EAA CHAPTER 119 FLIGHTLINE www.eaa119.org EAA Chapter 119, 60 Airport Way, Watsonville Airport, Watsonville CA 95076 April 2005 Bill Randolph takes off On March 9th, Bill Randolph took off in his home-built RV-8, heading around the world. Up to that point in time, Bill was dealing with the difficulties of flying over countries, getting all of the paperwork in order, and checking his itinerary. A day-by-day account of Billʼs travels will be on the Chapter web site, www. eaa119.org. Like most people who fly around the world, Bill found that many people were either very friendly and helpful, or completely baffled about how such a small airplane could make the trip around the world. In Fortaleza, Brazil, Bill was helped out by a local who was has built an RV-9. He came up to Bill and said, Oh you have an RV-8, I have a RV-9. This same man spoke English and owned the lovely hotel where he insisted that Bill stay. He even drove him there, rolling out the red carpet for him by telling the staff to let him have anything he wanted. Bill was only charged $39.00 for this very luxurious hotel. After the very unfriendly encounters in Florida and Trinidad, he was very grateful. Another pilot he met helped him get through all the red tape and acted as his agent. The agent he hired never answered their telephone and could not be reached. Hardly anyone spoke English so he really lucked out with these two extremely nice men. On his way, Bill did find some choppy weather, which he described as moderate to severe turbulence. He was thankful for his aerobatic airplane as he was tossed about and he knew the plane could take Bill says goodbye to Shirley it. He lost his HF antenna in this storm but brought extra wire to fix that. Rain also poured into the cockpit, getting his belongings soaking wet (but fortunately not the instruments). Heʼs going to work on finding that leak. He can never raise anyone on the radios. There is also no radar unless he is very close to a big city. When he flew IFR he was kept busy reporting into each control tower and figuring calculations to report to them. Often the controllers were difficult to understand. One woman impatiently said to him Donʼt you speak English? It took 14 hours over the Atlantic to get to Dakar, Senagal. He couldnʼt see the ocean because of the clouds and flew at 10,500 feet. He would have gone higher but it was too cold. He thought he would be nervous flying over such a big ocean but he said when he got up there it was just fine and he wasnʼt worried a bit. He landed in Dakar and no one was there when he arrived. Guess they werenʼt interested in a little airplane flying over the big ocean. Asked what customs was like in Dakar, he said, There wasnʼt any. So far no one looked at anything. In Dakar, Bill started to fuel his airplane was told Move your airplane He said, well, let me fuel and I will move right away. They said, No! Now! So he moved his airplane and the fuel truck drove away. It was ages before he could get it to come back. Then a Dakar Chief came to lecture him about how it was illegal for him to fly over the Atlantic to Dakar. The lecture went on and on and finally, after an hour or so, the Chief said, No problem and let him go. He said a crowd gathered of Senegalese who were friendly and asking about his flight. Where you come from? they asked. When he told them, they just smiled and joked showing that they did not believe him. Bill finally took off for Rabat. He was later than he wanted to be because he was delayed in Dakar so when he got to Rabat it was 6:28. He was ordered away by the Rabat control tower even though he had clearance. They said You cannot land as you are too late. You have to be here by 6:30. They would not let him land so he had to go to Casablanca. This was not in the plan and he is not happy about it but what can you do. It is about 50 miles from Rabat. As of the time of this article, Bill was headed toward Rome, to visit a friend of many years. We wish him continued luck, and best wishes.
