NEWSLETTER EAA KITTYHAWKERS

Transcription

1 NEWSLETTER EAA KITTYHAWKERS VOLUME 47 JULY 2015 NUMBER 7 FROM MIDFIELD I took the opportunity to participate in the Team Aerodynamix (formerly Team RV) Formation Clinic in Stanley County last Friday. The purpose of the clinic is to provide training to RV 3,4,6,7 and 8 pilots in planning and conducting formation flights. Being a newbie I was first put in the right seat of an RV-7 with a pilot about my size whose handle was Claw. This introductory ride opened my eyes in several ways. For starters, formations appear a lot tighter from the air than on the ground. I wasn t accustomed to seeing another RV s landing gear so close to my canopy. And it was a little offputting looking straight down to the ground in a high bank with another plane under you aligned wingtip to wingtip. Second, at 130 knots things happen fast. Getting out of position takes milli-seconds while regaining position is agonizingly slow. And last, following lead s smoke in extended trail as you ascend through a 2.5g climbing turn is nothing short of exhilarating! After the ride with Claw, Stripes got in my back seat so that I could get the experience in my -8. I did alright and soon learned that formation flying is a lot of work and requires laser concentration. Soon after we landed and had the de-brief, which was not as humiliating as I had expected, I was off for my 3 rd flight. And who was my safety pilot but the longtime EAA 297 member Tony Sleepy Spicer. I didn t realize that he knew so much about formation flying but I was not surprised when he shared a large parcel of that knowledge with me during the thirty minute flight. Many thanks to Tony for taking me under his wing. I had a blast and highly recommend attending a future Formation Clinic! Oshkosh is just around the corner. If you haven t checked out this mother of all fly-ins yet, this may be your year. If you have, our brothers and sisters in aviation would sure like to welcome you back. Make plans now for this July 21 st to 26 th celebration of flight. For the meeting this Saturday, July 4 th, we re planning a parade at Stag. A Parade of Hangars, that is. After a short meeting, we ll be touring the local hangars that contain airplane projects. We ll start with Tony Spicer s Panther, move on to Billy Johnson s RV-12 and finish up with a tour of the flying RC s that Gary Abrigo has in his workshop, unless he is painting Billy s RV-12. Speaking of the- 12, I wouldn t be surprised if it took to the air this month. So come on out early on Saturday and get a good breakfast. You may need it. All things aviation, Drew In position and look n good!

2 EAA CHAPTER AVIATOR LANE, BURGAW, NC PRESIDENT DREW HOLBROOK (910) VICE PRESIDENT DAVID MOORE (910) SECRETARY JERRY COLLINS (910) TREASURER PHIL SHARPE (910) SPRING FLY-IN DEUX On Saturday the 6 th of June EAA Chapter 297 held its annual Spring Fly-In. Well its second attempt at An annual Spring Fly-In. You will remember that it had been originally scheduled on May 9 th, but Tropical Storm Ana made that impossible. So the second attempt was scheduled. And weather once again plagued the date. Several monster thunderstorms dropped a lot of rain on Stag Air Park and unfortunately; due to standing water, and in the interest of aviation safety, the runway was closed. Although the fly-in was smaller than last year, in keeping with chapter tradition, a good time was had by all. Jordan's Chapel reported that they served more than 200 plates and were very happy with the turn out. The roads were not closed and about twenty five classic cars were on display. Billy Hughes brought a beautifully restored 1946 John Deere tractor which drew many admirers. The effort was made to announce the runway closure via , but of course not everyone received the important information. Our apologies are extended to those folks who flew to Stag Air Park only to find big red X s on the soggy green grass. Please come back for the Fall Fly-In because we are sure happy to see y all. As all pilots learn sooner or later, Mother Nature will always have the last say in these events. Thanks one and all for volunteering and attending. NEW HANGAR SIGN On Saturday May 30 th an industrious group, widely known as the Wood Butchers, gathered at the Chapter 297 hangar to install the new sign. The sign was generously provided by Ken McGee. It is a state of the art metal sign that was printed using the newest in digital technologies. Thanks Ken! The project foreman, our current President Drew Holbrook, arrived well prepared. He had a detailed plan of the frame and supporting structure; all of the required tools, lumber, and hardware; and even the

3 scaffolding that would be required. His construction team included Vice President Dave Moore, Secretary Gerry Collins, Treasurer Phil Sharpe, and Mark Thoman. During the construction our First Lady Flo Holbrook brought drinks for the thirsty crew. And also swept up in the effort was Billy Johnson. sign was securely affixed to the hangar. The supporting structure is so well designed that the sign will likely remain after the entire hangar has collapsed. And better yet, it is mounted on the hangar in a level attitude, and during the entire construction process, there were no reported injuries. Billy gets a special mention because as the project got started Billy was fueling and preflighting his new aircraft. He had intended to spend some time aloft enjoying the cool of the smooth morning air. Instead he was drafted into service and spent the morning in ground bound labor. That s dedication. The new sign looks outstanding. Thanks to all for a job well done! YOUNG EAGLE RALLY The rain this spring has featured in several of our Chapter events this year. We scheduled a Young Eagle Rally to be held on April the 18 th to support the local Boy Scout council. Due to inches of rain it turned into a very soggy camp out and ground school. But there was no flying. So lots of measuring; and cutting; and drilling; and lifting; and climbing; and sweating; was accomplished. And after a fashion the new chapter On Saturday June 20 th the flying part of the Young Eagle Rally was finally completed. Fifteen of those intrepid Scouts became Young Eagles on a

