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JACK J. PELTON COMMENTARY / TOWER FREQUENCY

Oshkosh Countdown BY JACK J. PELTON

WINTER HAS BEEN BRUTAL so far, even by Wisconsin standards. For days in January the temperature never reached zero for a high. Howling winds drove wind chill temperatures to life-threatening lows. So it must be time to get ready for Oshkosh. When I look at the blanket of snow and ice covering EAA’s Oshkosh show grounds and the rest of Wittman Regional Airport, it’s hard to believe that in less than six months thousands of airplanes and hundreds of thousands of pilots and airplane enthusiasts will be here. But it’s true. And it’s what we here at EAA work so hard year-round to prepare for. It’s not too early for you to be making plans for your trip to Oshkosh, either. There is much to do. At the top of the list is completing whatever project you are working on. Some of you are in the final stages of finishing your homebuilt airplane. Others are reassembling an antique or classic after a painstaking restoration. And all airplane owners need to make sure the annual inspection and other maintenance items are up to date. We pilots need to make sure our flying skills will be in as good a shape as our airplanes come Oshkosh time. While winter weather makes it hard for many of us to get into the air, we can always use the time to refresh our knowledge by hitting the books, or more likely getting online. EAA and many others offer a steady stream of online tutorials, training sessions for new ratings, and webinars that delve deeply into every aspect of flying. It’s important to review everything from the rules of the air to the latest safety alerts. If winter forces you to stay on the ground for extended periods, it’s a good idea to make a sensible and conservative plan to begin flying again when the weather breaks. Consider flying with an instructor for the first time or two. And certainly be careful not to make those first couple spring flights in strong winds or other challenging conditions. Now is also the time to lock in your plans for your stay at Oshkosh. AirVenture tickets are available online at www.EAA.org and can save you both some money and waiting in line time if you buy now. Planning your housing at Oshkosh can never start too early. The number of people camping at Oshkosh continues to grow every year, and I promise you an even better experience this year. We will have

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY

more entertainment on the show grounds every evening, more food and beverage service into the evening hours, and two big night air shows on Wednesday and Saturday. It’s too early to know exactly which aircraft and performers will be at Oshkosh this year, but I can promise you the lineup won’t disappoint. I’ve been hearing about several newly completed homebuilts, extremely rare warbird restorations, and one-of-a-kind antiques that we expect to ﬂy in. The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds are scheduled to make an appearance for the ﬁrst time. And the aviation industry is working hard to unveil many new aircraft, accessories, and services during the show. All of general aviation keys its new product announcements to Oshkosh. As a Southern California native, seeing a Wisconsin winter up close is new for me. But I now can understand how winter’s cold and snow will make Oshkosh that much sweeter this summer. I can’t wait. I hope you feel the same. See you soon in Oshkosh.

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A PUBLICATION OF THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Contents Vol.63 No.2 | February 2014

F E AT U R E S

Superfortress

D E PA R T M E N T S

BETTER PILOT

COMMENTARY

Stick & Rudder—Keeping Passengers in Check

Tower Frequency—Jack J. Pelton

What Went Wrong—Emergency Rush Turns Deadly

Letters to the Editor

I’ll Never Do That Again—The Engine Just Quit

Left Seat—J. Mac McClellan

HANDS ON

Flying Lessons—Lane Wallace

What Our Members Are Building/Restoring

Savvy Aviator—Mike Busch

Innovation on the Fly—Old School Approach to Innovation

Light Flight—Dave Matheny 92

Dream Build Fly—Brady Lane

Hints for Homebuilders—Drill Stops, Wire Labeling, Cleco Storage

Plane Talk—Lauran Paine Jr.

Shop Talk—Understanding Aluminum

Contrails—Jeﬀ Skiles

MEMBER CENTRAL

What it’s like to ﬂy the biggest bomber of World War II By Jeﬀ Skiles

History Without Hassle The Great Lakes sport trainer is in production again with upgrades we could all love By J. Mac McClellan

The DoubleEnder Project Putting the “experimental” in experimental airplane By Budd Davisson

NEWS & INFO 10

Advocacy & Safety— Governmental Issues

Flightline—Industry News

Cheap Wings Flying in the face of a down economy By Mark Phelps

97 98 100 105 108

Member Central Pilot Caves News From HQ Gone West Members and Chapters in Action

111 112 114 116

Member Beneﬁts FlyMart Classiﬁed Ads EAA’s Logbook

ON THE COVER: Arturo Polo-Ena photographed the most unusual-looking

For more on many of the topics in this issue, visit www.SportAviation.org. To view and

push-pull twin-engine homebuilt bushplane.

submit aviation events, visit www.EAA.org/calendar.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY

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Vol.63 No.2 | February 2014

EAA PUBLICATIONS Founder: Paul H. Poberezny Publisher: Jack J. Pelton, EAA Chairman of the Board Vice President of Marketing: Rick Larsen Editor-in-Chief: J. Mac McClellan Associate Editor: Meghan Hefter Senior Graphic Designer: Chris Livieri Graphic Designer: Jenny Hussin News Editor: Ric Reynolds Copy Editor: Colleen Walsh Multimedia Journalist: Brady Lane Visual Properties Administrator: Jason Toney Print/Mail Manager: Randy Halberg Contributing Editors: Jim Busha, Kelly Nelson Contributing Writers: Charlie Becker, Mike Busch, Budd Davisson, Dave Matheny, Lauran Paine Jr., Mark Phelps, Robert Rossier, Jeﬀ Skiles, Lane Wallace

ADVERTISING Sue Anderson / sanderson@eaa.org Larry Phillip / lphillip@eaa.org

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086 Phone: 920-426-4800 • Fax: 920-426-4828 E-mail: editorial@eaa.org • Website: www.EAA.org

Need to change your address or have other membership questions, call 800-564-6322 (800-JOIN EAA).

EAA® and SPORT AVIATION®, the EAA Logo® and AERONAUTICA™ are registered trademarks, trademarks, and service marks of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. The use of these trademarks and service marks without the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is strictly prohibited.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

JUST A QUICK NOTE to thank [Lauran Paine Jr.] for the reminder of how special a small airport can be, and to share with you my two favorite places: Reid-Hillview, San Jose, California (RHV), and Trinity Center, California (O86). As a kid I road my mini bike in the fields on and around RHV while my dad pumped gas and later instructed. A great place to grow up for sure, but I think if I had to pick just one, it would be Trinity Center. Dad used to take my brother and I “airplane camping” there. It bordered on magical. Fast-forward 40 years and I finally get my private pilot license and to fly my “pretty bride” to O86 for a weekend getaway. The scenery, fresh air, and a chance meeting on the ramp with Lyn Scott (grandson, I believe, to the namesake of Scotts Valley) confirmed that the place was still special. _ Gary Vosters, EAA 860981 San Jose, California

I REALLY ENJOYED LAURAN Paine’s “Favorite Airport” (December 2013). Like Lauran, I have my favorite, nostalgic, “citadel in the woods” small airport, but I also have a current “active favorite,” if you will, which somewhat counterintuitively is on the other end of the size spectrum. Every time I ﬂy into Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport, I am amazed by a wonderful experience. For such a busy airport, the approach controllers are by far the friendliest and most accommodating I have ever encountered with my homebuilt bird. They work you in between the heavy metal as if you were something special. The tower controllers have got to be the best, combining professionalism with being human in just the right proportion. It’s the only place where I’ve had extraordinary experiences like the time the tower called me during taxi and said, “Do you have time for a question from the captain in the Delta 737 behind you?” and then he asked, “Say, what kind of plane is that?” (A Wheeler Express.) It’s just such a thrill to be treated with value even when you are sitting there looking way up at the nose or tail of that big Boeing behind or in front of you.

I’VE BEEN AN EAA member for just over a year now and have been a regular reader of Sport Aviation. I just got my December copy. I came upon [Lauran Paine Jr.’s] article “Favorite Airport.” I have to say, I really enjoy reading this magazine and make a point to at least skim through all the articles each month, but something about [Lauran’s] article this month triggered a bit of an emotional response. I had a similar start in aviation as [he] did, growing up near an airport and kind of being “beckoned.” I grew up about 2 miles from Addison Airport (ADS) in Dallas. I am a member of a family that has no interest in aviation, yet every time I went by that airport as a child, I felt something calling me. In January of 2012, I finally got my private pilot’s license out of ADS. My favorite airport? Gillespie County Airport (T82) in Fredericksburg, Texas. It’s a wonderful airport and a wonderful town. Long story short, I flew my girlfriend there for our first anniversary, we later got engaged there at the Hangar Hotel, and we’re getting married there next August. Thanks for reading this, and thanks for writing great articles to distract people like me from reality every once in a while.

Reinhard Metz, EAA 353311

Phil Wilson, EAA 1103254

Wheaton, Illinois

Del Rio, Texas

FAVORITE AIRPORT SURPRISE

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

First Autopilot

Thanks for the Wisdom I JUST READ [Mac McClellan’s] December 2013 article “How to Handle Cockpit Automation” and was so glad I did. My flying is changing. I’ve been flying 11 years and have built about 600 hours as a commercial/instrument renter. Mostly 172s, mostly short flights. Last weekend I picked up my new (to me) Mooney M20R, N97PW, and so am expecting more, longer, and higher trips. Guys like us look to guys like you to lead us down the right path. Thank you for doing so. _ Danny Schnautz, EAA 863549 Pasadena, Texas

I READ [Mac McClellan’s] article on cockpit automation in the December 2013 Sport Aviation. You allude to not being able to determine when the ﬁrst autopilot was developed. The Wright brothers developed what they called an “automatic stabilizer” for which they were issued United States Patent 1,075,533 on October 14, 1913, having applied on February 10, 1908. After Orville successfully demonstrated this system to the Aero Club of America in ﬂight at Huffman Prairie on December 31, 1913, he was awarded the Aero Club of America (Collier) Trophy for 1913. The Trophy is on display in the Wright brothers’ home, Hawthorne Hill, in Oakwood, Ohio. I assisted Richard Alkire, EAA 18347, in cleaning and documenting the “automatic stabilizer” devices for the Franklin Institute. The equipment was donated by Orville Wright to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Richard and I were also involved in the construction of the 1911 Wright B that was donated to the EAA museum. The EAA Model B was constructed by several volunteers and is a faithful copy of the Franklin Institute’s original 1911 Model B. _ Jim Hocker, EAA Lifetime 11187 Brookville, Ohio

As I noted, it’s impossible to know which was the ﬁrst autopilot in the normal sense of the word. Elmer Sperry demonstrated an autopilot in Paris in 1914. Sperry’s system was guided by gyroscopes, which are the crucial element of any system we would now call an autopilot. The Wrights’ “stabilizer” used pendulums and air pressure. Which was a true autopilot? Who can say, but both the Wrights and Sperry were titans of aviation innovation. —Mac Mc

‘Scratch’ That

SUBMISSIONS

JUST RECEIVED MY December copy of Sport Aviation and was glad to hear from Gary Harding (Letters to the Editor) who was sad to hear about the passing of Paul and misses the days of scratchbuilders. That is why I am on my fourth scratch project and really glad to see so many planes being built even if they are kits. At least it beats the $150,000 LSA out there.

LETTERS INTENDED for publication should be e-mailed to editorial@eaa.org or addressed to EAA/Letter to the

Editor, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI, 54903. Please include your EAA number, city, and state. All letters are

George A. Miller, EAA 232695

subject to editing. Unpublished letters will not be returned.

Ooltewah, Tennessee

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ADVOCACY AND SAFETY GOVERNMENTAL ISSUES

Fueling the Future of GA PLENTY OF RESEARCH and interest has not made the path to finding the most viable unleaded fuel for general aviation any less difficult, but the aviation fuel industry recently made progress toward the goal. Progress is important because the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), various state agencies, and environmental groups are all expecting solid movement toward unleaded general aviation fuels in the coming years. Failure to move toward an unleaded future would likely bring additional legal challenges to the EPA, FAA, and GA community from environmental groups demanding an end to leaded fuel in any form. One area of progress is the development and funding of the FAA’s Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative (PAFI), established as a joint government/industry/fuel developer effort to evaluate unleaded aviation fuels on an equal footing and—most importantly—develop data necessary to support a fleetwide transition to any new fuel. EAA has been an active member of this consortium since its inception. PAFI is now welcoming proposals for candidate fuels to determine their viability and impact on the existing GA fleet, requirements for production and distribution infrastructure, as well as economic and environmental impact. It is important to remember that a successful candidate fuel needs to be more than a laboratory or small-scale test study winner. An unleaded 100LL replacement must be producible in large enough quantities to serve the GA fleet, distributed throughout the nation—presumably without a whole new infrastructure—and economical enough not to deter flying. Autogas has been a significant segment of aviation fuel since EAA earned the first autogas STC in 1984. Tens of thousands of aircraft are eligible to use autogas. While those piston-engine aircraft that require high-octane avgas (and consume by far the most 100LL annually)

are not equipped to use autogas, it works for many smaller aircraft. There is positive movement on the autogas front. Companies such as Airworthy Autogas are working toward locating or cultivating suppliers who can distribute autogas that meets the ASTM standard for autogas as approved for the STC in the 1980s. Autogas blends have changed greatly in 30 years due to production issues and environmental requirements, sometimes in ways not beneficial for use in aviation applications. There are encouraging advances in the search for a 100LL replacement. In December, Shell Aviation became the first major oil company to announce the development of a potential high-octane fuel intended for fleetwide use. Shell now publicly joins the well-publicized efforts of Swift Enterprises and General Aviation Modifications Inc. in their quest for developing the most suitable high-octane replacement for 100LL. There are other entities also doing their own development of alternative fuels. EAA encourages that this work continue and all candidate fuels be brought forth for evaluation under the PAFI program. The multiple efforts underway show the best promise yet to move the GA fleet to an unleaded future with the least possible disruption.

FAA SLEEP APNEA POLICY SUSPENDED IN LIGHT OF STRONG concerns voiced by the aviation and aeromedical communities, including several letters to FAA Administrator Michael Huerta from EAA Chairman Jack Pelton and the EAA Aeromedical Advisory Council, the FAA has suspended implementation of its proposed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) screening policy pending

10 Sport Aviation February 2014

comprehensive stakeholder input. The proposal would require any airman with a body mass index over 40 to be screened for OSA and, if diagnosed, treated prior to aeromedical certiﬁcation.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BONNIE KRATZ

BILL AIMS TO CHANGE THIRD-CLASS MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR MANY GA PILOTS THE THIRD-CLASS MEDICAL petition, jointly filed by EAA and AOPA, was an effort to encourage the FAA to allow pilots—flying certain common aircraft in day-VFR conditions—to fly with a valid driver’s license in lieu of a traditional third-class medical certificate. The petition was filed in March 2012, and the FAA received more than 16,000 public comments on the proposal, the overwhelming majority of which strongly supported the petition. However, the FAA neither granted nor denied the petition in more than a year and a half of waiting. EAA and AOPA, not content with the holding pattern, worked closely with members of Congress to craft legislation that would end regulatory and economic burdens for many prospective and current pilots while providing an equivalent level of safety to the often onerous third-class medical. In December, Reps. Todd Rokita (R-Indiana) and Sam Graves (R-Missouri) introduced the General Aviation Pilot Protection Act of 2013 (HR 3708), which seeks to replace the third-class medical certificate for many pilots who fly recreationally with a valid state-issued driver’s license. The bill was co-sponsored by Reps. Bill Flores (R-Texas), Mike Pompeo (R-Kansas), Collin Peterson (D-Minnesota), and Richard Hanna (R-New York).

“This legislation addresses two goals EAA has long advocated: eliminating excess red tape in the medical certification process while maintaining a safe way to keep pilots flying,” said Jack J. Pelton, EAA chairman of the board. “Our members and the general aviation community have long supported a change in the medical certification process. This proposal will maintain safety, reduce costs for pilots and the federal government, and allow people to pursue the unique freedom of flight in the same way they can pursue other powered recreational activities.” The proposed legislation would allow pilots to use a valid state driver’s license in place of the traditional medical certificate provided the flights are: • not for compensation, • conducted in VFR operations only, at or below 14,000 feet MSL, • no faster than 250 knots, and • in aircraft with no more than six seats and no more than 6,000 pounds’ gross takeoff weight. In addition to allowing pilots to operate common GA aircraft for recreational flying without a third-class medical, the bill mandates that the FAA prepare and send a report to Congress detailing the impact of the bill’s passage on general aviation safety within five years of the bill’s enactment.

The third-class medical certificate does little to evaluate the day-to-day fitness of pilots flying recreationally. There are better ways to maintain high medical standards for aviation and allow individuals the freedom to enjoy the world of flight. EAA has always advocated that a well-informed pilot is the key to making sound aeromedical decisions prior to every flight—not periodic examination. EAA will release information regarding the bill’s progress as it becomes available on www.EAA.org.

AOPA—A NATURAL PARTNER IN ADVOCACY BY SEAN ELLIOTT, EAA VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVOCACY AND SAFETY

ON DECEMBER 16, we welcomed AOPA President Mark Baker and members of his leadership team to EAA headquarters. The visit had been planned shortly after Mark’s arrival as the new president of AOPA. Jack Pelton and I were excited to welcome them to Oshkosh along with several members of the EAA leadership team and our Washington, D.C., based Vice President of Government Relations Doug Macnair. After a tour of the EAA Kermit Weeks hangar and EAA museum, we had a productive day discussing common issues and strategy for collaboration that would beneﬁt all of general aviation. At the top of our mutual list of priorities was the status of the joint EAA/ AOPA third-class medical

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY

petition and lack of action by the FAA to address the widely supported request. The House of Representatives has pending legislation that would replace the third-class medical with a valid driver’s license for many GA operations (see above), and the two organizations strongly support the passage of this bill. If we are to achieve any level of improved participation in GA, it is clear that congressional action is going to be essential to addressing medical certiﬁcation changes. The two organizations’ other advocacy and outreach initiatives were also a major part of the day’s agenda including the latest aeromedical threat concerning sleep apnea, Part 23 reform, AirVenture opportunities, and the recently announced AOPA regional ﬂy-ins. AOPA and EAA have been working closely for the past several years, and we will be doing even more in the months and years to come. The future health of GA is at stake, and we are strongest when aligned side-by-side and speaking on your behalf—the recreational aviation enthusiast.

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ADVOCACY AND SAFETY KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

Flight Test Techniques: After the Stall Part 4 BY CHARLIE PRECOURT, EAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS, SAFETY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN

TO ROUND OUT OUR series on flight-test techniques for stalls, I wanted to take a step back and re-emphasize the importance of this area of flight test. The NTSB’s report on amateur-built aircraft safety noted loss of control among the most frequent causes of fatal accidents. Our exposure to loss of control is obviously greatest near the edges of the envelope. So, with help from Dave Morss and Terry Lutz in the first three parts of this series, we wanted to both raise awareness about the high risk of stall testing as well as help folks better prepare and safely execute this part of the Phase 1 flight-test program. Note that the risk is not the stall itself, but the loss of control that can occur at or after the stall. So in this Part 4 on stall testing, I’ll focus on some of the bad ways aircraft have been known to behave after stall if we are unable to make an immediate recovery. First, however, consider the relative risks of each of the maneuvers we fly in a Phase 1 flight-test program. I offer the following definitions of high, medium, and low risk to put stalls in context: High-risk includes test maneuvers with the highest likelihood of loss of control or other dangerous aircraft responses (such as engine failure unexpectedly induced by a test maneuver, for example). The aircraft’s first flight and first exposures to the edges of the envelope (stall and/or VNE, for example) are the kinds of tests that fall into the high-risk category. These tests should be performed only by highly proficient pilots and after extensive preparation. Medium-risk tests include those test points that still have some likelihood of leading to loss of control or other dangerous aircraft responses, but they are performed after successful completion of the equivalent highrisk test point maneuvers (repeating stall tests at progressively higher weights after successful initial stall testing, for example). Low-risk test points involve limited exposure to conditions or maneuvers that could result in loss of control or other dangerous aircraft responses (cruise and endurance data collection are low-risk, for example). To repeat, the high risk of stall testing is not the stall itself, but the potential behaviors that can occur at and after the stall. We often think of spins as the next thing to occur after stall if we don’t recover, but that’s not always the outcome. There are aircraft that will enter into a deep stall rather than spin, others that will spiral rather than spin, and still others that exhibit post-stall gyrations that are simply random motions. But the common issues with each include degraded control effectiveness and the altitude loss required for recovery. As you prepare for this phase of flight test, examine which of these types of behavior are likely for your aircraft and what the recovery technique and altitude requirements are. The deep stall is not a common characteristic, but it is a phenomenon you should be acquainted with when taking on a Phase 1 flight-test program in an amateur-built. There were a few incidents with Velocity aircraft in the

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early ’90s that were described as deep stall, but the wing was later redesigned to address the problem. In those incidents there was also reason to believe the aircraft were flown aft of the CG limit, which would make them unstable in pitch. Although one of the incidents resulted in a fatality, amazingly in a couple of the other incidents the aircraft hit in water, reportedly in a nearly flat attitude, and the pilots escaped with minor injuries. Deep stall is also a well-known characteristic of the USAF F-16 fighter aircraft. The F-16 is designed to be unstable in pitch to provide high maneuverability, but the flight computer compensates to maintain controllability. Under certain conditions a deep stall can nonetheless still occur in that aircraft. Fundamentally, a deep stall is a mode where the aircraft goes beyond the stall angle of attack and finds a new stable point at angles much higher than stall. For example, if the normal stall were to occur at 15 degrees angle of attack, a deep stall might occur for example at 40 degrees angle of attack. Most aircraft can’t get there because the authority to drive it that far beyond normal angle of attack is absent in the controls. However, if the aircraft is at or beyond the aft CG limit, making it unstable in pitch, maneuvering could induce much higher angles of attack where the aircraft may “park” itself, and the result would literally be a falling leaf motion. Recovery may not be possible if the elevator is not powerful enough at the higher angle of attack, but the typical technique is to use the elevator control through full travel to initiate a pitch bucking motion that, hopefully, will drive the aircraft nose down out of the deep stall. In the F-16 this is known as manual pitch override and has been proven effective through flight tests for that aircraft. For our amateur-built aircraft, the importance of a proper weight and balance calculation is obvious!

The random-motion, post-stall gyration phenomenon is also less common than spin or spiral behavior after stall. In Part 1 of this series we discussed watching for uncommanded motions approaching stall and recommend immediate recovery by lowering angle of attack should they occur. As part of the approach to stall test you should continuously check for and verify the ability to pitch the nose down as you get closer to full stall. If an uncommanded motion such as a rapid wing drop occurs, the quickest way to break it is not to counter with aileron, but to lower the nose. Countering with aileron won’t lower the angle of attack but could exacerbate the problem. Since an increase in angle of attack was likely the cause of the wing drop in the ﬁrst place, lowering the angle of attack is the quickest way to stop the wing drop motion and recover. Uncommanded motions are also deﬁned as a nose rise or nose slice (rapid yaw). In post-stall gyrations, some or all of these motions (wing rock, nose rise, nose slice) can continue randomly until the stall is broken.

I have not come across a general aviation aircraft that will gyrate randomly in all axes, but the A-7 Corsair fighter was notorious for this behavior. The aircraft would violently swing side to side and up and down in essentially random motions after stall, until the controls were forcibly placed in neutral—that is all three axes to neutral. We learned to physically look at our hands and feet in this situation to ensure we were finding neutral control position for elevator, aileron, and rudder. Finally, the more common spin or spiral behavior. The best preparation for these is to rehearse the recovery maneuver in the cockpit on the ground. The spiral may look like a spin, but in fact the wing is not stalled in a spiral. As a result, a danger of the spiral is over-speeding the airframe during recovery. The spin, on the other hand, is an autorotation in yaw with the wing fully stalled. The types of spin behavior are as varied as the aircraft; some spin in a nearly flat attitude, while others more steeply nose down. Some will have relatively low rotation rates, while others can be extremely

high rate. Many aircraft will recover simply by forcing the controls to neutral and holding, but some require a specific sequence of control inputs to affect recovery. Be prepared for post-stall behavior, be knowledgeable of the various behaviors possible, and have a plan to recover. Better yet, do a great job in stall testing and learn how to avoid getting beyond the controllability limits of your aircraft. Fly safely out there! Last month’s Part 3 on stall testing covered some great lessons from the U-2 spy plane program. Unfortunately, we failed to give proper credit to the actual author, Terry Lutz. Terry has written for us previously and brings significant flight-test experience to our column, as both a former U.S. Air Force and Airbus test pilot, as well as an RV builder.—Eds.

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F LIGHTLINE INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITY NEWS

Recreational Aviation Foundation Partners in preserving and promoting backcountry airstrips BY MARK PHELPS

JUST ABOUT EVERYONE who ﬂies has this dream. You take off from your home airport, leaving beneath your wings the relentless cares and worries of day-to-day life. An hour or so later, you enter the landing pattern at a remote grass airstrip. Maybe it’s alongside a lake or riverbed; maybe it’s astride a deep, cool forest. The sun is low in the sky and the wind is calm, so your landing is perfect. In what seems like no time, the airplane’s tied down, the tent is staked, and all the hassles of life melt away in the chirping of the crickets and the crackling of the campﬁre. Pilot John McKenna not only shares the dream, he lives the dream. And John is waking the rest of us up to the need to sustain it. John formed the all-volunteer Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) in 2003 with the following mission statement: “Keeping the legacy of recreational aviation strong by preserving, maintaining, and creating public use recreational and backcountry airstrips nationwide.” That simple mission comes with some dizzyingly complex implications. John said, “Preserving and promoting recreational use of airstrips on private and public land is a narrow mission, but it takes some focus.” What does it mean for an airstrip to have recreational use status? Even that’s not simple. John explained, “If you go way back several decades, the government recognized the need to promote

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recreational use of vast areas of land— lakes, forests, shorelines. So it established guidelines for states to enact ‘recreational use’ statutes to protect property owners from liability.” If a piece of land is granted recreational-use status, the owner can allow public access without fear of liability (unless they do something that is deemed to actively increase risk, such as stretching barbed wire across a stream used by white-water rafters or kayakers). The problem for owners and operators of backcountry airstrips is that each state’s recreational use statute is different, and before John started the RAF, none of them incorporated language pertaining to aviation. The mission has been to work at both the state and national levels to change that wherever possible. “At the national level,” John said, “we’re now known at the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service.

They recognize we’re not just angry people shooting from the hip, but rather, we can help them understand how aviation ﬁts into their plans. Between those three agencies, they control a surprisingly large percentage of the U.S. land mass. And they listen to us when it comes to aviation issues.” The result has been the incorporation of the words “aviation activities” into many states’ recreational use statutes. That has translated into numerous airstrips now available that had previously been restricted out of fear of liability. And that includes not only private land, but municipally owned property as well. For example, Florida’s Blackwater Airstrip had been closed for almost two decades before the RAF’s state liaison worked to grant recreational use status, and now it is open for pilots to enjoy the region’s natural splendor. In some cases, the RAF even builds new airstrips, as in the case of the Russian Flat Airstrip in Montana. The group also ensured the continued public use of six of 10 airstrips in the Missouri River Breaks wilderness section of (now more appropriately named) Big Sky Country. The RAF has also promulgated House Resolution 1473, which concludes with: “Resolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes the value of recreational aviation and backcountry airstrips located on the Nation’s public lands and commends aviators and the various private organizations that maintain these airstrips for public use.” As impressive as these accomplishments are, John said his proudest achievement for the RAF is Ryan Field (2MT1). The airport, directly adjacent to Glacier National Park in Montana, was established by World War II P-38 pilot Ben Ryan and his wife, “Butchie.” The Ryans wanted to be sure their airport would continue to operate after they were no longer able to run the show themselves, so the couple donated majority ownership of the airport— and its 2,500-foot airstrip—to the RAF in 2004. “The ink was barely dry on our incorporation papers when Ben came to us with his proposal,” John said. “We learned a tremendous amount from the work on Ryan Field.” In the decade since the acquisition, RAF volunteers have removed encroaching trees, leveled the runway, cleared and seeded ground for camping, installed tiedowns, added a second windsock, built a masonry barbecue, installed a handicap-accessible toilet, and built a 24-foot by 30-foot camping shelter from lumber sawed in Ben’s own sawmill. Thanks to Ben, Butchie, and the RAF, pilots will be able to access the park for years to come. Having celebrated its 10th anniversary last December, the RAF can look back on a splendid record of activity and success. There are currently some 6,000 RAF members, and growing. “Aviation has been a part of the backcountry from the beginning,” John said. “This isn’t adding something new, just reintroducing an endangered species after a long hiatus—kind of like the wolf, the grizzly, and the bald eagle.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE HINES, JOHN MCKENNA, AND CARMINE MOWBRAY

PHOTOS FROM THE RAF

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F LIGHTLINE INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITY NEWS

AVIATION MILESTONES THREE FLIGHT MILESTONES took place on December 17, 2013, the 110th anniversary of Orville Wright’s first controlled powered flight: Belite Aircraft announced the first powered flight of its new SeaLite amphibious carbon fiber float-equipped aircraft; a new

Belite SeaLite

CX5

Lockheed Vega

homebuilt, Dave Thatcher’s two-place CX5, flew for the first time; and a 1933 Lockheed Vega made its first flight in 30 years. Belite SeaLite: A design variation of Belite’s UltraCub aircraft, SeaLite’s wing spars are carbon fiber, as are the floats and certain other key elements of the aircraft. It’s powered by the 50-hp Hirth F-23 turning a two-blade wooden Tennessee propeller and features a custom lightweight instrument panel with a full range of conventional instruments. First delivery is expected in early 2014. Amphibious configuration is $60,000, or the straight (water-only) configuration is $50,000. CX5: The greatly anticipated first flight of Dave Thatcher’s two-place CX5 N14GB took place at Jack Edwards Airport in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Thatcher, 81, EAA 654626, of Pensacola, Florida, gained wide acclaim for the single-place CX4, for which more than 500 plan sets have been sold. The CX5 measures 18 feet in length with a 28foot wingspan, has an empty weight of 721 pounds with a useful load of 579 pounds, and is powered by an 85-hp Volkswagen engine. Cruise speed is 125 mph, and plans will be available following completion of the 40-hour flight-test period. Lockheed Vega: It was more than two decades since a Lockheed Vega had flown anywhere in the world, but that changed in December. John Magoffin, EAA 1003773, of Tucson, Arizona, flew his 1933 aircraft for the first time after a three-anda-half-year restoration project led by Rick Barter at Arizona Airframe.

