The Smilin’Jack |
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| EAA Chapter 866 monthly newsletter December 2002 |
If you missed this one, you missed a very good program. William Wynne who touts himself as "The Corvair Authority" gave us an excellent presentation on Corvair engines in airplanes. William is an A&P mechanic and pilot graduate of Embry Riddle. He has built and helped build many impressive go fast airplanes but his love is affordable flying. He has published Corvair conversion manuals and has recently surpassed the 5,000 mark in sales of his manual. No wonder, he has found a way to produce a very affordable and reliable 100 horsepower engine. He told us that the total cost for a converted engine with the best of parts including forged pistons is about $2,600.00. He and Grace Allen, his partner, hold what they call " Corvair College" at their hangar at Spruce Creek. This is a 3 day event and I think it's free. You bring your engine and they help you get it ready for flight. What a deal! They might sell you some parts and help with the small amount of machining needed but most of it is your own work. They also publish a newsletter called The Corvair Flyer and they handed a copy to all in attendance at the meeting. In the newsletter are feature articles of people who have flown their Corvair engines over a thousand hours. A friend theirs and Corvair engine owner Dave Vargesko was also in attendance at our meeting. Dave is putting together a Piper Colt powered by his Corvair engine. I'm impressed!
Loretta made ice cream and served this with strawberries and coffee. In addition to the great program on engines, this made for a very pleasant meeting.
Here's a number to put in your little black book.
It's 866-GA-SECURE (866-437-3287) and it will be a direct line to the national Response Center where pilots can report any suspicious activity. Transportation Security Administration director Adm. James Loy announced the toll-free number, in taped remarks, at AOPA Expo 2002 last Saturday. The number will be activated in December. The line, funded by the federal government, becomes the linchpin of AOPA's Airport Watch program, which was developed earlier this year.
In a message prepared especially for pilots attending AOPA Expo 2002, the head of the Transportation Security Administration announced that his agency will fund a special toll-free telephone number as part of AOPA's Airport
Watch. A record-breaking 11,701 pilots and aviation enthusiasts helped make Expo 2002 (http://www.aopa.org/expo/ ) the most successful in the
association's history. Adm. James M. Loy praised the Airport Watch program as a "great product" that will help secure the nation's general aviation airports. Modeled after the highly successful Neighborhood Watch program, it will enlist the nation's 550,000 general aviation pilots to watch for and report suspicious activities at GA airports. "AOPA developed the program, including the educational materials," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "The one thing we needed help on was a single, easy-to-remember telephone number for pilots to report suspicious activities." TSA provided the toll-free number 866/GA-SECURE (866/437-3287), which will be activated in early December.
Pilots are reminded that beginning this week, a government-issued photo identification-in addition to pilot and medical certificates-must be carried when flying an aircraft. AOPA petitioned for the new requirement in February as a way to meet the intent of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, which requires the Under Secretary of Transportation to consider a photo-ID pilot certificate. The requirement to carry a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license, is less costly and quicker to implement; it took effect Monday. See AOPA Online for more information.
Wow! What a time we had at this one. Our loyal fly-in, Jackie Johnson, flew in and for a while it looked as if he would be the only one. At about 8:30 a formation of five flew over as if to acknowledge we were there and then disappeared for a few minutes. Our excitement waned as we thought they had flown off. Then we heard them on the radio something like this. "we'll break and enter downwind for 33 and follow the Champ turning base." After that, a flight of two Stearmans, a Waco, and more . That brought the Smilin Jack crews alive as more seating was arranged and the grill loaded up with pancakes and sausage. We were honored to have the Spruce Creek entourage at this breakfast. Many positive comments were heard by Loretta and me about the quality of the food. In fact, compared to the October breakfast C866 members spirits were high and moral was good amongst the troops. If ya know what I mean. There was even a low key visit by Scott Carr (TICO Director of Facilities) and his gorgeous assistant, Colette Edmisten.
Don't know how many we served…. Only Cranston (the shadow) knows eh, eh. (you gotta be at least 60yrs to know about "The Shadow Knows ha ha ha ha ha ha") When I was a kid ,this was a radio program that my brother and I listened to on Sunday nights on an old radio we picked out of someone's trash. TV wasn't around yet. Lamont Cranston played a character who was secretly ' The Shadow. The shadow was only a voice and never seen as a person, according to the mystery series.
NAFI President Sean Elliott recently attended a series of high-level meetings and work sessions with FAA representatives in Oklahoma City regarding support materials for the sport pilot/light-sport aircraft rule changes.
Many of the support materials, including the Practical Test Standards (PTS) and Advisory Circulars (AC), for the new certificate are nearing completion. In addition, participants at the meeting discussed designated pilot examiner (DPE) requirements and designated airworthiness representative (DAR) needs. Having these materials and programs in place should mean that, once the final rule is published, it might be possible to establish a fairly quick effective date.
