The Patrician Victoria Flying Club
April 2009
The Port of Sidney is reflected in the starboard wing of GCZM, Cessna 172 belonging to VFC member Charles Picciotto. The aircraft was on final for 27 on a fine day in February last year. Photo by Linda Picciotto.
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Short Final
Letters to the Editor
Bears Air
In My Travels
The Truth about Pilots
Hawk One The Return
The Best Laid Plans
Eleanor’s
The
Patrician
S hort F inal
Newsletter of the Victoria Flying Club
APRIL 2009 Editor:
Eleanor Eastick PatricianEditor@shaw.ca Publisher: Seaside Designs seasidedesigns@shaw.ca (250) 383-7777 Published monthly. Unsolicited articles welcome. The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, April 21, 2009.
Board of Directors President Vice President Treasurer Secretary Directors
Lloyd Toope Colin Dormuth Ellen Wood Rob Shemilt Sean Steele Colin Williamson Don Devenney Bill Vanderboor General Manager Gerry Mants Chief Flying Instructor Graham Palmer 1852 Canso Road Victoria, BC V8L 5V5
Phone: Fax: Email: Web:
(250) 656-4321 (250) 656-2833 (250) 655-0910 info@flyvfc.com www.flyvfc.com
Opinions expressed are those of the authors alone. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced in any format without the written authorization from the publisher or author.
7TH ANNUAL
Fairfield Artists Studio Tour April 25 & 26
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Come out for a walk & enjoy the creative works of over 50 area artists! a brochure with map at
fairfieldcommunity.ca 2
The What Has Flown? On March 5th, 2009 the Terrafugia Transition® achieved first flight at Plattsburgh International Airport. First customer delivery of a Transition® Roadable Aircraft is expected to occur in 2011. Taking advantage of new FAA regulations in the Light Sport Aircraft category, Terrafugia developed the Transition® to provide pilots the convenience of a dual-purpose vehicle. Its unique design allows the Transition® to fold its wings and drive on any surface road with a modern personal airplane platform. Once at the airport, the wings extend and the aircraft is ready for take-off. Both folding and extending the wings is done from inside the cockpit. See http://www.terrafugia.com/ for photos and complete story. The Transition is the successor to the old Aerocar – there’s one in the Boeing Museum of Flight. The best-known owner and pilot of the 1950’s Aerocar was Bob Cummings, old-time movie and television actor. He was born in 1908 and died in 1990. He was taught to fly by his godfather, Orville Wright. In The Bob Cummings Show, 1961, charter pilot Bob flew everywhere, often playing amateur detective. He had an aerocar, a vehicle which worked like a car until he attached its optional wing and flew off. Looks like you had to tow the wings and empennage behind you (see photo), but it was a quick job to attach all the stuff to make it fly. Check out the video: http://www.aerocarforsale.com/images/aerocar.wmv Bob Cummings is probably forgotten by most now, but I believe he once flew his Aerocar into CYYJ! Yep, that was a long time ago!
When will Spring Spring? Would someone please tell Mother Nature to knock off the snow and cold weather? Oh yeah, and the gales!
Avro Arrow We have now passed the 50th anniversary of the cancellation of the Arrow and the 51st anniversary of its first flight. What more can be said? What a plane, what a loss. What might Canada have become with the first supersonic jet fighter. Short Final cont’d on p 3
Letters to the Editor Thanks for another great Patrician!! It’s CAM3, Duncan. We are going to miss your work. Great to see you at the club last week. Cheers Jeremy
Hi, Eleanor. I’m probably wrong...my first guess was Butler/Howroyd, given that big gouge in the ground (it looks like a gravel pit). It might be Duncan, but I’ve never been there so I’m not sure. It’s a little fuzzy. Marie W.
Hi Eleanor... Well, that March Mystery airport is good old Duncan International (CAM3 in the CFS). 1575 x 35 of hardtop, 320 ft ASL, and always a crosswind. Lots of fun to get into and out of.... All of my ultralight training was at CAM3 and I’ve been flying a 172 in there recently. It can be a real challenge! Cheers! Sam
Marie continues: I can’t take over the PATRICIAN, but I could do some proofreading if necessary. (I could take you up on that one – I notice I’ve been getting careless lately, letting typos slip by – tsk!)