HONDAJET GETS TIA, PART 145 CERTIFICATION FOR SERVICE FACILITY HONDA AIRCRAFT COMPANY continued its march toward FAA certification of its new HondaJet with two important recent milestones: an FAA Type Inspection Authorization (TIA) certificate for the aircraft and certification of the company’s customer service facility as a Part 145 repair station. This comes on the heels of Part 33 certification of the GE Honda Aero Engines HF120 turbofan engine. TIA signifies that the HondaJet meets type design requirements and is ready for FAA pilots to perform onboard flight tests required for certification. Nose-totail FAA review during this final testing phase will pave the way for HondaJet type certification, which the company expects to occur in the first quarter of 2015. The newly certified Honda Aircraft Customer Service Facility opened in October 2013 at the Piedmont Triad International Airport (KGSO) in Greensboro, North Carolina.

For more information and direct links to all Flightline stories, visit www.SportAviation.org.

BRIEFLY NOTED... // VERSION 6.0 OF GARMIN Pilot’s iOS app will offer pilots new integration with the Garmin VIRB HD camera. Users on iOS devices will soon be able to view live video simultaneously in Garmin Pilot, Garmin announced in January. Users will also be able to control VIRB remotely.

incorporates the ACES Systems’ fill-inthe-blank or option-selection screens that prompt you through the entire balancing process. The replaceable batteries can be changed without fear of data loss.

// ADVENTURE PILOT’S IFLY GPS delivers // THE NEW MODEL 1015 ProBalancer Sport available at Aircraft Spruce and Specialty

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full-featured moving map navigation with advanced features like geo-referenced

approach plates, decluttered vector mode, AutoTaxi+, RealView airports, vertical flight planning, and more. It also offers full ADS-B transceiver integration with the SkyGuardTWX, allowing the pilot to change squawk code and more. IFly GPS is now available in Apple’s App Store, with annual subscriptions starting at $69.99, or $40 more for a fully loaded IFR option.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF HONDA AIRCRAFT COMPANY

J. MAC MCCLELLAN COMMENTARY / LEFT SEAT

Pilots and Watches It has been a long and intense relationship BY J. MAC MCCLELLAN

PILOTS’ LOVE AFFAIR WITH wristwatches is so long standing and intense that it is the punch line for more than a few jokes I can’t repeat here. Suffice it to say that the size of the watch is important to pilots, and to the jokes. Pilots’ relationship with their watch is so well understood that watchmakers use it as a selling point. A watch with lots of dials and buttons is sold as a chronograph, and retailers strongly imply that the watch adds safety to the skies. Macho models with straight teeth and crooked grins are shown wearing these complicated timepieces while leaning on the nose of an airplane, so think what that watch can do for the ordinary Joe. So-called pilot watches have one or more small stopwatch dials within the main face. The primary hands on the face are bold with prominent arrowheads that glow in the dark. There are plenty of buttons to press. And the watch is thick and heavy. Some pilot watches even have a rotating bezel that is a circular slide rule. Think E-6B computer. You can work out any navigation, ﬂight planning, or weight and balance problem in the ATP written test with one of those things. Though pilot watches have pretty much become fashion statements these days, for both people who ﬂy and those who want to

18 Sport Aviation February 2014

look as though they do, the watch really did perform an essential function in the cockpit for decades. The importance of watches and precise timekeeping goes back to the earliest days of navigation, which was, of course, on the high seas. How to ﬁnd your position, and know how to sail to the destination was the ultimate challenge, and the nation and its navy that could solve the problem ﬁrst would come out way ahead. The magnetic compass was the seminal invention that allows us to know where we were headed on a featureless ocean, or desert, for that matter. Ancients looked to the heavens for directional guidance, but stars are always on the move, and cloud cover obscures them, but the compass resolved the problems. But a compass can only tell us where we are going—or, if we held a perfect course, can show where we had been—but can’t

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY

J. MAC MCCLELLAN

establish position. A compass course, no matter how perfectly sailed or flown, is a single line on the chart. Astronomers were the ones who solved the problem of establishing latitude with decent precision. With a device to measure the angle—also called the altitude—of the sun above the horizon, a navigator could find his latitude by making a noon sight of the sun. All he needed to know was the date. As what was thought to be noon approached, the navigator would keep making observations of the sun with a sextant and note the angle when the sun reached the apex and began to decline. That noon sun angle corresponds to your distance north or south of the equator. The noon sun shot gave a navigator a line of position—his latitude—but did almost nothing to establish a cross line of position—the longitude—to show him his actual location. To find longitude required precise time. If a navigator knew the precise time the sun reached its

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apex—solar noon—he could determine his longitude. Knowing the precise time also allows a navigator to sight angles to stars and planets and ﬁnd multiple lines of position to determine both longitude and latitude. The British offered a huge reward to anybody who could make a clock that could keep precise time for days and weeks while being tossed around on a ship. The prize was won by John Harrison after more than 30 years of work, and several failures. An oscillating balance wheel was the key to his invention, and it remained the best timekeeping technology until electronic oscillators became possible. In fact, the balance wheel is still used in the traditional pilot watch made today. For decades airplanes had so little range that locating a lat-long position as a ship’s navigator was of little importance. The navigation technique pilots used is ded reckoning. And timekeeping is an absolutely essential ingredient in the ded reckoning calculation.

Ded reckoning is the tried and true timespeed-distance problem where you know the course you have been flying, have an estimate of the groundspeed, and use time to solve for distance traveled. Starting with lighted bonfires, and then airway beacons, four-course ranges, NDBs, VORs, and localizers all evolved to keep pilots on course over the ground. Each of these guidance systems showed us where we were going, but not where we were. For that we still needed to know how long we had been flying since the last fix so the watch was still king in the navigation solution. Keeping precise time was most important in instrument flying. There was left-right guidance of some sort available, but the only way to find your position was to time from the last crossing fix. We timed holding patterns with the norm being oneminute legs. We timed procedure turns to reverse course. And we timed from the final

A watch with lots of dials and buttons is sold as a chronograph, and retailers strongly imply that the watch adds safety to the skies. approach fix inbound to estimate when we reached the runway. The invention of DME helped diminish the importance of time in flying, but DME was far too costly for most general aviation airplane owners for years. And not all navigation stations had DME so you still often needed to know time to estimate position. Timing was extremely important for pilots even into the 1980s when I helped judge the IFR flying event at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association national contest. The contestants, all with IFR ratings and many with IFR instructor ratings, would show up with

the most elaborate timers and watches. Most of them strapped some huge timer to the control wheel or else had it on a kneeboard. They timed and they tuned and they turned, and some of the time knew where they were. But not always. I remember one young pilot who was an ace at aircraft control under the hood, and I guess good at operating his timing device, timed and turned and descended over an open field miles from the airport. But GPS, and particularly the unprecedented accuracy of WAAS, has made timing flight maneuvers obsolete, at least in terms of knowing your position and where you want to go. We still need to time fuel burns and stuff like that, but the GPS navigator automatically starts flight timing in case you forget, and most can be used to count down or count up to remind you to switch tanks or perform other chores. And all GPS receivers show you the time with precision that no pilot watch, no matter

how big or expensive, can match. GPS works its navigation magic by timing the travel of a signal from a satellite far up in orbit so you can imagine the precision necessary. There is one caveat when it comes to GPS time. The precision of GPS time itself is essentially as accurate as the national standard atomic clocks but is now exactly 16 seconds ahead of Zulu time. The reason is that the Air Force, which designed and operates the GPS satellite system, has not added leap seconds since 1980 when the system clocks were started. Leap seconds are added to UTC to adjust for small errors in the time it takes for the Earth to orbit the sun. So if you get one of those watches or clocks that automatically sets itself to Zulu time based on the signal from Boulder you will see a difference between it and GPS time. All of this leads me to the new Garmin D2 pilot watch. The D2 certainly meets the

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J. MAC MCCLELLAN

traditional requirement for pilot watch size. And then some. And it shows you the time with the precision of GPS with leap seconds adjusted to correctly display actual UTC, not GPS time. With the D2 there can be no doubt about what time it is. But throw away the sextant, or the VOR, or the DME, or even a chart, because the thing is a GPS navigator. It knows where you are at all times, and has a database to show you the nearest airport, or any destination airport you select. The D2 has solved centuries worth of navigation challenges and strapped the solution to your wrist. The D2 performs nearly all of the functions of a handheld portable GPS, and has many of the capabilities of a panelmounted navigator. It can show GPS altitude as well as position, there is an HSI page for course guidance, and it even has a tiny map showing your position relative to waypoints and airports.

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Primary information on the D2 display such as the time, or bearing, distance, and so on to an airport, is displayed in large and easy to see numbers. The map and some other functions are harder to see with not that good display resolution and very small characters. The biggest challenge to using the D2 is ﬁguring out how to operate so many functions with only ﬁve available buttons on the watch. When operating in the GPS nav mode one button is dedicated to calling up the nearest airport, and another as a direct-to function, so that makes those key operations pretty easy. But other modes require pressing buttons in a sequence. The GPS receiver found itself quickly in my airplane, and accuracy seemed to match the IFR WAAS units in my instrument panel. The D2 battery must be charged with a dedicated USB cord that has a connector that snaps over the watch. In basic timekeeping mode the battery charge lasts for weeks, but

in GPS navigating mode battery life is down to a nominal 16 hours. The battery does, however, recharge very quickly. In some ways the D2 represents the epitome of the pilot watch. It is a watch that can now do every task, not just be one essential ingredient in problem-solving. For the gadget fans among us, what could be better? I must say, however, that it will take a real pilot with a thick skin to wear the D2 outside of the cockpit because you are going to endlessly hear every one of those tired old jokes about a pilot and the size of his watch. The D2 is small for a GPS navigator, but is still one heck of a big watch. The street price of the D2 is around $449. Not cheap, but that amount won’t go very far over in the jewelry department where the other pilot watches are sold. J. Mac McClellan, EAA 747337, has been a pilot for more than 40 years, holds an ATP certiﬁcate, and owns a Beechcraft Baron. To contact Mac, e-mail mac@eaa.org.

LANE WALLACE COMMENTARY / FLYING LESSONS

Observation Deck The diﬀerence a little altitude can make BY LANE WALLACE

INSPIRATION, I’VE OFTEN said, can come from some of the most unlikely sources. It’s why I’m such a big advocate of trying new experiences and places, and getting outside your normal routine— even if you’re fairly sure you’ll still prefer the old one, when all is said and done. I, for example, am such an ardent lover of green space and nature that, much as I love the energy of big, international cities, I’ve never been able to convince myself to live smack dab in the middle of one. But this past summer, events conspired such that I found myself living for several weeks in a modern, trendy, high-rise apartment in Crystal City, Virginia, right across the Potomac from downtown Washington, D.C. The apartment building was also—as I discovered the ﬁrst morning I ventured up to the rooftop, where I found a small swimming pool, a few outdoor seating arrangements, and a barbecue area—almost directly on top of Reagan National Airport. Washington, D.C., in the summertime has the kind of sultry, sticky, humid air and heat that brings to mind images of women in loose-ﬁtting print dresses, front porch swings, and slamming screen doors. In a modern city, of course, that kind of heat no longer prompts a change in behavior or a slowing of pace. People move just as quickly, from

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air-conditioned home to air-conditioned car or subway to air-conditioned office. Being the nature lover that I am, however, I hate spending my entire day in an air-conditioned world. Which is how I ended up bringing my coffee up to the roof of the apartment building, that ﬁrst morning. Even at 8:30 in the morning, it was already getting sticky and warm. But there was at least a touch of a breeze cutting through the morning air as I settled into a cushioned patio chair on the northeast side of the roof. From there, I had a panoramic view of the heart of D.C., from the Washington Monument to the Jefferson Memorial, the Capitol, the George Washington Parkway, the 14th Street Bridge (site of the 1982 Air Florida crash), and the northwest approaches to the runways at Reagan National.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LANE WALLACE

It’s an impressive view, made possible by D.C.’s long-standing ordinance restricting the height of any building in the district to less than 130 feet. But from my 20-story-high perch, I also had one of the best vantage points for watching planes take off and land that I’ve ever had. And I’ve had some doozies in my day, including both the flight deck and a high, superstructure catwalk on an aircraft carrier. For one thing, the northwest approach into National is just plain dramatic. The descending aircraft essentially follow the Potomac, passing just southwest of the Washington Monument, well below its 555-foot peak. As they pass the Jefferson Memorial dome, they execute a 45- or 50-degree right turn, descending low over the road traffic on the Parkway before touching down. There aren’t that many places in the U.S. where a major airport is even close enough to town, anymore, for arriving aircraft to do a close pass by buildings at office-window height. But it’s especially remarkable to see it in Washington, D.C., after 9/11. Very cool, to be sure. But still a triﬂe weird. At first, however, there wasn’t much to see. One or two aircraft made their way to the airport, but the action—on the ground and in the air—seemed as slow as the thick summer air. The skies remained largely empty and the cars on the Parkway inched slowly toward the city. A little before 9 a.m., however, that began to change. Almost like a ghost squadron emerging from an alternate dimension, glints of sunlight on metal began appearing in the sky to the northwest, in quickening succession. As soon as one glint took form as an airliner descending past the Washington Monument, another appeared behind it. The increasing pace of action in the sky initially stood in stark contrast to the gridlock on the roads below—a reminder of the freedom a set of wings can provide. But the pulse of arriving aircraft also seemed to break the stagnant tension of the morning commute. Soon after the march of the

airliners began, the cars began moving more quickly into the city. And, as if on cue, the rest of the motorized transportation world began kicking into gear. A military helicopter headed downriver, crossing paths with an orange LifeFlight Aerospatiale heading north. Metro trains screeched along the tracks over Long Bridge, racing the cars into the city. Boats plowed north on the Potomac toward Washington, leaving white froths of wake behind them. Two Osprey tiltrotors flew by in formation, headed east. “You don’t see that in Iowa!” I chuckled to myself with a smile. And still, the airliners continued streaming past the monuments into Reagan, each of them filled with people eager to start their day in the nation’s capital. What had started as a sleepy summer morning had morphed into a scene from a children’s transportation picture book. All I needed was a hot air balloon to complete the scene. And as I watched all those moving objects, following such clear routes of roadways, river channels, and designated flight paths, Washington began to seem less like a chaotic collection of disparate elements, and more like a well-planned, living organism. The buildings and monuments gave the city a necessary, static structure. But the life of the city was in the planes, trains, boats, and automobiles that were infusing that structure with people, movement, and energy, moving like a bloodstream through the city’s thoroughfares and skies. Looked at that way, the sight of airliners cruising by national monuments was just a small piece of a much more exciting tableau. Because Reagan National happens to be so close to downtown Washington, D.C., the aircraft arrivals appeared not as solitary events, but as important, integral elements in a pulsing, living city. In truth, the airplanes arriving at any airport are an integral part of the lifeblood of whatever city that airport serves. Most of the time, however, those airports aren’t centrally located enough to make that connection as vivid as it was from that particular rooftop perch. Vivid…and exciting, in

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LANE WALLACE

some way I couldn’t initially put my finger on. But exciting enough that I found myself returning each morning to my rooftop spot, coffee in hand, to watch the city come to life. I learned the ebb and flow of the morning air traffic into Reagan National. And as I watched the parade of aircraft make their way past the monuments each morning, I began wondering about the people they carried. Where were they from? What was the business—or pleasure—they were traveling to the nation’s capital to pursue? My imagination blossomed with possible answers. It was the same excitement and imaginative exploration I’d always experienced at small airports as I watched Cessnas and Pipers take off and land…but on a different and larger scale. Maybe that shouldn’t have surprised me. But it did. Ever since I learned to fly at a little airport in southern Indiana, small airports have held a kind of magic for me. Even if there weren’t any

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But the life of the city was in the planes, trains, boats, and automobiles that were infusing that structure with people, movement, and energy, moving like a bloodstream through the city’s thoroughfares and skies. airplanes actually taking off, I loved sitting by the runways, inspired by the possibility they offered. From these simple stretches of asphalt, concrete, or grass, any conceivable destination or adventure might be launched. Who knew what the pilots in those airplanes might see, or where they might go? That thought, I once wrote, “gave the airport an exciting, expectant aura of possibility that hung in the air so thick I could almost touch it.” I did not, however, have that same sensation waiting for connecting ﬂights at JFK. And I’d never had much interest in watching airliners take off and land, unless the airliners in question were more than 50 years old. So what was different here?

In a word: perspective. Just as being a couple of thousand feet above the Earth can put petty daily hassles in their proper perspective, my rooftop vantage point let me see beyond the hassles, commercialization, automation, and regulation of the airline industry to something still inspiring about the bigger role aviation plays in the life of a city. I realize, of course, that there’s something supremely ironic in ﬁnding inspiration in the middle of the single most restrictive area of airspace in the country, at the airport that still throws up more obstacles to general aviation use of it than any other. But like I said, inspiration can sometimes come from unlikely sources.

Granted, it wasn’t the same kind of inspiration I get from being around a small airport. But as I thought about it, I realized that what I focus on at a small airport is what individual adventures might be possible by departing from there. Not what collective accomplishments might be made possible by people arriving there. But the truth is, aviation has an important part to play in both kinds of endeavors. As a pilot, I tend to focus on the individual adventures ﬂight offers me. That’s all well and good, but I’m not exactly changing the world with my ﬂying. Truth to tell, I’ll bet even commercial pilots carrying cargo or planeloads of passengers often get so distracted by the hassles of their jobs and the crowds of cranky passengers trying to jam their roll-aboards into packed overhead compartments that they lose sight of the bigger picture of their mission. But that’s where a little perspective can be helpful. Because the importance of that bigger picture and mission still exists.

Whether by twos and threes or by the hundreds, the things and people that aviation transports from place to place make all kinds of things possible—including changing the world. What made that morning rooftop scene so exciting was that realization; the sense of collective possibility the movement of all those people and aircraft, cars, boats, and trains represented together that none of them would have had on its own. Not that I now want to be an airline pilot, any more than I want to live in a high-rise city apartment building. As much as I enjoyed and appreciated my summer mornings on that rooftop, I was quite happy to return to my normal life outside the city. But the memory and inspiration of those morning observations and musings remain. A French poet named Rene Daumal once said, by way of explaining the rewards of any exploratory or artistic

endeavor, “There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know.” I’m fairly sure Daumal did not have flying or glass apartment buildings in mind when he wrote that. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t apply. New perspectives—and the inspiration, ideas, or understanding they often give us— can emerge anytime we step outside our normal vantage points and look at the world, ideas, or problems through a different lens, or a different point of view. But as mountain climbers and pilots both know, getting a little bit of altitude can make all the difference in the world. Lane Wallace, EAA 650945, has been an aviation columnist, editor, and author for more than 20 years. More of her writing can be found at www.LaneWallace.com and at www.TheAtlantic.com/Lane-Wallace.

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M IKE BUSCH C OMMENTARY / SAVVY AVIATOR

After a bit of Q&A with the owner, I concluded that the T210’s oil consumption problem would most likely be cured by a $1,400 turbocharger swap rather than a $14,000 top overhaul.

High Oil Consumption Don’t do anything until you’re sure where the oil is going

A FELLOW NAMED TED phoned me to say that his 1984 Cessna T210 was in the shop for its annual inspection, and his mechanic was suggesting a $14,000 top overhaul. “Mike, I’ve read a lot of your articles, and I know you’re not a big fan of top overhauls,” Ted told me, “so I thought I’d ask your opinion before I tell my mechanic to proceed.” “What’s the problem with your engine?” I asked. Ted told me his oil consumption had suddenly increased dramatically to a quart every three or four hours, and that the compressions on his 1,200-hour engine were mediocre (mostly 60s, a couple of high 50s). The mechanic said his cylinders were “tired,” that this was typical for a mid-time Continental TSIO-520-R, and that turbocharged Continentals seldom make TBO without cylinder replacement. I counseled Ted to slow down and take a thoughtful approach. While his increased oil consumption was certainly a matter of concern, it wasn’t yet an airworthiness or safety-of-flight issue. Continental says maximum permissible oil consumption for this 310-hp engine is about 1 quart per hour (and Ted’s oil consumption wasn’t anywhere close). No airplane has ever fallen out of the sky because of high oil consumption—unless the oil consumption was so high that the engine ran out of oil before it ran out of fuel (which is always embarrassing). With a sump capacity of 12 quarts (8 usable) and a maximum IFR range of five hours, it would be hard to do that in a T210. So before throwing a five-digit sum of money at the problem, I suggested to Ted that some systematic troubleshooting was in order.

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WHERE’S THE OIL GOING?

When troubleshooting an oil consumption problem, the ﬁrst question to ask is always, “Where’s the oil going?” There are only three possibilities: • The oil is exiting the engine through its breather line. • The oil is leaking out of the engine somewhere else. • The oil is getting into the combustion chamber of one or more cylinders and being “consumed” in combustion. It’s usually not hard to ﬁgure out the answer. If the oil is departing through the breather, then there will be excessive oil on the belly of the aircraft. If it’s leaking from the engine, then there will be excessive oil inside the engine compartment. If it’s being consumed in combustion, then the inside of the tailpipe(s) will be dark and oily instead of being coated with the normal light powdery residue. I questioned Ted about these possible symptoms. He responded that he hadn’t noticed any more oil on the belly than usual, and that the engine compartment seemed relatively dry and oil-free—but now

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF MIKE BUSCH

that I mentioned it, the residue on the inside of the tailpipe did strike him as being dark and oily. This suggested that the oil was being consumed in combustion. If so, the next obvious questions in the troubleshooting tree are, “How is the oil getting into the combustion chamber(s)?” and, “Which cylinder(s) is/are involved?” One way that oil can wind up in a cylinder’s combustion chamber is a bad intake valve oil seal that permits oil from the cylinder’s rocker box area to be sucked into the cylinder during the intake stroke through the annulus between the intake valve stem and intake valve guide. This problem is usually easy to localize and diagnose by using a borescope inserted into the combustion chamber through the top spark plug hole to inspect the intake valve stem when the exhaust valve is open. If the intake valve stem appears oily, then you’ve found the problem, and the ﬁx is quick and easy (replace the intake valve oil seal) and doesn’t require cylinder removal. In a turbocharged engine like Ted’s, there’s another possibility. If the turbocharger has a bad oil seal that allows oil to escape from the center section into the compressor section, that oil will be “inhaled” by all cylinders, consumed in combustion, and leave a dark oily residue inside the tailpipe. In discussing this possibility with Ted, he admitted that he’d noticed a small quantity of oil dripping from the clamp where the induction air duct connects to the turbocharger compressor discharge. This struck me as being a possible smoking gun. I advised Ted to have his mechanic disconnect the air duct from the turbocharger and inspect the compressor, which should be bone dry. If oil is found in the compressor, then my presumptive diagnosis would be conﬁrmed, and the cure for Ted’s oil consumption problem would be a $1,400 turbocharger overhaul/exchange rather than a $14,000 top overhaul. OIL-ON-THE-BELLY SYNDROME

Had Ted told me that he’d noticed a big increase in oil discharge from the

breather onto the belly of the aircraft, our dialogue would have focused on an entirely different branch of the troubleshooting tree. Excessive breather discharge is the most common reason for elevated oil consumption. It manifests itself as excessive oil on the belly, and it’s usually—but not always—caused by excessive blow-by past the compression rings in one or more cylinders. But just because you have elevated oil consumption and oil on the belly doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s appropriate to do a top overhaul. Usually it isn’t. For one thing, the problem might involve only one or perhaps two cylinders, not all of them. For another, excessive blow-by is not the only cause of oil-on-the-belly syndrome; there are several other possibilities. Once again, a thoughtful approach and systematic troubleshooting is called for before doing anything invasive or expensive.

When troubleshooting an oil consumption problem, the first question to ask is always, “Where’s the oil going?” A first step that is often useful is to measure crankcase pressure and find out whether it’s actually excessive. Continental has an old service bulletin (M89-9, “Excessive Crankcase Pressures”) that explains how to do this. The procedure involves hooking up a length of tubing to the crankcase—via the dipstick tube, a modified oil cap, or a modified timing plug, depending on engine model—and hooking up the other end of the tubing to an old airspeed indicator. (The airspeed indicator is used as a sensitive pressure gauge.) The engine is then run up at full power, and the crankcase pressure is read from the airspeed indicator. Continental’s service bulletin specifies the maximum acceptable pressure reading on the airspeed indicator; for small-bore engines (A- and C-series, O-200, O-300), the maximum is 44 mph (38 knots), and for big-bore engines (360-, 470-, 520-,

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550-series), the maximum is 90 mph (78 knots). A reading above these thresholds indicates excessive blow-by. (The same approach would work for Lycomings, although Lycoming doesn’t have a service bulletin about it.) If crankcase pressure is high, then the problem is likely excessive blow-by in one or more cylinders. A confirming symptom of excessive blow-by would be oil that turns dark and opaque very quickly after each oil change. The best way to determine which cylinder(s) is/are at fault is to perform a borescope inspection with emphasis on the condition of the cylinder barrels. Any cylinders exhibiting excessive barrel wear (shiny spots with no crosshatch), substantial barrel damage (vertical scoring), or excessive corrosion pitting are candidates for coming off for rework or replacement. Low compression with air leakage past the rings audible through the oil filler would tend to confirm the high blow-by diagnosis for a particular cylinder, although a compression test alone is not reliable enough to use as a primary diagnostic tool. Yanking all cylinders (“top overhaul”) rather than taking the time to determine

which one(s) is/are at fault is the worst kind of “shotgunning” in my opinion. What’s the probability of all six cylinders going bad simultaneously? Probably about the same as drawing a royal straight flush in poker. Think about it… If crankcase pressure is not excessive, then the problem isn’t high blow-by and the problem isn’t cylinder-related. So what could be causing oil-on-the-belly syndrome? One of two things: Either something is pressurizing the crankcase in the air but not on the ground, or else something is sucking oil out the breather in flight. Pressurization of the crankcase in flight could be caused by something as simple as a leaky gasket or O-ring in the oil filler cap or dipstick, or something else that permits ram air to enter the crankcase in flight. Suction could be caused by an improperly positioned breather outlet that’s located in a lowpressure area in flight. OIL LEAKS

While an engine oil leak is a third possible escape route that could account for increased oil consumption, it’s the least likely in my experience. While engine oil

Excessive discharge of oil on the belly is often caused by excessive blow-by in one or more cylinders—but not always. Unless the oil is turning dark and opaque very quickly after each oil change, blow-by probably isn’t the cause.