EAA CHAPTER 119, 60 AIRPORT WAY, WATSONVILLE AIRPORT PAGE 2 President s Corner We will start EARLY @ 7:00 PM in celebration of daylight savings time and we will put the experimental part of EAA back into our meetings. At 7:00 pm we will have homebuilt airplane show and tell. GlasStar owners (and other homebuilts that want to) will taxi over at 7:00 to show us your planes. Then at the standard meeting at 7:30, the business-politics-voting starts and will be limited to 25 minutes. If it takes longer it will be tabled till next meeting or handed over to the EAA board to deal with. So, if you want to get on the agenda, call me before the meeting and I will put you on, if it fits the time limit. (688-9260 leave exact agenda description message). At 8:00 pm we will have a program about L.E.D. lighting technology, while we drink, eat snacks and sign up for the upcoming volunteer activities. Anything else can be typed up and put in the newsletter, send an email to: editor@eaa119.org. The following is stuff I need to say so I wonʼt waste time at the meeting. Thanks to all of the following people for helping with our activities in just this last month: Ann and Sarah from the 99ʼs, Thad Fenton, Harry Wilson, John Davi, Jack Hill, Dennis Thomas, Dan White, Brian Moffet, Bob Frisby, Jeremy Macdonald, Rick Reagan, Mike Corder, Bill Derouchy, Jeff Roper, Ken Locke-Paddon, Dave Brockman, Don French, Arlo Reeves, Bob Sliter, Norm Gray, Matt Tensor, John McCauley, and Norm Da Plumb. Oh yes, and the that other guy, you know who you are? The EAA weekend workshops were all successful with some of our members attending. Bob Frisby, Ken Locke-Paddon, and Dennis Thomas all attended a most professional lesson on fabric covering. The Montgomery Centennial was really fun. The rain stopped at noon just as we started. The Clampers provided great food, drink, noise and a monument. The Hiller Museumʼs docent, North E. West, brought the Montgomery 1905 glider. It was really neat to get up close and touch it and see how it worked. But it took us till 6pm to disassemble it. I was the last person on the field so I picked up the last piece of litter, watched the sun set, and imagined flying that glider. I know I could do it because it is simple and is in my experience. It uses adverse yaw to turn. The left foot pulls down the trailing edge of both left wings and the increased drag yaws the glider around. There is no up movement on the opposite wing. It only needs a fixed rudder for stability and the elevator is just a very large speed trim. This is a hard concept for fast frenchie aileron flyers to grasp but a simple thing for slow airplane designers to understand. The Wright brothers never copied this idea and had to have a moveable rudder to counteract their opposite method of wing twisting. So their design flaw and solution made their planes very hard to fly slow but panned out good for the future, faster than birds, airplanes. The speeches, music, food and famous people were easily accessible to the small crowd that showed up. Dennis Thomas had designed a great plan for a large group to do a flyby, but due to the worrisome weather they called it off. Jim Coumbs was the only modern airplane to do a fly by and aerobatics demo. The hang-glider pilot also flew because he wanted his $2,500. I knew he was going to die in the strong winds until I saw him fly he is a professional air show pilot and really good. 2005 Chapter 119 Officers and Position Holders President Dan White 831-688-9260 VP & Program Chairman Secretary/ Treasurer Director & Hangar Boss Dennis Thomas 831-479-7986 Neil Brooks 831-338-3543 Jack Hill 831-426-3979 Director Thad Fenton 831-722-2274 Young Eagles Coordinator Young Eagles Ground Instructors Bob Sliter <rasliter@cruzio.com> Russ Moody Bill Normandin 831-724-6904 831-475-9374 831-462-1194 Membership Chairman Neil Brooks 831-338-3543 Flight Advisor/ Technical Counselor Fly-In and Air Show Reps Chapter Webmaster PVAviation Academy Reps Newsletter Editor Copy Editor Jack Hill 831-426-3979 Hank Wempe Dan White Bob Sliter <rasliter@cruzio.com> John Davi Bob Sliter Dan White Brian Moffet <editor@eaa119.org> 831-724-5591 831-688-9260 831-724-6904 831-688-2809 831-724-6904 831-688-9260 Naomi Brokaw WordsTakeWing@skyhighway.com 831-459-9294 831-459-9691 (fax)
PAGE 3 Chapter News EAA Chapter Minutes Minutes of Meeting March 1, 2005 EAA #119 Meeting called to order by Pres. Dan White @ 1930 Guests: Michael and Max Morgan New members: Ray Fink and Larry Baker Approval of the minutes of the meeting of Feb. 1st. Moved to approve: Jim Carter, 2nd Bob Sliter. Passed. Treasurer Report: Funds are sufficient. Announcements: 1. Door Prize to be given to a current or prospective builder. The item is a builderʼs computer log program. Won by Larry Baker, an RV builder. 2. Instructors needed for a short presentation for the students at the WAEC. Subject is cockpit instruments. Please volunteer and contact Dan White. 3. EAA Badges and Certificates were awarded. 4. The RCBeeʼs will meet at the WAEC for the next several months. The first meeting is April 21st. They meet on the third Thursday of the month at 1930. 5. Chapter 517 is having a raffle for a Kitfox airplane. They are in Missoula, Montana. See Dan White. 6. The John Montgomery Centennial is requesting donations. Motion: The Chapter to donate $100. By Jim Carter, 2nd Mary Doherty. Passed. 