Ceiling Unlimited The Newsletter of EAA Chapter February 2015

Transcription

1 The Newsletter of EAA Chapter 1310 Website: Chapter Phone Number: President: Alan Witkin Vice President: Paul Cappa Secretary: Jack Olsen Treasurer: Peter Russell Web Editor: Paul Dowgewicz Newsletter Editor: Paul Dowgewicz Membership Coordinator: David Christman Young Eagles Coordinator: Jack Hilditch Events Coordinator: Position Vacant Skylark Airpark (7B6) Mailing Address: EAA Wells Road Broad Brook, CT For contact information Log in to: February 2015 Next Meeting EAA Chapter 1310 Saturday February 14 th 10:00 AM Minutes of Meeting of November 10, 2012 Discuss events for Presentation on performing cylinder compression tests. This The month's Meeting EAA was chapter called video to order will by be President shown Lindsey Pell at 10:00 AM 2015 Membership Renewals Secretary s Report: The secretary s report for the month of October was read Renew and accepted. your chapter membership through the online store at or mail a check payable to EAA Chapter 1310 to the address at the bottom of this page. We'll get your membership Treasurer s card Report: back to The you. treasurer s report was read by Pres. Lindsey Pell in the absence of Treasurer Fred Goff. In the month of October expenses exceeded income in the amount of $248.89, mostly due to expenses for the flight New simulator. Three Year Cash on Membership hand was $8, The report was accepted. Save the hassle of renewing every year, and save some money. We now offer a 3 year membership for $60. Save $15. Old Business: Jack Hildich commented on the Young Eagles Program. He is not getting responses to Chapter s soliciting Clothing pilots and volunteers in time for planning New chapter purposes. logo There T-shirts, may sweatshirts be a transportation and hats issue are in, for and young will be people available to travel at our to next 7B6 meeting from schools and event. and organizations such as Star Base Hartford. Purchase The items Northampton, online at our MA. store. Chapter actually provided transportation via Credit vans, etc. cards to can get 54 now Young be used Eagles for to purchasing Orange Airport. memberships and There clothing was a at general our meetings discussion and on events. getting responses from volunteers for projects, airport clean-up, etc. There was chapter logo clothing for sale at the meeting. Follow Us On Twitter Our New Twitter Business: messages There can is be an seen individual at in Chapter 166 looking for a partner in building an RV-12. Membership cards for 2013 are available. Tickets for the Holiday Dinner are available. Election of Officers and Directors: Elections were held. The new officers and directors are as follows: President: Lindsey Pell Vice-President: Bogdan Gutkowski EAA CHAPTER 1310

2 Meeting Minutes Membership Meeting EAA Chapter 1310 January 10, 2015 Ceiling Unlimited Meeting called to order by President Alan Witkin at 10:00. Secretary s Report: was read and accepted. The 2014 and 2015 Corporate fillings with the Secretary of State were completed. Treasurer s Report: Beginning Balance: Income Expenses Dues $ Secretary of St. $50.00 Donations CL&P Xmas Party Xmas Party $ Ending Balance $ The National Chapter dues and insurance are approximately $600. Paul Dowgewicz will give the link to the treasurer. Membership Report: Application on the web site is not complete. Dave Christman and Paul Dowgewicz will update the application. Old Business: The last Newsletter worked well. The President complimented the Editor. New Business: Next years Christmas Party planning has started. The board will select a location and report back to the membership for comments. -Pete Russell and Andy wrapped the water pipes -The New England Air Museum Open Cockpit day is January 18. Ken Benson has arranged an EAA table during the event to advertise the local chapters. Any members who wish to participate should contact Russ Beers of Chapter Pete Russell noted the chapter has a lathe and some other tools in the main hanger for the members use. _ The President suggested we compile list of chapter property. Jim Glista and Paul Cappa volunteered to take on the task. _- Bill Kulle reported on his visit to see Mike. Mike seemed in good spirits. The facility is clean and friendly. He does not have a cell phone. - The airport internet service is not working ( ed. Note: the problem was addressed by the tenant and was back up Jan 11.) -Guest Lou Witkin noted an Eagle Scout project at Robinson Airport is underway to re-broadcast the CTAF on an am frequency for spectators. This could be a possibility for Skylark. - Al Witkin presented a very interesting program on the Connecticut State Police Aviation Unit. -Meeting was adjourned at 11:15 February, 2015 Page 2 of 9

