The Spirit of Aviation | www.eaa.org Vol.63 No.

6 | June 2014

+
Great War Flying Fighters
Kermit Weeks World War I ghter collection

Airplanes as Artists Canvas

John Stahr makes magic with an airbrush

TBM Finds Knots for Free

TBM 900 faster, farther for the same fuel burn

Vega
The Last
Only one still
ying coming
to Oshkosh

Show and Then Tell
BY JACK J. PELTON
I AM VERY PLEASED that our members and volunteers will once again
build an airplane during the week of our y-in and convention at
Oshkosh. We have done it in the past, and the One Week Wonder
project is a great demonstration of how an airplane is built. This year
we will build a Zenith CH 750 Cruzer in just seven days.
Across the hundreds of acres of show ground at AirVenture
Oshkosh there will be dozens and dozens of programs teaching peo-
ple every essential skill needed to build their own airplane. And
many forums and seminars will help people restore antiques and
warbirds. And still others will instruct owners about how to best
maintain and operate their standard airplanes. The week of Oshkosh
is one huge educational experience.
But Im getting ahead of myself. A real-time demonstration of how a
modern airplane kit goes together is a great educational tool. But before
we can educate people about personal aviation we have to wow them.
The people who attend the many how-to classes and forums dur-
ing Oshkosh are already converts. They already own an airplane or a
building projector plan to buy one soonand are focused on doing
the best work possible. These people are already sold on whatever
aspect of personal aviation they have chosen to participate in.
However, there are thousands, actually many thousands, of peo-
ple who visit our y-in that are clearly intrigued by aviation but
havent made the commitment to participate. They come to look at
the airplanes on display, inspect the new products the industry
shows off, and marvel at the skill of the pilots ying in the air show.
Thats why it is crucial that Oshkosh continue to feature the best
of all types of private aviation. We cant know exactly what segment
of personal aviation the curious but not yet committed visitor is most
interested in. Every part of the huge and diverse EAA family needs
to put its best foot forward so every AirVenture Oshkosh visitor feels
welcome and believes he or she can join in our aviation activity.
The one-week Zenith build project is a great example of how we
can showcase kit airplanes and the enormous amount of progress
they have made. People at Oshkosh can see for themselves how the
modern kit is very complete, needs little in the way of specialized
tools and skills, and comes with excellent support from the manu-
facturer and other kit builders.
An Oshkosh visitor can watch work on the Zenith project for a
relatively short time and easily grasp how he could build his own kit.
I believe the one-week build will sell many people on building
their own airplane, and after that we will continue with our terric
educational programs that teach them the special techniques they
need to do so.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY
JACK J. PELTON
COMMENTARY / TOWER FREQUENCY
Similar efforts happen during Oshkosh in the
Vintage area where airplane owners describe the
history and restoration and maintenance of their
classic airplanes. Visitors can learn what its like to
own their own antique.
The Warbirds area also features daily presen-
tations about the airplanes and the people who
ew them. Nothing could be more effective to
attract new people to preserving our military avi-
ation history.
There are similar programs going on in the light
ight area and at the aerobatic display. Visitors can
learn about the fun of ying and then nd the spe-
cic forums and courses they need.
The aviation industry does a great job of
explaining the value of its products with excellent
displays and the entire range of information on
what their airplanes and equipment can do.
Weve all heard the old line about selling the
sizzle not the steak. There is some truth in that,
but at Oshkosh we do both, and I think we are
doing a pretty good job at keeping things in the
right order. We have everything necessary to
teach people to weld, work with fabric, and carve
a propeller, but before that we put on a show that
sells that aviation sizzle.
www.eaa.org1
 A PUBLICATION OF THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Contents
Vol.63 No.6 | June 2014

F E AT U R E S D E PA R T M E N T S BETTER PILOT

50
A Superstar Reborn
COMMENTARY

01 Tower FrequencyJack J. Pelton

80

84
Stick & RudderThe Road to Forced Landings

What Went WrongTwo Pilots Are

John Magons Lockheed Vega Not a Crew
lives up to its name 06 Letters to the Editor
By Budd Davisson 88 Ill Never Do That AgainFirst Ditching
16 Left SeatJ. Mac McClellan

58
The High Art of John Stahr
22 Flying LessonsLane Wallace
HANDS ON

92 What Our Members Are Building/Restoring

An intricate blend of air, paint, and unbridled 26 Savvy AviatorMike Busch
creativity brings aircraft owners dreams to life 96 Innovation on the FlyRollover Protection
By Dan Pimentel 32 Light FlightDave Matheny
100 Hints for HomebuildersCar Dollies Make

66
Passions of the Past Reborn
36

40
Dream Build FlyBrady Lane

Plane TalkLauran Paine Jr.

a Hangar Twice as Useful, Cleco Pads,
Zip Tie Clipper

Kermit Weeks and his WWI Albatros 104 Shop TalkSo You Wanna Build a Bush Bird
D.Va and Snipe 46 ContrailsJe Skiles
By Jim Busha MEMBER CENTRAL
NEWS & INFO

74
TBM 900
10 Advocacy & Safety
Governmental Issues
109
110
113
Member Central
Pilot Caves
News From HQ
124

127
Members and
Chapters in Action
Member Benets
The science of airow management 118 Board of Directors 128 FlyMart
By J. Mac McClellan 14 FlightlineIndustry News Nominees 129 Classied Ads
123 Gone West 132 EAAs Logbook

ON THE COVER: Scott Germain photographed the only yable Lockheed Vega. For more on many of the topics in this issue, visit www.SportAviation.org. To view and

It is one of a handful of metal-fuselage Vegas built. submit aviation events, visit www.EAA.org/calendar.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT GERMAIN www.eaa.org3

 Vol.63 No.6 | June 2014

EAA PUBLICATIONS
Founder: Paul H. Poberezny
Publisher: Jack J. Pelton, EAA Chairman of the Board
Vice President of Marketing: Rick Larsen
Editor-in-Chief: J. Mac McClellan
Associate Editor: Meghan Hefter
Assistant Editor: Katherine Pecora
Senior Graphic Designer: Chris Livieri
Graphic Designer: Jenny Hussin
News Editor: Ric Reynolds
Copy Editor: Colleen Walsh
Multimedia Journalist: Brady Lane
Visual Properties Administrator: Jason Toney
Print/Mail Manager: Randy Halberg
Contributing Editors: Jim Busha, Kelly Nelson
Contributing Writers: Charlie Becker, Mike Busch, Budd Davisson,
Dave Matheny, Lauran Paine Jr., Mark Phelps, Dan Pimentel,
Robert Rossier, Je Skiles, Lane Wallace

ADVERTISING
Vice President of Business Development:
Dave Chaimson / dchaimson@eaa.org
Advertising Manager: Sue Anderson / sanderson@eaa.org
Business Relationship Manager: Larry Phillip / lphillip@eaa.org

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086

Phone: 920-426-4800 Fax: 920-426-4828
E-mail: editorial@eaa.org Website: www.EAA.org

Need to change your address or have other membership

questions, call 800-564-6322 (800-JOIN EAA).

EAA and SPORT AVIATION, the EAA Logo and AERONAUTICA are registered trade-
marks, trademarks, and service marks of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. The
use of these trademarks and service marks without the permission of the Experimental
Aircraft Association, Inc. is strictly prohibited.

4Sport AviationJune 2014

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
GOOD JOB, LAURAN
THANKS FOR A GREAT memorial to Wes Schierman (Plane
Talk, April 2014). It is heroes like Wes that need to be
remembered and not just buried. You did a great job
in your article in Sport Aviation to do just that. Thank
you. I ew in Nam from 1969-70 in the C-7A Caribou
and so spent my tour south of the demilitarized zone.
I lost some friends but never stopped thinking about
the guys at the Hilton. Thanks again for bringing
this period of our history back to life. I am sure Wes
family appreciated it as well. I love the picture of the
four-ship in the T-38s. I have the same memory from
69-04 at Moody.
_ Sandy Hill, EAA 493047
Chris Nevins, EAA 1004521
Hampton, New Hampshire
6Sport AviationJune 2014
Long-Distance Mike Busch Fan
IM A LONGTIME 182N owner based at Palo Alto,
California. At the moment, though, Im on a
temporary assignment in Abu Dhabi, United Arab
Emirates. Its one of those jobs where there are long
periods of downtime mixed in with the occasional
re drill. One of the benets of the downtime is Ive
had the chance to listen to many of [Mike Buschs]
webinars. Wow, what a wealth of information! Just
wanted to take a moment to thank you for making
these available. Looking forward to getting back
home and trying lean of peak operation in my 182
with the throttle just slightly closed and maybe a
touch of carb heat!
_
Ken Bayne, EAA 396554
Menlo Park, California
Avionics Certication Matters
SEVERAL YEARS AGO I asked a Garmin marine crew
who were testing boat GPSs of different makes
and models at my marina, Why are my aircraft
nav radios so much more expensive than my
boat equipment? His answer: Non-technical
standard ordered (TSO) equipment is not the
same in two areas: 1) circuitry, 2) testing. While
your handheld Garmin may get you from A to
B, it does not have the circuitry your aircraft
TSOd equipment does. Aircraft radios are tested
in many more environments than car and boat
equipment. Yes, also lawsuits, as illustrated
on Page 1 of my boat display (dont use this
equipment for primary navigation).
Bottom line, TSOd equipment is better than
non-TSOd.
_
Charles Girtman, EAA 260954
Coral Gables, Florida
Wrong Instructor Group
THE MAY 2014 issue of EAAs Sport Aviation
magazine has a very brief write-up naming this
years National General Aviation Awards winners.
Eight-time Master CFI-Aerobatic Rich Stowell of
McCall, Idaho, is the 2014 National FAASTeam
Representative of the Year as well as the 2006
National CFI of the Year. The aforementioned May
2014 Sport Aviation article states that Rich is an
eight-time NAFI Master Instructor. Few things
could be further from the truth! Rich is a SAFE
member, not a NAFI member.
_
Director Emeritus, General Aviation Awards Program
We regret the error.Ed.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

More Drilling Tips

I HAVE NOT BUILT a plane but have drilled
many holes in various metals (Shop
Talk, April 2014). To keep my drill bits
sharp longer, run cooler, drill easier,
prevent galling, and to create the best
holes possible, I use an appropriate
lubricant. As we all know, a lubricant
should always be used when tapping
threads. Drilling holes is somewhat
the same process but without threads
because metal is removed in both
processes, a lot more in the case of
drilling. I have found WD-40 to work
well with aluminum, plus a spray can is
usually on the workbench anyway. The
spray tube can be used to direct the lube
where it is needed, but overspray can be
a problem. When using a portable drill,
a shallow pan containing the lube can be
used for dipping the drill bit into, plus
it also speeds up the process. There are
numerous commercial drill/tap lubes on
the market such as Tap Magic Aluminum
Cutting Fluid, or if one does not mind
Heroes Remembered the smell, kerosene also works well, as
I JUST FINISHED Jeff Skiles article Boot Camp (April 2014). I does JB-80.
would like to thank him for this adventurethe heroes need I would love to know why a two-
to be remembered and their stories told. I need to apologize uted drill bit can create a three-sided
to all the other great writers at Sport Aviation, all of them I hole in thin material. This happens
really enjoy, but Jeff s column will be the first I turn to. The when the material is less than about 30
magazine needs to put a tab on his starting page so I do not percent of a 118 degree drill bit diameter
have to hunt for it. or less than about 21 percent of a 135
_ degree drill bit. (This is why a 135 degree
Tom Hulsebus, EAA 1055348 drill bit is preferred for drilling thin
Toledo, Ohio materials.) The tip exits the material
before the bit is stabilized by the sides of
the utes, but why a three-sided hole?
Keep up the good work.
_
Ron Geppert, EAA 657582
Mankato, Minnesota

SUBMISSIONS

LETTERS INTENDED for publication should be e-mailed to editorial@eaa.org or addressed to EAA/Letter to the
Editor, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI, 54903. Please include your EAA number, city, and state. All letters are
subject to editing. Unpublished letters will not be returned.

8Sport AviationJune 2014

ADVOCACY AND SAFETY
GOVERNMENTAL ISSUES
Commenting Effectively
How your comments can help change the third-class medical
BY JONATHAN HARGER, GOVERNMENT ADVOCACY SPECIALIST
IN LATE MARCH, the FAA announced that it will release a notice of
proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would ease or eliminate many
of the requirements for third-class medical certication. How many
of us comment on the new rule proposal when it comes, and how
effectively our comments are worded, will signicantly affect how
the new third-class medical requirements take shape.
The FAA is required by law to ask for comments on all NPRMs,
and no issue has been more important to so many pilots as medical
certication reform. We as a ying community want the FAA to
know what we think about the proposed changes. Whether you
support or oppose a proposed rule, there are ways to communicate
with the federal government effectively and lower the chance your
comment will be ignored or dismissed.
It is easier than ever to submit comments to the FAA docket.
Thanks to www.Regulations.gov, all you need to do to is enter
a phrase into the search box (e.g., third-class medical), click
Comment Now! and begin typing. The process seems informal,
but submitting a comment via the website still constitutes as
formal communication with the federal governmentone that is
permanently on recordand should be treated as such.
The best comments are those written and formatted like
business letters. The appearance is crisp and professional, which
goes far in setting your comments at the top of the pile for serious
consideration. The tone should be formal and respectfuleven if
youre not feeling particularly full of respect. It is best to approach
the FAA as a potential partner rather than an adversary. If you
oppose a rule, suggesting an alternate and mutually benecial
method of achieving a stated goal is much better than simply telling
the FAA it has it all wrong.
Unfortunately some comments that pilots submit to the
FAA hurt our cause more than help. Here are some examples of
ineffective comments from past rules proposals and what we hope
to avoid when the new medical rules are proposed:
Comments without rationale or data. A good example
of this is the comment, I see no need for third-class medical
certication. Another example of a poor comment is, I would
like to state that Im not in favor of this from the FAA. This will
do more harm than good in the GA world. The comment invites
a reviewer to ask, Why arent you in favor of this, and how would
this action cause harm? The FAA is very data- and process-
oriented, especially with safety proposals and airworthiness
directives. Remember, you are not voting on a rule here. You are
explaining your support or opposition.
10Sport AviationJune 2014
Comments that are angry, accusatory,
and/or overly emotional. These comments
might make writers feel like they got
something off their chests, but the comments
are ultimately ineffective and even damaging.
Consider the comment, I am amazed that
the FAA continues to have complete disregard
and keeps trying to kill GA. This comment,
aside from not providing any factual analysis,
melodramatically implies that the FAA is
acting maliciously in proposing a rule. It is
completely legitimate to opine in a comment,
for example, that a proposed AD would be
cripplingly expensive to aircraft operators
while providing comparatively little in the
way of safety gains. It is not legitimate to tell
the FAA, as one commenter did, that the
FAA is being very one-sided and is not acting
in a professional manner.
Comments that reference other
comments, i.e., using the federal docket
as a chat room. All comments posted to the
docket are public, and if you read enough
of them, youll nd one you dont like. The
online docket is a tool for the public to
communicate with the government, not for
individuals to address other individuals. It
might have the look of an online forum, but it
is denitely not. No matter how unbelievably
ridiculous and untruthful anothers
comment might be, neither you nor the FAA
have anything to gain if you address that
individual in the docket and demand that he
defend his objectionable comments.
Your opinion matters, but it matters a
lot more if you back it up with reasoning,
data, FARs, FAA orders, legal opinions,
or other hard material that would be
appropriate for the issue. EAA members
are encouraged to contact EAAs advocacy
and safety office (govt@eaa.org) about
any issue for guidance related to locating
applicable material to use in comments.
NEW CHALLENGE TO 100LL, PROGRESS ON UNLEADED AVGAS
ENVIRONMENTALIST GROUP Friends of the
Earth (FOE) led a petition with the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in
April demanding that the agency determine
that exhaust from 100LL-fueled aircraft
endangers public health. Once the EPA
makes that determination, FOE argues, use
of 100LL can be banned under the Clean
Air Act. The petition is virtually unchanged
from a lawsuit the group led in 2012 in
which the court ruled against FOE.
The EPA has already been engaged in
lead monitoring at select airports for more
than a year, gathering data to either support
or deny the endangerment nding FOE is
seeking. Should the EPA eventually make
a nding of endangerment from leaded
avgas, the next step would be for the EPA
to propose environmental limits on lead
emissions from aircraft, and subsequently
issue a nal rule after public comment.
However, EPA action alone does not
ban leaded avgas. The FAA, which holds
authority over aviation safety, would then
need to consider rulemaking to effect a
change in the fuel.
GA-JSC: GENERAL AVIATIONS BEST SAFETY EFFORT
BY SEAN ELLIOTT, EAA VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVOCACY AND SAFETY
THE GENERAL AVIATION
Joint Steering Com-
mittee (GA-JSC) is a
collaborative industry/
FAA effort aimed at
lowering the rate and
total number of fatal
GA accidents. While
the committee has existed in various forms
over the past decade, it was not until three
years ago that a regrouping occurred based
on the success of the Commercial Aviation
Safety Team (CAST) model used for airline
safety. This industry/FAA partnership was
integrated into the manner the GA-JSC was
conducting its business. This process relies
on data-driven analysis and outputs, based
on what the data shows as the root causes
of accidents. This has worked exceptionally
well for the airlines and can certainly have a
positive effect for GA.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BONNIE KRATZ
EAA, along with other GA stakeholders
and fuel developers, is already progressing
toward identifying, evaluating, and
implementing a replacement for 100LL.
The Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative
(PAFI), an FAA and industry joint effort,
secured congressional funding and is
moving forward collaboratively with the
aviation and petroleum industries to bring
candidate fuels to
the FAA Technical
Center for testing.
A comprehensive
testing program
not only evaluates
the fuels but
also develops
data necessary
to transition the
existing GA eet to
any new fuel. An
orderly and complete
transition to a new
fuel is essential to
ensure that the
existing aircraft
So why is this important to EAA
members? Most signicantly, this effort is
all about improving safety without adding
new regulation. The basic premise is that
education within the aviation community
and the community advocating for
improvements/best practices will always be
more effective than new regulation or policy.
In some cases, the safety enhancement might
even call for a reduction in regulation/policy,
such as with angle of attack indicators and
subsequent barriers to low-cost, simple
installation oversight. EAA has always
supported the educational/community
approach to improved safety.
EAA continues its commitment to
the GA-JSC. I participate at the steering
committee level, and EAA Government
Specialist Tom Charpentier participated in
the latest work group, with an emphasis on
system and component powerplant failure.
fleet remains safe, as well as economically
and operationally viable. Such a program
is also necessary to ensure widespread
acceptance and availability of any new
fuels. PAFI hopes to conclude evaluation
and data development by the end of 2018,
at which point fleet-wide certification
efforts and transition to a new fuel
can begin.
Tom also served on the previous work group
focused on loss of control in the traffic
pattern environment. The steering group
meets quarterly in Washington, D.C., and the
work group meets six times a year in various
locations. The work group develops risk
mitigations that are reviewed and approved
at the steering committee level. Those safety
enhancements and recommendations are
then implemented by either the most obvious
industry partner to lead the education effort
or by the FAA itself, depending on the nature
of the recommendation.
It is a proven process, and perhaps the
best safety effort within the GA community
to date. We look forward to continuing to
support the GA-JSC and see a denitive
reduction in GAs fatal accidents by having
everyone work together, which has been a
hallmark of EAAs advocacy efforts since
our founding.
www.eaa.org11
ADVOCACY AND SAFETY
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
Formation Flight Safety
BY CHARLIE PRECOURT, EAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS, SAFETY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN
WITH AIRVENTURE APPROACHING, many of us are practicing our formation
ying skills in preparation for our annual trek to Oshkosh. Formation
ranks up there among the most enjoyable ying we do, but it demands
greater preparation, training, and some unique safety measures. The
simplest rule we all follow is dont hit the other guy! Unfortunately just
recently a midair collision occurred between a vintage warbird Hawker
Sea Fury and a Cessna 210. Both aircraft were en route to Eagles Nest
Airport from Half Moon Bay Airport near San Francisco. It is too early
to know a lot of detail, including whether or not the ight was a planned
formation, but the National Transportation Safety Board reported the
midair collision occurred when the pilot of the Sea Fury pulled up to the
left side of the Cessna 210. The 210 crashed into the bay, killing the pilot,
while the Sea Fury managed to make it to Eagles Nest.
This is an all too sobering reminder of what can go wrong when
airplanes operate close together. If youre contemplating formation ying
for the rst time, be sure to nd someone with good experience to give you
the proper training. You dont need a CFI for that, but the individual who
instructs formation should have a commanding knowledge of formation
ight and experience in the types of aircraft involved. One of the best
sources Ive seen for formation training was written by the Formation
and Safety Team (FAST) at www.FlyFast.org where you can nd a
comprehensive guide to this type of ying.
You might think the most challenging part of ying formation is
mastering a stable position on the wing, but Ive found that ying well
as the formation leader is far more challenging. The leader has to plan,
12Sport AviationJune 2014
think, and maneuver for two (or more)
aircraft. A good leader will make the job
of ying the wing position much easier.
When Ive conducted formation training
with students in both aircraft, I can readily
determine from the wing position whether
it is the student or instructor on the controls
in the lead aircraft. The experienced lead
provides a predictable stable platform. Turns,
changes in power, climbs and descents, and
conguration changes all require the leader
to plan well ahead so the wingman is ready
for the change and can respond promptly
to maintain position. For example, when I
begin a turn as leader, I roll in smoothly, with
initially a low-roll rate but steadily increase
it to a normal-roll rate for the aircraft, to
get to the desired bank angle. Common
mistakes are to roll too quickly, surprising
the wingman, or to roll too slowly, causing
the wingman to stutter his roll inputs in
anticipation of the normal roll rate that the
lead never gets to. Finding the right balance
takes a lot of thinking ahead, and practice.
An extremely important concept for
both the lead and wingman is what we call
situation awareness (SA). Many failures in
formation ying can be attributed to one or
more pilots in the ight having lost SA, leading
to confusion and errors in the cockpit. FAST
denes SA as the continuous observation
of current conditions and, along with the
integration of previous knowledge, the ability
to quickly form a coherent mental picture
to anticipate future needs and direct future
actions. Strong SA allows the formation pilot
to absorb information from several different
sources near simultaneously, such as the
aircraft engine and navigation instruments,
radio chatter, traffic analysis, etc., and
anticipate what actions are needed over time.
In many regards, ying a general aviation
aircraft in formation can be much more
challenging than ying the military jets.
Propeller aircraft have a narrower operating
speed range, slower response to power
changes, and often slower roll rates, all of
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF CHARLIE PRECOURT
which make the job of the leader even more
challenging. This is most challenging if the
aircraft in the ight are not all the same type.
A technique Ive used during preight is to
place the formation aircraft side by side on the
ramp in the relative position desired for close-
aboard formation in ight. Typically, this puts
the number two aircraft on about a 30 to 45
degree bearing line behind the lead with at
least 3-foot spacing of the wingtips. Use this
arrangement to select sight-line references
from the pilot seats that you can later use in
ight, with the one minor adjustment that you
will step down lower, vertically, by 3 feet or
so, which of course cant be pre-arranged on
the ramp. The wingman steps down vertically
from the lead to provide separation margins
(enhanced collision avoidance!) for turns
performed by the leader into the direction of
the wing aircraft.
There are several specic collision risk
factors that must be taken into account in
formation ight. These include maintaining
sight, proper monitoring of the wingmans
position by the leader, appropriate lateral
and vertical spacing, overtake speeds during
maneuvering rejoins and position changes,
consideration of wingtip vortices, and prop
wash. Each of these should play a signicant
role in the way you plan, brief, and execute a
formation ight. An absolute must for every
formation ight is to have a lost sight plan.
My favorite is easy to remember: If either
aircraft loses sight with the other, call it
immediately on the radio. If the other also
responds lost sight, you must immediately
execute the lost sight plan. The simplest is
to use altitude separation. Lead (aircraft No.
1) is an odd-numbered position and goes to
an odd altitude in thousands. The wingman
(No. 2) goes to an even-numbered altitude.
Neither crosses the altitude where the other
was last seen to achieve this. In other words
the lead chooses to climb or descend to
an odd altitude based on whether the last
wingman position was below or above the
leader. Once safely established at dissimilar
altitudes, radioing each others relative
position over ground references can get you
back together.
Every successful formation ight is created
during the brieng. The pilots of each aircraft
must discuss each phase of ight from engine
start through post-ight engine shutdown
in great detail. Expected position of each
aircraft for each phase of ight must be well-
understood, and the protocols for use of the
radios must be unambiguous. A plan also must
be established for abnormal and emergency
procedures. My general rule of thumb is
anytime a wingman aircraft experiences an
emergency, that aircraft is offered the lead
position and the other aircraft takes the wing
position to offer support and coordination
with ATC as needed by the emergency
aircraft. The support another aircraft can
provide in an emergency is one of the most
benecial aspects of formation ying. If the
preight brieng is thought out and executed
well, formation ying can be a signicant
enhancement to overall ight safety. Fly safely
out there!
www.eaa.org13
F
LIGHTLINE
INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITY NEWS

MOONEYS COMEBACK
MOONEYS COMEBACK plans continued this
spring as the 80-year-old single-engine
airplane manufacturer looks to become
viable again following a five-year hiatus.
Mooney International has ramped up staffing;
restarted its dormant Kerrville, Texas,
production line; launched an online auction
to purchase the first Mooney airplane off that
line; and announced plans to build a museum.
Mooney also sponsored Mays Planes of Fame
Air Show in Chino, California.
More than 80 employees have been hired
in Kerrville, where millions of dollars have
been invested to upgrade the facility, which
Mooney says will plan to deliver six airplanes
in 2014.
Proceeds of the online auction for the
first new production Mooney, the twin
turbocharged, 242-knot Acclaim Type S,
will be dedicated to the future Mooney
History Museum. Bids are open through
July 11, and the winner will receive the
airplane at a special ceremony on July 29
at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. To participate,
visit www.Mooney.com.
Mooneys Ovation3, featuring a 310-hp
Continental Gold standard IO-550 engine and

Basler Now Sole 197-knot cruise speed, will also be reintroduced

in 2014, the company announced.

FBO at KOSH
WITTMAN REGIONAL AIRPORT announced that Basler Flight Service is
now the airports sole xed-base operator following the FBOs move
to integrate Orion Flight Services facilities into its operations. As a
result of the consolidation, Basler also became a Shell Aviation fuel
dealer on May 1, 2014.
The recent dealership agreement between Basler and Eastern
Aviation Fuels, the national marketer of Shell Aviation fuels and Orions
owner, includes an investment of more than $750,000 to acquire and
expand Orions facilities that include office space, a 100-by-120 foot
hangar, and two 12,000-gallon above-ground avgas and Jet-A tanks.
Basler had been a Phillips 66 dealer for 32 years, but the business
was a Shell dealer before that, and the change will not affect the
level of service Basler provides, commented Tom Weigt, president of
Basler Turbo Conversions, parent company of Basler Flight Service.
Basler offices will move to the building occupied by Orion
adjacent to the airport terminal, but everything should be business
as usual during AirVenture 2014, said Basler General Manager
Mary Garcia. She said she doesnt expect any change in service for For more information and direct links to Flightline stories,
AirVenture and that her team is focused on logistics and transition. visit www.SportAviation.org.