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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF MIKE BUSCH

NEW

NORMAL

WORN

A simple borescope inspection is the best way to tell which cylinder(s) is/are worn to the point of causing excessive blow-by. A compression test is much less reliable. CYLINDER WEAR

leaks are quite commonplace, it would take a massive leak to cause a noticeable increase in oil consumption. Most engine oil leaks are tiny, although even a tiny leak can make a major mess in the engine compartment. A little bit of leaking oil can cover a lot of real estate rather quickly when exposed to a 100-knot breeze. Most common sources of oil leaks—rocker cover gaskets, pushrod housing seals, magneto gaskets, Garlock seals, oil filler cap gaskets, dipstick O-rings, etc.—are quick and easy fixes, and are almost always worth fixing to make sure they don’t cover up something more serious like a crankcase crack, chafed oil pan, or leaky oil quick-drain. Chasing down the source of an oil leak is often quite frustrating because the oil spreads so rapidly throughout the engine compartment. The key is to spray down the engine with solvent until it’s scrupulously clean of oil, then run the engine on the ground (absent the 100-knot breeze), and inspect it. The application of some white aerosol powder like dye-penetrant developer (or jock-itch spray) can sometimes be helpful in localizing the source of the leak. None of my recommendations to Ted or the other things I’ve discussed here involve rocket science, only simple logic. My advice is simply that when faced with elevated oil consumption, resist the temptation to throw money at the problem. Better to throw neurons at it instead. Mike Busch, EAA 740170, was the 2008 National Aviation Maintenance Technician of the Year, and has been a pilot for 44 years, logging more than 7,000 hours. He’s a CFI and A&P/IA. E-mail him at mike.busch@savvyaviator.com. Mike also hosts free online presentations as part of EAA’s webinar series on the ﬁrst Wednesday of each month. For a schedule visit www.EAA.org/webinars.

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A Misbegotten Takeoff The time to reject a troubled takeoﬀ is now

THE TAKEOFF ENDED badly, as everybody watching could see was inevitable after a certain point. At least nobody got hurt. The two guys aboard had flown in to our field on a nice day, a sunny Saturday with quite a few people around, one of those days that just invites flying people to go out to their fields and have fun. The two had gone to their field and collected their

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gleaming, newly built airplane and flown it to our field. There was the owner, we’ll call him Vince, and the guy who built it, whom we’ll call Tim. The airplane was a brand-new kitbuilt type, high wing, two seats side-by-side,

ILLUSTRATION BY DAVE MATHENY

Rotax 582 engine and three-blade Warp Drive prop, tricycle gear, BRS, lots of instruments, and a big fuel tank. Having ﬂown in to display their work, they hung out for a couple of hours as all of us admired it, and then they taxied out to take off from our main runway. Tim was the more experienced pilot, but he was in the right seat, just a passenger for this takeoff. At the end of the taxiway, Vince faced a choice—and here I have to pause and explain the runway layout at our ﬁeld. The whole airpark is like a shallow bowl, so that no matter which of our three runways we use, the latter part will be slightly uphill. The main runway lies north-south and is reached by a short taxiway from the east. When you arrive at the intersection, you have a choice: Turn south and back-taxi 300 feet to the top of a small rise to start the takeoff, or just turn north and go for it. The little hill at the south end will give you a gravity assist for takeoff. I always use it, giving my puny 40-horse Quicksilver GT400

The whole airframe is humming and vibrating, along with your soul, and everything is being stressed. If anything is going to go wrong, now is a really likely time for it to appear. an edge. That also gives me the full 1,400 feet of runway. The GT is always in the air by the midpoint of the runway, even on a hot, humid day, but I like the extra margin. And besides, I’m the one who writes the articles pointing out that runway behind you is useless, so it would look really stupid if I were to run out of runway because I threw away that small advantage and ran into the fence at the north end. It wouldn’t stop me writing the articles, but I’d have to wear a paper bag over my head when I was at the airpark for the next few months. A CROWD-PLEASER

Not everybody takes advantage of the extra 300 feet. In fact, most of the pilots at our field, flying both conventionally configured

aircraft and trikes, have power to spare. They typically take the taxiway to the runway, turn north, and take off, leaving the extra 300 feet behind. And they are usually airborne well before the runway starts to slope upward. Vince taxied to the runway and turned north, leaving the extra runway behind, and began the takeoff run. It went normally at ﬁrst, but after just a couple of hundred feet the airplane veered left and slowed, almost going into the weeds. It then veered back to the runway heading and picked up speed. But then it turned left and slowed again, momentarily, but again straightened out and picked up speed. But then it yet again turned and slowed, this being the third time, and yet again straightened out.

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DAVE MATHENY

By this time most of the runway was behind it and it was headed uphill, and everybody watching—that is, everybody but Vince—knew it would never get airborne from there. Even so, it picked up enough speed so that when it hit the barbed-wire fence at the end of the runway it stood up on its nose, the engine abruptly stopped, and it settled back on its gear in a cloud of chopped-up cornstalks and dust. GETTING STARTED IS EASY—TOO EASY

Takeoffs are easy, really. Deceptively so. For many of us, our first flight lesson included making a takeoff, which struck me, at least, as an amazing thing for an instructor to allow a newcomer to do. Typically an instructor will say something like, “I’ll bring the power up and you just keep the nose pointed down the runway with your feet on the rudder pedals. Then when I tell you, just pull the yoke back and we’ll lift off. Don’t worry, I’ll be on the controls with you.” To which you will probably reply, “Ulp,” meaning, “Okay, sure, if you say so.” Those who are somewhat erratic on the rudder pedals at first soon get the hang of it, and then get good at it and start to feel like a real pilot. After all, that’s what pilots do: Get into an aircraft and take off. A lot of things are actually going on during a takeoff. The engine is developing full power, or whatever you have chosen, for the first time since the aircraft was last flown; the wheels are turning faster and faster; the aerodynamic controls are becoming effective, if you remembered to remove the gust locks. The whole airframe is humming and vibrating, along with your soul, and everything is being stressed. If anything is going to go wrong, now is a really likely time for it to appear, and anything that does appear will be fairly sudden. The older, wiser instructor knows all this, while the student may not. For this reason most pilots are intensely alert during the takeoff, even though there are not a lot of actions to be taken. The experienced pilot plays the role of both instructor and student on takeoff, the one knowledgeable and watching while the other performs the rudimentary tasks and gets to have all the fun. Many pilots find the takeoff to be a rush; I

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certainly do. But I try not to let the thrill interfere with my wise old brain. In fact, I would go further and say that takeoffs are not just deceptively easy, they are seductive. They get to be automatic, taken for granted, like turning the key to start the car. We let the automatic functions take care of all the background stuff for us. It’s just so amazingly easy: Advance the throttle, keep it pointed down the runway, and in a few seconds we’re rising smoothly into the sky. That is, if nothing goes wrong. CATCH IT WHEN THE CATCHING’S GOOD

We return to the mystery of Vince’s misbegotten takeoff. What went wrong, as Tim later explained to me, was that the left brake was intermittently sticking.

It was an easy decision to pull the power back, apply brakes, and turn off at the first intersection. (Hey, thanks, brain.) What Vince should have done, of course, was to reject the takeoff at the first sign of trouble. That would be a sub-part of an overall rule about flying: Do something about it at the first sign of trouble. In cruising flight, if I hear my engine stumble, my first thought might be to look at the engine instruments to see what’s wrong, but my second thought—which will follow instantly, spurred on by the sudden presence of adrenaline in my bloodstream—will be to look around outside to see what’s available for a forced landing, if that becomes necessary. On takeoff, however, my forced-landing area is right there in front of me. There is no reason not to use it, and there is no reason to expect that any malfunction will just clear itself up and go away. Or, to put it positively, we should expect anything that appears momentarily and goes away to reappear. This is where the brain of the experienced pilot, like the instructor with the student, is supposed to pull rank and assert its priority and say, “I’ve got it.” I once had an engine stumble in the GT400 during the takeoff roll. It was an

easy decision to pull the power back, apply brakes, and turn off at the first intersection. (Hey, thanks, brain.) There was not the slightest doubt in my mind that the takeoff had to be rejected at that first sign of trouble, particularly because I would have run out of runway in the next few seconds. The problem turned out to be an intermittent short in the ignition system. On another occasion, this time in a Quicksilver MX Sprint, one of the engine’s two cylinders cut out just after takeoff from a short runway. (Dang, there’s that short-runway factor again.) Although the universal recommendation is to land straight ahead, and I am a huge believer in doing that, the only thing in front of me was a lumberyard filled with irregular stacks of building materials. They were not even lined up with my direction, but lying across my path, like crossties on an extremely wide railroad track. I turned to one side, getting the nose down to keep up airspeed, toward a less-horrible patch of ground, a collection of dwarfish trees

and bushes. But I also knew what had probably happened: a spark-plug cap had come loose, as had happened before. Because the engine is mounted inverted in this configuration, with the cylinder heads right above and behind the pilot’s head, I was able to reach up and reattach the cap. The engine resumed full power and I made it back to the field, where I was able to fix the problem so it would never happen again. (Oh, let me qualify that “never.” The problem was rendered unlikely to happen again in the next 500 years.) BADLY BATTERED

To return to poor Vince, who obviously made a string of bad decisions: Having thrown away the potential advantage of an extra 300 feet at the south end of the runway, along with its little hill, he then lost the ﬁrst 200 feet of his takeoff run, leaving him with far less usable runway. He should have rejected the takeoff after the ﬁrst uncommanded turn, although he could still possibly have gotten airborne. But after the

second one it was not possible and, as I said above, everybody knew it but Vince. I didn’t have the heart to ask him why he kept trying to take off. It would have been piling on. His prestige was already badly battered, along with his new airplane. Vince’s rejection of the extra 300 feet of runway may not be especially relevant. The cynic in me says that a pilot who would continue a takeoff after being warned three times that something was wrong is one who would continue trying to take off as long as there was any runway left. A 10,000-foot runway would only offer that many more opportunities to try. But no, I have to believe that eventually the wise old brain will say, “I’ve got it,” take over the controls, and reject the takeoff. Dave Matheny, EAA 184186, is a private pilot and an FAA ground instructor. He has been ﬂying light aircraft, including ultralights, for 30 years. He accepts commissions for his art and can be reached at DaveMatheny3000@yahoo.com.

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BRADY LANE COMMENTARY / DREAM BUILD FLY

Ryan McMaster, 17, ﬂies a Schleicher ASK 21 at Harris Hill, where he earned his private pilot glider certiﬁcate this summer.

Free Fuel For those who can ﬁnd it BY BRADY LANE

I WIGGLED THE RUDDER to signal I was ready. Two hundred feet ahead, a Piper Pawnee throttled to full power and the braided rope serving as my temporary engine mount became taut. Soon I would voluntarily, purposefully, and permanently “lose” my engine. Why would a sane pilot do such a thing? Having options is what makes flying safe, and a power source provides options. I understand an airplane can fly without an engine—it’s called an emergency. As powered pilots, we rehearse such scenarios so that in the case of an engine failure we can maintain control of the aircraft and land safely. I’ve never been afraid of gliding, but if I don’t have an engine producing thrust, I consider the rest of the flight an emergency. How then can so many responsible, sane, and nonreckless people find pleasure in flying gliders? I traveled to Elmira, New York—the Soaring Capital of America—to see what I was missing. FIRST FLIGHT

“You nervous about flying with a 17-year-old?” my pilot asked as he helped buckle me into the back seat of an ASK 21. “Not at all,” I responded. “I’m nervous about not having an engine.” He laughed, but didn’t understand. After all, he had never flown with an engine. Ryan McMaster earned his private pilot glider certificate a few months earlier, and I had full confidence in his abilities, but as soon as

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the towplane tugged us forward, my emergency began. This wasn’t a simulated emergency like I had practiced before; this was real. We had no engine. A sky diver once told me that every time he jumps from an aircraft he kills himself. It then becomes his job to do everything he can to save himself. This is how my first glider flight felt. As beautiful as the rolling hills and fall scenery were, my gut demanded I keep the airport within sight. When we reached a couple thousand feet, Ryan released the towrope and with it, our engine. We flew right turns and left turns, never straying too far to glide home. Never mind that he was only 17, I was impressed with Ryan’s situational awareness and coordination for a pilot of 80 hours—a testament that glider training teaches good discipline. I also appreciated the quiet. Without an engine, there was no need for headsets. My senses were in their full natural state, and

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRADY LANE

Ryan and I talked to each other in a normal voice. The wind over the canopy served as an audible airspeed indicator, and a small piece of yarn taped to the windscreen was the most useful yaw instrument I’ve ever seen. After about 20 minutes, we had glided down to 1,000 feet AGL so Ryan committed to the pattern. A go-around is not an option being engineless, so this was the most nerve-racking phase of flight for me. Ryan brought us back to earth in a controlled, precise manner, and I soon realized that I underestimated the capabilities of these machines. They do have options—much better glide performance makes up for a lack of thrust, and the use of spoilers gives an impressive amount of altitude control. Roy McMaster, Ryan’s grandfather, was waiting on the side of the runway as we rolled to a stop. Roy is a legend in the soaring community and offered to coach me through my first flight at the controls of a glider. I thought this flight would be just like the last one, a few

turns and 20 minutes over the airport, but Roy had something else in mind. I was about to experience an aviation phenomenon I didn’t even know existed. INVISIBLE, MAGIC AIR

“Use your rudder to steer, to stay behind the towplane; the ailerons to keep your wings level,” Roy said as we started rolling forward. Halfway down the 1,100-foot runway we were off the ground and I was doing everything I could to stay behind the towplane. By 4,200 feet, I was ready to be free of the towplane, and I’m certain the tow pilot was ready to be free of me, so I pulled the release. “You’ll need more rudder in the turns than you’re used to,” Roy coached. Without any rudder input, adverse yaw caused the nose of the aircraft to naturally move left when I turned right and vice versa. To turn coordinated, I needed a substantial amount of rudder in the direction of my turn to keep the

nose from darting away. Dutch rolls were a great exercise to get used to the amount of rudder needed to stay coordinated. The yarn taped to the windscreen became my new best friend. While practicing my coordination, the magic show had begun. Twenty minutes had passed since we released from the towplane, yet our altimeter still read 4,200 feet. “Are we still at the same altitude we released at?” I asked. “Yep. We’re soaring. We should be able to get higher,” Roy said. “Fly under that dark cloud to your left.” Roy instructed me to ﬂy faster between thermals (he called this interthermal cruising) to limit my time in sinking air, then slow down inside a thermal to maximize our exposure to rising air. While still trying to understand what I was experiencing, I was enamored with the fact that I was gaining altitude without an

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engine. This was magic—invisible, yet very real magic. It then became my goal to reach 5,000 feet. Every 20 feet felt like a victory. As we flew under another dark cloud, the variometer jumped from 0 to 8 knots, reflecting a nearly 800-feet-per-minute climb. “Steep right turn; stay coordinated,” Roy said from behind. “Good, good. We’re climbing.” I flew as coordinated as I could, flying in and out of the thermal, and eventually neared the bottom of the cloud. The cloud was dome-like on the bottom because of the lift underneath it. I watched the altimeter slowly dial clockwise until we inched past 5,000 feet. This was amazing! At 5,100 feet, we couldn’t go higher and stay VFR so we left the thermal. “Now that we have more fuel in the tank, we can go farther. Let’s try that cloud over there,” Roy said. I was having more fun flying than I’ve had in a long time. I confessed to Roy that I had no idea it was possible to climb without an engine (or by cashing in your kinetic energy). I always thought gliding was about being towed up, then gliding back to earth. “Gliding is when you’re going down. Soaring is when you let nature help you fly,” he said. Soaring is as much about being a student of nature as it is a student of aviation. At 5,000 feet in the glider, I felt as much like a hunter as I did a pilot. I was hunting for lift—studying the cloudscape, conditions, and environment to find pockets of rising air. Dark bases on clouds, tendrils beneath a cloud, pockets of sunshine on the earth were all “signs” of possible lift. Soaring goes beyond flying the airplane; it is a study of nature and a hunt for free “fuel in your tanks,” if you can find it. THE EXPERTS

Birds are nature’s soaring experts. I spotted a nearby red-tailed hawk while we were circling in a weak thermal and Roy insisted we go and share his lift. Roy said he’s shared many thermals with hawks, eagles, and ospreys. They are the best indicators of where to ﬁnd lift. As I watched our variometer rise, I was again bewildered at the concept of this magical, invisible, free ﬂying air. Roy said he’s

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seen corn shucks and newspapers at 5,000 feet and has even been able to smell the earth below from several thousand feet while in a thermal. In soaring, you are part of the environment. A good soaring pilot learns to watch the clouds, study the weather, and observe nature. Roy practices what he preaches. Every morning Roy wakes up to check the weather for a high over western Tennessee, a low over New England, and a 20-mph wind at ridge top the entire distance from Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to Knoxville, Tennessee. It’s a weather combination that happens only once every 10 years, but when it does, you can bet Roy will be airborne in a glider. Under such conditions, Roy said he has flown to Tennessee and back twice, without an engine in a single flight—about 900 miles and 12 hours of flying. Roy has been flying gliders for 58 years, since he was 13, and stopped counting flights somewhere beyond 19,000. He built a home that overlooks Harris Hill so he could “keep an eye on the juniors.” “All of my family flies. And I mean 100 percent of my family,” he said. Each of his three sons learned to fly in gliders at Harris Hill. One is now a 747 captain, another a corporate pilot, and the youngest a private pilot. His oldest grandson just got his multiengine rating and is a tow pilot at Harris Hill, Ryan (who flew me on my first flight) earned his private pilot glider this summer, and his youngest grandson, 13, is already flying too, “just waiting to get older so he can make it legal.” SOARING

We were able to ﬁnd a few more pockets of lift before coming back to the airport. I again appreciated how much control the spoilers gave me on landing. The fear of being optionless in a glider was gone. To top that, our ﬂight was the longest of the day—one hour, eight minutes. At an airport cookout that night, I admitted to other members of the Harris Hill Soaring Corporation that I had never experienced this aviation phenomena called soaring, and now knew the difference between soaring and gliding. David Ridding, a fellow EAA member, smiled empathetically. “We don’t come to the

Brady and Roy McMaster prepare for a ﬂight in a Schleicher ASK 21 at Harris Hill.

airport on gliding days; we come on soaring days,” he said. “Gliding goes down; soaring goes up,” Peter Smith, president of the National Soaring Museum, said simply. The next morning Peter gave me a tour of the museum and showed me a replica of what is considered the first aircraft to soar—the 1911 Wright glider. He said it flew for nine minutes and 45 seconds. Every nonpowered flight before that was considered gliding. Studying nature to find lift out of invisible air, then piloting the aircraft in such a way to maximize that lift and gain altitude adds a whole new challenge and reward to flying. “You don’t need an excuse to go fly a glider,” Tom Berry, another club member, told me. “Every time you fly is a new game to find lift.” He added that the only reason to go soaring is for pure recreation. There is no other reason to fly a glider. What I had thought on the outset was a borderline irresponsible way to fly ended up being exactly the kind of flying I enjoy most—the pure recreational kind. Soaring is a blend of flying and nature. Anyone who soars is a student of both, and that is a life worth living. “The scientist does not study nature because it is useful; he studies it because he delights in it, and he delights in it because it is beautiful. If nature were not beautiful, it would not be worth knowing, and if nature were not worth knowing, life would not be worth living.” —Henri Poincaré Brady Lane, EAA 808095, is a multimedia journalist for EAA and a private pilot who is scratchbuilding a Bearhawk. Contact Brady at blane@eaa.org.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF BRADY LANE

LAURAN PAINE JR. COMMENTARY / PLANE TALK

The assembly “line.” Builder passion and expert craftsmanship on display.

Delivery Team Oregon’s Synergy Air BY LAURAN PAINE JR.

WHEN I SAW THE press release about fully assembled RV-12s for sale, I thought, “Hey, that’s kinda unique. I gotta check that out.” Van’s Aircraft has long been a supplier of outstanding aircraft kits. No secret there. So, when light-sport aircraft came into being, people wanted Van’s to jump into the market. And it did, with the RV-12. Many other manufacturers offered LSA kits, too, along with fully assembled LSA aircraft. (We all now know that LSA is not bound by the 51 percent rule, so one can be built for you.) Van’s has traditionally offered only kits, and that hasn’t changed. But what has changed is that you can now buy a fully ﬁnished RV-12 from Van’s Aircraft. But Van’s doesn’t build them: Synergy Air in Eugene, Oregon, does. I had to visit. I just knew from my experience in the homebuilt community that Synergy Air was most probably made up of good people. I was right. Locationwise, Van’s is just a few miles north of me and Synergy is just a few miles south, located at Mahlon Sweet (KEUG) airport. Logistically, the visit was a piece of cake, so on a nice but cold day I went there. Picture this: a big hangar, but not huge. When you walk in there are several RV-12s about, all in various stages of assembly. And people are busily and happily assembling them. I was greeted with a hearty handshake, a look

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in the eye, and a smile from a guy that had to be 7 feet tall. (And he is 7 feet tall—more on that later). His name is Ray. Then a friendly looking gentleman with gray hair, and of average height, came walking down the stairs from the loft above, offered his hand, and said, “Hi. I’m Wally Anderson.” Wally’s the big cheese of the operation, but he’s not into big titles, like CEO and such, so big cheese works. Right away, I liked him. He’s an idea guy for sure, but he sees his role at Synergy as gathering good people and letting them do their thing. He empowers them. And they embrace it: Synergy Air is their company, each and every one of them. That attitude is reflected in the pride they take in their workmanship. A trait that Wally has that makes that work so well? He’s a very good listener. He hears his employees, and they like that.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF LAURAN PAINE JR.

Along those lines, Wally’s office is about 8 feet by 8 feet, tucked away in a corner of the loft above the hangar ﬂoor. The office has a couple laptops, a few pictures, some airplane parts, and a lot of sticky notes. The rest of the loft is used for airplane parts storage. Outside the office, on a lower part of the office wall, is a wooden woodpecker with a string attached that reaches to the hangar ﬂoor. If you need to get Wally’s attention, you pull the string a couple times. Knock-knock. Wally isn’t much into talking about Wally, but I have to give you some of his background so you’ll know where the passion that drives Synergy Air comes from. As a young fella, Wally spent four years in the U.S. Air Force as a jet engine mechanic. Afterward he used the GI Bill to go back to school and then went into the jewelry manufacturing business. He did that for 30 years. Then one day Wally visited a friend who was building an RV-6. You already know what

happens next, don’t you? The building bug bit him. Wally built his own RV-6. He said, “I just traded metals. I traded working with gold for working with aluminum.” He won some awards with his airplane, became a technical counselor, and started an EAA chapter in Eugene. Along the way of building airplanes, Wally discovered the other magical thing about homebuilding: friendships. Builders are good and giving people, and they easily become good friends. That’s just how it is, and it’s a wonderful thing to associate with in this sometimes contentious day and age. Wally said, “There was this one guy in particular. He was building his own RV-6 but was also spending a great deal of time helping me build mine. And he was an expert craftsman, not to mention being a swell guy. He would not take any money. I asked him, ‘How am I ever gonna pay you back?’ The guy said, ‘By someday helping someone else.’”

Along the way of building airplanes, Wally discovered the other magical thing about homebuilding: friendships. Okay, pause for a second. I have to tell you something. The guy’s name that helped Wally? Larry Davis. Turn to Pilot Caves (Page 98) in the back of this magazine. There you’ll see, yup, Larry Davis. And, nope, I knew nothing of this connection until Wally told me the story. It was pure happenstance, one of those small-world-aviation-connection things. I love that about aviation. After finishing and flying his RV-6, Wally experienced the symptoms of a fairly common malady: builder’s void. He was involved, but he wasn’t building; he was missing the hands-on part of the

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experience. So he founded Synergy Air, giving classes on building basics and empennage assembly. He was again knee-deep in aluminum and loving it. He added, “I was flunking retirement badly.” As happens, things evolved and Wally one day asked himself the question, What if we built some RV-12s? He approached Van’s, and the rest of the story, as they say, is history. Okay, what I’ve told you thus far about Wally I had to drag out of him, bit by bit. Now we’ll get to what he really likes to talk about: the people on the hangar ﬂoor assembling the RV-12, the RV-12 itself, the future, and new ideas. Those are the things that get Wally Anderson ﬁred up! The assembly line is in the form of a semi-circle inside the hangar. First step is the empennage. Parts are inventoried and prepped. Parts are sent out for priming. Parts are assembled. Even though the assemblers have built many of the parts before, I still saw plans laid out at every station. And so it goes, tail, wings, fuselage, landing gear, fuel tank, wiring, fiberglass, instruments, engine—you get the picture. Then it all gets loaded into a special trailer (made by the employees) that Solomon uses to transport the RV-12 to his paint shop, a motorcycle painting facility. Solomon’s painting is artwork. He then brings the painted airplane parts back to Synergy for final assembly and rigging. It is then test-flown for four or five hours, using an extensive checklist. When it is deemed ready and certified, Van’s comes down and flies the completed RV-12 back to headquarters at the Aurora airport (KUAO) in Aurora, Oregon, and offers it for sale. The first dozen sold quickly; they’re working on the second dozen now. None of the above happens as nicely as it does at Synergy Air without a bevy of good and enthusiastic people. And Wally has them. You could call them Wally’s Army, although Wally would never call them that. He calls them by their individual names. On the day I visited, Wally’s bride of 40 years, Anita, made and brought elk

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meat chili for everyone for lunch. It was magnificent. (Anita also drives the truck to Van’s for parts pickup when Wally’s not available; I’m told the Van’s employees like it when she drives because she brings them cookies.) As we sat around enjoying the chili, Wally asked that everyone give their name and a little about what they do. That was fun; their enthusiasm for their jobs came through loud and clear. Brian works on firewall and fiberglass; Heidi, a Coast Guard veteran, does wiring; Angelo does prep work; Ray (the 7-footer) played center for the University of Oregon basketball team and runs production;

Everybody knows that every job is important. The guy at the end of the assembly line knows and has done every job on the assembly line. He knows quality. Tara and Stephanie work in inventory; Kaitlyn, who formerly worked in nonprofits, does scheduling and marketing; Phil, who’s been with Synergy for seven years, originally working with the building classes, does wiring and rigging; Alan, 10 years an A&P, is on the assembly line; Chris, whose father built an RV-8, attended Embry-Riddle and does the bulk of the test flying; Steven works in final assembly; Jake, a scholarship student at Lane Community College who was recruited by Wally because of his enthusiasm, works in prep. Michael, a geography major, works in production and inspection and has soloed the RV-12 that Wally provides employees to learn to fly in (for the cost of gas and maintenance) and is “this close” (holding his thumb and forefinger about one-half inch apart) to getting his private pilot certificate. And Ian, who was sitting next to me, works in prep and assembly. The common theme often expressed in each of these short stories was, “I love my job!” Note when I say what work they did, that’s just the very short story. It’s rather

an apprenticeship. They all get to do a lot of jobs. They’re that eager. Everybody knows that every job is important. The guy at the end of the assembly line knows and has done every job on the assembly line. He knows quality. Quality work is practiced, expected, and delivered. So I can tell you, right here, right now, that a Synergy Air assembled RV-12 is masterfully crafted. The loose definition of “synergy,” after all, is “combined effort greater than the sum of individual parts.” And, may I be so bold as to say, they’re masterfully crafted right here in America! I have to tell you this side story: A couple hangars down from Synergy Air is the Lane Community College Aviation Academy. It’s rather joined at the hip with Synergy in that, having two RV-12s in its ﬂeet, it provides professional ﬂight training to its enrolled students (the great handling, unrestricted visibility, and advanced

cockpit make for a wonderful trainer) and also provides RV-12 transition training for new owners. They tell me those two airplanes are the most flown in the fleet. Flying reliably 100-plus hours a month is a testament to the RV-12’s quality and toughness. So it’s no surprise that at the lunch was Steve, the director of the Academy; Paul, the chief flight instructor; and Sean, a CFI from the school (and Michael’s flight instructor). Of course, make no mistake, they were there for Anita’s chili, too. Here are more ideas that Wally thinks about: How about a fractional ownership flying club of RV-12s? Low cost, inexpensive flying in a dependable and fun airplane. How about a fly-in at some local airport of RV-12 enthusiasts and invite the public to experience the simplicity and joy of it all? Escape the ordinary; experience the thrill and joy of LSA flying. There are lots more ideas where those came from: Wally’s mind. But isn’t it

nice to see someone promoting general aviation, with not just words or brochures but hands-on? Yes, it is! I could go on but you get the gist of it: a builder with the passion; a great airplane kit; an enthusiastic, talented, and prideful workforce; and elk meat chili. Here’s what you get: a wonderful airplane you and general aviation can be proud of. The long-term market for LSA? We shall see. But I can assure you of this: The long-term prognosis for builder enthusiasm and passion is assured. Once experienced, people love it. That’s been proven. We have but to put parts or an airplane in people’s hands. The flame of aviation passion burns bright and long. Hold that thought. Lauran Paine Jr., EAA 582274, is a retired military pilot and retired airline pilot. He built and ﬂies an RV-8 and has owned a Stearman and a Champ. Learn more about Lauran at his website, www.ThunderBumper.com.