Duncan Airport
More about the Vampire (the February mystery plane): a fellow named Bill Lamberton did a one-for-one trade with the Air Force some years ago - his Vampire for a surplus CAF Tutor. The Vampire was last seen at CFB Comox. http://www.classicjets.org/trainers.html has a picture of both airplanes.
Cheers Ken Jones Duncan! (CAM3) final approach 31 Regards, Andreas Ruttkiewicz
Thanks for all the letters; it’s CAM3, Duncan. It’s very similar in the approach appearance to the old Butlers Field under the CYYJ control zone.
Looks like Duncan to me.... Allen and Jenny
A big THANK YOU to Bob Mace who has donated his old Stinson prop to VFC. The prop, as old as the Club itself, has been on display in the entrance foyer for some years “on loan”, but Bob wants the Club to own it as a gift from him. Short Final cont’d from p 2
2009 – maybe a few flyouts? Let’s get going again as a club! There have been suggestions of making a flyout to KBFI, Boeing Field, to visit the aviation museum. It’s a great destination and a beautiful flight. We need someone to step forward and volunteer to organize the trip. Flyouts are fun and skill- and confidence- building. Use your hard-won licence! Go somewhere! Challenge yourself – it’s a lot easier in a group.
Island Blue in Sidney too We are always indebted to Rob Shemilt of Island Blue for printing 50 free copies of the Patrician every month, not to mention various other services to the Club. Rob is now on the Board of
Directors as well. And I just discovered that Island Blue has a second location in Sidney at #2 - 9764 Fifth Street, Telephone: 250656-1233, Fax: 250-655-3993 or Email: sidneyrepro@islandblue.com
Three, Two, One and I’m Gone. Yes, that’s right, three more Pats - April, May and June and I’m outta here. The Pat as you know it will be gone but that may be a good thing; a new look, a new editor, a new publisher, new ideas for a new era. It’s been fun for ten years, but eventually all volunteers get tired. I’m not quitting flying, or the Club, I’m just quitting giving 40+ hours a month to the Patrician; it’s time someone else took a turn.
Blue Skies.......Eleanor 3
This year, be ready for fly-outs, cross-country and sightseeing flights through the mountains of British Columbia.
Mountain Flying Groundschool
Please call the Club’s dispatch office at 250-656-4321 or 250-656-2833 to sign up.
There will be on-going Mountain GroundSchools throughout the flying season.
Take the first step toward a Mountain Endorsement by enrolling in VICTORIA FLYING CLUB’S MOUNTAIN FLYING GROUNDSCHOOL. The first course of 2009 is scheduled for Saturday, April 25th from 1:00pm to 5:00pm. Cost $50.
Sustaining Member of Victoria Flying Club If you are a VFC member in good standing for two consecutive years, you can apply to become a Sustaining Member. The annual membership fee is only $10 more and entitles you to 10% off flying and pilot shop purchases. You also get voting privileges at the AGM and you can run for the Board of Directors.
APPLICATION FORMS AVAILABLE AT DISPATCH
April MYSTERY OF THE MONTH 7000 of these single-engine dive bombers were built. Now, only one remains airworthy. It's nickname was Son-of-a-Bitch Second Class. Send your educated guesses to
patricianeditor@shaw.ca 4
Beware of Burnout
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BEAR’S AIR Barry Meek
hen a burnout occurs in the cockpit, sometimes the consequences can be fatal. Burnout, a term referred to when speaking of electronic components and light bulbs is also used in medical and psychological assessments of patients who experience long-term exhaustion and diminished interest in their work. High stress jobs can lead to more burnout than normal ones. Although stress is subjective, people in the customer service industry, law enforcement, air traffic controllers, emergency service workers, and probably airline pilots, seem more prone to burnout caused by stress.
gastro-intestinal dysfunction, sleep disruptions, loss of appetite or unexplained abdominal pain. Nothing of a physical nature can be found in testing, and when questioned regarding his stress level, he denies any stress in his life. Further inquiries into his home life, job, family and financial situations may reveal a large mortgage, plumbing repairs needed, a demanding boss and work environment, two troubled teen-age children, and perhaps some big debts. In other words, the everyday problems faced by so many people in society that we consider it all as normal. What’s to be stressed about?