3 Agenda Items Old Business: The Christmas Party and where to have it. We should have enough reports in by this time to make a decision. Update on CREC issues Discussion on Cooking issues: Safety Seminar Scheduling and topics. Other old business? New Business: New members give a brief standup of their aviation background. The QB's have asked us to cater their June meeting which is at Skylark. Do we have the help and volunteers to do it? They have about members that will have to be fed. Pros and Cons Long-Term chapter goals o Do we want to make a real effort to have our own facility? Is there any interest in a group trip? o What s the destination or event? Other New Business Video and discussion on Compression testing Adjournment MakerPlane At the massive EAA Fly-In convention I like to seek out the projects and ideas that don t make the big headlines, but are of interest to the recreational flyers. One of these projects is MakerPlane. This is an open source aircraft design intending people to build their own aircraft using advanced manufacturing techniques such as CNC mills and 3-D printers. Open source avionics and software are planned to provide digital flight instruments and displays for the plane. Instructions and plans will be available for free to anyone. At the show that team had a mockup of the cockpit and tail sections along with demonstrations of the assembly process. The basic construction uses slots and tab style assembly with fiberglass and resin reinforcements. They use 3-D printing for non-structural components. They currently have about 30 designs for open source avionics including a stick shaker and autopilot. The problem they see is that 75% of kits and planes aircraft are abandoned and sometimes plans are incomplete. They plan to have designs available, as well as recommended manufacturing tools, but they will not do the manufacturing. They can make a stack of ribs in one week on a CNC machinine vs. taking up to a year in the traditional composite manufacturing process. They use a program called Solidworks as their main CD application. They have a fundraising goal of $75,000 however on John Nocol - Founder Indiegogo they only raised $8712. There are hoping for $50,000 as the total cost of an aircraft. February, 2015 Page 3 of 9

4 At this point the major design elements are done. They use the EcoPoxy which allows soap and water cleanup. It is peanut based. They are aiming for 2016 for their first flight. The next items on their list of tasks is working on an auto trim system, the stick shaker, the wiring schematics, and the flight information exchange protocol. They re using the CAN-FIX protocol network which is written in Python. Their flight information system is called PyEFIS. They have the graphics complete as well as the main configuration. It also has the flight simulator interface and the CAN-FIX interface. It is based on the Arduino library. Further aviation products will include a flight data computer, engine and attitude controllers, trim and flaps controller, and navigation. Further down the line are some advanced systems including fly by wire, FADEC engine control, and aircraft integrity checks using internal strain gauges. The question was asked if an open source Powerplant was available. The reply was the Corvair engine modifications are the closest available to the open source concept right now, however someone in Australia is working on an open source Electric Power plant. For further information visit MakerPlane.org Open Cockpit Days New England Air Museum Upcoming Events The Air Museum is holding another of our popular open cockpit days on Sunday, February 15 and March 15. Museum visitors will be permitted to climb into the cockpits of up to eight vintage aircraft, a fullmotion flight simulator and one static flight simulator. The open cockpits include: the Vietnam era Bell UH-1B Huey helicopter, the North American F-100 Super Sabre jet fighter, the Coast Guard HU-25 Falcon, the Lockheed F-104C Starfighter and more. The local EAA chapters have an information table at these events. If you would like to spend a couple hours on these days promoting our organization, please contact Russ Beers from Chapter 166 at beersrus@cox.net. Museum educators will provide hands-on activities for younger visitors and the Museum s Flight Sim Spot full-flight simulator experience will be available throughout most of the day. For the convenience of visitors, a food vendor will be on site serving sandwiches, snacks and beverages. The event will be held inside the Museum s three large, heated display hangars. The Open Cockpit program runs from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with the Museum and gift shop staying open until 5:00 PM. Sneakers or rubber-soled shoes are recommended. Aviation Alive: Red Haired Flying Daredevil An original play by Alison Moncrief Bromage about the Connecticut aviation pioneer and daredevil Charles Hamilton will be preformed at the Air Museum. February, 2015 Page 4 of 9