4 beautiful, dry, blue morning. Our Young Eagle Coordinator Phil Sharpe, assisted by his daughter Samantha, ably organized the rally. Pilots included Garry Brown, Tom Goodwin, Ken McGee, and Mark Thoman. Jerry Collins, with his hand held radio supported the event as Traffic Control and Landing Judge. After the flying was completed Tony Spicer shared his project with the Scouts and discussed the construction of his Panther. The Young Eagles enjoyed the flying and appreciated the chapter s efforts. Thanks to Russell McFadden, one of the Scout Leaders, for the photographs. Ken McGee intent on flying his Young Eagles. NEW TRANSPONDER OPERATION PROCEDURES Thanks to Oliver Downey for forwarding the following: AeroSports Update: From LSA To Airliner, Use Transponders On The Ground The FAA Has Issued an Advisory For All Aircraft, Whether Large Or Small, To Use Their Transponders In The Altitude Reporting Mode On The Ground There was a time when transponders first entered wide use in general aviation that the rule was to always have it off or in standby on the ground, and to be prepared to use the standby mode if a controller requested it in flight. In those early days it was possible to overload the capability of controllers to follow transponder traffic. That s changed, but there is still one very special place and time when transponders must be deactivated. The FAA has recently issued a Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) advising all operators and pilots of the need to ensure that transponders be on and in the altitude reporting mode whenever their aircraft is on an airport movement area at all airports. This is because the FAA uses airport surface surveillance capabilities at some of the busiest airports in the U.S. to determine aircraft and vehicle location when they are operating on an airport movement area. Runway safety systems, such as Airport Surface Detection Equipment Model X and Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control System use data from surface movement radar and aircraft transponders to obtain accurate aircraft and vehicle locations. The effectiveness of these grounded detection systems is dependent on operators equipping and operating cooperative surveillance capabilities (i.e., altitude reporting transponders). Nationwide, airports with the systems report an average of twenty non-compliance transponder events per day, even with airport diagram or ATIS, or both, verbiage directing pilots to operate with transponders on. The FAA is asking that all aircraft operating on all airport movement areas at all airports to have their transponders on in the altitude reporting mode, even if the airport is not equipped with the ground surveillance radar.

5 Even though the FAA is making quite an issue of using your transponder and altitude reporting at all times, there is one major exception to this rule and it s coming up at the end of July. For those of you flying to EAA AirVenture, the NOTAM published for arrival and departure procedures into Wittman Regional Airport includes a paragraph with the following statement regarding the FISK VFR arrival to Oshkosh: Ensure lights are on and transponder set to Standby within 30 miles of OSH. Be sure to read the NOTAM carefully. FUTURE EVENTS July Saturday 4 th Chapter Meeting 10:00 AM in the Chapter Clubhouse Sunday 5 th South Carolina Breakfast Club, Newberry Municipal, (KEOE) Sunday 19 th South Carolina Breakfast Club, Triple Tree Airdrome, (SC00) Tuesday Sunday 21 st 26 th Oshkosh, WI August AirVenture Fly-In, Saturday 1 st Chapter Meeting 10:00 AM in the Chapter Clubhouse Sunday 2 nd South Carolina Breakfast Club, Lee County-Butters Field (52J) Sunday 16 th South Carolina Breakfast Club, Greenville Downtown (KGMU) Sunday 30 th South Carolina Breakfast Club, Anderson Regional (KAND) September Saturday 5 th Chapter Meeting 10:00 AM in the Chapter Clubhouse Sunday 6 th South Carolina Breakfast Club, Berkeley County, (KMKS) Wednesday 16 th EAA Chapter 297 Board Meeting, 7:00 PM, in the Chapter Clubhouse Saturday 19 th Jetport Big Toy Day at the Cape Fear Sunday 20 th South Carolina Breakfast Club, Laurens County, (KLUX) NOTICES AND CLASSIFIED ADS CHAPTER HISTORY NEEDED John Jeffrey is continuing the effort of capturing EAA Chapter 297 s history. He is looking for historical information from the year 2000 until the present. If you have any information, photos, or documents that detail chapter meetings, activities, or member projects please share them with John. PARTNER WANTED I am looking into the possibility that an aircraft owner based a Stag Air Park might be interested taking on a partner. Previous aircraft owned: Piper J-3, Cessna C 140, Cessna 170B, Cessna 172, Great Lakes 2T-1A, Piper Comanche PA , Beech Bonanza J-35. Various aircraft flown: Beechjet 400, Embraer EMB-120, Douglas DC-10, McDonnell F-4-J-N, McDonnell Douglas TA-4J, Douglas C-47 copilot with Genavco, Honolulu HI. Lockheed Jetstar II, Westwind II. I enjoy flying General Aviation aircraft, after all, that is where it all began for me. For the greater part of my life I have owned an airplane. I believe in safe well maintained aeroplanes. I grew up in an aviation family and have been a member of the EAA since I am 71 years old and desire to fly as long as I am able to do so safely. Anyone interested in discussing the idea should feel free to contact me. Name: Duane Leach FAA licenses: ATP, Turbojet Flight Engineer, Air Traffic Control Tower Operator. Total Flight time: 12,000hrs+ Address: 818 Indigo Village Court, Southport, NC brotherbede@yahoo.com Phone: (808)