Photo: Phyllis Ridings-Murawski
The loss of an aircraft, and survival of a dream. By Phyllis Ridings-Murawski, Photos: Steve Garvin Geared Drives, LLC 1510 South 3rd Conroe, TX 77301 (936) 827-5126 www.GearedDrives.com Bud@GearedDrives.com CONTACT! Magazine readers may remember seeing this plane on the cover of our July-Aug 2007 issue, #89. Although the staff at CONTACT! is deeply troubled over the loss of such a beautiful plane, we can’t help but be elated that our friends on board survived the accident unharmed and are in the process of getting back into the game and, in a way, the accident has opened the door to new possibilities. ~Pat To see the photos of the scene, it is easy to see how no one believed that we walked away. My father, Bud Warren, and I were looking forward to our flight in the Wheeler that Thursday afternoon, October 18, 2007. EAA Chapter 774 had previously invited us to give a presentation for their members and guests regarding the use of Chevrolet engines in experimental aircraft. They were expecting us to fly in that afternoon. Of particular interest to the group was Bud’s Geared Drive, a straight-cut spur gear propeller speed reduction unit (PSRU) with its fully automatic centrifugal clutch and flywheel assembly. We were planning to arrive at the meeting early so that we could remove the cowling from the Wheeler to allow everyone to get a good look at the installation. They were all looking forward to a question and answer session in order to learn more about Bud’s engine and PSRU setup in his Wheeler Auriga. What better way would there be to accomplish this than to fly the aircraft in for an up close and personal look? www.ContactMagazine.com
We just met our new friend James at our local EAA Chapter 302 meeting the Saturday before and we invited him to join us on our trip to Brookshire, Texas, the home of Chapter 774. As our guest, I offered him my spot in the right front seat and I piled in the back with my laptop, big screen monitor and all the other magic electronic stuff that it takes to do a really thorough, professional and entertaining presentation for an EAA Chapter meeting. Within a few minutes we were cleared to taxi to oneniner at Lone Star Executive Airport, located in Conroe, Texas, for a departure to the west. Ten-mile visibility, weather was fine, winds were light and it looked like a nice afternoon for a flight to West Houston. We planned to fly back home later that night following the meeting.
GETTING OFF TO A BAD START As we departed the pattern to the west and flew along just to the south of Lake Conroe, we pointed out landmarks to James. The air was really calm and stable and the flight was smooth. However, several miles out we encountered some haze so we dropped to about 1,500 feet in order to stay out of it. Moments later, Bud announced that his engine oil temperature was higher than normal. This alarmed us because he resolved all engine cooling issues years before, back when he first developed the engine package. Engine oil temperature indicating on the high side is never good news. “The water temperature looks fine,” Bud said, “and the oil pressure is perfect. What the heck is going on?” A second later, the engine coughed. “Now, this is not good”, Bud said. The engine coughed again. I noted to Dad that I thought the engine smelled like it was hot. I also thought it smelled like burning oil. The engine was losing power, and smoke began to fill the cockpit. Then those dreaded words were heard. “You guys help me find some place to land — we are going down.”
CONTACT! ISSUE 91 PAGE 8