14Sport AviationJune 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF JULIE WEGNER AND MOONEY INTERNATIONAL
PRODUCTION BEGINS ON QUICKSILVER SPORT L-S2S
QUICKSILVER AERONAUTICS Sport 2S model
has been verified as a special light-sport
aircraft, and the model will officially be
known as the Sport L-S2S, marketed as
the Sport S2SE, the company announced.
The company is ramping up pro-
duction, said Will Escutia, Quicksilver
FAA, GA COMMUNITY LAUNCH WEATHER SAFETY CAMPAIGN
THE FAA AND GENERAL aviation groups
launched an eight-month national safety
campaign, Got Weather? #GotWx,
to help GA pilots prepare for potential
weather challenges during the 2014
flying season.
This campaign will help ensure that
our general aviation pilots are prepared
in the face of bad weather and are as
safe and well-trained as possible, said
U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony
Foxx. But too many lives are lost each
// ELECTROAIR HAS RECEIVED design approval
and FAA-PMA for its EIS-61000 series
electronic ignition system for Continental
470 and 520 series of engines. The
Electroair kit uses a crankshaft trigger
wheel for locating engine position and
determining rpm of the engine. The trigger
wheel kit offers a highly accurate way of
determining engine information with the
long-term benet of needing only a sensor
change at the next engine overhaul.
// DESSER TIRE & RUBBER Companys new
backcountry Tundra tire, the Aero Classic
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF JAMES LAWRENCE AND SOLAR FLIGHT
Aeronautics president. The company is
taking a new approach to production by
creating extensions, or manufacturing
locations other than the headquarters
factory. In accordance with the LSA
regulations, these extensions allow
Quicksilver to maintain full quality
control and puts production closer
to customers.
This is the first time a company has
opened multiple extension facilities,
and Quicksilver plans to open two new
facilities at Air-Tech Inc. of Reserve,
Louisiana, and in Rochester, Minnesota.
The Sport 2S model will be called
the S2SE and will be available for
$39,999. Quicksilver reports it is one
of the lowest-priced S-LSA models
on the market. Amateur-built kits are
also available.
year in general aviation crashes related
to weather.
The Got Weather? safety campaign
will run through December and refresh
each month to feature a new weather topic
such as turbulence, thunderstorms, icing,
crosswinds, and the resources available
to pilots. Pilots can go to www.FAA.gov/
about/initiatives/got_weather and get
fast facts, links to partner videos, safety
seminars, quizzes, prociency programs,
online training, case studies, and more.
LSA/Experimental, has essentially the
same dimensions as the TSO 850-6 tires
that are in use currently, but is rated at
four-ply instead of six. It has a smooth
tread prole designed not to pick up
pebbles and rocks that can damage aircraft
skin, and is highly deected to absorb
larger river rocks and gravel.
// AIRBUS GROUP INNOVATIONS made the
rst ight of its prototype E-Fan electric
training aircraft on April 25 in Bordeaux,
France. The all-composite aircrafts twin-
ducted, variable-pitch fans are powered by
TWO-PLACE SUNSEEKER
DUO MAKES FIRST
POWERED FLIGHTS
SOLAR FLIGHT ANNOUNCED that test ights of
the Sunseeker Duo, the rst solar-powered
airplane with a passenger seat, have been
ongoing since it rst ew on December 17, 2013,
at the companys facilities in Voghera, Italy.
The company aims to have the aircraft
tested and ready to offer passenger ights
by summer.
The Sunseeker Duo is Solar Flights third
solar-powered airplane. Thanks to improved
technology, this latest addition to the lineup
features lithium batteries with seven times
the capability of the companys rst effort
Sunseeker I. That aircraft made history in
the summer of 1990 when Solar Flights Eric
Raymond ew it across the United States, the
rst solar-powered aircraft to do so.
The Sunseeker II was notable in its rst
crossing of the Alps. The project is led by
Raymond and his wife, Irena.
two 30-kilowatt electric motors powered
by lithium-ion polymer batteries that the
company says will provide up to an hour of
ight time.
// THE COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCE (CAF) has
selected the Dallas Executive Airport (RBD)
as the location of its national air base and
corporate headquarters. The news comes
after a one-year nationwide search that
originally considered 23 cities. The CAF will
move a few initial staff this year, and plans
to complete the move from Midland, Texas,
by the end of 2015.
www.eaa.org15
 J. MAC MCCLELLAN
COMMENTARY / LEFT SEAT
The Age Thing
J. MAC MCCLELLAN
THE TOWER CONTROLLER WISHED me a good day and passed me on
to departure. Everything was perfectly normal. I changed fre-
quencies, keyed the mic, looked at the altimeter, and told
departure that 45 Fox Mike was out of 600 feet for 3,000.
The instant I nished saying that I realized something was wrong.
The altimeter did show just over 600 feet, but the runway I departed
a minute or so ago was at 629 feet. The vertical speed was 1,000 fpm,
and the airplane was climbing nicely in cool air and at a light weight.
It was obviously impossible that I was really at 600 feet.
It took a few seconds, and a glance at the second altimeter,
to figure out what happened. The atmospheric pressure was
high with an altimeter setting at 30.63 inches. I set the altimeter
correctly after listening to the ATIS, but at some point shortly
after takeoff I fat-fingered the baro setting back to standard at
29.92 inches.
16Sport AviationJune 2014
The Garmin G600/500 at-glass avionics
system uses a single knob to control several
functions, including heading select and
altimeter baro set. A push of the knob syncs
the heading bug to your present heading. If
baro set mode has been selected, a press of
the same knob selects 29.92 inches, the stan-
dard setting for use in the ight levels.
The G600/500 defaults to heading mode
because we change heading in ight more
frequently than most other functions. To
keep the heading display tidy and logical I
frequently press the button so the heading
bug is synced to the actual heading while the
GPS nav system corrects for wind drift to
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CLAUDIO DIVIZIA (WWW.THINKSTOCK.COM)
 J. MAC MCCLELLAN
maintain the desired track. I apparently
inadvertently selected baro set mode
shortly after takeoff, pressed the button
intending to sync heading, and instead set
the altimeter at 29.92. That was enough to
bring the indicated altitude down by more
than 700 feet.
Over the years Im sure I have broad-
cast hundreds, probably thousands, of
incorrect bits of information to control-
lers. Like this time, I realized the mistake
and corrected it, or the controller spot-
ted the error and asked for a repeat.
None of us want to make even small mis-
takes in our ying, but this time the error
made me wonder. Is this a sign of aging?
I am just now crossing the threshold
of 65 years of age that carries us into the
official world of being old. Call it a senior,
or a golden-ager, or a retiree, or what-
ever; in our society age 65 is a milestone
that carries all sorts of baggage.
The age 65 threshold has been
enshrined by our social security system.
The age was further cemented in place
when Medicare was created in the 1960s.
Germany was the rst major nation to
establish a national retirement system
and settled on 65 years old as the official
retirement age before social security was
established here. The creators of the U.S.
Social Security system probably consid-
ered the German experience when they
were selecting the retirement age in
1935. They probably also looked at some
private pension plans that used other
ages, and also to the Railroad Retirement
Act established a year earlier that used
65 as the eligibility age.
There wasnt really any medical evi-
dence or other data to demonstrate that
65 was the age when an average person
should retire, but there was actuarial data
to show that the average life expectancy
wasnt a lot longer than 65. By selecting
age 65 the creators of the new system
knew they wouldnt have to pay a lot
because few people would live long after
that age so the cost of funding the new
system would be manageable.
Retirement age became an ongoing
controversy in aviation in 1959 when
18Sport AviationJune 2014
the FAA established 60 as the maximum
age for pilots flying scheduled airlines.
The maximum age issue was driven by
contract disputes and negotiations
between pilot unions and airlines, but it
then turned into a safety issue the
FAA addressed. The FAA convened
panels of experts, and age 60 was set-
tled on as the maximum age for medical
and performance reasons. The fact that
60 also aligned with the majority of
pilot unions position probably had a lot
to do with the selection.
By the 1990s there was a growing
demand from many airline pilots that
the maximum age be raised to 65. There
were dozens of petitions to the FAA,
lawsuits filed, and many requests for
Congress to get involved. The FAA suc-
cessfully beat back the growing demand
to increase the age using the safety
mantra as a shield.
None of us want to make even
small mistakes in our ying, but
this time the error made me
wonder. Is this a sign of aging?
But the FAAs position became
untenable after the International Civil
Aviation Association (ICAO) increased
its recommended retirement age to 65.
When pilots switched the topic from
safety to age discrimination, Congress
got involved and told the FAA it had
to produce convincing evidence that
pilots between the ages of 60 and 65
were less safe than those under age 60
or the FAA was going to be guilty of
age discrimination.
The FAA tried mightily to prove its
position, but the data to support the age 60
rule just doesnt exist. At rst the focus
was on sudden incapacitation in the cock-
pit. That seems like an obvious threat for
older pilots, but thats not what the data
show. Only about 0.03 percent of acci-
dents, including all types of ying, involve
incapacitation in ight. And most of those
incapacitations involve pilot behavior,
such as being drunk or high, not a heart attack. Also
in airline ying there is always a fully qualied sec-
ond pilot who can continue to a safe landing if the
other pilot was to become incapacitated.
With sudden incapacitation not being a mean-
ingful threat the FAA turned its attention to age
and cognition. Everybody knows that eventually
we all slow down in our physical and mental capa-
bilities, but at what age does that become an issue
for pilots?
There are so few airline accidents that plot-
ting pilot age versus accident rate didnt show
any pattern. When all of aviation, including GA,
was studied it appeared that there may be a
U-shaped pattern where both very young and
very old pilots have a somewhat higher accident
rate than those in middle age. But the pattern
isnt conclusive, at least not enough to continue
to support the age 60 rule.
One of the confounding factors in studying
pilot performance versus age is that total experi-
ence plays a very large part. An old pilot who only
recently began ying, or logged only a few hours
over his career, performs less well than a highly
experienced pilot of the same age. That leaves the
question of whether actual age of the pilot mat-
ters most, or is it total and recent experience?
Simulators were used to try to measure the
performance of pilots of differing ages, but
again, results were not conclusive. Flight simu-
lators, even the best ones, are at least a little
different from the real airplane. Younger pilots
who spent their entire careers training and
checking out in sims would logically do better
than older pilots who had less experience in the
box. And anybody who has been through a bad
sim course knows that it is possible to sink any
pilot with task overload no matter the age or
experience of the pilot.
Finally the FAA had experts study the basic
cognitive abilities of pilots of various ages,
including those between 60 and 65. Though rea-
sonably reliable cognitive ability tests exist for
use in the entire population, what they show is
that chronological age is a poor predictor of
performance. And the tests confirmed that
when applied to pilots. There was no evidence
that the cognitive ability of pilots between ages
60 and 65 was different enough from those
under 60 to matter.
By 2009 the FAA changed the age 60 rule, and
airline pilots could continue to y until 65. The

www.eaa.org19
 J. MAC MCCLELLAN
change was really the result of Congress
Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots
Act that forced the FAA to make the
change in the absence of any evidence
that safety would be compromised.
But I am, along with thousands of
other pilots, launching into that
unstudied age group. All of the effort to
examine pilot performance during the
many years of the age 60 rule contro-
versy ended at age 65 because nobody
was proposing a higher age. There was
very little data available about how
pilots age 65 perform, and there is even
less known about how 70-, 75-, or
80-year-olds can fly. We can look at
accidents but learn nothing because we
dont have any idea how much older
pilots fly and under what conditions.
What we do know is that not a lot of
older pilots have current medicals. In
2012 the most recent data from the FAA
showed that only 39,135 pilots between
the ages of 65 and 69 had a current
medical certificate. In the group
between 75 and 79 were only 8,316, and
by age 80 the number was down to
4,943. There are pilots flying LSA who
dont need a medical, but there is no
way to know the size of that group.
If, as we expect, the FAA broadens
the right to y privately using a drivers
license as evidence of medical tness, I
think more of my fellow golden-agers
will continue ying. I am convinced that
the hassle of getting a medical certicate
is what signals the end of ying for many,
even though they often still have all of
the necessary capabilities to y safely.
Though I dont believe the third-
class medical adds anything meaningful
to safety in private flying it has served
one purpose. It has been a signal, even a
jolt, that makes us eventually consider
if the time has come to hang it up.
Without the medical certification sys-
tem the decision of when we are just no
longer up to the demands of flying will
be left to us, with help and advice from
our family and pilot friends, I hope.
The thoughtful AMEs I knowand
there are manyare most concerned
20Sport AviationJune 2014
An old pilot who only recently
began ying, or logged only
a few hours over his career,
performs less well than a highly
experienced pilot of the same age.
with our cognitive and basic perfor-
mance capabilities as we age, not our
blood pressure or doctor visits. They
know that incapacitation is a tiny threat,
and the small threat applies to all pilots,
not just older ones. But age does at some
point rob us of the mental and physical
abilities necessary for safe ight. We just
dont know at what age that will happen
to each individual.
These AMEs believe that just talking
with and observing a pilot, particularly
an older pilot, is important. We have all
seen how age changes people we know,
but those changes can be very hard to see
in ourselves, or to admit to. For example,
an eye test is reading a number or letter
on a chart, or in that infernal machine
most AMEs use. But even though the eye
doctor tells me my vision is corrected to
20/20, I know I dont see the same as I
did 30 years ago. Especially at night.
I dont agree that we should be forced
to have an AME pass judgment on our
ability to y for our own reasons, but I
do agree that somebody has to do the job.
And what are the key signals to look for?
Did my botching the altimeter setting
and not noticing it before making a silly
report to the controller show my cogni-
tive abilities are in decline? I know that
they are, but enough to matter? Ive
made similar dumb mistakes at almost
every age so why is this one different?
Ill keep searching for answers to
those questions as, I hope, more flying
years go by. But one thing is certain
a calendar isnt going to provide the
answers. And neither can an AME.
J. Mac McClellan, EAA 747337, has been a pilot for
more than 40 years, holds an ATP certicate, and owns a
Beechcraft Baron. To contact Mac, e-mail mac@eaa.org.
 LANE WALLACE
COMMENTARY / FLYING LESSONS
The Big, Small Picture
BY LANE WALLACE
I AM, AS MY HUSBAND and stepson regularly point out to me, not the
most observant of humans. This is a potential liability for a writer, of
course. Ask me later what a place or event looked like, or what a spe-
cic person was wearing, and Im likely to come up a complete
blank. Im not sure why that isperhaps, as I sometimes say, my
mind operates on a need to know basis, and it doesnt think I
needed to know, or remember, those particular details. Or perhaps
its just a downside of focusing too much in certain areas, resulting
in a remarkable, and sometimes embarrassing, obliviousness to
everything else.
I cant even argue the point. As my family reminds me, I once
even missed a plane crash 40 yards away from where I was standing.
Sadly, theyre not kidding. I really did.
It happened at the big AirVenture air show at Oshkosh a few
years ago. I was interviewing a teenager who, with his best buddy,
had own a Cub from Florida to Wisconsin for the show. We were
walking along the show line from AeroShell Square to the Vintage
camping area, talking about his trip. In my defense, it was a really
cool story. The kind of Motorcycle Diaries road trip into adventure
and to see the world that few people over the age of 30 ever attempt.
22Sport AviationJune 2014
But as we approached the Vintage area,
his buddy came running up to us.
Did you see it? Did you see it? he
asked excitedly.
See what? I asked.
The PLANE crash! he responded with
disbelief. How could you miss it? A busi-
ness jet crashed right behind you guys!
I turned and looked back along the path
wed taken. Sure enough, there were sirens
and ashing lights moving rapidly toward
the area, andbetween the rapidly growing
number of people crowding around the
siteI could make out a wingtip and parts of
a business-type plane that had no business
skewed sideways on its belly along the run-
way like that.
How could I have missed it? One would
think that some cue or noise, in the interests
of self-preservation, would have penetrated
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF LANE WALLACE
my brain enough to make me beat feet
away from the site. But, no. Of course, the
kid I was interviewing didnt notice it,
either. All I can gure is, I must have been
so focused on my interview; on what the
kid was telling me, and what I wanted to
ask him next, that I shut out all other
input. My world began and ended with
him and his story.
And yet, there is an exception to this
overall lack of observational focus I seem
to have inherited. I may not remember
what anyone was wearing at the party I
attended last weekend, but I still, 29 years
later, remember the exact shades of
orange and pink, and the exact look of the
mist in the valleys, from the rst biplane
ride I ever got. I remember exactly the
look of the tree-edged eld we passed
across at almost barn-height level on one
particular leg of the Air Race Classic I
participated in back in 1992. I remember
the look of the sky, and the stunning num-
ber of broad brush-stroke shades of gray it
contained, one day ying between the LA
basin and Santa Barbara. I could repaint
the broccoli-top look of the Amazon jun-
gle canopy, looking down on it from a
Cessna 182, from memory. And while I
dont remember every airport approach
Ive ever made, I remember the detailed
look of an awful lot of them.
How to account for this uncharacteris-
tic switch in my observational retention?
Ive puzzled over it for years. But I think
the answer is both simple and profound: In
the sky, I have enough space and spare
focus to not only look, but actually seeand
think aboutwhat is in front of my eyes.
I dont think of my life on the ground as
overly cluttered. I dont participate in
social media, and I ignore much of the data
thats now available to distract humans
from too much thinking or reection time.
And yet, my eyes and mind are constantly
assaulted with stuff. Stuff to do. Stuff to
remember. A million details, just in the
view outside my office window. And even
without the digital revolution, humans
spend their lives multitasking their atten-
tion and focus. Write that proposal, but
remember when the next meeting starts.
Keep track of whether you got that phone
call back or need to follow up. Remember
to pick up milk on the way home.
Its worse if youre a parent, of course.
Then a piece of your brain remains per-
manently dedicated to not just schedule
reminders, but also what the children are
needing, feeling, doing, or struggling with.
Like the cosmic background radiation
thats been present in the universe ever
since the Big Bang, every adults daily life
contains some constant level of distrac-
tion and background noise.
Some exceptionally talented folks, per-
haps with broader bandwidths for data
input in their brains, manage to remember
to buy the milk and, simultaneously, take
in and remember what everyone at the
supermarket was wearing. Or maybe they
just get less distracted by the interesting
conversation they end up having with the
checkout clerk.
Many of us, however, have to prioritize
our attention and inputs in order to func-
tion amidst all that noise. And anyone
whos easily distracted, like me, ends up
turning off the sensors even more to get
the focus necessary to take on challenging
mental tasks.
The world of the sky, on the other
hand, is a far less cluttered and noisy
place. Its not simply that it has less physi-
cal clutter than any typical city, town, or
even rural environment on the ground, or
that the distracting, in-your-face details of
those environments are removed by some
distance of air and altitude. Its also that
ying a small airplaneor at least, ying a
small airplane safelyrequires us to let go
of all those to-do lists, distractions, and
concerns that we carry around with us on
the ground. Otherwise, were likely to
miss something critical going on in the
plane or in the airspace around us.
And yet, the items that require our
focus on a cross-country flight arent
nearly as many, or constantly demand-
ing, as those in a car. Sure, we need to
keep a scan of the instruments going,
remember to switch tanks, report in to
ATC, and try to keep track of which way
is north. Very industrious pilots might
www.eaa.org23
LANE WALLACE
also keep an eye out for potential landing
sites in case of engine trouble. But theres
a fair amount of time in a flight (or at least
a good-weather VFR flight) when your
mind, while having to remain present in
the moment, isnt fully engaged in tasks
or even reminders of all the never-ending
tasks to be done on the ground.
In short, the overall noise and number
of distractionsmental, audible, and
visualare vastly reduced, and most people
can manage the number of tasks requiring
focus with mental bandwidth to spare.
(This is when all is going well, of course.
Emergencies are another animal alto-
gether.) But I think that relative quiet and
spare bandwidth allows me to loosen the
lters and take in more of my surroundings.
I dont just look at the sky. I have the space
and time to see it, in all its colors and
shades and textures. Removed from a forest
of immediate detail, I have the luxury of
24Sport AviationJune 2014
But I think the answer is both
simple and profound: In the
sky, I have enough space and
spare focus to not only look, but
actually seeand think about
what is in front of my eyes.
paying more attention to the details
beneath me.
And heres the other interesting part of that.
While there are times when the details I notice
in the air are the more spectacular sortthe
shadow of my airplane inside a circle rainbow
in the mist, or the shimmering, opaque copper
color that a section of ocean can turn at the
end of the daythe vast majority of my memo-
ries involve much more mundane details of life
as we know and practice it.
What I notice most often, looking down,
is stuff like seeing a car with a windsurfer on
the top driving toward a coast I can look out
and see, but which is still obscured to the
driver below. Or someone pulling a car into a
parking spot on a main street of a town, or
into a driveway in a housing development,
and wondering who the driver is and what
their story is. Sometimes its seals crowding
onto a beach, or a pair of egrets or herons or
ducks ying low over a body of water, then
drawing a line of spray from their trailing
feet before splashing down for good. Other
times its the colors and patterns of particu-
lar crop plantings beneath me. I still have a
distinct memory of one particular eld in
Montana that I swear must have been grow-
ing ower shop owers, because its stripes
of color were so varied, distinct and bright,
even though it doesnt seem that Montana
would be anyones rst choice of where to
plant tropical blooms.
 On the ground, I rarely wonder about the
lives of the people in the cars around me.
Mostly, I just wish theyd get out of my way.
But when I y, its as if I put on Norman
Rockwell glasses, suddenly touched by the
beauty, wonder, and specialness of everyday
people, lives, towns, and moments.
Whats particularly odd about all this is,
when we talk about altitude or ying chang-
ing our perspective, were usually implying
that it lets us see the bigger picture of things.
The grander scale; the wider horizon. Now,
granted, Id have trouble seeing those wind-
surfers, egrets, and trucks pulling into a
driveway if I ew at 10,000 feet all the time.
Up there, the only details you can see relate
to celestial or geologic forms and spaces. But
thats why I like to y closer to the Earth.
The devil may lie in the details, but so does
the most interesting sightseeing.
Nevertheless, it seems ironic that a quest
for a broader perspective could lead to a
greater fascination with a world made up of
small and often mundane details. On the
other hand, there might be a good explana-
tion for that.
For years, meditation gurus and stress
management experts have extolled the vir-
tues of spending a small amount of time each
day working to achieve a state of mind they
call mindfulness. Achieving it, they say,
can reduce stress and improve both your
focus and your overall health. But what,
exactly, is mindfulness? Psychology Today
denes it as a state of open, active attention
on the present. When youre mindful, you
observe your thoughts and feelings from a
distance, without judging them good or bad.
Instead of letting your life pass you by, mind-
fulness means living in the moment and
awakening to experience.
So perhaps the reason my focus and
observational abilities improve, and I nd
myself more interested in other people and
details of life when I y, is simply that ying
allows me to achieve that state of open,
active attention on the presentobserving
from a distancewithout judging. Might
explain, too, why I come down from one of
those ights feeling refreshed.
Who knew? What people spend thou-
sands of therapy dollars trying to achieve on
the ground, I stumbled onto simply by tak-
ing an airplane a thousand feet in the air.
Retaining that ability back on the
ground is another battle, of course. But
even meditation experts have to struggle
with that one. In the meantime, I have
another bumper sticker slogan to add to my
fantasy aviation collection:
I dont have to meditate. I y.
Lane Wallace, EAA 650945, has been an aviation col-
umnist, editor, and author for more than 20 years. More
of her writing can be found at www.LaneWallace.com
and at www.TheAtlantic.com/Lane-Wallace.
www.eaa.org25
 M
IKE BUSCH
C OMMENTARY / SAVVY AVIATOR

This Continental IO-550 threw the No. 2 rod through

the top of the case less than 10 hours after the No. 2
and No. 4 cylinders were replaced at annual.

Cylinder Work: Be Afraid

It is nearly impossible to install a cylinder properly when the engine is on the airplane

I SUPPOSE IT COMES as no surprise to readers of this column that Im failureseither as expert witness or
not exactly a fan of top overhauls. I never like to see any cylinder investigatorwhere the engine either
removed from any piston aircraft engine unless theres absolutely threw a rod through the crankcase or
no alternative. I truly hate to see multiple cylinders removed suffered the complete separation of a cyl-
simultaneously. Removing all cylinders at oncethe so-called top inder from the engine, resulting in a total
overhaulis something I try to avoid at all costs, except in truly loss of power. In some cases, the pilot
extraordinary circumstances. made a successful forced landing; in
One of those truly extraordinary circumstances has had my others, the outcome was serious injury
phone ringing off the hook in recent weeks. The calls have been or death.
from frantic owners of Continental 520- and 550-series engines Cylinder replacementand especially
whose Superior Millennium brand investment-cast cylinders are replacement of multiple cylinders at once
being euthanized by Airworthiness Directive 2014-05-29 and its is a procedure that needs to be executed
predecessor 2009-16-03 that are legislating thousands of these perfectly. If it isnt, there can be dire conse-
magnicent cylinders out of existence the moment they reach the quences. Yet its a procedure that most
calendar age of 12 years. career general aviation A&Ps perform rou-
I can only imagine what my phone will be doing this summer tinely without any apparent fear or
if the FAA issues its long anticipated AD against ECi Titan concern, seemingly oblivious to the fact
brand cylinders, which would euthanize about 10 times as that even a tiny mistake could result in an
many perfectly good cylinders as the Superior Millennium AD. engine failure that could destroy an aircraft
What a travesty! and hurt or kill someone.
Why arent these mechanics nervous?
RISKY BUSINESS Undoubtedly because they are convinced
Cylinder replacement is a highly invasive and risky procedure that they always perform the cylinder trans-
with a long history of causing catastrophic in-flight engine fail- plant procedure properly, and that only
ures that cause airplanes to fall out of the sky and sometimes careless or incompetent mechanics screw it
hurt or kill people. I have been personally involved with at least up. Of course, this is a dangerous attitude.
a half-dozen of these maintenance-induced catastrophic engine Even the most experienced, careful, and

26Sport AviationJune 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF MIKE BUSCH

cautious mechanics screw up occasionally.
(Do not ask me how I know this.) But wait.
It gets worse!
IS PROPERLY IMPOSSIBLE?
I discussed this issue recently with Roger
D. Fuchsveteran A&P/IA, aircraft engine
overhauler, accident investigator, expert
witness, FAA designated engineering repre-
sentative (DER), and really smart guywho
specializes in research on fastener torque
and engine assembly practices. Roger chas-
tised me for blaming these maintenance-
induced engine failures primarily on
mechanic screw-ups.
It cannot be established that any
maintenance action should be withheld
because of the vague possibility that it
might be performed improperly, Fuchs
wrote. My concern comes rather out of
decades of experience with Continental
engines, particularly the design of
crankcases, main bearings, fasteners, and
assembly practices. All my experience
indicates that there is a major risk to
safety and airworthiness when perform-
ing [top overhauls] on mid- to high-time
Continental engines, not as a result of
improperly performed maintenance actions
but rather as the result of maintenance
actions which experienced mechanics are
attempting to perform properly according
to the manufacturers recommendations
as published.
In short, Fuchs contends that theres a
significant risk that an engine might come
apart after cylinder work (especially a
top overhaul) even when the work is
performed exactly as directed by the man-
ufacturer. How can that be? According to
Fuchs, the root cause of spun bearings,
thrown rods, and separated cylinders is
simply failure to achieve sufficient pre-
load in the assembled fasteners.
ITS ALL ABOUT PRELOAD
Preload is the technical term for the
clamping force created by tightening a fas-
tener (typically a threaded bolt or stud) that
holds assembled parts together. Having suf-
cient preload is the key to a strong and
reliable bolted joint that will not loosen,
break, or shift under the load. In order for a
bolted joint to be stable under cyclic repeti-
tive stress, the preload on the fasteners
must be greater than the maximum stress
that is trying to pull the joint apart. If this
condition is met, the joint will not separate
and the fasteners wont feel the repetitive
stress cycles. But if it isnt, the joint will
shift under load and the fasteners will ulti-
mately fail from repetitive stress fatigue.
Consider a cylinder on a Continental
520- or 550-series engine. During the peak
pressure point in each combustion cycle,
the pressure in the combustion chamber
will reach 800 to 1,000 psi. The piston
www.eaa.org27

This Continental IO-360 spun a main bearing after cylinder work.
Fortuitously, the situation was caught at a routine oil change
(where the lter was found to have thousands of akes of bearing
metal) literally an hour or two before the engine would have self-
destructed in ight.
28Sport AviationJune 2014
diameter is 5.25 inches, so its surface area is
21.6 square inches and the peak force trying
to pull the cylinder off the engine is on the
order of 20,000 pounds. Each cylinder is
bolted to the engine with eight fasteners
six 5/16 inch in diameter deck studs
threaded into the crankcase and two 1/2
inch in diameter through bolts that pass
all the way through the crankcase and do
triple duty of clamping the main bearing
supports in the crankcase halves together
plus holding down a pair of opposing cylin-
ders. In a perfect world, the 20,000 pounds
of force trying to rip the cylinder off the
engine 20 times every second would be
equally divided among the eight fasteners,
so each one would bear 2,500 pounds of
force. (In the real world, of course, things
are never that simple.) To be on the safe
side, wed want each of those eight fasten-
ers to be tightened to a preload of 3,000 or
4,000 pounds.
How do we obtain the desired preload?
In a perfect world wed tighten the cylinder
base nuts so that the deck studs stretched
by about 0.005 inch and the through bolts
stretched by about 0.035 inch. In the real
world, unfortunately, mechanics have no
practical way of measuring the stretch of
the deck studs and through bolts, so they
are forced to rely on using a calibrated
torque wrench to tighten the nuts to manu-
facturer-specied torque values in an
attempt to establish fastener preloads that
are in the desired ballpark. This turns out
not to be a very reliable method.
THE TROUBLE WITH TORQUE
The problem with the torque-wrench
method is that the amount of fastener pre-
load generated by torquing a nut to a
specied torque value can vary quite a bit.
Thats because the lions share of the
applied torque is dissipated by the over-
coming frictionboth friction under the
nut face and friction of the threadsleaving
only a small and rather unpredictable por-
tion of the applied torque to generate
preload on the fastener.
If the fastener is torqued dry, then 85-90
percent of the applied torque is dissipated
overcoming friction, leaving only 10-15
percent to generate preload. Thats why
both Continental and Lycoming specify that
cylinder deck studs and through bolts
should be torqued wet (by applying lubri-
cant to the fasteners) to reduce these
frictional losses and increase the preload
achieved by torquing to a specied value.
The wet torque method works ade-
quately during initial engine assembly at
the factory or engine overhaul shop when
the engine is mounted on an assembly stand
and all the fasteners are new. But it works
far less well when cylinders are being
replaced in the eld with the engine still
mounted in the airplane.
OBSTACLES TO PROPER PRELOAD
Roger Fuchs identied ve obstacles to
achieving proper fastener preload when
performing cylinder installation on an
engine mounted in the airplane:
1. The fasteners arent new. When an
engine is initially assembled at the factory
(or by a rst-rate overhaul shop), the
through bolts, deck studs, and cylinder hold-
down nuts are all new components with
cadmium-plated threads in perfect condi-
tion. The cad-plating is very slippery
(helping to reduce friction) but very thin
(typically 8 microns thick, 1/10 the thickness
of a human hair) and relatively soft, making
it easy to damage.
Many eld-overhauled engines are
assembled with repaired crankcases in which
the deck studs are not replaced and may have
been torqued numerous times with most or
all cad-plating removed by wear or cleaning.
Through bolts and hold-down nuts may also
be reused (although they shouldnt be).
Things get even worse when cylinders
are replaced with the engine on the air-
plane. Through bolts and deck studs are
never replaced, and hold-down nuts may be
reused at the mechanics discretion. The
threads of through bolts, deck studs, and
hold-down nuts may be damaged, but its
almost impossible for a mechanic in the
eld to evaluate this.
2. Fasteners may not be adequately
lubricated. Both Continental and
Lycoming specify that cylinder fasteners
are to be torqued wet. Continental calls
for using 50-weight engine oil, while
Lycoming suggests using a 90/10 mixture
of engine oil and STP.
To achieve proper preload, the lubricant
needs to be slathered onto both the fastener
threads and the nut face area. But accord-
ing to Fuchs, mechanics are generally
reluctant to use much oil on threads and
nut faces during cylinder assembly
because it conicts with their innate
desire for tidy-looking engines. Fuchs goes
on to say, I nd use of too little lubricant
rather common in the maintenance indus-
try; its a very serious issue when
assembling used fasteners.
3. The lubricant itself is rather poor.
Fuchs also points out that plain 50-weight
engine oil (e.g., AeroShell W100) is a lousy
thread lubricant because it lacks synthetics
and anti-wear additives that would make it
much slipperier. Add this to the likely loss
of slippery cad-plating from the worn
A pair of new through bolts for Lycoming (top) and Continental (bottom) engines. Both have 1/2-inch cad-plated steel threads. The Conti-
nental through bolts are stier (larger shank diameter) and have grooves for O-rings.
fastener threads, not to mention the possi- reason for doing it this way is that consis-
bility of thread damage, and its anybodys tent results can only be obtained if the nal
guess whether proper torque will result in tightening sequence is performed using a
proper preload. single continuous motion of the torque
4. Wrench access is limited. Both wrench. If the movement of the wrench is
Continental and Lycoming call for a two- interrupted, the click from the wrench
phase tightening procedure where all the that signies that the specied torque has
cylinder hold-down nuts are rst torqued been achieved occurs too early because
to 50 percent of their nal torque in a spec- breakaway torque is signicantly higher
ied tightening sequence, and then they are than running torque.
torqued to 100 percent of their nal torque While its usually easy to do this
following the same sequence. An important properly when the engine is out of the
www.eaa.org29
 airplane and sitting on an engine stand
with unobstructed access, its almost
impossible to do when the engine is
mounted in the airplane and various
components restrict wrench move-
ment. Frequently, two or three bites
of the wrench are needed before final
torque is achieved, and each adds
uncertainty to the final result. This is
particularly true when wrench rota-
tion must be stopped as the nut is
approaching the desired click of the
wrenchbut not there yet, Fuchs says.
Time after time when the wrench is
removed before it clicked, the wrench
will do so upon attempting to tighten
the nut further with no additional
rotation of the nut. This deceives the
mechanic into believing that proper
preload has been achieved when it
almost certainly hasnt.
Achieving nal torque needs to be accomplished with one smooth motion of the torque wrench. This is usually possible when the
engine is out of the airplane and being assembled on a stand, but its almost impossible when the engine is in the airplane.
30Sport AviationJune 2014
5. Manufacturer instructions are
incomplete. The published guidance
from Continental and Lycoming leaves a
lot to be desired. To cite one glaring
example, Continentals overhaul manu-
als and torque charts emphasize that
when a cylinder is replaced, the nuts on
both ends of each through bolt must be
torqued. In my experience, many
mechanics dont bother with torquing
the nut on the opposite side of the
engine. But even if they do, theres noth-
ing in Continentals guidance suggesting
that the opposite-side through bolt nut
should be removed and the nut and
threads be lubricated, nor that the oppo-
site-side threads should be cleaned and
the opposite-side nut be replaced with a
new one. Its dubious that following the
published guidance will accomplish any-
thing with respect to torquing the
I never like to see any cylinder
removed from any piston
aircraft engine unless theres
absolutely no alternative.

opposite-side nutwhich is probably

why so many mechanics dont even
bother with it unless theyre also
replacing the opposite-side cylinder.

BE AFRAID
If you have a cylinder repaired or
replaced, your conscientious A&P
probably employed what would gen-
erally be considered proper
maintenance practices. His torque
wrench may have been calibrated
recently, set to the proper torque
value, and given the reassuring
click indicating that the desired
torque value was achieved. And yet
its entirely possible that most of the
fastener preloads achieved may well
be below the design minimum
required for safety and reliability
of the engine.
Most of the time you and your
A&P will get lucky; the cylinder will
stay attached and the main bearing
wont spin. But occasionallydespite
your mechanics best effortsone of
those bad things will happen and
youll fall out of the sky.
Of course, any time multiple cyl-
inders are replaced, the probability
of failure increases with the number
of fasteners that are messed with.
Food for thought next time your
mechanic suggests that it might be a
good idea to do a top overhaul.