5 Performances will by as 11:30 a..m. and 1:30 p.m. on the following dates: Ceiling Unlimited Sunday, January 18, 2015 Sunday, February 15, 2015 Sunday, March 15, 2015 Sunday, June 21, 2015 Live the excitement generated by Charles Hamilton s heroic flights over the New Britain fairgrounds in 1910 in this historical re-enactment program at the New England Air Museum. The part of Charles Hamilton will be played by Peter Hannon, senior at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Performing Arts. This one act play runs for 15 minutes. Museum visitors are invited to enjoy this performance as part of their museum visit included with the cost of admission. Upcoming Safety Seminars Hartford IMC Club Monthly Meeting at Meriden Mastering The Art Of Instrument Navigation & Instrument Training Scenario Discussion Tuesday, February 24, 2015, starting at 18:00 Eastern Standard Time Speaker: Christopher Carrozzella February meeting of IMC Club, Hartford chapter. Another new Instrument flying scenario to presented and discussed. Through its nationwide chapters, IMC Club provides organized hangar flying focused on building proficiency in instrument flying believing that safety and proficiency are developed through education and experience. Monthly meetings use real world scenarios at each meeting to engage our members and allow them to share and build their experience. You do not have to be instrument rated to attend. Following the presentation we will conclude with the question; "What would you Do?". Refreshments will be served. Click the link below and register TODAY! Meriden Airport, 213 Evansville Ave, Meeting Room, Airport Terminal, Meriden, CT SPANS/event_registration.aspx?eid=60118 Contact Information: Christopher Carrozzella, Phone: , atpcfiflycazz@yahoo.com After the Crash: Surviving an Aircraft Accident Tuesday, April 28, 2015, starting at 19:00 Eastern Daylight Time Presented by the Air Safety Institute Of the millions of GA flights every year, only a few end with unplanned off-airport landings. But even though the odds of a crash are slim, the potential consequences are harsh which is why smart pilots prepare and take basic precautions. That s where our new seminar comes in. From route planning and emergency rations to signal mirrors and sat phones, our presenters take a user-friendly, common sense approach at maximizing your chances of survival and rescue after a crash. Holiday Inn Hartford East, 100 East River Drive, East Hartford, CT There is no pre-registration for this seminar. Contact Information: Robin Sharitz, Phone: , Robin.sharitz@aopa.org We ll talk about: The essential ingredients of a good survival kit February, 2015 Page 5 of 9

6 Simple but effective ways to help searchers find you The first steps you should take after a crash Survival strategies while awaiting rescue Ceiling Unlimited Several EAA web seminars also qualify for WINGS credit. Mastering Radio Communications Wed, Mar 18, :00 PM - 9:30 PM EDT Presenter: Prof. H. Paul Shuch Student pilots who have mastered all the requisite flying skills often seem to forget everything they ve learned when it comes time to make a radio call. Prof. H. Paul Shuch, founder of AvSport of Lock Haven discusses procedures and techniques to help pilots automate the communications process, so they can concentrate on flying the aircraft. Drones at the Consumer Electronics Show Drones have a very large presence at this year s consumer electronics show in Las Vegas. There were at least twice as many demonstrated as there were last year. They become much more popular since in the past and have been very difficult to operate anything that can fly. Besides gyroscopic stabilization some drones synchronize flight with others. Selfies have become so 2014, as the new way to take a picture of yourself is from a drone. The winner of Intel s quote make it wearable quote contest in November was a drone of one on the wrist that can detach take flight, and snap photos from different perspectives. All drones can fly, however and have some type of remote control, but many have their own bit of extra technology that sets them apart. The Hubisan X4 Pro can be controlled from a smartphone application, so you could be anywhere in the world controlling your drone. Other drones can follow you around for up to 35 to 40 minutes of battery life to show with your activities. Some of the more sophisticated drones have GPS receivers with maps which lets them recognize that they are approaching an Airport. The drone will then slow down or land before getting into the air space. The Zano drone from Toquing Group includes GPS, sonar, in four red and biometric sensors. The Zano drawer can fly in a swarm, meaning multiple units can be controlled with one device and work together. Rules and Regulations While there are several government agencies currently using unmanned Aircraft Systems there are severe restrictions for commercial use of these aircraft. As of February 6, 2015 there are 29 exceptions from prohibited commercial flight of UAS in the United States alone of several hundred applications. The FAA has classified UAS operations into three categories. Civil UAS requires obtaining a special airworthiness certificate in the experimental category. This category is for research and development flight and sales demonstrations and training however entertainment production companies have been granted exceptions to flight under this category. Public UAS category is for law enforcement firefighting, border patrol, disaster relief, search and rescue, military training, and other governments operations. An application is submitted to the FAA to verify that the operation can be conducted safely. Model aircraft is for hobby and recreation operations below 400 feet and away from airports and February, 2015 Page 6 of 9

