449-9555 www.mward42.tripod.com Connecticut Flight Academy 20 Lindbergh Dr Hartford CT. 06114 869-722-9667 www.ctflightacademy.com Future Flyers of CT 94 Wolcott Rd Simsbury, CT 06070 860-819-3717 http://futureflyersct.com/ Premier Flight Center - HFD Hartford-Brainard Airport 58 Lindbergh Drive Hartford, CT 06114 Contact: Gary Ciriello www.PremierFlightCt.com Florida Europe-American Aviation Diamond Brilliance Flight Center 200 Aviation Drive N, Suite # 6

Naples, FL 34104 239-430-9220 Shawn@eaa-fly.com www.eaa-fly.com Maine Southern Maine Aviation Sanford Regional Airport (KSFM) 199 Airport Road - Main terminal Sanford, ME 207-324-8919 wwwsouthernmaineaviation.com Twitchell’s Airport & Seaplane Base (3B5) - 40 Airport Road Turner, ME 04282 Contact: Dawn or Dale Twitchell www.twitchells3B5.com Massachusetts Alpha One Flight School 246 South Meadow Road Plymouth, MA 02360 508-747-1494 Berkshire Aviation Enterprises,llc (GBR) - 70 Egremont Plain Rd. Great Barrington, MA 01230-0179 GreatBarringtonAirport.com

Beverly Flight Center West Side Danvers MA 01923 978-774-7755 www.beverlyflightcenter.com

Hampton Airfield Tail Wheel Instruction 9 A Lafayette Road North Hampton, NH 03862 603 397-0367

New York Randall Airport P O Box 3062, 100 Airport Rd. Middletown, NY 10940 845-343-5965

Eagle East Aviation 492 Sutton Street North Andover, MA 01845 www.eagle-east.com

Monadnock Aviation 80 Airport Road Keene, NH 03431 603-357-7600

Westfield Flight Academy-BAF 111 Airport Road Westfield, MA 01085 413-568-5800 www.fivestarflight.com

Rochester Aviation 238 Rochester Hill Rd Rochester, NH 03867 603-479-6845 www.flyskyhaven.com

Pennsylvania Gateway Aviation 1730 Vultee Street Allentown, PA 18103 Contact: Bradley Snyder 610-797-7942 Brad@gateway-aviation.com www.gateway-aviation.com

New Hampshire Concord Aviation Services 71 Airport Road Concord, NH 03301 603-228-2267 www.mv.com/ipusers/confbo

Signal Aviation Services 58 Airport Road West Lebanon, NH 03484 603-298-6555

Green River Flight Center 11 Aviation Drive Keene, NH 03431 603-352-2599

New Jersey Andover Flight Academy PO Box 239 Andover, NJ 07821 973-786-6554 www.andoverflight.com/

Rhode Island North Central Flight Center North Central Airport (KSFZ) 300 Jenckes Hill Rd. Smithfield, RI 02917 www.ripilot.com 401-413-4093 South Carolina Ellsworth Aviation 764 East Smith Street Timmonsville, SC 29161 843-229-4845 www.instrumenttraining.com

www.AFlyer.com

The New Look of Premier's Website I suppose, it was bound to happen: We’ve decided we won’t be archiving those old “newsletters” of ours any longer. We’ve endeavored to reorganize our website, and added a comprehensive website search function! You’ll find it on Premier’s home page.

In addition to our website’s increased functionality and the revised and improved new look, we’ve converted the information in the old newsletter archive to individual, web pages which have been indexed in our “Digital Media Center”.

Our Digital Media Center contains more than just Aviation Training Articles! You’ll also be able to watch videos, find interesting photos to enjoy and recommend, and. you’ll read analysis of official FAA, NTSB and NASA reports.

Perhaps though it’s something on the lighter side of flying you feel that you’re in the mood for. Well, be sure to check out our “Comedy in Flight” section. We’ve got lots of amusing anecdotes that people have heard over the airwaves. Fear not! We’ve edited them down, removed most of the incriminating evidence, and changed most of the participants’ names. Read and enjoy, but remember: We’re listening! So, if it’s quality information and advice on aviation issues you’re looking for, search us first! If you don’t find what you’re looking for, why not email us a question? You’ve got a good chance of having it answered in a future training article.

Throughout the year, we’ll be posting new material to our website and we’ll be back to letting you know about them through emails. We hope you’ll be encouraged to stop by our home page to read, to learn and to be inspired to share the information you find with your fellow aviators throughout the country.

Wishing you a wonderful, safe and prosperous New Year!

The staff & instructors at Premier Flight Center, LLC. www.premierflightct.com/

Alton Bay, NH Seaplane base and Ice runway “B18” As many of you know the Alton Bay Ice runway has been in operation for many years. It has had various sponsors. For many years the Aviation Association of NH promoted it as an annual association fly in. Alas the modern times have caught up with us and the association was forced to stop promoting it as a sponsored fly in due to insurance and liability concerns.

Here is the good news. A local group of Alton Bay business owners lead

by Paul La Rochelle have stepped forward to open and maintain the runway.

The NHDOT lead by Trish Lambert is also supporting this unique airport by supplying the necessary equipment to maintain the runway, taxi way and parking area. Your association plans to donate to the airports support from our general fund.

The local business and residents of Alton Bay are very supportive of the airport. Paul reports that on a good weekend 30 - 40 planes fly in for breakfast and or lunch and the locals gather to watch the planes.

Here is how it works: When the ice in the bay reaches @ 12 inches in thickness and the runway is plowed and ready for use Mike Pouliot of the NHDOT visits the sight and if everything is in order the runway is opened.

This usually happens around the 10th of January. From that point on NOTAMS are posted at (pilotweb.nas.faa.gov/pilotweb/) by Paul to keep everyone abreast of the ice conditions, runway length and width, and if the runway is open. Large snow storms and warm weather can impact the operation. There is also a local phone number, 603-875-3498, with a recording that provides up to the date information. If you are planning to fly to Alton Bay simply call before you launch!

The runway is typically maintained to 3000 ft and 90 – 100 ft wide. Taxi ways are also maintained and there is parking for about 20 - 30 planes.

While there is not a specific date for an official fly in Paul says that a great time to fly into “B18” is during the Alton Bay Winter Carnival. This year’s event is scheduled for February 19th. Hope to see you there!!

Here are some local restaurants that are in walking distance: JP China Restaurant Shibley’s Restaurant - lunch and dinner (opening weekends starting Jan 27th) Bay Diner - breakfast and lunch Amy Lyn’s Corner Convenient Store – serves coffee, breakfast sandwiches and lunch specials.

Donation cans to help support the airport are placed at various locations– please help out!

Thx, David DeVries, President Aviation Association of NH www.Newhampshirepilots.org

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February 2012

CHECKPOINTS

Send your checkpoint information to Sandy@AFlyer.com New England (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) Feb 3-5: 8B0 Steven A. Bean Municipal Airport Rangeley, Maine. Bald Mountain Camps Resort Winter Fly In 2012. We will have a 3,000+ Foot Runway plowed on the Mooselookmeguntic Lake Right in-front of the resort.

