EAA Chapter 732
Newsletter
October 2005
From
the President’s Workbench – Doug Stone
When you’re building anything, especially an airplane, a good set of plans or instructions are absolutely essential. I can’t imagine the mess I would have if the folks at Van’s had not spent the effort to carefully describe and illustrate each step of the RV-10 building process. Even the very best plans, however, are no help to someone who lacks the patience or persistence to carefully read, think through, and understand each step. Even worse is the builder who arrogantly assumes they’re smarter than the designer and begins making poorly engineered deviations to an otherwise sound design. Since I’ve demonstrated both of these undesirable characteristics in the past, I’ve had to discipline myself to the deliberate overkill of going over the plans two and three times before picking up a tool - and I still make mistakes. I’m really beginning to realize how important attitude can be in pulling off a successful build.
The same concepts apply to our flying habits. Do we really have a good plan for this flight? Have we carefully considered all the “instructions” that are important to having the same number of takeoffs and landings? Do we think we’re smarter than the weatherman or the person that wrote the flight manual? Unfortunately, we read each month about folks who used a very complex tool – an airplane – with absolutely the wrong attitude. We’ve all done it at some time in our flying life, and since things usually worked out all right, we can gradually develop a set of potentially fatal habits. Doing something in a disciplined manner, whether it’s building or flying, can be tremendous fun. It’s all about attitude. How’s yours?
Next Meeting: October 16 – 2pm –– Wedington Woods
Airpark (67AR) - Bring a side
dish
Driving:
From I-540 take exit 64 - highway 16 west (aka Wedington Drive). Go 5.7 miles
to
Flying:
AR67 is just outside the Class C airspace. A mile or so north of AR67 the Class
C starts at 2,500'. Around the airport, use 122.9 for advisories and to
state your intentions. Wedington is generally considered a one way in/one way
out airport - landing to the south and departing to the north - but depending
on the winds and the pilot be on the lookout for traffic from any direction.
Chapter Calendar:
November
20 – 2pm – Review Rex Stewart’s GlaStar Project – Location TBA
December
10 – 2pm – Christmas Party – Wyatt’s Hangar,
September Chapter
Meeting Report – Bob Axsom Members gathered around Doug Stone’s RV-10
Fuselage in his house upon arrival. At
2:05 pm Doug moved everyone into another room for the monthly meeting.
Guests
were Jerry and Colleen Templer from
Doug
announced the need for a board meeting in the near future and advised Board
members that he needed dates that they would be available.
Doug
announced that the next meeting is at Wedington Woods and he advised everyone
planning to fly in to be sharp and be careful because it can be demanding. Lester & Mickey Ward said they plan to
fly their new CH-701 to that meeting.
Barry West added that he flies his kitfox in there quite regularly and
the normal procedure calls for landing to the south and departing to the north.
Bob
Axsom announced that Barry West had volunteered to be the required second crew
member in Racer #11 (RV-6A, N710BJ) in the Cowhand 300 cross country air race
out of Mesquite, Texas.
Mickey
and Lester Ward announced that their CH-701 now has 38.2 flight hours on
it. There are only 1.8 hours to go
before the test period is complete.
Charles
Caldwell said that he is still working with the low static RPM problem on his
Defiant. Currently he is getting 2,270
RPM on the front engine and 2,070 RPM on the rear. He has been advised by other Defiant owners
that the front is OK but the rear needs to be higher before attempting the
first flight.
Barry
West said that he is working on the wiring of his Pulsar again after a short
deviation to complete the plumbing. He
is not terribly fond of wiring but plumbing is satisfying.
John
Goodman just finished installing the antennas on his RV-9. In response to a question he said he is going
to install a Subaru H6 conversion as the power plant.
Charley
Scott announced that there is a Fly-in to Holley Hill next weekend. He received the information from the
Jonesboro FSS.