In January 2008, an Air Canada flight from Toronto to London had some trouble over the Atlantic Ocean. I cannot recall hearing about the incident at the time, nor could I find any news reports in archives, however the inevitable investigation finally concluded in November, when many of the facts were reported. Because the flight diverted to Shannon Airport, an official report into the incident was issued by Ireland’s Air Accident Investigation Unit which stated the co-pilot suffered an “emotional breakdown”. He began talking in a “rambling and disjointed” manner, then refused to observe safety procedures and was belligerent and uncooperative. The captain ordered other crewmembers to remove him from the cockpit and restrain him for the duration of the flight.
Although insidious, the stress is very real and over time wears the person down, grinds away in his mind until, if untreated, burnout occurs. His mind, similar to the light bulb, is simply unable to handle the heat any longer. When it snaps, it does different things to different people. The extreme has been described as ‘going postal’. If it was indeed the cause of the copilot’s behavior in the incident in this article, over 150 people were endangered by stress.
I could find no report which diagnosed the cause of this man’s behavior other than one which described it as an “emotional breakdown”. To be clear, nothing in this article is intended to judge or explain what occurred. Whatever this fellow suffered from, I sincerely hope he’s been treated for it and has healed. We all know the strict regulations faced by pilots when it comes to medical exams. We know too that there are ways and methods to (temporarily) get around some medical issues, and that there is no definitive testing for every mental problem. Stress can be considered an emotional problem and a definitive diagnosis can be difficult. Denial on the part of the patient is common. Either he is in conscious denial of his problems, or simply doesn’t understand what’s happening. A perfect example is where a person presents with physical manifestations such as headaches, dizziness,
I have seen patients in the burnout stage. (Barry was a paramedic-ed.) I’ve seen them in denial, and others who simply didn’t have a grip on what was happening to them. And having gone through most of it on a personal level, I often ask the question, “How can the aviation medical examiner possibly screen every pilot for stress that is occurring or is likely to occur?” My last Category 1 medical exam lasted less than 10 minutes (extra for the ECG and paperwork). In my opinion, it’s nowhere near enough time to dig into a person’s mind and discover the early warning signs. But does anyone have an answer to how Transport Canada could guarantee a person’s physical and mental health before issuing his medical certificate? A system is in place, and like any system, it’s not perfectly fool-proof. If this Air Canada co-pilot broke down because of an emotional issue, it really doesn’t surprise me. If it were a medical issue, such as diabetes, drug related, clinical depression (undiagnosed) or even a fight with his wife that caused his behavior that day in January, there is still no way to predict every possibility. We do the best we can. We install back-ups wherever possible, and live with the risks. Bears Air cont’d on p 6
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Bears Air cont’d from p 5 One final comment would be that each of us has the responsibility to accept and cooperate with the intent of the laws and regulations that are designed for the good of all. That means that as pilots, who have the lives of others in our hands, we don’t knowingly deny problems in discussions with the aviation medical examiners. Several years ago, an incident involving an airline pilot who had hidden his diabetes from his employer almost cost the lives of his passengers one night.
It also means that we need to accept when the time comes that we’re no longer able to be safe in the cockpit. Flying is a wonderful, exciting and fulfilling way to make a living. As pilots, we’re fortunate to experience all it has to offer. But there are other professions that can be just as rewarding, and when the time is right, we accept that’s where we’ll be. Barry Meek bcflyer@propilots.net
Th e B e e r S p i t f i r e a True Story No, those are not drop tanks, they are beer kegs! The pilot was Cec Brown of 403 (Wolf) Squadron. His unit was stationed in France shortly after D-Day. He had some reason to return to England, then returned to France with some unofficial "ordnance" under the wings of his Spitfire. When he came down from altitude, his "cargo" was chilled to just the right temperature for a hot June afternoon. Needless to say, his aircraft received some of the best servicing work from grateful ground crews.