There will be a safety seminar on Friday with a dinner, events on Saturday, & a breakfast on Sunday. Please call or e-mail for more info....

Contact: Stephen Philbrick (207)864-3671 info@baldmountaincamps.com .

Feb 25: Owl's Head Transportation Museum, Rockland, ME. Maine Aviation Forum. 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM. The fifth annual Maine Aviation Forum will be held on Saturday February 25th 2012 at the Owls Head Transportation Museum located at the Knox County Airport (KRKD) in Rockland, Maine. The weather alternate is March 3rd. This is a gathering of Maine based aviation organizations and those involved in flying here, where we share who you are, what you've done and what you're going to do, and what do you think the rest of us should know.

There will be coffee and pastries available in the morning and lunch will again be provided

by EAA Chapter 736 Norridgewock all for $8 per person. As in the past Please let us know how many are coming at least a week ahead of time to plan for the food. Contact: Duke Tomlin Phone: 207-323-0616. http://www.eaa1434.org/ Eastern (DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA, VA, WV) Feb 4: 8N8 Danville Airport. Danville, PA Cheese Steak fly-in. Sponsored by: EAA 769.

11:00 AM - 01:00 PM. Cheese Steak Hoagies, home made mac and cheese Come early. For More Information Contact: Rob Staib 570-850-5274 Feb 4: D51 Clarence Aerodrome Buffalo, New York. 3rd Annual Clarence Aerodrome Ski-plane fly-in. 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM. Food, Bonfire, and ski-planes. All are Welcome, come out and join the fun. 100LL and Mogas available. Call Joe Rizzo for conditions and no-snow date. Contact: Joe Rizzo 716-308-0441 joen6171b@aol.com Mar 27: Clearfield-Lawrance Airport, Clearfield, PA. EAA Chapter 748 Annual Banquet 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM. This is our annual chapter banquet. Please check our web-site for further details(place-prices-speaker-menu) http://www.748.eaachapter.org

Southern (AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TN) Feb 4: 42J Keystone Airpark Keystone Heights, Florida. Wings of Dreams Fly-In Breakfast. Fly-In (& Drive-In) Breakfast Buffet to benefit the Wings of Dreams Aviation Museum – 8 am to 10:30 am, $7/person - $4 for kids - Free breakfast for WWII veterans. “Eggs are back!” – Menu – eggs, bacon, ham, grits, biscuits, fruit, juice, coffee. Vintage cars on display. Great fuel prices at Keystone Airport. First come, first served. RSVP recommended. Contact: Susan King | flyin@wingsofdreams.org | 352-256-8037 Feb 4: X26 Sebastian Municipal Airport Sebastian, Florida. LoPresti First Saturday Charity Breakfast. 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM. A Sweetheart Invitation! Join LoPresti for a great hot charity breakfast and an entertaining speaker, Gene McNeeley. Gene is a top airshow aerobatic performer in his thrilling T6 aircraft, and a winning Reno Air Race Pilot. In addition to Gene's aviation talk, the legacy Flagship Detroit DC3 will be on show (and offering membership flights!). Classic nostalgia-this aircraft has loving been restored to its original 1937 condition.

Charity is to benefit the youth group Sebastian Sea Scout Chapter that sustained devastating damage to their boats last year. Come early and watch the classic airplanes arrive. Coffee is always hot and strong! Contact: Mimi Erskine | mimi@LoPrestiAviation.com | 772-562-4757 Feb 5: KFMY PAGE FIELD - Ft. Myers, FL Drive in breakfast and Young Eagles. 8:00 AM 11:00 AM For More Information Contact: Tom Irlbeck 239-540-5500 Feb 5: KLKR Lancaster County-Mc Whirter Field - Lancaster, SC. South Caroline Breakfast Club. - It's a home cooked southern breakfast, great fellowship & flying! Every other Sunday since 1938 pilots & aviation enthusiasts in & near South Carolina have met for breakfast.

That's it! No dues, no meeting requirements!

Breakfast is around $6/plate, ready about 9am & there's always plenty. Fly in or drive to the airport, belly up & talk aircraft to your heart’s content! Pilot or non-pilot, Everyone Welcomed!

Join our group on Facebook. Visit our website for updates & the full schedule. For More Information Contact: South Caroline Breakfast Club 803-446-0214 http://www.flyscbc.com/ Feb 11: KRMG Richard B Russell Airport Rome, Georgia. EAA709 Flyin breakfast. 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Every 2nd Saturday. Great breakfast & fellowship, followed by meeting Sausage, eggs, pancakes, grits, cheese grits, biscuits&gravy, fruit, drink. Contact: Harry Dawson | harry@aaahawk.com | 706-767-0777 Feb 11: Stag Air Park, Burgaw, NC. Winter Fly-In. 10:00 am - 1:30 pm Chili lunch prepared at the No Whinning Saloon. 50-50 raffle. Contact: Bill Mathis Phone: 910-675-3927 Feb 18: X59 Valkaria Airport Valkaria, Florida. Valkaria Air Fest. 7:00 AM - 8:00 PM Airshows Day & Night, Fireworks, Live Concert, Pilot Pancake Breakfast and so much more! http://www.valkariaairfest.org Feb 19: KUZA Rock Hill/York Co/Bryant Field - Rock Hill, SC. South Carolina Breakfast

Club. - It's a home cooked southern breakfast, great fellowship & flying! Every other Sunday since 1938 pilots & aviation enthusiasts in & near South Carolina have met for breakfast.

That's it! No dues, no meeting requirements!

Breakfast is around $6/plate, ready about 9am & there's always plenty. Fly in or drive to the airport, belly up & talk aircraft to your heart’s content! Pilot or non-pilot, Everyone Welcomed!

For More Information Contact: South Carolina Breakfast Club 803-446-0214 http://www.flyscbc.com/ Feb 25: Twelve Oaks Air Estates Airpark, Hernando, FL. 5th Annual George Read Memorial Fly-in. 9:00 am - 2:00 pm. Coffee and donuts at 9:00 am. Lunch 11:30 to 2:00 pm.

Hamburgers, Brats, Hotdogs and all the fixings. Adults $8.00 each or two for $15.00. Kids under 12- $5.00 each. Campers welcome. Rain date is Sunday, 02/26/2012. Contact: Gary Read Phone: 727-543-4724.

Feb 25-26: Punta Gorda Airport, Punta Gorda, FL. Warbird Weekend. Sponsored by EAA FL Warbird Squadron 24. Sat. 10:00am-5:00pm & - Sun. 10:00am-3:00 pm. The event will feature a Static Warbird Display and flyovers.