Doug
Stone adjourned the business meeting and we returned to his shop to review the
RV-10 kit. It is BIG! and beautiful to a
builder’s eyes. He now has 600 work
hours in the plane and feels he could be ready to fly next year. [An honest evaluation often heard from
builders – it’s the classic answer to “when are you going to fly it? Ed.]
In attendance from Chapter 732 were Jim Taylor, Scott Musgrave, Bob Axsom, Jim and Ada Younkin and Sherron and I. At least, these are the ones I remember seeing there. The crowd seemed about the same as previous years but I think there were a lot fewer airplanes. And maybe the crowd was smaller, it’s hard to tell. If the numbers were down it seemed to be in certified aircraft, there were plenty examples of interesting homebuilts. The cost of gas is going to affect a lot of things. B&B Aircraft Parts was there with their large assortment of hardware as was all the regular vendors. I didn’t attend any of the night activities so I don’t know how they were. I did listen to Jim Younkin talk about autopilots and then about the beginning of his replica of Mr. Mulligan and on into the Mullicoupe. I got some pretty good photos and Chip is going to put a few of them in the Photo Gallery on the web site. Please go there and have look. - Barry
Aircraft
Restoration Reports by Chapter Members – Bob Axsom: The restoration efforts past and present are
featured in this month’s Chapter Newsletter.
Some of the articles below document personal efforts at bare bones
Aero
Commander 680FL – Wally Sitton – I
appreciate the opportunity to share some of my great aircraft with you. When I
bought the Aero Commander 680 FL it was in good shape except for the avionics.
I am a retired United Air Line Captain (Convair 340, DC6 & 7, Boeing 720,
727,737 747, DC-8 and DC-10) and felt at home with the Collins Pro Line stuff,
so for about six months it sat in my hanger having new wiring and new avionics
installed. It was a real delight to fly and everything worked perfectly. My
airport, AR-91 was about 1850 feet in length and was marginal for the 8500#
Commander, but we operated here for about five years. I built my hanger
specifically for the Commander and it seemed to feel right at home here. I sold
it about three years ago and about a year ago it was destroyed in a fuel
starvation accident at
Aeronca
11-AC Chief (1946) - Warren Wilkey – Information requested –
no response and no information available
Anderson
Greenwood AG14 – (1952) Dave Powell - This plane is a 2 place pusher, certified and looks a lot like a Cessna
Skymaster without the front engine and smaller in size! Hope to fly it in '05.
Beechcraft
staggerwing model 17 - Jim Younkin– Information requested – no response and no
information available
Beechcraft
Travelair 4000 - Jim Younkin - Information requested – no response and no
information available
Belanca
14-19-3 - Perrin Blount – Information requested – no response and no
information available
Cessna
140 - Jim Davis – Information requested – no
response and no information available
Cassna
150 - Perrin Blount – Information requested – no response and no information available
Piper
Archer II – Bob Axsom – We bought the plane in December of 1982 and leased it to the
McDonnell Douglas Flying Club for several years. It was a popular plane so the hours and the
wear and tear was something I had to deal with constantly. By 1986 the plush beige executive interior
was a memory. I’ve never been one to
choose the path without risk if I thought there was something worthy to be
gained by a different choice, so why not make it red velour! I took the plane to the
That
change got a lot of colorful comments from the club about the risqué
appearance. Still, they were not
prepared for what was to come. The paint
continued to wear and even though it was still one of the best looking
airplanes, there were a couple of Cessna 182s (Barry West’s Fixed Gear “685”
and Ray Clark’s RG “81T”) that were making it look neglected. So, in November of 1987 I turned it over to
Jim Hattfield at the
Piper
J3 - Jim Halbert – In the summer of 2003 I
purchased a 1946 J3 Cub, with a 65 hp Continental engine. It had been stored for many years without
flying. The first thing I did was to
strip the old fabric to the bare bones, and then began cleaning the metal. I had to do some repair on the frame, welding
and repainting. I began the process of
replacing all cables, pulleys and bolts.
