JACK J.
PELTON
The Best Oshkosh in Years
BY JACK J. PELTON
THIS WAS THE SECOND year that I have been directly involved in the
preparation and operation of our annual convention and y-in at
Oshkosh, and I continue to marvel at what we accomplish.
AirVenture is only possible because the EAA staff and member vol-
unteers work tirelessly for weeks and months before the convention.
This year the number of volunteers actually grew, from about
5,000 last year to more than 5,400 this year.
The monetary value of each volunteers efforts is enormous. But
what I have learned is that our volunteers are irreplaceable at any
price. Members from all over the country return to Oshkosh year
after year donating their time and labor. But more importantly, they
return with many years worth of intimate knowledge of just how
things work.
It was the same team effort that made this years rst AirVenture
performance by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds possible. The
Thunderbirds or the Navy Blue Angels have never own their show
at Oshkosh because the speed of their jets requires a larger aerobatic
box that must be unoccupied around the runway during their per-
formance. The size of that larger box includes businesses and
residences on the east side of Wittman eld.
But our airport neighbors graciously agreed to watch the perfor-
mance from a slightly more distant location, making it possible for
the Thunderbirds to perform. And the Thunderbirds were a hit.
Attendance on both Saturday and Sunday was up more than 20 per-
cent compared to previous years. And that was in spite of a
downpour that soaked us all just before the Thunderbirds ew on
Sunday afternoon.
Everywhere I went on the convention grounds during the week I
heard overwhelmingly positive comments. Sure, the pleasant tem-
peratures helped elevate everyones mood, but it was more than that.
There was a feelingdare I say itin the air that welcome change
had arrived.
The entire week was dedicated to remembering and celebrating
the life of our founder, Paul H. Poberezny. We began with a cere-
mony at the EAA Memorial Wall. Thousands signed their names to
giant posters commemorating Pauls life and achievements. And a
very special moment for me personally was presenting EAAs highest
honor, the Freedom of Flight Award, to Audrey Poberezny, the
woman who was absolutely as essential as Paul in creating and sus-
taining our association.
A part of Oshkosh that Paul would absolutely have loved was the
One Week Wonder project to build a Zenith CH 750 kit airplane dur-
ing the week. Thousands of people pitched in, and the airplane was
completed, engine running, and signed off for ight before our con-
vention closed. The project brought joy back to Oshkosh and
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY
COMMENTARY / TOWER FREQUENCY
demonstrated that it is within the reach of almost any-
one to build his or her own airplane.
There were more airplanes on the grounds than we
have hosted in many years. All available aircraft parking
spots were lled at several points early in the week. We
havent seen that since 2007, the last year before the start
of the global economic turndown.
There were also more people, though improvements
we have made to the grounds helped spread us out and
avoid huge areas of congestion. I heard good things
about our revamped food offerings, and there was high
praise for our greatly expanded evening entertainment
programs on Boeing Plaza.
A huge reason people come to Oshkosh is to see
whats new in all forms of personal aviation, and our
exhibitors didnt disappoint. We had fewer total exhib-
itors this year because we reduced the number of
non-aviation-related displays, but every visitor and
every exhibitor I spoke with had a positive experience.
In fact, several exhibitors told me that they had hosted
more interested and qualied sales prospects at their
display by Wednesday than they had the entire week
last year.
There are, however, no statistics that summarize what
everyone seemed to be feeling at Oshkosh. A corner has
been turned. Most of us are now feeling more positive
about the future and are investing again in our aviation
activities. And EAA is on track to include all in celebrat-
ing the thrill of personal aviation. What a great year.
www.eaa.org1
 A PUBLICATION OF THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Contents
Vol.63 No.9 | September 2014

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

54
Oshkosh 2014
COMMENTARY

01 Tower FrequencyJack J. Pelton

84

88
Stick & RudderUnplugged

What Went WrongA Steep Approach Stall

Seven days of nonstop aviation action
06 Letters to the Editor 92 Ill Never Do That AgainNew Years Day

68
What Are These Things?
18 Left SeatJ. Mac McClellan
Turned Into Night

HANDS ON
A look at ultralights and LSA 24 Flying LessonsLane Wallace
By Dave Matheny 94 What Our Members Are Building/Restoring
28 Savvy AviatorMike Busch

74
Beat the Clock Build
34 Light FlightDave Matheny
98

102
Innovation on the FlyBeen There, Drone That

Hints for HomebuildersA Dual Throttle Solution,

One week, thousands of volunteers, 40 Dream Build FlyBrady Lane Firewall Pass-Through
and we built a Zenith CH 750 Cruzer
By Charlie Becker 44 Plane TalkLauran Paine Jr. 104 Shop TalkWire-Edging

80
Engine-Out
48

NEWS & INFO

ContrailsJe Skiles MEMBER CENTRAL

109 Member Central 123 Member Benets

Accuracy Landings 110 Pilot Caves 124 FlyMart
Building pilot condence with short 10 Advocacy & Safety 112 News From HQ 125 Classied Ads
takeo and landing practice Governmental Issues 117 Gone West 128 EAAs Logbook
By John F. Miller 118 Members and
14 FlightlineIndustry News Chapters in Action

ON THE COVER: Jason Toney photographed Paul Pobereznys last airplane building project, the Corben Baby Ace. Kurt Mehre led members For more on many of the topics in this issue, visit www.SportAviation.org. To view and

of Chapter 640 to complete the project after Pauls death. The original Baby Ace appeared on the cover of Mechanix Illustrated in 1955. submit aviation events, visit www.EAA.org/calendar.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MELODY WOLLANGK www.eaa.org3

 Vol.63 No.9 | September 2014

EAA PUBLICATIONS
Founder: Paul H. Poberezny
Publisher: Jack J. Pelton, EAA Chairman of the Board
Vice President of Communities and
Member Programs: 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
Intern: Antonio Davis
Print/Mail Manager: Randy Halberg
Contributing Editor: Jim Busha
Contributing Writers: Charlie Becker, Mike Busch, Budd Davisson,
Dave Matheny, John F. Miller, Lauran Paine Jr., Mark Phelps,
Robert Rossier, Je Skiles, Lane Wallace

ADVERTISING
Vice President of Marketing and 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 AviationSeptember 2014

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
B-24 FORMATION STICKS
I ENJOYED THE ARTICLE by Jeff Skiles in the July issue of Sport
Aviation, Legacy of The Liberator. Jeff wrote, During the wind instead of choosing an available runway
war the Liberator was known to be a handful to fly in forma-
tion and could be fatiguing on long flights. I have an original
B-24 formation stick assembly that I would guess was
designed to address that problem. According to the restricted
autopilot manual on the B-24, there were two of these con-
trol sticks installed in the cockpitone to the left side of the
pilot, and one to the right side of the copilot. When activated,
they controlled the aircraft electrically through the autopilot,
and control could be switched back and forth between the
two sticks. Rudder and aileron were controlled simultane-
ously with left and right motion of the sticks, and elevator
with forward and aft movement.
_ mental oxygen use is always prudent even
John Evens, EAA 89223
Arvada, Colorado
6Sport AviationSeptember 2014
Keep Them Laughing
HEY DAVE, I just wanted to thank you for your
article Diary of a Lazy Pilot in Julys Sport
Aviation. I was literally in tears laughing.
Keep em coming!
_
Brandon Herzog, EAA 1144934
Mishawaka, Indiana
Was It Hypoxia?
AS IT IS IN MOST accident reports, it was inter-
esting to see how the NTSB arrived at their
conclusion in this case (Tailwind Leads to a
Stall, July 2014). What interested me the
most is the part of their confusion over the
pilots confusion as to what runway the pilot
chose considering that it was indeed down-
wind. The board almost touched on but didnt
seem to be interested in the fact the 79-year-
old pilot had spent five hours 15 minutes
flying at altitudes in excess of 8,000 feet.
Oxygen starvation brings on fatigue and in
particular mental fatigue. I discovered many
years ago that I made dumb little mistakes
mostly at the end of my long flights. These
mistakes were just dumb decisions and dumb
responses to controllers, nothing really dan-
gerous. I finally figured it out, and
supplemental oxygen is a big help in reducing
that fatigue and the dumb stuff. There was no
mention of supplemental oxygen being on
board that aircraft.
_
Lester Long, EAA 873972
North Olmsted, Ohio
We heard from many readers speculating that
hypoxia could have been a factor in the pilots
decision to land with a strong and gusting tail-
closely aligned with the wind. The NTSB report
does not mention the possibility of hypoxia,
though its likely investigators considered the
possibility. The big problem is that hypoxia
leaves no post-accident evidence. In this case
the pilot flying on an IFR clearance the entire
route performed perfectly routinely in commu-
nications, course, and altitude hold to follow
his clearance. Investigators look for deviations
in the recorded communications and flight path
to indicate possible hypoxia, but there were
none. We can never know for sure, but supple-
though this flight was at altitudes below the
requirement.Ed.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
WHAT CAN YOU TRUST?
I HAVE BEEN READING J. Mac McClellan for decades, and enjoy his
writing immensely, but I feel compelled to vehemently disagree
with him regarding his article on pilotage (What Can We
Trust?, Sport Aviation, July 2014) as Im sure multitudes of
readers will this month.
Situational awareness is in the head, not on a screen. Lest you
think that I am a curmudgeonly old technophobe, I y a Dassault
Falcon 7X for a living, so I do trust magical electronic boxes whilst
ying from point A to point B, and of course I embrace technology
that makes my travels safer and makes situational awareness easier.
Electronic aids are awesome in their accuracy and ease of use, but
basic ying skills are the same now as they were a hundred years ago.
_ als walking around airelds today. We are losing a
J.P. McLaughlin, EAA 1006342
Salem, Oregon
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 AviationSeptember 2014
I THOUGHT [MACS ARTICLE] was great. I recently
received my private certicate and questioned a lot
of the things they were asking me to learn, when
there was so much technology out there I was miss-
ing out on. I am a 51-year-old woman who learned to
drive cars with windows that had to be rolled up by
handthat doesnt mean I want to continue driving
that way. My car has modern electronics that make
me a better and more informed driver. I want the
same for my plane. I sure hope the FAA moves into
the current century and requires students to better
understand electronics and personal minimums.
_
Judie Hatton Mooney
Fredericksburg, Texas
YOU DO OUR INDUSTRY a great disservice when you
write garbage like this. Tell me, Mac. What exactly
is a real pilot or a real airplane owner? Its a
pilot who can land an LSA taildragger with a
25-knot crosswind component. Tried that lately?
Im guessing that would be a no.
_
Dana Holladay, EAA 482002
Jacksonville, Florida
I AM A CFI AND new EAA member and couldnt
agree more with how there is this disconnect
between skills that we often teach and those that
are really essential with todays technological
advances. No doubt Mac received some backlash
from his article, but the truth is in the number of
young pilots that never complete their private
pilots license and the general age of the individu-
generation of pilots because we are not evolving.
Thanks for the article.
_
Jose Raoul Fierro, EAA 1133934
Albany, California
SO, IT TURNS OUT that I am neither a real pilot nor a
real airplane owner despite 32-plus years of avia-
tion experience, 30 years of airplane ownership, and
22 years of ying in the USAF. Who told me this? Why
the editor in chief of our own agship publication.
How did he arrive at this conclusion? Well, I have the
audacity to y without a GPS or iPad. Shocking. My
choice to look out the window, use a sectional when
navigating my Taylorcraft, and y oddball maneu-
vers in my Pitts apparently bars me from the ranks of
real pilots. Harrumph.
_
Doug Jenkins, EAA 246063
San Antonio, Texas
ADVOCACY AND SAFETY
GOVERNMENTAL ISSUES