Rides available in the B-25 Mitchell, T-6 Texan, and PT-17 Stearman. Over 50 Warbirds will be on display. See website www.floridawarbirds. org, call 941-639-6188, or email warbirdzack@ aol.com for details. $8/$15 This is a fundraiser for veteran's organizations. We are a 501(c)3 non profit organization. Contact: Jim "Zack" Olzacki. Phone: 941-639-6188 Mar 3: X06 Arcadia Municipal - Arcadia, FL. Aviation Day. Sponsored by: City of Arcadia.

08:00 AM - 02:00 PM Fly in or drive in to Pancake breakfast, Lunch, Biplane & Helicopter rides. Light Sport Discovery flights, Sky diving Demo, Static Displays & Classic Cars. All types of airplanes from Ultralights to War Birds.

FREE ADMISSION. For More Info Contact: George Chase 863-494-4114 Aviation Day@ gmail.com http://www.ArcadiaAirport.com Mar 4: KFMY PAGE FIELD - Ft. Myers, FL Drive in breakfast and Young Eagles. 8:00 AM 11:00 AM For More Information Contact: Tom Irlbeck 239-540-5500 Mar 10: (SEF) KSEF SEBRING RGNL Sebring, FL. Pancake Breakfast. Sponsored by: Sebring Regional Airport. 7:30 AM - 11:30 AM. Pancake breakfast supporting chapter youth scholarships and Young Eagles programs. For More Info Contact: John Rousch 863-272-0522 Mar 10: (SEF) KSEF SEBRING RGNL - Sebring, FL. South FL Seaplane Splash-in. Sponsored by: Sunset Grille Restaurant. March 10, 2012 11:00 AM - March 11, 2012 04:00 PM. South Florida Seaplane Splash-in since 1993.

This 2 day event at, Sunset Grille Restaurant on Lake Jackson, Sebring, Fl. 5 NM, NW of KSEF airport, N27-28.400 & W081-27-000 will start 11am Sat lunch, afternoon seaplane flying, 5pm Happy Hour with sunset and seaplanes in the backgroung, 6:30 Dinner, Seaplane Speaker with door prizes. Sunday, 8-10am Breakfast, 10am-4pm social event. Overnight, Sunset Beach Motel 863-385-6129 ask for special rate.

100' east of the Event. For More Information

www.AFlyer.com

Contact: Bill Schmalz 561-414-6865.

Mar 10: Buchan Airport, Englewood, FL. End of Winter Fly-In. Sponsored by EAA Chpt.

1285. 9:AM - 3:PM. Hambergers,hot dogs and soda, drive in, fly in, walk in-plenty of parking, bring the family, LSA, homebuilts and antiques.

Come join the fun! Contact: Tom McCarney Phone: 941-493-2351 Mar 17: NEW SMYRNA BEACH MUNI (EVB) KEVB - New Smyrna Beach, FL. Muscles & Mustangs IV. Sponsored by: Timeless Wings And Wheels. 09:00 AM - 02:00 PM. NEW SMYRNA BEACH MUNI (EVB) - Open to all American Muscle Cars. No registration fee, but donations are gladly accepted. P-51 Mustangs on display. We will collecting pet food donations for the Southeast Volusia Humane Society.

Mar 17: Municipal Airport, Vero Beach, FL. Aviation Day 2012. Sponsored by EAA Chpt 99. 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Military & Civil Aircraft on Static Display, Fly-Overs. Airplane & Helicopter Rides. Model Rockets & Aircraft, Aviation Artwork & More. Fun For the Whole Family. Phone: 772-978-4930 Mar 27: Lakeland, FL. SUN 'n FUN International Fly-In and Expo. 38th Annual 6 day FlyIn and Expo, Airshow includes the Thunderbirds and many more, Over 500 exhibitors expected, camping available, Less than 45 miles from Disney, Legoland and Busch Gardens. Contact: Jim Bernegger Phone: 863-644-2431. http://www. sun-n-fun.org

Hits Your Target!

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It’s distributed to over 1100 aviation related locations from Maine to Florida to the Ohio Valley and beyond.

Each Atlantic Flyer issue has 40 colorful pages filled with interesting aviation content.

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We offer a variety of advertising opportunites to meet your needs and budget, including display, classified and web advertising.

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Page 23

Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst host KC-10 “Elephant Walk” On a cold, damp morning in mid-December, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst conducted an aerial training exercise last seen on base nearly five years ago. The 305th Air Mobility Wing completed an “Elephant Walk”, launching twelve KC-10’s in a 30 minute time period.

The term “Elephant Walk” was introduced during World War II. During that time the Army Air Corps large fleet of bombers would conduct attacks utilizing more than 1,000 aircraft. Observers commented that the nose-to-tail, single-file taxi movements of the bombers resembled the nose- to-tail trail of elephants on their way to the next watering hole.

During this particular “Elephant Walk” more than 160 Airmen participated in preparing, launching and recovering the KC-10 Extenders. Due to the extremely congested airspace within the New York metropolitan area, and large number of participating aircraft, extensive coordination with NY, Boston and Washington Centers was critical.

The KC-10’s were launched in two packages.

First, a group of eight KC-10’s departed the McGuire runway, 10 minutes later, the second group of four launched. Fortunately de-icing of the aircraft was not a factor this particular morning. The participating aircraft from the package of twelve KC-10’s performed a simulation of passing and receiving fuel.

According to Lt. Col. Jimmy Shaw, 305th Operations Group Deputy Commander, “An Elephant Walk is a fundamental training element when preparing for Global Strike Missions”. Mid-December provided the slack time in high operations tempo for the 305th to focus efforts on training, maintenance, and of course, family.

An “Elephant Walk” as demonstrated by the men and women of the 305th this December morning is a fundamental training tool when preparing for a Global Strike Mission consisting of large formations of aircraft flying long distances. Tanker aircraft such as KC-10’s are required to launch in large groups to provide fueling support for the Global Strike Mission and it is a core competency.

“Overall the mission was a huge success and the 305th achieved all of the objectives they set out to accomplish” said Lt. Col. Erik Simonsen, Squadron Commander of the 32nd Air Refueling Squadron. “Everybody pulled together and it was a fantastic exercise of twelve aircraft showcasing Air Mobility Command’s global mission of global reach and global power”.

Report & Photos by Howard German

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Page 24

February 2012

Hypoxia for Real One thrill available to glider pilots is wave soaring. Because this type of soaring presents the potential for sustained flight at high altitudes, I decided to learn about the physiology of hypoxia, and enrolled in the one-day course offered by the US Air Force at Edwards Air Force Base in California (the course is no longer available at Edwards). In addition to the classroom lectures, the course included time in the hyperbaric chamber, a large pressure vessel that allows 20 or more subjects to experience a high altitude environment.

After donning oxygen masks, about half the air in the chamber is pumped out, effectively raising the altitude inside the chamber to around 15,000’.