7. On March 26, at the Tom Hoyt Park, the monthly Barbeque will be held. And a dedication for Louise Minniear will be held. The plaque will be installed at her tree and a four plane Missing Woman formation will fly by. (Louise was a long time member and treasurer of 119, WPA and the 99ʼs.) 8. Dan Chauvet gave a report on the Power Point presentation made to Action Pajaro Valley organization. Dan French, Mary Doherty and Jeff Roper participated. PVAA: Gabriel Suarez has applied for a scholarship. The Watsonville City Council will make a decision on the runway question on April 12. 9. Mary Doherty reported on the 99ʼs activities for the Centennial. 10. Bob Sliter, Young Eagles: On March 12 there will be a special rally for some handicapped young people. EAA CHAPTER 119, 60 AIRPORT WAY, WATSONVILLE AIRPORT Don French and Dan White have volunteered to fly. One more A/C is needed. The next regular Young Eagles Day is set for May 7. The airport will give the pilots flying Young Eagles a break on the fuel cost. The Chapter Newsletters are on the EAA119.org website. A yearʼs back issues will be maintained. OLD BUSINESS 1. EAA Workshop will be held at WVI and WAEC the weekend of March 19, 20. 2. Centennial volunteer list set up by John Davi. EAA will have a tent at the site. 3. The EAA B-17 will be here on May 5th. John Davi needs some volunteers. The event will provide the Chapter some income. 4. The Air Show was discussed. 5. The regular barbeques at the Tom Hoyt Park will be held on the 3rd Sat of every month after the March 26th event. NEW BUSINESS 1. EAA Air Academy: The Chapter Board of Directors has recommended that two students be given tuition to the Air Academy at Oshkosh this summer. Motion: Ray Fink, The Chapter provide the tuition for the Air Academy to the two recommended students. 2nd, Jeff Roper. Passed. 2. The purchase of a nitrogen bottle and regulator was considered. Jeremy McDonald will donate a nitrogen bottle, Rick Regan will lend a regulator and Jack Hill will donate a hose. A small fee will be charged to cover our costs. Break, then a program was presented on the use of magneto timing instruments. Submitted by Neil Brooks Sec/Treas. John Davi and Harry Wilson Hang-glider landing at John Montgomery Celebration
EAA CHAPTER 119, 60 AIRPORT WAY, WATSONVILLE AIRPORT PAGE 4 Special Young Eagles Day In February I was awarded a scholarship from the Experimental Aircraft Association (E.A.A.). I am honored that I was chosen to Pilot Dan White pulls up after a flight with Young Eagles receive this. I was not expecting this as I just enjoy being in the Aeronautics class. I have always loved airplanes. My grandparents also had this fascination with airplanes. Even as a child, the mere sound of an airplane caught my attention. When ever a military aircraft flew overhead the hair on the back of my head and arms would rise with excitement. I am excited to be going to Oshkosh, Wisconsin it will be a new experience going away from home without family. Young Eagles started a little early at Chapter 119 this year, as a special group of kids and their parents took to the skies. Bob Sliter put together the rally for students from Pinnacle Academy of Santa Clara. On Saturday, the students took part in a question-andanswer period about aviation with pilots White, Norm Gray and Young Eagles coordinator Bob Sliter at the Watsonville Aviation Education Center. Following lunch, the five youths lined up for a free flight. We answered a lot of basic questions about flying in general, about getting a pilotʼs license and aviation, Sliter said. Itʼs a pleasure to have these kids come over the hill and take part in our program. The weather did not cooperate as hoped, and caused a fair number of people to wait around until the skies cleared enough for a flight. However, the skies cleared up enough a little later in the afternoon for Dan to take off, flying around the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and back along the foothills to Watsonville Municipal Airport. Every one of the kids had a good time, and the parents who went with them also enjoyed themselves tremendously. That was one of the best experiences Iʼve ever had! chimed Chris Worrell as he climbed out of a small Cessna 172 with pilot Dan White at the controls. I canʼt believe he let me take the controls and steer the plane. It was amazing. The Next Young Eagles rally for Chapter 119 is May 7th, 2005. Michael Frutuoso EAA Scholarship Recipient I would like to thank Mr. White for his support, guidance and patience throughout the last year. He is a good teacher and explains things well. The program fit my needs as a student because I am an auditory and hands-on learner. I would also like to thank Mr. Davi, Neal Brooks and Chuck for being so helpful and nice. In the future I hope to be an aircraft mechanic. I plan on attending Gavilan College in Gilroy to earn a degree in aeronautics. I believe this program opened new doors for me that I otherwise would have had trouble opening for myself. My family plays a big role in my values. They have always encouraged me to be respectful to my elders, to try my hardest and donʼt give up. Therefore, I would like to thank the above mentioned people and all the E.A.A. members for selecting me to receive this scholarship. Michael Frutuoso 3/17/05 Misc Notes: Jim and Mary Doherty are looking for someone who has a hangar and is willing to share it with a small aricraft, an Odyssey. Contact Jim or Mary.