I also replaced the wooden bows on each wing, and wooden stringers on
the fuselage. Inside the cabin I had to
replace the canvas cargo carrier and the instrument panel. I later replaced all the side windows and
the windshield. I also replaced the
boot and floorboard.
After I was satisfied that all the basic structures were
in perfect shape and ready, I began the covering process -- which took
considerable time. I used the
medium-weight fabric (Stits system).
Then the painting process began.
I had previously built a paint booth in a corner of the hanger, complete
with a ventilating system. I made the
booth large enough for one wing and enough space to walk around it. I had to hang lights above the booth. I did have a difficult time trying to get the
perfect Cub yellow paint. I ended up
using
After
all the painting was completed, I started on the engine. I had an A&P mechanic check it out and
help me install it. The engine had only
1700 hours on it since its last major overhaul.
When completed, it started and ran good. I flew it for 20 hours, and then decided I
would like to have more power. My
mechanic found a rebuilt C75 Continental. We then began the change-over process
-- which is taking more time and money than expected. I ended up adding new mags, plugs and
wires. I also had the prop pitch changed
to match the new engine. The change
should be complete soon and ready to test.
Piper
J3 - Jeff Olsen – Information requested – no response and no information available
Piper
J3 – Wally Sitton – I bought the Piper J-3 a few
years ago in perfect shape and it still is. It is fun and an appropriate plane
for our runway (now about 2000'). I don't fly as much as I'd like to and
should.
Ryan
PT-2x(?) - John Kinsey -Information requested – telephone response – Write-up promised but not
received.
Taylorcraft
- Tom & Ruth Wyatt - Information requested – no response and no information available
WWII L-3 - Wayne
Larabee & Jack Macy - In the late 1980's the Northwest
Arkansas WWII Museum Assoc. purchased from a private individual in Pine Bluff,
AR. a 1942 Aeronca L-3, which is the "grandfather" of the popular
Aeronca 7AC. It was a war surplus aircraft built in 1942 and re-registered as
NC-47365. The Army purchased over 1400 L-3's between 1941 and 1943 at a
purchase price of $2826 each. With a generous ferry permit it was flown to it's
new home at the museum in Siloam Springs. After it had been flown by a few
adventurous souls it was decided to store it until someone was willing to
restore it to a safer and more presentable condition.
Enter Wayne Larabee and Jack Macy, newly minted members of the NWAWWIIMA.
The
task began in the spring of 1994 with the removal of all the really old cotton
fabric which revealed metal tubing in need of much cleaning, brushing and
priming to say nothing of the repairs needed. The wings were in fair condition
with one exception, the right wing tip bow needed to be replaced. With a
certain amount of creative engineering a "new" wing bow was in place.
Now
with the A/C mechanic's Bible in hand (FAA A/C Inspection and Repair--AC
43.13), it was time for covering the tail feathers, see Chapter 3-Fabric
Covering. It was decided to do the tail feathers first, you always want to
start with the easy parts in order to establish some semblance of a
"learning curve". After the tail feathers were completed, it was time
to take on the larger and more complex fuselage. After all of these components
were covered it was time for the wings. This was the most time consuming part
because of a certain section in the above referenced handbook which requires
that the fabric, in this case Ceconite, be stitched to each of the wing ribs.
See Paragraph 133 Lacing, aka "rib stitching". The only thing needed
for this job was a lot of cord, very long needles, band-aids for the fingers
and a lot of time. There are a zillion rib-stitches (only an estimate) in this
35 ft. wingspan airplane, but the job was finally finished. Part of the fuselage work included was the
modification of the windows. The
"greenhouse" window was added to the top of the airplane more in
keeping with the observation function as well as the extended windows on the
sides.