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JEFF SKILES COMMENTARY / CONTRAILS

A backcountry strip at Soldier Bar, Idaho.

Bush Flying in Wisconsin One EAA member’s unusual reason to ﬂy BY JEFF SKILES

I ENJOY JUST ABOUT any kind of flying and have been fortunate to fly aircraft ranging from ultralights to large airliners. As a flight instructor I am able to pass on some of what I have learned over the years as well. I do like to teach, but mostly I just like to be in the air looking at the farm fields going by. Whether I am flying the aircraft myself or talking a student through the finer points of a steep turn doesn’t really matter to me; I enjoy it all the same. Sometimes, though, we all need a reason to fly, a little extra impetus to get up in the air. Life gets in the way. Work and responsibility keeps us tethered to the ground. I’m much more likely to go flying with a student on a warm summer’s eve than go up and fly myself. Instructing gives me a purpose for flight. Practical guys like me need a reason for action. EAA chapters long ago perfected the pancake breakfast as a reason to draw people into the air. On most any warm-weather Saturday here in the Midwest pancakes can be found within an hour’s flight, north, south, east, or west. Eight dollars is the going rate for breakfast in this part of the country—don’t even think about charging $9. In Wisconsin this last summer several FBOs joined together to promote a once a month luncheon fly-out. It’s an excuse to get in your airplane and flock together with other like-minded aviators and

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it has proven to be amazingly successful. Pilots fly from far and wide to join together for an hour of camaraderie and then return from whence they came. Only a short 30-minute flight from Oshkosh is the small hamlet of Iola, Wisconsin. The airport consists of several grass runways, a couple of hangars, and the large clubhouse of the Central County Flyers Association. Every Friday year-round a hundred or more pilots fly and drive to share lunch and fellowship at one of the warmest little airports around. You must buy a membership to dine, but lifetime family memberships are freely sold for $10 apiece. Every year there is a fish boil on Washington Island, a roughly 10-squaremile island that is part of a beautiful archipelago stretching out into Lake Michigan. The last gathering was the 60th anniversary of the Washington Island

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF JEFF SKILES

Lions Club’s Fly-In Whitefish Boil. A hundred airplanes descend onto this quaint little island for of all things, boiled fish. Hot dogs are provided for those not partial to aquatic fare along with crafts, hayrides, music, and of course, bingo. On your way to Washington Island you ﬂy right over the inviting airport of Ephraim in Door County. The airport has bikes available for use by aerial visitors to pedal down the hill to Wilson’s for ice cream or a burger. The view across the waters of Green Bay from your table is an experience to be remembered. It seems as if food is a powerful motivator for ﬂight, as any pilot who has paid for that $100 hamburger can attest. But, there are a very few who have developed their own unique reasons for getting into the air, which brings me to my vet—as in veterinarian. I have always known that my vet was a pilot, but our infrequent connection over the

examining table has always been centered on whatever mysterious malady my collie has managed to evidence lately. With such singular canine concentration, somehow talk of flying never came up. But recently an uncaptioned photo turned up in my e-mail. It showed a Cessna 170 parked next to an Aviat Husky in a high mountain meadow somewhere close to paradise. A curving scratch of a runway/road/ cart track extended beyond the two aircraft down a narrow valley with walls seemingly thousands of feet high. A more idyllic setting couldn’t be imagined. “Is that yours?” I instantly e-mailed back. “Yes, just got back from Idaho. Would you like to go flying sometime?” was the response, and that weekend I was treated to a most unlikely kind of aviation experience. Jim Stevenson, EAA 1087325, has been flying for four years and owns a Cessna 170B sitting high on 29-inch Alaskan Bushwheels.

His plane has an aftermarket 180-hp engine with a constant-speed propeller, and a more beautiful looking ship, inside and out, couldn’t be imagined. But what is more amazing is what he does with it. Jim and a group of friends fly the bush…in Wisconsin. Their group consists of the aforementioned Cessna 170, a Cessna 180, a Maule, a Husky, and a Super Cub. One or another of the group has received permission to land at a series of farm strips and ultralight runways across the rolling hills of southern Wisconsin. They fly in a group and sandwich their ships into postage-stamp-sized runways for practice and fun. Sunday morning dawns clear and beautiful after the rains of the day before. I hadn’t flown out of Morey Field on the west side of Madison, Wisconsin, since I was a kid. My memory of ramshackle buildings by a narrow strip of asphalt had

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JEFF SKILES

Jim Stevenson’s and Jeﬀ Collins’ Cessnas at AirVenture Oshkosh 2013.

transformed itself into a modern airport with a substantial concrete ramp and rows of very nice-looking hangars. As we push the 170 from the shadows of the hangar out into the sun the somewhat whimsical paint scheme and huge tires combine to give an almost cartoonish look to the plane. We climb up into the front seats, not an easy feat on those big tires, start up, and head for the grass runway. Jim begins to speak what I have come to find out is the language of this small fraternity. Talk of leading edge cuffs, vortex generators, and angle of attack indicators fills the air. I don’t really understand much of it, or why it is important, but the 170 sure gets off the ground fast. The morning is one to remember as the landscape below slowly transforms itself from the dusty heat of yesterday’s summer to the not long off chill of a Wisconsin winter. The reds and yellows of the turning leaves are beautifully framed against the greens and browns of the farm fields. Here in the northern Midwest we have abundant opportunity to experience the transition from the dog days to a landscape on fire with color, and yet every year we marvel at its return. We circle over a grass strip atop a nearby ridge with a lonely high-wing Cessna parked alongside. Jeff Collins, EAA 1119970, waits by his 180 that sits on even bigger tires and is equally bedecked with modifications that I can’t comprehend. We shortly depart with the 180 in trail.

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Jim has a round robin course mapped out on his iPad. iPads are still a mystery to me. I don’t own one myself, and I realize that I’m probably the last pilot on the planet not to, but I find something incongruous about having an electronic course on a moving map to find backcountry landing sites in the rolling Wisconsin hills. “There’s our first strip down there,” Jim says as he points toward the ground. “Where? There?” I’m a bit perplexed. I think I see where Jim is casually gesturing. It looks more like a grassy farm path to me. I wouldn’t say it quite measures up to the term “runway.” It is set down in a valley sandwiched between two low ridges. I suppose it’s long enough, but who knows. At the end of the runway is a hill that will have to be maneuvered around on takeoff. Jim enters a pattern for this small oblong of grass. A road at the end will need to be carefully watched for traffic because the runway starts right at the shoulder. Thankfully no cars are in view as Jim drags it in just over the road. A slight flare, the wheels touch, and forward pressure pins the big tires to the grass. We’re down and stopped with plenty of room to spare. As we clear the runway Jeff ’s 180 comes in behind. Jim and Jeff compare notes over the radio about the freakish winds on short final before we’re off to the next spot. It’s obvious that Jim is very skilled at flying this 170. Most of his 400 hours have been training like this trying to fit his plane into

smaller and smaller places. An hour of Jim’s flying is probably worth a hundred sitting at altitude cruising along like the rest of us. The next spot is about 15 miles away and looks as if it’s not much more than 1,000 feet long. It also slopes quite dramatically from left to right, a bit alarming on short final but once again it proves to be no problem for Jim. Many small farm strips are challenging in this part of Wisconsin. This is the driftless area, an area of deeply carved valleys untouched by the last glacial age. Landowners have created runways with difficulties known only to them. We circle over one that doesn’t look too bad from the air, but on short approach it is clear that the ends are the high points with a serious dip in the center. We get the wheels rolling right where the short-cropped grass begins, and before it slopes downhill. Once again, with Jim at the wheel, the strip proves to be a challenge but not a problem. Our last landing before returning to the familiar environs of a modern airport is a very short but uphill patch of grass. Jim sets it on the end, and the slope brings us quickly to a stop on what would otherwise appear to be an unusable landing site. Jim and Jeff have found a truly unique reason that gets them in the air most every Friday afternoon. Sometimes the group is even larger as they travel in loose formation from one field to the next like motorcycle riders on the open road. We all sometimes need that reason to put aside our daily lives and head for the airport; find yours today and go flying. Groups like the Recreational Aviation Foundation, Utah Back Country Pilots Association, and Idaho Aviation Association have a mission to preserve backcountry strips in the West. Their websites are rich with information on strips like that mountain meadow at Soldier Bar, Idaho, that started all of this. The best part is that many can be used by any kind of aircraft. Get a little mountain flying instruction and go give it a try! Jeff Skiles, EAA 336120, is EAA vice president of communities and member programs. Contact Jeff at jskiles@eaa.org.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF JEFF SKILES

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY

WHAT IT’S LIKE TO FLY THE BIGGEST BOMBER OF WORLD WAR II

BY JEFF SKILES

THE PASSENGERS ASSEMBLE in front of the B-29, gaping skyward at the great bulbous nose. Some of them clutch a memento in their hands—dog tags, or maybe a photograph of a loved one—a connection to another time and place when the shadows of hundreds of B-29s darkened the sky. They listen quietly to the safety briefing before splitting up to climb to their

assigned locations for the flight. Those lucky enough to join us in the forward crew compartment climb through a hatch in the nose wheel well; those in the back scale a ladder and pass through a small door in the rear gunners’ compartment. The two pilots sit widely separated in the cockpit at rather simple control stations. Each has just basic instruments, a

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control yoke, rudders, and four throttles. I assume my assigned position as copilot. Behind me, facing backward, sits the flight engineer at a panel bristling with gauges, levers, and switches. This is the command center of the big bomber. Other than basic flight controls, everything goes through the engineer. In military usage, a radio operator, navigator, and a bombardier would have joined the forward compartment crew, but today those positions are unnecessary and their seats are available for passengers. Our four forward passengers sit nervous with anticipation. Often WWII servicemen will occupy their assigned stations from so long ago and relive the sights

WRIGHT 3350 The B-29 was the first production aircraft to be equipped with the new Wright 3350 twin-row, 18-cylinder engines producing 2,200 hp. Early on these engines had significant teething problems. Cooling of the rear bank of cylinders became a particular problem that was only exacerbated by the tight cowl design, heavy operational weights, and the hot temperatures in the Pacific theater of operations. Abused thusly, the cylinders showed an alarming propensity for swallowing their own valves, often accompanied by an engine fire. The metal alloy used for the engine crankcase had a high concentration of magnesium that could ignite and burn at temperatures high enough to compromise the structure of the aircraft. This fate befell the second B-29 prototype after an uncontrollable magnesium fire burned through the wing spar. Boeing’s chief test pilot and 11 crew members were lost in the accident.

A ﬁstful of throttles.

Rear crew compartment seating.

and sounds of their youth now separated by 70 years of memory. Engine start is accomplished entirely by the engineer who purposefully manipulates the controls from his console. The ground personnel and the scanners in the back are his eyes and ears as the engines fire one by one, belching smoke before settling to a low loping rumble as we leave the chocks and taxi for takeoff. The B-29 has a free swiveling nose wheel, and directional control is

accomplished with differential braking and power. It sounds easy, but taxiing FIFI has a learning curve. The brakes grab at the slightest application, and neophytes like me lurch from side to side in a serpentine path down the taxiway. At runway’s end the engineer once again takes control for the engine run-up. He tests each engine—carefully exercising the props, checking the magnetos, listening for any discordant tone amidst the symphony playing out on the wings.

Continual modifications to the engine improved the cooling but didn’t entirely eliminate the problem. Near the end of World War II the engine fuel delivery system was altered from carburetion to direct fuel injection that greatly increased the reliability of the Wright 3350. This modified engine became the basis for the higher horsepower workhorses that powered the DC-7 and Constellation airliners through the 1950s. While the CAF’s B-29, FIFI, isn’t operated at the weights and temperatures experienced by crew members in World War II, it had its own share of engine problems related to the early Wright 3350 engines. In 2006, FIFI was set down for a four-year restoration during which its engines were replaced with new engines incorporating many of the design changes adopted in the later versions of the big Wright. In 2010, a safer and much more reliable FIFI flew again.

The ailerons are geared to lower control forces.

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY AND BRADY LANE

TAKEOFF ROLL

We’re at the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Wings Over Houston air show, and the airﬁeld is being run by the air boss. We wait for an aerobatic act to ﬁnish and then hear “FIFI cleared for takeoff.” The air boss is in a hurry to get us out between acts. I hold the brakes and call, “Field barometric.” The engineer moves the throttles halfway forward, and the engines stabilize at 30 inches of manifold pressure. As I release the brakes and drop my heels to the floor, I move the throttles toward the stops and the Boeing surges ahead. Steering is accomplished entirely by differential power through 50 mph or so. Once the rudder becomes effective I command, “Engineer’s throttles, set max power.” The engineer takes over the throttles and sets 44 inches of manifold pressure. At 100 mph I lighten the nose wheel slightly, and at around 125 mph, FIFI levitates into the air. It’s hard to define exactly when we leave the runway, but once I’m sure I step hard on the brakes until I feel the “thump, thump” of the

wheels coming to a stop before commanding, “Gear up.” We climb out flat to gain speed and precious engine cooling. The B-29 has a long fuselage, and its tail is protected by a retractable tail skid. The CAF has a custom; if you scrape the skid, you must sign the skid plate with a Sharpie and your transgression will be there for all to see until the next pilot removes your name by equaling your feat. Passing through 150 mph I call, “Flaps up, climb one.” At 190 mph, “Climb two, after-takeoff checklist.” The engineer dutifully reduces our power even further as we head out for our 30-minute flight over Galveston Bay. BOEING HEAVY BOMBER

The design work for the B-29 began hardly more than three decades after the Wright brothers’ first flight. The blueprints defined an aircraft of extremes, faster, larger, and heavier than any mass-produced aircraft ever built up to that time. New innovative technologies like pressurization, high-aspect-ratio wings, and

remotely controlled gun turrets would be incorporated. The Boeing would be as sophisticated as any other aircraft on the planet and would weigh an astounding 144,000 pounds. The Army Air Corps ordered 250 before the first prototype flew and increased the order to 500 after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Eventually more than 4,000 would be built at a cost that exceeded any other government contract ever written before. The high-altitude missions flown by American servicemen could stretch on for as long as 15 hours. Often fighter aircraft didn’t have the range to accompany the B-29s over their targets; the bomber’s defense was altitude, airspeed, and firepower. The B-29 can fly as high as 31,000 feet, and its maximum speed is 350 mph. It has three pressurized compartments: the flight deck, a rear compartment housing three gunners, and the tail gunner’s area. A tunnel connects the forward and rear compartments through the bomb bay. Before making their final runs over a target, the

Pilot stations have very basic controls.

Larry Jeﬀus through the rear pressure hatch.

Captain David Oliver, Jeﬀ Skiles, and Rob Wickman brief for a ﬂight.

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crews would don their oxygen masks and the aircraft would be depressurized to better accept battle damage. In a triumph of mechanical design, the four gun turrets are remotely controlled. The gunners had five sighting stations, an elevated “barber’s chair,” and two side blisters in the rear compartment, as well as the nose and tail gunners’ position. The gunners operated small targeting devices that electrically controlled the remote gun turrets above and below the aircraft. The fire control officer in the top blister assigned the gunners to the individual turrets as he saw fit. The control surfaces are massive, and they have no hydraulic boost. The elevator

is fairly light when trimmed properly, but the rudder and ailerons require quite a bit of muscle. The ailerons have a mechanical reduction to give the pilot reasonable control forces. Rather than the normal 90 degrees, the control yoke must be spun 180 degrees in each direction for full aileron deployment. The large control movements required on final approach make the pilot look as if he’s on an exercise machine, with 90-degree aileron application and large

rudder inputs often required to stay on profile. The first prototype flew in 1942, and the design was already needed desperately in the war effort. The B-29 had many teething problems with its engines, pressurization, propellers, and fire control systems, but there was little time to perfect the aircraft. Rather than shut down production to implement design changes, new aircraft were instead flown directly from assembly plants to special

TUPOLEV TU-4 In the waning moments of World War II, Stalin ordered his aviation industry to construct an exact copy of the B-29 to be built as a Soviet heavy bomber. The Soviets had come into the possession of three intact, and ﬂyable, B-29s that had all made emergency landings at the eastern Russian port of Vladivostok. Ramp Tramp, Ding Hao, and the General H.H. Arnold Special had all diverted due to mechanical problems or battle damage suﬀered during raids over Japan and Manchuria. Russia was far behind with its own design for a Soviet heavy bomber. It would take five years to design and build a prototype. By cloning the B-29, the Soviets could have intercontinental bombing capability in as little as two. Noted aircraft designer Andrei Tupolev was assigned the project. He ordered that Ramp Tramp be used for flight testing, Ding Hao be grounded and remain intact as a reference aircraft, and the General H.H. Arnold Special be painstakingly disassembled. Every one of the B-29’s 105,000 parts was measured, labeled, and photographed. Design teams were assigned to re-create every subassembly. The production of some, however, proved beyond the reach of Soviet industry. Rather than try and produce the B-29’s large tires, for instance, the Russians simply clandestinely bought them on the war surplus market.

Flight Engineer Ben Powers monitors the engines.

Dubbed the Tu-4, the first Russian B-29 flew in 1947, and surprised western military observers when they appeared over Moscow during the Soviet aviation day parade. Ironically, as copies of the B-29 they suﬀered from many of the same maladies. Engine overheating, engine ﬁres, runaway props, and pressurization problems dogged the design, but eventually 845 aircraft were produced for Soviet front line squadrons.

The ﬁre control oﬃcer sat in the “barber’s chair” to direct the turrets.

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The ﬂight engineer’s station bristles with controls.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY

modification facilities where they were rebuilt before heading west to the Pacific. The mechanical problems suffered by the B-29 only continued when on station in the hot, humid Pacific, but Army pilots learned to do mag checks on the takeoff roll, use less power and all available runway for takeoff, and climb at a slow rate and fast airspeed for engine cooling. Eventually the B-29 became a potent weapon that played a critical role in bringing World War II to a close.

INBOUND FOR LANDING

“FIFI, bring it in. Cleared to land 17R,” squawks the air boss over the radio in his staccato patter. We’ve been loitering about 5 miles north waiting for an act to finish. “Manifold 26 inches, flaps 15,” I command. Power is always voiced in evennumbered increments, and flaps in odd to avoid miscommunication. The engineer behind me grabs a fistful of throttles and reduces power to the four Wrights on the

BIRTH OF A GENERATION The B-29 Superfortress provided the DNA for many other significant designs of the 1940s and 1950s from bombers, to tankers and cargo aircraft, and even airliners. At the end of war, the basic design of the B-29 was strengthened and re-engined with significantly more powerful Pratt & Whitney 4360 powerplants. The extra power of the largest piston engines ever mass-produced required a bigger vertical fin design, and the new aircraft was reclassified the B-50. Ultimately, 370 B-50s were built, and they served in the U.S. Air Force well into the Vietnam era, finally retiring from active service in 1965. The power and strength of the B-50 was combined with a new double-bubble fuselage to create the C-97 Stratofreighter transport and KC-97 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft. Eventually, 888 airframes of all variants were built and were the backbone of the Strategic Air Command’s aerial refueling wings for many years. The aircraft continued to serve in National Guard units until finally retiring in 1978. A civilian version of the C-97 was designed for intercontinental airlines of the day. The Boeing 337 Stratocruiser was launched to much fanfare as the largest airliner of its day, but it never had the commercial success of the military designs. During its short production run only 56 Stratocruisers were built.

FIFI emerges from its home.

The rear gunner has the best view in the airplane.

In total 5,284 B-29s and descendant aircraft were built from 1943 until the last KC-97 left the factory in 1958, a 15-year production run with lasting import for our military and our nation.

wing. The aircraft commander toggles the small electric switch that deploys the massive flaps on the wing. “Flaps 15,” confirms the engineer verifying their position. “Gear down.” Tom, the captain, moves the guard out of the way and flips the gear switch. Once again it’s a toggle smaller than a light switch. The B-29 is an electric airplane. Except for the hydraulic main wheel brakes, everything on the B-29 is electric. “Flaps 25, landing checklist,” I call. We’re on base leg, and I try and anticipate the turn to final knowing that the ailerons and rudder will feel like they’re set in cement. I give it a bootful of rudder and crank in the ailerons; it takes both hands on the wheel. FIFI considers the direction from the cockpit for a moment and then slowly begins to roll. Now,

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planning for the roll-out must begin immediately; you have to think where the airplane will be in five seconds or you’ll overshoot. It responds that slowly! “Flaps 35.” I try and bull’s-eye the runway numbers in the multi-paned nose and select which pane of glass is best to look out of for landing; there are about half a dozen choices—none of them are good. “Manifold 22 inches.” I’ve let FIFI get a bit high on approach; reducing the power will help get back on glide path. The gigantic bird doesn’t maneuver like a fighter. I’ve already learned that it is important to stay on profile. We’ll land as we took off, flat and level. It doesn’t take much rotation to hit the tail skid on landing, and the outside propellers are only 24 inches off the ground. Add in a little side slip for a crosswind correction and you could be lopping off runway lights. At 300 feet in the air I call, “High lights,” and the engineer moves the props to flat pitch. The air boss isn’t advertising much of a crosswind, but the very festive-looking flags along the flightline are blowing flat out 90 degrees to the runway. His anemometer must be inside the tower cab. The cockpit windows are about 10 feet in front of me, and there are no familiar reference points looking out the nose. It’s hard to get a visual cue for both

pitch attitude and alignment with the runway. “Ease ’em off,” I command as we cross the numbers. I hear the engines throttle down as the engineer pulls them back. I don’t ﬂare as much as just hold the attitude. We’ll call it a firm arrival. Not the worst landing I’ve made this year, but it’s a good thing everyone was in their seats all the same. I get on the brakes carefully to bring the big bomber to a halt, and we taxi back to deplane our passengers. AIRPOWER HISTORY TOUR

FIFI is the only B-29 still flying today. Produced in 1945, it served briefly in both World War II and the Korean conflict before being put into desert storage at the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. It is from there that the CAF acquired FIFI in 1971. Returned to the air after restoration in 1974, FIFI is celebrating its 40th year of flying with the CAF throughout 2014. The mission of the CAF, as well as EAA’s B-17 flight experience, is to honor

the sacrifices of our servicemen and in their remembrance highlight the lessons of history for future generations. Every year throughout the country, WWII bombers, fighters, and other aircraft of the era fly in tribute to the brave men and women that fought our battles and protected our freedom. With the CAF AirPower History Tour the CAF brings together in one experience the basic trainers and bombers that a serviceman might have flown on his way to a B-29 cockpit. WWII was a conflict fought across the globe and is remembered as a time of immense significance for our country. Through living history flights offered by the CAF, EAA, and others, the sacrifices and the triumphs by our brave servicemen will never be forgotten. Jeff Skiles, EAA 336120, is EAA vice president of communities and member programs. Attend an EAA chapter meeting to see the February and March editions of Chapter Video Magazine, featuring Jeff Skiles’ CAF training. To find a chapter, visit www.EAA.org/chapters/locator.

FULL CIRCLE EAA air tour membership services representative Chris Henry received a call from a gentleman asking to purchase a B-17 air tour jacket. He needed it rush shipped, a costly proposition, but cost was no factor; he needed it now. His father, a B-17 waist gunner in World War II, had taken a ride in EAA’s Aluminum Overcast the day before. It was a powerful experience for him bringing back the sights and sounds of a youth forged in adversity. But, it was also an opportunity for remembrance of friends with whom he served. Friends who didn’t make it back, their faces forever captured in faded photographs frozen with the bravado of youth. That very evening, after the flight, his life in many ways had come full circle, and he passed on to whatever place is reserved for old warriors in the sky. The jacket was to bury him as he had lived. Henry Bordelon sits at the right scanner position.

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY

56 Sport Aviation February 2014

THE GREAT LAKES SPORT TRAINER IS IN PRODUCTION AGAIN WITH UPGRADES WE COULD ALL LOVE BY J. MAC MCCLELLAN

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY

I CHUCKLE EVERY TIME I hear somebody call an event or object a “new classic” or “a new tradition.” Classics and traditions can only be molded by time, not by declaration. But in Battle Creek, Michigan, the guys at Waco Aircraft Corporation really are building a

“new classic,” the Great Lakes 2T-1A-2 sport trainer. The Great Lakes certainly meets every requirement to be called a classic. The design dates to the 1920s. It was one of the ﬁrst airplanes created to teach people how

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to have fun in the air. And it was a star on the air show and aerobatic circuit for decades with several famous pilots, including Harold Krier, ﬂying it to win championships. But the Great Lakes that Waco is building is also “new” as in every component in the airplane is brand spanking new. And Waco made dozens of design changes to enhance comfort, performance, and maintainability. All the charm of a Jazz Age

airplane remains, but the hassle has been swept away by modern materials. The Great Lakes may be one of the easiest to identify biplanes from the golden age. One trademark is the near perfect circle the rudder and vertical fin form. Another is the pronounced sweep of the upper wing. And there is that wide stance main landing gear mounted on beefy horizontal struts protruding from just aft of the firewall.

Lightweight composite material wheelpants are standard. Waco created a new logo for the Great Lakes featuring a map of, what else, the Great Lakes.

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Waco Aircraft Corporation owner Peter Bowers had been searching for a smaller, less costly airplane to build as a companion to the beautiful Waco YMF the company has been producing for nearly 30 years. Bowers wanted another genuine classic biplane to build, one with an existing type certificate that was available to restart production. The Great Lakes fits that niche. Type certification was a far less complex process when the Great Lakes was originally built in the 1920s. But the airplane had been revived at least a couple of times in the 1970s and ’80s, so the type certificate had been amended along the way. What Peter got when he bought the Great Lakes type certificate was some rusty tooling that had sat jumbled in a semi truck trailer for decades, some crumbling paper drawings that were not sufficiently detailed, and the actual type certificate document—a one page document that is incredibly vague, to say the least. With so little detail in the official documents, the Waco guys got their hands on a Great Lakes from the previous production run in the 1970s and disassembled it to see how it was built. What they found were big corrosion problems in the steel tube fuselage and other metal parts, and an enormous list of things they could do to make the Great Lakes better. An immediately obvious necessity was to create more room in the aft cockpit. When the Great Lakes was designed American men averaged somewhere around 5 feet 6 inches in height. Average height now is several inches taller. And we are all constantly reminded by the media what is happening to the average person’s weight. The Great Lakes of 90 years ago fit the population, but for many of us the airplane is just too small for comfort, or even function. The size and shape of the fuselage couldn’t be changed without altering the core of the Great Lakes, but the Waco engineers found they could move a cross member of the fuselage frame aft. The location of the tube forced the aft pilot’s seat to be absolutely upright. Moving the tube aft allows the seat back to be reclined, creating very significant additional space. The instrument panel was redesigned and moved forward as were the rudder pedals.

The cockpit sides were opened up for more elbow room, and a new throttle, mixture, prop combination was installed at just the right spot under your left hand. The net effect of the many cockpit changes is amazing. At 6 feet 2 inches, I can barely squeeze into an original Great Lakes, and when I do my arms are pinned to my ribs. In the new airplane I ﬁt comfortably and move around easily. Everything feels natural. The difference makes the new airplane available to a whole new group of pilots. Brakes were another design issue. The Great Lakes, like nearly all airplanes of the period, had heel-operated brakes. Traditionalists love heel brakes. The rest of us hate them. The new Great Lakes has perfectly natural-to-operate hydraulic toe brakes in the main cockpit, with heel brakes in the forward cockpit for simplicity and weight savings. To resolve the corrosion issues common to older Great Lakes the new airplane is built with 4130 steel tubing that is laser cut on numerically controlled machines. All of the steel comes from American or German suppliers. When the frame is assembled it is epoxy coated and internally

Waco used computer aided design (CAD) to define the Great Lakes with precision its designers could never have imagined. Wing ribs are stamped aluminum fitted to Douglas fir spars. All fittings and wires inside the wings are stainless steel.

oiled, the same process Waco uses on its exotic YMF biplanes. To improve maintainability the new Great Lakes has removable aluminum side panels from the firewall aft to the cockpits in place of fabric cover. All of the control cables, flying wires, and the internal flying and landing wires are stainless steel. The exhaust system is also stainless steel, and there is now a heater that ducts warm air to the aft cockpit. The cabin steps and wing walk have been beefed up and enlarged, and five-point Hooker harnesses are standard.