Each of us was given a colored pie chart, about the size of a large pizza box. Outside the periphery of the pie chart were letters and numbers. We were instructed to focus on the center of the pie chart, and then see if we could identify the characters outside the pie chart. While wearing my mask, it was easy to identify both the colors of each segment as well as the characters. But with the mask removed, the colors grayed out almost immediately, and then my field of peripheral vision collapsed so that the characters were no longer visible.

Next, we were given simple arithmetic problems to solve – no one solved them correctly. The instructor then mentioned that many people develop unique physiologic responses to the early stages of hypoxia, and suggested that we try to observe how our bodies reacted to the removal of the masks. My response turned out to be a slight tingling on my right tibia, and I have used this early warning signal on several occasions. This experience was a vivid demonstration of the powerful effects of hypoxia, and I decided never to expose myself to this danger.

Soaring in California and Nevada frequently allows extended periods of flight at altitudes at which oxygen is both useful and legally required.

Wave windows are often opened by ATC during the winter wave season, and my first wave flight from Minden reached 25,500’ over Lake Tahoe.

Surprisingly, reaching this altitude was anticlimactic because not only was it extremely cold, but the view was not at all what I expected – I was just too high to enjoy the scenery. Oxygen for this and all subsequent flights in my Stemme S10-VT was piped through Mountain High EDS Pulse-Demand systems which have worked flawlessly. After 7 years of use, the systems have proven to be reliable, rugged and safe.

What happened on Tuesday July 19, 2005 involved the EDS, but has not diminished my trust in the product. The previous evening, I scanned the weather and found that Hurricane Emily was pumping plenty of monsoonal moisture into the western US. The high pressure area that typically sits over the 4-Corners was delivering the moisture to Eastern California and Nevada, raising the relative humidity to between 30% and 40%. This gave just the right amount of moisture to produce plenty of cumulus thermal markers. My business schedule required me to be home on Thursday morning, so I planned a quick two day trip up the Sierra Nevada, flying to Minden on Tuesday and returning to Santa Barbara on Wednesday.

The Stemme S10-VT is a magical machine. Thir-

ty-five minutes after leaving Santa Barbara, my altitude was over 15,000’ and I had covered about 70 nm for an average speed of 114 knots. I shut down the engine about 15 nm south of Bakersfield, and started a sled ride toward the first cu that had popped over what appeared to be the ridges at Lake Isabella. Twenty minutes later, I reached Lake Isabella at just under 11,000’, but the cu were still more than 20 nm away on the southern spine of the Sierra. I turned on the engine for a 10 minute run and a 4000’ altitude gain. From that point, the prop remained stowed until after landing at Minden about 4 hours later.

The weather forecast was accurate, and there were plenty of cu stretching as far as I could see.

The lift was good with thermals averaging 6 to 8 knots. On occasion, the averager read 15+ knots, and, according to the flight data log, there was one section where it exceeded 22 knots. That particular elevator ride was close to Mt. Whitney where I have always experienced notable turbulence.

For some reason, the air always seems much more alive near Whitney than elsewhere. This trip was no different, and I made a mental note of gratitude for my lack of physical ailments that could have interfered with my ability to enjoy the magnificence of the majestic Sierra. After an obligatory circle at peak height for the hikers atop Mt. Whitney, I moved half a mile north and climbed in a strong thermal with the averager reporting 10 and then 12 knots.

Climbing in the thermal, my gut began to hurt.

My right leg tingled, but I paid more attention to a general feeling of discomfort. I wondered why I had tempted fate by recognizing my good health only half an hour earlier. By the time I reached 17,000’, I felt sick enough so that I thought I might have to land. I decided to leave the Sierra and head for the Owens Valley, where there are several airports.

I’m not sure how long it took me to realize that I was not hearing the pssst of the EDS Pulse-Demand oxygen system. Each time the user inhales, the slight reduction in cannula pressure triggers the EDS controller to release a small volume (called a bolus) of oxygen, and that creates an audible hissing sound. Instead of wondering what was wrong with me, I started wondering why I was not hearing the familiar pssst. I tried inhaling, and confirmed that there was no oxygen delivery.

Perhaps, I wondered, the battery in the controller had died. I picked up the controller and pushed the test button twice – pssst, pssst. Well, I said to myself, the battery is not dead.

Then I immediately started searching for a spare battery, and when I located it, I started opening the battery box to replace a battery that I had just confirmed was still good. I tried opening the battery box for several minutes, but was physically unable to complete that simple task. When I realized that I would be unable to open the battery box, I put the control unit down and put the spare battery back in the storage area. It was as if everything was OK – I felt no urgency whatsoever to complete the task.

By this time I had descended to about 13,000’, and the extra oxygen at the lower altitudes must have jump-started some neurons, because it suddenly dawned on me that I needed to complete the task, open the battery box and replace the bat-

tery. Next I recalled that the battery was not dead, and then I started asking why I should replace a perfectly good battery? Finally, I asked the right question -- why was I not hearing the pssst when I breathed if I had heard it when I pushed the test button? The answer was immediate – there must be a kink in the delivery line. Starting at the control unit, I quickly traced the oxygen line toward the cannula in my nose. The line was not kinked.

Instead, a connection had separated, probably during the strong turbulence around Mt. Whitney.

The lights came back on quickly – I had experienced hypoxia. That explained not only the pain in my gut, the general discomfort, and my inability to think and perform simple tasks, but also the tingling on my right leg. I had experienced the physiologic signal that I knew so well, but my senses had dulled so fast that I completely disregarded it.

With the cannula line reconnected and my intellect recovering, I decided that perhaps I might not need to land. After another 15 minutes of oxygenation, my symptoms passed and I decided that it would be safe to continue the flight to Minden.

I moved over to the White Mountains, found a strong thermal and climbed to 17820’ without any recurrent symptoms.

The flight was completed without further incident – it became progressively more difficult as I proceeded north, but that is a different story. At higher altitudes, hypoxia can strike very fast. During rapid onset, hypoxia can be extremely insidious, rendering an otherwise normal pilot incapable of rational thought and simple tasks. You can learn about these dangers in the classroom or even the laboratory, but that only yields an intellectual understanding of the dangers. When you experience hypoxia for real, you get an entirely new respect for the problems associated with it.

I had always believed that if my oxygen delivery were to fail at high altitude, I could descend and the problem would resolve itself. Now, I am not sure that I could always make the correct decision to descend – in our Centurion, for example, I might choose to remain high in order to stay in a tailwind at altitude so as to reach my destination sooner. Or in the Stemme, had I remained over the Sierra, I could have been easily trapped into a forced landing in the snow or ice.

It is now clear that an oximeter that does not have an audible low saturation level alarm would be of no real value during a rapid onset of hypoxia.

To the best of my understanding, the inexpensive finger reading oximeters do not have such an audible alarm, but instead require the user to read the value. It is vital that one’s oxygen system function reliably. To that end, it must be inspected and checked regularly.

In my case, I have notified Mountain High about the potential for their connection to separate, and I have secured the connections on my systems. I have also recognized the need to do a better job of listening to my body. The next time I feel that slight tingling on my right leg, I will (at least I hope I will!) react to it appropriately.