Other items of this restoration included new military type upholstering of the
two seats, new firewall padding (rescued from a B-52), new brakes and other
minor up-grades. The one item that
required the most time and labor was the painting. The process used was
Air-Tech Coating of Jacksonville, AR, which required a
Aeronca
L-3 NC47365 was first flown after the completion of it's restoration on
23 Feb. 1995 and can presently be seen at the
Flying
News:
Special
Young Eagle & Gaston’s – Charley Scott - I flew a very important
Young Eagle recently, my Grandson who just turned 8. I look forward to
many trips with Will as my co-pilot.
Also flew to Gaston’s last Saturday for breakfast with my friends Sheril
& Bobbi Helton (RV-7)
Zodiac
XL – Garry Simmons - [Following Garry’s successful off airport
landing due to a carburetor problem – Ed.]
I have flown my plane twice on two separate occasions. I am just
doing pattern flying and touch and goes for now, until I gain more confidence
in all of the systems. I am looking into a BRS system. and will
likely purchase one later this Fall. For the most part, I am just
polishing the plane and waiting for cooler, smother air.
New Plane for Flying in the Air Race Classic – Bill & Camila
Smith - Camelia and Bill smith
bought a 1975 Cessna 210L 1570 TT to race in the air race classic next June 05.
The plane is in for new paint, interior, Garmin 530, etc. will be like
new. Unfortunately it will be for sale
because the planes have to be flown at max continuous hp in the race. This plane is 300 hp for 5 minutes then
285. It was to be done in mid September
but will get it early October. Will be a
nice airplane for someone. We have a
T210N we've had for a long time; it is part of the family. Cannot fly turbo
planes in the race. We have found a
182RG that will work for the race. It is
a long way off in the
Handicap Run Results for RV-6A, N710BJ – Bob Axsom – To compete in
the U.S. Air Race, Inc. National Air Race all teams have to determine there
optimum speed on a comparable basis. At http://www.vansairforce.net in the
forum section there is a running “discussion” about plenum design/cowl inlet
design/cooling drag that I participated in so in addition to establishing the
handicap for the race, the run established a baseline speed for the measure of
future modification effectiveness.
I have the stock baffle plenum configuration well sealed with the
good red RTV from Aircraft Spruce (everywhere there is a metal to metal
interface is sealed - EVERYWHERE!). The
rubber seals are the standard seal material supplied by Vans. I have a big hole in the aft baffle over
cylinder #3 for the heat/defrost system and the oil cooler hole is similarly
located over cylinder #4. I have three
blast tubes for cooling the mags and alternator. There are no other unsealed baffle
penetrations. The engine is a Lycoming
O-360-A1A and the prop is the non-blended airfoil Hartzell C/S. I have a custom thin aluminum lap cover over
the leading edge of the cowl covering the split and taking the front end
separation load off of the hinges (dimpled for screws - two on the outside
attaching the upper and lower cowl together with this bridging aluminum cover
and one inside the inlet penetrating both the upper and lower cowl halves.)
On September 21, Barry West and I made the handicap run under U.S. Air Race
rules. The rules state:
- Set
altimeter to barometric setting of 29.92 (pressure altitude). Climb to
6,000' pressure altitude. Observe the actual outside air temperature
(OAT). On a standard day it should be 3C/38F. Calculate the difference
between the actual OAT in Centigrade and 3C. Descend 100 feet for each
degree C that the OAT is above 3C (60 feet for each degree above 38F) or,
climb the same amount if the OAT is below standard. Summer example: OAT at
6,000' is 27C, once your altimeter is set to 29.92, you will fly at an
indicated pressure altitude of 3,600' in order to achieve flying at a
density altitude od 6,000'. Equation is 6000'-((27C-3C)x100)=3600'. [we
read 22C so our handicap flights were at 4,100ft]
- Flight must
be made at full throttle and full RPM for constant speed prop. Lean engine
to BEST POWER per the aircraft's POH. Flaps must be full up, cowl closed,
air conditioner in "off" position, ram air open, and anything
protruding into the air stream retracted (vents on some aircraft).