The Great Lakes wings have stamped aluminum ribs on Douglas fir spars. Waco engineers thought they could replace the fir spars with an aluminum extrusion of the same size. It turned out that the aluminum spar was plenty strong but was just too flexible compared to the fir to work. Waco uses the same Dacron fabric and PPG Delta system poly paint on the Great Lakes as is used to cover the YMF. Instead of being stitched to the ribs, the fabric on the Great Lakes is riveted. The finished Great Lakes has the same perfection as the much more expensive Waco because the

GREAT LAKES 2T-1A-2 BY WACO The data shown here is supplied by the manufacturer and represents standard day conditions. The airplane is approved for aerobatics and day/night VFR. Standard equipped price: $245,250 Engine: Lycoming AEIO-360, 180 hp (inverted fuel and oil) Propeller: Hartzell aerobatic constant-speed Length: 20.4 feet Height: 7.4 feet Wingspan (both): 26.7 feet Wing area: 188 square feet Wing loading: 9.6 pounds/square foot Power loading: 10 pounds/hp Max takeoﬀ weight: 1,800 pounds Standard empty weight: 1,230 pounds Maximum useful load: 570 pounds Usable fuel: 27.4 gallons (164.4 pounds) Payload with full fuel: 405.6 pounds Max speed at sea level: 153 mph Cruise speed: 120 mph Stalling speed: 57 mph Rate of climb: 1,400 fpm Structural load limits: +5.4 g to -4.0g

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY

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same craftspeople—several are women—do the cover work on both airplanes. Over the decades Great Lakes have been powered by a huge variety of engines, including inlines and radials. Early airplanes typically had a Cirrus engine of 90 hp. Great Lakes built during the previous revival, and most of those built from plans over the years, use four-cylinder Lycoming engines. Initially Waco intended to use a 150-hp Lycoming with a ﬁxed-pitch prop as standard to reduce the cost. But every prospective customer for the airplane wanted the fuel-injected aerobatic Lycoming 360 rated at 180 hp with a constant-speed prop, so that became the standard engine and only offering. Customers also all wanted inverted fuel and oil systems, so that is standard on the airplane. And so is an aerobatic battery, LED strobe and navigation lights, tiny Trig comm radio and Mode S transponder, and JPI electronic engine monitor. On the brief list of options are a lighter weight MT propeller in place of the standard aerobatic constant-speed prop from Hartzell and an Electroair electronic ignition system. Everything you need to go out and turn your ﬂying world upside down is standard.

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The unique pitch trim rope is routed just below the throttle quadrant. A mechanical airspeed indicator backs up the electronic display in the aft cockpit.

You can even turn your ﬂying inside out, if you want. One of the Great Lakes claims to fame is that it held the record for 131 consecutive outside loops. The 2T-1A-2 designation means the Great Lakes by Waco has four ailerons instead of only two on some versions. The “1A” designation was added to 2T very early on when the tail surfaces were signiﬁcantly enlarged to their current and familiar shape. Initially the upper wing was straight like the lower wing. I’ve heard two reasons for the sweep of the upper wing, and both are believable. One version of Great Lakes

history says the upper wing was swept to move the CG forward. A second reason is that flight testing found some unwanted stall recovery behavior, and the sweep eliminated the issues. Redesigning a wing with significant sweep seems like a very complicated way to move the CG, so I tend to believe there was a flying qualities issue when both wings matched. But who knows for sure. Taxiing out in the new Great Lakes I found the tail wheel steering to be very positive and the toe brakes natural to use on the first try. A unique design feature of the Great Lakes is the pitch trim system. A rope loop is routed down the left cockpit side wall and back to a jackscrew. You grab the rope and pull back to trim nose-up, or run the rope forward for nose-down. It’s hard to imagine a simpler or lighter weight solution. The Great Lakes has a lot of wing area, about 188 square feet. That’s more wing area than an A36 Bonanza that weighs twice as much. With so much wing, the airplane is off the ground before you have much time to think about when to raise the tail or monitor the airspeed. The airplane also has lots of drag with struts and flying wires sticking out all over the place, and the drag of forcing air between two large wings. With 180 hp and an efficient propeller the Great Lakes climbs nicely, but it’s clear you are being lifted by wings, not being shot ahead by a snarling engine in a tiny biplane. The ride is not as comfortable and sedate as the unmatched Waco YMF, but to me the Great Lakes feels totally trustworthy and capable of giving you plenty of time to enjoy the ride.

The control harmony is nice with decent rudder force that eliminates any twitchiness in yaw. I would not call the control force light, but I found it easy to move the ailerons all the way to the stop without that feeling of needing extra leverage, or of having to lean into the stick as some older designs require. The Great Lakes is certified in the aerobatic category with g limits of +5.4 and -4.0. But certification categories were

different in the Great Lakes day, so its specific approval is for a long list of maneuvers, which are placarded in the cockpit along with entry airspeeds. All of the standard aerobatic maneuvers are on the list. With all of its drag and modest horsepower nearly all maneuvers begin with nosing over to gain entry airspeed. The Great Lakes is not an Extra, or even a Pitts. The word “sport” is the key, and it will

reward precise flying with satisfying maneuvers—not that I can do that, but I tried. The aft cockpit is pretty calm with a new one-piece windshield frame. I felt some wind on the back of my neck, but all was still below the cockpit coaming. It was a pleasant fall day when I flew the new Great Lakes so there was no opportunity to try the heater, but with proper dress and the heater working I think you could enjoy flying the airplane many months of the year. The Great Lakes creeps up to about 120 mph indicated airspeed in level flight at high cruise power. There are only 24.7 gallons in the upper wing fuel tank so long cross-country trips are not what the airplane is designed for. However, a new storage area—I hesitate to call it a baggage compartment—aft of the rear cockpit allows you to take some stuff along. And there is a case below the aft instrument panel perfectly designed to hold your iPad and some charts. It’s almost impossible to be too high on final for landing in the Great Lakes because when you reduce power the drag takes over and down you go. The landing gear struts are the most amazing I have encountered. The struts have a long stroke for a small airplane and use an oleo and spring combination, at least that’s how it was explained to me. However it works, arrivals are absolutely smooth. You’re sitting there thinking the runway is close and then you gradually sense the wheels rolling. It’s a most unusual and gratifying sensation. I tried it three times to be sure it wasn’t beginner’s luck, and it wasn’t. The price of the Great Lakes with everything you need and want for fun flying—including a three-color paint scheme—is $245,250. That’s not cheap. But for a true timeless classic with all of the antique airplane maintenance hassles removed the Great Lakes will be a value to some lucky pilots. And there won’t be a single Great Lakes owner who can’t help but look back at his airplane as he walks away. It will be a prized possession that puts fun into anybody’s flying. J. Mac McClellan, EAA 747337, has been a pilot for more

New removable aluminum fuselage side panels provide excellent access for maintenance. Heel brakes are forward with toe brakes on the rudder pedals in the aft cockpit.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY

than 40 years, holds an ATP certiﬁcate, and owns a Beechcraft Baron. To contact Mac, e-mail mac@eaa.org.

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY RUEDI HOMBERGER

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THE DOUBLE|ENDER

THERE IS SOMETHING addictive about the concept of landing an airplane in places where airplanes aren’t supposed to be able to land. This coupled with an unexplainable urge to see seldom-visited parts of this planet has given rise to an explosion of aircraft designers and designs, all of which strive to capture the Super Cub’s crown as king of the backcountry airplanes. Most of the new crop are some sort of Cub clone. However, Alec Wild and his team’s DoubleEnder is definitely not a Cub clone. In fact, the DoubleEnder may well be the true definition of “experimental airplane.” It is in a continual state of modification—experimentation, if you will—with the design and each change aimed at better accomplishing the shortfield, bush-flying goal while, at the same time, increasing safety in an inherently dangerous environment. Let’s put the short-ﬁeld, bush thing in perspective: A tennis court is 78 feet long. A city block, depending on the city, is about 300 feet. Lots of airplanes can take off and land in those distances. Look at the Valdez, Alaska, contest results, for instance: Frank Knapp’s self-designed and homebuilt Lil’ Cub (See the January issue of EAA’s

The pilot is on short ﬁnal to an even shorter sandbar, a common bush ﬂying technique.

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Experimenter digital magazine) won the experimental category with takeoff and landing distances of 58 and 54 feet, respectively. Of course, he had maybe 5 gallons of gas on board, was stripped of everything not necessary to make it ﬂy, and was the airplane’s sole occupant. These are not practical, real-world results. However, according to Alec, his DoubleEnder can easily land with zero wind and at gross weight (two FAA-sized people, full tanks, and a bunch of cargo: useful load is 1,000 pounds!) in 120 feet. Further, its landing gear and tires meet the critical bush requirement of being able to plop down on almost any reasonable surface. This is real-world, useful performance. Not contest numbers. Oh, one other very unique claim the DoubleEnder can make is that it can have an engine failure on takeoff and just keep on ﬂying. In the bush environment, that’s a lifesaving capability. Right up front it should be made clear that the DoubleEnder project, as they call it, is a work in progress and nothing is currently for sale. Alec says, “At some point we will offer it as a kit. It is just a matter of time. Our issue is that our preference is to design new airplanes rather than work on the sales side of things.

We’ll do both, but our main goal remains to advance the concept of STOL through the design of truly modern bushplanes. At this stage we will not sell the plans. Right now we are concentrating on designing the side-byside version of the DoubleEnder and the single-engine pusher version. Once they are done and tested we will hopefully offer kits for all three designs.” Incidentally, to answer the question some have asked, Alec says, “Yes, a multiengine rating is required to fly the airplane.” The goals of the rather unusual appearing design evolved out of Alec’s personal experiences in the bush environment. “I started flying in a Super Cub when I was about 16. My dad was a pilot, and my first experimental airplane was an experimental Super Cub that I purchased and flew around in Alaska, as well as doing a bunch of bush flying in Africa in support of wildlife programs. I still have my original Super Cub today.” Generations of bush pilots worldwide have put the Super Cub at the top of their list in terms of an airplane’s ability to get them in and out of nearly inaccessible locations. But, as anyone in Alaska, Africa, or any other country with serious wilderness will tell you, the terrain and conditions often place

PROJECT

limits on Piper’s iconic bush baby, just as they do on any airplane. Alec says, “As I was flying around, thoughts began to form in my mind beginning with the simple fact that the best tool presently available for bush flying was designed in the early 20th century. The basic design is 75 years old! We should be able to improve upon that with today’s technology. There was no single moment that inspired me to design and build a second-generation bushplane. It came on me slowly through experience and seeing what several other airplanes incorporated into their design. “As I thought about the Super Cub’s limitations and what I would change, safety was always number one. Performance was essential, too. Then there was increased visibility both for the usefulness and the thrill. I also liked the idea of side-by-side so that a passenger can enjoy the same view as the pilot. We put the DoubleEnder team together in 2007 and got serious about designing what we thought of as a new-generation bush, or utility, airplane.” The DoubleEnder project team is small, but each brings definite expertise to the work at hand. Alec says, “Doug Keller is our structural engineer. His background includes doing work for Cub Crafters, Sherpa Aircraft, and others. “Eric Lewis has been part of the team since the beginning, and he’s our hands-on guy doing both building and maintenance. He did most of the work on the prototype airplane. “Pete Anderson came on board in 2011 and works with Eric building stuff and doing modifications, which is an ongoing process.” Alec strives to emphasize that surrounding the core team is a lot of other people who were, and are, contractors for tooling, machining, aero design, CNC work, etc. The final product (which isn’t even close to being final) looks unique, to say the least, but every aspect of it contributes to an airplane that does the Super Cub one (or two) better. On the one hand, it appears as if someone who didn’t know how to design an airplane designed one, but on closer inspection, you find it aggressively attacks some of the more common problems and concerns that bush pilots have, chief among them being safety. Two things generally lead the safety list in a bush situation. First is dealing with the possibility of an engine quitting or refusing

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEAN-MARIE URLACHER AND RUEDI HOMBERGER

Alec Wild, founder of the DoubleEnder project, and structural engineer Doug Keller aim to build a new-millennium bushplane.

The only thing in front of the pilot is Plexiglas and structure, which is designed to fail and absorb energy before it gets to the pilot.

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THE DOUBLE|ENDER

One of many wing designs tried featured double-slotted Fowler ﬂaps, but they were deemed too complex.

Flaps are now a double-slotted hinged design extended toward the tip with spoilers to help with low-speed roll control.

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to start and stranding you. Either way, you’re in serious trouble. The obvious way around worrying about losing an engine is having two. That, however, introduces the concerns inherent with maintaining control with a conventional twin when an engine fails, hence the push-pull, centerline arrangement of the DoubleEnder. Losing an engine just means losing half of the 260 hp available, but doesn’t mean losing the airplane. Alec says, “One of our design goals was to have good single-engine performance up to 10,000 feet regardless of the load. To allow that while ﬂying at max gross, including the 55-gallon (330-pound) belly tank, we incorporated the ability to dump the fuel out of the belly tank in just a few seconds. We also wanted it to be a benign airplane to handle on one engine, which is the nice thing about the centerline arrangement: The loss of an engine just means losing some performance. Control isn’t affected at all.” Fuel is fed from a 24-gallon tank in each wing. Normally, the left tank operates the front engine, and the right tank operates the rear engine. But, they can cross feed, the engines can run on both tanks at the same time, or both engines can run on one tank at the same time. The belly tank uses a transfer pump to get fuel up to the wing tanks. The powerplants are 130-hp Rotax 914s that in the process of experimentation have driven a wide variety of props including Warp Drive, Kiev, DUC, Airmaster, Catto, etc. Alec says that, “As of today our favorite prop is the Warp Drive three-blade, 72-inch diameter.” Even from a distance, the helicopter-like visibility of the nose is obvious, but as the fuselage is examined, it becomes even more obvious that a lot of thought has gone into the structure behind the omni-vision bubble. “The ability to see the touchdown point throughout the landing is critical for shortﬁeld operations,” Alec says. “As is being able to see rocks and holes in the touchdown area during landing roll-out. However, we wanted the pilot to be protected against impacts from several directions: vertical impact, frontal impact, or a nose-over. The front of the fuselage incorporates a crush cell that is designed to absorb the forces of an impact, which protects the rest of the fuselage and the pilot.” The heart of any airplane is its wings and the lift they produce. In the case of the

PROJECT

Visibility was one of the primary design goals, along with twin-engine safety. The DoubleEnder can safely ﬂy on only one of its 130-hp Rotax engines.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEAN-MARIE URLACHER AND ERIC LEWIS

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THE DOUBLE|ENDER

DoubleEnder, it can safely be said that they’ve built and flight-tested nearly every commonly known method for squeezing the most lift possible out of a wing at the slowest speed possible. This includes two different airfoils, three different flaps, and four different slats. The structure of the wings is fairly conventional fabric-covered aluminum with drag and anti-drag wires, although, in some areas, the wires have been replaced by tubes for structural reasons.

SEE THE VALDEZ STOL AIRCRAFT FLY AT OSHKOSH The amazing capabilities of the Valdez STOL aircraft will be on full display at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2014! These specially built and modified aircraft, originally created for Alaskan bush-pilot necessity but also the inspiration for one of the world’s most unique aviation competitions, will be part of the “Valdez STOL” (short takeoff and landing) flying activities during the week at Oshkosh. Demonstrations featuring the amazing airplanes that compete at the annual Valdez, Alaska, fly-in and air show in May each year will be held several days at Oshkosh. More than a dozen of these aircraft, including homebuilt and specially modified production airplanes, are built to provide supplies to the rugged and far-flung outposts throughout Alaska. The demanding terrain in that state requires that aircraft take off and land on rough runways often less than 500 feet long. Along with flying demonstrations during AirVenture’s daily afternoon air show on July 28-30, the Valdez STOL aircraft will stage a “fun flying” demonstration from the grass ultralight runway on Friday evening, August 1. In addition, the aircraft will be on display in special parking areas near the Vintage area and on the main showcase ramp at Oshkosh, with pilots and builders part of forums and evening programs throughout the week. “Most people think of airport runways of concrete a mile or more in length, but these aircraft can land on almost any flat surface—sometimes in less than 100 feet,” said Jim DiMatteo, EAA’s vice president of AirVenture features and attractions. “The necessity of creating aircraft that can serve Alaska’s remote population also inspired a competition that is nothing like you’ll see in the Lower 48.” Further details and schedules of the Valdez STOL aircraft activities will be announced as they are finalized.

Alec says, “The double-slotted flap arrangement we currently use is a manual system that includes a dropped-hinge mechanism, while the first was an electric system that used tracks and offered a huge Fowler motion (about 14 inches of rearward travel). The Fowler motion and electric system offered better aerodynamics, but there is something to be said about the simplicity and reliability of a manual system. This is even more important given that this is a bushplane and the remote areas it is designed to fly in. Simple is better for many reasons, especially when it needs to be fixed or serviced in the middle of the bush. The deflection is about 50 degrees. “At first we tried drooping the ailerons with the flaps for more lift but were dissatisfied with the roll authority when really slow, so we eliminated it. Now, instead of drooped ailerons, we have greatly increased the span of the flaps, and use roll control spoilers in addition to the ailerons that are placed ahead of the flap area and are linked with the ailerons to help the roll response at the slowest speed.” On the leading edge of the wing, one only has to view the details in the photos of the airplane at various stages of its development to see a wide variety of slat designs and operation. Alec says, “We’ve had three different slat methods—all of them movable. They each had their pros and cons. The initial slats simply pivoted. While they offered great performance at slow flight, they gave us too much drag in cruise. We developed our second set, which was on rails (similar to the Handley Page slat). The downside to that system was weight. Our last version uses pivots and is a good compromise between weight and performance. They offer the same slow-flight performance and completely eliminate the cruise drag, while keeping the complexity and weight of the system to an acceptable level. All the slats we have experimented with are aerodynamically controlled. We did not want to increase the pilot workload by having a manual setup. The slats come out on their own when needed, and retract automatically when they are not necessary.”

As for the covering and cosmetics of the airplane, it has been covered in Stits with PPG paint and the prepainted Oratex 6000 system from Germany that is gaining favor up north. Alec says the Oratex fabric allows a weight savings of about 25 pounds on the complete aircraft. Being an experiment in process, the performance numbers are continually improving as they design, test, and modify the airplane. The version they were flight-testing at press time gave some impressive numbers. “The landing approach speed (which really means the approach angle of attack) is 36 mph,” Alec says. “That is quite a bit higher than the ultimate stall speed, which is under 30 mph, so there is positive control throughout and leaves a large safety margin. When light and the pilot is familiar with the airplane, the approach speed can be less than that.” Many of the specialized super-shortfield airplanes, as seen at the Valdez competition, can take off and land terrifically short (when loaded light), but their cruise speed is greatly compromised, which limits their usefulness. Alec says the DoubleEnder will cruise at 112 mph even when wearing 35-inch (that’s right, 35-inch) tires. So, when equipped for the roughest possible terrain, the airplane still has reasonable cruise speeds. Regardless of what the DoubleEnder project mutates into, and whether plans or kits are available for it or not, their research and in-the-field experimentation is already yielding great dividends for STOL (short takeoff and landing) aviation. When they are finished, we are going to have empirical (as opposed to theoretical) answers as to what actually works in the STOL environment. Better than that, if they go into kit or plans production, we’ll take a step over the threshold into STOL 2.0 with safer, albeit unique, answers to the age old question: How short is too short? Budd Davisson is an aeronautical engineer, has flown more than 300 different types, and has published four books and more than 4,000 articles. He is editor-in-chief of Flight Journal magazine and a flight instructor primarily in Pitts/tailwheel aircraft. Visit him on www.AirBum.com.

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1/16/14 11:24 AM

FLYING IN THE FACE OF A DOWN ECONOMY

BY MARK PHELPS

MANY, MANY YEARS AGO, my ﬁrst airplane was a very affordable, fun-to-ﬂy Grumman American AA-1B (generic name Yankee). It’s the two-seat little brother of the better known Grumman Tiger. Even though my monthly payments were less than three digits (really), I’d get interesting looks from nonpilots when someone would let slip in conversation that I “owned an airplane.”

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Wide eyes, dropped jaws, and a generally stupeﬁed expression. You could almost see the words forming in their minds: “He doesn’t look rich.” Or, “Maybe if I’m nice to him, he’ll jet me and my family off to Aspen for the weekend.” (Sometimes you could even see the conﬂicted second expression as he asked himself, “Will I have to invite my mother-in-law?”) I confess there were times when I let the misconception stand—at least for a little while. Most of the time, though, I’d quickly put a stop to it. “You’d be surprised,” I’d say. “A secondhand trainer doesn’t cost any more to own than an average-size sailboat, a camper…or that hot rod you pamper in your garage.” And airplanes aren’t designed like cars, with planned obsolescence built in. Once people heard some numbers, they would realize that owning a modest, light airplane can be not only affordable but also lots of fun. I wish I knew how many of those people went on to take flying lessons. It does come as a surprise to most people when they learn that all private airplanes aren’t as expensive as a luxury jet. Though, as with boats, the “moving up” process could get you in over your head pretty quickly. But staying within one’s means can be surprisingly doable. It all comes down to financial priorities and common sense. Of course, the rising price of avgas and disappearing discretionary income over the past decade-plus have combined to challenge anyone who might be tempted by airplane ownership. But there’s even a silver lining to high-priced 100LL. Though the economy looks like it’s crawling back, airplane values have always been among the last to recoup. So there are still bargains galore, even at the lower end of the airplane food chain. Having personally just sold an airplane for less than half of what I had its hull insured for, I feel that pain. (But it went to a very deserving buyer, which alleviates some of the sting.) I know we’re all members of EAA, so we understand homebuilts, kit planes, and ultralights—new or used—are among the best ways to fly affordably. But operating an airplane in the ultralight or experimental amateur-built category isn’t for everyone, so my mission in this article is to

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEVE SCHULTE

stick with the economics of owning a lowcost FAA-certified production airplane. As EAAers, we’re also well aware that the prices of many new factory-built light-sport aircraft (LSA) hardly qualify as “affordable”—at least for a large percentage of Sport Aviation readers. Cessna’s recent decision to discontinue its Skycatcher was based, largely, on the $150,000 price tag and the way buyers have stayed away in droves. The economics of owning an LSA might change as the market matures and the surviving models begin to age and depreciate. But for now, the factory LSA class remains outside the economics of this discussion. It’s the older certified airplanes that offer the best bang for the buck. If you’re considering taking advantage of the current market, there are some due diligence considerations that apply across the board. There are also some model-specific (and situation-specific) elements that might not show up on a cookie-cutter spreadsheet. Ultimately, it’s up to you to tell the difference, but your decision ought to be an educated one—at least as well-educated as possible. Speaking of education, many of the airplanes I’ll list in this category were designed as trainers. They usually have two seats, include sparse amenities, are able to take punishment, and focus on low operating

costs rather than high cruising speeds. They can also be among the easiest to ﬂy, most fun, and useful airplanes to own, depending on what your intentions are. To get an idea of what’s out there in this price range, a recent scan of airplane ads revealed lots of opportunities. I’ve listed them below, roughly in order of their numbers on the market when priced at $30,000 or less. EXAMPLES FROM THE ’60S AND ’70S

Cessna 150/152: Cessna added a nose wheel to its 120/140 model in the late 1950s, and one of the iconic trainers of the next few decades was born. The 150 had a 100-hp Continental engine, replaced by a Lycoming in the 152. Most desirable are the Aerobat models, with jettisonable doors, legal for light aerobatic flight. Cessna 150

Tomahawk II

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Grumman American AA-1A

Grumman American AA-1 series: With its fighter-style sliding canopy, stubby wings, and castering nose wheel, the two-seat Grumman line appealed to a crowd of frustrated aces (like me). They were even available from the factory with military paint schemes. Cruise speeds are a bit higher than a Cessna 150/152, but be sure to check runway length for high-gross-weight takeoffs—especially in hot weather. Grummans have a fiercely loyal owners group, the American Yankee Association, and there are plenty of mods available, including extra fuel tanks and STCs for more powerful engines. Piper Tomahawk: Sometimes derisively labeled the “Traumahawk,” Piper’s effort to build a more modern two-seater met with limited enthusiasm from the market. Its big advantage was that it was spinnable, and the cockpit was relatively roomy with doors on both sides and lots of Plexiglas for good visibility. The T-tail configuration did not generate the excitement Piper hoped, however.

A secondhand trainer doesn’t cost any more to own than an averagesize sailboat, a camper—or that hot rod you pamper in your garage.

Piper J-3 Cub

One reason? The majority of these particular 150s and 152s were sold as personal airplanes and are less likely to have been abused in the trainer role. Any 150 or 152 makes a great personal airplane for short hops when the skies are blue. Piper Cherokee 140/150/160: One big advantage for Piper models is the availability of optional rear seating, allowing you to take along a couple of more passengers, as long as they’re not too large. Early models had manual flaps operated

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with a Johnson bar (which I happen to prefer), push-pull throttles rather than levers, and pre-standard instrument panel layouts. Later models had T-shape six-pack instrument layouts, toe brakes, electric flaps, and other modernized elements. Ram’s horn control yokes are a popular modification. The Cherokee line is a bit larger and burns somewhat more fuel than its high-wing competitor from Wichita, but for many pilots, the flexibility is worth it.

Beech Skipper: Beech’s Skipper is often mistaken for a Tomahawk, and vice versa. The conﬁguration is identical, but the Beech version is a bit more upscale—often available with leather seats and better avionics. Beech Musketeer/Sundowner: Another one of the airplanes in this category that has four seats (except the Sport model), the BE-19/23 series was widely used as a trainer when Beech sponsored its network of ﬂight schools (as did Piper and Cessna—now a longgone marketing technique). With engines ranging from 160 hp to 180 hp, Musketeers were slower than most of the direct competition, but had roomier, quieter cabins. EXAMPLES FROM AN EARLIER ERA

The immediate post-World War II era spawned a wide array of light airplanes, all hoping to cash in on an expected boom in light-plane aviation. With so many pilots trained and the vast numbers of military training airports built during the war, it

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL STEINEKE AND STEVE CUKIERSKI

Ercoupe

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BONNIE KRATZ

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Aeronca Champ

seemed a cinch that the airplane would displace the automobile as the vehicle of choice for traveling from city to city. But the national highway system (and the political influence of the auto industry) spelled doom for any hopes of aviation displacing the automobile. Dozens of promising designs were left in the dust. Some of the postwar trainers and prospective sport planes that were built in sufficient numbers are still available on the used market within the sub-$30,000 price point. They include the Piper J-3 Cub (though its fame and status often draws higher prices than most of the other flivvers of the era), Aeronca Champ, Cessna 120/140 (140s had flaps, 120s didn’t), and the Luscombe Model 8 Silvaire series. I’d also include the Ercoupe in this mix. Fred Weick’s twin-tail sport plane was not meant as a trainer, but rather as a spin-resistant aerial runabout geared toward weekend pilots. The Ercoupe’s production rights passed through several owners, including Alon

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(which added rudder pedals and renamed it the Aircoupe) and Mooney, which replaced the signature twin tail with its own signature forward-swept vertical stabilizer and renamed it the Cadet. Fifty-nine were built. Interestingly, as originally certified, Ercoupes qualify as a light-sport aircraft, with a maximum gross weight of 1,260 pounds. That means a sport pilot can fly it without needing a medical certificate. Years ago, a supplemental type certificate (STC) was established to increase engine power from 75 hp to 85 hp, and the STC also came with an increase in max gross weight to 1,360 pounds—only paperwork was required. But when the light sport category was established with its limit of 1,320 pounds, the STC took modified Ercoupes out of contention for LSA status, effectively removing sport pilots from the list of potential buyers and lowering their market value accordingly. The late Jack Cox, former editor-inchief of Sport Aviation, owned an upgraded

85-hp Ercoupe. But the original applicant for the engine STC had never bothered to file the paperwork for the gross weight increase that came with it. Ironically, the former owner’s procrastination meant Jack had the best of both worlds: the more powerful engine in an LSA-qualified Ercoupe. I know he enjoyed flying it. DO DUE DILIGENCE

Regardless of which model you choose, some research is in order. The standard questions apply, of course. What is the time since overhaul on the engine (not just Hobbs meter time, but calendar time, as well)? Does it have the avionics you need for your mission? Does the airplane have recent damage history? Has it been maintained by a reputable shop or individual? What’s the state of its paint and interior? By all means, seek out and sign up with the type club for the airplane model you’re considering, and tap the local EAA chapter for the expertise of its members. There’s no substitute for the experience and advice of

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM KOEPNICK

someone who’s “been there and done that” when it comes to avoiding the pitfalls and taking advantage of the tricks. RUNNING NUMBERS

The math part of the decision includes calculating what it will cost to own and operate such an airplane. That means variable costs for fuel, oil, and engine overhaul reserve—expenses that are directly pegged to the number of hours flown. To calculate what you need for the upcoming engine work, the rule of thumb is to divide the cost of the overhaul by the hours remaining. For example, if the engine has 1,000 hours to go to its TBO, and you expect the overhaul to cost $20,000, you’d be prudent to put aside $20 per hour for the overhaul. This is one area where you can get a little creative, however, especially when first shopping for an airplane. Let’s say you’re considering a particular model and are interested in upgrading to a more powerful engine through an available STC. You can shop for an airplane that has the goodies you want, but is priced low due to a run-out engine. Then you could shop for a used halftime version of the larger engine you want, which should run a lot less than the cost of overhauling the existing engine. And you’re offsetting that cost with what you’ll get for the core of the engine you already have. So you can save some money, while enjoying the extra power. Replacing a run-out engine with a low-time salvage engine can be an effective strategy even if you’re not upgrading. Since most aircraft owners will take many years of flying to reach a freshly overhauled engine’s TBO (if ever), acquiring a running engine with half its time left can be a cost-effective investment. The risk? Just be as sure as you can that the engine you’re buying is not a lemon—maybe look for one that was removed from a well-running airplane by a reputable owner for an upgrade. I did exactly that many years ago with my Grumman, and it worked out fine. Of course, engine TBO (time between overhauls) is a manufacturer’s suggestion, not an FAA regulation. In many cases, it is not only allowable to run an engine beyond TBO, it’s advisable. If the engine is operating well, not producing metal in the

oil, and has acceptable compression, there may be no need to fix something that is not broken. On the other hand, there are times when an engine must be overhauled (or its cylinders overhauled) even when the logbook says there is time left. Leaving an engine sitting for long periods without exercise is one of the best known ways to compromise its longevity. Fixed costs—that’s what you pay whether you ﬂy one hour per year, or 500. This will include insurance, hangar or tiedown, and annual inspections. Don’t forget to include any ﬁnance charges, if you are stretching out the payments. Insurance rates will depend on the airplane model, your experience level, and other factors.