PAGE 5 Chapter 119 News Mountain Flying Seminar a Huge Success The Santa Cruz Flying Club sponsered a clinic on Mountain Flying by Jim Clark on February 26th, 2005. Jim brought his experience of flying into some very remote canyons in his Decathalon to the clinic, and showed his video Utah Red Rock Country, where he takes a look at several remote airstrips. There were many tidbits of advice that Jim gave. One of the most important piece of advice was to talk withsomeone who knows the area well. Itʼs important to get a better feel for the land, and an experienced guide will get you that experience. Jim Clark explains some finer points of mountain flying In addition to getting the local pilot advice, knowing your airplane and how it handles in all flight regimes is extremely important. Flying up a canyon at slow speed is not the time be testing how much you can bank the plane before causing a stall. For example, at 30 degrees bank, stall speed increases by 7%, at 60 degrees bank, stall speed increases by 41%. The video was fun to watch, and the clinic was well attended with both EAA Chapter 119 members and Santa Cruz Flying Club members. EAA CHAPTER 119, 60 AIRPORT WAY, WATSONVILLE AIRPORT Chapter 119 opens the hangar to Sport Aviation Builders The weekend of March 19th saw the EAA Chapter 119 hangar invaded by people anxious to learn the intricacies of metal working. Pneumatic drills, air compressors, and other noises punctuated the sound of the hangar. The SportAir class on metal working was held in the chapter hangar, which has the equipment to handle the 16 students, and the distance from the other classes to keep the noise from disturbing the more quiet tasks of fabric-work, fiber-glass, and electronics. In this class, students learn the art of sheet metal bending, drilling, de-burring, and riveting. At the Learning the finer points of rivets end, each student will have made a short aileron or rudder, and will have learned the basic steps to start on their way to a larger airplane like the RV series of aircraft. The instructor, Jack Dueck, is from Canada, and enjoys teaching these types of classes, partially because he enjoys the building process so much. He commented that he tends to build even more than he flies, because he enjoys it so much. An excellent turnout for the Mountain Flying Clinic
Watsonville Chapter 119 Experimental Aircraft Association Watsonville Municipal Airport 60 Aviation Way Watsonville CA 95076 Upcoming Topics and Events: Date Topics March 26 Saturday in-the-park get-together for all EAA, WPA and 99ʼs members (midday). April 5 EAA Chapter 119 Meeting: 7:00 @ Hangar April 12 The City Council of Watsonville may be reviewing the May 5 - May 10 runway 8/26 issue. EAA B-17 Bomber arrives at Watsonville. Contact John Davi to volunteer. June 3 - June 5 May 7 EAA 119 Young Eagles Rally, first of the year. May 27 41st Annual Watsonville Fly-In & Air Show, Memorial - May 29 Day Weekend. May 27,28,29, 2005, Watsonville Municipal Airport Golden West Fly-In, Yuba County Airport Win a ride when Fuddy Duddy comes to town May 8-10. $10 raffle tickets. Contact Bob Sliter @ 831-724-6904. Only 200 tickets.