Administrator Addresses
Medical Reform at AirVenture
Proposed rulemaking in progress; exemption request shelved

IN A WELL-ATTENDED Meet the Administrator forum at EAA AirVenture survived on temporary funding bills for four
Oshkosh 2014, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta signaled that the FAA and a half years. He said that it is difficult
has completed a proposed rulemaking package that would signicantly for the agency to achieve long-term goals
change aeromedical certication for recreational pilots. Medical certi- if its available planning budgets last only
cation reform is easily the top current advocacy issue for EAA members, months at a time.
who had been expecting an update at Oshkosh. We need stability; we need a clear and
The proposed rule has been sent to the Department of Transporta- understandable framework to be provided
tion and then to the White Houses Office of Management and Budget by Congress for more than one year at a
for review. Huerta said that his goal is to have the proposed rulemaking time, Huerta said.
reviewed and submitted for public comment by fall. He did not go into
the details of the rulemaking package, citing the federal prohibition on
discussing contents of rulemaking and policy packages before they are
formally released to the public.
Huerta said that while he heard the general aviation communitys
resolve for aeromedical certication reform loud and clear, especially
in light of the 16,000 supportive comments offered by the public on the
EAA/AOPA medical petition, the petition itself was shelved for the time
being so the agency can focus on a permanent rulemaking solution to
the communitys chronic certication problems. The FAA staffers who
would complete language for the exemption are the same as those work-
ing on the rulemaking process, and Huerta said he does not want to allo-
cate resources in such a way that would prevent [the FAA] from expedi-
tiously completing the rulemaking process.
Huerta did not rule out the possibility of a temporary exemption be-
ing granted as the rulemaking process plays out, which could take as long
as two years. We are working very hard to tighten the time, he said. I
will tell you this: Its a very, very high priority.
In addition to aeromedical reform, Huerta conrmed his support for
the Additional Pilot Program, which allows homebuilders of certain kit
aircraft to use a qualied test pilot to y with them during the critical
rst ights of the aircraft. EAA worked closely with the FAA to develop
this policy, which was introduced as a draft advisory circular in July.
Huerta also addressed the FAAs funding status, observing that the
agency is up for reauthorization in September, and prior to 2012, the FAA

10Sport AviationSeptember 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY PETER LIANDER

FAA RELEASES DRAFT HANGAR USE POLICY
IN LATE JULY, the FAA unveiled its draft
policy for permissible uses of hangars at
airports that receive federal grant fund-
ing. The proposed policy, a response to
confusion in the aviation community
about hangar use policy stemming from
a series of legal interpretations over the
past 15 years, seeks to clarify the agencys
position on items and activities that
are allowed in hangars slated for aero-
nautical use.
For homebuilders, the draft policy
offers protections that never existed
previously in hangar-use guidance. Spe-
cifically, the new draft policy states that
final assembly of an aircraft constitutes
a protected aeronautical activity. Previ-
ously, homebuilders had no protection
from airports that demanded only fully
operating, airworthy aircraft could be
housed in hangars. While the FAA for-
mally accepts that final assembly of an
aircraft is an aeronautical activity,
EAAs comments to the agency will ask
the FAA to change the proposed policy
to recognize all active aircraft construc-
tion as an acceptable aeronautical use of
a hangar.
Before this policy was released to the
public for comment, the FAA did not
have a comprehensive, single-
point policy on hangar usage
at obligated airports. Instead,
the agencys policy was scat-
tered in a collection of orders,
legal interpretations, letters,
and court decisions, many
of which EAA considers to
be unduly restrictive for the
recreational aviation com-
munities at general aviation
airports. EAA supports the
agencys efforts to create a
hangar use policy because it
helps eliminate confusion
about appropriate hangar use for the only a bare minimum of aeronautical and
aviation community. flight-planning items in their hangars for
One significant point in the proposed fear of violating grant assurances, can
policy is the FAAs allowance for storage feel comfortable allowing their home-
of non-aeronautical items in hangars. field pilots to keep personal, social, and
The proposed policy language states decorative items in their hangars along
that incidental storage of non-aviation with aircraft.
items that does not interfere with the EAA will continue to advocate for
primary purpose of the hangar and occu- common sense policy that allows the
pies an insignificant amount of physical recreational aviation community to ex-
hangar space will not be considered to ercise the right to fly, build, and social-
constitute a violation of the grant assur- ize at airports with a minimum amount
ances. This means that airport manag- of regulatory oversight. Comments are
ers, many of whom who were inclined being accepted on this draft policy until
in recent years to force tenants to have September 5, 2014.

BUILDING AIRCRAFT IN HANGARS: ITS AN AERONAUTICAL ACTIVITY

BY SEAN ELLIOTT, EAA VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVOCACY AND SAFETY

HANGARS HAVE BEEN the home of aircraft
building projects since the pioneering days
of aviation. Here at EAA headquarters, we
have perhaps the best example of a 1930s
hangar that was used to construct an icon
of the homebuilding movement. The origi-
nal Pietenpol hangar, once owned by Ber-
nie Pietenpol, has been part of our Pioneer
Airport campus for many years. Imagine
how Bernie would have reacted if the then
Civil Aeronautics Administration had told him that his project
to design and build an experimental amateur-built aircraft was
not an aeronautical activity. While that sounds absurd, the
fact is that over the past decade there have been several court
rulings stemming from airport/tenant disputes stating that
construction of a homebuilt aircraft is not considered an aero-
nautical activity. Therefore, it is not protected under the FAAs
grant assurances, which are intended to ensure fairness at air-
ports that receive federal funding.
EAA has been working with the FAA Airport Compliance
Division to ensure a better understanding of why homebuilding
is so important to the whole aviation community. We have also
been striving to improve the agencys understanding of the so-
cial aspects of hangar usage and how passionate aviators like
to share their world with other like-minded folks in the com-
fort of their local hangars. This community aspect adds to the
overall vibrancy of aviation and is important for general avia-
tion growth. It is an important activity for all of GA!

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JONATHAN HARGER www.eaa.org11