The immediate post-World War II era spawned a wide array of light airplanes, all hoping to cash in on an expected boom in light-plane aviation. Check with the type clubs for the aircraft you’re considering, since many of them offer cut rates on insurance. As for hangar costs and annual inspections, visit the airports where you might be interested in keeping your pride-and-joy to see what their rates are and what expertise they have with the models you’re considering. It’s helpful to know that a particular shop might have several Cessna 152s or Piper Cherokees on its annual inspection schedule. UPGRADES, MODS, AND ‘EXTRAS’

It can be very tempting to succumb to the allure of a shiny paint job, even if the airplane in question has a high-time engine or is missing some of the equipment you feel is necessary for your type of ﬂying. “I can always add a [ﬁll in the blank] later” is a panacea that has trapped many an emotionally seduced airplane buyer. Bear in mind that installing any new equipment will represent a big expense— and at the low end of the price scale, any new purchase will represent a larger percentage of the value of the overall airplane. And any such addition depreciates virtually immediately. The old saying is true; it’s much better to let

the previous owner pay the lion’s share of the upgrade. Shop for an airplane that already has most of what you think you’ll want. On the plus side, today’s technology provides plenty of easy, low-cost upgrades you can make on an airplane that might be looking a bit long in the tooth. One example is LED position lights, strobes, and landing lights. In many cases, you can replace a wingtip position light with a sexy flashing strobe using the existing wiring for the nav light (since an LED uses lower voltage than an old-tech strobe). And LED landing/taxi lights can be computer programmed to “waggle” back and forth for enhanced visibility in high-traffic areas. Other examples of modern add-ons include vortex generators, gap-seal kits, low-drag cowlings (and engine baffling kits), and more. For creature comfort, a tired threadbare interior can look a lot better with the addition of sheepskin seat covers. In fact, an entire new interior kit from Airtex can be an affordable do-it-yourself project that will give your freshly acquired airplane not only a new look inside, but even a dose of that new-airplane smell. And as for navigation, the tablet-avionics revolution has made upgrading navigation systems a much more affordable prospect for owners of low-cost airplanes. Even if you never fly IFR, moving map charts with ADS-B weather and traffic are now easily available and affordable on an iPad or Android-based tablet. They greatly enhance the VFR flying experience, and save the hassle and expense of acquiring paper charts. For IFR navigation, of course, a certified GPS receiver in the panel is a requirement, but the flexibility of what you can now do with that receiver is greatly enhanced by the wealth of aviation apps available at prices that represent a fraction of what it would cost to have the same capability in an installed avionics package. The time has never been better for jumping into the airplane-buying waters. With the array of possibilities on the market, the fun starts with the looking. So fire up the Internet and let the dreaming begin. Just be sure you’re not caught napping when it comes time to sign on the dotted line. Mark Phelps, EAA 139610, is an aviation writer living in New Jersey. He is the former editor of EAA’s Vintage Airplane magazine.

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STICK AND RUDDER BETTER PILOT

Keeping Passengers in Check Bananas for the monkeys BY ROBERT N. ROSSIER

IT WAS A GUY’S DAY OUT—me and my friend, Charlie, with our 6-yearold sons. The sun blazed brightly in the clear Connecticut sky, and glistened on the Thames River 2,000 feet below. We streaked along in the vintage ’47 V-tail Beech 35 at 140 mph, enjoying the smooth air, bright conversation, and solid feel of the newly refabricated tail.

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The bang that exploded from the rear of the aircraft instantly shattered all confidence in my mechanic, whose kids’ college education I was certain I had recently paid for. My pulse quickly rose to match the airspeed indication. Without a doubt, something in that tail had come undone. I cautiously reduced power and slowed the aircraft in hopes that we might make a safe landing. It turns out there was no problem with the tail. The problem had been with the idle hands of a youngster whose curiosity eclipsed his ability to follow the rules. Contrary to my preflight instructions and warnings, one of the boys had lifted the lever that opens the emergency window exit, and the bang had come when the metal latch mechanism reached full extension. Although we had been above the airspeed limit for its operation, the window held together. Taking passengers for flights can be a truly rewarding experience, but we do well to consider the troubles that can arise when they don’t know the rules, or which details of the aviation environment to regard as problematic. A friend of mine was flying a charter from Block Island, Rhode Island, to a destination in New York in a Piper Cherokee Six, and was just about to take off when she received a radio call from another pilot. The observant pilot had noticed fuel spewing from beneath the Cherokee and encouraged her to check it out. The Cherokee Six has a fuel drain lever located in the back seat area and guarded by a small spring-loaded door. A passenger had unwittingly opened the door with some clumsy footwork while boarding the plane and had jammed the lever in the open position. It’s unclear how

ILLUSTRATION BY GARY COX

quickly the fuel would have drained out, but had the problem not been noted, my friend and her passengers would likely have had some unexpected excitement. Regardless of where we’re going, or who our passengers might be, we need to remember that a passenger briefing is a critical safety requirement. The FARs require us to brief the passengers on the use of seat belts, aircraft exits, and such, but keep in mind that the passenger safety briefing is for the safety of everyone, including you and others who share the skies. Considering all that could run amok, it’s a good idea to include a few items not mentioned in the FARs. Remember that much of what we consider obvious might be completely obscure to our passengers. As a seasoned veteran explained to me when I first started flying charters, “Just think of your passengers as monkeys, and make sure you give them some bananas!” In the years that followed, more than a few

surprises came my way when I failed to explain what I thought was obvious, and these point out some important lessons. For example, passengers sitting in the front seat should be explicitly warned that the flight controls on their side of the cockpit—including the rudder pedals—are fully functional. Sometimes passengers need to stretch, but they really should know to keep their feet off the rudder pedals, especially during takeoff and landing. They should also be informed that all knobs and switches are strictly off-limits. I find that most flights go more smoothly when the pilot tends to these items. Especially when operating from a busy airport, it’s a good idea to explain to passengers that you’ll be busy talking on the radio, and that any questions or comments should wait until cruise flight or after landing. That is, unless they see fuel spewing out of an aircraft or fire belching from beneath an engine cowl. Passengers

Regardless of where we’re going, or who our passengers might be, we need to remember that a passenger brieﬁng is a critical safety requirement. might not realize that you have a push-totalk switch, and think you’re trying to talk to them when in fact you’re communicating with ATC. That creates more distraction, and more opportunity for missed radio calls. Some pilots who fly low-wing Pipers have been known on particularly hot summer days to taxi to the active runway with the passenger door ajar. This significantly improves the ventilation, and beats the heck out of the sweltering cockpit conditions that would otherwise exist. These

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STICK AND RUDDER BETTER PILOT

pilots do, of course, secure the door prior to taxiing onto the active. Once again, this practice is not one to be followed unless you first explain it to your passenger. Passengers who think you’re about to take off with the door open—their door open— can suffer considerable anxiety, and might resort to a frenzied attack or other action aimed at personal survival. I had one passenger who became particularly nervous during the run-up. He thought I was about to take off and was alarmed that there was no runway in front of us. He was on the verge of jumping ship when I caught on to his dismay and explained to him that I was simply checking the operation of the engine and would be sure to line up on a runway before attempting to take off. Another passenger became agitated when he saw we were flying past his destination. He started yelling, “Look, that’s the airport right there!” He knew nothing about traffic patterns, or

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the importance of wind direction, and thought I was simply a fool who couldn’t find an airport even when I was right on top of it. Had I taken the time to explain, perhaps as we approached the destination, I’m sure he would have been much less anxious. Other details that seem obvious to us as pilots might warrant additional explanation for our passengers. For example, we should clearly explain that the fire extinguisher should not be used except when there is a fire. We should warn our passengers to not open the windows in flight, because we might lose them. Passengers should be told not to inflate the emergency life vests, unless we’re actually making a water landing. For those who travel with pets, it might be a good idea to tell them not to let Fluffy out of the carrier during the flight. Sometimes it’s helpful to give passengers something to do on a flight, and even

an inexperienced passenger can be a useful resource. I like to have passengers point out other aircraft they see during a flight, just in case I miss something. You might consider having them look for landmarks and write down the time when you pass them. For those whom you simply want to keep occupied, give them a chart and ask them to find something that seems important or relevant. Make sure it’s obscure. Fortunately, the flight in the Beech 35 ended without incident. Over a late lunch, we exchanged stories and laughed about the “window incident.” But the next time I took curious pre-teen passengers for a flight, I gave them a New York sectional and asked them to find Atlanta. Robert N. Rossier, EAA 472091, has been flying for more than 30 years and has worked as a flight instructor, commercial pilot, chief pilot, and FAA flight check airman.

WHAT WENT WRONG BETTER PILOT

Emergency Rush Turns Deadly BY J. MAC MCCLELLAN

BACK WHEN WRISTWATCHES had springs, a common tip for a pilot facing an emergency situation was to first wind your watch. I heard this frequently when I began training in simulators years ago. In a sim, instructors could pile up a lifetime’s worth of inflight emergencies in just a few minutes. And in those days many pilots still had watches with springs. Of course, the advice has nothing to do with keeping your watch ticking. The point is that winding the watch is a mindless activity giving you time to think before you take action. In most abnormal situations in flight, taking enough time to do the right thing first is safer than taking instant action with a good chance of getting it wrong and creating a true emergency. The pilots of a Potez-Air Fouga CM 170 Magister had an abnormal situation in a post-maintenance flight. They lost hydraulics on the main system, and that was critical, but not a true emergency. It was a situation where taking your time to do the right thing was important. The Fouga is a French tandem-seat military jet trainer that traces its roots back to early in the jet age of the 1950s. The Fouga has a V-tail, mid-wing with tip tanks, and engines located in the wing roots. The wing leading edge has a mild sweep angle

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with a straight trailing edge. The little Turbomeca Marbore IIC engines are rated for only 880 pounds of thrust, but that is sufficient to give the compact jet a nearly 400 knot maximum speed. The Fouga became popular with warbird owners after its active duty as a trainer ended with several military forces around the world. As warbird jets go, the Fouga is affordable and was built in sufficient numbers that enough parts to keep one flying are available. The Fouga uses conventional mechanical linkage for all of the primary flight controls. The ailerons have a hydraulic boost system that greatly reduces stick force in roll. The aileron control system uses what is usually called “manual reversion,” meaning that if the hydraulic boost system were to fail, the pilot can operate the ailerons with plenty of extra muscle

on the stick. The system is not much different than power steering in cars of the era. However, the Fouga uses hydraulics to operate the secondary ﬂight control systems, which are the ﬂaps and speed brakes. Hydraulics also power the landing gear up and down and the main wheel brakes. As was common when the Fouga was designed, the hydraulic system is pretty basic and short on redundancy. There is only one engine-driven hydraulic pump, and it’s on the left engine. If that single engine-driven pump fails, the pilot in the front seat has a hand pump that can be used to lower the landing gear and, after moving a valve in the front cockpit, operate the speed brakes with more pumping. But with the main hydraulic system gone there is no method for lowering the flaps. Clearly the designers of the Fouga did not consider the hydraulic system to be truly flight critical or they would have at

least installed two engine-driven hydraulic pumps. And they would have provided hydraulic backup for more than gear and speed brakes. The pilot had owned the Fouga for more than 10 years and had a commercial certificate with ratings for instruments, and multiengine both land and sea, plus CFI for single, multi, and instruments. He also had the required FAA authorization to fly the Fouga. The NTSB couldn’t find a logbook, but on his most recent physical application form the owner of the Fouga reported 1,500 hours of total time. The second pilot in the Fouga also had a commercial certificate with a raft of ratings, including FAA authorization to fly eight warbirds and an “authorized aircraft instructor” letter for the Fouga. That authorization had expired before the accident. The NTSB could not determine his exact flight experience, but on his most recent medical application he

Clearly the designers of the Fouga did not consider the hydraulic system to be truly ﬂight critical or they would have at least installed two engine-driven hydraulic pumps. listed more than 8,300 hours’ total time. The pilot also held mechanic’s certificates to work on the Fouga. The Fouga owner had engaged the pilot/mechanic to repair several leaks in the hydraulic system. According to a “discrepancy and correction sheet” located after the accident the mechanic had found and repaired several hydraulic system leaks, replaced at least two hydraulic lines, performed a gear swing,

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WHAT WENT WRONG BETTER PILOT

and looked into a possible fuel leak on the left engine. After the maintenance was completed the next step on the mechanic’s list was a test flight. The weather was good VFR with only 3 knots of wind and moderate temperature. The Fouga owner and the pilot/mechanic taxied out with the pilot/ mechanic making all of the transmissions. Based on the voice on the radio, and the much greater experience of the pilot/ mechanic overall and in the Fouga, the NTSB assumes he was the one flying the airplane. After takeoff the tower controller asked about the duration of the flight and confirmed that the pilots wanted an overhead break to landing on return. The pilot said the flight would last “less than 15 minutes.” Radar showed that the Fouga flew away from the airport with a groundspeed of about 160 knots at around 1,600 feet. When the Fouga was about 7 miles away from the airport, radar showed it maneuvering for about four minutes with groundspeed as low as 130 knots. The Fouga pilot called the tower and said, “We had a good check here; we’d like to come back for landing.” The tower controller asked the Fouga pilots if they wanted to overhead the airport at 1,500 or 1,000 feet. The pilots asked for 1,000. The controller then said, “Report the initial for Runway 24, right break,” and the pilot responded normally. Radar showed the Fouga headed for the airport at about 1,100 feet with groundspeed increasing. The pilot and controller then agreed on a left break instead of right. The Fouga flew over the midpoint of the runway at about 700 feet with 216 knots of groundspeed. As the Fouga commenced the left overhead break the pilot/mechanic announced “three green” on the tower frequency. Controllers asking for geardown confirmation and pilots providing it is a common practice in military flying, though the transcript in the NTSB report doesn’t indicate the controller asked about the landing gear position. After 90 degrees of turn in the break the Fouga climbed to about 900 feet. As the turn continued, the altitude was down

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to 700 feet and groundspeed was 215 knots. The last radar-recorded position put the Fouga about 2,700 feet from the runway threshold, 800 feet laterally from the extended runway centerline and at a groundspeed of 202 knots. A flight instructor waiting for takeoff clearance said he saw the Fouga fly overhead, make the left break, continue the turn from downwind to base, and as it turned toward final the bank angle increased. The CFI told investigators the Fouga overshot the turn to final, and the bank angle increased to about 90 degrees before the airplane lost altitude and impacted short of the runway. Both pilots were killed by impact.

After the maintenance was completed the next step on the mechanic’s list was a test flight. The weather was good VFR with only 3 knots of wind and moderate temperature. From witness descriptions of the accident, and the radar data, it appears that the airplane stalled during a very tight turn. And that’s the NTSB probable cause for the accident, an accelerated stall. But why would two experienced pilots, including one with high time in type and extensive knowledge of the airplane, its flying qualities, and its systems, end up in that situation? The Fouga was extensively damaged by impact with the main wrecking in three major sections. The airplane was close to inverted when it hit. Investigators were able to determine that the gear was down before it sheared off, and also that the wing flaps were up. The flap position gauges in the cockpits showed 15 degrees extension in the front, and 20 degrees in the rear cockpit. But the flaps on the right wing, which remained attached, were in the full up position and flush with the wing. The left wing flaps were ripped off during impact. A flaps-up landing in a jet may not be an emergency, but it certainly calls for use of a different procedure. The crew manual for the Fouga advises that when flaps cannot be

extended, which is the situation during hydraulic failure because the emergency hydraulic system does not operate the flaps, the downwind should be lengthened by 30 seconds. The longer downwind provides more room for a turn to base and final so shallower bank angles could be used. The crew manual does not advise a minimum flaps-up maneuvering speed but does recommend a minimum runway threshold crossing airspeed of 105 knots. The manual does advise that if the Fouga is stalled in a turn “the stall features a rather sharp rolling movement, which is preceded by light buffeting.” The fragmentation of the wreckage made it impossible to identify any specific failure of the hydraulic system. However, the NTSB investigators believe that the landing gear extended normally based on cockpit control positions. The Board believes the hydraulic failure occurred after the gear was lowered because of the position of speed brake controls. With a hydraulic failure the Fouga pilots were left with no flaps, stiff ailerons because the hydraulic boost was lost, and a cumbersome manual pump system to deploy the speed brakes. None of those factors rise to the level of emergency if the abnormal situation is handled as recommended. The NTSB found that the probable cause of the accident was “the pilot/ mechanic’s improper decision to continue the tight-turning landing pattern after a loss of hydraulic pressure, and his subsequent failure to maintain adequate airspeed during that pattern, which resulted in an accelerated maneuver stall. Contributing to the accident was a loss of hydraulic pressure after extension of the landing gear.” This article is based solely on the official final NTSB report of the accident and is intended to bring readers’ attention to the issues raised in the report. It is not intended to judge or reach any definitive conclusions about the ability or capacity of any person, living or dead, or any aircraft or accessory. J. Mac McClellan, EAA 747337, has been a pilot for more than 40 years, holds an ATP certificate, and owns a Beechcraft Baron. To contact Mac, e-mail mac@eaa.org.

I’LL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN BETTER PILOT

The Engine Just Quit A ferry ﬂight gone wrong BY DAVID DAGENAIS, EAA 405849

OVER THE YEARS, I took on many annual inspections for an airplane that was out of annual. I would obtain the ferry permit from the FAA, perform the appropriate preflight inspection, make the entry in the aircraft logbook, and fly the airplane to where we needed to go. At the Lakeland airport, the owner of a Cessna 172C and I conducted an inspection of the airplane to make sure that it would safely make the ferry flight to Herlong airport in Jacksonville, Florida, some 148 miles away. We removed the cowling and replaced the dead battery, then took fuel samples from all low-point drains and also drained a fuel sample from the carburetor float bowl. All fuel samples had no trace of water or sediment. I started the engine four times with a magneto operational check on each engine run, and all were good. There were 7.5 quarts of oil indicated on the dipstick, and both the left and right fuel tanks were full. I requested a northbound departure, but only after a climb to 2,500 feet over the airport. I wanted to be sure everything was running okay. The climb to 2,500 feet was uneventful. The engine sounded strong and smooth, so I decided to depart from the airport and head north. Aside from a little throttle creep, which required only minor adjusting, the engine ran very smoothly at 2500 rpm. Since all gauges were in the green and running smoothly, it seemed like an opportune time to finish the sandwich that I had packed. A few minutes later the rpm suddenly dropped from 2500 to 1500. In a split second things went from cruising along to shocking. I pushed the mixture control full rich and tried varying the throttle setting. I looked for

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a landing site and contacted Tampa Approach to inform the controller of the loss of engine power. Upon establishing best glide speed of 80 mph, I found the aircraft would no longer maintain altitude. The controller asked me if there was a road nearby that was suitable for landing and informed me that closest airport was Zephyrhills 15 miles behind me. I replied, “That won’t work; the airplane will not maintain altitude. I’m maneuvering for a clearing in a field about 3 miles away.” I spotted the longest open field nearby with a reasonable amount of clearing to land in between trees. It was about one-half to threequarters of a mile long. I tried switching between the left and right magnetos. I paused at the “L” position; no change. When I selected the “R” position, the engine quit running. I momentarily went to the start position, but the engine did not restart. At this point I concentrated on making a safe landing in the field. Passing through about 600 feet, I noticed a small clump of trees ahead. I managed to maneuver between two trees right

ILLUSTRATION BY MATT BELLISLE

at the treetop level of about 60 feet, and then I noticed a 4-foot farm fence directly ahead. Unfortunately, my rate of descent seemed to put ground contact right at the fence line. The airspeed was now approaching 60 mph, and the propeller stopped windmilling. Just before reaching the fence I extended 10 degrees of flaps and pulled the nose up slightly to balloon over. The airplane hit the ground about 40 feet past the fence and came to a stop about 600 feet later. I immediately ensured that the fuel selector valve was turned to the off position and wondered how soon help might arrive. I felt very fortunate. I was able to land in a cow pasture without any damage to the airplane, any property, or myself. I tuned the radio to 121.5 and called, “Mayday.” An American Airlines crew responded and passed on to Tampa Approach that N1613Y was safely on the ground with no damage or injury. I also contacted the FAA flight service station to report my location. Then I called the airplane owner to report what had happened. Just as I was finishing the call with the Miami Flight Service Station, a sheriff ’s deputy drove up alongside the airplane. A few minutes later a second sheriff ’s deputy drove up, and about five minutes after that a third appeared. I can’t believe the engine just quit! I had looked everything over that should be inspected. All of the engine run-ups were normal. All of the fuel samples were clean. What could have happened? We returned a week later with a trailer to take the airplane to Jacksonville. We tried to start the engine, but it still would not run. The magneto operation was confirmed to be good. The air inlet filter for the carburetor was fine, and there was no obstruction at the carburetor inlet. I removed the carburetor and tested the float and needle valve. I found that the needle valve would not shut off; it was stuck open. Upon further examination I found that there was a large amount of sediment in the carburetor inlet screen. When I disassembled the carburetor I found sediment throughout the inside of the carb. The sediment in the inlet screen also had some ferrous magnetic particles in it. Sediment that had collected in the tanks over the many years was jostled loose during the flight and finally contaminated the carburetor to the point that it would no longer meter the fuel as it should. As I shared this information with other well-seasoned CFIs and A&P mechanics, each one said basically the same thing: This is something no one would have found on a preflight inspection and I had done everything I could do to ensure that the airplane was safe for flight. One of the biggest lessons I learned is that when ferrying an airplane that has not flown for several months, a preflight inspection is just not enough. A test flight over the airport for at least 30 to 60 minutes would make sure that there will be no surprises. In 33 years of flying and practicing engine-out procedures, this is the first time that I needed to perform. I believe that one of the keys to a successful off-airport landing is routinely practicing nopower approaches to the airport. It’s one thing to practice an engine-out procedure during a checkride or the required flight review every two years, but I don’t believe that is enough for anyone to maintain even some sense of proficiency in the decisionmaking considerations during power-off approaches. Practice for the unexpected. It helps lead to a successful outcome.

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H ANDS ON WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE BUILDING/RESTORING

Radial Radio Star Stinson SR-6 time machine BY HOWARD KRON, EAA 336904; CLARA CITY, MINNESOTA

AIRPLANES HAVE ALWAYS been fascinating to me. I got my first airplane ride when I was 14. I graduated from high school on a Friday, started a full time job on Monday, and took my first flying lesson on Tuesday. After flying for several months I decided it would be interesting to learn how to fix the airplanes I was flying. Since that time I have rebuilt or restored almost 100 airplanes. In the past 20 years I have rebuilt Stearmans and Stinson Reliants primarily, including this SR-6 that I began restoring eight years ago. Originally built as a model SR-6B, NC15117 was one of only three SR-6B models built. This aircraft was purchased by Charles J. Correll (Andy of “Amos and Andy” radio fame) on August 12, 1935. Charles flew it for a little more than a year before he sold it back to Stinson Aircraft Corporation on November 16, 1936, in Wayne, Michigan. From there it went through a series of owners before it crashed in November of 1945. It would remain flightless for the next 68 years. When I began work on this airplane it did not have all of the necessary components to be considered a whole project. There was no propeller, no usable cowl, and no usable sheet metal for the fuselage.

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The front seats were not original, so new seat frames had to be made out of steel tubing. There was no interior (headliners, padding, upholstery, etc.), no current radio, transponders, intercom, or ELT. There were no working ﬂight instruments or battery. This project was missing many parts, more than is typical of a restoration project. The fuselage frame had considerable rust showing. It was completely disassembled, attempting to save as much of the wood parts as possible. The fuselage had been rebuilt sometime in the ’70s or early ’80s with all new wood, but over time some parts had deteriorated. We were able to save about half of what was there. All wood parts had to be sanded and varnished. The fuselage tubing needed to be sandblasted and minor repairs made to

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAURA KAY PROSSER

previous repairs made years before. It was then primed and painted to protect it from moisture. All small parts were removed from the fuselage, beadblasted, repaired as needed, painted, and reassembled. New control cables were made; all pulleys had their bearings cleaned, lubricated, and reinstalled or replaced if not serviceable. New electrical wires were installed. All wood formers to shape the fuselage had to be removed to work on the fuselage and then sanded, varnished, and reinstalled. All sheet metal for the fuselage structure was made new. A new engine cowl had to be made. This was done by picking up a concrete mold in Hastings, Nebraska, then taking it and the old cowl to Moose Lake, Minnesota, and having Caz Nawrocki fashion a new one. All the tailpieces were sandblasted, painted, and covered. All the landing components, main and tailwheel system, were cleaned, rebuilt, and painted. The entire electrical system was replaced and modernized. All fuel lines were replaced due to age. The fuel gauges needed new tubes and had to be resealed. Vacuum lines for the operation of the flap system were replaced. The system uses an aluminum tank of about 15 gallons to store engine vacuum to operate the flaps. The project did not have one, so it had to be made from scratch. Vacuum actuators, which operate the flaps, were rusted inside and had to be completely rebuilt. The wings were completely disassembled. Each rib had to have all of the screws removed by hand (480 total). This allowed the spars to be sanded, checked (the left wing rear spar had to be replaced), and then all of the wood was varnished. All ribs, 16 in each wing, were cleaned, inspected, repaired as needed, and painted. Then all 32 ribs were fastened to the spars with 16 small screws per rib, 480 screws total. There are four tube-type assemblies called compression struts that are the main strength members, which make the strength of the wing. These and all the hardware that go with them were cleaned and painted before assembling the wings. The leading edge of the wing has a formed aluminum skin installed that had to be replaced during assembly. All control bell cranks were rebuilt and painted, and all cables and electrical wires were replaced. Once the wing was reassembled it was rigged and squared as per the service

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF HOWARD KRON

manual. The wingtips were found to be in very bad shape. They had to be rebuilt on both wings and rewelded. The flaps and ailerons needed considerable repair before painting. Frames for inspection covers were handmade, fitted, and attached to each wing, and plates were made to fit the frames. The fuel tanks in both wings were corroded and pitted, requiring repair and resealing. The straps holding the fuel tanks had to be manufactured, and the turnbuckles were replaced. We began by covering the fuselage and wings first. Then the flaps, ailerons, and tail sections were covered. Before the airplane could be covered each piece of wood had to be varnished, and all metal was primed and some of the metal was painted as well. Cotton batting was placed on the leading edge of the wings, as well as the formers around the four corners of the fuselage. The process of painting is different on each piece depending on the colors that each piece will show. For example, on the wings two coats of silver were applied where silver pinstriping was going to be. Then each piece is taped off and covered to allow for painting the blue. There were three or four coats of blue depending on the piece. After the paint was dry the process was repeated for the red paint.