Achievements First Solo Chris Supeene Collin McDonald Mark Champ Steve Snow Jordan Oickle Christie Slawson Michael Pinner Luke Larson PPL Flight Test Archie Wells Jayeson Magri
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PPL Written Test Jordan Ofiesh Dirk Pritchard Doug Peers Wade Snider CPL Flight Test James White Kristen Ursel INRAT Don Devenney
Welcome New Members! James Embury Cameron Keller Mark Lee Tanner Arychuk Cameron Croll
Chad Goobie Joseph Simonyi Melissa Moir Graeme Stockdill Tate Goodman
In My Travels
by Larry Dibnah
T he P-40 Connec tion Back in mid February I received a rather excited call from my son Andrew in California. He had been working in L.A. for several weeks straight and decided to take a day off and visit the ‘Planes of Fame’ Museum in Chino, CA. He was very impressed with the museum and its collection of flyable warbirds. Since Andrew and I are currently members of the BC Aviation Museum here in Victoria, he decided to take up a membership in the ‘Planes of Fame’ as well. It wasn’t long before he convinced himself to take a ride in one of the WW2 fighter aircraft. This is something he has wanted to do for some time and, quite frankly, he’s worked hard for it. Now, most people I know would have chosen the North American P-51D Mustang without hesitation. However, like his dear old dad, Andrew has always been enamored with the Curtis P-40 Warhawk so to the surprise of the ‘Planes of Fame’ staff he chose the P-40N. After what amounted to a 40 minute flight including a few barrel rolls and a quick jaunt through some California valleys, Andrew and his new found pilot friend returned to base in their aerial hot rod. I wish I could have been there to see the grin on his already cheery face as he walked away from the Warhawk, certificate in hand. As if the thrill of his flight wasn’t enough, Andrew soon learned that this particular P-40N had been on duty with the Royal Canadian Air Force in the mid- 1940’s and was based right here at RCAF Station Patricia Bay. In addition, this is one of the few Canadian Fighter aircraft to have shot down an armed unmanned balloon off the Pacific coast, one of hundreds of balloons launched by the Japanese military in their last desperate year of WW2. More recently, this aircraft appeared as an RAF Kittyhawk in the WW2 film entitled ‘Valkyrie’ which Andrew and I went to see at the theatre shortly before he left on assignment. While discussing his P-40 adventure Andrew and I thought that it would warrant a short story since there was a local historical connection. I’ve since watched his video footage many times and have experienced Andrew’s flight, if only vicariously, as a proud dad should. Through this short story I hope to share this experience with our readership and to illustrate a small part of Canadian aviation history here on the West Coast.
Blue skies, everyone. 7
This engaging article was sent in by Al Whalley some time ago. I don’t know the source-ed.