Postscript: Mountain High responded promptly and responsibly. CEO Robert Jamieson telephoned to review my experience. He told me that my 1998 EDS unit was extinct. Since it was last

www.AFlyer.com produced, they have developed new models which would have handled my situation in two ways.

First, their new cannulas come with an improved connection that is not subject to disconnect as mine was. Second, the new models include an apnea alarm which would have sounded as soon as the unit detected a lack of O2 demand. He also explained that Mountain High has a refurbishment policy, which provides free reconditioning of their products. They also will buy them back on a trade-in basis – my EDS units are worth $100 each against the cost of a new system. My trust in Mountain High has been well earned, and I have purchased their new O2D2 unit.

by Terry Honikman Copyright Southern California Soaring, www.socalsoaring.com. Reproduced with permission.

ACONE TO FEATURE Michael N. Kalafatas, author of "Bird Strike”, At annual Icebreaker Social 2012 The Aero Club of New England (ACONE) will hold their Winter Icebreaker Social at the Papa Razzi restaurant in Burlington, MA, Wednesday, February 8, 2012 from 6:00 PM to 8:15 PM. Special guest speaker will be Michael N. Kalafatas, author of "Bird Strike: The Crash of the Boston Electra; The Story of Men and Bird in Conflict."

On October 4, 1960, a Lockheed Electra jet turboprop carrying 72 souls took off from Logan Airport. Seconds later, the plane slammed into a flock of 10,000 starlings, and abruptly plummeted into Winthrop Harbor. The collision took 62 lives and gave rise to the largest rescue mobilization in Boston's history, which included civilians in addition to police, firefighters and Navy and Coast Guard air-sea rescue teams. Largely because of the quick action and good seamanship of Winthrop citizens, many of them boys in small boats, ten passengers survived what the Civil Aeronautics Board termed "a non-survivable crash. The event promises to be a fascinating evening.

Admission is $25 per person which includes appetizers and a cash bar.

Reservations required by Sunday, February 5.

You may register and pay online at ACONE.ORG. Online Registration and Payment Form.

For more information or to reserve your seats by phone, please contact Joe Passafiume at 978897-3818.

The Papa Razzi Restaurant is located at 2 Wall Street Burlington, MA 01803 Ph:781-229-0100

Gift Subscriptions Call Sandy 203-458-3348 or Email Sandy@aflyer.com

Page 25

New England Air Museum To Offer Five Fun-filled Days of Special Activities During February Break The New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, Conn. has announced that it will run five days of special activities during the holiday break between Christmas and New Years Day. The schedule is as follows: Monday, February 20th: A room full of LEGOS will be set up in the conference center and the theme is “The Future of Flight”. The program is for ages 3-12 and will run from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Prizes will be awarded for each age category: 3-5, 6-8 & 9-12 Tuesday, February 21st: The Museum will host an open cockpit program with about 6 aircraft to be open including a helicopter, an airliner, a jet fighter and a WWII aircraft. All cockpits will close at 4:00 p.m.

Wednesday, February 22nd: There will be an Aero Modeling Workshop running from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on a first-come first-served basis. This activity takes about an hour and a half to complete. Children ages 8-14 can build and fly their own models. All children must be accompanied by a paying adult. There is a $4.00 cost for the kit.

Thursday, February 23rd: There will be a Nose Art activity for visitors ages 3-12. View and learn the meaning of nose art through our B-29 Superfortress and our other aircraft. Children will have the opportunity to draw nose art and bring their artwork home. The Program will run from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. We will also have an Airplane Challenge running from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. & 1:00 p.m-3:00 p.m. Test your flying and folding skills by designing a paper airplane that will fly the longest in the Great Paper Airplane Distance Challenge.

Prizes will be awarded for the longest flights.

What DoWe all have to Do once a Year anD not KnoW What It WIll reallY cost? no It’s not taxes It Is Your annual aIrcraft InspectIon!!

Piper, Beech, Cessna, Light Sport, Bellanca, any General Aviation Airplane

Berkshire Aviation Offers a FIXED price $$

Complete annual inspection including:

• Printed report and recommendations • AD Compliance and Report • Service Bulletin Compliance and Report • Report of recommended upgrades available

20% Off on First Annual Inspection EXTRAS • Topoff fuel at our cost • Free interior vacuum and exterior wash • Free transportation to your airport within 120 miles (longer distance slight charge) • All repairs, lubricants and parts extra

Other Services Available

• Complete Detailing • ELT Upgrade • Altimeter Check • Transponder Check

FLY YEAR ‘ROUND!

Can you ski in a J-3 Cub? Sure you can, we have them at Great Barrington!

Each day docents will be on hand to provide information and to interact with the visitors.

Instruction for Tail Wheel sign off and rentals, $100.00 Dual $65.00 Solo.

Call 413-528-1010 for further info.

Great Barrington also has an EA-100 LSA for instruction and rental.

Cub’s and LSA’s for the Sport pilot in us all.

The New England Air Museum is located adjacent to Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Conn. and is open every day of the week from 10 AM – 5 PM.

Berkshire Aviation Enterprises, Inc.

Friday, February 24th: “Toys in Space” is the theme for the day. Participate in two programs at 11:00am & 2:00pm learning and discovering how common toys act in space. Our renowned Dr. Flush will be leading the program with your help.

Admission is charged. For further information, call the Museum at (860) 623-3305 or visit us on the web www.neam.org.

GREAT BARRINGTON AIRPORT (GBR)

Great Barrington, MA • 413.528.2030 info@greatbarringtonairport.com GreatBarringtonAirport.com

Page 26

February 2012

The Establishment of a Duel Enrollment High School Aviation Program One of the latest advances in education is a dual enrollment program, which are classes taught in a high school sponsored by a college or university. Upon completion the student receives high school along with college credit for satisfactory completed work. Dual enrollment will start students on a path for college which many young students feel an impossible feat as they fear college work and the financial condition of their family.

Five years ago, I was hired by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) to start a dual enrollment aviation STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) program called Boynton Aerospace Science Academy (BASA). This program was started at Boynton Beach Community High School in Boynton Beach, Florida. The high school serves a population of low socioeconomic income students including 37% of the students which are English Language Learners (ELL). In addition, the school historically has been a low performing school with gang activities. One of the goals of BASA is to attract higher performing students that will challenge other students to become successful.

Year one started with one class of 24 students composed of 9th through 12th grade students that were academically motivated to be successful and receive college credit. This set the stage for continued growth at a slow but comfortable rate. (Sommers, 2011) Problems that had to be overcome to attract new students have been: false reputation of the school having gang activity and transportation problems.