Mike Busch, EAA 740170, was the 2008 National

Aviation Maintenance Technician of the Year,
and has been a pilot for 44 years, logging more
than 7,000 hours. Hes a CFI and A&P/IA. E-mail
him at mike.busch@savvyaviator.com. Mike also
hosts free online presentations as part of EAAs
webinar series on the rst Wednesday of each
month. For a schedule visit www.EAA.org/webinars.

www.eaa.org31
 A Dark and Stormy Night
Staying out late when you dont mean to
IN TRUTH, IT WAS NOT a stormy night, at least not yet. But it was de-
nitely dark and becoming oppressive and ominous.
What had been a sunny late afternoon had gradually become
overcast, the overcast had grown heavier, and it was now an impen-
etrable, thick mass up there, like gray blotting paper, sodden and
lumpy. I was at 500 feet, halfway between that stuff and the
ground, with the sun setting behind me. The wind, which had been
insignicant before, was taking on signicance. It was from ahead
and slowly increasing.
That murk overhead was daunting, as was the steadily dark-
ening sky. Maybe Im more sensitive to what the ancients called
32Sport AviationJune 2014
signs and portents than a modern man
should be. Maybe Im not modern. But
home base seemed to be creeping slowly
away almost as fast as I approached it. I
was reminded of a story Id heard in child-
hood, or maybe had read in a comic book,
in which a guy who had been shipwrecked
was swimming toward an island, and
gradually came to realize that the island
was drifting away almost as fast as he
could swim. It was a floating island,
ILLUSTRATION BY DAVE MATHENY
seethe story pretty much hinged on that.
He eventually made it, but it was a close-
run thing.
AN UNPLANNED JOURNEY
I knew how I had gotten into this x. It
began as one of my fun ights in which I
circle the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and
St. Paul, starting from the east side of town,
and on this occasion going clockwise. I had
allowed plenty of time for the ight. The
sun would set at 8:21. The whole ight is
about 140 mileshardly more than a takeoff
and landing in a Cessna or Piper, but some-
thing of a journey in my Quicksilver
GT400, cruising at about 60 mph. But even
if I ew in a series of gure eights and aver-
aged only 30 mph over the ground, I could
make the whole ight in ve hours by tak-
ing off at about 3:30. But that early start
(assuming I stuck to more or less straight
lines) gave me time to make two stops. I
carried extra fuel aboard, so I could top up
at both places if I needed to. I like being fat
on fuel and having plenty of time.
Of course I had studied the forecast
before takeoff. It was going to be your
average summer day, free of storms, but
clouds would increase toward sunset (they
got that one right), and winds below 3,000
feet would go from light southerly to
southeast and increase after midnight. But
I would be back home and tucked in safe
in the hangar by then.
My rst landing had been at a grass strip
southwest of the Twin Cities, Belle Plaine
(7Y7), where I refueled. I didnt see anyone
at all at Belle Plaine, not a single human
face. I topped up and made a couple of cell-
phone calls.
From there it was north to Maple Plain
(MN69), another small grass-strip airport.
This is one of my favorite ights in this part of
the state, passing west of Lake Minnetonka,
where I once kept a series of sailboats. Its an
impressive sight from the air on a ne
summer day, a collection of bays sprawled
across 15 miles, blue and green and sparkling
in the sun. The cloud cover, as forecast, had
been lling in all during the ight. The lake
didnt sparkle the way it usually does.
Maple Plain wasnt really a necessary
stop, but from the air I saw a few people on
the ground, and I thought I might as well top
up for the nal leg, which would be a long
one, 60 miles or so. One of the people on the
ground turned out to be a guy I knew from
my ultralight club, and we did some hangar
ying. Maybe a little too much hangar ying,
with the awareness of the wind and the
thickening cloud deck nibbling at conscious-
ness. I topped up fuel again, out of habit,
although it was not remotely necessary. I
said goodbye and launched.
SLOWLY, SLOWLY
And now this final leg would take me
northeast, at first, to fly over my house
well north of Minneapolis. Then would
www.eaa.org33
DAVE MATHENY
follow a series of legs that would eventu-
ally take me southeast to my home field on
the far side of St. Paul. I was now making
45 mph over the ground, down from 55
before, the difference entirely attributable
to the growing headwind.
Now, as I plugged along toward my house,
I watched traffic below outrun me. Time to
calculate again. If I were to complete my cir-
cuit before sunset, as planned, Id have to
cover the 60 miles in about an hour. But my
speed over the ground was down, with a ten-
dency to decrease as the island drifted
awayI mean, as the wind slowly increased.
My ETA was now well after sunset. It looked
as if the wind couldnt wait until later.
Whatever weather system was headed this
way was coming in ahead of schedule.
Two choices: The sensible one was to turn
back and land at Maple Plain, tie down, and
gure out a way to get home by land. I could
call my wife and have her come get me, but we
only had one car at that point and I had left it
at my eld, 40 miles from home. That would
be the awkward but play-it-safe option. But
really, really inconvenient. If I have learned
anything in aviationand some would argue
that I have shown little evidence of itit is
that the sensible option is nearly always the
difficult, plodding, inconvenient one.
The other option was to point the nose
directly at my home eld and just go.
Even that one was looking harder. With
eastbound highway traffic outrunning me, I
did not actually consider landing in a eld
and putting a thumb out to hitchhike a ride,
which would have gotten me home faster.
Thats just the sort of joke you think to
amuse yourself in between consultations
with the GPS to see if the ETA had ticked
another minute later. It kept doing that.
SLIP-SLIDING AWAY
I felt a renewed sympathy for the guy
swimming toward his oating island. Of
course there were major differences: My
objective, my home eld, wasnt drifting
away, but I was being pushed back by the
wind, or at least slowed down. And the
swimmer didnt have any deadline other
than the fact that he would eventually
become exhausted. I did have one: sunset,
which was now less than an hour away.
Pointing the nose at my home eld and
reading the GPS improved the situation
34Sport AviationJune 2014
dramatically, reducing the miles I had to
cover to 35. But even so, it seemed I would get
there at about ve minutes before sunset, and
I could expect the ETA to keep creeping later.
So why was sunset such a big deal? In
the rst place, I dont like being illegal. I
have no lights of any kind on the GT
strobe, nav lights, anythingso by law I
could not be aloft after sunset. In the sec-
ond place, but such a close second it could
be rst, darkness would fall rapidly as the
sun went down. The cloud deck overhead
admitted no light. Although visibility was
10 or 12 miles, it would only decrease as the
light dimmed. We have no lights at my eld.
With eastbound highway
trac outrunning me, I did not
actually consider landing in a
eld and putting a thumb out to
hitchhike a ride, which would
have gotten me home faster.
Although its commonplace for ultralights to
y at sunset, and even after sunset (which is
legal if the aircraft has a strobe visible for at
least 3 miles), thats almost always done
when theres lots of lingering light left
afterglow, sky-shine, wherever its called, its
perfectly reasonable to y for 20 minutes or
more after the sun goes down. In this case,
night was going to fall even before sunset,
and I did not want to push it.
The rest of the ight was uneventful but
anxious. I had to steer around congested
areas, adding time to the trip. And there are a
lot of not-nice places to land along there, so I
had to climb up close to the cloud deck when
passing over them to stay within gliding dis-
tance if a forced landing became necessary.
Even so, my denition of an acceptable land-
ing place became all stretched out of shape.
The last 10 minutes was a sprint to the eld. I
made it with two minutes to spare before that
actual sunset, although it was dark enough to
be 45 minutes after sunset.
HOWD THAT HAPPEN, AGAIN?
Up above I answered the question of how I
got into this x a little too literally. I did
this, I ew there, thought that, made that
other choice. In the broader sense, I got
into this x by allowing my choices to evap-
orate. I could have left a lot earlier (there
was that forecast of increasing easterly
wind), and I could have made just one stop
to refuel. And I could have spent less time
hangar ying. As so often happens in avia-
tion, what began as a broad range of choices
becomes a much smaller range as time
passes. Almost anywhere you turn you will
read stories by pilots who survived to tell
their tale. Virtually every story told in
Ill Never Do That Again here in Sport
Aviation has this quality.
When I rst got into ying, I read about
the necessity of doing the right thing when
you entered poor visibility, which was to
turn back. This was based on the very rea-
sonable assumption that you had own
into bad visibility from good visibility.
What naturally comes to mind is an air-
plane ying from a sunny sky into a wall of
cloud. As part of my ight training, I had to
put a hood on and demonstrate to an
instructor that I could make a 180-degree
turn based on instruments alone. That, I
must say, is not a difficult thing to doin
those circumstances.
But it doesnt happen like that. Or if it
did, there would be very, very few accidents
resulting from ying VFR into IMC. Whats
the problem? Duh! Just turn around!
No, what happens is that you allow all of
those other options to gently disappear. You
dont y from sunshine into darkness, but
from some clouds into more clouds, from
little headwind into more headwind, from
lowered ceilings into much lower ceilings,
from 12-mile visibility to 8-mile to 5-mile to
a few thousand yards. The transition is soft.
No horn will honk in your ear.
It comes to this: Dont wait for a horn
to honk, just catch it early, when you can
still catch it. On this occasion, I got away
with not making the difficult, plodding,
inconvenient choice of turning back. I
dont plan to force myself to have to make
such a choice again.
Dave Matheny, EAA 184186, is a private pilot and
an FAA ground instructor. He has been ying light
aircraft, including ultralights, for 30 years. He accepts
commissions for his art and can be reached at
DaveMatheny3000@yahoo.com.
 BRADY LANE
COMMENTARY / DREAM BUILD FLY
Bradys daughter Eliana atop her boulder.
Learning to Fly From
a Kindergartner
And a much-needed gut check
BY BRADY LANE
THERES A BOULDER BEHIND my house that my daughter has climbed
since she was 2. On nearly every walk through the neighborhood,
she insists we stop to climb it.
Her maturation as a rock climber has mirrored my progress as a
pilot. She began with fearless determination because she knew
someone was there to catch her, just as my ight instructor was
initially there to save me from scraping my knee.
The day eventually came for Eliana to solo the boulder.
She knew the route, the steps, how to climb safely, but doubted
her skillsuntil I stepped back and let her see she had the skills
to climb without me. She has not been the same since. She in-
stantly became an independent woman, well, as much as any
3-year-old can be.
36Sport AviationJune 2014
Climbing alone, she naturally devel-
oped the skills necessary for checking her
own steps. Her caution increased as she
gained independence, and so did mine
as a pilot.
The independence I was enjoying as a
newly certicated pilot was also the cause
of my caution and reverent approach
toward every ight.
Last summer, Eliana began teaching
her younger sister how to climb the boul-
der during our walks. She couldnt resist
sharing her joy with somebody else.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY
Anyone who has flown a Young Eagle knows
this satisfaction.
She was scaling the boulder so fast it appeared
second nature, and she reached the 5-foot summit
with minimal effort. I was proud of her develop-
ment but sensed we were entering a dangerous
phase of her climbing career.
Her fear grew smaller, her condence larger,
but the boulderand the risk of injury should she
tumble from the topremained as large as ever.
Her comfort with climbing had eroded her fear
away, even the thin layer of healthy fear I hoped
would remain.

She knew the route, the steps, how to

climb safely, but doubted her skills
until I stepped back and let her see she
had the skills to climb without me.
This winter, her comfort culminated into a bad
decision. The boulder was covered in snow and
ice and the ground was frozen solid, yet she
wanted to climb the rock with the same haste of
summer. She had get-there-itis. I know only
because Ive been there myself.
We paused to talk about her decision before
anything disastrous occurred, and I knew she
was again teaching me about my own develop-
ment as a pilot. Once again we were in similar
development phases, and I needed to listen to
my own words.
With the counsel of her old man, Im glad to
report she made a no-go decision, and we contin-
ued our family walk knowing better ying days, I
mean climbing days, were ahead.
This was a gut check moment for me as a
pilot. My familiarity in the cockpit matched
Elianas comfort on the boulder, so how was this
affecting me?
Was I starting to take more risks? If so, how
was I approaching those risks? Carelessly?
Methodically? Were there any negative impacts
resulting from my familiarity? Was I being
tempted to cut corners? Okay, who am I kidding?
How am I cutting corners?

FAMILIARITYS FRIENDS
Just like the old cartoon, familiarity has an angel
on one shoulder and a demon on the other.

www.eaa.org37
BRADY LANE
Some say familiarity breeds contempt,
but I see both a blessing and a curse. The
blessing is prociency. The curse: compla-
cency. We should strive for familiarity for
the prociency it brings, but guard against
its complacent neighbor.
The ancient Chinese philosopher and
poet Laozi said, A scholar who cherishes
the love of comfort is not fit to be deemed
a scholar. With apologies to Laozi, the
same is true of pilotsa pilot who cher-
ishes the love of comfort is not fit to be
deemed a pilot.
Though we train to become procient
and to some degree comfortable, we
shouldnt linger in the comfort we gain. It
will not serve us well if we do. In fact, if we
feel stagnant, that is the scariest place of all,
because we are being deceived. Our skills are
always moving on the continuumeither
improving or degrading. To feel stagnant
anywhere on that spectrum is actually a
deception and distortion of reality.
As a 200-plus-hour pilot, I am now
comfortable with the fundamentals of fly-
ing and am eager to explore, discover, and
try new things. There is a safe way to do
this and a dangerous way. It is different for
each of us, but we must perform a gut
check as soon as the signs of comfort and
familiarity surface and be intentional
about how to proceed.
I once heard that pilots around 600
hours are most prone to accidents because
they see themselves beyond the student
phase, but have not yet achieved the mind-
set and lessons afforded to more
experienced pilots. I couldnt nd data to
affirm or deny this claim, but anyone who is
honest about their internal condence
meter would likely come to this theory on
intuition. My only caveat is that pilots reach
this 600-hour-mindset at different times,
not necessarily at 600 hours.
Through my work at EAA, I am
exposed to ordinary people who are true
masters of their craft. I am thankful for
this as it is a constant reminder I am still a
rookie. There is a barway up thereI
have yet to reach or attain. I also see that
these masters are ordinary people who
once had only 200 hours of experience,
38Sport AviationJune 2014
It is dierent for each of us, but we must perform a gut check
as soon as the signs of comfort and familiarity surface and be
intentional about how to proceed.
and like me, had to choose what kind of
pilot they wanted to be and the best way to
get there.
How did they reach their degree of pro-
ciency while keeping complacency at bay?
How did they become the pilots and crafts-
men they are?
In talking with these mentors, who
didnt know their inuence on me at the
time, I saw the same three inuences in
their livesgood friends, good experiences,
and good instruction. Together, these inu-
ences directed and shaped their paths, and
continue to do so.
In light of this observation, I asked
myself the following questions:
Good Friends: Who do you surround
yourself with? What company do you keep?
Who inuences your ying? Who is model-
ing behaviors and practices for you? Are
you regularly ying with people youd like
to be more like, y more like? Are you
involved in a community, EAA chapter, or
ying club that challenges you, holds you
accountable, and employs behaviors aligned
with your values?
Mom, once again, you were right.
The friends I keep matter more than I
can imagine.
Good Experiences: Do you eagerly seek
new experiences in a thoughtful and
methodical way? Are you afraid of new
experiences? Or just the opposite: Are you
being too careless in the way you are push-
ing the bounds?
For example, if I tried to land a Super
Cub on a 50-foot gravel bar, it likely would
not end well for me because that is a care-
less way for me to gain this experience. A
few years ago, Paul Claus, who had just won
three titles at the Valdez STOL contest,
shared with me a methodical way to gain
such experience as a pilot.
He said if you want to land in 50 feet,
start by landing on a 1,000-foot strip. When
you can consistently land in the rst half,
move to an 800-foot strip, then to 600 feet,
and so on. Eventually, and only with time
and practice, you know when and how to
land in 50 feet.
Thats a methodical approach to gaining
experience. It also represents good counsel,
or as we say in aviation, instruction.
Good Instruction: How am I getting
instruction right now? Instruction
shouldnt be something only in the past.
So, even if I am surrounded with good
friends and experiences, I need to give
somebody permission to question, test,
challenge, and teach me. This is how we
keep our skills moving in the right direc-
tion on the continuum. It doesnt have
to be formal instruction, but it should
be intentional.
Even though I welcomed instruction
when it was offered, I knew great strides
of progress and proficiency were available
if I sought it out intentionally. So, for that
reason, and a few others, I asked a friend
and pilot I greatly respect if he would help
me become a more intentional, thoughtful,
and precise pilot. Since he is a CFII, we
decided to do this through some instru-
ment training.
Im a few lessons in and already feel my
skills getting sharper. It is a great feeling to
satisfy my appetite for growth through the
challenge of ying an ILS approach and not
through more exploratory urges.
Whether your logbook has 20 hours,
200 hours, or 20,000 hours, I hope you
survey your life regularly and listen to
what a kindergartner can teach you
about flying.
Eliana, thanks for again showing me
how to spread my wings. You do it so well
from atop your boulder, though it may be
time we look for a larger one.
Brady Lane, EAA 808095, is a multimedia journal-
ist for EAA and a private pilot who is scratchbuilding a
Bearhawk. Contact Brady at blane@eaa.org.
 LAURAN PAINE JR.
COMMENTARY / PLANE TALK
Flyin Right
The safety problem has to be solved by you and me
BY LAURAN PAINE JR.
EAA CHAPTER 105 in Portland, Oregon, recently held an E-AB Safety
Conference. Excellent idea, huh? And it wasnt just a y safe, boys
and girls type of conference but a full-blown conference with dif-
ferent speakers. Neither was it a mind-numbing all-day deal. It was
rather an attention-getting couple of hours. The speakers were
heavy-hitters: Dick VanGrunsven, founder of Vans Aircraftwhen
Van talks, people listen; Gil Hutchinson, representing the EZ iers;
and Scott McDaniels, who has worked at Vans Aircraft for many
years and knows RVs inside and out. I was the lone lightweight in
Laurans cockpit. Round dials and no autopilot. Nothing to do but y and lookoutside.
40Sport AviationJune 2014
the group, invited not because I know any-
thing but because, from years of ying, I do
have some observations and opinions. Im
not one to tell anyone how to y, but I can
tell you some of the things Ive seen over
the years.
First, a word about safety. Its rather an
empty word in and of itself. But its thrown
about a lot. And its great fodder for the fed-
eral cubicle dwellers who compile accident
statistics; they point to them and trumpet
safety, but that doesnt solve the problem. The
problem has to be solved by you and me. We
in the E-AB community dont want to be
known as the accident-prone boys and girls.
We want to be known as the competent pro-
fessionals. But we have to earn that. And
thats what the conference was really about:
how to go about yin right.
Second, I dont make a habit on dwelling
on the mistakes of others. Ive made a boat-
load of mistakes all by myself. I once
preighted an OV-1 and ew it on a mission.
After I returned, the ground crew refueled it
and handed it over to another pilot. He did
his preight and promptly grounded the air-
plane. Seems that when he grabbed a vertical
stabilizer (the airplane has three), it wiggled
back and forth. It was loose! I had missed that
on my preight! And did you ever try to take
off with a pitot cover still on? I have. You roar
down the runway and the airspeed stays at
zero. You abort. And then you feel dumber
than a bag of rocks. And there was the time at
the airline (it happened once in 26 years,
okay?) that I taxied into the wrong gate. Id
been doing the same trip for most of the
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF LAURAN PAINE JR.
LAURAN PAINE JR.
month and we always went to the same gate,
except on this particular day. When we called
in our ETA they told us our assigned gate, but
we sort of blew it off because we knew what
gate we were going to. After landing, I started
down the alleyway and into the gate. It was
open. As I started my turn I noticed no one
was there, but over my shoulder, on the other
side of the alleyway, stood the usual support
personnelall with their mouths wide open
and their eyebrows raised. They eventually
came running over to bail out the errant cap-
tain: me. First thing I did after I parked was to
come out of the cockpit, walk down the out-
side stairs of the jetway, nd the head ground
agent, stick out my hand and say, Hi. My
names Brady Lane.
Mistakes happen. Its best to keep
them small such that you learn from them
rather than make the kind that results in a
statistic. We all know that, right? So lets
work on it.
Okay, lets get to some of the nitty-gritty.
When we look at the graphs and charts and
whatnot, the pilot error/loss of control type
accidents jump out at us. Do they ever. Im
going to say something here that isnt said very
often because it sometimes hurts feelings and
egos. But Im going to say it anyway as a
reminder. A pilots total ight time is rather a
Data courtesy of Ron Wanttaja
42Sport AviationJune 2014
Like, Hey, saw ya go around. Screwed up, huh? This is when you
look em in the eye and say, Maybe. But it didnt look good to me
so I went around and did it again.
revered gure in aviation, but it doesnt always
tell the complete story. Lets say a pilot has
20,000 hours. Heres what I want you to do:
Subtract from that total the time spent at alti-
tude, straight-and-level with the autopilot on.
That time does nothing to help reduce loss of
control accidents. Those type accidents are
reduced by ying an airplane, not program-
ming it. Think of ying time as stick time. Most
know that; some dont. Hang me by my thumbs
for my heresy if you must, but please give what
I said some thought.
While Im throwing stuff around here, let
me throw this at you. Look at the chart from
Ron Wanttajas article (Sport Aviation,
March 2014) about Pilot Error Breakdown.
It lists 402 accidents; 313 of those were basi-
cally loss of control accidents. Put your
thinking cap on for a minute and imagine
what would happen to the loss of control
number if at the rst inkling that something
wasnt right, the pilot did a go-around. (Or
in the case of the loss of control on takeoff,
did an abort.) If the pilot had, how many of
those accidents would have been avoided? I
dont know the answer to that question, but
my hunch is quite a few. For the sake of dis-
cussion, lets say 50. That 50 would be a
nice drop in the E-AB accident rate. Its
food for thought. I subscribe to the theory
that most big problems were once little. For
sure, the go-around maneuver should be
right up there near the top of your aviation
bag of tricks.
I know, I know, some pilots worry about
what other pilots might say. Like, Hey, saw
ya go around. Screwed up, huh? This is
when you look em in the eye and say,
Maybe. But it didnt look good to me so I
went around and did it again. Then keep
looking them in the eye.
Now this: Those dad-gum stall/spin acci-
dents just keep rearing their ugly head. How
long have we been putting up with that? For a
long time! Heres another of my radical
thoughts. You can read 25 articles about stall/
spin accidents and say, Yup. Bad deal. Not
gonna do that. But they keep happening! So
heres what you do: Go for a ight in an air-
plane rated for spins with a qualied
instructor. Simulate an overshot nal (at alti-
tude), get slow, pull a few gs, slow and pull
some more, a little more andwham!youll
be on your back and spinning toward the
ground. Thats stall/spin. Do that once with
an instructor and youll learn more than read-
ing all those 25 articles taught you. You will
have seen and experienced and felt what hap-
pens. After that, its unlikely youll be caught
unaware in the traffic pattern ever again.
Experience is the ultimate teacher. (There are
several schools that specialize in upset train-
ing; one of them is Vertical Works, run by my
Air Force pilot training buddy BubbaRon in
Scottsdale, Arizona.)
Heres one more question for you. Of the 77
stall/spin accidents listed on Rons chart, how
many of those pilots actually had spin training?
Hmm. Fix that with training and you get
another reduction in the E-AB accident rate.
ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS LIVIERI
LAURAN PAINE JR.
You can practice stick-and-rudder ying if
you make it a habit to do so. Every time I y
alone (except for cross-country or formation
ying), I do air work. Steep turns, stalls, slow
ght, and the like. And I dont do it to some
federal standard, I do it to my standard. And I
keep doing it until I meet that standard. I do it
for me. (I wont belabor the specics of what I
do since I already wrote about that in my April
2012 column, titled Therapeutic Flying.)
Basically, its doing a maneuver until you feel
really good about doing that maneuver.
Here are a couple more stick-and-rudder
essentials for reminder and discussion. Climb
at your normal climb speed, get to a cardinal
altitude, pull the power off, get to your glide
speed, and then maintain it in a 180-degree
turn. Note your altitude loss. Its a good num-
ber to have in your head. Do the same thing
with a spin. Enter at a cardinal altitude then
note your altitude loss after one turn. Another
good number to have in your head. Pad those
numbers, however, because if youre surprised
by an engine failure close to the ground, or a
spin, your reaction time will be delayed
because of the surprise factor. When youre
practicing these things, be sure and listen to
and feel your airplane; thats your airplanes
way of talking to you. Not comfortable with
some of this stuff ? Go with a CFI.
And it goes without saying to practice
power-off spot landings whenever you can,
right? Theyre fun, and theyre telling about
how procient you are.
I am not preaching here, just throwing out
considerations as food for thought. Use it or
not. But two things are indisputable: Our
E-AB accident record is not good and it is up
to us to make it better, and with practice and
common sense, we can!
Let me give you some prima facie evi-
dence about practice. A visual, if you will.
Back in my airline days I was a check air-
man and gave a lot of checkrides. Captains
were required to take a full-blown check-
rideall systems, procedures, and
emergenciesevery six months. When the
airlines were ush they allowed two simu-
lator sessions: one to practice, the other,
the next day, was the checkride. The rst
day thered be little lapses and errors and
such, but the next day, after the practice
44Sport AviationJune 2014
session, most all the guys demonstrated a
spot-on performance. Its an old (but good)
adage: practice makes perfect. Seems obvi-
ous, but seeing it rsthand really drives it
home. I like to say, You do best what you
do the most.
On a related subject, I dont know that at
the E-AB level that the glass cockpits are a their pilot mentality merely noted the failure,
big safety issue. Most everybody seems to
want glass cockpits. Having all the pretty
lights and bells and whistles is enticing. (Not
to me, but I know Im in the minority.) But, if
all that fancy stuff becomes confusing or dis-
tracting, it becomes a problem. So I just want
to throw a couple more things out there while
were talking.
Our E-AB accident record is not
good and it is up to us to make
it better, and with practice and
common sense, we can!
Almost my entire aviation career was
own using round dials. With an RMI and ruminate on:
DME I simply always had a mental picture
of where I was. It was an ingrained habit.
Then came my airline transition to glass.
When I rst looked into the new cockpit,
with the power off, it looked like a doctors
office. You know, screen for blood pressure,
another for EKG, and so on. Then, power
on, it looked like a multi-screen Disney
movie. Six TV screens (as I called them). I
played the part of Goofy for the rst week of
training; thats how I felt. I eventually came
to be at peace with the glass and came to
appreciate that it can do some magnicent
things. And my RMI/DME mentality faded
when all I had to do to know my location
was to look at the little airplane on the
screen. Deep down I didnt like that it
happened to me, but it did. In retirement,
I built my E-AB cockpit to return me to my
aviation roots (round dials). And, of course,
no autopilot.
Let me give you another mental visual
about glass. While giving checkrides, if when
on an approach I failed the autopilot (or the
ight director), the guys who had let them-
selves become technologically dependent
reacted by spending an inordinate amount of
time trying to reprogram the technology,
pushing all manner of buttons. While doing
that, as you can imagine, the ying went to
heck in a handbasket. Many ended up miss-
ing the approach. Programming doesnt
equal ying! The pilots who had retained
noted their position on the approach, took
control of the airplane, and said something
like, Autopilot failure, continuing the
approach manually. The approach remained
stable, and they landed. Different attitudes;
different outcome.
Okay, one more glass story. I routinely do
recreational aerobatics in my airplane. I once
spotted an airplane traveling through the area
I was using. Fine, he has every right to be
there. I broke off my routine and loosely
trailed him out of the area. The airplane was
an RV-9. I could see the pilots head, which
was down the entire time I trailed him. I can
almost guarantee you that he was busy push-
ing buttons in his fancy cockpit. Just sayin.
Ill conclude with some reminders to
You do best what you do the most.
An overshot nal is a dangerous nal.
If in doubt, go around.
Big problems were once little.
Haste is the leading cause of oversight.
Dont mess with the weather.
The best ying time is stick time.
If you are bored ying, your standards
are too low.
There are no guarantees in aviation.
Accidents, after all, are the price of motion.
Even when you are trying to do everything
right, things can go wrong. But if we y smart,
y with practiced skill, y with humility, the
safety thing will take care of itself. Lets stop
giving fodder to the statistics people. In E-AB,
we are our brothers keeper; what one does
reects on us all. We each must constantly do
our level best for each other! The end result is
that when you complete a good ight, you feel
really good. Thats why we y.
Lauran Paine Jr., EAA 582274, is a retired military pilot
and retired airline pilot. He built and ies an RV-8 and
has owned a Stearman and a Champ. Learn more about
Lauran at his website, www.ThunderBumper.com.
 JEFF SKILES
COMMENTARY / CONTRAILS
Bomber School
Following a World War II cadet through to a B-29 cockpit, Part 3
BY JEFF SKILES
AFTER ALMOST A YEAR of continual training, a World War II aviation
cadet would have progressed from indoc to primary, and subse-
quently basic aviation training. He would have approximately 150
hours in the air and would be ready to move on to advanced training
in high-performance aircraft. Up until this point all cadets more or
less had a similar experience, but with advanced training they would
follow divergent paths.
FIGHTERS
Pilots headed for the cockpit of a ghter aircraft would accomplish
their advanced training in a North American AT-6 Texan before
moving on to transition training into their assigned ghter. The AT-6
goes by many names; the Navy calls it the SNJ, the Canadians the
Harvard. All refer to a substantial-looking aircraft built by North
American, powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-1340 600-hp Wasp pow-
erplant, and swinging a Hamilton Standard propeller.
The design evolved naturally out of the North American BT-9,
a basic trainer contemporary of the Vultee BT-13 that was pro-
duced in very low numbers. The design was modied to be all
metal and to have retractable landing gear. The AT-6 has some
unique control placements. The left side of the cockpit fairly bris-
tles with levers and controls, throttle mixture, prop, elevator,
46Sport AviationJune 2014
Arthur Lee McElmurry (back row,
second from right) received his rst
pilot training in a 65-hp Piper Cub
on May 25, 1943. Two years later
he was ying combat missions in
a B-29 over Japan.
aileron, rudder trims, as well as the landing
gear and ap actuators. Operating either
the gear or the aps requires an extra step
for the uninitiated. In early models to acti-
vate the hydraulic system you must press
down a paddle that gives you something
like 30 seconds of hydraulic pressure. With
the pump appropriately primed, the gear
or aps can be operated as normal.
Experienced pilots shove the paddle as
they begin their takeoff roll allowing them
to snap up their gear smartly after liftoff.
Long delays in gear retraction give away
many a neophyte AT-6 driver who forgot
this important step.
The AT-6 was a good steppingstone for
frontline ghters with its relatively narrow
retractable landing gear and complex sys-
tems. The Texan also had a reputation for
often being more difficult to y than the
ghter aircraft that the pilots were eventu-
ally destined for, particularly on landing.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF ERNEST AND LEIGH ANN LANE
 The big engine ahead promised power,
but that didnt translate into speed as the
AT-6 lumbers through the air at a pedestrian
130 knots. While not as forgiving as the
PT-23, the AT-6 on landing is straightfor-
ward and the tail wheel lock keeps it
tracking down the centerline.
Advanced training would be the last
opportunity for a cadet to y with a ight
instructor. Subsequent ghter aircraft were
only single seat, and other than offering
encouragement from the ground, an instruc-
tor was powerless to affect the outcome of
the mission. Eventually hundreds of thou-
sands of pilots would pass through advanced
training in the powerful retractable before
moving to P-51s, SBDs, or the many other
single-engine aircraft in the Navy or Army
Air Forces.
BOMBERS
Those destined for bomber aircraft took a very
different path. Multiengine training was the
rst step in their advanced training. Most
found themselves in the cockpit of the ubiqui-
tous Cessna AT-17 trainer.
The airplane was initially developed as a
passenger transport by Clyde Cessna before
World War II was ever envisioned. Its civilian
designation was the Cessna T-50, and it began
military service as the AT-17. After 1943 the
AT-17s designation was changed to the UC-78.
Nicknamed the Bobcat by Cessna, it will be
forever be known by the name given to it by the
pilots who ew them, the Bamboo Bomber.
The Bamboo Bombers somewhat large
airframe was propelled through the skies
by two Jacobs 245-hp engines, making it a
lackluster performer on one engine. But
like the 150-hp Piper Apache, a low-pow-
ered aircraft can be one of the best trainers
because it teaches ying skills rather than
dependence on power to extract a pilot
from a hazardous circumstance.
The AT-17 was prolic with more than
5,400 examples made. But, other than serving
as the rst twin-engine that any cadet ew, and
of course being Sky Kings rst ride, the Cessna
AT-17 has pretty much drifted into obscurity.
Bringing in the new year, our cadet Art
McElmurry was transferred to Fort
Sumner, New Mexico, for advanced
training. Fort Sumner was an outpost in the
desert, and he and his fellow trainees would
share the dry, desolate landscape until
March 12, 1944.
Often the air was filled with dust and
coal smoke. Lieutenant Burke told us we
would really like the place after two
weeks. We really liked it better after
March 12, Art wrote.
Once the cadets were checked out in the
AT-17 they accomplished much of the neces-
sary ying among themselves. They would
be paired with another cadet, and since they
were headed for heavy bombers, their
emphasis was on formation ying, instru-
ments, and cross-country.
The AT-6 was a good steppingstone
for frontline ghters with its
relatively narrow retractable
landing gear and complex systems.
One thing we observed in a hurry; in the
middle of a desert there are few landmarks
except for the highway and railroad tracks.
We often commented that sometimes the
only landmarks seem to be the jack rabbits,
and they were not reliable, Art wrote.
Commonly they would train or have
ground school until 4 or 5 p.m., sleep until
11 p.m., and then be awakened for a night
cross-country.
On February 23, another cadet and I
made a night 900-mile cross-country to
Wichita, Kansas. On the ground at Wichita
we got lost on the many taxiways and
found ourselves on the side of the airport
where several B-29s were parked. This was
the rst one for us to see, and as we taxied
under the wings, I remarked, These things
will never y; they are too big and heavy. It
was not in my wildest imagination that
within eight months I would be ying one,
Art wrote.
At the end of advanced training a cadet
would become an officer, and those headed
for heavy bombers were sent to training in
either the Boeing B-17 or the Consolidated
B-24. Art became a newly minted second
lieutenant and was asked his preference
for assignment.
My preference was the B-17 Flying
Fortress, which had an excellent combat
record. It could take a lot of punishment and
still y. Art received orders to Hobbs, New
Mexico, for transition training in the Fortress.
The B-17 was an older design that rst
ew in 1935. It was the rst mass-produced
bomber with numbers eventually surpassing
12,700. Its four Wright Cyclone engines
could power the 65,500-pound bomber to
Germany and back while delivering a bomb
load on target.
The rst time I saw a B-17 cockpit, the
instrument panel was intimidating. There
was row after row of dials and switches in
front of the pilot as well as overhead. And to
think we needed to know what each dial
meant and what each switch did, Art wrote.
Pilots learned that ying such a massive
aircraft required a lot of muscle compared to
the lighter ships they had become accus-
tomed to. But ying it wouldnt be so
difficult once they learned arm and leg coor-
dination and synchronization of the four
1,200-hp engines.
The thermals (updrafts and down-
drafts) were throwing that baby all over
the sky, and I was under that hood trying
to read the instruments as well as fly the
plane. By the time we landed, I had blis-
ters on my hands and a flight suit wet from
sweat (I think it was sweat). Little did I
know that in less than a year, I would be
fighting even greater thermals created not
by the sun but incendiary bombs. The
training was valuable, Art wrote.
The expectations for Art on the ground
were equally as challenging.
Ground school was rough. As a pilot we
were to know all about the plane from A to
Zthe structural framework, the electrical
and hydraulic systems, the engines as well as
how to handle emergencies in any area.
Much of this was done in ground school
along with navigation, plane identication,
and weather, Art wrote.
Engine-out procedures and other
emergencies were trained relentlessly
with cross-country flights offering the
occasional respite from hard work.
www.eaa.org47
 By the end of May I had nished
ground school and had given the check
pilot a good ight even on a hot after-
noon. Now the only thing lacking was to
get my required 100 hours of ying time.
Word was out that some of the guys
would be selected for B-29s, the new
Superfortress. The only objection was
that on the B-29 the rst pilot, called an
airplane commander, had to have 1,000
hours in a B-17, so those selected from our
group would y as second pilot but be
called the pilot.
On June 23, 1944, Art received his
orders to Fairmont, Nebraska, for transi-
tion training for the Boeing B-29.
B-29
In Fairmont, the airmen not only learned
the skills necessary to pilot a new aircraft,
but also met and bonded with the men
who would form their crew when they
shipped overseas. The B-29 ew with a
crew of 11 men; the officers consisted of a
pilot, copilot, bombardier, and navigator,
and the enlisted personnel were the radio
operator, radar operator, ight engineer,
central re control gunner, right gunner,
left gunner, and tail gunner.
Much of our training at Fairmont
was in the B-17, Art wrote. At rst there
were not enough 29s, and they had lots of
bugs to be corrected that resulted in
downtime. Training was at a serious
pacewe often had three to ve hours a
day in ground school, 30 hours a week
ying time plus 10 hours or more a week
on the ightline. It was on a seven day a
week basis.
Training consisted of high-altitude
cross-country ying over Nebraska,
North Dakota, and South Dakota.
Flying high-altitude formation in a
B-17 is nothing but hard work. Often
the temperature was a minus 30 to 50
degrees. With those wool-lined flight
suits and wearing an oxygen mask, it
took the sap out of you in a hurry,
Art wrote.
After six weeks in Fairmont ying
well-worn B-17s, the crew nally made
their acquaintance with the Superfortress.
48Sport AviationJune 2014
It was the rst mass-produced
bomber with numbers
eventually surpassing 12,700.
We had our first B-29 flight on
Friday night, August 4. It flew
extremely easy, but with a front nose
wheel, the landings were entirely dif-
ferent from a B-17, Art wrote. The 17
has a tail wheel, which means you do a
three-point landingin the 29 you land
on the two main wheels and then ease
down the nose wheel. All the crew
areas of the 29 are pressurized to 8,000
feet, which greatly adds to the crew
comfort. It was two weeks before we
could get another 29.
The crew spent six months working
as a team and transitioning into the
B-29 before being ready for deploy-
ment overseas.
Staging for our overseas assignment
was at Herington Army Air Force Base
in Herington, Kansas. During the
approximate three weeks we were there,
we were assigned a brand-new B-29 that
we test ew a few times, Art wrote.
The crew was as proud of our plane as
a 16-year-old would be with his own
new car. After a crew conference, she
was named Pretty Baby.
Art now had completed his training
for the Pacific theater. He began
advanced training with 145 hours in his
logbook. He gained another 70 in the
AT-17 advanced trainer, and still 100
hours more in the B-17 before moving
on to the B-29. He had been in continu-
ous training from February 26, 1943, to
December 27, 1944. It was 22 months
before he was qualified to point the
nose westward and head overseas in
Pretty Baby.
Je Skiles, EAA 336120, is EAA vice president of
communities and member programs. He can be
reached at jskiles@eaa.org. Quotes are reprinted
from the unpublished memoir My Memories of World
War II by Art McElmurry. Art is the grandfather of EAA
multimedia journalist Brady Lane.
 JOHN MAGOFFINS LOCKHEED VEGA
LIVES UP TO ITS NAME