AIRCRAFT SUBMISSIONS Share your craftsmanship with EAA Sport Aviation readers worldwide! Send us a photo and description of your project and we’ll consider using it in “What Our Members Are Building/Restoring.” Please include your name, address, and EAA number. We reserve the right to edit descriptions. For guidelines on how to get the best photo of aircraft, visit www.SportAviation.org. Mail: EAA Publications, Aircraft Projects, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086 E-mail: editorial@eaa.org

After complete assembly of the aircraft, a ground run and a systems check were done with only minor adjustments to be made. The aircraft was flown for the first time since 1945 on September 16, 2013. It flew very well with only a slight right-wing-heavy tendency. This was corrected by adjusting the left rear strut, which has an adjustable lower fork. After several additional hours of flying time it was ready for owner Lee Watson and his friend Cliff Akin to fly it back to Newnan, Georgia. E-mail Howard at howardsaircraft@gmail.com.

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H ANDS ON WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE BUILDING/RESTORING

TEXAS FM-2 WILDCAT OUR GENERAL MOTORS FM-2 Wildcat was

built in 1945 and is painted after VC-79 Diamond 16, with overall sea blue with white diamond markings. The restoration took four years to complete and started in June of 2009 and ﬂew for the ﬁrst time on July 14, 2013. Most of the work was done in a small hangar on Garner Field (KUVA) in Uvalde. I worked on the project full time, 40-plus hours a week, and had at least two others full-time for three of the years. The Wildcat was rebuilt to be as it was rolling off the assembly line in 1945. It has its original Wright Cyclone R-1820-56A ninecylinder radial engine producing 1,300 hp. The only additions were a removable panel housing a KLX-135 GPS/comm and GTX 327 transponder and a pre-oiler to prolong engine life. It holds 126 gallons in the main fuselage tank, which is rigid rubber that can withstand

and reseal after a .50-caliber hit. It also has two 58-gallon external tanks. I learned early on that if you do something right the first time, then you don’t have to go back and redo it. You may get tired of working on a specific part, but remember that you can always move to another part of the aircraft and come back. Rushing to complete one part will only give you heartache in the long run. We worked with our local San Antonio FSDO for most of the certification as it is a limited category aircraft. EAA Warbirds of America was also able to provide us with an exemption to use smaller registration numbers so we could stick closely to our original paint scheme. I have two favorite tools that I acquired through this project. One was a soda blaster. It is a type of media blaster that uses a softer material so that it can be used with more delicate parts. I would highly recommend one if

you are rebuilding an older airplane or you just want to strip a part or hardware without removing surfaces like CAD plating, chrome plating, or anodizing. The other tool is a bead roller. It is used to form or roll sheet metal depending on the dies. Aluminum ribs can be made including stiffening beads, lightening holes, and even compound flanges. Choose a project that suits your skills, whether it be woodworking, metalworking, welding, or composites. It is not rocket science as long as you are willing to learn and reach out for help when you are unsure. Aircraft builders are a different type of person—we invest hundreds of hours alone in a workshop for moments of pure ecstasy. Mark Huffstutler, EAA 478480, and Conrad Huffstutler, EAA 1081871; Uvalde, Texas; E-mail: wildwarbirds@gmail.com

IDAHO VAN’S RV-7 I STARTED A STANDARD kit in November 2009. After three years and 3,000 hours, N187PJ

got a final inspection and flew in December 2012. I installed an XIO-360-A1B6 (ECi) engine from Western Skyways, MT prop, and avionics were designed and assembled by SteinAir. I installed the Garmin G3X with a PFD in both sides of the panel. The Garmin 240 audio panel, 650 navigator/radio, SL40 radio, GTX 23ES transponder, and the G3X autopilot along with the Dynon EFIS-D6 for my backup instrument completed my panel. Oregon Aero seats, Flightline Interiors interior, and paint was done by Paul Deer in McCall, Idaho. I currently have 89 hours of flying time, and it performs as advertised. I want to thank Larry Binder for his technical support, Ross Collins for engine advice, Russ Bjork for bucking rivets, and Greg Esplin for the dual instruction in his RV-6. Paul Jorgensen, EAA 1021984; Boise, Idaho E-mail: pauljorgens@gmail.com

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAUL BOWEN

MICHIGAN VAN’S RV-6 AS A MEMBER OF the military with six Air Force deploy-

ments during the 2000s in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, my RV-6 project took 22 and a half years to complete. The project was started in a garage in O’Fallon, Missouri. From there it moved to where the majority of the construction took place—a 12-by-16-foot shed located in Cresson, Pennsylvania. The project was then moved to Martinsburg, Pennsylvania, and then eventually to Kalkaska, Michigan. Final assembly was in a hangar at the Toledo Express Airport (TOL). Once I moved the RV out of my garage in Kalkaska, my wife indicated that the only way it was coming back to Kalkaska was ﬂying! Although my Van’s RV-6 is unpainted I do plan to paint it in a blue flanker camouflage scheme. The RV is powered by an Aero Sport Power 160-hp O-320 that swings a Sensenich metal propeller. Cruise at 75 percent power is 150 knots. Avionics include a King radio and Mode C transponder. Navigation is via a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 (excellent GPS) using the Avare Android moving map app. Instruments are basic VFR, and fuel capacity is 38 gallons. My advice to fellow builders: Do something on your project every week. It’s a difficult spin-up when not working on a project for years—something I was all too familiar with! The first flight

took place in April 2013, and currently my RV has 55 hours on it. Special thanks to my wife, Connie, who is tolerant of my crazy ideas and also helped me buck thousands of rivets. Additional thanks to Jan Bussell who did my RV transition training. Jeﬀ Trabold, EAA 356414; Kalkaska, Michigan E-mail: jtrabold2.order@charter.net

MINNESOTA PIPER PA-15 MY 1948 PIPER PA-15 Vagabond serial No. 212 was originally pur-

chased by air show pilot Lowell C. White (Moline, Illinois) directly from the Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, factory in 1948. It immediately began ﬂying air shows touring the Midwest and southeast parts of the country, ﬂying a comedy act and a “smallest airport in the world” act where it landed on a Mercury “woodie” station wagon. His acts were sponsored by North Florida Lincoln Mercury, and

Mr. White toured with its business name painted on the side of the fuselage. I had the airplane accurately painted to match the way it was painted (it is all paint, no vinyl) while he was performing in this airplane in 1948-1949. The restoration process was started by my father (Forrest) and Clifford Hatz about six years before I purchased the airplane in October of 2008 ( just before my 30th birthday). I test-flew it on August 11, 2013. I had to take significant breaks from working on the airplane during that time while living and working in different parts of the country, but actual working time was about 17 months during that four-anda-half-year span. The engine is a C-90-12F. We installed a starter and battery because hauling multiple rides and letting other people fly and enjoy the airplane was very important to me. The airplane has two 12-gallon wing tanks. The instrument panel and most of the cockpit is pretty original (white-faced tach, airspeed indicator, non-sensitive altimeter, oil pressure/temperature, and A-7 mag switch). If I had to give advice to people who are maybe struggling with making progress on their current project: Surround yourself with the right people and organizations with similar interests, and inspiration will come organically. Vaughn Lovley, EAA 708767; Minneapolis, Minnesota E-mail: pa11pilot@yahoo.com

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HANDS ON INNOVATION ON THE FLY

Old School Approach to Innovation EAA SportAir Workshops get you started on the right foot BY MARK PHELPS

EVEN IF YOU DON’T necessarily plan on building an airplane in the foreseeable future, an EAA SportAir Workshop could make for a fun, friendship-ﬁlled weekend experience. For an aviation geek, it could be just the antidote for the winter blues. And you just might discover that building an airplane is not such a big job, after all, but rather, a series of fun, satisfying little jobs strung together. The prospect of tackling an aircraft project can be intimidating, especially if you’re not an experienced, hands-on kind of person by nature. If you struggle with repairing a bathroom faucet, what’s it going to be like when that big crate arrives in your driveway? That’s when it’s time to relegate all those long-view dreams into hibernation and roll up your sleeves for the one-step-at-a-time building process. It can be a scary moment, but it can be a lot less like diving into the deep end if you’ve had the chance to wiggle your toes in the pool ﬁrst. That’s why EAA’s SportAir Workshop series can be a huge asset. In one weekend, a potential builder can sample a particular building method, try it on for size, and test it out for enjoyment. In addition, once a builder takes the plunge, the workshop series can be a valuable tool along the way when it comes time to prepare for wiring, covering, painting, welding, composites, or any of the other skill sets covered in the classroom sessions. Spaced out over time, selected workshops can provide time-saving tips on how to complete these phases of a project—or maybe dust off some existing skills that have grown stale over time. And workshops aren’t just for those building or considering building an airplane. Aircraft owners who are restoring a vintage aircraft—or even just considering do-it-yourself repair or refurbishment of one system or component—can learn a lot about their upcoming experience by attending one of the workshops. What

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you learn over one weekend might just save weeks or months of frustration. But there’s even more to the workshop series than just the knowledge gained. The whole idea of the series is built around community and cooperative learning. The instructors may have decades of valuable experience to share, but sometimes you can also learn by swapping questions with other newbie builders, and piggybacking on the questions others ask in a group setting. Even more important, the EAA spirit of builders helping other builders shines through the experience. Since the title of this column starts with “Innovation,” it might not seem readily apparent that builders can come up with new and different ways of doing things through an old-school series of workshops. But let’s say you have an idea for something different you’d like to try on a homebuilt design or kit, but you’re not sure if it will work, or even how to ﬁnd out. The SportAir Workshop series can be the chance you’re looking for to pick the brains of experts, and also share your imaginative side with others in the same boat. The more minds churning on an idea, the better the chance for further innovation. The simplest seminar is a one-evening session titled “What’s Involved in Kit

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY

Building.” Experts will take you through the entire building process with a focus on some of the mysteries surrounding FAA rules. The session will probably dispel some common myths about the airplanebuilding process, and would be valuable for anyone considering taking on any sort of project—kit, plans, or even taking over an existing project. In two and a half hours, the $25 course will cover planning, selecting, building, completion, ﬂight testing, operating—and how to access valuable resources. And there will still be time for pizza and questions. Longer, more involved sessions cost $349 for EAA members and cover two days. For example, the course “Sheet Metal Basics” presents the fundamentals of sheet metal applications, and aims to deliver a solid understanding of that method of construction. The ﬁrst day begins with a discussion of the theory of working in sheet metal— varying designations of aluminum, their strengths and weaknesses, and areas of

aircraft structure where they are best applied. The next topic is riveting—literally. Participants learn the in-depth details on various types of rivets and their applications. From there, it’s into the trenches of the workshop, where students learn how to lay out, drill, deburr, dimple, countersink, and drive rivets. All the tools of the trade are provided in all the SportAir Workshops ( just wear work clothes), and each one is discussed and demonstrated in detail. By the time the sun is setting on day one, you will have drilled out and replaced a line of rivets, and begun constructing a section of an airfoil as part of a team. On day two, your team will complete the airfoil section, including adding an inspection hole and cover. You will also have built your conﬁdence level. Taking on that RV, Sonex, Murphy, or other metal homebuilt project will not be nearly as intimidating once you get some momentum on your side. The same could also be said for a repair or refurbishment project.

If you struggle with repairing a bathroom faucet, what’s it going to be like when that big crate arrives in your driveway? Other courses have similar schedules and similar goals. They include learning the fundamentals of composite construction, fabric covering, electrical systems and avionics, gas welding, TIG welding, and more. Venues are stretched out across the country, including sessions in Griffin, Georgia; Watsonville, California; and of course, Oshkosh, Wisconsin. For more information, click the SportAir link on www.EAA.org, and sign up for a SportAir Workshop. Mark Phelps, EAA 139610, is an aviation writer living in New Jersey. He is the former editor of EAA’s Vintage Airplane magazine and the former owner-pilot of a 1954 Beechcraft Bonanza.

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H ANDS ON HINTS FOR HOMEBUILDERS

WIRE LABELING BY DAN COATES, EAA 88497

Drill Stops CHARLIE BECKER, EAA LIFETIME 515808; EAA HOMEBUILT COMMUNITY MANAGER

WHEN YOU FIRST START working with sheet metal your control over the drill usually isn’t all that great. (In pilot terminology, I would have labeled myself “ham-handed.”) When drilling holes, you tend to put too much pressure on the drill, and then the drill will burst through the thin sheet all the way up to the drill chuck. This usually leaves surface marks on the aluminum where the chuck was spinning when it contacted the surface. There are a couple of cheap and easy ways to remedy this situation. A easy way to cushion the drill chuck and eliminate any marring is to simply take a piece of black rubber hose about 1/2 inch in length, cut it in half lengthwise, and then drill through it and leave it there. Now you have a permanent cushion between the chuck and the work. The store-bought version is a drill stop. These handy little devices have a coiled spring to cushion the drill once it breaks through the work. They are color-coded for easy identification and match the color coding of Clecos. Where these are really useful is when there is another part just below the surface you are drilling that you want to avoid drilling into. Drill stops are a helpful little device to assist you as you develop your sheet metal skills. Give them a try.

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WHEN WE GET to the electrical wiring phase of our build it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the evergrowing rat’s nest of unidentified wires. Paper labels or tape flags are bulky and tend to fall off at the wrong time. My RANS-builder friend, Steve, told me how he typed a label for each wire and printed them in small font on plain paper. Each label is then cut out and applied to its wire inside a small length of clear shrink tubing. The result is easy to read, permanent, and fits neatly in the wiring bundle. This method will take a couple hours of up-front planning, but saves many hours during the installation phase. And it’s a nice warm job for that cold winter afternoon.

CLECO STORAGE BY CHARLIE BECKER, EAA LIFETIME 515808; EAA HOMEBUILT COMMUNITY MANAGER

WHILE HELPING OUT on our staff Zenith build, I noticed the gang had a nice way of storing all the silver and copper Clecos used over and over and over on the project: They used slightly modiﬁed vinegar bottles. What I like about this idea is the built-in handle for transporting them to wherever you are working on the project and the nice big hole for easy access. Oh, and the best part, the container is free! GOT A HINT?

SEND YOUR TIPS to cbecker@eaa.org.

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H ANDS ON SHOP TALK

Understanding Aluminum A look at common alloys and their properties BY BUDD DAVISSON

WHEN SOMETHING IS AS common as dirt and we cook in it, drink out of it, and fly it, it’s easy to take it for granted. Take aluminum, for instance. By actual measurement, scientists say that 8.2 percent of the Earth’s crust, by weight, is composed of alumin (technical name), making it the third most common element behind oxygen (46 percent) and silica (28 percent) and far ahead of lowly iron at 5.6 percent. It is literally everywhere we look. So, we don’t give it a second thought. However, here’s something to think about: Without aluminum, aircraft design might have peaked at rag and tube. Of course, it could also be argued that had aluminum not been discovered, carbon/Kevlar composites (logical extensions of fabric covering) might have been invented much earlier. We might have had Kevlar Mustangs and carbon fiber B-17s. But, we didn’t. We had aluminum. We still have aluminum. Further, it is unlikely that we’ll ever see a time that we don’t have aluminum. But, at the beginning, it didn’t look that way. Aluminum isn’t like gold or so many other elements that sometimes exist as pure veins or nuggets. The element “AL” is always part of some other compound and must be extracted, a process that wasn’t always easy. During the early 1800s, when refining processes began developing, aluminum was so precious (more than $1,000 per ounce in today’s dollars) that it couldn’t be used for anything practical. It wasn’t until 1889 that Charles Hall and Karl Bayer independently developed ways of obtaining aluminum from bauxite and other compounds. The rest is history. As aluminum developed and the uses for it expanded explosively, so did the wide varieties of aluminum alloys: It was found that the material’s properties could be tailored via the alloying process so that it could be suited for many different uses. Flashing ahead to homebuilding today, even though composites have taken the amateur-building world by storm, aluminum is still seen as the least expensive, most easily worked building material. Even better, it need not be protected by paint, unless desired, which makes it even less expensive. If the homebuilder has a problem with aluminum, it is in understanding the wide variety of sheet alloys available. Why so many? And

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what will some do that others won’t? Those questions have been asked enough times that Jim Irwin at Aircraft Spruce (who sells a lot of aluminum, regardless of the company’s name) developed a know-your-aluminum section on its website. (A direct link to this section is available at www.SportAviation.org.) There is also some good bending information on that page. The following is some of Spruce’s info on the more common alloys along with their properties and how they ﬁt into the homebuilt scheme of things. GENERAL ALUMINUM INFORMATION

1100: This grade is commercially pure aluminum. It is soft and ductile and has excellent workability. It is ideal for applications involving intricate forming because it work hardens more slowly than other alloys. It is the most weldable of aluminum alloys, by any method. It is non-heat-treatable so the ﬁnished product is soft and relatively fragile. 2011: This is the most free-machining of the common aluminum alloys. It also has excellent mechanical properties. Thus, it is widely used for automatic screw machine products in parts requiring extensive machining. 2014 and 2017: As with 2011, 2017 combines excellent machinability with high strength, so it is one of the most widely used alloys for automatic screw machine work. 2024: This is the best known of the aluminum alloys and dominates the aircraft arena. With its high strength and excellent fatigue

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KOTO_FEJA (WWW.THINKSTOCKPHOTOS.COM)

resistance, it is used in structures and parts where good strength-to-weight ratio is desired. It is readily machined to a high finish. It is also readily formed in the annealed condition and may be subsequently heattreated. TIG or gas welding is generally not recommended. Since corrosion resistance is relatively low, 2024 is commonly used with an anodized finish or in clad form (“Alclad”) with a thin surface layer of high purity aluminum attached. 3003: This is essentially commercially pure aluminum with the addition of manganese, which increases the strength some 20 percent over the 1100 grade. Thus, it has all the characteristics of 1100 with higher strength. It has excellent corrosion resistance. It has excellent workability, although it may need annealing mid-process because of work-hardening, and it may be deep drawn or spun, welded or brazed. It is not heat-treatable and is most often seen in formed, non-structural parts such as nose bowls, wingtips, wheelpants, etc. 5005: For whatever reason, this alloy is seldom seen but is considered to be an improved version of 3003. It has the same general mechanical properties as 3003 but appears to stand up better in actual service. It is readily workable. It can be deep drawn or spun, welded or brazed. It has excellent corrosion resistance. It is non-heat-treatable. It is wellsuited for anodizing and has less tendency to streak or discolor. Applications same as 3003. 5052: This is the highest strength alloy of the more common non-heat-treatable grades. Fatigue strength is higher than most aluminum alloys. It has excellent workability. It may be drawn or formed into intricate shapes, and its slightly greater strength in the annealed condition minimizes tearing that occurs in 1100 and 3003. Applications: Used in a wide variety of applications with fuel tanks being the most common in aircraft. It can be easily gas welded with the proper techniques, flux, and glasses. 5083 and 5086: For many years there has been a need for aluminum sheet and plate alloys that would offer, for high-strength welded applications, several distinct benefits over such alloys as 5052 and 6061. Despite their benefits, neither alloy is normally seen in amateur-built aircraft.

6013: Alloy 6013 is a new mediumstrength aerospace alloy that provides improved corrosion resistance and formability for use in aerospace applications including primary aircraft structures. Industry use has demonstrated that 6013 in the T4 condition has better stretchforming characteristics than other aerospace aluminum alloys. Parts can be formed in the T4 condition and aged to the stronger T6 condition without costly heat-treating or annealing operations. The Questair Venture uses stretch-formed 6013 extensively. 6061: This is the least expensive and most versatile of the heat-treatable aluminum alloys. It offers a range of good mechanical properties and good corrosion resistance. It can be fabricated by most of the commonly used techniques. In the annealed condition it has good workability. In the T4 condition fairly severe forming operations may be accomplished. The full T6 properties may be obtained by artiﬁcial aging. It is welded by all methods and can be furnace-brazed. It is available in the clad form (Alclad) with a thin surface layer of high-purity aluminum to improve both appearance and corrosion resistance. 6063: This grade is commonly referred to as the architectural alloy. It was developed as an extrusion alloy with relatively high tensile properties, excellent ﬁnishing characteristics, and a high degree of resistance to corrosion. It is seldom found in aircraft applications. 7075: This is one of the highest strength aluminum alloys available. Its strength-toweight ratio is excellent, and it is ideally used for highly stressed parts. It may be formed in the annealed condition and subsequently heat-treated. TIG and gas welding are not recommended. ALUMINUM TEMPER DESIGNATIONS

Once the aluminum alloy jungle has been navigated, it helps to understand the hardness codes used throughout. Temper designations of worked aluminum alloys are suffixes to the numeric alloy designations. For example, in 3003-H14, 3003 denotes the alloy and “H14” denotes the temper, or degree of hardness. The

same with something like 2024-T4. The temper designation also identifies the method by which the hardness was obtained. Further, temper designations differ between non-heat-treatable alloys (H’s) and heat-treatable alloys (T’s). Their meanings are given below: Non-Heat-Treatable Alloys: The ‘H’ Code The letter “H” is always followed by two or three digits. The first digit indicates the particular method used to obtain the temper, as follows: • H1 means strain hardened only. • H2 means strain hardened, then partially annealed. • H3 means strain hardened, then stabilized. The temper is indicated by the second digit, as follows: 2 = 1/4 hard 4 = 1/2 hard 6 = 3/4 hard 8 = full hard 9 = extra hard Added digits indicate modification of standard practice. Heat-Treatable Alloys: The ‘T’ Code Alloys that can be heat-treated always have a code after the alloy number that starts with the letter “T” and is followed by one or more digits. These digits indicate the method used to produce the stable tempers. Since T3, T4, and T6 are most common in homebuilts we’ll skip all the exotic ones: • T0—annealed, dead soft. • T3—solution-heat-treated, then cold-worked. • T4—solution-heat-treated, then naturally aged, as in 2024-T4. • T6—solution-heat-treated, then artificially aged. This may sound like so much digital noise, but now, when you see something like 3003H14 or 2024-T4, you’ll have a better handle on what kind of aluminum you’re looking at. And you won’t take it for granted. Budd Davisson is an aeronautical engineer, has flown more than 300 different types, and has published four books and more than 4,000 articles. He is editor-in-chief of Flight Journal magazine and a flight instructor primarily in Pitts/tailwheel aircraft. Visit him on www.AirBum.com.

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p.98 Pilot Caves • p.100 News From HQ • p.105 Gone West •

p.108 Members/Chapters in Action

QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR MEMBERSHIP? Want to change your address or need other assistance? EAA’s Membership Services staﬀ is available to assist you Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Central time). Call 800-JOIN-EAA (800-564-6322), e-mail membership@eaa.org, or visit www.EAA.org/membership.

SPECIAL ISSUANCE SUPPORT When Don Voland, EAA 5651, needed help preparing and filing a rush FAA medical special issuance application, he turned to EAA member benefits provider AirDocs and Dr. Gregory Pinnell, EAA Lifetime 291897, for assistance. “We had the holiday weekend there, and Dr. Pinnell was very gracious in helping obtain rush approval!” Don said. “It has been a breath of fresh air to have EAA and AirDocs on my side.” Don has been flying for more than 60 years. He regularly flies the Bell 47 as a volunteer at EAA’s Pioneer Airport and has been flying Santa to the EAA AirVenture Museum for Christmas in the Air for the last 10 years. EAA has teamed with AirDocs to offer a 10 percent discount on aeromedical consulting services as a member benefit. For more information, visit www.EAA.org/airdocs.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF EAA

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MEMBERCENTRAL PILOT CAVES

Pilot: Larry Davis, EAA 216317; Pleasant Hill, Oregon Location: Hobby Field Airport (77S), Creswell, Oregon LARRY’S PILOT CAVE HOUSES treasure from an aviation life well lived. And it houses character—lots of it. He first soloed in 1945. He married Margie in 1954, quit his job as a tractor mechanic shortly thereafter, and enrolled in school to become an aircraft mechanic. “Best thing I ever did,” he said. He’s worked as an aircraft mechanic and shop foreman and taught the A&P course at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon, for 22 years. Not one to stand still, after he retired Larry built an RV-6, completing it in 1994. He’s now 84 years old and drives an ’85 Corvette. In his hangar is a magneto tester built by Allen Electric and Equipment Company. Also, on the floor, is a 40-hp Continental engine from the first airplane he ever owned. On a shelf is a Univair Avigator, with the “omni range bearing selector” prominent. As you might imagine, Larry is a treasure-trove of aviation knowledge and, as a friend and mentor to all, freely passes on that knowledge. True to form, Larry is currently working on engine parts for a friend. The parts came from a Franklin engine that powered a Bellanca Cruisair. Every small airport should have a Larry Davis. He’s that kinda guy, and his pilot cave is that kinda place.

—Submitted by Lauran Paine Jr. Do you have an interesting pilot cave? Send a snapshot to editorial@eaa.org to share your aviation space with fellow EAA Sport Aviation readers.

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY NOLIM WHITTIER

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MEMBERCENTRAL NEWS FROM HQ

Sean D. Tucker conducts a preﬂight with a future pilot.

Every Kid Can Fly Young Eagles Chairman Sean D. Tucker creates youth program

EAA’S YOUNG EAGLES CHAIRMAN Sean D. Tucker is getting a new program off the ground in his hometown of Salinas, California, in an effort to change lives of at-risk youth through aviation. Although not an EAA program, Tucker says it wouldn’t have ever happened without EAA. It’s called Every Kid Can Fly, and the goal is to help disadvantaged young people change their lives and break the cycle of gangs, drugs, violence, and incarceration. Tucker, EAA Lifetime 259123, leads the program, and counts on his son Eric, EAA 608992, along with fellow aviator and aviation business owner Erick Teeters, EAA 636280, to do the “heavy lifting.” The program is in partnership with Rancho Cielo, a youth facility in Monterey County created to help the area with significant crime problems related to gang activity. The seeds for that possibility of becoming a pilot are sown right away beginning with a Young Eagles flight. That also allows the youths to take advantage of the EAA Flight Plan, including Sporty’s online Learn to Fly Course, reimbursement of the cost of their FAA written exam, free first flight lesson, EAA scholarships eligibility, and so much more. Tucker pledged that the program would see these young people through to their first solo, provided they steer clear of gangs and drugs, and stay in school. “When a person solos, it’s life changing. Solo is when a person is a pilot forever; it redefines you,” Tucker said.

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EAA AT THE CORE

Tucker wanted to give back to the Salinas community he said gave so much to him. He and his son met with Foster, EAA Lifetime 754131, and Lauren, EAA 1055021, Bachschmidt to brainstorm ideas. They arrived at the Every Kid Can Fly program, with the Bachschmidts also helping form the nonproﬁt organization. “My success is based on EAA,” Tucker said, adding, “You can’t reach your full potential without helping someone reach theirs.” Every Kid Can Fly has also forged a relationship with NASA’s Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Aerospace (SEMA) Academy at Salinas’ Hartnell Community College, providing program students access to its aeronautics workstations, a wind tunnel, a microgravity tower, wind tunnel, and flight simulators. NASA has 16 SEMA facilities nationwide, and Salinas has the only one in California. Learn more at www.EveryKidCanFly.org, or ﬁnd it on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ EveryKidCanFly.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TYSON RININGER

MEMBERCENTRAL

Name: Cory Puuri, EAA 1108982 Position: Membership Development Manager

WHO’S WHO AT HQ What do you enjoy most about your job? It is energizing to hear members talk about planes, their AirVenture experiences, their overall love of aviation, and what EAA is doing to help fuel that passion. Furthermore, I enjoy helping make aviation more accessible to fellow members by negotiating discounts on the products and services they use. If you could own any airplane, what would it be? I would love to own a Spartan 7W Executive. I am partial to vintage aircraft, and this is a beautiful design inside and out. I also like the Sikorsky S-43 because I am partial to seaplanes. Who introduced you to aviation? EAA. I grew up less than a mile from Outagamie County Regional Airport (ATW), and I used to sit outside in our backyard and watch the planes fly in for AirVenture. The Blue Angels and Concorde flew right over my house! What is the most unique airplane you’ve taken a ride in? I haven’t had the chance to fly or ride in anything unique, but I have crawled around in a B-25 and a de Havilland Mosquito. Both experiences were quite a treat. What do you want to build? I am trying to talk three generations of my family into building an airplane from plans. I need to get them sold on the idea of a project before I pick a plan. What person in aviation would you want to have lunch with? Any veteran. I sometimes take a break from my day and head over to the museum to listen to Timeless Voices stories from vets who have flown combat missions.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY

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MEMBERCENTRAL NEWS FROM HQ

STEVE WITTMAN, KLAPMEIER BROTHERS AMONG 2014 NATIONAL AVIATION HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES THE LATE SYLVESTER J. “Steve” Wittman, the pioneering aircraft designer, builder, and racer who was an early EAA member

and the namesake of Oshkosh’s Wittman Regional Airport, is one of six individuals who are among the class of 2014 inductees for the National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF). The induction ceremony will be in Dayton on October 4. Wittman built his first airplane in 1924, and competed in his first air race in 1926. He managed the Oshkosh, Wisconsin, airport and operated an FBO and flight school there while Steve Wittman, shown here with his famed Bonzo in 1994, will be inducted into the National continuing to deAviation Hall of Fame in October 2014.