Currently, the FAA is in the process of finalizing the rule Certification of Aircraft and Airmen for the Operation of Light-Sport Aircraft. By law, FAA is required to complete its work on this rule by September of 2003. However, FAA's stated goal is to finalize the rule sometime within the first quarter of 2003. FAA has spent thousands of man-hours already logged on the initiative.
FAA will hand off its final version to the Department of Transportation and Office of Management and Budget for final approval. The complex piece of regulation affects about eight different areas of FAA rulemaking, from pilot certification to a new aircraft category that calls for new regulations regarding maintenance, flight instruction, pilot certification, and the means by which aircraft are certificated through the standardization process.
I'll believe it when I see it! ……… the ed
The first person to answer this question correctly will receive one attaboy (or girl) . Since power controls airspeed, according to the FAA training publications, what is the best power setting for the slowest airspeed? If you provide an answer and explanation for your answer, put it in writing on paper , e-mail, or disk and get this to me. I think some of the answers will be interesting. I'll publish the correct answer in next month's Smilin 'Jack along with some answers I receive from you, the readers.
My prize student, Gene Driggers, lost control of his electric scooter while attempting a power turn out of his hangar apron onto a taxiway and injured himself……..ribs. Hurts to laugh and cough! He's afraid I'll elbow him when he does something wrong in the trainer, I guess. No stories to tell about him.
Jerry Russell sold the engine right off of his C140 so I guess that that adventure is over for a while. Before Jerry ripped the engine out of the 140 he had me fly the guys around who bought the engine. Guess they wanted to know if the engine really worked. I had fun! By the way,Jerry is upgrading the 140 by installing a Lycoming O235 (115HP) on it. I really don't what this will do for him and the plane, useful load and better takeoff performance probably. Maybe a couple of MPH too. The cruise was very good with the 85HP (110MPH) indicated!
My faithful 52L took Bill Mitchell, Neale Cranston, and me for a pleasant ride one afternoon. Bill and I are looking for a picture opportunity and have to go up and look to see if ideal conditions exist for the photo. So far the conditions have not been good enough and rather than waste film we look and then just go out and play. There was a Delta 3 launch scheduled for 11/19 at 5:39PM with no flight restrictions for R2935 so Bill Mitchell and I took off from Dunn at about 5:20 hoping to get a photo of the launch with the full moon in the background. After about 40 minutes of circling and waiting we decided to land. They didn't launch that night. We had company from the fridgid north for a few days. Came down to see the launch- -went home again for the fourth time without seeing it. We went flying though and flew over Ormond Beach and the St. Johns River. They enjoyed the flight.
Submitted by Ray Thomas
Twas the night before Christmas, and out on the ramp,
Not an airplane was stirring, not even a Champ.
The aircraft were fastened to tie downs with care
In hope that come morning, they all would be there.
The fuel trucks were nestled, all snug in their spots,
While peak gusts from 3-2-0 reached 39 knots.
I sat behind the fuel desk, now finally caught up,
And settled down comfortably upon my butt.
When over the radio there arose such a clatter,
I turned up the scanner to see what was the matter.
A voice clearly heard over static and snow,
Asked for clearance to land at the airport below.
He barked out his transmission so lively and quick,
I could have sworn the call sign he used was "St Nick".
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Sure that it was only Horizon's late dash.
Then he called his postion, and there could be no denial,
"This is St. Nicholas One and I'm turning final".
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
A Rutan sleigh, and eight Rotax Reindeer.
Cleared for the ILS down the glideslope he came,
As he passed all fixes, he called them by name:
"Now Ringo! Now Tolga! Now Trini and Bacun!
On Comet! On Cupid! "What pills was he takin?"
Those last couple of fixes left the controllers confused,
They called down to the office to give me the news.
The message they left was urgent and dour:
"When Santa lands, could he please call the tower?"
He landed like silk, with the sled runners sparkling,
Then I heard "Exit at Charlie," and taxi to parking".
He slowed to a taxi and exited Three Two,
As he came down the taxiway the sleigh bells' jingle grew.
He stepped out of the sleigh, but before he could talk,
I had run out to him with my best set of chocks.
He was dressed all in fur, which was covered with frost
And his beard was all blackened from Rotax Reindeer exhaust.
His breath smelled like peppermint, gone slightly stale
And he puffed on a pipe, but he didn't inhale.
His cheeks were rosy and jiggled like jelly,
His boots were as black as a cropduster's belly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly all fool,
And he kindly informed me he needed some fuel.
A wink of his eye and a twist of his toes,
Led me to know he was desperate to powder his nose.
I spoke not a word, but went straight to my work,
And I filled up the sleigh, but I spilled like a jerk.