ADVOCACY AND SAFETY
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
Formation Flight Safety
Part 4
BY CHARLIE PRECOURT, SAFETY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN, EAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
THIS MONTH I WANT to focus a bit on multiple aircraft formation
flight. But before I do, I have to correct a big goof I made in
Part 2 of this seriesyou can never do enough proofreading!
I described a two-ship wingman training exercise essentially
backward. My apologies, folks; its a great exercise designed to
teach you the relationship between power and lateral position-
ing on the wing. Heres the correct version, which notes bank-
ing away from lead creates an apparent motion of the wingman
ahead of lead (not aft).
Start out with your instructor stabilizing your aircraft in
the proper wing position in wing-level flight on the leader.
Then make a very slight bank angle input away from the leader
(2-3 degrees of heading change). What you will notice first is
an apparent motion ahead of the leader. If you are not closely
monitoring your triangulation reference, it will appear that
you are drifting ahead. In fact, what has happened is you have
increased your lateral spacing on lead, because of the heading
change. Since you are on a 30-45 degree staggered wing-line
reference, any move outward along this line also appears to be
a move forward. Your intuition is to reduce power. But all you
really need to do is bank back into the leader and you will come
right back to the original correct position! Perform this exercise
until you instinctively know that you are wide and need to bank
toward lead or that you are truly forward and need to reduce
power. Until you master this perception issue, you inevitably
find yourself in the power yo-yo, moving back and forth about
the desired position in large oscillations.
All of us who take up formation flight should only progress
to the next level of complexity once we are fully proficient
at the basics. The progression I like to follow is to focus on
flying as wingman of a basic two-ship first, including fingertip
maneuvering and rejoins as well as trail and wide formations.
Learning to fly as lead can then follow. Only after you have
mastered the two-ship flight techniques both as wing and
lead should you consider moving to larger formations.
12Sport AviationSeptember 2014
Refer to the FAST Formation Pilots
Knowledge Guide for a complete syllabus
of training (visit www.SportAviation.org
for a PDF).
Larger formations are all based
on two-ship elements. The four-ship
formation is organized around two two-
ship elements. And mass formations are
organized around multiples of two- and/
or four-ship elements. This doesnt
preclude three-ship elements, but the
fundamentals for large formations are
based on smaller elements. What that
means for a four-ship flight is number
one is the lead for all four, but number
three has responsibility for the second
element, providing a foundation for two
two-ships to work together. This concept
simplifies the priority of where each
flight member places his or her focus
and attention and maximizes situational
awareness of all the players. For example,
number four focuses on number three for
his primary reference, so he doesnt have
to simultaneously focus on both number
three and number one.
One of the closest calls I had in all my
ying involved a multi-ship formation
training mission of four F-15s in an air
combat training exercise against eight F-5
adversaries. I had briefed as the lead of the
four F-15s to perform a high-altitude run-
in toward our targets with my four-ship
positioned line-abreast with wide spacing
and good altitude differential between us.
 Number two was off to my right, three
was off to my left, and four was outside
three. As lead, I engaged on a pair of F-5s
when they were identified in front of
us and began a right descending turn to
pursue. About six seconds later, number
two, who had been well off my right wing,
flashed in front of my nose, not 50 feet
out, and flushed out to the left of my turn.
He had taken his attention off me (his
lead) to focus on attempting to engage
the targets himself, lost both sight of me
and his situational awareness and had no
inkling how close he had come to hitting
me. I called for a knock it off, our signal
to everyone to cease maneuvering and
rejoin to standard formation. That
allowed us to regroup and rethink our
respective responsibilities.
The real surprise was that my
number two was not new to formation.
His real responsibility at that point in
the engagement was to maintain proper
position off me, and monitor our rear
quadrant for any F-5s who might
have slipped behind us, while also
monitoring my progress in pursuit of
a target F-5. My responsibility was also
to monitor my wingmen sufficiently to
have caught this bad situation earlier
a big takeaway lesson for me as well. Six
seconds without glancing to check on my
wingmans position was enough to let a
bad situation develop.
The lesson here is a primary safety
consideration for all large formations.
Every member of the flight has to
understand what his responsibility is
with respect to his primary reference
(element leader) for all maneuvers. Can
you imagine a 12-ship formation where
number 10 wants to fly everything off
number one, and ignores his element
lead (number nine)? Any small errors in
position between the four ship leads (one,
five, and nine) could result in number 10
being well out of position on nine and
creating a serious collision hazard. This is
why every large formation begins with a
mass briefing, then breaks down into four-
ship briefings, and then finally breaks
down into two-ship element briefings, the
core of the entire mass, and each briefing
focuses on each players responsibilities to
the formation positioning.
I cant emphasize enough the
reference to the FAST Formation Pilots
Knowledge Guide. There is much detail
for aspects of formation that cant be
covered in a single article, so Ive tried
to focus on the critical safety concepts.
In the FAST guide, theres more about
signals, radio protocols, various positions
from close to trail, position changes,
cross-unders, emergency protocols,
takeoffs and landingsall of which need
to be briefed completely and trained to
proficiency for your formation learning.
Next month well focus on how to take
advantage of formation flight during
experimental aircraft Phase 1 flight
testing. Fly safely out there!
www.eaa.org13
F
LIGHTLINE
INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITY NEWS
The MVP.aero mock-up was unveiled at Oshkosh.
First LSA
Triphib
MVP.aero mock-up unveiled at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2014
NEWLY FORMED MVP.AERO unveiled a full-scale mock-up and an
ambitious plan to create the MVP (Most Versatile Airplane), a
triphibian light-sport aircraft (LSA) capable of operating on land,
water, or snow and ice, while doubling as a platform for boating,
camping, and other outdoor activities.
The privately funded, Delaware-based MVP.aero plans to
offer the MVP initially as an experimental amateur-built kit,
then as an experimental light-sport aircraft (E-LSA), and lastly
as a manufactured special light-sport aircraft (S-LSA) on a rough
timetable of three, four, and ve years, respectively.
A Rotax 912/914 will serve as the launch engine for the MVP. No
avionics package has yet been selected. The target useful load is 450
pounds, and the company points to design features that will create
numerous weight-saving opportunities and enable the MVP to meet
LSA weight limits. The company set a target price of $169,000 for
the experimental version and $189,000 for the S-LSA. It hopes to
have a prototype ying in 18 to 24 months.
14Sport AviationSeptember 2014
L-3 ANNOUNCES LYNX, ITS
ONE-BOX ADS-B SOLUTION
L-3 COMMUNICATIONS announced at Oshkosh
its Lynx one-box solution for pilots and
owners who may be agonizing over how to
comply with the looming 2020 deadline for
installing ADS-B. The forthcoming Lynx
MultiLink Surveillance System (MSS) is an
ADS-B solution for GA that goes beyond what
any other company is doing for the NextGen
flight environment, the company said. Its
system includes four basic models ranging
from an ADS-B out only system to one
with a footprint similar to a panel-mounted
transponder. Depending on an owners needs
and the aircrafts configuration, Lynx solutions
start below $2,000, L-3 said.
A Lynx cockpit display featuring a Mode
S transponder, traffic, weather, airport
database, map, Wi-Fi, and hard-wire display-
out capabilities will cost about the same as
a Mode S transponder only. Additionally,
L-3 said the Lynx line will take full advan-
tage of an aircrafts existing wiring and
antennas, simplifying installation and further
reducing costs.
A Lynx app will be available soon for
customers to test drive the product from
their Apple iPad or Android-based tablet.
NEW AOA FROM SAFE FLIGHT
SAFE FLIGHT INSTRUMENT Corp. displayed its new
SCx angle of attack (AOA) system designed
for a range of homebuilt and general aviation
airplanes. The system uses Safe Flights leading
edge lift transducer to measure AOA across
the operating range of airplane weight, flap
position, and airspeed. Most importantly,
the SCx accurately measures AOA during
uncoordinated flight, which some other AOA
systems cant do.
The SCx is a two-box system with no
plumbing. The vane is mounted on the leading
edge, and a single electric cable runs to the
indicator. All cables and hardware are included.
Priced at $1,495, its available now for
installation in experimentals, and Safe Flight
hopes to have FAA approval for certificated
airplanes as soon as possible.
For more information and direct links to Flightline stories,
visit www.SportAviation.org.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PHIL WESTON
SONEX UNVEILS THE AEROVEE TURBO, SUBSONEX PLANS
EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT manufacturer
Sonex Aircraft of Oshkosh unveiled its
AeroVee turbocharged engine and provided
updates on its SubSonex personal jet
program during the companys annual EAA
AirVenture open house.
The turbo AeroVee ups the power of
the engine from 80 hp to 100 hp which,
according to Sonex CEO Jeremy Monnett,
would outperform engines rated 120 hp,
or approaching 130 hp. It increases climb
rate by 200-300 feet per minute and
cruise speed by 25 mph when the engine is
operated conservatively.
Priced at $10,995, an upgrade package
for normally aspirated AeroVees (500-700
Rob Hickman, president of Advanced Flight Systems, shows o the new Quick Panel System with
two SkyView Touch 10-inch glass panels installed.
DYNON AND ADVANCED FLIGHT SYSTEMS
DYNON DEMONSTRATED a number of new features in its SkyView
at-glass avionics system for experimental aircraft during EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh 2014. SkyView advancements now include
a comm radio with the 8.33 MHz frequency spacing required
in many parts of Europe and new software adding 60 new
display options. The SkyView 11 software adding these and other
new capabilities was expected to be available as a free update
beginning in August 2014.
Dynon also showed new, complete instrument panels from
its Advanced Flight Systems (AFS) division. Its new Quick
Panel System for VFR and IFR avionics is professionally wired,
congured, tested, and ready to install, potentially saving builders
hundreds of hours in construction and SkyView installation.
An all-new Advanced Control Module is at the heart of the
Quick Panel System. It integrates electronic circuit protection,
EFIS networking, panel switch interfaces, panel dimmer, ap,
trim, and wig-wag lighting controllers.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES WYNBRANDT AND MARIANO ROSALES
currently in service) costs $3,995. Deliveries
are scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter
of this year.
Sonex President John Monnett discussed
developments in the SubSonex jet program.
An updated prototype, the JSX-2, is
powered by the PBS TJ 100 turbojet engine
and features a larger cockpit. Fuel capacity
has been increased to 40 gallons usable,
giving the aircraft a range of about 500
miles with reserves. Price for a quick-build
SubSonex kit is $130,000, with a $5,000
option for additional assistance for aircraft
registered in the experimental exhibition
category, which obviates the 51 percent rule Attendees at the Sonex open house admire the new AeroVee
for experimental aircraft construction. Turbo engine.
ANOTHER OSHKOSH FIRST FOR HONDAJET
HONDA AIRCRAFT COMPANY President and CEO Michimasa Fujino
beamed with pride on opening day of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh as
he stood before a large crowd on Boeing Plaza with the companys
rst production HondaJet. His rst AirVenture visit ignited a
dream to design an aircraft and someday present it at Oshkosh. He
realized that dream at AirVenture 2005 with the world debut of
the HondaJet.
AirVenture is always a special site for HondaJet rsts,
Fujino said.
Honda Aircraft Company claims its distinctive over-the-wing
engine mount (OTWEM) for the two GE Honda HF120 turbofan
engines powering the jet dramatically improves performance and
fuel efficiency, minimizes ground-detected noise, and allows for
the roomiest cabin and largest baggage capacity in its class.
The company is headquartered on Piedmont Triad
International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina, with a
half-million-square-foot production facility. Fujino stated rst
deliveries would occur in 2015.
Michimasa Fujino shows the rst production HondaJet on opening day.
www.eaa.org15
F
LIGHTLINE
INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITY NEWS
MOONEY RETURNS TO OSHKOSH
MOONEY INTERNATIONAL Corp. unveiled in
Oshkosh the rst aircraft the company has
produced since resuming production after a
ve-year hiatus. The new Mooney M20TN
Acclaim Type S, with a cruise speed of 242
knots, is the worlds fastest certied single-
engine piston aircraft.
The airplane was sold via online auction for
$646,000, all of which goes toward a Mooney
History Museum set for groundbreaking next
year at the companys Kerrville, Texas, campus.
The Acclaim is powered by a TSIO-550-G
turbo-normalized engine and features a
Garmin G1000 avionics suite. Mooney also
makes the non-turbocharged M20R Ovation.
Pricing for new Mooneys has not been set,
but Acclaims will cost more than the winning
auction bid, Bowen said.
CONTINENTAL UNVEILS V-6
DIESEL, REBRANDING EFFORTS
CONTINENTAL MOTORS debuted the CD-300,
its new V-6 diesel engine, at Oshkosh. The
CD-300 was own for the rst time in July
at Continentals German development center
in Altenburg onboard a Cirrus airframe. The
companys ying test bed exhibited rates of
climb and cruise performance that exceeded
engineers expectations.
Its diesel engines known and sold
under the brand name Centurion are also
being rebranded. For example, the former
Centurion 2.0s is now called CD-155.
The 3-liter CD-300 generates up to 310 hp
at 2300 rpm. Continental equips all of its CD-
range engines with single-level control and
an electronic engine management system.
Type certication will be conducted in
accordance with the requirements of the
European Aviation Safety Agency followed
by FAA and CAAC validation. The engine is
expected to be certied in 2016.
16Sport AviationSeptember 2014
// DSHANNON AVIATION announced at
AirVenture Oshkosh it would open a
facility at Wittman Regional Airport
this fall, becoming the rst out-of-state
company to sign a lease for space in the
Oshkosh Aviation Business Park. The
facility initially will be used in producing
the companys Genesis engine option for
the Beechcraft Bonanza.