BY BUDD DAVISSON

PIONEERS INEVITABLY LIVE a hard life. Out in
front of the pack, while forging new paths,
they usually accrue a lifetime of cuts and
bruises and often disappear leaving nothing
but their name behind. This is especially true
of pioneer airplanes like John Magoffins
Lockheed Vega, the only ying survivor
of the breed.
The Lockheed Vega burst onto the aviation
scene mid-1927 where it looked like an artil-
lery shell amid a gaggle of box kites. Its wildly
sleek outline stood out in stark contrast to the
clusters of wings, wires, and struts that popu-
lated aviation at the time.
The edgling Lockheed Aircraft Company
had assigned two of its brightest and soon-
to-be well-known young engineers, John
Northrop and Gerard Vultee, the task of de-
signing a new, edge-of-the-envelope airplane.
The design goal was to gain outstanding
range, speed, and load-carrying capabilities
by developing an airframe with the lowest
drag possible. This meant nding ways to
carry the necessary ight loads without wires

50Sport AviationJune 2014

The Vega set an amazing 72 records in its glory days. Only nine had metal fuselages,
and John Magons Vega spent time in Alaska, which almost ended its career.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT GERMAIN IMAGES OF LIGHT AND LIFT www.eaa.org51

 or struts. The result was the Vega, named af-
ter the second-brightest star in the northern
celestial hemisphere.
The Vega set new standards in both shape
and structure. Its torpedo-like fuselage was
formed of plywood skins, the veneer lami-
nations glued up in female concrete molds
using rubber bladders to force each new layer
into place, the grain running at intersecting
angles. The rigid fuselage skins were made
in two halves, then tted over a wooden
frame and nailed and glued into position. A
monocoque structure, the skins carried most
of the loads, eliminating the need for external
bracing and minimizing the internal struc-
ture required.
This same approach was used with the
wing. With no struts or wires allowed, the
cantilever spar had to be one massive piece of
built-up structure running tip to tip. To maxi-
mize internal room and reduce intrusions
into the streamlined shape of the fuselage,
the wing was set as high as possible. This also
The 42-foot, single-piece wing was left outside and badly deteriorated, requiring a new one to be built. allowed cleaner fairing of the wing/fuselage
Previous owners did a masterful rebuild but another owner broke it in a ground loop. intersection while integrating the wind-
shield and cockpit into the super-thick wing
structure. This gave the pilot better over-the-
nose visibility, but he had almost no visibility
directly to the sides.
The airplane was born into what was
one of the most intense periods of aerial
competition the world would ever see. It
was equivalent to the space race, and the
name of the game was breaking records: who
could y the longest distance in the shortest
times. The Vega became the early winner on
all scores. Everyone serious about breaking
records ew a Vega. Amelia Earhart hopped
the Atlantic in one, and Wiley Post ew his
around the world. Twice! Jimmie Mattern
kept headlines lled with numerous A-to-B
records like his trip from New York to Berlin
where he traveled 4,100 miles in just over 29
hours. In total, the Vega is reported to have
set 72 records.
A total of 128 Vegas were built. Initially,
they were powered by the Wright J-5 of 225
hp, but the majority followed a 450-hp ver-
sion of Pratt & Whitneys R-1340 around. Of
that total, nine had metal fuselages, which
included John Magoffins airplane.
John explains, Controlling interest in
the Lockheed company was acquired by
The sparse cockpit is as it looked after the war in the airplanes Alaska phase. John equipped it to be own regularly. the Detroit Aircraft Corporation [DAC] in
1929. By that time the U.S. Army Air Corps

52Sport AviationJune 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT GERMAIN IMAGES OF LIGHT AND LIFT
[USAAC] was becoming interested in metal
construction techniques, and DAC could see
that this was the way of the future for both
commercial and military aircraft. The fuse-
lage is identical in size and shape to the ply-
wood fuselage. It has some very advanced
and interesting construction techniques that
are still seen in later Lockheed aircraft. I
believe that the metal fuselages were actu-
ally designed by Lockheed company design-
ers, not DAC, because the blueprints are
signed by Allan Lockheed. The USAAC
took delivery of two Vegas, the Y1C-12 and
the Y1C-17, for test and evaluation of the
metal construction.
Johns airplane was built in March of 1933,
which was right at the end of the Vega line.
Newer designs were catching up so its pos-
sible that Lockheed used the metal Vega as a
learning exercise.
I dont think Lockheed had any great
plans for the metal Vega, John says. It was
a way to test construction techniques and
the certication process for the Lockheed 10
Electra, which was already on the drawing
board by this time. They knew that plywood
John (shown) with Rick Barter of Arizona Airframe took 18 years to get the Vega back in the air.
was a dead end and two engines and metal
construction were the ways of the future.
As good as the Vega was, its heyday was
fairly short, and by the late 1930s Johns Vega
had gone through a long series of owners and
was on its way to a less glamorous life.
The John Morrell meat company, Ottum-
wa, Iowa, was the rst owner of my airplane,
and eventually it went to a construction
company involved in the construction of the
Alaska Military Highway [Alcan Highway]. It
was assigned to the Whitehorse Division in
1942, John says.
After the war it flew extensively in
Alaska. Among others, it was flown by fa-
mous Alaska bush pilot Orville Tosch, John
adds. It was owned and operated by both
Northern Air Service and Northern Consoli-
dated Airways.
Alaska eventually kills airplanes with its
roughshod demands. In the case of Johns air-
plane, the nal trip came in 1957, when it was
wrecked and abandoned next to a backcoun-
try runway 40 miles up the Yukon River
from Galena, Alaska. It laid there for nearly
a decade before an antique enthusiast had it
shipped to Southern California. However, his
enthusiasm died quickly, and the Vega nearly
died with it because it was left outside in the
weather. Had this been a plywood Vega, it
most certainly wouldnt have survived. The
wing was reduced to warped, rotten scrap
barely usable for patterns. If the fuselage had
been wood, it most probably wouldnt have
been economically restorable because of the
cost of tooling to reconstruct it.
John knows the fate of many old Alas-
kan airplanes because, even though he was
brought up on a remote cattle ranch in
eastern Arizona, and before he went to the
airlines, he spent much of his life in Alaska,
which is where he became infected with the
old airplane virus.
Flying in Alaska, I worked and ew with
a lot of the old-timers who had started in the
late 20s and early 30s. They had own the
Vegas, Pilgrims, Travel Airs, Stinsons, Fokker
Universals, Boeing 247s, DC-3s, etc., John
recalls. I listened to their stories for hours on
end and learned how the old-time waddies
had done it back when times were hard and
it still got cold in the winter. I ew out to the
www.eaa.org53
Pilgrim wreck site and searched for the Vega
while working my rst job at Galena, Alaska.
Later on, I ew quite a few old airplanes
including the Pilgrim, Stinson SR, Waco 10,
Lockheed 10 Electra, C-46, and DC-3.
Johns early interest in antiques included
this very Vega, and he had more or less kept
track of it as it cycled through various own-
ers. It was fortunate that Robert Taylor
and Jack Lowe bought what was left of the
airplane in the late 60s and carted it back to
Iowa, he says. Saving nothing but the t-
tings, they built an entirely new wing, which
at 42 feet long was a gigantic undertaking!
Monumental, actually. They got the airplane
into the air, but a later owner ground-looped
it several times, and thats when I got into
the act by buying the damaged airplane
where is, as is.
The last ground loop actually folded
the fuselage, John says, and broke the left
wing about 8 feet from the tip. Both spars
were broken, but the rest of the wing, which
Taylor and Lowe had done in 69, was in good
condition. They did beautiful work, and the
inside looks like a Stradivarius violin! Plus,
The landing gear disrupts the clean lines but was state-of-the-art at the time.
54Sport AviationJune 2014
it had been stored inside so the repairs were
fairly straightforward. The fuselage, however,
was another matter. Virtually every inch of it
needed restoration and repair.
The damage involved bending, twisting,
and cracks to major components, stringers,
and skins. The toughest part of the project, by
far, turned out to be removing and replacing
the two main bulkheads and forming the lower
skins on the English wheel. Rick Barter at
Arizona Airframe on Marana airport north of
Tucson did most of the work, and I lent a hand
on my days off from the airlines, John says.
With such major parts needing replacing,
Rick and John had no choice but to construct
a factory-style jig for the entire fuselage.
This held all of the important attach points
(wings, tail, engine mount, etc.) in precise
alignment while skins and structure were
removed for repair.
Ahead of the rewall, rather than the
low-horsepower version of the larger R-1340
(usually seen with 600, not 450 hp), Johns
airplane was re-engined in 1946as were
many airplanes at the timewith the 450-hp
package from a BT-13. At the time, surplus R-
985s were the cheapest horsepower available
and a cinch to support thanks to the over-
supply of parts from the war. John restored
the airplane to the functionality it enjoyed
while in Alaska, making it totally usable in
todays environment, with the 450-hp P&W
still in place. It now hides under a nearly new
BT-13 cowling.
When it came time to blow paint on the
airplane it would appear that John couldnt
bring himself to hide the most unique feature
of a very unique airplane: the aluminum
fuselage. The best historical paint scheme
that would let all of that work literally shine
through was that carried by one of his air-
planes sister shipsthe USAAC Y1C-12, c/n
158, which was the rst Lockheed ever to be
purchased by the U.S. military. The scheme
is what that airplane wore while assigned to
the 35th Pursuit Squadron, Langley Field,
Virginia, in 1932.
After 18 years of hammering on the Vega,
it took to the air on December 17, 2013, at
precisely 11 a.m. Why that time and date? It
is the exact 110th anniversary of the Wright
brothers ight at Kitty Hawk. John explains,
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT GERMAIN IMAGES OF LIGHT AND LIFT
The detail work required in rebuilding the badly damaged metal fuselage is obvious.

www.eaa.org55
 I needed a denite end point for the project,
as it had taken on a life of its own.
He says the rst ight was full of surprises,
most of them good, not the least of which be-
ing that the ailerons and the general handling
in the air was much lighter and better than he
expected. On the ground, not so much.
As John puts it, It is unstable on the
runway. In addition, it is top-heavy and has a
low-wing loading. It wants to go everywhere
but straight down the runway if you give it
the slightest opportunity. If you keep it dead
center, then it is okay, but if you give it a
chance, it will eat your lunch!
So, what are his plans for the airplane? He
says, Ideally, Id like to lease it out for movie,
television, and advertising work. The Vega
was used by many world-class corporations
that are still in business today! I also would
like to do some documentary work, perhaps
re-creating some of the Vegas more interest-
ing exploits.
Perhaps his plan that will affect many of
us the most is a planned excursion to AirVen-
ture 2014 where the Vega is bound to be a
hit. Very few EAAers have ever laid eyes on a
The exposed oil cooler was part of the 1946 installation of the R-985. John is going to return it to original. ying Vega.
Also, this isnt an airplane that can be
adequately described in a single magazine
article like this one. The restoration included
a wide variety of interesting technical details
that many EAA members would love knowing
about. So, EAAs Vintage Airplane magazine
will be running a follow-up article sometime
in the future that gets into the dirt-under-the-
ngernails details. In addition, John has lent
the airplane to the Arizona wing of the Com-
memorative Air Force, and it has the aircraft
on display in its superb museum located in
Mesa, Arizona.
Is this Johns last restoration project?
Hardly! He has a Lockheed L-18 Lodestar
(modied to Learstar congurationa pre-
Learjet super-performer) ready to roll into
his shop. Dont know the airplane? Google
it and youll see that John is clearly fearless
when it comes to restoration projects. More
power to him. I envy his energy!

Budd Davisson is an aeronautical engineer, has

own more than 300 dierent types, and has pub-
lished four books and more than 4,000 articles. He is
editor-in-chief of Flight Journal magazine and a ight
instructor primarily in Pitts/tailwheel aircraft. Visit him
The entire horizontal tail moves up and down to trim the airplane in pitch. on www.AirBum.com.

56Sport AviationJune 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT GERMAIN IMAGES OF LIGHT AND LIFT
 AN INTRICATE BLEND OF AIR, PAINT, AND UNBRIDLED CREATIVITY
BRINGS AIRCRAFT OWNERS DREAMS TO LIFE

BY DAN PIMENTEL

58Sport AviationJune 2014

RV-8 American Angel over the Oregon Cascades.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEVE SMITH www.eaa.org59


ITS BEEN NEARLY FOUR decades since John
Stahr, EAA 714251, of Eugene, Oregon, rst
pulled the trigger of an airbrush, and since 1995,
hes built a stellar reputation for producing some
of the most elaborate and intricately painted de-
signs on countless experimental and certied
aircraft, business jets, and helicopters. If youve
ever been strolling the homebuilt section at EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh and were stopped in your
tracks, blown away by a custom paint design,
chances are very good it was painted by John.
The difference between the ying art-
works John paints and a mere paint job is
best understood when thinking about how all
true artists produce their work. To fully grasp
how artistic painters think and work in any
medium, one must step back and visualize the
process these natural-born artists take to bring
incredibly complex ideas to life.
An artists mind is hard-wired to harness
the natural creativity that ows from his or her
consciousness like a fountain and propel an
idea through a maze of intricate steps and pro-
cesses, each one building slightly on the last,
until a beautiful work of art is produced. There
John nishes the details of the wing joint on American Angel. The plane is suspended in the shop so the artist can get underneath to paint over his head.
60Sport AviationJune 2014
THE HIGH ART OF JOHN STAHR
really is no difference between the mental
gymnastics an artist who paints the ceilings of
chapels goes through and an aviation airbrush
artist like John, a prolic leader in the aircraft
painting trade whose stock is currently rising.
In between jetting off to paint another
Grand Caravan on oats or traveling around
the Lower 48 to turn a business jet into a ying
billboard for a customer, John took some time
out to explain exactly how his process works,
from beginning to end.
Builders of experimental aircraft will
recognize Johns methodical work ow, too,
because it is the same planned, deliberate pro-
cess they have used in their shops, and its the
same one the artist used to construct his own
RV-8, American Angel.
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
The initial contact from a customer usually
happens by phone or e-mail, and John calls
this one of the most exciting phases of any job.
To hear the rst vision of the clients dream,
he says, it gets me amped up because the
customer is looking for my creative input. New
themes always are refreshing, and they allow
my imagination to churn.
After that rst contact, John makes quick
thumbnail sketches just to get his thoughts
captured. Like most artists, his sketchpad is
never far away from his hand, and while wait-
ing at a restaurant or sitting evenings in his
magic recliner where his creativity easily
ows from mind to paper, the design begins to
show life through sketches. And sometimes,
inspiration hits when he least expects it. The
most fun I had doing thumbnail development
sketches was for an Otter with a tropical/nau-
tical theme while I was actually on vacation
on a sailboat in the tropics! he says.
Once sketches have been e-mailed to the
client and John knows the basic design, he
begins his shing for feedback phase. Every
job is far different than the previous one, and
the artist seeks out as much info as he can
before moving to digital renderings. I will
prompt them to help me ll in the blanks,
John explains, like what is your N number,
or do you want a subtle look or a real ramp
magnet that brings people out of hangars
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF JOHN STAHR
and the FBOs for a closer look? If there is a
pin-up girl involved, how much va-va-va-voom
should there be? Are you creating nostalgia
or chasing a specic aviation theme? Could
be a horse theme, could be a car theme. Each
has many details I need to get right. I did one
plane based on the coloration of the Hawaiian
Humuhumunukunukuapuaa sh!
After digital renderings are created and the
design is settled, colors selected, and artwork
references gathered, John can start thinking
about actually applying paint. On the very
big jet projects, I will paint a scaled render-
ing using the actual paints that will be used to
create a nished illustration that uses realistic
colors. This painting will eventually make a
nice decorative art piece to hang in the hangar
or office of the customer, he said.
There is, however, an end point to the initial
concept phase. There has to be, John says,
and its the customer who has to decide when
weve reached the nal concept so I can get go-
ing on the execution. From that point, I rarely
go off the design on my own without letting the
customer know what Im proposing. I love to
delight the customer, but not surprise them. John ies with his wife, Patti.
There are times, though, when the artist
will suggest edits. I was painting a full-length
whale shark on an aircraft for a sightseeing
operation in the Maldives, Indian Ocean, John
says. The concept from the designer at Cessna
was great, but against the white background
of the Grand Caravan, it looked too much like
a trophy sh hanging on a wall. I was granted
permission by the owner to make some sugges-
tive edits, so I changed the background to an
underwater tone of aqua with a color blend and
rays of sunshine ltering down the vertical tail,
and immediately the whale shark looked like it
is actually in the aqua water of the Maldives. So
much more colorful! An angel on the left side of American Angels vertical stabilizer. An angel ies escort with an RV-8 and Giles G-202.

EXECUTION
Like building a house, John says, you must
start with a great design and plan. But the
foundation has got to be the most important
thing. For an aircraft paint job, this means
that the preparation long before the painting
starts is just as important as the nal n-
ish. Because of all the moving parts on an
aircraft, painting in the unseen places is im-
portant to protect metal, fabric, and compos-
ite airframes, John explains. Disassembly
is the only way to do it right, and that means
lots of tools, documenting with sketches or
photos, and often these steps involve an A&P
mechanic, particularly on jets and bigger air-
craft. When it is an experimental, it is often
best to have the builder or owner involved at
this time. Cleaning, scuffing, sanding, etching,
priming, more sanding, body work as needed.
It all leads to the point when the fun part
the actual paintingcan nally begin.
Most of Johns airbrushed renderings start
as a primary focal-point image that is either
transferred from paper to the aircraft with
a perforated pounce pattern, or just drawn
with the airbrush like the simplest of char-
coal sketches. A natural feel for drawing is
important here, as I get ready to start applying
the paint, he says. Other main elements of
the artwork are sketched in to establish the
composition. The foreground elements are left
as shapes as I paint the background, establish-
ing the basic color and lighting. The elements
of the design in the foreground get the most
contrast to bring these elements forward to
concentrate the focus in the eye of the viewer.
And when that begins and paint starts y-
ing through the air onto someones cherished
aircraft, thats when John starts to shine.

www.eaa.org61

What sets me apart from the thousands of
aircraft painters in the industry, he says,
is that Im a designer, artist, and illustrator
before I walk into the shop to be a painter. I
have a signicant amount of time invested in
the design and illustration planning prior to
the job execution. I already can see it done
in my mind. The tricky part is that I have to
make that concept full size, bring the ideas
Tail art on an RV-7.
The artist works on a giant wave on the tail of a Global Express.
62Sport AviationJune 2014
THE HIGH ART OF JOHN STAHR
we had on paper to life. But it also has to be
completed on time, on budget, and in an ex-
pedient manner, because people are waiting
on me to get it done so it doesnt tie up their
aircraft for weeks.
The most important element of the
execution phase of any project, John says,
is making sure the intent of the work shines
through, because each design has plenty of
The art on American Angels wing memorializes Pattis dad,
a P-38 pilot in World War II.
underlying meaning. This part of the story is
best described when looking at the wings of
American Angel.
Creating something special for the aircraft
owner makes the job a joy to paint, John
explains. As a way of thanking my wife, Patti,
for her support as we built our RV-8, I created
a tribute to her departed dad, Charlie, who
was a 50-mission P-38 pilot from World War
II. She had a great classic-looking photo of
him as he completed his 50th mission, sitting
proud in the cockpit. I rendered his skyward
gaze in the clouds as if an angel was looking
for pilots to guide in ight. Off in the distance
is a crippled B-17 in need of an escort. It makes
a great feeling for Patti when she looks out
of our bubble canopy and sees her dad ying
with us on our wing.
THE AIRBRUSH
The airbrush is just a tool, like a scalpel is just
a sharp knife, John said. In the right hands,
remarkable things can be done with a common
tool. But the artist is quick to point out that
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF JOHN STAHR
Johns RV-8 American Angel stole the Portland Roadster Show.
like a scalpel in the hands of a DIY surgeon, an
improperly used airbrush in the hands of an
untrained artist can make bad things happen
to an aircrafts nish.
John describes the airbrush as a tiny
spray gun for getting high-quality, usually
solvent-based paint onto the aircraft sur-
face in a creative way. It can only spray one
color at a time, so the artist keeps a palette of
colors nearby. He often paints with regular
automotive spray guns to render big back-
grounds, but ne, illustrative details almost
always call for the airbrush to execute.
Johns main airbrushes are dual-action,
where the trigger is depressed for air to ow
through and out the tip, and then drawn back
with the forenger to precisely control the
amount of paint. The airbrush can spray a
tiny line when drawn in close to paint eye-
lashes and highlights on precise bullet holes,
but with the trigger pulled back and a bit
more distance from the surface is held, a fog-
ging mist or wide line of color can be painted
to ll in color areas or render great lighting
elements, like whitecaps on waves, details in
clouds, or underwater sunbeams.
As he was nishing his American Angel,
John accepted invitations to place the RV-8
in hot rod shows in Portland and Eugene,
Oregon. Working with his brother, Mike, they
built a runway-themed display that was at the
center of the shows and drew the non-ying
public in so John could answer questions and
tell them the great benets of building and y-
ing an experimental aircraft. Since this was a
hot rod show, he says, most of the questions
were about the speeds, and the engine. Taking
GA to the people in a busy off-airport venue
was brilliant. It helped that the aircraft on
display was exceedingly gorgeous, which kept
a crowd around American Angel at both shows.
There is one question that seems to always
come up around a Stahr-painted airplane: It
sure looks neat! But how much does it cost?
Builders often assume that even though they
like the idea of having an artistically unique
aircraft, they could never afford it. As a builder
himself, John knows that every customer needs
to work with a budget, and his rst thoughts
are how to help another aviator create his own
dream, not how much can he get for the job.
While some jobs can take weeks of planning
and execution, which can elevate the nal cost,
other jobs are faster to execute and thus very
reasonable. John works directly with build-
ers who often are able to contribute their own
sweat equity into a project to reduce costs.
Through Johns career, he has enjoyed the
support of his wife, who was the inspiration
for the bigger-than-life angel that adorns the
entire underside of American Angel. Speaking
about her husbands talent for creating ying
works of art, she says, I am continuously
amazed at his creativity; its truly a gift. He has
an uncanny ability to positively connect with
just about everyone he comes in contact with,
and instills condence in his clients to push
limits and be creative so he can deliver more
than they expect. Along with having realistic
expectations about her honey-do list, Patti
assists with the business, and when clients fre-
quently come in for a few days for some per-
www.eaa.org63

sonal interaction with the artist to participate
in the creative process on their aircraft, she is
happy to make sure they are well-fed. She also
keeps the website current; builders who visit
ArtisticAviation.com can view a portfolio of
Johns work, which often generates new ideas
for their own project.
One example of Johns ying works of art
that is dramatic in design and exquisite in nish
is Chris Hills RVette-8. The RV-8 features a
distinct, custom Corvette theme inspired by the
2003 50th anniversary of the Corvette Chris
father bought him when he graduated from
the United States Air Force Academy. Work-
ing with John on the design was really fun,
Chris says. My original idea was interesting,
but very simple. John suggested things that we
could do, and through 12 revisions, each itera-
tion was a little more of what I wanted, until I
nally had everything I was looking for: P-51
wing planform in the polished top-down view
of the plane, nose art, classy and racy accents,
polished aluminum, epic under-wing art, and of
course, the Corvette theme.
John paints a whale shark on an aircraft for a sightseeing operation in the Maldives.
64Sport AviationJune 2014
THE HIGH ART OF JOHN STAHR
Like most of Johns designs, Chris RVette-8
is a complete ramp magnet. On my dads trip
home to Del Rio, Texas, with the aircraft, every
fuel stop resulted in a crowd of people walking
over to look at it, Chris says. Its fun having
a plane that so many people want to see, and
inevitably we start talking about ying, which,
like all pilots, I cant help but enjoy.
There comes a time in the creation of any
work of art ying or notwhen it has to be
considered nished. For John, this state is
reached when the clear coat is applied to form
a protective nish that amplies the color,
contrast, and focus on the airbrushed art. But
the actual nale comes when one special piece
of art is placed in an inconspicuous place on
the airframe. I am proud of my work and feel
that these custom creations deserve the artists
signature, so I usually sign my designs with
one simple Artistic Aviation logo under the left
horizontal stabilizer, where you have to look
for it to see it.
There is no canvas, and a wire doesnt
hang these works on any gallery wall. But the
very nature of Johns workartworks that
ymakes this truly high art in a physical
as well as conceptual sense. The only real
difference between what John paints and the
centuries of artists whose work adorns galler-
ies all over the world is that to see an exhibi-
tion of this artists work, you really need to
visit EAA AirVenture Oshkosh each summer
and walk the homebuilt section.
It is there, between the North 40 and show
center, under the hot sun of a Wisconsin sum-
mer, that Johns body of work comes alive. As
another formation of warbirds passes over-
head and the smell of grilled brats wafts across
the eld, this gallery feels like the natural
place to view this art, in a setting that feels a
lot like home.
Because it is.
Dan Pimentel, EAA 1073301, has worked in journalism and
graphic design since 1979. Hes an instrument-rated private
pilot and owns a Piper Cherokee 235, and he has been
writing the Airplanista aviation blog (www.Airplanista.com)
since 2005. You can nd him on Twitter as @Av8rdan.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF JOHN STAHR
66Sport AviationJune 2014
KERMIT WEEKS AND HIS WORLD WAR I
ALBATROS D.VA AND SNIPE
BY JIM BUSHA
AVIATION LEGEND AND VINTAGE aircraft col-
lector extraordinaire Kermit Weeks, EAA
52310, of Polk City, Florida, needs no intro-
duction. Kermit houses the vast majority of
his collection at his aviation-themed venue
called Fantasy of Flight, located halfway be-
tween Orlando and Tampa, Florida. From
a 1913 Benoist XIV ying boat to a 1945 Su-
permarine Spitre, or a 1950s Korean War-
era Bell 47, and almost everything in be-
tween, Kermit can literally hop from one
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM BUSHA
aviation era to another in an afternoon of
ying from his grass runways. But he read-
ily admits its the World War I airplanes that
bring him the most joy.
I enjoy ying these treasures because its
a way for me to relive the passion of the past.
Its something about getting back to basics,
going back to our roots from an airplane guys
perspective. These airplanes are simple, made
of simple materials, yet were designed to kill
an enemy airplane, Kermit said.
When WWI broke out in 1914, the air-
plane was not thought of as a killing machine,
but more of an aerial scout. Early on when
two opponents passed by one another in the
sky during those early days of the war, these
Knights of the Air would simply smile and
wave at one another. Chivalry was alive and
well, until one of them threw a brick at the
other. The bricks progressed into rocks and
chains until pistol and rie rounds were red
at one another. When machine guns were
www.eaa.org67
nally mounted, the airplane, barely 10 years Flying Corps (RFC) were shot down by the actually wire-braced, double-bay biplanes
old, became one of the most feared weapons German Luftstreitkrfte, Kermit said. with two spars on the lower wing. This
of the war. A title it has held since that time. The aircraft was renowned not just for its one only has a single spar on the bottom
Airplanes to me, especially from that fierceness but also for its beauty and inno- wing. The Germans also encountered
era, are a profound expression of the human vation, with a surprisingly modern shape, some flutter problems with them, so they
experience and the potential to go beyond uniquely streamlined and aerodynamic put a brace on the V-strut, and this went
our limits, Kermit said. So for me, WWI monocoque design, and a fascinating forward toward the leading edge of the
aviation is a ash back to within that before-its-time construction technique; bottom wing.
medium when aircraft designers were con- the Albatros featured wood skinning on Despite its well-known structural de-
stantly pushing new boundaries. the bulkheads. ciency and general obsolescence,
Early models had massive fuselage- approximately 900 D.V and 1,612 D.Va air-
ALBATROS HISTORY AND RESURRECTION mounted radiators, and these were later craft were built before production halted in
At one point during World War I, the changed to ush-mounted wing units early 1918. The D.Va continued in opera-
Albatros D.Va was one of the most feared located right in front of the pilot. But there tional service until the end of the war.
aircraft in the skies over Europe, giving the was a problem. According to Kermit, the legend and beauty
legendary German aces their greatest suc- The radiator on the D.Va is up on the of the Albatros made it an ideal candidate
cess at a time when they enjoyed a superior top wing off to the pilots right-hand side, for Fantasy of Flights collection, but like
technical advantage over their adversar- Kermit said. Originally they were in the most aircraft of its era, no ying original
ies. The D.Va was the nal version of the center, but when they leaked or, worse yet, examples exist. Kermit had a few original
lineage of Albatros ghters that rst saw blew off, the pilot got his faced burned Mercedes engines lying around but no air-
service with the introduction of the D.I with scalding hot liquid. So they finally got frame to bolt them on to. That was until his
in 1916. Powered by a 160-hp Mercedes smart and moved it over to the right when friend and fellow WWI connoisseur, Peter
engine, the Albatros was a ghter that not they created this model. The main thing Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings
only had superior climb and cruise speeds, you notice on this model compared to the trilogy, struck a deal to nd a good use for
but also carried a knockout punch with its earlier ones is that the early ones were the engines.
two centerline-mounted 7.92 mm Spandau
machine guns.
Ultimately the Albatros played a big
part during Bloody April in 1917, when
Early on when two opponents passed by one another in the sky during
over 245 British aircraft from the Royal those early days of the war, these Knights of the Air would simply
smile and wave at one another. Chivalry was alive and well, until one
COMMEMORATING WWI
AVIATION AT AIRVENTURE
of them threw a brick at the other.
Join in commemorating the centennial of World War I
aviation technology at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2014.
WWI aircraft will be showcased in various areas
throughout the grounds, as AirVenture attendees
discover more about the technology of military ight
just a decade after the Wright brothers rst powered
ight at Kitty Hawk. Four outstanding replica aircraft
from the Great War Flying Museum, of Caledon,
Ontario, Canada, will participate in the centennial
activities. The aircraft include the museums Sopwith
1-1/2 Strutter, Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a, Nieuport 28,
and Fokker Dr.I.
The World War I period was the rst signicant era
of aviation where ight innovation advanced at a
frenzied pace, said Bill Fischer, executive director of
EAA Warbirds of America, which is helping to organize
the centennial commemoration. It is a fascinating
period of ight that has been maintained by
dedicated aviators around the world and will be fully
explored at Oshkosh this year.
Albatros D.VA