In addition 8th grade students lack information concerning their high school education mainly as they do not understand dual enrollment. Reaching the parent’s of the 8th grade students still remains a major obstacle despite attempts to plan new activities to educate them about BASA. Today, 5 years later there are 131 students in the aviation program. Year one of the program we discovered the students had not achieved reading and study habits that would lead to success in a college atmosphere, therefore, students were taught how to read for content and outline their work. To remain in the aviation program a student must maintain a “B” average in their aviation courses and a 2.5 grade point average in all their academic work. Goals of the program and the expectations of the students are set at a very high level requiring the students to reach for success. Students and their parent(s) enter into a contract with BASA which states expectation and responsibilities of each student and parent.

BASA has lead the charge on the academic side for Boynton Beach Com-

The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire The New Hampshire Aviation Historical Society, 501(c)3, is dedicated to the preservation of NH aviation history and to promote aviation knowledge. With this mission, they operate the Aviation Museum of NH, which includes the historic, restored 1937 art deco terminal building and the Slusser Aviation Learning Center (SALC).

The terminal building was originally built by the Works Progress Administration in 1937. It was moved to its current location in 2004, across two active runways and the museum has been operated by the Society since then. It must be seen to be appreciated! Take a step back in time in the terminal and with our Docents!

In May of 2011, the SALC opened. It is a dramatic addition to the terminal building, being designed and constructed as an airport hangar structure. Many new exhibits have been installed including “What is an Aircraft”, History of Flight, stories and models about the Gee Bee Racers, Doodle Bug biplane, flight simulators, displays on NH aviators and much more! Many more exhibits are in the planning stage.

The museum is open to the general public Friday and Saturday from 10am to 4 pm & Sunday 1-4pm. With the added space and expanded facilities, the museum is now offering group and bus tours seven days a week (Monday -Thursday mornings preferred so that the groups do not have to compete with the general public).

The facility is also available for rentals, such as cocktail parties, receptions and business functions. The SALC creates a unique atmosphere, combining an intimate surrounding with airplane casting shadows on many walls! Plus the Manchester-Boston Runway 35/17 is right outside our window. Y Please visit our website www.nhahs.org and our facebook page www.facebook.com/nhahs or contact us at 603-669-4820.

By Wendell Berthelsen Aviation Museum of NH Assistant to the Executive Director

munity High School too. For example, we noticed many of our students were struggling with organization in their writing and course work. As a result, 4 years ago we implemented a note taking process that is a requirement for all BASA classes. On a side note, the entire high school is now required to follow an outlining format similar to what BASA implemented over 4 years ago. Last year the high school achieved a grade from the Florida Department of Education of a “B” while previously we were a “D” graded school.

This year BASA student are taking between 1 to 5 aviation classes per semester. Today, a student can take aviation dual enrollment classes and earn up to 77 college credits in the BASA program at no expense to the student or their parent. Enrollment costs for Embry-Riddle are paid for by the Palm Beach County District Schools (PBCDS). BASA is offering 36 different aviation classes this year taught by five different ERAU professors. Each professor has in excess of fifteen years of experience in the aviation field with multiple FAA certifications and university degrees. Strong staff members that provide guidance and are role models for high school students is a priority in today’s environment. The key to success in this environment is to continue to challenge these high school students and treat them as college students.

Flying is a life changing activity to these young adults. The experience of flying in a small single engine airplane and taking the controls, making turns, climbs and descents has taught these students that they can do activities they never thought were possible. It teaches them that they can be successful at whatever goal is put before them. This flying experience has proved this time after time with BASA students. A light bulb has gone on and the student now has a goal and they become a better student and goals are established.

The students of BASA, PBCSD, and ERAU need to thank Lantana Airport Fixed Base Operator (FBO) owner, Owen B. Gassaway, Senior and his wife Alice for having a dream of an aviation program in a high school in Palm Beach County, Florida. Mr. Gassaway’s community involvement with the principal of the local high school and the PBCSD Board and school superintendent were instrumental with the development of the BASA program. (Perry, 2011) PBCSD approached ERAU’s School of Aviation for their support in establishing an aviation program in a high school in the PBCSD. ERAU had experience in establishing stem high school programs. A contract was developed

by ERAU that establishes the courses to be taught, growth of the program, and budgetary obligations that would be paid by PBCSD to ERAU. ERAU would be responsible for the staffing with PBCSD approval, establishment of classes and program monitoring and review. PBCSD would provide space in a high school, market the program, provide ongoing support for the program and commit to a five year growth contract for the program. Both the PBCSD and ERAU followed through with their commitments for this program and their support has lead to this program becoming a model for all ERAU stem programs in the United States. The growth and future of this program warrant watching and will be exciting for high school age young adult students and as the demand for adult aviation programs develops BASA is planning to be there and answer this demand.

Even though Owen B. Gassaway, Senior and his wife are now deceased, the seed money, continued support and airplanes provided by the Gassaway family have greatly contributed to the success of this program. Other community supporters are; EAA Chapter 203 donated a plane along with sponsoring Young Eagle flights. Last year on a Saturday 112 young adults were flown.

Gulfstream/General Dynamics Corporation donated hundreds of hands on parts for the students and was instrumental in the pursuit of our Part 147 Certificate. United Parcel Service and Sikorsky have donated employee time to have students visit their facilities which was a tremendous student learning experience. Aviation business, local foundations and private pilots are to be thanked for their monetary donations and the donations of airplanes for flight training and airplanes for maintenance experiences. Community support continues to grow as more individuals learn of our program.

BASA is growing and has become a valuable training center for the local aviation community and the world. The first graduating class that started with 24 students in all grade levels and 15 freshman students had 14 graduates last year. 8 were accepted to ERAU, 4 were accepted to other colleges and universities, and 2 entered the armed services with contracts to continue their college education-- 100% success with our first freshman high school class.

By Paul A. Hershorin References Perry, K. (2011, October 20). Retired Principal, Boynton Beach Community High School. (P. Hershorin, Interviewer) Sommers, C. (2011, October 15). Assistant Principle, Boyton Beach Community High School. (P. Hershorin, Interviewer)

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C L A S S I F I E D S AIRCRAFT FOR SALE 1946 Taylorcraft BC12D Project: New right wing, new windshield A-c65 cont. 347 SMOH Fuselage needs recovering. 802685-3182. Clzue@valley.net Citabria 7GCAA: 150HP,1625 SMOH, 7 STOH, with New Millennium cylinders, recent exhaust, overhauled climb prop, oil filter, overhauled horizon and DG, 720 com and Mode C. Could use paint and TLC. Located in Cambridge, NY. $24,000 Call Bill 518-3711007, email wcangero@nycap. rr.com.

Stearman Auction 3/31/12: 1943 PT-17, A75N1, unrestored, unmodified, 1720-TT, Cont R670, 343-SMOH, 251-479-3156, www. panzerstearman.net CESSNA

Great flying airplane - Must see to appreciate! 1982 CESSNA 182 SKYLANE RG II. Great condition, low time, privately flown, Hangared at BED. TTAF & Engine 1720. IFR Certified.