DShannons main offices will remain
in Buffalo, Minnesota. That facility will
continue offering products such as tip
tanks, enhanced gear doors, LED lighting,
gap seal kits, sloping windshields, side
windows, and vortex generator kits.
// ASPEN AVIONICS EXPANDED its ADS-B
offerings with three new transceivers. The
ATX100 ADS-B transceiver is for aircraft
equipped with a Mode A/C transponder
and a WAAS-enabled GPS navigation
receiver. It receives subscription-free
ADS-B weather and traffic and meets the
ADS-B out mandate for aircraft ying
below 18,000 feet.
The ATX200 dual-band in, 978 MHz
out ADS-B transceiver is for aircraft
with a Mode A/C transponder and a
WAAS GPS navigation receiver. It also
receives ADS-Bs free weather and traffic
and meets the ADS-B out mandate
below 18,000 feet.
The ARX100 dual-band receiver
provides an ADS-B in solution for
aircraft with other means to meet the
ADS-B out requirement, but isnt
equipped to receive subscription-free
weather and traffic information.
// DALE KLAPMEIER, CEO and co-founder
of Cirrus Aircraft, said the company is
on track to deliver its rst production
examples of the SF50 Vision personal jet
to customers before the end of 2015. The
seven-seat, single-engine jet has been
under development for a number of years.
However, earlier this year the company
ew the rst of three production-
conforming prototypes and is now well
along in the ight-test program. The
other two prototypes are currently under
construction and are expected to y
sometime later this year.
Company plans are to produce 90 jets
in 2016, and ramp up to 125 airplanes a
year for 2017 and beyond. The company
said it has 550 orders for the jet.
// BENDIXKINGS NEW KGX series of
transceivers offers certied ADS-B in
and out capability on the UAT frequency
for airplanes that y below 18,000 feet.
The basic unit receives all the weather and
ight information sent up for free. The
most complex unit includes a certied
position sensor for airplane owners who
dont have a WAAS GPS in the panel.
Prices range from $1,489 to $4,069.
All of the KGX systems can display
traffic, weather, and other information on
panel-mounted displays, or users can opt for
a wireless connection to a tablet display.
// GARMIN INTERNATIONAL announced at
AirVenture 2014 a new, slimmer version of
its G3X Touch glass panel. The G3X Touch
incorporates a 7-inch at-glass display;
according to the company, the larger, original
G3X Touch display was too big for some
homebuilt airplanes or light-sport aircraft.
Garmin also announced Flight
Stream, a new Bluetooth-based system
providing wireless connections from a
personal device running the Garmin Pilot
electronic ight bag app to compatible
panel-mounted avionics. The basic Flight
Stream 110 is priced at $549, and the full-
capability 210 costs $999.
// CESSNA ANNOUNCED a diesel engine
option for the 172 Skyhawk, the new Turbo
Skyhawk JT-A, expected to be delivered
next year. The 155-hp turbocharged CD-
155 diesel from Continental will gain 25
percent fuel efficiency in typical training
ying, and more in cross-country ying.
Still air range stretches to 1,012 nm. Max
cruise speed at higher altitudes for the
Skyhawk JT-A goes up to 131 knots due to
the turbocharger.
The Skyhawk JT-A joins the 182
Skylane JT-A in diesel development at
Cessna. The company gave no specic date
for certication of the Skylane JT-A but
said it is drawing closer. Price of the diesel
172 is $435,000.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARIANO ROSALES
 J. MAC MCCLELLAN
COMMENTARY / LEFT SEAT
A Conversation With
the Administrator
J. MAC MCCLELLAN
FAA ADMINISTRATOR MICHAEL HUERTA is a very pleasant and likeable
fellow. He spent a couple of days at Oshkosh during our annual
convention observing the ying action and talking with EAA lead-
ership and holding the traditional Meet the Administrator forum.
If Mike, as he asked to be called by EAA Chairman Jack J.
Pelton who hosted the forum, has any rigid or inflexible atti-
tudes toward FAA policy or regulation, he hides them very well.
As you would expect and hope for from an administrator he is
well-prepared to discuss and consider many sides of a question.
What the administrator couldnt do is answer the questions
we all had at Oshkoshwhat does the proposed rule change for
third-class medical policy say? He told us all that the notice of
proposed rulemaking (NPRM) had been written by FAA staff
and signed off by him the week before Oshkosh. By law the
NPRM must be reviewed by the Department of Transportation
and also the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) before it
can be published. Until that is complete the contents of the
NPRM are secret because they could, and often do, change dur-
ing the review process.
What the administrator could and did say is that we wont be
surprised by the NPRM. If youre optimistic, that means the
new rule will allow personal flying with a drivers license as
medical qualification in a broad range of airplanes and condi-
tions. If you are a skeptic, it could mean the new rule will be
narrow and restrictive, which thus would not be a surprise to a
cynic. With nothing but rumor about what is in the NPRM I
choose to be optimistic.
Administrator Huerta did say he believes the NPRM altering
third-class medical policy will have an easier time in the review
processespecially at the OMB that considers cost implications
because if adopted the rule would lower costs for both government
18Sport AviationSeptember 2014
and pilots. Thats something we certainly
want to hear.
When we sat down to chat just before
the administrator and his leadership group
headed back to Washington, my rst ques-
tion for him was what has changed? There
have been many requests, petitions, even
demands that the FAA change pilot medical
rules and policies over the years, and there
had never been any movement by the FAA.
I was pleased to hear him say that the
joint petition for exemption from EAA and
AOPA to allow a drivers license as medical
certication for recreational ying was the
catalyst. The more than 16,000 comments
the FAA received, nearly all supporting the
petition, carried great weight. Also he
noted that the entire industry, including
airplane manufacturers, component mak-
ers, and just about every group involved in
general aviation, supported the request.
Huerta told me the real work on third-
class medical change began early this year
at the FAA. He sees the question as two dis-
tinct issues. One is the medical science of
how health issues impact ying safety. The
pilot population is changing and aging, and
new data is becoming available for the FAA
to study and consider.
The other issue is what is the best
method to implement a change in private
J. MAC MCCLELLAN
ying medical standards. He rejected the
petition for exemption idea because it is too
narrow. Exemptions are granted for very
specic regulatory issues and only to indi-
viduals or small groups, and only for a
limited amount of time. What we in per-
sonal aviation want is a broad change in
third-class medical policy that applies
widely and is not temporary as exemptions
must be.
For those who want quick action the
exemption is attractive because the rule-
making process takes many months or
even years. Once an NPRM is published
there must be a comment period, typi-
cally of 60 to 90 days. When that deadline
passes FAA staff must consider every
comment before the rule can be finalized.
There are a few people who feel very
strongly that allowing a drivers license as
medical certification for private flying is
terribly wrong and dangerous, and their
20Sport AviationSeptember 2014
comments will be made and must be
addressed. It will take months, but I hope
not years.
Bills that would change the third-class
medical policy have been introduced in
Congress and have gained signicant sup-
port. Huerta said he believes congressionally
mandated rule changes end up being more
restrictive and often create unintended
consequences. A recent example would be
how the FAA is trying to change regula-
tion to conform to the congressional
mandate that all airline first officers, not
just captains, have an ATP. I dont know if
that change will add safety to airline fly-
ing, but it certainly will impact the life of
many young pilots working toward an air-
line career.
The administrator told me the medical
NPRM is part of a changing attitude he is
trying to create at the FAA, one that exam-
ines risks instead of compliance. The way
Bills that would change the third-
class medical policy have been
introduced in Congress and have
gained signicant support.
he sees it the FAA has historically focused
its energy on enforcing rules that have
been around for decades without stopping
to ask if the rule is reducing risk or simply
some sort of a weve always done it this
way leftover.
I hope he is making progress on that
front. And any discussion of medical cer-
tification policy certainly benefits from a
risk-based analysis. When we can finally
read the NPRM we will know if the
administrator has made real progress in
adjusting policy to reduce risk instead
of enforcement.
 Many of us believe the FAA spends most
of its efforts and resources on the airlines,
but the administrator told me thats not
true. He said about 60 percent of the ight
operationsights that involve air traffic
control in some wayare general aviation.
The FAA spends half or more of all certi-
cation costs on GA including maintaining
FSDOs in every state that work almost
entirely with general aviation.
The administrator sees the FAA mission
as two-pronged. One essential effort is to
promote access to ight in all of its forms,
and the other is to manage risk and create a
safe aviation system. I was encouraged to
hear him say that because for a time
Congress and others were demanding the
FAA focus entirely on safety, not on pro-
moting aviation. We certainly need both.
What Huerta really nds out of whack
is the way the FAA and our aviation system
is funded. Part of the operating budget
comes from general revenue tax funds, but
a larger portion comes from specic taxes
on airline tickets, airfreight bills, and gen-
eral aviation fuel taxes.
Since the start of the recession there has
been less GA ying so less fuel is burned
and FAA tax revenue goes down. The fuel
tax is a xed amount per gallon so the
increase in fuel prices provides no increase
in FAA income. And new airplanes, particu-
larly jets that consume the big majority of
GA fuel, have become much, much more
efficient so they consume less fuel per hour.
On the airline ticket side the FAA tax
applies only to the fare. All of the add-ons
for baggage and everything that was once
part of the airline ticket are not taxed. So
though you may pay more in total for your
airline ticket the FAA is receiving a smaller
amount of that money.
Huertas bottom line is that demands
on FAA spending for NextGen, operating
the air traffic system, and its certification
duties are going up but revenue is going
down. Its a situation that cant continue
without change.
What changes when FAA revenue goes
down? Well, EAA is billed for the special
controller staffing it takes to move 10,000
airplanes for our convention at Oshkosh.
Other air shows now pay for controller ser-
vices, too.
Other traditional FAA expenditures are
also coming under the microscope, includ-
ing operation of ight service. With so
many sources for weather brieng before
ight and in the air will the FAA continue
to fund traditional telephone and air-to-
ground radio FSS services in the next
operating budget that begins next year in
October? Huerta said he doesnt know the
answer to that question, but he does know
every program is being reviewed and
spending cuts must be made.
www.eaa.org21
 J. MAC MCCLELLAN
Within the Washington Beltway there
is growing interest among some aviation
types to privatize the FAA, particularly
the air traffic control and navigation sys-
tem. And there is much support in
Congress to privatize as many govern-
ment functions as possible. What is
giving support to the idea now is the suc-
cess of Nav Canada, the not-for-prot
private corporation that has operated the
entire air navigation and air traffic con-
trol system for the past 18 years.
Nav Canada has stayed on budget,
reduced delays by most accounts, and
enjoys wide support by most airspace
users, including general aviation airplane
owners. Airlines are charged by a weight
and distance own in the system for-
mula, while personal airplane owners
pay at quarterly fees.
Huerta sees no useful comparison to
Nav Canadas success and potentially
privatizing the FAA. His belief is that the
traffic volume and number of airports in
Canada, and the amount of GA activity, is
so tiny compared to the United States
that Nav Canadas methods simply
couldnt stretch that far.
He is, of course, correct about the dif-
ference in aviation scale between Canada
and the United States. Nav Canada, for
example, employs about 2,000 controllers.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics
there are about 25,000 controllers in the
United States. Nav Canada handles around
12 million total movements a year, while
more than 40 million airplanes are IFR in
FAA centers alone, and that doesnt count
the millions of ights that involve only con-
trol towers or approach control. And the
statistical contrast can go on and on.
What I nd interesting is that a grow-
ing group who has spent years ghting
user fees is now willing to consider a Nav
Canada type system which is, of course,
entirely a user fee funded company. This
group has such a dim view of the FAA
that is willing to discuss a privatized sys-
tem. Huerta is on record that such a
change just wont work.
What Administrator Huerta has
learned on the job is that the public is
22Sport AviationSeptember 2014
schizophrenic in all areas of aviation
operation and safety. We all want the
cheapest ying as pilots, airplane own-
ers, or airline passengers. But when an
accident occurs the same public demands
to know why the FAA didnt prevent it.
Huerta said his most difficult decision
so far as administrator was grounding
the Boeing 787 Dreamliner after the lith-
ium-ion battery incidents. The airplane
had just entered service after long devel-
opment delays, and airlines were
counting on it to ll specic routes. And
Boeing had an enormous investment in
the project and its success.
The public, at least as expressed by
politicians and media talking heads,
demanded to know why the FAA didnt
prevent the battery problems. They were
alarmed that the FAA doesnt have an
inspector at every step of the aircraft
development and production process. Yet
the same public demands the FAA spend
fewer tax dollars.
But for the administrator and the
entire aviation system the really big next
crisis is somewhere over the horizon
when a major accident involving a U.S.
airline happens. The safety record for
major U.S. airlines has been essentially
perfect in terms of passenger fatalities
since 2001, and the public has rightly
assumed that will continue. Everyone
involved hopes the perfect record will
continue, but we also know ying risk
can be minimized but not entirely elimi-
nated. When a major accident does
eventually happen the fallout will be
unpredictable and most likely wide-
reaching as the public and politicians
decide no new regulation is too extreme.
For all its power the FAA and the
administrator cant control the
weather. His departure schedule from
Oshkosh had to be bumped up because
thunderstorms were moving toward
Washington National.
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 war horse and the unicorn: a MH-47G helicopter, like the ones Mike Rutledge ew in Afghanistan, in formation with his own beloved 404 Stearman.

