October 2012 EAA 517 Propwash

Transcription

1 October 2012 EAA 517 Propwash

2 President s Column On August 27, eleven antique aircraft stopped in Missoula for fuel and spent several hours at the Museum of Mountain Flying, so local aviation enthusiasts could come out to get a quick look at some very classy airplanes. This assortment of aircraft included Addison Pemberton s Boeing 40, a Fleet, a Waco, a truly beautiful Ryan, two J-3 Cubs, a couple Stearman, and three other aircraft I didn t recognize. This particular group of aircraft were on their way to the Antique Aircraft Association s invitational flyin at Blakesburg, IA. The Blakesburg fly-in began in For more information about this event, go to Also, on August 27, the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) B-25 Maid in the Shade arrived at the Museum of Mountain Flying to spend a week offering tours and rides to the public. The B-25 was joined by the Flagship Detroit Foundation s famous DC-3 on August 30. I stopped by the Museum three times while these airplanes were here. It was truly exciting to see the enthusiasm shown by the community for these historic aircraft. On Sunday, September 2, Steve and I headed to Ferndale for Rumble Over the Bay, an annual event sponsored by EAA Chapter 102. Unfortunately, I did not remember to bring a camera along, but there were some very interesting airplanes on display including a highly polished Swift, a Stinson Voyager, a Breezy, a WhitmanTailwind, a Stearman PT-17, an Apollo LSA, an J-3 Cub, an SE5 Replica, a Midget Mustang, an T6, a Beech Staggerwing E17, and Bob Colby s very nicely restored 1929 Curtiss- Robin. Lately, I ve been doing a lot of reminiscing. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn to fly as a young adult and to have had the many experiences I ve had both as a recreational pilot and as a professional pilot. My first introduction to EAA was through Chapter 124 in Santa Rosa, CA in the mid-1907 s. Because I rented tiedown space from Chapter 124, I was required to be an EAA member. I would often stop to chat with the guys working on Lloyd Hamilton s SeaFury or some other project plane and that is how I became an enthusiastic supporter of amateur built aircraft and a longtime supporter of EAA national. Until next month... Sherry October 15 Meeting Info Chapter 517 will hold our annual business meeting (as required by our Bylaws) on Monday, October 15. There will be an election for President and Vice-President. If any of you wish to place your name in nomination for one of these positions, please contact Sherry Rossiter at ssrossiter@aol.com The annual business meeting is also a time to discuss our Chapter s plans for the next year, so we d like to have as many members in attendance as possible. The Chapter will provide free pizza and beverages. If anyone wants to bring a salad or dessert, your contribution would be welcome. More information will be sent out via about a week before the meeting. Page 2

3 MakerPlane: A Plan For The Collective Homebuilt cultivate multi-media builder assistance products and physical builder assistance sites. Nicol has unveiled MakerPlane's first design, "Version 1.0," from Israel-based aeronautical engineer, Jeffrey Meyer. The design conforms to LSA weight and speed requirements. V 1.0 also aims to be a modular design and MakerPlane intends to offer plans, free. The idea behind MakerPlane is to create an "open source aviation project" that allows people to build their own aircraft using personal Computer Numerical Control (CNC) mills and 3D printers. In that way, MakerPlane hopes to create an environment where people can produce aircraft largely "built on a computer controlled mill at home." The man behind the idea, John Nicol, based in Canada, is seeking to reduce the financial means and physical capabilities required by an individual seeking to build an aircraft. Aside from creating a new largely digital workflow for builders, MakerPlane would also seek to As a modular aircraft, builders could choose from "different per-approved options" including "landing gear, wings, power plant, interior and other configurations." Aside from aircraft, MakerPlane hopes to create a new level of safety and accuracy in homebuilt aircraft through its use of mechanized "consistent, repeatable and highly accurate processes." Nicol envisions support communities that provide access to contributing designers and participants who volunteer their ideas to builders at every phase of the building process. "This is an international effort of like-minded folks all over the world," says Nicol. That in itself may not be so different from the advanced community forums and CNC-produced parts that exist among some of the world's most popular kitbuilt aircraft designs, like Van's Aircraft. Where MakerPlane would separate itself from that group is through its use of digital manufacturing processes at individual builder's homes, and a modular design that can be more easily adapted to individual needs. (September 3, 2012) Page 3

4 A Floatplane Adventure by Ed Stryker N185EX made a great trip this past July and August taking Abigail and I on an adventure to British Columbia, Southeast Alaska, Yukon Territory, and Northwest Territory. Where to begin. We spent the past several summers airplane camping and fishing in British Columbia and had lived and flown in SE Alaska during the 1990 s. So with the aid of several pilots that had explored further north, we begin planning for this trip over the winter. We purchased Canadian charts and flight supplement, spent hours checking lakes and rivers on Google-Earth, and consulted with fellow pilots as to interesting places to explore. Being weight limited, we made trade-offs between fuel, food, clothing, and gear. We wanted to maximize fuel, which translates to minimizing comforts. Abigail packed the instant oatmeal, instant coffee, top ramen noodles, Backpacker Pantry freeze dried dinners, and said goodbye to fresh produce. I sorted gear, weighed everything, and sorted again. In the end we were able to carry 218 pounds of food and gear, the two of us, and 60 gallons of fuel and be at gross weight. No ice chests, beer, apples or steaks! In addition to our normal gear, we added a satellite phone and our Spot Messenger. Using the Spot, we kept ten folks up to date as to our location and status. We also added s prescription, an Epipen and Hydro codeine to our first aid kit. I am a member of the BC Floatplane Association, and through them, one can obtain permission to land on restricted lakes in BC s Provincial Parks. There are limitless lakes in BC open to use by floatplanes, but this service opens up a few additional that we could not otherwise visit. It is a great thing. Using AOPA s flight planner, I pre-planned all our routes no wind and printed them off. I also updated my eapis paperwork and I list Abigail as a crew member, so it retains all the data. I also file all my eapis crossings for the entire trip before we leave Missoula that way I only have to phone customs if the date or time changes, and one has to phone customs for landing rights anyway, so it seems to work fine. The Canadian Customs folks have always welcomed us and made going into Canada a pleasure. I can t say that returning to the US has been as pleasant. So where did we go? And how was the weather? And what did we forget? We crossed the border at Eureka, and checked into BC at Cranbrook. Then north to Golden for fuel and northwesterly to Azure Lake where we found high water, lots of debris, and limited camp. This was a theme throughout our trip, as BC had 160% of normal snow pack last winter and all lakes and rivers were very full. From Azure Lake we went westerly to Williams Lake for fuel, then on to Widgeon Lake. Page 4