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sign, construct, and fly innovative aircraft, his homebuilt kit plans selling in the thousands. His final air race was in 1989, at age 85. Along with Wittman’s name on the Oshkosh airport he managed until the late 1960s, EAA Chapter 252 in Oshkosh is known as the Steve Wittman Chapter. The six 2014 inductees will join 219 other aviation and space pioneers who have been welcomed into the NAHF since 1962. That roster includes EAA’s late founder Paul Poberezny, who was inducted in 1999. Also on the list of 2014 honorees is EAA board member and Kestrel Aircraft Company CEO Alan Klapmeier, along with his brother, Dale. They founded Cirrus Design in 1984, where Dale continues to serve as CEO.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF EAA

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MEMBERCENTRAL

Gone West Not alone into the sunset but into the company of friends who have gone before them. CALIFORNIA Bruce Owens (EAA 370704), Sun City Richard Schultz (EAA 66316), Lincoln Donald Sickler (EAA 410775), Willits COLORADO David Biesemeier (EAA 104864), Loveland Bruce Roshak (EAA 93896), Colorado Springs CONNECTICUT Robert Ruby (EAA 1063154), Bristol FLORIDA Dennis Bernier (EAA 879602), Astor Edwin Best (EAA 68310), DeLand Jesse Booth (EAA 122055), Sun City Center Thomas Conroy (EAA 353585), Loxahatchee Eugene Dangerﬁeld (EAA 10741), Port St. Lucie Andrew Toth (EAA 713737), New Port Richey Michael Truﬀer (EAA 546470), DeLand Marshall Wilcox (EAA 420973), Stuart Robert Wiley (EAA 261018), Wilton Manors ILLINOIS Garold Brunken (EAA 141268), Decatur John Franey (EAA 731800), Fairbury Thomas Rogers (EAA 752222), Hampshire Ben Vazquez (EAA 360969), Bolingbrook INDIANA Keith Bittle (EAA 579510), Noblesville IOWA Leonard Merz (EAA 90164209), Cedar Rapids

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF MILLER

MASSACHUSETTS Frank Sampson (EAA 1017183), Middleboro MICHIGAN George Burica, (EAA 153242), Grand Rapids Robert Reisinger (EAA 207715), Midland MINNESOTA Russell Feder (EAA 102886), Madelia MISSOURI Michael Manier (EAA 382373), Houston MONTANA Warren White (EAA 623551), Livingston NEBRASKA Virgil Adle (EAA 50838), North Platte

PENNSYLVANIA John Hoban (EAA 1029685), Orwigsburg Charles “Fritz” Wilhelm (EAA 7663), Finleyville SOUTH CAROLINA Richard Showalter (EAA 208169), Graniteville TEXAS Albert Davis (EAA 89595), Pasadena Dr. William Smith (EAA 511570), San Antonio UTAH Jim Scoﬃeld (EAA 343722), Ogden VIRGINIA Robert Steele (EAA 543074), Woodlawn

NEVADA Robert Eldridge (EAA 23048), Las Vegas

WISCONSIN Clayton Gardinier (EAA 129092), Appleton Calvin Kousek (EAA 474433), Racine Norman Meland (EAA 438197), Oshkosh

NEW JERSEY Steven Napier (EAA 1100173), Westﬁeld

CANADA Ross Lennox (EAA 807778), Etobicoke, Ontario

NEW YORK Warren Whitford (EAA 715821), Lakewood

ITALY Americo Colombo (EAA 881694), Vigliano Biellese, Biella

OHIO James Kleinfeld (EAA 734656), Harrison Kenneth Miracle (EAA 346465), Xenia

NORWAY Karsten Flogeland (EAA 1050499), Kongsberg

OKLAHOMA Wayne Austin (EAA 14315), Wilburton Vergil Smith (EAA 1107134), Marietta

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It’s the planes that bring you here. It’s the people that bring you back. Reignite your passion. Oshkosh–you gotta be here! BUY NOW AND SAVE Visit AirVenture.org/tickets today

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MEMBERCENTRAL MEMBERS/CHAPTERS IN ACTION

Like Father, Like Son EAA member gets Dad back in the saddle

MATTHEW POLAK, 29, of Waukesha, Wisconsin, always considered earning his A&P certificate at age 20 to be his greatest accomplishment in aviation. But he feels like he surpassed it this past December when he passed his checkride and gave his noncurrent pilot father, Allen, a ride for the first time. “My father received his first airplane ride when he was around 19 years old—a simple 15-minute flight in a Piper Tri-Pacer,” said Matthew, EAA 870097. “That’s all it took, and he was hooked.” Allen, EAA 234027, soon was a pilot and flew often in a rented Cherokee 140, even after getting married and starting his family. But eventually, Matthew explained, the growing family obligations and costs forced Allen to give up flying. “He hasn’t been current for 23 years.” They still attended EAA AirVenture Oshkosh together every year, though. “We spend our week engulfed in the awesomeness that is Oshkosh and hope it fills our tank for the year to come,” Matthew said. Allen convinced his son to become an A&P given Matthew’s mechanical inclination. He joined Plane Safe Aircraft Maintenance on Waukesha County Airport (UES). As an A&P, he had numerous opportunities to fly with customers and often bragged to his dad about it. “He always begged me to try and get him a ride in something, just to get back in the air. I never delivered, but mainly because I had a plan in mind: become a pilot and provide the ride myself.” His employer provided an airplane for training, and for a year and a half Matthew learned everything he could about flying. He passed his checkride on December 15, all the while keeping his dad in the dark. Then on Christmas Eve Matthew’s scheme to get his dad back in the air came full circle. He told his dad to meet him at the airport and said his boss would take him up for a flight. When Allen arrived, Matthew told him his boss was not able to make it after all but that they could take a newly repaired plane out of the hangar to taxi test its newly installed brakes. It was all part of the ruse, of course. “So I got him in the airplane, did a run-up, and got on the runway—all without him suspecting a thing,” Matthew explained. “Gave it power, started rocketing down the runway, and instead of chopping power and hitting the brakes, rotated and took off. “Now he’s thinking we just did something illegal and have to land with no experienced pilot on board. He’s about to really start freaking out, so I start laughing, reach into the back seat, pull out and give him my license. He was shocked and relieved to say the least.”

108 Sport Aviation February 2014

Allen (left) and Matthew Polak, father and son pilots.

They spent the next two and a half hours in the airplane “bonding in a way we both never knew we would,” Matthew explained. “It was definitely a memory we’ll both never forget.” Now after so many ground-bound years, Allen is motivated to get current and acquire an airplane with his son. “I hope this leads to many more years and miles and miles of smiles,” Matthew said. “I am now the second-generation pilot in my family and hope one day to pass my aviation passion onto my son as well. “My dad has been my hero my whole life, and it was nice to finally be able to pay him back by doing something very dear to us both—flying.” Matthew credits his wife, Crystal, for never letting him give up; his bosses Sam and Dru, both for pushing him and helping whenever needed; Plane Safe Aircraft Maintenance for use of the airplane; and his flight instructors for all their hard work and dedication. “And to my father, for getting me addicted to aviation in the first place,” Matthew said.

MEMBERCENTRAL MEMBERS/CHAPTERS IN ACTION

YOUNG PILOT USES EAA YOUTH PROGRAMS TO EARN HIS TICKET AFTER ERIC BEETS, EAA 1078480, took a Young Eagles flight on January 15, 2012, the 17-year-old high school student from Burlington, Wisconsin, made the decision that he would become a private pilot. Thanks to his determination and the EAA Young Eagles Flight Plan, Eric passed his checkride on April 5, 2013. Now he’s organizing a Young Eagles rally at his home airport. Eric gives EAA 100 percent of the credit for teaching him about aviation. After the Young Eagles flight, he completed the online Sporty’s Learn to Fly Course (provided free to Young Eagles) and applied for and was granted a scholarship to attend the EAA Air Academy. He passed the FAA written exam on his first attempt (the cost of which was reimbursed by EAA), plus was chosen as a recipient of a Gathering of Eagles flight-training scholarship.

Now he’s spreading the word about flight to his friends and the public. “I’ve already given flights to some of my friends, and I feel it’s my duty to help others discover flying like EAA helped me,” he said. “I want to help get anyone and everyone interested in aviation, and I thought that telling my story to other parents, kids, pilots, and anyone willing to listen would be a great way to achieve my goal.”

SIT INSIDE THE cockpit with EAA Vice President of Communities and Member Programs Jeff Skiles as he gets checked out in a T-6, C-45, and B-24 in preparation for his pilot training and checkout in the CAF’s B-29 in the February edition of EAA’s Chapter Video Magazine. This month’s video also includes an in-depth look at the new Bearhawk LSA, and an update on the latest news and happenings in Oshkosh. To watch this month’s video, attend an EAA chapter meeting near you. To ﬁnd a chapter, visit www.EAA.org/chapters/locator.

Eric Beets was determined to be a pilot, and the EAA Young Eagles program helped him achieve it.

WELCOME, NEW LIFETIME MEMBERS Victor Barrett (EAA 192069), Sevierville, Tennessee Gerald Bielecki (EAA 275583), Vero Beach, Florida William Bishop (EAA 659685), Eagle Lake, Florida Becky Breckenridge (EAA 790791), Happy Valley, Oregon Carl Calvin (EAA 1131851), Radnor, Ohio Terry Chamberlain (EAA 85820), Bothell, Washington Terence Crouch (EAA 152069), Bettendorf, Iowa Peter Curzon (EAA 1002018), Riverside, California Darrel Dilley (EAA 57033), La Salle, Colorado Stephen Gatlin (EAA 488920), Celebration, Florida William Hamerstadt (EAA 489567), Carmel, Indiana Tom Hoag (EAA 754338), Colorado Springs, Colorado Edwin Jasper (EAA 180398), Sacramento, California Eric Kesler (EAA 338704), Northville, Michigan Oliver Kottke (EAA 686295), Racine, Wisconsin Daniel Lindquist (EAA 1118009), Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada Mark Lorenz (EAA 405009), Springville, Iowa

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David Moore (EAA 231337), Henderson, Nevada Scott Mueller (EAA 1132132), Random Lake, Wisconsin Tim Plutchak (EAA 286529), Stephenson, Michigan William Pollack (EAA 314538), Deerﬁeld, Illinois John Raspet (EAA 260553), Shelton, Connecticut Gary Reich (EAA 482803), Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin Robert Salerno (EAA 413953), New Windsor, New York Brian Schoonmaker (EAA 59594), Eatonton, Georgia Douglas Shaw (EAA 132599), Kremmling, Colorado Rus Smith (EAA 1042494), Battle Creek, Michigan Lawrence Smith (EAA 432929), Clovis, California Ron Terhaar (EAA 527084), Albany, Oregon Steve Vaught (EAA 196380), Payson, Arizona Syd Vital (EAA 243557), Garden Ridge, Texas Joel Walworth (EAA 400652), Fortville, Indiana Jeﬀrey Warren (EAA 298249), Simpsonville, South Carolina

MEMBERCENTRAL MEMBER BENEFITS

Member Benefits Spotlight MEMBERSHIP IN EAA makes aviation more fun, economical, and accessible. Below are free and discounted programs offered exclusively to EAA members. Join, renew, or ask questions by visiting www.EAA.org/join or calling 800-564-6322 (800-JOIN-EAA). PROGRAMS

EAA Aircraft Insurance - Obtain extensive liability and hull insurance for all types of aircraft at an exceptional price. Ask for the “EAA Endorsement” and get added beneﬁts, like zero deductible from day one, at no additional charge. We’ve also designed a plan unique to Canada (C-PLAN) with coverage for standard, ultralights, amateur-builts, and kit planes. www.EAA.org/insurance, 866-647-4322 (U.S.) or 855-736-3407 (Canada) EAA Aviation & Non-Aviation AD&D Insurance - Get personal insurance coverage that picks up where traditional life insurance stops with coverage for nearly all aviation and non-aviation activities at a fraction of the cost of amending existing life insurance policies. www.EAA.org/insurance, 877-230-3252 EAA Visa Credit Card - Earn points to redeem for membership renewal, gift memberships, travel, cash back, or more! Use your card on purchases at Aircraft Spruce & Specialty and you’ll also receive up to 10 percent off. www.EAA.org/visa ASTC Museum Passport Program - Enjoy free access to more than 300 museums and science centers worldwide. www.EAA.org/passport EAA Webinars - Attend free, weekly webinars with content ranging from “Flying Efficiently” to “Getting Started With Ultralights.” www.EAA.org/webinars EAA Hints for Homebuilders Videos - Online videos featuring easy explanations of aircraft homebuilding and maintenance techniques. www.EAAVideo.org EAA Flight Advisors - Flight advisors counsel members considering purchasing an aircraft, preparing for flight in a newly built or restored aircraft, or looking to transition to an unfamiliar aircraft. www.EAA.org/flightadvisors EAA Technical Counselors - Experienced builders, restorers, and mechanics volunteer their time to help you present a “zero defect” airplane for inspection. www.EAA.org/techcounselors EAA Ford Tri-Motor Experience - Experience the golden age of aviation aboard EAA’s 1929 Ford Tri-Motor. www.FlyTheFord.org EAA B-17 Flight Experience - $40 off your flight as you stand in the footsteps of the bombardier, the navigator, and the waist gunner and relive history. www.B17.org

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EAA communities are groups organized in a local community or around a particular interest like an aircraft type. They meet up, share advice, and work together on important community projects. EAA Chapters - www.EAA.org/chapters/locator EAA International Aerobatic Club - www.IAC.org EAA Warbirds of America - www.Warbirds-EAA.org EAA Vintage Aircraft Association - www.VintageAircraft.org EAA Ultralights - www.EAA.org/ultralights EAA Homebuilders - www.EAA.org/homebuilders

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AIRCRAFT INSTRUMENTS Eighteen years manufacturing AOA’s www.riteangle.com 360-260-0772 BOOKS WORLD’S MOST POPULAR Aircraft Design Books @ www.aircraftdesigns. com/831-621-8760 EMPLOYMENT www.Airjobsdaily.com - Your link to Open Positions within Aviation & Aerospace! ENGINES Kawasaki package - save 50% - engine, reduction drive, carburetor, and exhaust. 0-time, 64 lbs., 40 HP. Contact J-Bird - (262) 626-2611 Hirth Aircraft Engines: 15-110 HP. 1,000 hr rated TBO. 1 yr warranty. Sales, service & parts. Highest power to weight ratio in the industry. BlueMax 2-cycle aviation oil. Recreational Power Engineering 5479 East Country Rd. 38, Tiffin, OH 44883. PH 800-583-3306 FX 419-585-6004. Visit us on the web: www.recpower.com Engines starting at $200 - guaranteed Kawasaki, Rotax, Hirth and most other brands with BEST reduction drive, carburetor, exhaust selection of accessories with top-notch service from our friendly staff. J-Bird, 210 Main St. Kewaskum WI 53040, (262) 626-2611 VW Power from Great Plains Aircraft! Type 1– 1600cc to 2276cc. Direct, Reduction and Flywheel Drives. Kits and parts. Engine packages for all VW powered aircraft. Contact Great Plains Aircraft at 402-493-6507 or GPASC.com MISC Composites & Supplies - 37+ years of excellent customer service, designers, manufacturers, materials. Always in stock: epoxy, polyester, Vinyleter resin, carbon fiber, Kevlar, lightweight fairing & bonding compounds, Nida Core, PVC Foam Core, Vacuum bagging & vacuum resin infusion supplies. Order online www.lbifiberglass.com or call for free catalog 800-231-6537, technical assistance Carbon fiber cowls for non-certified PA 18 aircraft. Selkirk Aviation, 208-664-9589. www.selkirk-aviation.com Landing Gear-Wittman type rod gear since 1969. Contact Harmon Lange 503-397-1478, harmon@langair.com Sonerai and aero-VW enthusiasts. Join our online community at www.sonerai.net

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FLOATS BY ZENAIR 750# to 2500# straight & amphib kits www.zenairfloats.com BUILD YOUR OWN BOAT! Send $9.95 for catalog of over 300 boats you can build, includes FREE Dingy plans. Glen-L, 9152 Rosecrans Ave/EAA, Bellflower, CA 90706, 888-700-5007. Online catalog: Glen-L.com/EAA OSHKOSH/AIRVENTURE HOUSING OSHKOSH HOUSE FOR LEASE Four bedroom house next to Convention grounds available for annual lease Call 1-877-438-6531 2005 31’ RV, Super Slide, sleeps 8,Gen. A/C,. Queen ,shower.$1500/wk, Setup, EAA Member.(920)727-0900. Will send pictures. OSHKOSH BOUND? Visit Sleepy Hollow Farm - the closest private RV campground to AirVenture. Call 1-877-438-6531 or www.sleepyhollowfarm.com PARACHUTES Pennsylvania Parachute Company-Pilot Emergency Parachutes www.pennsylvaniaparachute.com, 610-317-2536 PLANS/KITS Aircraft plans advertised in EAA Sport Aviation must have satisfied the FAA minimum requirements of the Experimental Amateur-built Category and must have been operated a minimum of 25 hours when using an FAA certified engine or 40 hours with a non-certified engine and should have satisfactorily demonstrated its advertised qualities. The FAA Operation Limitation must have been amended to permit flight outside the test flight area. GANAGOBIE IS BACK Plans reviewed & up to new standards. Cruising speed 160 mi, can be built for under $15K, Info pak $17 + $3 airmail, lobetje@yahoo.co.uk, www.lobetganagobie.homestead.com RV Builders-Upper/lower gear leg intersection fairings www.aerosu.com 507-635-5976 Volksplane-Complete VP-1 Plans $64 w/FREE Designers Handbook, Pilots Handbook, builders photos & Flight Reports. www.volksplane.com & www.evansair.com Skybolt plans $165, Pitts S1-C plans $250, S1-SS updates $100, materials & components. Knight Twister plans: single $250, two-place $285. Firebolt plans $275. Great Lakes plans $350. Pilot & aircraft accessories. Steen Aero Lab, (321) 725-4160. www.steenaero.com

Headwind, FooFighter, Maximizer plans & details available through www.stewartaircraft.com 11 Wooden low wing C. Piel’s designs. Catalog $25.00. S. Littner, 432 Hamel, St-Eustache, Quebec J7P 4M3 Canada, 450 974-7001, slittner@videotron.ca CLASSIC HOMEBUILT AIRCRAFT PLANS - Cozy Mark IV $500 Christavia MK-1 $375 Christavia MK-2 $289.95 Christavia MK-4 $275 Starduster One SA100 $115 Super Starduster SA101 $158.95 Starduster Too SA300 $250 Starlet SA500 $125 Acroduster Too SA750 $125 V-Star SA900 $195 Acrolite 1B $295 Wittman W10 Tailwind $195 Wittman V-Witt Racer $95 Baby Great Lakes $295 Super Baby Great Lakes $295 Buddy Baby Lakes $275 One Design $376. Aircraft Spruce (951) 372-9555, www.aircraftspruce.com Pazmany PL-2-two place, all metal, plans $425. Light Sport Aircraft Category: Pazmany PL-1 -two place, all metal, plans $425 (For info, see website below). Light Sport Aircraft Category: Pazmany PL-4A- single place, all metal, plans $375. Pazmany PL-9 Stork-Two place STOL (Fieseler Storch, 3/4 replica)welded tube fuselage, aluminum wing and empenage, fabric covered. Super detailed plans (700 sq.ft.) $550. Mail plans: USA@0; Canada $35; Foreign $80. PDF Info Packs $9 available at website below. PL-9 Stork video or DVD $30. Mail: USA $5; Foreign air & ins. $24. Pazmany Aircraft Corporation, P O Box 60577, San Diego, CA 92166. Tel:619-224-7330, Fax: 619-224-7358; E-mail: info@pazmany.com, www.pazmany.com PROPELLERS www.PerformancePropellersUSA.com. Two & Three Blade MultiLaminate Wood composite propellers for up through 300 HP. 713-417-2519 Ed Sterba Propellers Custom Carving for Homebuilts 513 68th St Holmes Beach, FL 34217 941-778-3103 MT & Hoﬀmann Propellers for aerobatic, homebuilt & production aircraft. Call for quote. Steen Aero Lab, (321) 725-4160. www.steenaero.com REAL ESTATE For sale by owner, Hilltop 4-bdrm, 2 bath, brick ranch, 22 acres, mostly wooded. Approx 480’, level UL airstrip & hangar, garages for 7 cars, great views of Appalachian Mts, private, ATV trails, 2 totem poles, Jacuzzi. Jonesborough, TN 9 miles from ETSU $380K, bobmausolf@centurylink.net For Sale: Central Ohio - Two great homes with runways, hangars and much more. www.ohiohomehangarandrunway.com or call 614-580-6506 SERVICES Patent, Trademarks, Copyrights. Robert Platt Bell, Registered Patent Attorney, EAA Member, 821 Riverview Drive, Jekyll Island, GA 31527. robertplattbell@gmail.com. PH. 912-635-2147. WANTED Don Sauser P-6E complete or project-in-progress , 719-495-9477 or rfhowley@msn.com Long-EZ, Quickie Q2, Dragonﬂy type fuselage with controls. 207-529-2334 cabbadts@tidewater.net Seeking plans for a Jodel D-9 or Druine Turbulent call Ken at: 423-638-7262 Donate your airplane, boat or RV to Samaritan Aviation, a charity that provides mission/medical services to remote areas of the world. www.samaritanaviation.com 970-249-4341

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ADVERTISER

PAGE

AD INDEX

WEBSITE

PHONE

GoPro

www.gopro.com

888/600-4659

920/231-8297

Grand Rapids Technologies, Inc.

www.grtavionics.com

616/245-7700

www.aircraftspruce.com

877/4-SPRUCE

Jeppesen

wwww.jeppesen.com/ﬂitedeck-vfr31

800/353-2107

www.aircraftspruce.com

877/4-SPRUCE

J.P. Instruments

103

www.jpinstruments.com

800/345-4574

Aircraft Spruce & Specialty/Cozy

www.aircraftspruce.com

877/4-SPRUCE

Lancair International

www.lancair.com

541/923-2244

Aircraft Tool Supply Co.

www.aircraft-tool.com

800/248-0638

Lycoming

www.lycoming.com

800/258-3279

Aviat Aircraft Inc

www.aviataircraft.com

307/885-3151

MGL Avionics

www.mglavionics.com

877/835-9464

Aviator’s Guide to Florida

101

www.aviators-guide.com

Moduline Aluminum Cabinets

www.modulinecabinets.com/A288

888/926-6998

B & C Specialty Products

www.bandc.info/SAV

316/283-8000

MT-Propeller

101

www.mt-propeller.com

386/736-7762

CAF Air Power Tour

www.AirPowerTour.org

432-413-4100

Plane Power

www.plane-power.com

877/934-5700

California Power Systems

www.cps-parts.com

800/247-9653

Poly-Fiber Aircraft Coatings

www.polyﬁber.com

800/362-3490

Cessna Aircraft Company

www.cessna.com/truepilot

800/4-CESSNA

Randolph Aircraft Products

www.randolphaircraft.com

800/362-3490

Cirrus Aircraft

www.cirrusaircraft.com/2014

800/279-4322

Sandy’s Airpark

www.sandysairpark.com

800/908-4359

CubCrafters, Inc.

www.carboncubex.com

509/248-9491

Savvy Aircraft Maint. Management

113

www.savvyanalysis.com

702/655-1359

Daher-Socata

www.tbm850.com

954/993-8477

Sigtronics Corporation

www.sigtronics.com

909/305-9399

DTC DUAT

www.duat.com

800/243-3828

Sky-Tec

www.skytecair.com/dealers.htm

800/573-2250

Dynon Avionics

IFC

www.dynonavionics.com

425/402-0433

Sonex Aircraft, LLC

www.sonexaircraft.com

920/231-8297

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2014

107

www.airventure.org

800/564-6322

Sporty’s Pilot Shop

www.sportys.com/stratus

800/SPORTYS

EAA Aviation Insurance/Falcon

81, 83

www.eaalowerrates.com

866/647-4322

Stewart AC Finishing Systems

www.stewartsystems.aero

888/356-7659

EAA Credit Card

www.eaa.org/visa

800/564-6322

Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In 2013

109

www.sun-n-fun.org

863/644-2431

EAA Ford Tri-Motor

113

www.ﬂytheford.org

800/564-6322

Superior Air Parts

www.superiorairparts.com/EAA

800/277-5168

EAA Merchandise

www.shopeaa.com

800/564-6322

Tempest

www.tempestplus.com

800/822-3200

93, 102

www.sportair.com

800/967-5746

Trade-A-Plane

www.trade-a-plane.com

800/337-5263

EAA SportAir Workshops EAA Sweepstakes 2014

www.eaa.org/sweepstakes

800/236-1025

Trio Avionics

101

www.trioavionics.com

619/448-4619

EAA Tribute

104

www.eaa.org/support

800/236-1025

TruTrak Flight Systems

www.trutrakap.com

866/TRUTRAK

EAA Young Eagles

104, 106

www.youngeagles.org

877/806-8902

UMA Instruments

www.umainstruments.com

800/842-5578

Flight Design USA

www.ﬂightdesignusa.com

860/963-7272

Van’s Aircraft, Inc.

www.vansaircraft.com

503/678-6545

FltPlan.com

www.ﬂtplan.com

800/322-7526

Vertical Power

www.VerticalPower.com

425/328-1658

Ford Motor Company

www.ford.com

800/392-3673

Wicks Aircraft Supply

www.wicksaircraft.com

800/221-9425

ForeFlight

IBC

www.foreﬂight.com

team@foreﬂight.com

Zenith Aircraft Company

www.zenithair.com

573/581-9000

www.garmin.com/ads-b

800/800-1020

Garmin

For more information from EAA Sport Aviation’s advertisers, please phone or visit them on the web, and mention that you saw their ad in EAA Sport Aviation. Visit www.EAA.org for a listing of this month’s advertisers. Copyright © 2014 by the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. All rights reserved. EAA SPORT AVIATION (USPS 511-720; ISSN 0038-7835; CPC#40612608) is owned exclusively by the Experimental Aircraft Assn., Inc. and is published monthly at the EAA Aviation Headquarters, 3000 Poberezny Rd., Oshkosh, WI 54902. Periodical Postage paid at Oshkosh, WI 54901 and other post offices. [U.S. membership rates are $40.00.] EAA STATEMENT OF POLICY – Material published in EAA SPORT AVIATION is contributed by EAA members and other interested persons. Opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. Accuracy of the material is the sole responsibility of the contributor. ADVERTISING – EAA does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through our advertising. We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to EAA SPORT AVIATION, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.

www.eaa.org 115

EAA’S LOGBOOK WHERE WE CAME FROM

INSIDE THE ISSUE Highlights from February 1964:

Sport Aviation republished a story detailing plans to build an EAA Aviation Museum in Franklin, Wisconsin. Eﬀorts to raise $200,000 for the project began with donations from the Smithsonian, the U.S. Air Force Museum, and others.

Bob Ring, EAA 11299, recounted his interesting story of acquiring all the parts to restore a Fairchild 24, much like the one EAA is giving away in the 2014 sweepstakes.

The ‘Cold’-en Years

he snow on the ground didn’t stop J.M. Phillips and F.M. Fox from enjoying some nice open-cockpit flying in their Bert BF-2, built by Floyd S. Bert, on the cover of the February 1964 issue of Sport Aviation. Inside, the magazine showcased a few domestic air shows, as well as the St. Petersburg International Aviation Exposition. A “Batch of Biplanes” article gave brief descriptions of EAA’s eight favorite biplanes, and “A Cow Pasture Hangar” showed pictures of a barn that Dudley R. Kelly, EAA 6173, turned into a hangar, much like many we see in today’s Pilot Caves submissions. 116 Sport Aviation February 2014

Anton Cvjetkovic, EAA 15226, and John Laycock built the entire CA-61 using common hand tools, and the whole project cost less than $2,000, with $1,000 of that being spent on an engine and an OMNI two-way radio. View archived issues of EAA Sport Aviation in the Members Only section at www.Oshkosh365.org.

July 28 - August 3 Buy your AirVenture Oshkosh 2014 tickets today! Visit AirVenture.org/tickets