Of Combat and Unicorns

Dreaming of Stearmans in Afghanistan and Iraq
BY LANE WALLACE

THIS IS A STORY of two men, a war, and a dream. other boys my age spent all summer playing
The men have never met, but theyve followed remarkably similar sports, I was riding my bike to the Galesburg
life journeys down the same winding, unexpected path, ghting off very library looking up everything I could nd on
similar dragons and demons, in pursuit of the same luminous dream. Stearmans and ying in general, he says.
And in both cases, the dream and the journey started the same way: Mikes nextand only otheright in that
with a single, simple airplane ight. particular Stearman, however, came seven
Mike Rutledge was 5 years old, growing up in Galesburg, Illinois, years later, when his father died, and he was
when his father took him to the annual Stearman gathering there to given the task of scattering his dads ashes over
see an airplane he used to own. The airplane was a bright yellow the annual gathering of Stearmans in
Stearman biplane that his dad had owned with a partner for a few Galesburg, from his fathers former airplane.
years, before the partner bought him out. The year was 1976, and Mike But after the ight, Mike told Jim that one day,
remembers sitting on his dads laphis dads arms the only safety belt hed own Jims Stearman himself.
as they went for a ride, with his dads former partner Jim doing the Seven more years passed and, as Mike puts
ying. Almost as soon as the Stearmans wheels left the ground, Mike it, with little parental guidance and [after] a
says he got a death grip on the steel tubing and started screaming in failed attempt at college, he joined the Navy.
terror. But despite his initial fright, the Stearman made an impression. Just about the time Mike was signing up
Over the next few years, Mike started researching the planes history. with the Navy, on another September day,
I drew pictures of it in school, built wood models of it at home, and when about 400 miles north of Galesburg, in Eden

24Sport AviationSeptember 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF MIKE RUTLEDGE