He came out of the restroom with a sigh of relief,
And then picked up a phone for a flight service brief.
And I thought as he silently scribed in his log,
That with Rudolph, he could land in eighth-mile fog.
Next, he completed his preflight, from the front to the rear.
Then he put on his headset, and I heard him yell "clear!'
And laying a finger on his push to talk,
He called up the tower for his clearance and squawk.
"After departure fly heading 3-2-0", the tower called forth,
"And watch for a Luscombe inbound from the North".
Then I heard him exclaim, 'ere he climbed in the night,
"Merry Christmas to all, I have traffic in sight".
Pilot: Approach, Cessna 1234, student pilot ... I am at 3500 feet and am
otherwise a bit lost.
Approach: We will try to help you. Do you see a city, highway, or water
tower nearby?
Pilot: There is a city nearby with a water tower.
Approach: Fly over the water tower and tell us what you see written on
it.
[pause]
Pilot: "Class of '98"
1962 Titusville Airport is re named Arthur Dunn Airpark in honor of county commissioner Arthur Dunn for 25 years of service to Brevard and his strong support of aviation.
1963 Runway 15/33 is paved. The money comes from public funds and the Flying Posse.
1964 The Blue Angels perform at Dunn Airpark. Because the 3,000 ft runway isn't long enough for jets, the aircraft are based before the show at Patrick Air Force Base.
More next month
Mr. Edwards Executive (Director TICO) stated the accomplishments for the Arthur Dunn Airpark as follows:
" Renegotiated Skydive Space Center Lease to incorporate the Walkwitz FBO Facilities
" Completed the Apron Expansion/Rehabilitation Project
" Fully Executed Sheltair T-Hangar Construction Project Contract
Mr. Edwards stated the following objectives for Arthur Dunn Airpark, which still need to be completed as follows:
" Resolve Stormwater Issue with the City of Titusville
" Land Acquisition
" Airspace Obstruction Removal Project (Trees)
Mr. Edwards stated the objectives for the Arthur Dunn Airpark as follows:
" Complete Land Acquisition (5 acres)
" Remove Displaced Threshold on the Grass Runway and Lengthen to 2,000 feet (FDOT Standard)
" Resolve Stormwater Issue with City of Titusville
" Airspace Obstruction Removal Project (Trees)
" Master Plan Update
" Runway/Taxiway Lighting Project
" Security Project
" Install AWOS
(I think an AWOS will be cool, don't you?)
Plans are underway for this yers party. Once again the party will be held at the Titusville Holiday Inn. Friday January 17th is the date we've scheduled. Once again we'll have live entertainment. We've contracted with a performer named Ron Rich. Ron does the best John Denver impersonation in the country. In fact Ron travels to Aspen Co. every year to perform for the John Denver fan club. The audience there includes John Denver's mother and brother. He's an excellent performer and has written and performs music of his own too.
There will be a wonderful meal, awards will be presented, and there will be nice door prizes too. Each year our party gets bigger and better and we get favorable comments from those who have attended in the past.
Tickets are being printed now (on my computer) and will be available at our chapter meeting this month. Please buy and sell some of these.
President Vice President Secy/Treas Newsletter editor
Steve Pangborn Bill Furnholm Neale Cranston Larry Gilbert
4625 James Road 3460 Dove Court 2021 Malinda Lane 2002 Mlainda Lane
Cocoa, Fl Titusville, Fl 32780 Titusville, Fl 32796 Titusville, Fl 32796
Nc72085@phonetec.com bill39delta@aol.com pietenpol866@cfl.rr.com gil1cfi@aol.com
The chapter newsletter is published monthly to inform members and friends of our chapter about activities of our chapter and members. Our chapter is open and we welcome all who are interested in aviation activities of any kind.
This newsletter will be mailed prior to each monthly meeting. We need your input so please submit materials for this newsletter. When you have something for this, you can submit via e-mail, on a computer disk, in writing, or by word of mouth. Please get the information to me by the 19th of the month. We meet on the first Wednesday of each month.
Have a good Christmas
Ray Thomas and his J3 (Ray learned to fly in this ) Gene Driggers and his Titan
Comin up
Chapter meeting at Dunn Airpark Weds. Dec. 4 at 7:30 PM (free ice cream)
Chapter 1st Saturday Breakfast Dec. 7 (Pearl Harbor Day)
Big Winter Party Friday Jan. 17th at Holiday Inn - Titusville
6:30 PM
L. Gilbert
EAA Chapt. 866 NLE
2002 Malinda Lane
Titusville, Fl 32796
Chapter fly - in breakfast Dunn Airpark (X21) Sat. Dec. 7th
Big Winter Party
Annual Party/ Awards Banquet
Friday Jan. 17th
Holiday Inn - Titusville
6:30PM