Tannis Preheater. Call for price and more details. Mike Gordon 781-899-6696.

PIPER 1941 J3C-65: 2791TT, 4SMOH, New fabric, prop, glass, wood, Groves brakes, bungies, struts, forks, mags. LSA $37,500. OBO VT 802-434-3835.

1968 140: 3671TT, 479SMOH, w/ NEW Piper cyls., 4-headsets, digital MX-12, KT76C w/enc. and 295, pants, Skytec starter w/ copper, pulsar, 25-yr. owner, 8 + 8, runs and flies great! 23k OBO. NY 518-639-8900.

1970 Piper Cherokee 180, 4496TT, 570SMOH, IFR, Dual KX155/GS, GPS, 4 place intercom, Gap Seals, Current Annual, Hangared, $38,000 (603)895-1177 1973 Cherokee 180: Low-time airframe and engine. Fresh annual. GPS, Full IFR. Runs like new. $50,000. Call for test flight. 603801-9597

PARTNERSHIPS/ SHARES/CLUBS CT Flying Club Based at 7B6 near BDL. 1974 Warrior - IFR, Very affordable, 24 hour access, GPS with XM weather, hourly rate with no extra assessments. Call Bob 860-985-7124 for details.

Seeking members for CT Flyers, a 20 member KSNC(Chester, CT) based flying club . Two IFR certified aircraft, Cessna 172 (G430 IFR certified) and a Piper Dakota (Garmin AERA-560). Costs include a one time equity share purchase and reasonable monthly flying fees. Online scheduling. For more information call Ken Soeder at 203-641-6102.

New England Flying Club, LWM Lawrence, MA based flying club has a few openings for new members. We operate three IFR certified aircraft consisting of two Beech Skippers and a Beech Sundowner. All aircraft are very well equipped and maintained. Excellent availability.

Office w/ weather computer and refreshments. Low startup costs and monthly dues. Visit www. newenglandflyingclub.com for more details and contact info.

KBED Bedford,MA: Opening available with Associated Pilots flying club. Cessna C-206U and C182P are very well equipped and maintained, with Garmin 430/530s in each.

We have great availability of both airplanes through a slick web based calendar where our small group (12) books each plane. You can drive your car right into the hanger. No unloading in the rain and snow! Our buy-in and operations costs are very reasonable. For complete membership details click on www.associatedpilots.com Contact Alan Kirby at ja.kirby@verrizon.net, 781-9295006.

1/4 Share 1989 MOONEY M20J 201SE, Based In Lawrence (KLWM), 2475 TTSN, 1342 SFRM, 40 SPOH, Always Han-

gared. Full King Digital Avionics FD/GPS Coupled Autopilot w/ Alt Hold, Stormscope, Air Brakes and much more. Exterior and Interior 9/10. Inexpensive High Performance Aircraft, $250.00/Mo., $20.00/Hr Maintenance, $10.00/Hr Engine Fund Plus Fuel. $29,900 or Best Offer Call Joe 781-718-0160 Join Snoopy's Group - a very affordable, members only, non-profit flying club with two well maintained IFR C-172's at KWST. 401742-4182 1/2 Share of 1978 Warrior II based at Newport RI. Equipped, TT 5584, SMOH 1290, Fresh Annual. 401-255-7524

AIRCRAFT PARTS & EQUIPMENT PARACHUTE SHOP – inspections, repairs, repacking, sales new & used. www.parachuteshop.com.

Pepperell Airport, Mass. (978) 433-8550.

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SERVICES INTERIORS - Custom interiors at great prices. Large selection of leathers and fabrics. From minor repairs to complete interior makeovers. We can do it all at Aero Design. Call Tom 413-568-7300.

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Page 28

February 2012

C L A S S I F I E D S JB AERO & Son - 31 years experience re-covering fabric covered aircraft. Complete restorations, inspections, alterations, and repairs. 802-434-3835. http://fabricaircraft.com/

HANGARS LAWRENCE, MA (LWM), THANGERS: electricity, bi-fold door, clean and dry. Immediate occupancy. $375/month. Call 978556-5936.

GHG Marshfield, MA Outstanding 43' T hangar at the best airport in E. MA. Great FBO. Excellent fuel pricing and maintenance. Electric bi-fold door. Electricity and lights. Custom black and gray flooring. Wall to wall cabinets with desk and refrigerator.

Wet/dry vac. Heater. Many extras. This will be your man cave. $45,000. Inquire at merca7e@ me.com Minute Man Air Field 6B6 Tiedowns from $40, Hangar & Office Space, Always Low Fuel Prices www.MinuteManAirField.com Concord, NH First class THangars for sale or rent from $525/ month. Bifold doors with automatic latches, full foundation and frost wall, insulated floor and ceiling, pilot lounge and more. www.eastcoasthangars.com or contact: Don Hebert, 603-848-8877, info@eastcoasthangars.com T-Hangar for Rent, fits singles and light twins, at Laconia, NH, LCI, next to terminal buiding, good neighbors, scenic view, electricity and lighting, call Tom 941228-6002.

T-Hangars, Newport, NH. (2B3) sale or rent, built 2007: 42' bi-fold doors, heavy duty insulation, excellent lighting at beautiful Parlin Field (2b3). Low fuel prices and the 'Lil Red Baron Mexican restaurant on the field. See pictures at: www.flickr.com/photos/kloeppel and call Rick: Recycled pilots LLC at: 603-526-7730 Sussex N.J. (FWN) new 65' X 62' hangar to share $250/mo elec. door, concrete floor, new paved taxiway 973-600-2657 T-Hangars For Rent In Norwich N.Y, Modern hangars with 40' BiFold doors, Concrete Floors, Electric and lighting. $160 Month, Please contact Donald MacIntosh at 607-337-1498.

EMPLOYMENT OPPS A B Aviation located at Beverly Airport KBVY 54 LP Henderson Rd. Beverly, MA. 978-270-3017. We rent hangars, T-hangars, common space, tie-downs, and office space. For more info contact Jim Baker at jbaker@a-baviation.com

Beverly Airport new construction. One space available, Hangar 12, Heat, full bath.Contact Angier Ames. 978-994-4564.

TRAINING & INSTRUCTION 10-day instrument rating. Retired Air Traffic Controller will train you. You get actual in the clouds experience. Up to 40 hrs in Beech 19A with 430W GPS. $5695. No Simulator. I work with one student at a time. If it’s not convenient for you to come to South Carolina I'll come to you www.instrumenttraining.com or call 843-229-4845. $20 hourly ICC, BFR, etc. ATP, MEI, CFII Instructor. Over 25 years in Boston Area. In any plane.

Mike 617-924-6000.