The Truth about Pilo t s One fine hot summer afternoon there was a Cessna 150 flying in the pattern at a quiet country airfield. The Instructor was getting quite bothered with the student’s inability to maintain altitude in the thermals and was getting impatient at sometimes having to take over the controls. Just then he saw a twin engine Cessna 402 5,000 ft. above him and thought, “Another 1,000 hrs of this and I qualify for that twin charter job! Aaahh.. to be a real pilot going somewhere!” The 402 was already late and the boss told him this charter was for one of the Company’s premier clients. He’d already set MCT and the cylinders didn’t like it in the heat of this summer’s day. He was at 6,000 ft. and the winds were now a 20kt headwind. Today was the 6th day straight and he was pretty dang tired of fighting these engines. Maybe if he got 10,000 ft. out of them the wind might die off... geez those cylinder temps! He looked out momentarily and saw a B737 leaving a contrail at 33,000 ft. in the serene blue sky. “Oh man,” he thought, “My interview is next month. I hope I just don’t blow it! Outta G/A, nice jet job, above the weather... no snotty passengers to wait for ...” The 737 bucked and weaved in the heavy CAT at FL330 and ATC advised that lower levels were not available due to traffic. The Captain, who was only recently advised that his destination was below RVR minimums, had slowed to LRC to try and hold off a possible in-flight diversion, and arrange an ETA that would helpfully ensure the fog had lifted to CAT II minima. The Company negotiations broke down yesterday and looked as if everyone was going to take a dang pay cut. The F/O’s will be particularly hard hit as their pay wasn’t anything to speak of anyway. Finally deciding on a speed compromise between LRC and turbulence penetration, the Captain looked up and saw Concorde at Mach 2+. Tapping his F/O’s shoulder as the 737 took another bashing, he said “Now THAT’S what we should be on... huge pay... super fast... not too many routes... not too many legs... above the CAT... yep! What a life…!” FL590 was not what he wanted anyway and he considered FL570. Already the TAT was creeping up again and either they would have to descend or slow down. That dang rear fuel transfer pump was becoming unreliable and the F/E had said moments ago that the radiation meter was not reading numbers that he’d like to see. Concorde descended to FL570 but the radiation was still quite high even though the Notam indicated hunky dory below FL610. Fuel flow was up and the transfer pump was intermittent. Evening turned into night as they passed over the Atlantic. Looking up, the F/O could see a tiny white dot moving against the backdrop of a myriad of stars. “Hey Captain” he called as he pointed. “Must be the Shuttle. “The Captain looked for a moment and agreed. Quietly he thought how a Shuttle mission, while complicated, must be the-be-all-and-end-all in aviation. Above the crap, no radiation problems, no dang fuel transfer problems...aaah. Must be a great way to earn a buck.” Discovery was into its 27th orbit and perigee was 200ft out from nominated rendezvous altitude with the commsat. The robot arm was virtually U/S and a walk may become necessary. The 200ft predicted error would necessitate a corrective burn and Discovery needed that fuel if a walk was to be required. Houston continually asked what the Commander wanted to do but the advice they proffered wasn’t much help. The Commander had already been 12 hours on station sorting out the problem and just wanted 10 minutes to himself to take a leak. Just then a mission specialist, who had tilted the telescope down to the surface for a minute or two, called the Commander to the scope. “Have a look at this Sir, isn’t this the kinda flying you said you wanted to do after you finish up with NASA?” The Commander peered through the telescope and cried Ooooohhhhh yeah! Now THAT’S flying! Man, that’s what its all about! Geez I’d give my left arm just to be doing THAT down there!” What the Discovery Commander was looking at was a Cessna 150 in the pattern at a quiet country airfield on a nice bright sunny afternoon. Moral: pilots are never happy unless they are drinking beer and looking for a better job.
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Thanks to Cal Mjolsness for bringing another successful ditching story to my attention. This one occurred 'way back in 1956 and makes interesting reading. There is also a video link to the actual water landing, filmed by a crewman on the rescue ship.-Ed
Successful Ditching of US Airliner in 1956. On the evening of October 15, 1956, Pan Am Flight 943, known as Clipper Sovereign of the Skies, a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser departed Honolulu Territory (at that time, not yet a state) of Hawaii on its final leg to San Francisco at 8:26pm HST. After passing the point of equal time, the flight was cleared to climb to an altitude of 21,000 ft. When that altitude was reached, the number 1 engine entered an overspeeding regime simultaneously with the reduction of power. The First Officer, who was flying the plane, immediately slowed the plane by further reducing power and by extending the flaps, and then an attempt was made to feather the number one propeller. But, the propeller would not feather and the engine continued to turn at excessive RPM. Captain Richard Ogg then decided to cut off the oil supply to the engine. Eventually, the RPM declined and then the engine seized. However, the propeller continued to windmill in the air stream, causing excessive parasite drag, which significantly increased the fuel consumption. As a result, the plane was forced to fly much slower, below 150 knots, and lost altitude at the rate of 1,000 feet per minute. Climb power was then added to the remaining three engines, in an attempt to slow that rate of descent. The number four engine began to fail. It was able to produce only partial power, at full throttle. At 02:45 number four engine began to backfire and power then began to drop off. The propeller was feathered normally. The crew calculated that with the additional drag, they no longer had sufficient fuel remaining to reach San Francisco, or return to Honolulu. At that time the United States Coast Guard maintained a ship at Ocean Station November between Hawaii and the California coast. The plane was flown to the USCGC Pontchartrain’s location and circled the Station until daylight. They finally were able to level off at 2,000 feet, with just the power of the two remaining engines. While waiting for daylight, fuel was burned off making the plane lighter, less flammable, and potentially more buoyant. Aware of the Pan Am Flight 845/26* incident the year before, in which a Boeing 377’s tail section had broken off in a water landing, the flight’s purser cleared passengers from the back of the plane. The crew also removed loose objects from the cabin, and prepared the passengers for the landing. As with other flights in the era, small children were allowed on their parents’ laps, without separate seats or seat belts. The captain planned to land near the ship, in full sunlight, to improve the likelihood of rescuing passengers, but became concerned that the ocean waves were beginning to rise.