Prairie, Minnesota, a boy named Brian
Bottolene was celebrating his 11th birthday.
Knowing that Brian liked airplanes, his mom
bought him a ride in a blue and yellow
Stearman at a local air museum.
That was, like, my second airplane ride,
but it really set the bug, Brian remembers.
From then on, my goal was to own and y
a Stearman.
Its all very well to dream of buying or ying
a Stearman, of course. Ive done it myself. Lots
of people have. Making that dream a reality, on
the other hand, is signicantly tougher.
Mike spent the 1990s as an enlisted man in
the Navy, rst as a helicopter ight engineer,
and then as a Navy SEAL. In his spare time, he
learned to y and ew every taildragger I
could rent or borrow for the sole purpose of
someday being able to y a Stearman.
Then, at the end of 2000, Mike and his wife,
Dena, had their rst child. And it quickly
became apparent that he either had to nd a
way to make a living ying, or give it up for a
bit. So he applied for an inter-service transfer
from the Navy SEAL program to the Warrant
Officer program in the Army, ying helicopters.
Helos werent Stearmans, of course, but at least
it would keep him ying.
Brian, meanwhile, spent the 1990s growing
up and volunteering at a local air museum,
working on old warbirds. He was in college
when the 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred.
Fueled by a desire to do something to help and
serve his country, he joined the Army and
applied to be an Army aviator in the Warrant
Officer program.
I gured the Warrant Officer program was
a way to get a foot in the door, to get me ying,
Brian explains. And then maybe Id be able to ways, I miss it, he says. It was an adrenaline
afford an airplane at some point.
The two men started ight school about a
year apart from one another. Mike became a
test pilot and instructor pilot on MH-47G
Chinooks, ying special operations missions,
and Brian ended up as a test pilot/line pilot,
ying Black Hawks on medevac missions. But
the dearth of qualied helicopter pilots in
Iraq and Afghanistan, over the past 13 years,
has meant a grueling deployment schedule
for the pilots the Army does have. Out of
Brians rst four years as a medevac pilot, he
spent 40 months in Iraq. By the time he
retires next year, Mike will have completed 15
combat deployments, and hes in Afghanistan
as Im writing this. I interviewed him by
e-mail from his base there.
Whole books have been written about the
complex highs and lows of life in combat.
And Brian knows them well.
It was chaotic and crazy, but in some
rush, to be sure. And what we were doing
mattered. In some ways, it was the most fun
Ive ever had. And Id do it again, in a heart-
beat. Now, my view may be a little bit
different than some, because I wasnt a life
www.eaa.org25
 LANE WALLACE
taker. I was a life saver. But at the same
time, it was difficult.
There is a long pause, as the memories
come back, and Brian gathers his compo-
sure. Even several years after the fact, the
emotion they spark is visceral and strong.
Wed pull some guys in [the helicopter],
and theyd have no legs, and theyd be bleed-
ing profusely, and screaming for their mom
at the top of their lungs, so loud you could
hear it over the roar of the aircraft, he says.
And you keep working on them. You keep
trying. But some of them are gone [before
we land]. There is another long pause.
We used to call them angels, he
nally continues. And when youre ying
an angel, all I could think of was a car pull-
ing up to that familys house. That
someones world was about to be shattered.
And it was a lousy feeling to know that you
knew before their parents even knew.
For some people, years of experiences
like that would dull whatever light-lled,
youthful dreams they used to have. Or the
idea of ying a low-and-slow Stearman in
peacetime might seem less interesting
after the adrenaline of combat operations.
But not for Brian.
The [medevac] job I did in Iraq was
the most important job in the world, he
told me. Someones worst day is your n-
est hour. But the Warrant Officer
helicopter track, for me, was a way to start
ying that I could not otherwise afford, so
I could get to my ultimate goal. And that
was always to have a Stearman.
That much passion from a single ight
as an 11-year-old? Apparently. That, and
being based in Kansas (Fort Riley), where
he got close to the Stearmans heritage and
birthplace. To me, Brian says, with just a
trace of sheepishness, the Stearman is a
mythical creature. Its like a unicorn. I see
it and I see a magical machine that took
men to places theyd never gone before.
When I look at it, I see the pioneers. I see
history. And I love how it makes you really
feel like youre ying.
So after multiple deployments to Iraq,
Brian went to work for a civilian contractor,
providing ight instruction in Black Hawks
at Fort Rucker, Alabama, so he could start
26Sport AviationSeptember 2014
working on his A&P rating. That would
make a Stearman more affordable by letting
him rebuild one. He passed his exams this
summer and is now going to work for an
aircraft restoration shop in his home state of
Minnesota. The unicorn, while still elusive,
is getting closer.
As Brian pursued his dream of a
Stearman, in general, Mike was pursuing
his dream of one Stearman, in particular. In
between deployments to Afghanistan, he
managed to track down the current owners
of his fathers old Stearman. One of the cur-
rent owners, it turned out, was a former
Marine, and he promised Mike rights of
rst refusal if they ever sold the plane. In
2007, Dena convinced her dad to loan them
the money to buy a Piper Cub, so Mike
could get more tailwheel time. And Mike
slowly built a nest for the Stearman in his
home, with manuals, memorabilia, and
even a vintage Clark tug given to him by a
mentor, despite the lack, as Mike puts it, of
any reasonable expectation that [the nest]
would ever get lled.
In 2011, however, Mike was home for a
brief stay after his 9th combat deployment
and went to Galesburg for the Stearman
y-in. On the way, he nally met the own-
ers of his dads Stearman, who said they
were selling the plane. If Mike wanted it, it
was his. When he got to the y-in, the
Stearman was there. It was the rst time
hed laid hands or eyes on it since hed scat-
tered his dads ashes from it when he was
12. And, he said, it made him realize that
this particular Stearman was more than
just an airplane. It was the one positive
symbol I used to escape some very difficult
childhood memories. Andas an adult, it
continued to be the place I mentally ran to
when things got tough, which might
explain why no other airplane or Stearman
could ll that void.
Fortunately, between sellers who
really wanted Mike to have the airplane,
and a wife who accepted the Stearmans
importance as worth whatever family sac-
rice it required, Mike was able to put
together a deal for the airplane. It took
another year and another rotation
through Afghanistan to get it home and
ying again. But today, it sits alongside the
Cub in the Rutledge family hangar.
Other than a rock star wife of 22 years,
Mike says the planes are probably the reason
Ive been able to tolerate the deployments for
as long as I have. The stressful lifestyle of being
deployed in special operations is so absolutely
polar and opposite from lifting off a grass strip
Brian ying medevac missions in Iraq.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF BRIAN BOTTOLENE
in a biplane, or watching a sunset from the
open door of a Cub with your own man-cub
sitting in the front seat, that it puts you in the
moment; sights, sounds, feelings, and it doesnt
really demand anything of you except to just
be there. Everything else seems trivial. Its not
surprising, then, that Mike concludes by say-
ing, I call [the planes] my therapists, which is
fairly parallel to a unicorn.
Next year, when he retires, Mike plans to
return to his native Illinoisnot far from
Galesburgwhere he has a job as a crop duster
waiting for him, and where hell be able to y Brian, with pilot Mac McCullum, after his rst Stearman ride at age 11.
his beloved Stearman all he wants.
Brian Bottolene and Mike Rutledge have winding and unpredictable turns, and the
never met. But maybe one of these Septembers, dreams that keep you going when the nights are
theyll both be at the Stearman y-in. And long, and home seems impossibly far away.
maybe, after a while, or even after a ight,
theyll nd themselves in the shade of Mikes Lane Wallace, EAA 650945, has been an aviation col-
Stearman, where they can talk, perhaps with- umnist, editor, and author for more than 20 years. More
out even many words, about their shared of her writing can be found at www.LaneWallace.com
understanding of combat, unicorns, lifes and at www.TheAtlantic.com/Lane-Wallace.
www.eaa.org27
 M
IKE BUSCH
C OMMENTARY / SAVVY AVIATOR

Human Error
To err is human but when humans make mistakes working on aircraft, bad things can happen

DURING THE CENTURY SINCE the Wright brothers first flew,
the predominant perpetrator in aircraft accidents has shifted
dramatically from machine to human. Today human error
is responsible for about 90 percent of aircraft accidents
and incidents.
Its not that people have become more careless, forgetful,
inattentive, or reckless. Its that aircraft and aircraft compo-
nents have become much more reliable. As component failures
become fewer and fewer, human failures represent an ever-
increasing percentage.
INCORRECT INSTALLATION
WRONG PARTS
OTHER
ERRORS
OMISSIONS
Most maintenance errors are errors of omission.
Most of the efforts of the aviation
research community have focused on
errors committed by pilots. This is appro-
priate, since 75 to 80 percent of serious
aviation accidents are due to pilot error.
Yet roughly one-eighth of accidents
are still caused by maintenance errors,
and many of those are serious, some-
times fatal.
In the wake of the 1988 explosive
decompression of Aloha Flight 243 and
the 2000 fatal stab-trim-jackscrew crash
of Alaska Flight 261, there has been
increased focus on maintenance errors
by the airlines. But in my view, not nearly
enough attention has been given to main-
tenance errors in general aviation, where
the incidence of maintenance-induced
failures is more prevalent.
KINDS OF MAINTENANCE ERRORS
Maintenance errors can be divided into
two broad classes: (1) introduction of a
problem that was not there before the
maintenance began (or what I call a
maintenance-induced failure or MIF),
and (2) failure to detect a pre-existing
problem during maintenance inspections.
Errors of omission seem to be the most
common kinds of maintenance errors. An
analysis of 122 maintenance errors

28Sport AviationSeptember 2014 ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS LIVIERI

detected by a major airline over a three-year
period revealed that 56 percent were omissions,
30 percent were incorrect installation, 8 percent
were wrong parts installed, and 6 percent were
other things.
My experience in general aviation suggests
that we suffer the same kinds of MIFs as the air-
lines do, and that the majority are errors of
omission. This includes things like fasteners left
uninstalled or improperly torqued, caps and
inspection plates left loose or missing, hoses
and electrical harnesses left disconnected, and
so forth.

THE REASSEMBLY PROBLEM

Most maintenance errors occur not when taking
something apart, but when putting that some-
thing back together. Theres a good reason for
this. Consider a bolt onto which eight nuts have
been assembled, each one labeled with a unique
letter A through H.
Assume that the task at hand is to disassem-
ble the nuts from the bolt, clean them, and then
reassemble them in the original order. There is
really only one way to take this assembly apart,
but there are 40,320 different ways in which it
could be put back togetherand 40,319 of them
are wrong!
This simplistic example illustrates the fact
that the task of disassembly usually constrains
you to one particular sequence, with each suc-
ceeding step being prompted by the last. You
dont require much guidance, because the disas-
sembly procedure is usually obvious. In
contrast, correct reassembly usually requires
knowledgeeither in your memory or in the
form of written instructions.
Human memory being as imperfect as it is,
reassembly based on memory is inevitably
error-prone. Reassembly based on written guid-
ance (such as a checklist or maintenance
manual instructions) is far more reliable, but
people doing a hands-on grease-under-the-fin-
gernails job tend to be reluctant to consult
written instructions. Watch any A&P work on
an aircraftincluding yours trulyand note
how rarely he consults the manual or any other
form of written guidance.
Reassembly-by-memory is probably adequate
for a task that one does every day. But some
maintenance tasks arent like this, and we all
knowespecially if were pilotsjust how easily