5 We hiked to Hunlen Falls - second highest falls in North America. It drops about 1000 feet off the end of Turner Lake and is mighty scary, but awesome. From Widgeon Lake we went east to Nimpo Lake for fuel, and then north to Eutsuk Lake and some fun fishing for large rainbows. Then north to Smithers for fuel and a phone call to US Customs for entry into Alaska. We went north to Bob Quinn Lake, then down the Iskut River and into Wrangell, Alaska. We spent time with old cohorts in Wrangell, Petersburg, and Juneau and experienced the thrill of island hopping flight in SE Alaska beneath overcast and rainy skies with limited visibility. Page 5 From Juneau (after fueling and calling Canadian customs) we went up the Taku channel, glacier, and river to Atlin BC. Atlin Lake is the largest fresh water lake island in BC with great sandy beaches to camp on. After Atlin, we headed north to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. We were treated to an unexpected air show featuring the Canadian Snowbirds; great to camp on the field and sit on the ramp for front row seats! Then off to Faro (an essentially abandoned mining town), and Keele Lake in the McKenzie mountains. From Keele Lake we followed the WWII canol pipeline route into Northwest Territory and Norman Wells on the McKenzie River. This is amazing country vast and empty with huge barren but colorful mountains, and so few people. Norman Wells was hot (95 degrees F) and twenty-four hour daylight. It is very close to the Arctic Circle, and we were expecting a more chilly experience. We did not need our stocking hats, gloves, and light coats! Then off to Yellowknife on Great Slave Lake and the home of Buffalo Airways (Ice Pilots on TV) had to have our picture taken there. The trip from Norman Wells to Yellowknife was 406nm, across glaciated country with hundreds of lakes, and not one sign of man no roads, buildings, boats, nothing. Pretty exhilarating to say the least! From Yellowknife we ventured to the eastern end of Great Slave Lake, and an area where canoeists head out to Hudson s Bay about 75 days away. Now that would be an adventure. Then back to Yellowknife

6 for fuel and westward to Fort Simpson to obtain more fuel and permission to visit Nahanni National Park. We flew to Little Doctor Lake for the night and then into the park, landing on the South Nahanni River at Virginia Falls. The Park Service has dock space for two aircraft to tie up and one is limited to 3- hours to hike and view the falls. Virginia Falls is touted as twice the size of Niagara Falls, whatever that means, but in any case it is spectacular. We hiked to the bottom and back within the allotted time, got airborne off the river with numerous canoeists snapping photos, then north to Glacier Lake within the park. It is a lovely green set amid huge peaks, and is worth the trip. Leaving Glacier Lake, we headed to Watson Lake for fuel and then to Dease Lake, for more fuel. Then off to Coldfish Lake which has great hiking trails up and onto the Spatsizi Plateau. We were treated to a pair of wolves at about 250 yards, observing us and then howling. Great! From Coldfish Lake we headed to my favorite place in BC, Kitchener Lake in Tatlatui Provincial Park. Kitchener has great rainbow trout which constantly leap several body lengths into the air. It sounds like rocks constantly falling into the water. And they taste mighty good with instant rice or top ramen. From Kitchener we headed south to McKenzie and the trench for fuel, then to Valemont. From Valemont we flew to Fortress Lake on the continental divide near Jasper, Alberta. Fortress Lake is a spectacular lake and another favorite of ours which we have visited numerous times (it is about four flying hours north of Missoula). It is the home of record Brook Trout (5-6 pounds), and is surrounded by huge peaks and glaciers. Truly a fabulous place. Fortress Lake was the end of our camping, and we headed to Golden for fuel, call to customs, and home to Missoula. All in all, we put 46 hours on the airplane, burned 600 gallons of fuel, and lost 12 pounds. Not bad for a month s journey. Ed having tea at Fortress Lake; Page 6

7 Builder s Report CONTACTS Web Site President Sherry Rossiter Vice President Jim Younkin Secretary Vacant Position Treasurer Steve Knopp Young Eagles Rich Poitras Propwash Editor Laurens Ackerman Glassair Allen Burruss - FT S-II - 100% Phase one flight test underway. Piper Exp. Brad Condra - Bushmaster 60% Fabric covering being installed. RANS Dan Dixon S7S Courier 15% Rutan Ed Lovrien - Limo-Easy - 25% Sonex Larye Parkins - Waiex 30% Van s RVs John Barba RV-6 Frank Bretz - RV-9A Complete B. Douglass - RV-10 - Complete Zenith Laurens Ackerman - CH % Ray Aten - CH-601 Passed FAA inspection. Completed phase 1 testing. Terry Philips - CH-601 8% Duane Felstet CH % Page 7