- Aircraft
must be trimmed to "hands off" level flight. Autopilot
altitude/heading hold may now be used.
- Maintain
level flight and fly 360 degrees until 5 consistent GPS readings are
obtained.
Good examples: 171, 170, 171, 170, 170, 170 or 173, 172, 171, 171, 171, 170, 171 (last five are good)
Bad examples: 171, 173, 175, 173, 171 or 170, 172, 173, 170, 168
- Turn to 240
degrees and repeat the process.
- Turn to 120
degrees and repeat the process
- Add the 15
good readings together and divide by 15 to two decimal places. This is
your OPTIMAL SPEED and is your HANDICAP.
Our results after complying with these rules gave us an
optimal/handicap and future cowl/plenum development baseline speed of 170.67kts
or 196.39 MPH.
Preliminary
Bob,
Could not get to computer on SAt...traveling back to Texas....Marvin Guthrie
and Esther Grupenhagen took the Carolinas 300 and the Perpetual Trophy....Arthur
Mott and John Dawson took the Marion Jayne air race...will get all the details
up on the web site by Monday. Those
trackers are a miracle...no race this year without them....the racers love
them...we printed out the tracks from the Carolinas race and it was quite an
eye opener to the pilots...no question on any penalties either. Just landed after two days of peddling a C172
back.... More later...Pat P
Cris Ferguson Did Very Well at the
Walnut Ridge – Parachute Inn – Bob Axsom – Jeanine and I
flew the RV-6A there for lunch on 9-30-05.
Friday is Catfish Buffet Day. One
of the aircraft flying in for lunch was a U. S. Army Blackhawk helicopter. There were a couple of Pipers and Cessnas
there as well. The food was plain and
the selection was limited but the taste was very good. They are in the process of opening a
Southwest Airlines 737 auxiliary to the restaurant. They seemed quite proud of it and I wish them
well.
Building Notes:
Acro
Sport II, James Dill - I have been working on an “Acro Sport II” for nearly eight years. I have 2400
hours invested and the project is approximately 85% complete. [In
Aircraft Spruce's latest catalog the following write-up appears on page 20:
This versatile biplane offers the outstanding opportunity to experience open
cockpit flying with a friend. Excellent aerobatic trainer with responsive
controls and docile straight and level flight characteristics.
Powerplants can range from 108 hp to 200 hp. Cruise at 123 mph (180 hp)
stall at 53 max out at 152. The wide gear, large wheels and outstanding
roll rate make the Acro Sport a dream on the ground, nimble in the air and
a cinch for smooth landings. Designed by EAA founding president Paul
Poberezny, the Acro II will accommodate pilots up to 6' 6" and 240
pounds. As with all Acro Sport projects, the fuselage is welded steel
tube, wings are spruce and Stitts Poly-fiber is used for covering.
Information packages are available for $10.50 and full sets of plans run
$125.00 from Acro Sport, Inc.,
Spratt Controlwing
Flying Boat – Bill Wolfe I now have one of two wing panels for my
second Spratt Controlwing flying boat completed ready for cover. The other
panel will follow soon.
Dick
Rutan at Neosho and More – Bob Axsom Jeanine and I went to the Missouri Pilot’s
Association in
I
was one of those aviation lovers that responded to Gordon Baxter’s column in
Flying Magazine so many years ago and sent $100 that I definitely could not
afford, to the Voyager fund. Later I
went to Mojave to see the plane and crew preparing for the first non-stop
flight around the world without refueling.
I took the first photo below on July 9, 1986. The second and third photos were taken on
June 11, 2005 at the Missouri Pilot’s Association convention at
I
had an aviator’s encounter at
… It
rained day and night almost constantly while we were in
When we
went to the airport it was raining and only the base of the
Jeanine and I loaded up 04L in a brief
lull in the rain then climbed inside to avoid a sudden downpour. When the rain
let up I saw a light blue Long-EZ being pushed out of the parking line. This
was the "S" "H" airplane.