68Sport AviationJune 2014

Kermit Weeks in front of his Snipe.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM BUSHA www.eaa.org69


Ultimately the Albatros played a big part during Bloody April in 1917, when over 245 British aircraft
from the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) were shot down by the German Luftstreitkrfte, Kermit said.
ALBATROS D.VA
Manufacturer: Albatros-Flugzeugwerke
First ight: April 1917
Powerplant: Mercedes D.IIIa six-cylinder water-
cooled inline engine, 180 hp
Wingspan: 29 feet 8 inches
Wing area: 228.5 feet
Length: 24 feet 1 inch
Height: 8 feet 10 inches
Empty weight: 1,515 pounds
Loaded weight: 2,066 pounds
Maximum speed: 116 mph at sea level
Service ceiling: 18,045 feet
Time to climb: 4 minutes, 21 seconds to 3,600 feet
Endurance: Two hours
Crew: One, pilot
Armament: Two forward-firing fixed, synchro-
nized 0.312 inch (7.92 mm) Spandau LMG
08/15 machine guns
70Sport AviationJune 2014
While Peter was here in the States
working on another lm he stopped by my
place, and after showing him the collection
we talked about swapping some engines,
Kermit said. Peter wanted to reverse-engi-
neer them, and thats actually how the
Albatros project came about. My friend
Gene DeMarco, who I knew from Old
Rhinebeck, got hired by Peter to help build
some steel tube WWI airplanes. After Peter
nished lming Lord of the Rings, Gene
noticed all these highly skilled lm guys sud-
denly looking for work, and Gene told Peter
that these guys could build airplanes. They
ended up engineering and type certifying a
bunch of airplanes. They are doing some
incredible things in New Zealand, and I am
just in awe of what Peter is accomplishing.
The unique multicolored lozenge scheme on the
Albatros was reproduced to World War I specications.
The Albatros fuselage is a monocoque
type, all made out of wood including the
bulkheads. According to Kermit, Peter and
his team made the plywood themselves
per the way the Germans manufactured
them in WWI using the original type of
ash wood. A vast majority of the plywood
is glued on, and then original wire-cut
nails were used strictly for clamping. Some
of the wood is molded using steam to give
it that concave curve and then molded to
fit to the fuselage, while other pieces are
flat wrapped.
This perfect reproduction of the
Albatros, crafted by Peter Jacksons shop
in New ZealandThe Vintage Aviator
Ltd.is both a tribute to the original
designers, who were well ahead of their
time, and a testament to the modern tech-
nology that resurrected a legend, Kermit
said. These craftsmen did a magnificent
job with this airplane. It is not just a
reproduction; its a piece of art. While it
looks modern, streamlined, and fast, my
biggest surprise when flying it is that it is
not. The construction included reproduc-
ing the original instruments, radiator, seat
belts, and the multi-colored Irish linen
lozenge color scheme. I chose to have it
painted in the colors of Offz. Stv. Adolf
Schreders Jasta 17 aircraft. He shot down
one aircraft, and then he himself was shot
down. I like the story because its kind of
an eye for an eye storywhat comes
around goes aroundwhich is also a som-
ber reminder, especially during WWI, that
for every victory there was probably a
death. Remember no one wore para-
chutes, and it was more of a balance and
the reality of war.
FLYING ONE OF GERMANYS FEARED FIGHTERS
The Albatros has a rather interesting start-
ing procedure where the mechanic has to
climb up on the tire to grab a handle on
the engine to lift the cam for starting. The
The Snipes interior.
The emblem is a tribute to Billy Barker, who had it on his
original Snipe.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM BUSHA AND THE VINTAGE AVIATOR LTD.
mechanic then locates six priming cups
attached to a small valve, opens the valve,
squirts fuel in the priming cups, and closes
the valve. He then turns the prop through
a couple of times to get the cylinders wet,
and if its all set just right, after everyone
walks away, the pilot turns the mags on
and smashes the booster mag quickly so it
explodes the fuel in the cylinders. Once the
engine is running smoothly the pilot can
begin to think about the taxi.
True to the original, there are no
brakes and no tail wheel. It has a tail skid so
we have to be extremely careful taxiing
downwind with the airplane, Kermit said.
The Albatros wants to keep rolling
because the wind is pushing me, so I have
to be very careful. The airplane is extremely
beautiful on the ground and in the air.
Actually it ies pretty nice. The original
inline six-cylinder Mercedes engine is a joy
to hear and y behind, and with its low rpm
it sounds like a John Deere tractor to me!
And surprisingly for a WWI design the vis-
ibility is good.
According to Kermit, from a pilots per-
spective, the airspeed indicator is quite
unique and uses a four-cup anemometer
The Snipe on its maiden ight over New Zealand.
located out on the right strut by the lower
wing, and the pilot had to be able to see at
least 8 feet to see what the instrument
read. The other thing the pilot worries
about when flying this airplane is the radi-
ator shutters. To open and close the
shutters the pilot actually has to reach
outside into the wind and grab a handle to
move the vanes on the radiator, which only
covers about half the radiator located in
the wing.
SOPWITH SNIPE
Manufacturer: Sopwith Aviation Company
First ight: 1918
Number built: 497
Powerplant: Bentley BR2, air-cooled rotary, 230 hp
Wingspan: 31 feet 1 inch
Length: 19 feet 2 inches
Height: 9 feet 6 inches
Empty weight: 1,305 pounds
Loaded weight: 2,105 pounds
Max speed: 121 mph at 10,000 feet
Service ceiling: 20,000 feet
Endurance: Three hours
Crew: One
Armament: Two 0.303-inch (7.7-millimeter)
Vickers machine guns, Four 25-pound bombs
www.eaa.org71
 THE OTHER SIDE OF THE
COIN THE SOPWITH SNIPE
The Sopwith Snipe was designed and built in 1918 to replace
the Sopwith Camel, which at the time had a 120-hp engine.
The Snipe came super-sized with the most powerful rotary
engine ever built, the 230-hp Bentley engine.

My Snipe is powered by an air-cooled Bentley BR2 rotary

engine, which was an evolution of more need for speed,
Kermit said. I believe in some way it has a lot more power
and ies like a rocket compared to other WWI airplanes that
I have own. But there was a trade-o with extra speed
because it comes with some extra drag as well because
its a double bay biplane. And because of the increased
weight, the designers found out it might not have been as
maneuverable as they hoped for. It has the same armament
as the Cameltwo Vickers .303 machine guns. So in eect
its a heavier, more powerful airplane than the Camel.

Kermits Snipe is painted in the colors of Billy Barker,

who received the Victoria Cross during his single-
handed battle on October 27, 1918, involving more
than 60 German ghters. He shot down four German
airplanes before he was shot down.

My Snipe is a complete reproduction airplane, just like

my Albatros, Kermit said. But mine has an original
rotary Bentley engine installed. The Bentley is quite
unique, and its pretty loud inside the cockpit; it throttles
much better than something like a Le Rhne, found on
the Camels or Nieuports. With the Le Rhne you really
cant go much below 800 rpm without the engine
quitting. So taxiing or landing at that speed is very
dangerous. Thats why there is a blip button on the stick
that grounds the mag and temporarily shuts the engine
down so you, in essence, have a lower rpm setting. In Kermit started ying because of his interest in World War I aircraft.
the Bentley, however, it will idle at around 500 rpm,
which is much better for taxi and landing speeds.
But there are no brakes and a very limited amount of There is lift on the top and high pres- independent of one another or at the same
maneuverability with the tail skid. But with any rotary sure on the bottom so the air goes through time. Another unique early ying feature is
engine like those found in many WWI airplanes its best the wing to assist in cooling the coolant in the grease canister.
to leave the throttle at a higher setting and just hit the
blip switch to temporarily shut the engine down. You
the liquid-cooled Mercedes engine, There is a canister device located on the
have to really think ahead when ying these airplanes. Kermit said. There is a coolant tube going side made of stainless steel that has a screw
to the radiator and one coming out of the with a T-handle on it, Kermit said. Before
According to Kermit, the Snipe will cruise at around 115 radiator, and the one going to the radiator startup you have to screw it in a full turn, and
mph, which seems very fast compared to the other types.
has a big gauge stuck out of it so 4 feet in then every 10 minutes while you are ying you
The Albatros can barely crack 100 mph on a good day, front of the pilots face is the radiator temp have to turn it a quarter turn. Its full of grease,
so the Snipe is much faster. It doesnt have a lot of yaw gauge in the pipe going back to the radia- and as you turn it you are actually greasing the
dampening, and its somewhat similar to a Fokker tor. The pilot opens and closes the shutters water pump. You need to continually grease it
Triplane so youre always feeling with the rudders. It
has a big fat fuselage and nothing takes eect until you depending on the gauge reading. Generally while you are ying. If you dont, the water
get the fuselage side far enough over. I compare it to they are open for takeoff and landing and pump will seize up on you. Flying this airplane
the Gee Bee racer in the same way. I compare ying the taxiing, and once youre in cruise you nor- is a constant learning experience for me. And I
Snipe to a at-bottom Bonanza as it likes to shtail. All mally reach up and pull the lever to close am humbled and thrilled to be able to y the
you can do is try your best to keep that ball centered.
The rudder is not very ecient, so I always seem to be the shutters. same treasures that our ancestors ew almost
pushing the rudder bar from side to side. The ailerons The throttle is actually located on the 100 years ago.
are heavy, not pitch sensitive, but you can honk it stick, not on the left-hand side where most
around pretty easy. The controls are very light on the
Snipe, and its really a unique animal, especially
pilots are used to. There you will nd two Jim Busha, EAA 119684, is an avid pilot and
with that powerful rotary engine up front. I think large handgrips the pilot can y so if he were longtime contributor to EAA publications. He is the
Snoopy would have done okay against the Red in a dogght he had access to the throttle on editor of Warbirds and Vintage Airplane magazines, and
Baron with this ghter. the stick along with the triggers for the two the owner of a 1943 Aeronca L-3. To experience a ight in
machine guns. These can be red both the Albatros and Snipe, visit www.SportAviation.org.

72Sport AviationJune 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM BUSHA

 THE SCIENCE OF AIRFLOW MANAGEMENT

BY J. MAC MCCLELLAN

AIR MOLECULES BEHAVE in unpredictable ways when they accel-

erate to ow over an object such as an airplane. A shape that to
us looks streamlined and sleek may turn airow into a jumble
of turbulence. It takes computer power, and lots of it, to fully
understand how airow behaves over an airplane and how to
optimize the ow to minimize drag.
When the people at Daher-Socata set out to improve the
very fast TBM 850 single-engine turboprop several years ago
they understood that tools now exist to optimize the airplane for
even better performance. There was more speed and efficiency
available from the TBM airframe if they could just measure and
understand how the air was owing.

74Sport AviationJune 2014

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF DAHER-SOCATA www.eaa.org75
 The TBM is the fastest of the personal
single-engine turboprops, climbs great, and
has excellent nonstop range. But the TBM is a
product of the 1980s. Socata used the aerody-
namic design tools available at the time to op-
timize the airplane, but so much has changed
and advanced in the science of computational
uid dynamics (CFD) since then that it knew
more performance was there to be mined us-
ing the latest tools.
The rst step was to computer model the
TBM airframe and measure exactly where
airow was smooth and laminar and where it
was turbulent and high drag. The CFD quickly A new secondary gear door slides down to cover nearly the entire wheel when the gear is retracted.
identied areas around the cowling, particu-
larly the engine air induction system, that The other issue on engine ram recov- percent, under some conditions as much as 10
showed turbulent ow and spots where the ery with a PT6 is design of the plenum that percent, more power than the engine in the
airow accelerated very quickly over a short surrounds the rear of the engine. The more TBM 850 while burning the same amount of
distance. That is the recipe for high drag. effectively the plenum can distribute the ram fuel. This is not really free power because a
The induction system for the Pratt & air pressure from the inlet duct around the big investment went into the creation of the
Whitney PT6 turboprop engines that power circumference of the engine air inlet, the more new cowling and duct, but it is free power to
the TBM is probably the most challenging to engine efficiency is gained. The new TBM 900 new TBM 900 owners in terms of fuel burn.
design for any engine. The issue is that the air plenum doesnt look all that different, but its CFD analysis of the TBM wingtips found
enters a PT6 at the rear. The engine has an an- performance is much improved. another area ripe for signicant improve-
nular inlet, meaning air enters the compressor The results of the CFD work on the cowl- ment. The CFD data helped Socata engineers
from around the entire circumference of the ing, inlet duct, and plenum is that the very create winglets that operate in the area where
engine instead of scooping air in by facing into same PT6 engine in the 900 produces several the high-pressure air under the wing is es-
the slipstream. And the incoming air must be
turned 90 degrees from the slipstream inside
the nacelle to enter the engine.
All engines, but particularly turbine en-
gines, gain power and efficiency from what is
called ram recovery. Since an engine is actually
an air compressor, if air pressure from the
slipstream can be rammed into the engine, the
compressor gets a free boost. Thats what tur-
bochargers and superchargers do for a piston
engine, except that boost is not free because
energy from the engine powers the turbo com-
pressor. But ram recovery is free in terms of
adding engine power output without burning
more fuel.
Socatas CFD work showed that the shape
of the TBM engine air inlet was far from opti-
mum. And the shape of the duct was causing
turbulence, which has the effect of slowing
and blocking air from being forced toward the
engine air inlet. The CFD computer programs
guided designers toward a new inlet shape and
very subtle changes in the duct that tamed the
turbulence and raised pressure at the end of
the duct. None of these changes are intuitive.
In fact, some of the CFD analysis was so com-
plex Socata needed to allow the computers to
grind away overnight to arrive at a solution. The engine air inlet on the 900 is larger than the 850, and is more rectangular in shape, but is much more ecient in scooping up air.

76Sport AviationJune 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF DAHER-SOCATA

 THE TBM IS THE FASTEST
OF THE PERSONAL SINGLE-ENGINE
TURBOPROPS, CLIMBS
GREAT, AND HAS EXCELLENT
NONSTOP RANGE.

caping around the tip. The TBM 900 winglets

are not as large as on some airplanes, but
help reduce overall drag at cruise speeds. The
winglets also have the benet of enhancing
directional stability.
The original TBM 700 had inboard gear
doors that covered the entire main landing
gear wheel when retracted. Early on the doors
were removed to save weight and complexity
in exchange for only a small drag penalty. But
Socata engineers found they could design a
secondary gear door that covered the majority
of the wheel well but could be attached to the
main gear. The new composite material gear
door adds very little weight and no meaningful
complexity to the gear system but shaves drag.
The other area where CFD found possible
improvement was at the TBM tail cone. The
shape of the tail is crucial because the airow
that has accelerated to pass around the fuse- A at glass backup PFD is standard. The cabin pressurization controller is gone and the system is fully automated.
lage must slow down smoothly at the end of
the airplane to minimize drag. Again, the new
tail cone shape is not dramatically different
and may not even be measurable without the
advanced CFD programs, but it does give the
TBM 900 more performance.
Early on Socata joined forces with Hartzell
to create a new propeller that would optimize
the thrust from the engine. Propellers care
very much about the shape of the nacelle and
cowling behind them. The shape behind the
propeller impacts the way air ows into the
prop, so how much horsepower is converted
into thrust by the prop depends a great deal on
the nacelle. A new single lever controls power, prop rpm, feathering, beta, reverse, and fuel cuto.
Socata was able to exchange its advanced
CFD analysis of the new TBM 900 cowling edges makes the most effective thrust of start I needed a bit of advice on how to move
with Hartzell, which applied its own ad- engine power available. And the lightweight the single lever from idle cutoff, and then
vanced computer analysis programs to the blades help reduce vibration and sound to over into normal ight mode, but after that
propeller design. The result is a very effective fanjet levels. it becomes a natural operation. And so is the
matching of prop to airplane. Its uncom- Socata retained the Garmin G1000 at- engine starter. Gone is the need to switch off
mon for an airframe and propeller maker to glass avionics system in the new 900 because the starter. The starter-generator output has
work so closely together in the fundamental TBM owners like it, and its hard to think of increased to 300 amps, and the standby gen-
design stage, but the cooperation paid nice what the system cant do. But the TBM 900 erator is rated for 100 amps.
dividends. The ve-blade advanced compos- has a new power lever quadrant with a single The other system change in the TBM 900
ite propeller from Hartzell with its very wide lever. Gone are the propeller rpm control and is that pressurization control is now automat-
chord blades with dramatically swept leading the fuel condition lever. On the rst engine ed. The pressurization controller automati-

www.eaa.org77
 BOTTOM LINE IS THE TBM 900
IS 20 TO 30 KNOTS FASTER THAN
THE 850, CLIMBS TO ALTITUDE
FASTER, CRUISES SEVERAL HUNDRED
MILES FARTHER AT EITHER LONG-RANGE
OR HIGH-SPEED CRUISE, AND DOES IT
ALL FOR THE SAME FUEL BURN.
cally looks in the ight management system
to nd the eld elevation for the departure
and destination airports and controls the
cabin pressure for the complete ight with no
pilot input.
As you would expect, the TBM 900
handles like an 850 for taxi, but when you line
up for takeoff things change. Gone is the 850
mode that limits engine power output in the
TBM 850 to 700 shp when aps are extended.
The 850 mode is there because the TBM 850
didnt always stall straight-ahead power-on
with aps extended. In the 900 with its many
aerodynamic improvements the airplane now
passes the power-on stall test with aps down
78Sport AviationJune 2014
so you have 850 shp available from the engine
at all times.
The extra power on takeoff and the
performance of the new Hartzell prop are a
real kick. Socata has measured a 20 percent
decrease in takeoff run for the 900. I also
noticed that the new engine-prop combina-
tion comes up to speed smoothly with little of
the rpm hunting that is typical in other PT6
powered airplanes.
We couldnt get an unrestricted climb
clearance from controllers so I couldnt mea-
sure time to climb to 28,000 feet. But when
leaving FL 270 for FL 280 we were going up
at 900 fpm even though the air temperature
was 10C above standard. With the enhanced
engine-prop the maximum speed cruise
altitude for the 900 is FL 280, up from FL 260
for the 850.
The aircraft manual showed that under
our 10C warmer than standard conditions
the 900 would cruise at 320 knots burn-
ing 61 gallons per hour. The true airspeed
settled on 320 to 321 knots, but fuel flow
was 60, not 61 gph. I have every reason to
believe the book number of 330 knots at
61 gph on a standard temperature day is
exactly right.
The new prop is very smooth, and the drag
from its huge blades helps you get down. I
pulled power back to idle out of 28,000 feet,
descent rate was more than 5,000 fpm, and the
new pressure system held cabin altitude per-
fectly. On landing approach the big prop helps
you slow down quickly with a power reduc-
tion. I carried 100 knots or so on nal because
of strong winds and turbulence but still turned
off at the 3,000-foot point with prop reverse
but almost no braking.
Bottom line is the TBM 900 is 20 to 30 knots
faster than the 850, climbs to altitude faster,
cruises several hundred miles farther at either
long-range or high-speed cruise, and does it all
for the same fuel burn. And its all possible be-
cause Socata has the technology to understand
how those pesky air molecules behave. It could
be said the 900 gets its extra performance out of
thin air. And air, but not fuel, is still free.
J. Mac McClellan, EAA 747337, has been a pilot for more
than 40 years, holds an ATP certicate, and owns a Beech-
craft Baron. To contact Mac, e-mail mac@eaa.org.
The 900 uses low-draw very-long-life LED lighting.
The CFD analysis showed areas of drag on the previous cowling
and air inlet and how airow was smooth to favorable
green in the 900.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF DAHER-SOCATA
STICK AND RUDDER
BETTER PILOT
The Road to
Forced Landings
Fuel exhaustion made simple
BY ROBERT N. ROSSIER
DESPITE THE FACT that aircraft engines are pretty reliable, engine
power loss shows up regularly in accident reports. While mechani-
cal failures occasionally occur, power loss typically boils down to
simple pilot error: mismanaging the fuel system, not knowing the
system or limitations, or not following the checklist. Usually whats
missed is a simple step that takes precious little time to complete. In
contrast, if we miss that important step, were typically faced with a
80Sport AviationJune 2014
serious emergency that takes us down the
road to a forced landing. So lets take a look
at some recent mishaps, and review those
simple steps that could have prevented them
in the rst place.
Last July, a pilot and a ight instructor
were practicing takeoffs and landings in a
Beech P35 in Bridgeport, Texas, when the
engine lost power. Unable to land on the run-
way, they made a forced landing in a nearby
open eld during which the landing gear
sheared off. According to the NTSB report,
the fuel selector was set to the left tank,
which was empty. The right fuel tank was not
damaged in the incident, and contained fuel.
Sadly, the student sustained serious injuries,
and the instructor suffered minor injuries. In
this case, carefully following the pre-landing
checklist on every circuit in the pattern might
have prevented the accident.
A similar situation occurred last October
in Beltzville, Pennsylvania, when a pilot and
instructor were returning from a local
instructional ight in a Piper Cherokee (PA-
28-140). The engine lost power, and the
instructor maneuvered the aircraft for a
forced landing as he completed the emer-
gency landing checklist. According to the
NTSB report, the instructor stated he did
not change the fuel selector position. A
forced landing was made in a eld where the
aircraft struck a row of trees, causing dam-
age to both wings. A post-accident
investigation found 18 gallons in the left fuel
tank, and only 8 ounces in the right tank.
The fuel selector had been set to the right
tank. Had the fuel selector been switched at
the rst sign of trouble, the outcome might
have been different.
ILLUSTRATION BY GARY COX
 Surely, it is simple to become distracted
while conducting ight training, but its
imperative that we always follow the
checklist and complete each task in a
thoughtful manner. Pilots sometimes rush
through the motions of completing a check-
list without really thinking about each item.
Especially when it comes to matters of fuel,
we should always treat the checklist like a
do or die item.
The pilot of a Mooney M20B might
have paid more careful attention to his pre-
takeoff checklist to avoid an accident in July
of 2012. His aircraft lost power on departure
from Rosamond airport in California, neces-
sitating a forced landing in a eld where he
collided with fence posts. According to the
NTSB report, the pilot had determined
before takeoff that the right tank was empty
and the left was about one-fourth full. He
had set the fuel selector to the left tank for
taxi, and then switched tanks per his normal
procedure during the run-up. He had failed,
however, to reset the fuel selector to the left
tank for takeoff, resulting in fuel exhaustion
during the takeoff. In this case, the pilot
apparently followed his standard procedure
but omitted a critical checklist item.
Sometimes the devil is in the details. A
case in point is the pilot of a Cessna 210 who
got a surprise last November when making a
fuel stop in Jasper, Georgia. The pilot report-
edly had switched from the right tank,
which was approximately one-fourth full, to
the left tank, which registered between one-
third and one-half full. The pilot circled
down over the airport and entered the traffic
pattern for landing. Due to the crosswinds,
the pilot reported he had to crab and slip
the airplane on nal. About a mile from the
runway, the engine quit. Unable to restart
the engine, the pilot made a forced landing
on a road.
An investigation revealed that the right
tank had about 14 gallons of fuel and the left
tank about 9 gallons. The missing detail,
Especially when it comes to
matters of fuel, we should
always treat the checklist like
a do or die item.
however, was a placard required by an air-
worthiness directive (AD) that states, Avoid
landing approaches in red arc and over 30
second slips under 1/2 tank. Apparently,
when the fuel level is below half a tank, the
fuel line can become unported during a slip,
causing fuel starvation. Had the pilot known
of this aircraft limitation, he could have eas-
ily avoided the mishap.
The pilot of a Beech A36 Bonanza was
cruising at 7,000 feet over New York state
when an overlooked detail caused the engine
to lose power, leading to a forced landing. An
investigation revealed that the fuel selector
had been positioned between the left and
www.eaa.org81
 STICK AND RUDDER
BETTER PILOT

right tanks. A warning in the pilots operating handbook for the

aircraft states, Position selector in detents onlyno fuel ow
to engine between detents. The pilot and his passenger
received minor injuries, but the aircraft was substantially dam-
aged in the accident.
The pilot of another Beech A36 Bonanza made a forced
landing in a eld after the engine lost power on a cross-country
ight. The missing detail here was a fuel cap that was not prop-
erly replaced after refueling. During the ight, the pilot saw
fuel streaming from the left fuel cap, and noted that the left
tank was three-fourths full. She continued on with the fuel
selector set to the left tank, and nearing her destination noted
that the left fuel tank registered about one-half full. Shortly
thereafter, the engine lost power. Investigators determined
that fuel had been siphoning from the left tank due to the loose
fuel cap, and the resulting pressure differential likely caused an
erroneous fuel gauge reading. Fortunately, the pilot was not
injured in the incident.

By taking some simple steps in properly fueling

our aircraft, and knowing and managing the
fuel system, we can avoid many situations that
lead to a desperate emergency.
In August 2012, the non-instrument-rated pilot of a Beech
Sierra (B24R) was on what was supposed to be a VFR ight
over mountainous terrain in Virginia that went disastrously
wrong. Some two hours after departure, the pilot advised
ATC that he was climbing from 9,000 feet to 10,500 feet. Two
minutes later he reported an emergency stating that he had
lost the engine. The controller gave the pilot vectors to
nearby airports to help orient him, but the pilot replied he
was still in the soup and cant see much of anything at this
point. Roughly ve minutes later, the pilot reported he was
unable to clear a ridgeline in his ight path. Shortly after,
radar and voice communication was lost.
The accident investigation found about a pint of fuel in the
left tank, and 10 gallons in the right. The fuel selector had been
set to the right tank, but the fuel lines and gascolator were
found to be dry. Investigators determined that the pilot had
switched tanks at some point after the power loss, but the fuel
ow had not been restored by the time the aircraft approached
the ridge. The pilot was killed in the crash.
Fuel management truly is a do or die proposition, and its
amazingly easy to end up with fuel exhaustion. By taking some
simple steps in properly fueling our aircraft, and knowing and
managing the fuel system, we can avoid many situations that
lead to a desperate emergency.

Robert N. Rossier, EAA 472091, has been ying for more than 30 years and
has worked as a ight instructor, commercial pilot, chief pilot, and FAA ight
check airman.