At 0540, Captain Ogg notified Pontchartrain that he was preparing to ditch. The cutter laid out a foam path for a best ditch heading of 315 degrees, to aid the captain’s vision of his actual height above the water. After a dry run, the plane touched down at 0615, at 90 knots with full flaps and landing gear retracted, in sight of the Pontchartrain, at 30°01.5’N. 140°09’W. One wing impacted a swell, causing the plane to rotate, inflicting damage to the nose section and breaking off the tail. Nevertheless, all 31 on board survived the ditching. Three life rafts were deployed by the crew and passengers that had been previously assigned to help. One life raft failed to inflate properly, but rescue boats from the cutter were able to promptly transfer the passengers from that raft. All were rescued by the Coast Guard before the last pieces of wreckage sank, at 0635. As his passengers were rescued, Ogg — as Sullenberger would do years later — went twice through the plane searching for anybody left behind. The only casualties were 44 cases of live canaries and two dogs who were in the hold and unable to be saved. Captain Richard Ogg, who continued flying for the rest of his life died in 1991 at the age of 77. *Pan American Flight 845/26 was a four-engined Boeing 377 Stratocruiser named Clipper United States and registered as N1032V. It had departed Portland International Airport in Oregon on a flight to Honolulu on March 26, 1955. The aircraft was enroute and about 35 miles from the Oregon coast when at 11:12 Pacific Standard Time the No. 3 engine and propeller tore loose from the wing causing a loss of control. The aircraft was ditched. The probable cause was failure of No. 3 propeller which caused the engine to detach and the aircraft to become uncontrollable. The aircraft floated for twenty minutes before sinking in 1600m of water. Approximately two hours after the aircraft ditched, the USS Bayfield arrived on the scene and rescued the survivors.
More Information: Including the ditching of Pan Am Flight 943, this aircraft type suffered 13 hull-loss accidents between 1951 and 1970 with a total of 140 fatalities. The worst single accident occurred on April 29, 1952; separation of the number two engine and propeller from Pan Am Flight 202 caused it to crash in the
Successful Ditching cont’d on p 10
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Successful Ditching cont’d from p 9 jungle near Carolina, Brazil, killing all forty-one passengers and nine crew. In April 1956, Northwest Airlines Flight 2 ditched into Puget Sound after the flight engineer forgot to close the cowl gills on the plane’s engines. All aboard escaped the aircraft after a textbook landing, but four passengers and one flight attendant succumbed either to drowning or to hypothermia before being rescued. The survival rate was 87%. The Romance of the Skies, Pan Am flight 7, left San Francisco on November 8, 1957, headed for Hawaii with 38 passengers and 6 crew. The 377 suffered a mechanical failure that may have been sabotage, and crashed around 5:25pm in the Pacific. There were no survivors. There is speculation that two
passengers had a motive to bring the plane down. Eugene Crosthwaite, a 46 year old purser, had shown blasting powder to a relative days prior to the flight, and had cut a stepdaughter from his will only one hour before the flight. William Payne, an ex-Navy demolitions expert, had taken out large insurance policies on himself just before the flight, and had a $10,000 debt he was desperate to pay off. The insurance investigator later suspected him of never being on the plane. His wife received at least $125,000 in payouts. For a YouTube video clip of Pan Am Flight 943 landing in the Pacific, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkR4F3_fEUQ. This is a 10.5 minute film!