www.eaa.org29
 There is only one way to take this assembly apart, but more than 40,000 ways to put it back togetherall but one
of them wrong.
we can forget the details of a task after
even a relatively short period of time.
To make matters worse, improper
assembly is not always obvious on later
inspection. The absence of washers,
bushings, fasteners, seals, O-rings, caps,
lubrication, and the like are often con-
cealed after reassembly. Thus,
reassembly by memory often creates the
opportunity for double jeopardy: an
increased probability of forgetting
something important during reassem-
bly, and a decreased probability of
detecting the error once the job is done.
SLIPS, MISTAKES, AND VIOLATIONS
Failures to perform a task as planned
are commonly termed slips, lapses,
trips, or fumbles. Slips occur when
one is trying to do the right thing but
screws it up somehow. Slips can be
caused by omitting some necessary
action, performing some necessary
action in a clumsy fashion, performing
some unwanted action, or carrying out
the right actions in the wrong order.
Such slips most often occur when doing
tasks by memoryoften well-practiced
tasks that are done frequently in an
automatic fashion.
Mistakes are higher-level failures
caused by an error in the plan itself.
These are usually caused by lack of
knowledge and occur most commonly
when performing tasks that are not
done very often. Often mistakes are
caused by trying to do something by
memory that should have been looked
up in the manual. Forgetting to torque
30Sport AviationSeptember 2014
a cylinder hold-down nut is a slip;
torquing it to the wrong torque value is
a mistake.
Violations are deviations from
standard practices, rules, regulations, or
standards. While slips and mistakes are
unintentional, violations are usually
deliberate. They often involve cutting
corners in order to take the path of least
resistance and can become part of ones
habit pattern.
In a recent post to the AOPA Opinion
Leaders blog, I wrote about an incident
in which the pilot of a Cessna 340
launched into IMC on the first flight
after maintenance, only to discover that
his airspeed indicator, altimeter, and
VSI stopped working as the aircraft
climbed through 3,000 feet while in the
clag. The cause of the problem turned
out to be the failure of an avionics tech-
nician to reconnect a static line that had
been disconnected to facilitate access to
some panel-mounted avionics. The
technicians failure to reconnect the
static line was an inadvertent slip: He
simply forgot. On the other hand, his
failure to perform a static system leak
check after opening the static system
was a (presumably deliberate) violation
of FAR 91.411(a)(2). Because of the vio-
lation, the slip went undetected and
jeopardized safety of flight.
DISTRACTIONS
Distractions can play a big part in
errors of omission. A common scenario
is that a technician installs some fasten-
ers finger-tight, then gets a phone call
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF MIKE BUSCH
or goes on lunch break and forgets to finish the
job by torquing the fasteners. I have personally
seen some of the best, most experienced A&P/
IAs I know fall victim to such seemingly rookie
mistakesnot to mention meso I know that
they can happen to anyone. I also know of sev-
eral fatal accidents and countless less-serious
incidents and precautionary landings (not to
mention pissed-off aircraft owners) caused by
such omissions. Unfortunately, theyre a fact
of life.
Just as pilots need a sterile cockpit during
high workload phases of flight, maintenance
and avionics technicians need a distraction-
free workplace when performing safety-critical
tasks. Unfortunately it has been my observa-
tion that the typical piston GA shop is a
distraction-rich environment. Phone calls
come in. Customers drop by unexpectedly. UPS
and FedEx drivers deliver anxiously awaited
parts. The Snap-on tool truck stops by. The
shops FAA principal maintenance inspector
pays an unexpected visit. The roach coach
arrives with lunch.
Distractions seem to be less of a problem in
the big repair stations where theres usually a
full-time parts manager to deal with deliveries,
a customer service manager to handle customer
visits and phone calls, and sometimes even a
compliance manager to interface with the FAA.
But in the smaller shops that owners of piston
GA usually use, employees usually wear multi-
ple hats and must deal with these distractions as
they come. That can lead to mistakes.
Big maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO)
facilities arent immune to distractions either.
Often such shops have multi-shift operations,
and that creates its own issues. Whenever a task
is handed off from one technician to another at
shift change, theres always the potential that
something will be lost in the shuffle.

www.eaa.org31
 QUALITY ASSURANCE
Ive visited quite a few GA aircraft and
engine factories over the yearsthe
Beech, Cessna, Cirrus, Continental,
Hartzell, and Lycoming factories come
to mindand watched how they build
our flying machines and their power-
plants. One of the fundamental work
rules Ive observed at all these facilities
is that there must always be at least two
sets of eyes that look at every step of the
process: the technician that performs
the work, and an inspector who verifies
that the work has been done properly.
Often there are three sets of eyes: two
technicians who work as a team and
check one anothers work, and then an
inspector who rechecks the work.
(Although as weve seen, even careful
post-reassembly inspection cannot
always detect errors and omissions
made during reassembly.)
Large repair stations that work on
turbine aircraftsuch as the big Wichita
Citation Service Center that Ive visited
a few timestypically have similar
rules, where designated inspectors are
required to check the work of each
technician and sign it off. But the
smaller shops where most piston GA
maintenance is done seldom can afford
the luxury of having dedicated inspec-
tors on staff. One technician will
sometimes ask another to check a par-
ticularly critical or complex task, but
most maintenance is checked by just
one set of eyes belonging to the person
who did the work, and most scheduled
inspections are done by just one IA.
Fewer sets of eyes inevitably means that
more slips, mistakes, violations, and dis-
crepancies escape detection.
THE OWNER AS FINAL INSPECTOR
Aircraft owners and pilots need to
understand that maintenance errors
create a significant hazard, and act
accordingly. The most likely time for an
aircraft to suffer a mechanical problem
is on the first flight after maintenance.
Prudence demands a post-maintenance
test flight every time the aircraft comes
32Sport AviationSeptember 2014
Prudence demands a post-
maintenance test ight every
time the aircraft comes out
of the shop. The test ight
should be done in VMC, without
passengers, and in a place
where the pilot can easily put
the airplane back on the ground
if something isnt right.
out of the shop. The test flight should be
done in VMC, without passengers, and
in a place where the pilot can easily put
the airplane back on the ground if
something isnt right.
Prior to the test flight, the owner or
pilot should conduct an extraordinarily
thorough preflight. Make sure that all
inspection plates and fairings are
installed and secure, all cowling fasten-
ers are tight, and all fuel and oil caps
installed. Check that all flight controls
and trim systems are free throughout
their full range of motion and operating
in the correct direction. Check that all
instruments and avionics systems are
functioning properly. Perform a ground
test of the autopilot. Run up the engine
thoroughly, then shut down and check
for leaks. Be sure you dont smell fuel or
anything burning.
In short, be thoroughly skeptical any
time an aircraft comes out of mainte-
nance. Your preflight and test flight are
the last line of defense against mainte-
nance errors.
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.
 A Crosswind Landing
Getting it on the ground without breaking anything
THE CROSSWIND LANDING is about the hardest stick-and-rudder
skill there is for new pilots to learn. It requires a lot of very artful
manipulation of the controls next to the ground, and an ability to
feel what the wind is doing to you just when you need it to leave
you alone. Worse, it cant be learned through words, or even
through amusing drawings. But you can look at the mistakes of
others and learn from them.
34Sport AviationSeptember 2014
After 33 years of ying, I look back
through the years and nd one particular
crosswind landing to have had all of the
ingredients that seem common to crosswind
landings. (Plus, its got a crunch! And we
pilots are nothing if not ghouls when it comes
to reading about other pilots blunders.)
ILLUSTRATION BY DAVE MATHENY

It began with a friend
asking me to ferry his
Quicksilver MX Sport to our
mutual home field from an air-
port where it had spent the
winter. It was a repositioning flight,
really; he would be gone that weekend and
wanted it at our home base when he got
back. I was delighted to oblige because I
had sold one aircraft the previous October
and didnt have another one yet, and
hadnt flown for months. This would be
my first flight of the year.
ARRR, ITS COMIN ON TO BLOW, MATEY
The forecast was for winds of 15 to 25 mph
out of the northwest, strong enough to
keep any ultralight on the ground. But the
wind was not supposed to materialize
until later in the morning, giving me a
small window of opportunity. By taking off
at sunrise, about 6:30 a.m., when the wind
would still be 5 mph or so and certainly
not yet gusty, I could fly the hour it would
take to get to the home field and duck in
there without having to contend with a
gale. And in any case, I reasoned, both the
departure and destination airports had
northwest-angled runways: 34 for the
departure airport, 30 at the home field. I
would be landing approximately into the
wind, if any wind came up.
And here we have the first ingredient
common to every crosswind landing that
most pilots who fly for fun have ever
made: deciding to fly in the first place.
Winds of real strength are the only reason
a crosswind ever matters, and are almost
never a surprise or wont be if youve paid
attention to the forecast. Once youre in
the air, of course, youre stuck, but in my
experience there are very few occasions
when we didnt know it was coming. A
pilot who flies out of a nearby airport was
injured severely and his Cessna taildragger
was nearly destroyed when landing in a
wind with gusts to 60 mph. But it was
completely foreseeable: News media had
been talking about the coming strong
winds for at least two days.
So recommendation one is to stay on
the ground if you cant deal with it. Okay,
www.eaa.org35
 DAVE MATHENY
thats just a smart aleck comment and
isnt useful in any case. So how is a pilot
to learn? Ill come back to that below,
but first lets see if I can do a little bet-
ter with recommendation two: Fly only
in winds that blow straight down the
runway. That could work, but only on
those annoyingly rare occasions when
the wind really does that.
But even then theres a catch, as
always. Although the wind is nominally
blowing sort of down the runway, if its
strong it will often be erratic down
near the surface, blowing hard for a
moment across the runway, then shift-
ing 30 degrees and coming from a new
direction, then falling not quite calm
for a moment, followed by an extra
gust or two. These shifting and puffing
winds are caused by convective cur-
rents and uneven ground, trees, and
the like, and they are much more
apparent to very light aircraft. If you
watch YouTube videos of airliners
dealing with ferocious crosswinds,
youll see that they manage to handle
gusts and direction changes by ironing
them out with their great weight, hold-
ing a fairly steady crab angle down to
the ground. But keep an eye on the
rudder, which can wag back and forth
considerably, revealing just how much
work the pilot is actually having to put
into the operation. For lightweights,
ferocious begins a lot lower on the
wind-strength scale, and any wind that
can push an airliner around is out of
the question. How low on the scale?
Well come back to that.
WHIZZING ALONG
There was little wind at dawn on take-
off, but it began to appear much earlier
than forecast. At 1,000 feet AGL, I was
making 70 and 75 mph over the ground
in a 45 mph ultralight. The good news
was that I would get there soon; the bad
news was that if it was already blowing
like that at one grand, it would be fairly
perky down on the ground.
I didnt expect anybody to be there
at the home field, and I could see from
the air as I came rocketing in from the
northwest that nobody was. Mixed feel-
ings: If I rolled it up in a ball, nobody
36Sport AviationSeptember 2014
would see my embarrassing blunder.
Downside: Nobody there to do the old
Jaws of Life thing and pry the wreckage
apart to extract me and ask what on
earth I had been thinking to fly in so
much wind.
The downwind, base, and final legs
of the pattern were not really proper
rectangular legs at all, but a nearly full-
throttle curving descent. Which brings
us to recommendation three: Use lots
of power (in any very light aircraft)
because airspeed is your friend. It gives
you control, and what you need most of
all in a crosswind landing is control
the ability to overpower each unwanted
movement of the airplane until you
are securely down on the runway.
Winds of real strength are the
only reason a crosswind ever
matters, and almost never a
surprise, or wont be if youve
paid attention to the forecast.
Once youre in the air, of
course, youre stuck, but in
my experience there are very
few occasions when we didnt
know it was coming.
I am assuming here that the run-
way is of decent length and you
are not trying to shoehorn it into a
300-foot backyard. Most very light
aircraft are draggy, and even the
usual non-hard-surface runway will
be long enough to accommodate the
extra airspeed.
In a normal landing, with a mild
breeze thats flowing approximately
down the runway, you can have a kind
of polite interaction with nature: Raise
the nose when youre a few feet above
the runway (the first third of the run-
way, if its not too much trouble) and
let the aircraft settle gracefully onto
the mains. Smile and accept the
applause from adoring onlookers. In such
a normal landing, you can afford to do it
with style.
Recommendation four: Forget style. In a
strong crosswind, which will almost always be
gusty and switching back and forth in direction,
its a battle between natural forces and you. You
have to be stronger and quicker than the wind.
The wind is a living thing thats seemingly out
to lift, lower, trip, squash, or slug you. You have
to counter its every move. If you can put the
aircraft down somewhere on the runway and
pointed approximately down it, you win. Never
mind the fancy nose-high stuff. In fact, trying
to land nose-high can trigger a whole new
problem, if the wind gusts and sends you
back aloft.