82Sport AviationJune 2014

WHAT WENT WRONG
BETTER PILOT
Two Pilots Are Not a Crew
BY J. MAC MCCLELLAN
THERE IS NO QUESTION that a cockpit crew has safety advantages over
a single-pilot operation. But the key word here is crew not two or
three pilots.
The difference between a cockpit crew and simply having
more than one pilot in the front seats is that a crew has trained
together and follows established procedures. A crew has clear
lines of responsibility, but also has been taught to use cockpit
resource management (CRM) so that the pilots in the crew back
each other up and communicate clearly when one disagrees with
what is happening.
When two pilots who are not really a crew go ying together
there can be more confusion and uncertainty than teamwork.
Pilots ying together can defer decisions to the other without
knowing for sure the other pilot is really qualied to make deci-
sions because there are no established procedures. The situation
can quickly become one of I thought you were taking care of that
instead of teamwork.
It was a winter day when two pilots who were ying together
without being a real crew were trying to return to Central Florida
from the Bahamas in a Cessna 310. The weather was not good.
The pilot in command of the Cessna twin had a private pilot cer-
ticate with a single-engine sea rating but no instrument rating. The
pilot had earned his multiengine rating about a year and a half before
the ight from the Bahamas.
The NTSB couldnt locate a logbook for the 310 pilot but he
reported a total of 391 hours on his application for the multi rating.
The application for the rating listed a total of 54 hours in the Cessna
310H, which is a larger number of hours than usual training for a
multi rating. The pilot listed a total of only 3.3 hours of instrument
84Sport AviationJune 2014
ying time but did not indicate if any of
those hours were in actual conditions or
simulated instrument ying.
What the NTSB calls the pilot-rated
passenger had a great deal more total ying
experience. His logbook was not recovered
either, but on his application for his most
recent third-class medical about eight
months before the accident he listed 4,515
hours of total experience. He had a commer-
cial certicate and was rated to y
instruments in both single-engine airplanes
and helicopters. But he did not have a multi-
engine rating so the NTSB assumes the
other pilot was the pilot ying. Though the
pilot-passenger had an instrument rating,
his wife told investigators he was not cur-
rent in instrument ying.
The pilot-passenger, who identied him-
self as the copilot, made all calls to ight
service to check the weather. His rst call
was to check weather for a VFR ight from
Nassau to Fort Pierce (FPR) in Florida. FPR
is a popular spot for pilots returning from
the Bahamas to clear customs. FPR is as far
north as you can go upon returning from the
islands before stopping for customs unless
you can y in the ight levels or obtain an
over ight permit.
 The briefer told the pilot-passenger that
there was an east-west cold front over cen-
tral Florida that was slowly moving south.
The north edge of the front was moving
slowly and would remain over Central
Florida for the next 12 hours, creating scat-
tered light rain showers and widely
scattered thunderstorms. The pilot-passen-
ger also asked about weather for a second
ight leg from FPR to Bartow that is just east
of Lakeland in Central Florida. The briefer
gave him the usual cautions about VFR ight
in the forecast conditions and recommended
he call back later to check the weather. The
pilot-passenger then led the required VFR
ight plan for the trip from Nassau to FPR.
Apparently the weather interfered with
the ight to FPR because the 310 ended up at
Palm Beach about 45 miles south of FPR.
Customs is usually understanding when a
pilot diverts from his planned clearance
stop, but it does take some relaying by con-
trollers to let customs know you are not
going to end up at the airport you told them.
The required electronic advance customs
notication system (eAPIS) actually helps in
this case because the officers already have all
of your passport and other information in
the system before you take off.
On the ground at Palm Beach the pilot-
passenger again called flight service and
asked for weather conditions for a VFR
flight from Palm Beach to Bartow. He
noted that he knew about the cold front
and was concerned.
The weather had not really improved
since the 310 left the Bahamas. The briefer
told him about adverse conditions over the
entire route, including rain and isolated
embedded thunderstorms. The briefer also
said there were thunderstorms over the
Gulf of Mexico moving east at 15 knots
that would most likely reach the proposed
route of flight.
The pilot-passenger told the briefer he
was looking at weather radar and saw the
When two pilots who are not
really a crew go ying together
there can be more confusion and
uncertainty than teamwork.
same thunderstorms. There are so many
outlets for NEXRAD weather images avail-
able a briefer on the phone cant really add
much to what we can see for ourselves.
But, the briefer did again issue the VFR
not recommended warning, repeated fore-
casts for low ceilings and visibility, and told
the pilot-passenger the front had now
become stationary and little movement or
change was expected until the next day.
The pilot-passenger called FSS again
about an hour later and this time asked for
weather at Okeechobee County Airport
(OBE) as well as Bartow. OBE is inland to
the northwest of Palm Beach so perhaps the
www.eaa.org85
WHAT WENT WRONG
BETTER PILOT
pilot was trying to see if the weather was
better that way instead of ying up the coast.
But OBE was worse with low IFR condi-
tions, ceiling at 400 feet, and visibility of 5
miles. The Bartow weather wasnt terrible
with the ceiling at 4,400 feet and visibility
of 5 miles, but there was light rain. The
briefer also read the area forecast for the
route that called for broken ceilings at
3,000 to 4,000 feet with widely scattered
thunderstorms, moderate precipitation,
and possibly severe thunderstorms.
The pilot-passenger again said he was
looking at radar and thought the storms
were starting to break up a bit. He then said
something I nd surprising: He said he was
trying to gure out a way to scud run to get
home to Bartow. Not many pilots actually
announce to a briefer, where calls are always
recorded, that they plan to scud run.
At some point the 310 departed Palm
Beach headed for Bartow. The next contact
with the airplane happened when the pilot-
passenger radioed the Vero Beach tower
advising the controller that he was scud
running up the coast at 500 feet to Sebastian
(X26), which is just about 10 miles north of
Vero. Theres the recorded admission
againscud running.
The Vero tower controller gave the pilot
the current altimeter setting and told him
transition through the area was approved.
The pilot-passenger acknowledged, and
that was it for communications with Vero
Beach controllers.
The 310 made it to Sebastian, and the
airport manager there saw the airplane taxi
to the ramp. Nobody got out of the airplane
during the 45 minutes it sat on the ramp. But
the occupants did make phone calls. The
pilots wife told him the weather was rainy
and dark at their home near Bartow. She
assumed he and the others would spend the
night at Sebastian. But the 310 departed.
About 20 minutes after the 310 left
Sebastian the pilot-passenger called
Orlando approach and told controllers they
were in instrument conditions and needed
assistance. The controller issued a tran-
sponder code so she could locate the 310 on
radar. The pilot-passenger asked the con-
troller if she knew how high the cloud tops
were and could he climb out of them. By
the time the Orlando controller located the
310 on radar they were in Miami center
86Sport AviationJune 2014
airspace, and she gave them a new fre-
quency to call Miami for assistance.
The pilot-passenger never contacted
Miami, nor were any more transmissions
heard on the Orlando frequency. The
Orlando controller continued to try to help
broadcasting that Vero Beach airport was
only 8 miles east of their position, but there
was no response.
Radar recordings revealed that the
pilots in the 310 did set the assigned tran-
sponder code. The initial radar position
showed the airplane at 8,900 feet and only
about 10 miles southwest from the depar-
ture airport at Sebastian. The airplane had
own about 20 minutes but was still only 10
miles from departure.
The pilot-passenger again said
he was looking at radar and
thought the storms were starting
to break up a bit. He then said
something I nd surprising.
Over the next two minutes and one sec-
ond the 310 radar target descended from
8,900 feet to 1,800 feet. That is an average
descent rate of about 3,550 feet a minute.
The airplane made a right 360 while
descending to 900 feet. It remained in radar
contact, eventually descending to as low as
100 feet while ying a meandering path
toward the southwest.
The airplane crashed into a swampy
area covered in trees killing all three
aboard at impact. When the airplane
ground track was compared with a radar
plot the crash site was in an area of moder-
ate precipitation. At the time of the crash
the weather at Vero Beach located about 16
miles east of the accident site was overcast
ceiling at 1,500 feet, 10 miles of visibility,
and light rain.
There is no great mystery about the nal
cause of the accident. Two pilots not pre-
pared to y IFR ew into bad weather that
they and everybody else knew was there.
The NTSB official probable cause of the
accident is the non-instrument-rated
pilots improper decision to continue
visual ight rules ight into instrument
meteorological conditions and his subse-
quent spatial disorientation.
It also seems obvious the more experi-
enced pilot-passenger with the instrument
rating but no multi was heavily involved in
the decision-making. He made all of the
calls to FSS for weather and also made the
transmissions to controllers. The NTSB
contributing cause is the copilots
improper evaluation of the weather condi-
tions after receiving several weather
briengs for the ight.
All through the accident report the Board
calls the second pilot the pilot-rated pas-
senger, but in the contributing cause they
call him the copilot. He was not technically
a copilot because no second pilot was
required for the ight, and he was not rated
to y a twin-engine airplane. Its very clear
the second pilot was exerting considerable
inuence on the decisions, but these were
two pilots, not a crew of captain and copilot.
Instead of fully examining the actions of
two pilots who were not a trained creweven
though they allude to itthe NTSB then goes
off in a different direction. The Board nds
that also contributing to the accident was
the pilot-in-commands cognitive and psy-
chomotor impairment due to recent use of an
over-the-counter sedating antihistamine and
the pilots personal pressure to get home.
To me thats a big stretch. Most antihista-
mines warn of drowsiness, but its
impossible for me to believe the pilot of the
310 wasnt on the edge of his seat as the
weather closed in. Making the decision to y
VFR into bad weather is not a ne motor
skill or something any of us would doze off
while doing. But two pilots mixing and
matching opinions about the ight and the
weather with no training in crew techniques
or standard procedures, now that is some-
thing for all of us to be concerned about.
This article is based solely on the official nal
NTSB report of the accident and is intended to
bring readers attention to the issues raised in
the report. It is not intended to judge or reach
any denitive conclusions about the ability or
capacity of any person, living or dead, or any
aircraft or accessory.
J. Mac McClellan, EAA 747337, has been a pilot for
more than 40 years, holds an ATP certicate, and owns a
Beechcraft Baron. To contact Mac, e-mail mac@eaa.org.
ILL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN
BETTER PILOT
First Ditching
A solo cross-country quickly turns into an emergency over the ocean
BY KEN KARWOWSKI, EAA 671607
THE DAY STARTED OUT with excitement. The thought of performing
my rst cross-country solo ight kept me tossing and turning the
night before, and I could hardly wait for daylight so I could get to the
airport and be on my way. The ight to Molokai from Honolulu was
exhilaratingcrossing the deep blue ocean for the rst time all by
myself. The touch-and-go landings at Molokai Airport went as prac-
ticed, and by the time I left for the ight to Lanai I felt like an
experienced pilot. The short hop to Lanai brought me to a rain-
engulfed airport with only one large cloud obscuring the airport.
After a few attempts to break through, the rain proved impractical; I
decided to head back to Honolulu for the return ight home.
The Inter-Island Reporting Service allows pilots to check in with
Honolulu tower when leaving an island and at the midpoint between
the islands, which I dutifully completed. But my heart skipped a beat
88Sport AviationJune 2014
as I saw my oil pressure gauge read zero.
Cant be, I thought. All the other gauges read
in the normal range. I called Honolulu tower
and told them of my oil pressure reading and
requested the shortest route to the airport.
Ka-nock, ka-nock was the sound that
rst alerted me to the critical state of my
engine. I quickly radioed an emergency to the
tower, but in a matter of seconds the engine
started to vibrateso much I was concerned
that it was going to break apart and I would
lose control. Mayday, mayday, mayday, I
shouted into the microphone while trying to
control the pitch and yaw of the aircraft. I
ILLUSTRATION BY MATT BELLISLE
had my hand on the ignition switch about to
turn it off when the engine completely seized
up and the propeller quit turning.
The terrible vibrations now quit. The
lessons my instructor, Joe Dailey, drummed
into me for emergency landings came ood-
ing back. Fly the airplane to the ground. But
what had he said about over water? I set up a
standard landing pattern trying to determine
the wind and the wave direction. I didnt
want to hit the front of a wave but to land on
the back side.
Things happened fast as the 2,300 feet
turned into a few feet off the water. The
tower was still asking questions as I lifted
the raft out from its rear seat storage com-
partment, placed it in front of my chest, and
gingerly kicked open the side door so it
wouldnt jam on impact (a couple of those
hangar ying lessons I had learned).
I ew a perfect approach to nal as the
little plane descended those last few feet
into the white-capped ocean. The stall
warning was blaring as the wheels touched
the waves slightly, dropping the nose and
causing the dead propeller to dig into the
water and the whole craft to ip completely
over at about 60 mph. I couldnt see my n-
gers in front of my face as the sea churned its
foamy froth through the cabin.
Being a scuba diver I was normally at
home in the water, but this was a different
set of circumstances. I was strapped into an
upside-down sinking airplane with no air
supply and no sense of direction. My scuba
diving lessons kicked incontrol yourself,
do not panicthey had instructed me. I
groped to disconnect the cross-chest strap.
Pushing off the rudder pedals and putting all
my strength against the door and the water
behind it, I exited the still sinking craft and
swam out and up to the surface.
About one-third of the tail of the airplane
was still visible as I swam around the
stricken craft. I found the raft and anxiously
tugged at the handle to inate the little boat.
I heard the CO2 cartridge release its gas, but
for reasons unknown, the raft did not inate
and only sloshed lazily around the wreckage.
Suddenly from nowhere, as the plane settled
lower in the water, I felt a tugging on my legs
and realized I was being pulled down into
the deep blue water. With just a moment to
twist my head I grabbed a short breath of air
as the water swirled over my head. It was
hard to ght the anxiety that was pulsing
through my head and chest. Looking
through the blurred vision of being under-
water with no mask I could make out the
long nylon rope that was attached to the raft.
The rope was oating around in the
water and managed to get tangled in the
landing gear of the sinking plane and
hitched around my legs a few times. Fear
surged through my body. Swimming down
with my arms and pulling on the ropes I
managed to get deep enough to work
through the knots and return to the surface
gasping for air.
www.eaa.org89
 ILL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN
BETTER PILOT

About 20 yards away I turned to see only the very end of

the tail section above the water. Instinctively I swam back to
the only thing I knew as a vessel only to reach it in time to feel
the last of it sink totally from my grasp down toward its resting
place of more than 100 fathoms. Nothing was out there with
me. I could barely see the land when I was on top of a wave
and inwardly I knew I could not outswim the ocean currents. I
inated the life vest I had been wearing since before takeoff,
located the smoke ares and signal mirror, and lacking any
other course of action started to swim in the direction I
thought would bring me to land.
I was in the water about 10 minutes when I looked up to
see a boat rapidly approaching my direction. The boat was
owned by George Allergis who was out shing that beautiful
Sunday afternoon. He did not know that the biggest catch he
would make that day would be a pilot who fell from the sky! As
he sped up his boat to come to my aid, I was startled to see
something ying up out of the water behind the boat and mis-
takenly thought of sharks following it for any scraps being
thrown overboard. The blood from my face and knee cuts were
a concern to me in that open ocean.
The things ying out of the water behind his boat turned
out to be shing lures, but he did not bother to retrieve them.
As George pulled the boat up alongside me he shouted, Are
you all right? He reached his arm over the gunwale to help me
into the boat.
Panting rapidly I tried to answer Georges questions
about the crash and apologized for the green dye that had
broken from my pilots safety vest at impact and was now
turning the deck a bright green! Shortly after, the Coast
Guards rescue helicopter flew overhead looking for the
downed plane, and I advised them by hand signals that I
was okay.
A orist shop was the rst open establishment I entered,
and I requested to use the phone to call in to the Honolulu
tower and cancel my ight. The astonished, wide-eyed atten-
dant backed away and pointed to the phone. While I was on
the phone a police car arrived, and the officers had me sit
down on a tall stool to nish my call, and shortly the local TV
station showed up with a cameraman and a reporter to ask
about what happened.
My rapid talking was stopped short when an ambulance
arrived, and I tried to refuse a ride to the hospital for the still
bleeding cuts and abrasions. A person from the now assem-
bling crowd stepped up and declared he was from the FAA and
announced that I had to go to the hospital.
The ambulance crew that nally took me to the hospital to
get the many cuts and abrasions taken care of were entertained
with the story I told them and impressed at my survival.
Lessons well learned were what saved my life, I told them as
I was wheeled into the emergency ward.

SUBMISSIONS
SHARE YOUR CLOSE CALL so we can all learn from the experiencesend your
story to editorial@eaa.org for consideration.

90Sport AviationJune 2014

H
ANDS ON
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE BUILDING/RESTORING
Blogging My
Way to the Sky
Vans RV-12
BY DAVE GAMBLE, EAA 613190; NEW ALBANY, OHIO
FOR AS LONG AS I CAN remember, I have been intrigued with air-
planes. Like countless kids before me, I spent any time and money I
could come up with on RC models. Fast-forward a few decades and
you will nd me in a conversation with my father, the man who built
my rst SIG Kadet for me. I was describing the advent of a new type
of kit plane, one that I thought I could actually build. At an estimated
800 hours of building time, I gured that even with a full-time job
lling the majority of my weekdays, a few hours working on the kit
in the evenings and weekends would have me ying in roughly three
years. With a purchased already-ying RV-6 in my hangar to fulll
my ying needs, I gured that was easily fast enough.
This new plane was, of course, the Vans RV-12. With its detailed
building instructions, ultra-complete kit, and modern design, I was
convinced that testing the waters with a tail kit was a low-risk
investment. I would be using borrowed tools, and I gured that there
92Sport AviationJune 2014
would be a ready market for a nished tail
should I decide not to continue the build.
Having had previous experience helping
with the riveting of an RV-9, I was also
attracted to the far simpler approach of
Vans heavy use of blind rivets in the design.
Dad agreed with my logic. He also
offered to pay for the tail kit to get me
started as long as I would agree to write
about my experiences on a blog that he
would have the honor of naming. It is for
that reason that every hour that I worked on
the airplane was matched by at least another
hour of writing on the Schmetterling
Aviation blog.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF DAVE GAMBLE
 around, so I invited him out to the hangar to important reason for that choice was to pay
AIRCRAFT SUBMISSIONS check it out. To a large degree, that was the tribute to Dr. Donald E. McGinnis, my father-
last day that I ever worked on the plane in-law, who as a professor emeritus of music
alone. This is something else that is special was the leader of the concert band for 27 years.
Share your craftsmanship with EAA Sport Aviation about the Vans communitythere is always As I reect back on the build, I nd that
readers worldwide! Send us a photo and descrip-
tion of your project and well consider using it in someone willing to help, either in person, or the most lasting and rewarding aspect of it
What Our Members Are Building/Restoring. Please through the wonderfully helpful Vans Air has to be the numerous new and potentially
include your name, address, and EAA number. Force website run by Doug Reeves. lifelong friends that I made. Oh, and I got a
We reserve the right to edit descriptions. For guide-
lines on how to get the best photo of aircraft, visit
On February 7, 2013, N284DG ew for very nice airplane out of it, too.
www.SportAviation.org. the rst time. Pete was on the ground send- RV-12 serial No. 284 took a little more
Mail: EAA Publications, Aircraft Projects,
ing periodic updates to my wife to keep her than three years to build, which is pretty fast
P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086 apprised of how things were going. The when one considers that I work full time at a
E-mail: editorial@eaa.org 20-minute ight went ne, to the immense day job, and that every hour spent working on
relief of all involved. the plane led to at least one additional hour of
With the plane done, it was time to start writing about it. My father was instrumental
thinking about paint. I already knew who I in enabling me to buy the kit in the rst place,
I decided that my goals with the blog wanted to do the painting: DESAPI in Cadiz, and I felt that he would want to be as involved
would be twofold: I wanted to share the Ohio. Its work is legendary in my part of the in the build as possible. The challenge of
nuts and bolts of putting together a com- country, but also very much in demand. In keeping him fully up to date while not incur-
plex project, but I would also share the early August I sent an e-mail to see how long ring the cost of a four-hour round trip was
emotional ups and downs that are inherent I would have to wait. The response came as met through the wonder that is the Internet.
in such an undertaking. Nothing would be quite a surprise. Were booked through While I started to blog simply to share the
glossed over. Because I would be sharing April of next year, or you can bring it today. experience with him, it turned out that I
triumphs and mistakes alike, I strove to That prompted a hurried urry of decision- enjoyed the writing every bit as much as the
maintain a sense of humor about things making that culminated in my borrowing a building. The whole sordid story, which
that might normally cause anger at myself. paint scheme from a picture of another includes plenty of triumphs and setbacks, is
The overall process wasnt easy. The day RV-12 I had seen on the Internet. at www.SchmetterlingAviation.com.
that I applied interior paint to the outside For the colors, I went with scarlet and gray,
of a fuselage skin, the day I rst latched the which happen to be the official colors of my E-mail Dave at dgamble@columbus.rr.com.
canopy from the inside only to nd that I alma mater, Ohio State University. The most
couldnt unlatch it, and the day I made two
right-side longerons were all tests to the
boundaries of my humor. In the end,
though, it was all worth it.
The RV-12 goes together quickly, primar-
ily due to the excellent design of the kit, but
also in no small part because of the simplic-
ity of blind rivets. The simple-to-install
rivets were an easy process to teach; it
allowed me to share the satisfaction of com-
pleting a part with a wide assortment of
friends and family. My brother-in-law
helped me rivet the skin onto the stabilator.
My father did the belly skin. A couple of
guys who thought they too might want to
build an RV-12 spent a frigid evening in my
hangar skinning the tail cone, and they went
on to complete their own plane.
About halfway through the build, I was
contacted via e-mail by a guy named Pete
Stock. He had been following my progress
on the blog. He was local and wanted to
know if I might need a little help now and
then. I was at the point in the project where
things were getting pretty hard to move

www.eaa.org93
H
ANDS ON
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE BUILDING/RESTORING

TEXAS CARBON CUB

MY CARBON CUB EX kit, No. 37, arrived June
26, 2012, after a short period of waiting.
I was so excited after a ride in a Carbon
Cub SS I knew I needed one of these (yes,
I was like a 2-year-old).
The builder support was fantastic.
My new best friend, Mitch Travis at
CubCrafters, was so knowledgeable on
every nut, bolt, and screw. It always
amazed me.
N230CC was born May 10, 2013, after
627 hours. The mandatory 40 hours have
been flown off, and I am enjoying flying
this wonderful plane. I love every minute
in the air, and with 82 hours on the Hobbs,
this one is a keeper. It will stay in the fam-
ily for years to come. I opted for the
CC340 with dual electronic ignition (180-
hp modified Lycoming IO-360), 40-gallon
long-range fuel tanks, an LED light
package, Alpha Omega suspension system,
and 3-by-3 extended landing gear with
29-inch tundra tires and Baby Bushwheel
tail wheel.
Building brings some of the greatest
joy and pride when the airplane you built
takes off and flies.
Je Mickler, EAA 708117; Friendswood, Texas
E-mail: je@mickler.com

OHIO TITAN T-51

MY TITAN AIRCRAFT T-51 Mustang replica took three years and some 2,000
hours working on it part time to build. I choose a Honda 3.5-liter engine
with an upgraded horsepower nearing 300. The propeller is a four-blade
Whirl Wind with a gear reduction drive. Basic IFR instruments were used
to preserve the 1940s-era feel. I carry 32 gallons of fuel on board, and yes, it
is a two-place airplane. Baggage is limited, though, and it is not a great
cross-country aircraft so I have to pack light. Low end cruise is 165 mph,
and from there I can top out over 200 mph. Fuel burn is only about 10 gal-
lons per hour.
Because its a replica of the world-famous P-51, I get a lot of questions
from many people who dont realize that its not the real thing. For me this
plane was a great choice and a privilege to not only build but also share with
everyone to enjoy. Its as much fun on the ground as in the air.

Je Paden, EAA 547390; Litcheld, Ohio

E-mail: yerp51@yahoo.com

94Sport AviationJune 2014

IOWA SLEPCEV STORCH
MY SLEPCEV STORCH is a plansbuilt aircraft that I started in
November 1999. Build time was logged as 2,782 hours, plus
countless hours of research on aircraft construction. The panel is
simplea four-pack of airspeed indicator, altimeter, rate of climb,
and rpm. It also has oil/water/CHT and EGT temperature
gauges, volt/amp gauge, Microair comm, and magnetic compass.
In the Storch, the instrument panel is nice to look at, but you
really dont need it to y. It is very much a stick and rudder, seat of
the pants operation and will clearly do more in performance than I
am willing to try (for now). The 912 ULS is what I went with for
the engine. The plane has two 10-gallon welded aluminum wing
tanks, and I burn 93 octane auto fuel, with alcohol in it. The 912
has been a good performer. I used the Rotax tuned intake airbox
and its exhaust system. People on the ground have consistently
commented on how quiet the plane is, which is good these days.
Best of all the Storch ies like it was advertised. It is a very
forgiving aircraft (so far). I am nearing 200 landings now, in just 40
hours. It is like nothing else Ive seen or own.
This build has been by far the most rewarding experience of my
life. EAA is a great organization and provides so much to get someone
through the construction process and beyond. I have no regrets having
experienced the many setbacks of being a scratchbuilder. It has made
me so much wiser in the construction process, especially in the area of
what needs to be done rst, second, etc., how to x a bad problem, and
recognizing the difficult pieces and processes to complete.
ILLINOIS ZENITH STOL CH 750
N437DM FIRST FLEW on October 19, 2012, after 1,322 hours of con-
struction that began at the Zenith Rudder Workshop on November
6, 2008. I started actual work in my garage on March 30, 2009. The
rst ight was pretty exciting, with an engine stoppage over the
numbers and a fairly severe right wing drop! Both problems were
xed with $1 in sheet metal and a stop collar.
My Zenith sports a Jabiru 3300 engine, producing 120 hp, swinging
a wooden Sensenich 68-inch prop. The engine produces great power
My thanks to EAA members Marv Hoppenworth, technical
counselor, and Kevin Sellick for their advice, construction experi-
ence, and aeronautical knowledge, which they have provided over
the past several years. Most importantly, I need to thank my spouse,
Karen, for allowing me to be a part of the most enjoyable and
rewarding pastime one can havebuilding and ying aircraft.
Scott French, EAA 633803; Central City, Iowa
E-mail: sbfrench@fmtcs.com
and really gets the plane off the ground quickly. Aerotronics, of Billings,
Montana, built the panel with a Garmin SL40 comm radio, a PM1000
audio panel, and a complete Dynon SkyView 10-inch EFIS with Class 2
transponder, GPS, Jabiru probe package, nav mapping, ADAHRS, and
an Air Gizmos GPS 396 docking mount. Additional avionics work was
performed or guided by my friend, retired U.S. Air Force Col. Jeff
Kromer, who, fortunately for me, decided to retire and move home! The
aircraft has two 12-gallon tanks, one in each wing. If I were to start
again, I would opt for the larger 15-gallon tanks.
I cant say enough about the great support from all the
people at Zenith in Mexico, Missouri. Roger, Steve,
Sebastien, Caleb, Shirley, and Joyce were always available
and supportive when elding my almost daily questions!
It took a village to complete the project, and I thank Gary
Guffey, Tim Stanton, Jeff Kromer, the philosophers cof-
fee group, and a host of others for Clecoing, deburring,
and moving things from garage to airport. I did use the
EAA Technical Counselor program early on in the pro-
cess to make sure I knew what I was doing. His visit was
a real source of condence for me. And most importantly,
I could not have done this without the support of my
wife, Diane, who has survived living with both a father
and a husband with the aviation disease.
Ed Olds, EAA 144219; Mount Carroll, Illinois
E-mail: olds@grics.net; Technical Counselor: Jim Auman
www.eaa.org95
HANDS ON
INNOVATION ON THE FLY
Rollover Protection
Innovation that saves lives
BY MARK PHELPS
THE REAR COCKPIT OF Bill Greenwoods two-seat Spitre is a tight
spot, and with Bill ying from up front, we were headed for Grand
Junction Airport in Colorado. It wasnt our rst choice of destina-
tions, but on short nal at Bills home airport in Aspen, the Spitres
air pressure system sprung a loud and raucous leak. Without air
pressure, he knew instantly we would not be able to A) re the guns
or B) use the brakes. Problem A was not of great concern, but land-
ing a narrow-legged Spitre in a gusty crosswind without brakes was
not on either of our bucket lists.
So Bill got on the radio and checked the runway alignments and
winds at airports within range. He decided wed head for Grand
Junction, where the wind was advertised as right down the middle
of one of its long runways. It also gave us some time to discuss the
coming landing. Everything looked good for a brakeless landing, but
Bill wanted to be cautious and reviewed the evacuation procedure
for mejust in case. That was when I asked if he wanted to slide the
canopies back for the landing, to prevent them from being jammed
shut. Id read about Spitres and other ghters taking off and
96Sport AviationJune 2014
landing open-cockpit style for that exact
reason. Bill had not heard that bit of trivia.
So thats what the notch is for, he said.
Then it was my turn to learn something new.
What notch? Bill explained how the small
access door of each cockpit had two latching
positions, one of which was offset so the
door stayed cocked open a half inch or so.
The left track for the canopy slide ran along
the top of the door, so with it open that little
bit, the canopy would be unable to slide for-
ward. It was a safety innovation designed
into the Spitre to protect RAF ghter
pilots, who became a precious national asset
during the Battle of Britain.
History does not record how many
Spitre pilots were able to escape a crash
thanks to that little trick with the door, but if
PHOTOGRAPHY BY RODNEY_X (WWW.THINKSTOCK.COM)
it saved one life, it was worth the extra rivets, pins,
and ingenuity to put it in. And how many Spitres
were upended by inexperienced pilots who lived to
y another day thanks to the added crashworthiness
of R.J. Mitchells masterpiece?
Fortunately for me, we didnt have to test the
system, and Bill made an excellent landing and roll-
out. But having faced the prospect of a ip-over
rsthand, Ive since looked at a new aircraft design
with this question in the back of my mind: How
would you get out if it ipped over?
The risk varies with aircraft conguration, of
course, with nose-wheel-equipped, high-wing
designs on the low end of the hazard scale. With the
more remote risk of a nose-over and the main
strength of the structure above the pilots head,
chances of being trapped underneath the airplane
are pretty slim. In many post-accident photos
involving high-wings, you can see the airplane lying
supine with its wheels extended skywardbut the
side doors are open, indicating a relatively easy exit
for the occupants.
Low-wing taildraggers are another story, how-
ever. I remember attending my rst EAA y-in at
Plum Island Airport in Massachusetts back in the
1970s. A Spezio Tuholer ared to land and
promptly nosed up and over onto its back. The
vertical stabilizer held up, and the uninjured pilot
was able to crawl out, dust himself off, and imme-
diately start thinking of excuses to ll in on his
insurance claim form.
Any low-wing aircraft design worth consider-
ing has to have adequate rollover protection,
especially if it has the third wheel in the back.
Taildraggers are disturbingly prone to nosing over
on landing, especially in challenging wind condi-
tions. Theres a ne line between aggressive
braking and extreme embarrassment.
The good news is that most ip-over scenarios
occur at very slow speeds. Also, the lighter the air-
plane, the less force applied to the airframe on
impact. Many EAAers recall the tragic loss of
Charlie Hillard at Sun n Fun in the ip-over of his
Hawker Sea Fury, though it involved a much heavier
aircraft than a homebuilder will be ying. The les-
sons learned in that accident have probably saved
several lives. The loss of Charlie has spurred count-
less discussions on rollover protection that might
never have happened otherwise.
I looked over one of those discussions online
while thinking of writing this article. One thread
involves a designer/builders concern about rollover
protection in the low-wing airplane that was taking
shape in his minds eye. It was interesting to see
how the discussion evolved, and how the

www.eaa.org97
HANDS ON
INNOVATION ON THE FLY
contributors addressed the key design issues
one at a time.
The obvious goal is to ensure there is a
sufficiently strong structure that will keep
the weight of the airplane off the occu-
pants in a flip-over. Youll need to
visualize how the airplane will sit upside
down was one contribution to the discus-
sion. Consider the geometry of the front
fuselage, vertical tail, and canopy struc-
ture. If you can draw up a structure that
maintains sufficient clearance, you have
the first step.
A spokesman for Vans Aircraft said
that in 25 years, he could remember only
one fatality involving a flip-over accident.
The builder had modified an RV-4 with a
turtledeck and a lowered rollover struc-
ture to achieve a more pleasing visual line.
Unfortunately, the airplane experienced a
forced landing, flipped over, and the pilot
did not survive.
One question that comes up is whether
or not to rely on the vertical stabilizer to
support the airplane after a flip. Some
builders recommend adding reinforce-
ment to the structure to enhance its
chances of holding up under impact. The
variable, of course, is the violence of the
force as the tail comes crashing down.
That force is affected by several factors,
mostly the speed at which the tumble
begins. The trade-off in adding weight to
the structure is amplified by the large
98Sport AviationJune 2014
moment arm of the tail, which is obvi-
ously far from the CG. In my old V-tail
Bonanza, the tails ruddervators could not
be converted from magnesium to alumi-
num due to the slight difference in weight
that far aft.
Taking a page from the auto racing
industry, most designers incorporate roll
structure in the cockpit area itself. Vans
has researched the requirements exten-
sively, and structural roll protection is
built into the design. It starts up front,
with the windshield bow. Fabricated from
robust steel tubing, it has been tested to
standards Vans has determined to be
within the range of most likely rollover
scenarios. The Vans spokesman said
builders can count on the windshield bow
to support the front end of the fuselage in
an otherwise survivable rollover incident.
The cockpit rear structure is made up
of heat-treated aluminum, and varies in
configuration with each model. The side-
by-side designs have the beefed up
structure built into the rear turtledeck.
Tandem designs such as the RV-8 incorpo-
rate carefully configured roll protection at
the rear of the aft seat areaenough to
keep the rear-seat passengers head pro-
tected from terra firma.
Of course, surviving the impact of the
flip-over is primary, but what happens
afterward can be equally vital. In one
forced landing on a beach, the aircraft
flipped over, and the passenger drowned
before help could arrive. Any hinged or
sliding canopy will be rendered unusable
when the airplane is sitting on it. Gull-
wing doors are more likely to permit an
easier escape, but in most cases, the only
way out will be by busting through the
Plexiglas. Chances are good that the
impact of the airplane crashing down will
take care of a lot of that chore, but it makes
good sense to plan for the day when you
might have to claw your way through.
Peter Vollheim, who built his Glasair back
in the 1980s, had a commando-style knife
strapped to the inside of his cockpit within
easy reach. Other pilots keep a hatchet
stowed nearby for the same reason. (It can
also come in handy later, for chopping
firewood if your forced landing lands you
far from civilization. Just be sure it is
secured in flight, for obvious reasons.)
Finally, the importance of adequate
seat restraint systems cannot be overem-
phasized. Even if the airplanes structure
is as strong as a bridge, it wont help if the
bodies inside are free to bounce off instru-
ment panels, side rails, sharp switches,
and knobs. The most important tool in
escaping from a forced landing is a con-
scious, uninjured pilot.
Mark Phelps, EAA 139610, is an aviation writer living
in New Jersey. He is the former editor of EAAs Vintage
Airplane magazine.
H
ANDS ON
HINTS FOR HOMEBUILDERS

dollies (Harbor Freight Haul-Master

Part No. 67287, about $80 each) that
slide under the wheels and are easily
jacked to lift the wheels off the ground.
I had to notch the left main gear dolly
to fit my tow bar, which makes it a little
nicer to pull and push around. If the
lifting rollers dont come close enough
together to lift the tire, it is easy to drill
additional holes in the tube. It will
be self-explanatory when you look at
the dolly.
The first time I jacked it up, all the
plane would do is turn in circles no
matter where I pushed on it. I solved
the problem by replacing two full
swivel casters on one dolly with fixed
casters. This provides directional con-
trol. Now I can pull the CH 750 in
sideways, which allows me to pull
either airplane out of the hangar with-
out moving the other. I dont have
wheelpants on my plane, but I think
with some ingenuity the dollies will
work with many of the wheelpant
designs. Hopefully others can use the
same idea/equipment to double up on a
hangar and save money for flying!