7 air traffic. The aircraft must remain within sight of the operator. The FAA modernization and reform act of 2012 clarified rules against model aircraft operators who interfere with the national airspace system. The FAA is expected to implement new UAS rules by September The current proposals published would require the operator to have a private pilot license. Companies who hope to fly us in their commercial operations have complained about the cost to train pilots that private pilot training is excessive to what the UAS operator needs. To limitations would also require flights to be conducted below 400 feet and only in daylight. Last November transport Canada relaxed rules four UAVs weighing less than 25 kg, and removed almost all regulations for those weighing less than 2 kg. The FAA and other safety advocates argue that more restrictions are needed in the U.S. due to the higher air traffic levels and the need to integrate unmanned aircraft into the crowded skies. The compromise may be that a new class of drone operator may be created. The drone operator would be trained to communicate with air traffic controllers but avoid the flight hours private pilots need to before being certified. Classroom training, background checks and proficiency tests may be all that is needed. Why the US Government Is Terrified of Hobbyist Drones This section contains excerpts from an article by Kevin Poulsen in Wired.com For the full article, visit If you want to understand why the government freaked out when a $400 remote-controlled quadcopter landed on the White House grounds last week, you need to look four miles away, to a small briefing room in Arlington, Virginia. There, just 10 days earlier, officials from the US military, the Department of Homeland Security, and the FAA gathered for a DHS summit on a danger that had been consuming them privately for years: the potential use of hobbyist drones as weapons of terror or assassination. The conference was open to civilians, but explicitly closed to the press. One attendee described it as an eye-opener. The officials played videos of low-cost drones firing semi-automatic weapons, revealed that Syrian rebels are importing consumer-grade drones to launch attacks, and flashed photos from an exercise that pitted $5,000 worth of drones against a convoy of armored vehicles. (The drones won.) But the most striking visual aid was on an exhibit table outside the auditorium, where a buffet of low-cost drones had been converted into simulated flying bombs. One quadcopter, strapped to 3 pounds of inert explosive, was a DJI Phantom 2, a newer version of the very drone that would land at the White House the next week. A DJI Phantom 2 drone is equipped with three pounds of mock explosive at a January 16 DHS conference. Daniel Herbert The White House drone, of course, wasn t packing an explosive and wasn t piloted by a terrorist just a Washingtonian who lost control of the device while playing around in the wee hours. But the gentle censorship directed at Herbert illustrates how serious the issue is to counterterrorism officials. The Phantom line of consumer drones made by China-based DJI figures prominently in the government s attack scenarios. That s not because there s anything sinister about DJI or the Phantom in fact, just the February, 2015 Page 7 of 9