Tale of a Lost Tail On January 10, 1964, Boeing civilian test pilot Chuck Fisher and his three man crew lost their tail, the tail of their B-52H Stratofortress that is, at about 14,000 ft. over northern New Mexico's Sangre de Christo mountains. Their mission was to shake, rattle and roll this big beast at high speed and low altitude to record sensor data on how such a profile affected the B-52's structure. They did their job. The vertical stabilizer blew off. Six hours later and after a lot of engineering on the ground and in the air, this Boeing test flight crew brought their bird down safely with the coveted data.The photo shows B-52H Stratofortress heavy, long range bomber tail Nr. 61-023 airborne over the US with most of her vertical stabilizer sheared off, rear landing gears down for stabilization.
Explanation of March
Mystery of the Month The March Mystery Airport is none other than CAM3, the Duncan Airport. 1520 feet long, 30' wide, it sure looks small on final! It's a busy little place run by the very active Duncan Flying Club.
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Thanks again to John Swallow of the Vernon Flying Club for this amusing and self-deprecating story of his earlier days. We can all learn a lesson from this one! -Ed
THE BEST LAID PLANS… everal decades ago, our base took delivery of two DHC-1 de Havilland Chipmunks. The Chipmunk, a low wing light aircraft with a 145 HP Gypsy Major inverted inline engine had been used for many years by the Canadian military as a basic trainer. When the Canadair Tutor came on the scene, it was determined that students would be taken from basic training through wings standard using the new jet trainer; the Chipmunk fleet was retired and put into mothballs. However, it soon became obvious that using a jet aircraft for the “selection” stage was very expensive as there was no way of determining a candidate’s suitability until several expensive hours had been flown. It was decided to resurrect the Chipmunk.
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There were a few of us on Base who were interested in light aircraft and got ourselves “checked out” as soon as possible and began flying the aircraft when we could. Two of us began flying together over the noon hour so as not to interfere with our normal duties. Being jet instructors and extremely knowledgeable about aerodynamics (!), we began to apply some of our acumen to the Chipmunk. The “Chippy” had a stall speed somewhere between 45-50 MPH and would happily fly off the ground around that speed. Over a couple of beers one Friday night, my chum and I theorized that the going procedure for the short field take-off was hogwash. Holding the aircraft in a tail low condition would increase drag and would lengthen the take-off run. As the evening progressed and the bar tab increased, we hammered out a new procedure: to minimize drag, the aircraft would be placed in the level attitude as soon as possible by utilizing full forward stick. Just short of flying speed, the aircraft would be eased off the ground and the climb established.
by John Swallow
Selecting 1500 RPM, I reached down and released the brakes. Full throttle was next, simultaneously placing the control column in the general vicinity of the instrument panel. The tail came up almost immediately – get on the rudder! I checked back slightly to arrest the downward movement of the nose as I had done so many times in the past. The nose continued it’s downward trek. More aft stick. More nose down. More aft stick. Nose still going down. The stick is now firmly fetched up against the seat pan and still the tail is rising. Time stands still: I can’t understand why I’m staring down the nose at white hash marks and not at the tree line two miles away. The thought occurs: “The prop is going to hit the runway”. I chase the thought away: that is impossible. At some point, the downward motion of the nose is arrested as the propeller makes contact with the concrete and a terrible noise ensues. After a take-off run measured in feet, I’m back on three points: the wheels
Every time my friend and I flew together, we practiced and perfected our procedure. (It should be noted that we’re talking about reducing the take-off roll of an aircraft that stalls below fifty miles per hour. Even if our cockamamie theory was valid, we’d be probably be talking about distance reductions of inches, not feet...)
have not changed position, but the tail wheel has been replaced by the propeller. The engine is valiantly attempting full power and I have another problem with which to contend: if the application of full throttle and full aft stick could not keep the prop from striking the ground, how was I to get the tail back on the ground?