Car Dollies
Make a Hangar
Twice as Useful
BY RICK GEORGE, EAA 139662; HOLMEN, WISCONSIN

WHILE I WAS BUILDING a Zenith CH 750, I had to come to grips

with how I was going to store two airplanes (I also have a
RV-4) in a hangar/workshop that was built for one airplane. I
was lamenting to my brother, I cant come up with a way to
get both airplanes in the hangar without having to move both
of them each time I want to fly. He took one look at the han-
GOT A HINT?
gar and asked why I dont use car dollies. So after some
searching on the Internet, I found three mechanical jack-up SEND YOUR TIPS to cbecker@eaa.org.

100Sport AviationJune 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF RICK GEORGE

CLECO PADS
BY VIC DELGADO, EAA 795358; CONROE, TEXAS
I AM SCRATCHBUILDING a Sonex from plans. I
noticed early in my build that when I fas-
tened the skins, sometimes the Clecos would
leave scratches. My plan is to eventually pol-
ish the aircraft, and I felt this would magnify
whatever small damage that was there.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF VIC DELGADO AND BY JASON TONEY
ZIP TIE CLIPPER
BY JOHN HEISER, EAA 403057; OWASSO, OKLAHOMA
A SIMPLE, CHEAP tool for removing the pig
tails from plastic zip ties is the common nail
clipper. Never again will you end up with
I knew you could buy little rubber Cleco cuts from the plastic ends as the clipper
caps, but at about 30 cents apiece I felt they makes a perfect ush cut.
were too expensive (remember, Im a
scratchbuilder!). I came up with my own
solution by purchasing an adhesive roll of
double stick rectangular foam for less than
$2. I used a razor blade to cut them in half
and pierce the center so the Cleco could pass
through. As I used them for the rst time, I
just placed it on the Cleco as I installed it to
the skin. After that, I separated them from
the Clecos with no foam protector pads,
which I still use without a foam tab for the
structural pieces.
www.eaa.org101
H
ANDS ON
SHOP TALK
RANS S-7
So You Wanna
Build a Bush Bird
STOL kit aircraft
BY BUDD DAVISSON
FOR WHATEVER REASON, it seems as if sport aviation is polarizing:
Part of the sport population is streaking across the sky so high and
fast that they are practically leaving contrails, while others are down
in the trees sneaking into nonexistent runways and obviously not in
a hurry. Truth is that would be me, too, given a choice. Id rather
nesse my way into a seldom visited, too-small-for-airplanes grassy
meadow than almost anything else in aviation. And, judging from the
proliferation of my kind of airplane kits, Im not alone. This is
what led EAA to put together a replication of the Valdez, Alaska,
short-eld competition at AirVenture this year. Were going to get to
see the hot-dog bush birds face off in a no-holds barred competition
in which the shortest takeoff and landing wins. At the same time
were going to see how wildly varied the selection of homebuilt
designs suited for the purpose has become.
It used to be that the mantra of the short-eld world was If it aint
a Super Cub, it aint an airplane (I cleaned that up a bit), but a lot of
104Sport AviationJune 2014
homebuilt designers have gone the route
Aeroncas chief engineer Raymond Hermes
took when he designed the Model 7 Champ.
He looked at the competitionspecically
the iconic J-3 Cubmade a list of its weak-
nesses (blind, slow, narrow, etc.) and designed
an airplane that was none of the above. And
thats the approach many homebuilt design-
ers have taken when they took aim on the
STOL/bush/utility market. The result is that,
although we have a bunch of Super Cub
almost-clones, we also have a generation of
aircraft designs that in many ways are totally
new. They have taken what weve learned
about aerodynamics, engines, and structures
in the last 70 years and have given the
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BONNIE KRATZ

homebuilder a shopping list of aircraft
that can do more than almost any certi-
ed STOL/utility airplane before them.
In fact, there is such a wide, incredibly
varied number of kits available that mak-
ing the what-to-build decision is hard.
There are, however, some basic guidelines
worth considering on the subject.
BUSH VERSUS UTILITY VERSUS REALITY
It would be interesting to know how
many of the airplanes we see oating
around with 31-inch bush wheels actu-
ally get out in the bush. It would also be
interesting to see how many landing
spots actually require such big tires. We
have an obvious parallel here with the
jacked-up 4-by-4 trucks that we see on
the street. Almost none of those trucks
actually get dirty, and few actually go
places they need four-wheel drive and
tree-climber tires. I personally love the
photos sent back from some of the popu-
lar backcountry strips that showcase a
Super Cub with hyper-fat tires. But,
when you look in the distance, you can
see a stock 182 on the same runway.
The bottom line is that you dont need
a hard-core, super-modied bush bird
thats capable of landing on a tennis court
to visit 98 percent of the runways and
landing spots that are available to us out
KNOWN AVAILABLE KITS/PLANS
A quick note here: I assembled this list using what sources I had,
but Im betting Ive missed some. If so, it was inadvertent, so
dont send me nastygrams. I apologize ahead of time.
in the boondocks. Just about any of the
Bearhawk four-place, Patrol two-place, LSA
STOL homebuilt designs that are com- www.BearhawkAircraft.com
monly available to us are capable of
operating out of runways that almost CubCrafters
www.CubCrafters.com
none of us would willingly land on. Youd
be amazed how many homebuilt designs Dakota Cub
http://DakotaCub.com
are happy with 300 to 500 feet of runway.
But, if youve never seen it, youd be Javron Super Cub Kitnew oering
equally amazed at how short 500 feet http://JavronInc.com
looks, when youre on nal. Just Highlander and SuperStol
Incidentally, the length of the runway www.JustAircraft.com
is only one of the challenges. The runway Kitfox
surface (rough, sloped, slick, etc.) com- www.KitfoxAircraft.com
bined with the approach (trees, mountains, Mackey SQ-2/Backcountry Super Cubs
angled/turning approach) and the envi- www.SuperCub.com
ronmental factors (wind, temperature, RANS S-7
altitude, etc.) can make a reasonably long www.RANS.com/aircraft/home.html
runway short regardless of how it looks. Texas Sport Cub (Legends kit oering)
www.Legend.aero/shop
WHATS YOUR MISSION?
Zenith CH 750 STOL & Cruzer
Then theres the question of dening www.ZenithAir.com
your mission: What is it that you actually
Sort of STOL
want to do with the airplane? A lot of
folks get hung up on a design that AirCam
www.LockwoodAircraft.com/index.htm
YouTube shows landing on the top of a
10-foot-square needle of rock in the mid- BushCaddy
dle of a mountain range, forgetting that http://BushCaddy.com
only one person was on board, it was Glasair Sportsman
blowing like the hammers of hell, it was www.GlasairAviation.com
cold and the airplane cruises at 72.5 mph, Murphy
and the pilot has 6,400 hours in it. Yes, it www.MurphyAir.com/murphyair/default-2.html
lands and takes off short, but is that the
www.eaa.org105
H
ANDS ON
SHOP TALK

primary ingredient in your mission state-
ment? You do have a mission statement to
guide you in picking a design, dont you? If
not, sit down right now, pencil (or computer)
in hand, and, in 25 words or less, summarize
what you want to do with the airplane.
This statement should include thoughts
about how your family will work into the
equation and whether you actually need two
seats or if you will y alone most of the time.
Or maybe your wife and kids like to go with
you, then two seats may not be enough. Or
maybe you really do want to visit the back-
country, but you need to carry camping gear
with you so useful load becomes a factor.
Plus maybe youre not really comfortable
landing on anything shorter than 1,000 feet.
Or maybe you want to y it out of your 600-
foot backyard, so short takeoff and landing
actually is the primary decision factor.
When the foregoing mission parameters
work their way into the what-to-build process,
you may realize that youve just moved away
from pure bush birds into utility machines
that need to do much more than simply get on
and off short. Dont kid yourself, however;
every one of them is perfectly happy on run-
ways that are probably much shorter than
most of us are comfortable challenging.
HOWS YOUR FLYING SKILL?
Actually, the foregoing is a dumb question. It
doesnt need to be asked because skill is one
of those things that can be learned by anyone.
In fact, the number of ight-training opera-
tions that specialize in teaching short-eld
and mountain ying is steadily increasing. So
the question should actually be, Are you will-
ing to invest the time and money to learn how
to handle the airplane in all situations?
If youre not crazy about rising to the
learning challenge, dont worry about it
because a lot of folks really dont like walking
a tightrope and really dont want to invest the
time, money, and effort to develop the skills
needed. This doesnt make them bad people.
It just means they derive their ying pleasure
from more middle-of-the-road situations.
That does not mean that they should stay
away from backcountry aviation. It just
means they should set comfortable operating
limits for themselves and dont step across
them without an experienced hand on board.
The differences in the skill and hardware
requirements between really serious bush
ying and backcountry ying are huge. A
well-trained private pilot can enjoy ying into
most commonly available backcountry strips,
but he has to recognize, accept, and mitigate
the elevated risks associated with doing so.
HOW FAR AWAY IS THE CLOSEST BUSH?
And speaking about reality, are you even
within striking distance of off-airport strips?
There are very few parts of the country that
dont have some sort of off-airport runways,

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at 3:00 p.m. Sunday, August 3, 2014, at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Show Center, EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, 3000 Poberezny
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106Sport AviationJune 2014

but to get to seriously interesting (read that
as scary but fun) runways sometimes
means traveling a few hundred miles. This is
where the cruise speed becomes a factor.
Unfortunately, a super STOL bird that can
actually land in 100 feet is quite often fairly
slow cruising, and just getting there can be
tedious. And, when you get there, theres a
high probability that being able to land in
100 feet is huge overkill. That is not a bad
thing. Being able to land in 100 feet when
you have 800 feet of runway is a large and
welcome safety margin, so the skill demands
arent as high. This is one of the advantages
of these types of airplanes.
WILL YOU BE ALONE?
What about ying partners? Backcountry
and bush ying is best looked at the same
way that we look at scuba diving. Both are in
high-risk environments and are not smart to
do alone, unless youre forced. Underwater
and in-the-air adventures both include one
basic fact: We are totally dependent on a
machine for our survival. In either case, if
our machine fails us, were in a world of hurt
and in desperate need of help. So, the smart
money works in pairs. Then, if something
goes wrong, you at least have someone who
knows where you are and can go for help, or
render assistance if its needed.
WHAT BUILDING MATERIAL DO YOU PREFER?
The question about building material is
almost but not quite a moot point, because
with the exception of the Zenith, Murphy,
and BushCaddywhich have all-metal offer-
ingsnearly all of the available kits are a
variation of rag and tube. A few, e.g.,
Bearhawks three birds (Bearhawk four-
place, Patrol, LSA), have all-metal wings but
a rag/tube fuselage and tail. Also, all avail-
able kits are taildraggers with the exception
of the all-metal birds. So, take your pick.
SUMMARY
There is an entire world of off-airport adven-
ture out there that is available to the
homebuilder who is also a properly trained,
experienced pilot. However, its not without its
risks, so dont assume that it is for everybody.
In fact, if a pilot has a good enough attitude,
meaning he doesnt work at developing his
skills and/or doesnt recognize the risks repre-
sented, he should stay away from it. If,
however, the call of the wild is irresistible, seek
out experts in the eld regarding both the air-
craft themselves and, more important, the
specialized ight training that is the founda-
tion upon which all of this is built. Enjoy.
Budd Davisson, EAA 22483, is an aeronautical engi-
neer, has own more than 300 dierent types, and has
published four books and more than 4,000 articles. He is
editor-in-chief of Flight Journal magazine and a ight
instructor primarily in Pitts/tailwheel aircraft. Visit him
on www.AirBum.com.
www.eaa.org107
 p.110 Pilot Caves p.113 News From HQ p.118 Board of Directors Nominees p.123 Gone West p.124 Members/Chapters in Action

QUESTIONS ABOUT
YOUR MEMBERSHIP?
Want to change your address
or need other assistance? EAAs
Membership Services sta is
available to assist you Monday
through Friday from 8 a.m. to
6 p.m. and on Saturdays from
8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Central time).
Call 800-564-6322 (800-JOIN-EAA),
e-mail membership@eaa.org, or
visit www.EAA.org/membership.

EAA AIR ACADEMY

Each summer since 1984, 350 to 400 young adults,

ages 12 to 19, from around the world gather at the
EAA Air Academy Lodge for an immersive, six- to
nine-day aviation experience. Students explore
aviation through classroom discussion, hands-on
experiences, and activities that build character and
life skills.
Ethan Mooney, EAA 1075934, found out about
the EAA Air Academy at his local airport. This
experience was great! The camp sta was
professional in all that they did. I wouldnt change
a thing. Visit www.EAA.org/airacademy for more
information, including curriculum, dates, fees,
and scholarships.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM KOEPNICK www.eaa.org 109

MEMBERCENTRAL
PILOT CAVES

Pilot: Ron Alexander, EAA 137890

Location: Brook Bridge Aerodrome (8GA9), Vaughn, Georgia

FOR THE PAST 20 YEARS, Ron Alexander has housed an as-

sortment of antique airplanes in his 60-by-75-foot cave
that includes a 1931 Stearman Model 6 Cloudboy (one
of only three remaining), a Waco YMF-5, a 1941 J-3 Cub
(that he has owned since 1973), and on occasion, a 1917
Curtiss JN-4 Jenny that just came out of an extensive
restoration process.
The hangar is attached directly to Rons house, and to
keep himself dry from a stray Georgia rainstorm, he even
has access to it from the basement.
Numerous aviation mementos adorn the walls of his
hangar, and he also incorporates a large mezzanine to
store old airplane parts for future restorations.
Ron is a Vintage Aircraft Association director, and his
hangar is more like an aviation bug light as it attracts
many EAA members, especially when a project like the
Jenny is under restoration.

Do you have an interesting pilot cave? Send a snapshot to

editorial@eaa.org to share your aviation space with fellow
EAA Sport Aviation readers.

110 Sport Aviation June 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF RON ALEXANDER

Take your rst step
WOMENSOAR YOU SOAR
July 28 - 31, 2014

Women Soar You Soar introduces 100 high school girls to

more than 20 women mentors, from engineers to ghter
pilots who work in the aviation and aerospace elds. This
four-day event during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is lled
with career exploration, discovery, inspiration, and fun.

To learn more or to enroll, visit

AirVenture.org/womensoar.

www.eaa.org111
 MEMBERCENTRAL
NEWS FROM HQ

CALLING ALL BREEZYS FOR

THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY
ONE OF THE MOST universally recognized
aircraft to emerge from the EAA homebuilt
movement marks its 50th anniversary this
yearthe RLU-1 Breezy, designed and con-
structed in 1964 by EAA members Charley
Roloff, Bob Liposky, and Carl Ungerand
EAA is inviting Breezy owners and operators
to bring their aircraft to AirVenture Oshkosh
2014 where a number of special activities are
being planned.
Registered as N59Y, the rst Breezy made
its initial EAA y-in appearance the following
year at the annual convention in Rockford,
Illinois, and a tradition was born. Among the
thousands of people who have experienced
ight in a Breezy are Sen. Barry Goldwater,
actor Cliff Robertson, the entire Concorde
crew, Apollo astronauts, and many others.
N59Y, along with a Carl Unger mannequin, is
now proudly displayed in the Homebuilt area
of the EAA AirVenture Museum.
Activities during the week include special

Get Ready for assigned parking for Breezys; Breezy ybys

during the week; a planned Breezy forma-
tion ight, including a missing man salute for

Kenny Loggins Carl Unger; and presentation of the rst Carl

H. Unger Award of Excellence during the
annual EAA Homebuilders Dinner Thursday
Hit-maker to play opening night concert presented evening, July 31.
by Ford Motor Company Before the convention, a pre-departure
barbecue is planned just south of Chicago
at Bult Field (C56) the day before airplanes
KENNY LOGGINS HAS been making hit music for the past four decades, depart for Oshkosh. Send an e-mail to Rob
and on Monday, July 28, opening day of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Unger at rubreezy@msn.com for more infor-
2014, hell perform at the EAA Plaza Stage presented by Ford Motor mation. And if youre a Breezy owner who
Company. The concert is free to all AirVenture attendees that day wants to participate but dont want to y your
and starts immediately following the afternoon air show as Loggins airplane to AirVenture, a ferry service is being
leads the Blue Sky Riders to open the show. organized. If interested, e-mail Rob.
Loggins remarkable career has spawned smash hits from
some of Hollywoods favorite soundtracks, including Footloose,
Caddyshack (Im Alright), and of course, the aviation enthusiast
favorite, Top Guns Danger Zone. Loggins experienced considerable
success earlier in his career with Dannys Song, House at Pooh
Corner, and the 1980 Grammy winner for Best Male Pop Vocal Per-
formance, This Is It.
Ford is proud to be the exclusive automotive partner with EAA for
more than a decade and pleased to enhance the experience for everyone
attending EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, said Kevin Keling, North America
corporate events manager for Ford Motor Company. Since 2006 weve
helped bring some of the biggest names in music history to the stage at
Oshkosh to kick off aviations annual reunion, and were eager to have
Kenny Loggins join that roster for the opening night concert.

www.eaa.org113
114Sport AviationJune 2014

REPLICA WORLD WAR I PLANES FLYING TO OSHKOSH
AIRVENTURE VISITORS WILL see several repli-
cas of World War I airplanes in Oshkosh this
year, including those from The Great War Fly-
ing Museum (GWFM), of Caledon, Ontario,
Canada. Commemoration activities of WWIs
centennial will include the museums Sopwith
1-1/2 Strutter, Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a,
Nieuport 28, and Fokker Dr.I.
We truly appreciate what Oshkosh is
and felt it was a must to be there this year,
said GWFMs Kees Van Berkel. Oshkosh is
Oshkoshthere is no other. On behalf of the
museum members and the board of directors,
were thrilled at the honor and privilege of tak-
ing part in the World War I aviation centennial.
Its something that you can only do once, so its
a great opportunity.
Fokker Dr.I - C-GFJK - Represents the
all-red triplane own by German pilot Man-
fred von Richthofen, better known as the Red
Baron. Completed and rst own in 1982, with
major rebuilds in 1993 and 2005.
MEMBERCENTRAL
Nieuport 28 - C-FEWL - Represents the
American Air Service with Hat in the Ring
markings based on serial No. 6159 as own by
American Ace Eddie Rickenbacker. The air-
plane was acquired by the museum as an unn-
ished project, completed in 1995, with a major
rebuild in 1996.
Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a - C-
GRJC - Carries the scheme C1904 of Canadian
Ace Billy Bishop of the Royal Flying Corps.
Completed in 1991 and built with original RAF
plans for wings and external dimensions of
fuselage. Powered by a Ranger 6-440-C5.
Sopwith 1-1/2 Strutter - C-FSOP - Colors
represent those of Canadian Sub-Lt. R.F. Red-
path of the Royal Naval Air Service. Completed
in 2004, its considered a rarity among WWI
replicas because of its two-seat ghter/obser-
vation conguration.
Look for further details and schedules of
World War I centennial commemoration ac-
tivities as they are nalized.
www.eaa.org115
MEMBERCENTRAL
NEWS FROM HQ
2014 EAA YOUNG EAGLES MUSTANG
RAFFLE OPENS
HELP SUPPORT EAAS Young Eagles program and other youth avia-
tion education initiatives by entering the annual EAA Young Eagles
Raffle for a grand prize 2014 Ford Mustang GT Convertible!
Tickets are now available for purchase at the EAA AirVenture
Museum in Oshkosh, but they will be available throughout the week
at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2014, July 28-August 3. A maximum of
1,500 tickets will be sold for $100 each.
The drawing for the car, as well as the second and third prizes
of $5,000 and $2,500, will be held on the Plaza at 3 p.m. on the nal
day of AirVenture, Sunday, August 3.
The 2014 Ford Mustang GT Convertible valued at $44,725 is
provided courtesy of Ford Motor Company and Kocourek Ford, of
Wausau, Wisconsin. All applicable taxes, including state and fed-
eral, are the responsibility of the winner. Ticket purchases are not
tax-deductible.
EAA AIRVENTURE 2014 NOTAM NOW
AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD
EAAS AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH 2014 Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) fea-
tures arrival and departure procedures for the 62nd annual y-in
convention scheduled for July 28-August 3 at Wittman Regional
Airport in Oshkosh, and you can download it now. You can also
order a printed copy at www.AirVenture.org/NOTAM or by calling
EAA membership services at 800-564-6322.
The NOTAM is in effect July 25-August 4 and outlines pro-
cedures for the many types of aircraft that y to Oshkosh for the
event, as well as aircraft that land at nearby airports.
This years NOTAM cover features a photo of Vans RV aircraft
on the runways of Wittman Regional Airport. It was designed by
the FAA, in partnership with EAA, to assist pilots in their AirVen-
ture ight planning.
For additional arrival and departure hints, visit
www. AirVenture.org/atc.
116Sport AviationJune 2014
Name: Susan Levitte, EAA 770337
Position: Manager of Business Relations Marketing
WHOS WHO AT HQ
How long have you been a pilot? I am a student pilot work-
ing toward soloing. I am currently getting training in a Cessna
172 through EAAs Flying Club.
Most unique EAA experience? I have been lucky to repre-
sent EAA at the last three Sun n Fun shows. The rst year I
gave three EAA members a ride to our hospitality tent from the
Sun n Fun Vintage gate. The second year I just happened to be
waiting for an aircraft to taxi, and the same three gentlemen
walked by. I gave them a ride for the second time to the EAA
hospitality tent. This year they came to the EAA hospitality
tent just to see me and catch up on the last year. Hopefully we
will nally get to see each other at AirVenture this year. I hope
they are reading this, because I want them to know that seeing
them every year is special.
Who introduced you to aviation? I graduated from the
University of North Dakota with a degree in advertising. The
school has such a high concentration of aerospace science stu-
dents that you cant help but be introduced to aviation. I had a
roommate in aerospace sciences, and I can remember her prac-
ticing her radio calls and continuously checking the weather
to see if she could y that day. I believe she is a captain for an
airline now.
Fun aviation story: I grew up on a farm about 12 miles from
the Canadian border. When I was in junior high one of my jobs
around the house was to mow my parents giant lawn. I would
crank up the music on my walkman and sing along on the ve-
hour job. During this time the Air Force Base in Grand Forks,
North Dakota, would practice with their jets through our coun-
ty. As Im jamming to my walkman and driving a straight line
a shadow crosses the sun followed by a rumble that I felt over
the rumble of the lawn mower. It shocked me enough that I ran
into a small tree in the yard and took a nick out of the bark. I
got in trouble for nicking the tree, but they didnt get in trouble
for clipping the tops of the trees in the shelterbelt. Nothing was
fair in junior high!
What person in aviation would you want to have lunch with?
I have loved every WASP I have met. I would love to have lunch
with all of them and just laugh and hear their stories.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY AND BRADY LANE
MEMBERCENTRAL
2014 EAA Elections
Nominees for the EAA board of directors
EAA MEMBERS WILL HAVE the opportunity to elect seven Class I directors (three-year terms) at the organizations annual business meeting held dur-
ing EAA AirVenture Oshkosh on Wednesday, July 30, at 8:30 a.m. at the Theater in the Woods. The following 10 individuals have been nominated.
Marc Ausman,
EAA Lifetime 768933 (Incumbent)
Marc is founder and former president
of Vertical Power, a manufacturer of
electronic circuit breakers and power-
management systems for experimental
aircraft. In 2010, Vertical Power became
a charter member of the Green Flight
Project, a group of advanced-technology
companies with the goal to develop a new
hybrid electric/gas propulsion system for aircraft.
Previously Marc worked at Eclipse Aviation and early in his career
was involved with several venture capital-backed software companies
where he played a key role in dening the original product concepts,
conducting early market validation, launching new products, and
managing product groups through rapid growth. Marc holds a Master
of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin.
He earned his pilot certication in college and served with the U.S.
Navy as a naval ight officer on board the P-3C Orion. He has a com-
mercial pilot certicate with multiengine and instrument ratings and
ies an RV-7 that he built in 2006.
Richard Beattie,
EAA Lifetime 536575 (Incumbent)
Richard is the chief marketing and sales offi-
cer for Kawasaki USA, responsible for
marketing, sales, and product strategy for all
of Kawasakis recreation and utility products.
Previously he was responsible for marketing
and sales at Jaguar Land Rover North
America, eventually taking over the position
of executive vice president of marketing and
sales for Jaguar North America, and was chief commercial officer at
Fisker Automotive.
Richard owns and ies a Jaguar-edition A36 Bonanza.
Richard Beebe II,
EAA Lifetime 599975 (Incumbent)
Richard is an information technology profes-
sional at Yale University School of Medicine
and a liaison and consultant for Yale University
and Yale-New Haven Hospital on issues of net-
work security, rewalls, virtual private
networks, project design, and management.
He earned his pilot certicate in 1998 and
owns a 1974 Piper Warrior.
118Sport AviationJune 2014
Mike Goulian,
EAA Lifetime 259398 (Incumbent)
At age 14 Mike started his aviation career
when his father gave him a summer job
washing planes at his business, Executive
Flyers Aviation (EFA), so he could learn the
aviation business from the ground up. Mike
began ying lessons when he was 15 and
soloed the following summer.
Once out of college, Mike focused on com-
petitive aerobatics. In 1990, Mike became the youngest pilot to ever
become National Advanced Aerobatic Champion, and in 1995, he
became one the youngest champions in the elite Unlimited category. He
went on to compete in three Fdration Aronautique Internationale
World Aerobatic Championships and was ranked seventh in his last
World Aerobatic Championships in 1998.
After his fathers passing, Mike took over EFA and has enjoyed the
challenge. He spends much of his time there when not ying air shows.
Mike is very involved in the aviation industry and is a member of
the ICAS board of directors, an active aerobatic competency evalua-
tor, and an FAA safety counselor.
Keith Kocourek,
EAA Lifetime 331046 (Incumbent)
An avid pilot for more than 25 years, Keith
puts his aviation experience to good use y-
ing medical ights for Angel Flight. He has
been a supporter of EAA programs like the
Young Eagles and Gathering of Eagles, and is
a member of the EAA Presidents Circle.
Keith is the owner and president of
Kocourek Auto Group, an automotive com-
pany that currently has six dealerships in Wausau, Wisconsin.
Keith owns and ies a Beechcraft King Air, a Waco ZPF-7, and a
Super Cub oatplane.
Daniel Majka,
EAA Lifetime 90726 (Incumbent)
Dan, a former chemistry teacher, helped
start KidVenture at EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh 1999. He has served as volunteer
chairman of the area ever since. Dan was
awarded the EAA Presidents Award for
his work with chapters and youth educa-
tion and was a NASA Teacher in Space
shuttle candidate.

Dan is very involved with EAA and is a member of many pro-
grams and communities including First Wing; Founders Wing;
Presidents Circle; Eagle Squadron; Science, Math, and
Technology Blue Ribbon Panel; Teacher Advisory Panel; and
Speakers Bureau.
When hes not participating as a member in EAA Chapters 43,
101, 153, 252, 526, and 1414, Dan is speaking at the EAA Chapter
Leaders Academy and FAA safety programs. Dan judges at local y-
ins and has own more than 100 Young Eagles ights in powered
aircraft and gliders.
Darren Pleasance,
EAA 582487 (Incumbent)
Darren leads Googles Global Customer
Acquisition organization and prior to join-
ing the staff there was a partner at
McKinsey & Company.
Darren is active in the aviation community
and serves on the board of directors of the
International Aerobatic Club (IAC) and the
Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos,
California. As president of Northern California Aerobatic Club, he led
the local EAA chapter to become the largest IAC chapter in the country.
Hes logged more than 6,000 hours of ying time, holds an ATP
certicate, is a current CFI, and owns several experimental and certi-
ed light aircraft.
Charles Precourt,
EAA Lifetime 150237 (Incumbent)
A veteran of four space ights and member
of the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, Charlie
held several management positions within
NASA, including deputy program manager
for the International Space Station, chief of
the Astronaut Corps, and director of opera-
tions for NASA at the Gagarin Cosmonaut
Training Center in Star City, Russia.
Charlie retired as an Air Force colonel in 2000 and is the vice
president and general manager of the Space Launch Division at
Alliant Techsystems. He holds a degree in aeronautical engineering
from the U.S. Air Force Academy and is a graduate of the U.S. Air
Force Test Pilot School where he was an F-15 pilot, instructor, and
ight commander.
He built a VariEze that rst ew in 1987.
Paul Schafer, EAA Lifetime 202519
Paul is a commercial pilot and Eagle
Flights coordinator for EAA Chapter 186
with more than 3,000 hours and extensive
aviation experience. He is a retired major
general after 32 years with the United
States Air Force (USAF) and has a degree
in aeronautical engineering from
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He
completed U.S. Air Force pilot training,
MEMBERCENTRAL
and went on to command at the squadron, group, and
wing levels.
Paul was an outstanding graduate of the USAF Fighter
Weapons School, and was twice named the A-10 Instructor Pilot
of the Year. He was awarded the Lance P. Sijan Leadership
award for his combat command in Southwest Asia, and flew
more than 40 combat missions over Southern Iraq.
Pauls first homebuilt project was a self-launching com-
posite glider, and his current project is building a Onex in
his garage.
Eric Whyte, EAA Lifetime 357260
Eric attended EAAs Air Academy in 1990,
and later became the first Young Eagle to
return to the program as a pilot. He has
flown more than 450 Young Eagles.
Eric has attended AirVenture since 1977
and has taken on many roles and served as
co-chairman of homebuilt parking during
his 30 years as a volunteer. He is the chair-
man and co-founder of the AirVenture
Cup Race and volunteers at EAA Radio, co-hosting the afternoon
Traffic Jam show. In 2013, he joined the Ford Tri-Motor Tour
program as one of the volunteer pilots.
A corporate pilot and ight instructor, Eric ies a Falcon 50EX
for a living, owns and ies an RV-6 and RANS S-12S, and is cur-
rently restoring a Sonerai II. He is the president of EAA Chapter 18
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and vice president of Vintage Aircraft
Association Chapter 11 in Brookeld, Wisconsin.
BOARD ELECTION PROXY PROCEDURE
The best way for any EAA member to vote for the organizations directors, or make
your voice heard on other issues, is by attending the annual membership meeting
held each year during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.
While attendance in person is not practical for many people, all EAA members are
entitled to vote at the annual membership meeting, whether they are present in
person or not. If a member is unable to be present, he may instead vote by proxy. A
proxy is nothing more than the appointment of someone else (the proxy holder) to
vote at the meeting on behalf of the member.
Keep in mind that a proxy is not the equivalent of a mail ballot, which a member
can mail to the organization as his vote. Instead, as a matter of Wisconsin state law,
the member is required to deliver or mail the proxy to the holder (or to someone
acting on behalf of the holder). The proxy holder then casts the members vote at
the meeting.
The ocial proxy EAA sends to each member designates Jack Pelton, Dan Schwinn,
and Jim Phillips as holders. If these proxy holders are suitable to the voting mem-
ber, the proxy should be signed and mailed back to EAA. If you wish another person
to serve as your proxy, your form should be mailed or delivered to that person, so he
or she may submit it. EAA is not legally required nor practically able to assume the
responsibility for assuring that proxy forms that name other persons as holders are
separated and delivered to those named holders.
If you have any further questions regarding the proxy system, please contact
EAA headquarters.
www.eaa.org119
 Sheet Metal for
Kit Aircraft
EAA SportAir Workshop instructor Mark Forss walks
you through the terms, tools, and skills required to build
the aircraft of your dreams. Visit ShopEAA.com or call
1-800-564-6322 to order or for more information.