8 opposite. The Phantom is the ipod of drones, cheap, easy to use, and as popular with casual and first-time fliers as with experienced radio control enthusiasts. Last Thursday DJI pushed a mandatory firmware update for its Phantom 2 that would prevent the drone from flying in a 15.5 mile radius of the White House. So far it s the only drone-maker installing what s known as GPS geofencing The technique is not new to DJI. The company first added no-fly zones to its firmware in April of last year. If a Phantom 2 pilot flies within five miles of a major airport s no fly zone, the drone s maximum altitude begins to taper. At 1.5 miles away, it lands and refuses to take off again. Municipal airports are protected by smaller zones, also programmed into the drones firmware. For DJI, airport no-fly zones were a response to the growing popularity of the Phantom 2 and perhaps a hedge against the constant threat of increased regulation. We started seeing the community of pilots grow, says spokesman Michael Perry, and many users have no idea where they can and can t legally fly the drone. The guy in the White House incident, I m pretty sure he didn t know that flying in downtown DC is illegal. Rather than put the onus on every user to learn local air traffic zoning rules, DJI translated them into code, and added a little buffer zone of its own for added safety. The White House geofence is only the second one that isn t centered on an airport, according to Perry the first was Tiananmen Square. It won t be the last. Now that the company has perfected the ability to erect geofences at will, the sky s the limit or, more accurately, the skies are limited. DJI is preparing an update that will increase the number of airport no fly zones from 710 to 10,000, and prevent users from flying across some national borders a reaction to the recent discovery that drug smugglers are trying to use drones to fly small loads of meth from Mexico into the US. I Want to Fly Wherever the Heck I Want This geofencing has critics, including hobbyists chagrined to find their favorite flying spot suddenly encompassed by a DJI no-fly zones. I live just inside a red zone and find it quite offensive that a company would attempt to restrict any potential usage in/around my own house, one user wrote in response to the first geofencing update last April. Ryan Calo, a University of Washingtonlaw professor who studies robots and the law, traces the resistance to two sources. One is a complaint about restricting innovation. The second one says you should own your own stuff, and it s a liberty issue: corporate verses individual control and autonomy, Calo says. When I purchase something I own it, and when someone else controls what I own, it will be serving someone else s interest, not mine. Geofencing Won t Prevent Terrorism While alarming to some, DJI s paternal interference in its customers flight plans probably will reduce unintentional incidents like last week s White House landing. But it certainly won t prevent the scenario feared by official Washington: an attacker looking to weaponize a drone. Hardcore drone hobbyists tend to be tinkerers, and sooner or later their rumbling will translate into published firmware hacks and workarounds anyone can use. Right now there doesn t exist any hacks to remove the geofencing or downgrade the firmware, says Herbert. I m sure they re coming. People will figure it out eventually. February, 2015 Page 8 of 9

9 We do provide different layers of security to make it difficult to hack and get around, says DJI s Perry. But for those determined to avoid geofencing, there s an easy way to do that, which is to buy another quad-copter Local Avistion Event schedule Reoccurring Events Chapter 1310 Meetings 2 nd Wednesday 7PM March-October 2 nd Saturday 10 AM November, January, February at Skylark Airport Chapter 166 Meetings Last Sunday of month 7:30 PM (Except July, Nov & Dec) at UTC Customer Training Center Chapter 27 Meetings 3 rd Sunday of month, 10 AM at Meriden Airport New England Air Museum Open Cockpit Sundays February 15, March 15 March 21 Pancake Breakfast, Chapter 1310, Skylark Airport April Sun N Fun Fly-In, Lakeland, FL May 13 Young Eagles Flights, Chapter 27, Meriden May Westover Air Show May 30 Young Eagles Flights, Chapters 166 & 1310, Hartford May Quonset Air Show June 6 AOPA Fly-In, Frederick, MD June 6 Pancake Breakfast, Chapter 146, Kline Kill Airport June 13 FAA Safety Seminar Chapter 1310, Skylark Airport July 11 Pancake Breakfast Chapter 1310, Skylark Airport July EAA Fly-In Convention, Oshkosh, WI August 15 Corn Roast, Chapter 1310, Skylark Airport September 12 - Pancake Breakfast, Chapter 146, Kline Kill Airport September 20 Simsbury Fly-In October 3 Young Eagles Flights, Chapters 1310 & 166, Skylark Airport November 7 Pancake Breakfast Chapter 1310, Skylark Airport November 20 Annual Dinner & Meeting Chapter 166 December 5 Annual Dinner Chapter 1310 Fall Taildragger & Experimental Fly-In, Safety Seminar & Cookout Date to be determined, but Aug 28, Oct 10 and Oct 17 will be discussed. EAA Chapter 1310, Inc. 54 Wells Road Broad Brook CT February, 2015 Page 9 of 9