Expert Multi-engine Instruction to Airline Standards. Taught by current airline pilots in a well equipped Seneca II located at the Norwood Airport. Also professional expertinstruction in your airplane available for a BFR, ICC etc. Check the website www. Norwoodair.com or 617-513-2239 MULTI-ENGINE TRAINING- Seneca I, Westfield Flight Academy - 6 hours dual and 3 hours ground- $1,950.00. Block time rates available. BAF BarnesWestfield, MA Call 413-568-5800 or Steve 413-222-3766

AIRJOBSDAILY.COM Largest Source of Aviation and Aerospace Jobs on the internet.

New Jobs Posted Daily. We cover it all! Www.AirJobsDaily.com AVIATION WRITERS wanted. Atlantic Flyer seeks stories, features, articles with photos, on any subject relating to aviation.

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CFII WANTED established flight school Barnes-Westfield Airport (BAF). competitive wages, full time opportunity, associated with Westfield State University Aviation Management Program, new facility. Send resume (michelle.grassi@yahoo.com) to Westfield Flight Academy, 111 Airport Rd., Westfield, MA 01085.

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MISCELLANEOUS FREE AVIATION ARTICLES to flying clubs, EAA chapters, etc. for newsletters from Jim Trusty, long-time Atlantic Flyer columnist. Simply write to him and request an article, indicate length of article required, the make up of the group, how often the newsletter is sent out, etc. In return, Jim re-quests a copy of each newsletter in which one of his articles appears. Interested groups may contact him at: Jim Trusty, 103 Highland Drive, Old Hickory, TN 37138; (615) 758-8434.

Things My Flight Instructor Never Told Me and Other Lessons Learned in 25 Years of Aviation. Chronicles one mans journey through the world of general aviation and personal aircraft ownership. Inspired from his experiences as a pilot, instructor and aircraft owner. Mike Leighton has owned

Closing Date for March 2012 Issue

February 16th

A new book! Cessna Sensations It gives aviation enthusiasts a nostalgic walk through the history of the Cessna Aircraft Company using vintage photographs and original press releases as its tour guide. It makes a special gift.

Order your copy vintageflyer.com more than 70 different aircraft.

Topics like fuel management, flight planning, reluctant passengers, weather, the FAA, buying and owning an aircraft, are all discussed with humor and whit. Mike has more than 4,500 flight hours, earning his Private, Commercial, Instrument, Multiengine, Flight Instructor, Instrument Instructor, Multi-Engine Instructor, and ATP ratings. He is a current a flight instructor, licensed A&P mechanic and a former FAA Accident Prevention Counselor. You can order Things my Flight Instructor Never Told Me on the web from www. tmfintm.com or call the publisher, Promotion Productions Inc. at 561752-3261.

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Page 30

February 2012

COMMON CAUSE: Ever have one of those flights where you missed something, and wondered why? Maybe the controller had to call you three times before you heard your call sign and replied. Or perhaps you missed the ammeter reading a discharge, and who knows how long ago it started.

And what about that fuel tank imbalance that you just noticed as you fought the roll control on that last ILS down to minimums? Distractions are one of the leading causes of pilot errors; they can cause you to miss something, or tempt you away from the task at hand. Either way it’s bad news for all of us in the flying community.

These cockpit distractions can be caused by a disorganized pilot, or by poor cockpit design in many legacy aircraft. There are solutions to address each of these categories, but we must be aware of them and be proactive to reap their benefits. Some take money and modification, while others require just discipline and prioritization. Some even just require paying attention; what a concept! For example, one only has to look at some of the more modern or higher-end aircraft to see how they mitigated some of our human shortcomings.

Instead of scattered gauges around the panel, turbine aircraft have warning and alarm panels where idiot lights are centralized to call the pilot’s attention to out-of-normal conditions. We in lower general aviation could benefit from this concept, or even glean some improvement from just having ANY warning lights. Look, our cars have a half-way accurate fuel gauge, and a low fuel idiot light; why can’t we have the same protection against inattentiveness as car drivers? Please have your fuel gauges calibrated, get a fuel flow monitor, and hookup the low fuel alarm circuit to an external warning light and audio alarm thru the audio panel.

Recognize your plane’s shortcomings, as well as your own, and mitigate the human problem of not paying attention to the remaining fuel in flight. The same fix applies to the vacuum system: move the gauge into your line-of-sight, get a low vacuum warning light installed, and purchase a backup vacuum system of some flavor when the prime system pump fails. The cost is low, the STCs are available, and the rewards could be priceless.

For the electrical system, you could install a simple voltage monitor in your panel line-of-sight to augment the plane’s ammeter. Many engine monitors now have this capability, as well as the ability to drive some kind of external alarm light or audio signal. In many planes, the alternator low voltage light is out of sight, and may not even trip under

Help Yourself Kill Cockpit Distractions all circumstances. You won’t know you’re living on borrowed time (battery power) until it’s too late to call for help, literally.

The CHT and EGT gauges on most older planes don’t have any alarm functions available…you actually have to monitor the temperatures to see if you are in trouble, and manually sequence thru the probe readings to detect any discrepancies. Buy an engine monitor with automatic CHT, EGT, and oil temp alarm functions so you can see trouble developing before you are surprised. External alarm lights and audio alerts can be hooked up to these monitors as well.

How’s your instrumental panel scan, by the way? If your mind is drifting and you are enjoying your flight, you may not be paying attention to your panel gauges and instruments. A disciplined scan is actually required to monitor the performance of our aircraft systems.

But we all can be drawn away from this critical task, being human as we are, so insist on some help. Get some warning lights installed to augment those gauges, which have been installed in inconvenient places on the instrument panel. Have some audio alerts hooked up thru your audio panel and headphones. Get some engine and system monitoring capability that will automatically alert you in some manner that all is not well with the machine.

Gathering these alarm lights into some logical and centralized cluster is our pie-in-the-sky goal. Until then, we must pay attention, scan each critical gauge, and continuously make a determination if all is well to continue the flight. And if you’re not paying this attention, you must be the victim of a distraction. It could be fatal, if not expensive.

One only has to review the daily toll of gear-up incidents to feel the impact (in the wallet).

Common Cause: Unexpected surprises are a major distraction, and according to Murphy’s Law, they will occur at the worst possible time: probably when we are already dealing with a passenger issue, an ATC rerouting, or turbulence. Most accidents are due to pilot error, not aircraft failures per se, and result from a sad, but clear in retrospect, chain of minor errors, poor decisions, and improper procedural responses to normal flying circumstances or probable developments. And minor distractions, if not recognized and nipped in the bud, can lead to unexpected surprises. A cruel and vicious circle starts. The ergometrics in our legacy aircraft are not the best by a long shot, so we must be aware of the problem, compensate for their design shortcomings, and have the discipline and fortitude to continue the panel scan even under trying circumstances and distractions.

Got a better solution? Let’s hear it.

Mike Sullivan CSMEL, CFI, MEI at KHEF C177Pilot@Live.com Erratum: Last month we gave credit to the wrong individual for writing the Common Cause column. Please know that Mike Sullivan is the one and only person to write this column for the Atlantic Flyer, and we are greatful for his dedication.

To have copies of the

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