$
29 .95
$29.95 is the EAA Member price.
Non-member price is $36.95.

ShopEAA.com | Copyright 2014 EAA

120Sport AviationJune 2014

AdsJUNE.indd 27 5/20/14 8:26 AM
 LEAVE YOUR LEGACY
Leave a lasting legacy of your name, or your loved ones through these exclusive EAA tribute products.

Memorial Wall
Celebrate and honor the lives
of those who have loved and
supported aviation and that
have now gone west. Make
your contribution by April
21, 2014 for inclusion in our
AirVenture 2014 ceremony.
Visit EAA.org/memorial
to learn more.
Brown Arch
Purchase your brick by
June 13, 2014 and have it
placed for AirVenture 2014
to leave your mark at the by purchasing a brick at the
Gateway to Aviation.
Visit AirVenture.org/arch
to learn more.
Compass Hill Autumn Blaze Maple Trees
Become part of the timeless Beautify the AirVenture
tribute to the Spirit of Aviation grounds while providing
and those who support it much needed shade by
planting one of these
summit or entry plaza of colorful trees in your name.
this monument. With your
contribution by May 31, 2014, Visit EAA.org/beautification
your brick will be installed by to learn more.
AirVenture 2014.
Visit EAA.org/compasshill
to learn more.

Fly. Drive. Save.

EAA has used its strength in numbers to negotiate
discounts on rental cars with Avis, Budget and Hertz.
> Receive a discount of up to 25%
> Rent vehicles at thousands of FBOs
and major airports across the country
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After landing, EAA Travel Choices

will take you the nal mile.

Visit EAA.org/travel for more information.

122Sport AviationJune 2014


Gone West
Not alone into the sunset but into the company of friends who have gone before them.
ARIZONA
Albert Lanktree (EAA 129), Tucson
Felix Matusky (EAA 153158), Scottsdale
CALIFORNIA
John Brookshier (EAA 879449), El Dorado Hills
Harry Dellicker (EAA 40059), Porterville
Gerald Gabe (EAA 229050), Hollister
Louis Goodell (EAA 73695), Livermore
Larry Graves (EAA 101629), Montague
Mike Loughran (EAA 1085233), Napa
Paul Satur (EAA 551429), Gridley
Capt. Horton Tatman (EAA 137211), Vallejo
COLORADO
Harold Meyer (EAA 633500), Centennial
FLORIDA
Arnold Allen (EAA 8922), Clearwater
John Becker (EAA 647823), Fort Myers
Lee Gollwitzer (EAA 726359), Port Orange
John Phillips (EAA 77810), Mulberry
GEORGIA
Bobby Bridges (EAA 279793), Newnan
Robert Keiser (EAA 1072421), Moreland
Gary Myers (EAA 1661), Gainesville
ILLINOIS
Michael Jack Billeter (EAA 149249), Byron
Wendell Skip Hushaw (EAA 119473), Aurora
Wade Kaiser (EAA 813409), Bloomington
Darrel Whynot (EAA 127971), Barrington
Thomas Zwica (EAA 496398), Geneseo
INDIANA
Bruce Creek (EAA 735781), Remington
Herbert Gilmore (EAA 510794), North Webster
David Hamilton (EAA 48226), Anderson
R.D. Kelly (EAA 263283), Fort Wayne
Bill Reidy (EAA 82805), Hoagland
IOWA
Robert Campbell (EAA 1110024), Oskaloosa
KANSAS
Randall Fisher (EAA 78423), Benton
Donald Stovall (EAA 711352), Burden
KENTUCKY
John Hancock (EAA 484206), Richmond
LOUISIANA
Steve Wilson (EAA 1079355), Bossier City
MICHIGAN
Alden Green (EAA 93184), Jackson
Richard Maher (EAA 341177), Beaverton
MINNESOTA
Michael Niccum (EAA 373217), Webster
MISSISSIPPI
Theron Hearon (EAA 580266), Hattiesburg
David Roberts (EAA 232147), Blue Springs
MISSOURI
Jerome Brondel (EAA 549152), Eldon
NEVADA
Glenn Elliott (EAA 454342), Las Vegas
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Peter Khanbegian (EAA 516235), Windham
NEW JERSEY
Sheridan Spike Harrod (EAA 9478), Oakland
NEW MEXICO
Max Derse (EAA 235455), Las Cruces
NEW YORK
William Beard (EAA 359745), Wynantskill
Bob Campbell (EAA 398921), Randolph
Earl Dubert (EAA 825263), Silver Creek
Frederick Hmiel (EAA 14265), Albany
Ivan Kaye (EAA 595759), Forestport
Richard Popielarczyk (EAA 413075), Schenectady
NORTH CAROLINA
Tom Schwartz (EAA 717646), Cary
OHIO
Russell DeLombard (EAA 13999), Huron
Herman Leew (EAA 465398), Dayton
William Rusty Zeigler (EAA 874080), Manseld
OKLAHOMA
Terry Tandy (EAA 881954), Claremore
David Tipton (EAA 1002730), Tulsa
OREGON
Don Corn (EAA 860679), Bend
Murray Crowe (EAA 1080671), Terrebonne
John Lorence (EAA 66691), Independence
MEMBERCENTRAL
PENNSYLVANIA
Victor Melnick (EAA 106103), Mount Bethel
Carl Zettlemoyer (EAA 797750), Kutztown
SOUTH CAROLINA
Leonard Gallman (EAA 331308), Cowpens
TENNESSEE
David Carter (EAA 818500), Nashville
TEXAS
Fred Boyd (EAA 378090), Houston
Robert De Leon (EAA 154292), Sugar Land
William Haddock (EAA 1003375), San Antonio
Michael Ritschard (EAA 1026730), Natalia
Tom Saylor (EAA 1093220), Burleson
David Turner (EAA 883562), Quinlan
VERMONT
Timothy Stinson (EAA 627691), Brattleboro
VIRGINIA
Glenn Gilbert (EAA 826019), Sandston
WASHINGTON
William Cook (EAA 59092), Marysville
Kurt Goekler (EAA 452236), Port Angeles
WEST VIRGINIA
Charles Pickering (EAA 98599), Williamstown
John Reger (EAA 1054278), Belington
William Yoak (EAA 744992), Maxwelton
WISCONSIN
David Caddock (EAA 512240), Kenosha
Alvin Draeger (EAA 244486), Janesville
Lucian Frejlach (EAA 13463), Oshkosh
Charles Gilbert (EAA 311039), Oshkosh
James Quinn (EAA 292374), Wauwatosa
Wayne Spence (EAA 46237), Green Bay
Frank Van Bree (EAA 362634), Mosinee
Richard Wicks (EAA 142348), Kenosha
WYOMING
Thomas Coey (EAA 318946), Pavillion
Bob Spencer (EAA 725199), Moose
CANADA
W. Berge (EAA 93834), Powell River, British Columbia
www.eaa.org123
MEMBERCENTRAL
MEMBERS/CHAPTERS IN ACTION
From Polishing Bombers
to Private Pilot
Student selected for Tubreaux Aviation ight-training scholarship
MATTHEW CALLAHAN, an 18-year-old high school senior from
Bellevue, Nebraska, will get the opportunity of a lifetime this June
when he travels to Shreveport Downtown Airport in Louisiana and
learns to y at Tubreaux Aviation. Matt, EAA 863129, received a
complete private pilot training experience offered by Tubreaux to
a previous EAA Young Eagle between the ages of 18 and 21.
He received the good news when he got home from classes at
Bellevue West High School. I wasnt expecting it at all, Matt said.
I really feel fortunate to be selected for this incredible scholarship.
I was told to be ready for four weeks of nonstop ying and to
expect to solo within a week or so, he added. By the Fourth of
July I should be a pilot. While in Shreveport, Matt will live in a
hangar apartment provided by Tubreaux Aviation.
Were all really excited, and look forward to Matt coming
down, said Jeremy Williams, chief pilot for Tubreaux Aviation.
Well work fast, safely, and hopefully provide him with a wide
aviation experience so he learns as much as possible.
EAA has been a large part of Matts life since the end of
June 2008 when EAAs B-17 Aluminum Overcast made a tour
stop at Plattsmouth Municipal Airport (PMB), south of Omaha.
124Sport AviationJune 2014
After much cajoling, Matts mom Kathy
recalled, she and husband Bruce took him
to the airport so he could see a Flying
Fortress up close.
What was supposed to be a visit lasting
a couple of hours became an all-day affair
as Matt could not get enough of the aircraft.
EAA tour coordinator Pam Workman, EAA
412822, noticed the boys interest in the
airplane and asked if hed like to come back
in the morning to help polish it up.
Matt returned the following morning
and again the next day. During that time he
met several chapter members, even took his
rst Young Eagles ight in a Piper Cherokee.
That was when I think he decided he
wanted to y, Kathy said. Sealing the deal
was the tours offer to allow Matt and his
dad to y in Aluminum Overcast to help ll
out one of the tour stops nal ights.
Soon the family joined EAA, and Matt
attended chapter meetings. Several members
took him under their collective wing, as well
as up in their airplanes. Matt also attended
four EAA Air Academy sessions and is in
the Gen. Curtis E. LeMay Offutt Composite
Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol.
The Callahans have attended EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh several times. We
just turn Matt loose in Warbird Alley and
ask him to text us when he leaves, Kathy
joked. Indeed, Matts goal is to become
qualied someday to be a pilot in command
of Aluminum Overcast. Hes passionate
about that plane, Kathy said.
Matt will begin college in the fall at the
University of Nebraska-Omahas Aviation
Institute where he plans to major in
aviation-professional ight and become a
professional pilot. If all goes according to
plan in Shreveport, hell have a pretty good
head start on that goal.
 MEMBERCENTRAL

EAA/DAHER-SOCATA SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS BOUND FOR FRANCE

GRACE HUSETH, said Nicolas Chabbert, president/CEO of Keck is a sophomore at the University
of Tucker, Socata North America. They will spend of Wisconsin in Madison majoring in
Georgia, and time with our team in France, gaining engineering mechanics. He already holds
Michael Keck, expertise in their elds of interestsuch as a private pilot certicate and teaches
of Oshkosh, marketing, production, organization, design, aviation theory to fellow college students.
Wisconsin, are support, and service. Keck plans to become an aerospace
Grace Huseth Michael Keck recipients of Huseth is a senior at Georgia Southern engineer, with a special affection for design
the 2014 EAA/ University in Statesboro, majoring in and computation.
Daher-Socata International Scholarships. communication arts.
The internship program, now in its eighth Her career goal is to
year, provides each recipient with a ve-week support the aviation WELCOME, NEW LIFETIME MEMBERS
internship at Daher-Socatas Tarbes facility industry through
Park Adikes (EAA 75699), East Williston, New York
in France, followed by a week at the EAA communications
Amy Baker (EAA 1112738), Muskego, Wisconsin
Air Academy in Oshkosh where theyll help within an aviation Brian Baker (EAA 1112737), Muskego, Wisconsin
Socata during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2014. company or as Jessica Barnier (EAA 1111236), Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
This opportunity gives a one-of-a-kind an aviation busi- J. Bender (EAA 137991), Covington, Kentucky
experience for the internship recipients, ness reporter. Gus Breiland (EAA 1112112), Minneapolis, Minnesota
Ed Cooper (EAA 1030078), Austin, Texas
James Doherty (EAA 162823), New Hudson, Michigan
Jerey Erikson (EAA 678506), Chicago, Illinois
Jerey Guy (EAA 718333), Centerburg, Ohio
Michael Joseph (EAA 1115910), Karnes City, Texas
IN THE JUNE ISSUE of EAAs Chapter Video Magazine, take a Jennifer Kreidler (EAA 712410), Maribel, Wisconsin
tour of EAA Chapter 292 in Independence, Oregon, where Philip Maschke (EAA 1009066), Winter Haven, Florida
chapter members are building not one but ve DH.2 World John Moll (EAA 716652), Easley, South Carolina
War I replica aircraft. Then get a look at EAAs efforts to Louis Paoli (EAA 365251), Rockford, Illinois
assemble a full crew of World War II B-17 veterans for a ight Michael Parks (EAA 395058), Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
Michael Scott (EAA 1086200), Prescott, Arizona
aboard our Aluminum Overcast. This months video also
Kimberly Slawinski (EAA 678518), San Antonio, Texas
features an update on the features and attractions coming to Terry Slawinski (EAA 678517), San Antonio, Texas
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2014. To watch this months video James Viola (EAA 17891), Alexandria, Virginia
simply attend an EAA chapter meeting near you. You can locate R. Walker (EAA 377964), Lake City, Florida
a chapter in your area at www.EAA.org. Michael Wolf (EAA 460022), Cincinnati, Ohio
Sharon Wolf (EAA 1138835), Cincinnati, Ohio

www.eaa.org125

Member Benefits Spotlight
MEMBERSHIP IN EAA makes aviation more fun, economical,
and accessible. Below are free and discounted programs
offered exclusively to EAA members. Join, renew, or
ask questions by visiting www.EAA.org/join or calling
800-564-6322 (800-JOIN-EAA).
PROGRAMS
EAA Aircraft Insurance - Obtain extensive liability and hull
insurance for all types of aircraft at an exceptional price. Ask for
the EAA Endorsement and get added benets, like zero deduct-
ible from day one, at no additional charge. Weve also designed a
plan unique to Canada (C-PLAN) with coverage for standard, ultra-
lights, amateur-builts, and kit planes. www.EAA.org/insurance,
866-647-4322 (U.S.) or 855-736-3407 (Canada)
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sonal insurance coverage that picks up where traditional life
insurance stops with coverage for nearly all aviation and non-avi-
ation activities at a fraction of the cost of amending existing life
insurance policies. www.EAA.org/insurance, 877-230-3252
EAA Visa Credit Card - Earn points to redeem for member-
ship renewal, gift memberships, travel, cash back, or more! Use
your card on purchases at Aircraft Spruce & Specialty and youll
also receive up to 10 percent off. www.EAA.org/visa
ASTC Museum Passport Program - Enjoy free access
to more than 300 museums and science centers worldwide.
www.EAA.org/passport
EAA Webinars - Attend free, weekly webinars with content
ranging from Flying Efficiently to Getting Started With
Ultralights. www.EAA.org/webinars
EAA Hints for Homebuilders Videos - Online videos featur-
ing easy explanations of aircraft homebuilding and maintenance
techniques. www.EAAVideo.org
EAA Flight Advisors - Flight advisors counsel members con-
sidering purchasing an aircraft, preparing for flight in a newly
built or restored aircraft, or looking to transition to an unfamiliar
aircraft. www.EAA.org/flightadvisors
EAA Technical Counselors - Experienced builders, restorers,
and mechanics volunteer their time to help you present a zero
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EAA Ford Tri-Motor Experience - Experience the
golden age of aviation aboard EAAs 1929 Ford Tri-Motor.
www.FlyTheFord.org
EAA B-17 Flight Experience - $40 off your flight as you stand
in the footsteps of the bombardier, the navigator, and the waist
gunner and relive history. www.B17.org
MEMBERCENTRAL
MEMBER BENEFITS
DISCOUNTS
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh - $15 off/day plus discounts on food,
access to camping, and more! www.AirVenture.org/tickets
EAA SportAir Workshops - $40 off hands-on workshops for
homebuilders. www.SportAir.com, 800-967-5746
EAA Merchandise - Discounts on select merchandise during
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh and on www.ShopEAA.com.
PSI LaserGrade FAA Tests - $10 off FAA written exam.
www.EAA.org/lasergrade
AirDocs - 10 percent off preparation and filing fees for an
FAA medical special issuance. www.EAA.org/airdocs
Ford Vehicle Partner Program - $400-$4,000 off the
purchase or lease of most new Ford and Lincoln vehicles.
www.EAA.org/ford
John Deere Partner Program - $35-$1,000 off the purchase
of equipment. www.EAA.org/johndeere
Hertz Rental Car - Free Gold Club Membership and up to
15 percent off vehicle rentals. www.EAA.org/hertz
COMMUNITIES
EAA communities are groups organized in a local community
or around a particular interest like an aircraft type. They
meet up, share advice, and work together on important
community projects.
EAA Chapters - www.EAA.org/chapters/locator
EAA International Aerobatic Club - www.IAC.org
EAA Warbirds of America - www.Warbirds-EAA.org
EAA Vintage Aircraft Association - www.VintageAircraft.org
EAA Ultralights - www.EAA.org/ultralights
EAA Homebuilders - www.EAA.org/homebuilders
www.eaa.org127
FLYMART & CLASSIFIED ADS

LANDING GEAR WHEELS & BRAKES

Grove www.groveaircraft.com

Aircraft Landing Gear Systems

1800 Joe Crosson Dr.
El Cajon, CA 92020
619-562-1268

128Sport AviationJune 2014

 AEROMEDICAL
FAA Medical Problems? We specialize in helping pilots, ATC,
etc., when FAA Medical Certificate problems occur. Professional
and affordable. ARMA Research, LLC, 920-206-9000
www.ARMAResearch.com

AIRCRAFT
Falco project, 20% completed, located Allentown PA, for details
wjhoman10@gmail.com
LED & CONVENTIONAL aircraft lights
Pitts S1 200hp, built by owner/licensed a&p, always hangared,
inverted fuel, low time engine, eager to sell, make an oer:
561-358-3044, rhodarug@aol.com

Marcel Jurca MJ-2 Tempete single place wood Project $3,500 or best
oer, David Thurston TA16 Seare 4pers metal amphibian project
$38,000 or best oer 613-738-1066

www.eaa.org129
CLASSIFIED ADS
Velocity 173 LW 75% nish in primer, wings by hanger 18, seats built,
rmolitor@tampabay.rr.com, 715-634-5055
Pietenpol Air Camper w/65 HP Cont, new wood prop. Motor & prop
$4K, entire plane $10K OBO 603-485-9658
Biplane Construction, Ron Walker A&P-IA, a1airplanemech@aol.com,
650-593-5010
KIS TR1 always hangared, $39,600. Details George: 517-536-1034
AIRCRAFT INSTRUMENTS
Eighteen years manufacturing AOAs www.riteangle.com
360-260-0772
Digital Altimeter & Gauges Adaptive Interfaces www.adaptint.com
BOOKS
A Wing Design Method for Aerospace Students and Homebuilders
offers 56 years of experience condensed into a simple, practical
design for metal wings. Youre walked thru the preliminary design
phase & to a final design that can be fabricated. Available from
the author, rsookey@swbell.net, Trafford Book Co, Amazon.com,
Barnes & Noble
WORLDS MOST POPULAR Aircraft Design Books @
www.aircraftdesigns.com/831-621-8760
ENGINES
Revmaster Engines for Sport Aircraft. Proven reliability since 1968.
Complete R-2300 85HP . Die cast. RevFlow injector carb 30-42mm.
Revmaster Aviation 760-244-3074. www.revmasteraviation.com
Lycoming IO-540-J4A5 with all accessories & mount from Piper
Aztec. Includes Air research Turbocharger, 609-238-6311 or
callahan_tom@hotmail.com
Lycoming Overhauled IO360A3B6D $23.5K more info 203-637-9670
thalheimsix@hotmail.com
Hirth Aircraft Engines: 15-110 HP. 1,000 hr rated TBO. 1 yr warranty.
Sales, service & parts. Highest power to weight ratio in the industry.
BlueMax 2-cycle aviation oil. Recreational Power Engineering 5479 East
Country Rd. 38, Tin, OH 44883. PH 800-583-3306 FX 419-585-6004.
Visit us on the web: www.recpower.com
VW Power from Great Plains Aircraft! Type 1 - 1600cc to 2276cc. Direct,
Reduction and Flywheel Drives. Kits and Parts. Engine packages for
all VW powered aircraft. Contact Great Plains Aircraft at 402-493-6507
or GPASC.com
Kawasaki pkg save 50%, engine, reduction drive, carburetor
& exhaust, 0-time, 64lbs, 40HP, J-Bird 262-626-2611
FLIGHT SCHOOLS
MOUNTAIN FLYING TRAINING: Exciting 1-3- day IFR & VFR courses in CO
& NM from $399 www.MountainFlying.org
LEGAL
Experienced Patent Attorney & fellow pilot ready to help you protect
& prot from your invention. Clients located across the US. Free
consultation & only quality work. Michael L Wise 914-879-4642
www.mlwise-law.com
MISC
Composites & Supplies - 37+ years of excellent customer service,
designers, manufacturers, materials. Always in stock: epoxy, polyester,
Vinyleter resin, carbon ber, Kevlar, lightweight fairing & bonding
compounds, Nida Core, PVC Foam Core, Vacuum bagging & vacuum
resin infusion supplies. Order online www.lbiberglass.com or call for
free catalog 800-231-6537, technical assistance
Canard Turnkey A totally new rugged utility aircraft possessing
extensive capabilities making it very competitive in both private &
commercial aviation. Contact Dan Maher (Individually responsible for
the design & development of the Velocity) 772-589-0510
SnapOn tool box KRL1023, maple top, tools & parts are GA, $7800,
580-612-2050
65 HP Continental $1500, motor mount $500, new Sensenich wood
prop $1500, 603-485-9658
130Sport AviationJune 2014
Centennial WWI, screen printed, Great War aviation T-shirts.
www.GrithAviationScreening.com
Uncommon Gifts for your home, hangar or oce. www.2nd-Sun.com
NOISE REDUCTION SILENCERS for all experimental & most certified
aircraft (STCd). US dealers wanted. Inquiries welcome at:
hello@carl.aero
PEDAL POWERED P-51 Mustang, fully detailed, prop goes around
when pedaled, steering by stick/tail wheel, for kids 3-7, $2500,
U pay 4 shipping, 406-837-1199
Business for sale. Manufactures fairings for Vans RV broker -
Ray 602-820-8590
Landing Gear-Wittman type rod gear since 1969. Contact Harmon
Lange 503-397-1478, harmon@langair.com
Holy Cowls - RV & Mustang II, www.jamesaircraft.com 850-342-9929
Aircraft wires from Bruntons of Scotland. Certied wires featuring
stronger rolled threads. AN665 stainless terminal assemblies. Call for
quote. Steen Aero Lab, (321) 725-4160. www.steenaero.com
www.terminaltown.com - Electrical supplies: Mil-Spec wire and
terminals, fuses, blocks, wire protection, tools and kits On-line catalog,
secure ordering sales@terminaltown.com
Carbon ber cowls for non-certied PA 18 aircraft. Selkirk Aviation,
208-664-9589. www.selkirk-aviation.com
BUILD YOUR OWN BOAT! Send $9.95 for catalog of over 300 boats you
can build, includes FREE Dingy plans. Glen-L, 9152 Rosecrans Ave/EAA,
Bellower, CA 90706, 888-700-5007. Online catalog: Glen-L.com/EAA
FLOATS BY ZENAIR 750# to 2500# straight & amphib kits
www.zenairoats.com
MAGAZINE ANNUALS EAA 1956-08 $100 AOPA 1958-08 $275 FLYING
1941-08 $290 EAA MANUALS-MISC $75 Details www.barraircraft.com
Jim Barr 570-368-3655
OSHKOSH/AIRVENTURE HOUSING
OSHKOSH BOUND? Visit Sleepy Hollow Farm - the closest
private RV campground to AirVenture. Call 1-877-438-6531 or
www.sleepyhollowfarm.com
2005 31 RV, Super Slide, sleeps 8, Gen. A/C, Queen ,shower.$1500/wk,
Setup, EAA Member.(920)727-0900. Will send pictures.
5 bdrms, Ripon, E-side, for AV14, $75 per person/night. Call Judy
920-748-7420 for details
OSHKOSH HOUSE FOR LEASE Four bedroom house next to Convention
grounds available for annual lease Call 1-877-438-6531
PARACHUTES
Pennsylvania Parachute Company-Pilot Emergency Parachutes
www.pennsylvaniaparachute.com, 610-317-2536
PLANS/KITS
Aircraft plans advertised in EAA Sport Aviation must have satised
the FAA minimum requirements of the Experimental Amateur-built
Category and must have been operated a minimum of 25 hours when
using an FAA certied engine or 40 hours with a non-certied engine
and should have satisfactorily demonstrated its advertised qualities.
The FAA Operation Limitation must have been amended to permit ight
outside the test ight area.
CLASSIC HOMEBUILT AIRCRAFT PLANS - Cozy Mark IV $500 Christavia
MK-1 $375 Christavia MK-2 $289.95 Christavia MK-4 $275 Starduster
One SA100 $115 Super Starduster SA101 $158.95 Starduster Too
SA300 $250 Starlet SA500 $125 Acroduster Too SA750 $125 V-Star
SA900 $195 Acrolite 1B $295 Wittman W10 Tailwind $195 Wittman
V-Witt Racer $95 Baby Great Lakes $295 Super Baby Great Lakes $295
Buddy Baby Lakes $275 One Design $376. Aircraft Spruce (951) 372-9555,
www.aircraftspruce.com
Volksplane-Complete VP-1 Plans $64 w/FREE Designers Handbook, Pilots
Handbook, builders photos & Flight Reports. www.volksplane.com &
www.evansair.com
LANCAIR IV P Wings Extended Fuel Cells Speed Brakes. Stabilizer &
Elevator Complete.$8,000.00 Right Wing 60% Complete.$12,000.00
Lift Wing 50Complete.$10,000.00 All Parts And Wing Cradles
402-540-5969 brownbird1@juno.com
RV Builders-Upper/lower gear leg intersection fairings
www.aerosu.com 507-635-5976
Skybolt plans $165, Pitts S1-C plans $250, S1-SS updates $100,
materials & components. Knight Twister plans: single $250,
two-place $285. Firebolt plans $275. Great Lakes plans $350.
Pilot & aircraft accessories. Steen Aero Lab, (321) 725-4160.
www.steenaero.com
11 Wooden low wing C. Piels designs. Catalog $25.00. S. Littner,
432 Hamel, St-Eustache, Quebec J7P 4M3 Canada, 450 974-7001,
slittner@videotron.ca
Pazmany PL-2-two place, all metal, plans $425. Light Sport Aircraft
Category: Pazmany PL-1 -two place, all metal, plans $425 (For
info, see website below). Light Sport Aircraft Category: Pazmany
PL-4A- single place, all metal, plans $375. Pazmany PL-9 Stork-
Two place STOL (Fieseler Storch, 3/4 replica) welded tube fuselage,
aluminum wing and empennage, fabric covered. Super detailed
plans (700 sq.ft.) $550. Mail plans: USA@0; Canada $35; Foreign
$80. PDF Info Packs $9 available at website below. PL-9 Stork
video or DVD $30. Mail: USA $5; Foreign air & ins. $24. Pazmany
Aircraft Corporation, P O Box 60577, San Diego, CA 92166. Tel:
619-224-7330, Fax: 619-224-7358; E-mail: info@pazmany.com,
www.pazmany.com
PROPELLERS
www.PerformancePropellersUSA.com. Two & Three Blade
Multi-Laminate Wood composite propellers for up through 300 HP.
713-417-2519
Ed Sterba Propellers Custom Carving for Homebuilts 513 68th St Holmes
Beach, FL 34217 941-778-3103
MT & Homann Propellers for aerobatic, homebuilt &
production aircraft. Call for quote. Steen Aero Lab, (321) 725-4160.
www.steenaero.com
REAL ESTATE
Airpark home Jackson Mi. 3BD 2BA Ranch, 25x30 heated hanger room
for larger, 3000 grass runway 517-569-2644
Island home for sale,1 acre private Island, .08 miles from EAA/Witt-
man. Newer stone A frame, 2 boat lifts, by owner 920-230-4240
Custom ranch, 6K sq ft, direct waterfront, serene & private, minutes
to Cranland Airport (28M) & Chapter 279! $699,900 781-582-6459,
tbl283@aol.com
Log Home 2/2 1,591 Sq Ft, 50 X 70 Hanger, 1.07 Acres in Kitty Hawk,
Live Oak, FL, vhroberts44@gmail.com
Brand New Hangars for Sale or Rent. Hayward Executive Airport (HWD),
California. 42 x 34 box hangars with electric bi-fold doors, internet
access, and re sprinkler protection. www.haywardhangars.com;
(888) 617-0300
SERVICES
Patent, Trademarks, Copyrights. Robert Platt Bell, Registered Patent
Attorney, EAA Member, 821 Riverview Drive, Jekyll Island, GA 31527.
robertplattbell@gmail.com. PH. 912-635-2147.
Caravella Aerospace: engineering design & analysis, Solidworks CAD &
FEA. www.caravella.aero/content/services
3D CAD, Lofting, Drawings, Rapid Prototypes, Machining. Michigan
Aerospace MSE. KESLLC38@GMAIL.COM (248) 486-2619
R D B Enterprises, Inc., Bolivar, OH 44612 330-874-3476
WANTED
Donate your airplane, project, boat or RV to Samaritan Aviation, a
charity that provides mission/medical services to remote areas of the
world. www.samaritanaviation.com 970-249-4341
Parts for Aeronca L-3 and/or TG-5 glider. Building a replica TG-5 for
EAA Museum. Contact Chuck Burtch, cburtch@windstream.net
 AT YOUR SERVICE: ADVERTISERS IN THIS ISSUE AD INDEX

ADVERTISER PAGE WEBSITE PHONE ADVERTISER PAGE WEBSITE PHONE

Advanced Flight Systems 19 www.Advanced-Flight-Systems.com 503/263-0037 Garmin 5 www.garmin.com 800/800-1020

AeroConversions 98 www.AeroConversions.com 920/231-8297 Glasair Aviation 89 www.glasairaviation.com 360-435-8533

AEROX 30 www.aerox.com 800/237-6902 Grand Rapids Technologies, Inc. 33 www.grtavionics.com 616/245-7700

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For more information from EAA Sport Aviations advertisers, please phone or visit them on the web, and mention that you saw their ad in EAA Sport Aviation. Visit www.EAA.org for a listing of this months advertisers.
Copyright 2014 by the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. All rights reserved. EAA SPORT AVIATION (USPS 511-720; ISSN 0038-7835; CPC#40612608) is owned exclusively by the Experimental Aircraft Assn., Inc. and is published monthly at the EAA Aviation Headquarters, 3000 Poberezny Rd.,
Oshkosh, WI 54902. Periodical Postage paid at Oshkosh, WI 54901 and other post offices. [U.S. membership rates are $40.00.] EAA STATEMENT OF POLICY Material published in EAA SPORT AVIATION is contributed by EAA members and other interested persons. Opinions expressed in articles are
solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. Accuracy of the material is the sole responsibility of the contributor. ADVERTISING EAA does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through our advertising.
We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to EAA SPORT AVIATION, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.

www.eaa.org131
EAAS LOGBOOK
WHERE WE CAME FROM

INSIDE THE ISSUE

Highlights from June 1964

Frank Murray, EAA 1357, Lynn Stevenson, and Roy Bowers pose with the
completely assembled, half-scale Jenny prior to covering.

Steve Snyders invention, N905Z, is caught in ight at Cameron Airpark

in Medford, New Jersey. The helicopter features coaxial rotors and has a
small tilting rotor at the top of the mast.

T
he recently completed Little Toot Puppy Feet by Walter
H. Prell, EAA 9623, of Des Plaines, Illinois, graces the
cover of the June 1964 Sport Aviation. Inside the issue
Frank Murray, EAA 1357, discusses building a half-scale Jenny;
theres coverage of the AAA Winter Fly-In, and a detailed article
by Rem Walker, EAA 11640, breaks down the cost of building
an ultralight in that year to $3,087.49. Arthur W.J.G. Ord-Hume,
EAA 8579, describes the history of the Aeronca C-2 and C-3 in The sociable tricycle, or the Aeronca C-3, G-AEFT, gleams in the sun at
his piece An Historical Reminiscence and states that it should Denham Aerodrome, England, after being entirely rebuilt.

have been referred to as sociable because of how cheap and

View archived issues of EAA Sport Aviation at www.EAA.org.
fun it was to fly.

132Sport AviationJune 2014

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