It had two streamlined pods, one under each wing which looked like
external fuel tanks on a jet fighter. He started up right away, and so did I.
He taxied out to runway 36 and we did the same, after completing our checklist.
At this time there was a nice big blue
hole directly over the airport but there were heavy laden rain clouds
everywhere else. We had two options open to us at that time. We could climb in
a tight circle to get on top then head west or try to find passage through the
mountains under the clouds. When the Long-EZ tookoff, a twin Cessna 340
broadcast that he was a few miles out, inbound to the airport from the north.
It took the Cessna 340 a long time to land and clear the runway. The Long-EZ
called back with a pilot report saying if we could get up to 14,000 ft through
the hole we would be on top and it didn't look too bad to the west. This was
valuable information to have because it meant I wouldn't waste time on
something that wasn't a serious option. I thanked him for the information, but
told him that was too high for me.
That is 250 ft higher than the Red Bird's
service ceiling and while I was sure we could get that high, there were two
things against the attempt. First, if we
had to stay that high for more than one half hour we would be violating the
Federal Aviation Regulation dealing with oxygen. Second, I could not depend on
the clouds staying below 14,000 ft, even for the twenty minutes or so that it
would take us to climb that high starting from this high elevation
airport. I found another way out across
The following week the mailman delivered
two Experimental Aircraft Association magazines by mistake. I looked up the
phone number of the guy who should have received the other magazine and gave
him a call. Within half an hour he rang the door bell and we had a short
discussion as I turned the magazine over to him. He was a pilot and a Marine
stationed at El Toro Marine Base. He also owned a Long-EZ which he kept at
Dick Rutan’s presentation at
One-Six-Right
– Bob Axsom – You owe it to yourself to take a look at this little three minute
sneak preview/teaser for the upcoming feature film tentatively called
One-Six-Right:
http://www.onesixright.com/video/aerials.html
16R
is the main southeast facing runway at
Thank you for reserving the I “One Six
Right” DVD. At your request, we have
reserved 1 copy(s). You will be contacted via e-mail when they are
available for purchase (planned for November).
By reserving the DVD in advance, you have been automatically entered to win the DVD for free! (25 will be given away on the day of the DVD release).
At this time, there is no information available about what cities the film will be released theatrically. However, as soon as that information becomes available, you will be automatically e-mailed. The theatrical release status and DVD release information will always be current on the website, as it is frequently updated.
The full-size movie posters (271” x 401”) will also be available for purchase at the time of the DVD release, and will cost under $20. Thanks again and blue skies!
Brian
J. Terwilliger, Producer/Director, www.onesixright.com
16R
and Van Nuys Comments - Wally Sitton - Your
mention of the Van Nuys airport film was great, it needs all of the publicity
it can get. My friend and retired Captain, Ben Harper furnished a lot of the
photos and factual info. used in the film. Ben grew up un Van Nuys and learned
to fly at
"Shelling the Air Snares" by Peter Garrison – Bob Axsom - Peter Garrison's Technicalities column
in the September 2005 issue of FLYING is the first of a two part drag reduction
article with a difference. It is not just another theoretical sermon, he is
dealing conversationally with a specific item on his "Melmoth 2" and
it gets down to the hands-on application (how) immediately while skillfully
tying it to the theory (why). I read it with my RV-6A rudder horn in the back
of my mind.
My
plane made it into FLYING Magazine – Bob Axsom - On page 44 of the October 2005 issue of FLYING there
is a full page photograph of
New
Membership – If you are reading this newsletter and you are not a member but would
like to be, please apply through the website http://www.eaa732.org
or contact Chip Gibbons at the address listed below. Annual dues are $15. Make checks payable to “EAA Chapter 732” and
give the check to the Treasurer, Chip Gibbons at the next Chapter Meeting or
mail them to: Chip Gibbons,