One day, my partner could not make our lunchtime rendezvous and I elected to continue with a solo flight. After the usual start, taxi-out, run-up, etc., I requested departure. The controller cleared me to position on the runway and gave me the wind as “one o’clock, 10-15 MPH”. I elected to do a short field take-off using the new technique that was working so well. I executed a back track and, dropping the tail wheel off the end of the runway in the turn, lined up right at the end of the strip. My request for take-off was approved, the winds remaining the same. I acknowledged by uttering the immortal words: “Watch this”.
I decide that come what may, the engine is going to have to be shut down. The throttle is retarded and as the prop RPM falls, one of the blades hits the ground with sufficient force to drive the Chipmunk back on its tail. Over the radio, the tower controller, helpless with laughter, inquires: “Are you alright?” Mustering what dignity I have left, I respond in the affirmative and request clearance off the active and that he summons a tow crew. The Best Laid Plans cont’d p. 16
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Cherry made her first solo on January 28th. Congratulations!
Cherry Lozupone (Trevor Mann)
Christie Slawson (Jason Stewart)
Collin McDonald (Trevor Mann)
Christopher Supeene (Tim Parfitt)
First Solos as of March 25 â&#x20AC;˘ 09
Luke Larson (Jeff Lightheart)
Jordan Oickle (Brad Fraser)
Steve Snow (Brad Fraser)
Mark Champ (Trevor Mann)
Michael Pinner (Yasuhiro Koide)
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P R I VAT E P I L O T G r o u n d s c h o o l Classes held Monday and Wednesday, 1900-2200 April
May
DATE
TOPIC
INSTRUCTOR
01
CARS
Yasuhiro Koide
06
Meteorology
Brad Fraser
08
Meteorology
Brad Fraser
15
Meteorology
Brad Fraser
20
Meteorology
Brad Fraser
22
Meteorology
Brad Fraser
27
Human Factors & PDM
Brad Fraser
29
Flight Operations
Trevor Mann
04
Flight Operations
Trevor Mann
06
Navigation
Jeff Lightheart
11
Navigation
Jeff Lightheart
13
Navigation
Jeff Lightheart
20
Radio and Electronic Theory
Tristan Nano
25
Review (Tower Tour/Written Seminar)
John MacConnachie
27
Review
Brad Fraser
Note: No Ground School on Stat Holidays The Best Laid Plans cont’d from p. 14 Now, in those days, the Chipmunk was shut down using the fuel lever. Setting the park brake, I turned the fuel off and waited. Looking at the prop arc, I could see no visible difference in its radius. I theorized that the damage to the prop could be minimal and possibly correctable by some judicious filing. I might come out of this smelling like a rose yet.
brought to my attention that buried deep in the aircraft “Pilot’s Notes” was the following caution: “WARNING: When flown solo from the front seat, the center of gravity is critical”. It would therefore appear that I was just an unwitting participant in proceedings that were not under my control and therefore, no fault could accrue to me…
I was being comforted by this thought when the engine quit. The idea of an easy out was dispelled as the propeller spun to a stop. Although it was probably going to be possible to “dress out” the damage to the tips, the half to three-quarters curl in the blades was going to be something else.
My boss didn’t believe it either. He did use a version of “unwitting” however.
Suffice it to say that I was a somewhat chastened “Tiger” around the Base for the next few weeks. It was later
PS Recently, Rhys Perraton offered the following in summing up my adventure: ”the preflight, start, taxi, and runway line-up went quite well until the pilot opened the throttle, thereby releasing forces far beyond his control”.
DID YOU KNOW? ATC:
‘Cessna 123, What are your intentions?’
Cessna: ‘To get my Commercial Pilots License and Instrument Rating.’ ATC:
‘I meant in the next five minutes, not years.’
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GKMY costs only $5 more per hour than the older 172s and you only need to be checked out once. After that, as long as you are current on the Club’s 172s, you can also fly KMY.