TWO WAYS
Classically there are two ways to handle cross-
winds: the crab and the wing-low approach. I
use the crab when theres good runway width,
and the wing-low method when the runway is
very narrow. Taildraggers will bite back
severely if landed in a crab, because the center
of gravity is aft of the main wheels, so the air-
craft will ground loop. Common sense dictates
that the wing-low method is dicey with low-
wing aircraft, because there is not much room
between the wingtip and the ground to start
with. Most tricycle-gear aircraft are very for-
giving about a discrepancy between where the
nose is pointed and the actual direction of
travel, and will simply straighten out when the
mains contact the ground. Either method works
if the wind is fairly steady.
When its rowdy (recommendation five), be
ready during the last, all-important, here-
comes-the-runway phase to make up a new
landing every couple of seconds because condi-
tions so often change that fast.
The actual landing went an awful lot like
what Ive suggested in the illustration.
Although I dont look anything like that guy,
I would have said every one of the things in
those speech balloons and more, what with
all the alarming excursions sideways and up
and down. The runway heading is 300 degrees
magnetic, and the wind was generally from
about 330, although shifting and huffing and
puffing. I used the crab more than anything
else. As usual, much of the crosswind eased
off just above the runway. Recommendation
six: Be ready to straighten out just before
touchdown. Prepare yourself psychologically

www.eaa.org37
 DAVE MATHENY

to wonder what was such a big deal about landing in such

a puny crosswind.
I got it on the ground without breaking anything. But
you know how everybody always says that the landing isnt
over until its back in the barn? Recommendation seven:
Believe them. Everybodys right. As I back-taxied toward
the hangar, gusts kept making me weathervane into the
wind. And then one huge gust lifted the whole left side,
wing and main wheel, off the ground. The right wing was
held down until the leading-edge tube bent and then, sick-
eningly, broke. (My friend, the owner, did the repair and I
paid for the tube.)

In a strong crosswind, which will almost

always be gusty and switching back and
forth in direction, its a battle between
natural forces and you. You have to be
stronger and quicker than the wind. The
wind is a living thing thats seemingly
out to lift, lower, trip, squash, or slug you.
You have to counter its every move.
LEARNING CURVE
You can learn to land in crosswinds by starting out with
mild winds, which will generally happen in the last hour
or so before sunset. (Winds are also much quieter at dawn,
but they tend to increase as the morning wears on, as hap-
pened in this case.) I dont place great faith in predicted
wind speed and direction. Weather people do their best,
but its just not possible to be very precise. And attaching a
specific number to crosswind strength, providing an exact
go/no-go wind speed, is just not possible. A pretty good
rule of thumb is to taxi out, if it isnt obviously blowing a
hurricane, and see how much the wind makes the aircraft
weathervane. Recommendation eight: If its so much that
you cant taxi in a straight line even with full opposite rud-
der, stay on the ground. You never want to try to land in
that much crosswind.
But we didnt get into flying to stay on the ground.
Recommendation nine: Learn crosswind landings by start-
ing small and inching upward with wind speeds. The
learning curve is both steep and jagged. A little more
crosswind can suddenly become a lot more. And the land-
ing really isnt over until its back in the barn.

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.

38Sport AviationSeptember 2014

 BRADY LANE
COMMENTARY / DREAM BUILD FLY

Roger and E.J. White, EAA 41 and 41-B, at the compass rose on Celebration Way before the start of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2014.

EAA 41
Roger and E.J. White, 60 years at the heart of EAA
BY BRADY LANE

SHE WAS WEARING WHITE bobby socks and a blue ankle-length starting for folks interested in building air-
skirt, Roger said with a boyish expression on his wrinkled face. He planes. Roger was intrigued and wrote Paul
remembered exactly what his new bride was wearing the day they a letter. Ten dollars later, Roger was EAA 41.
arrived at EAAs 1954 y-in. The next summer, he and his new
She was cute, he said pausing in reection, then added quickly, wife, E.J., set off on their first road trip as
Still is, for clarication, looking over his shoulder in case E.J. was a couple to Milwaukee. It was my first
within earshot. exposure to the bigger picture of aviation,
A few days before the start of Oshkosh 2014, 60 years after his Roger said. I came up to learn about avia-
rst trip to EAA, Roger White sat with friends in Pauls Aeroplane tion, which I did, but met an awful lot of
Factory talking about the 49 Ford he drove to Milwaukee that rst nice people.
year from Oklahoma, then the bus he converted into a camper, then Roger recalls being in the company of
all the homebuilts he had own to Milwaukee, Rockford, and big shots, like Steve Wittman (who was
Oshkosh through the years. EAA 38only three digits ahead of Roger),
Roger earned his ticket in a J-3 Cub after World War II and as a and said he was fascinated meeting people
newly minted pilot subscribed to Flying magazine. In 1953, he read a he had read about, but was also shocked
few paragraphs in that magazine that changed his life. Paul when they treated him and E.J. like celeb-
Poberezny wrote a letter to the editor about a little club he was rities since they had driven from

40Sport AviationSeptember 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRADY LANE

Oklahoma to attend what was, at that time,
a local fly-in.
The days were lled with y-bys, spot-
landing contests, and hangar talk. In the
evening we had a polka dance, which we
didnt experience in my part of the country,
Roger said, cheeks still blushing. Oklahoma
was totally dry, but beer was served openly
here, which was very interesting to us. The
social aspect of the gathering was a large
component of the y-in.
Steve Wittmans Magic Carpet, which
eventually became the Tailwind, captivated
Rogers attention that summer. It was small,
simple, and Steve was getting ready to make
plans for it, but I couldnt afford $75 to buy
plans, Roger said.
Roger and E.J. drove back to Oklahoma
excited about the possibilities homebuilding
offered. It really lit my re, he said.
Arriving home, Roger found a basket
case J-3 to restore, then started building his
rst homebuilt, a Cougar. According to
Roger, the Cougar was a knockoff of the
Tailwind but with a more appealing price
tag$7 COD.
In those days there wasnt a place to buy
parts. You had to scavenge behind hangars at
airports or in their junk pile to nd stuff you
could use. Gradually you learned where to
acquire things, and you could get all the nuts
and bolts you needed, he said.
Roger worked on the Cougar for 10 years,
during which time he continued to travel
north each summer for EAAs y-in.
Coming up here reminded me I wasnt
the only nut. I wasnt the only one who had
the bug, Roger said. The homebuilding
movement was growing rapidly, and the
EAA y-ins were doubling in attendance
each year.
Back home, E.J. became accustomed to
sleeping with Cougar wings in her bed-
roomjust what every new bride dreams of.
Id come home from bowling and nd air-
plane parts stretched from the living room to
the dining area, E.J. said. It was just part of
our life.
HALL OF HOMEBUILTS
After nishing the Cougar, Roger and E.J.
ew it for 400 hours, taking many family
vacations with it. When their rst daughter,
Jolene, was born, they modied it to include
a jump seat so she could ride along.
Rogers workbench didnt collect
dust. He restored a Tri-Pacer next, then
scratchbuilt a Cassutt Racer, which
only took a few years to finish since he
was now an experienced builder and
knew where all the bolt piles were at
the airport.
The Cassutt had the greatest feeling of
freedom, he said. You pointed the nose
wherever you wanted to go, and itd take
you there.
www.eaa.org41
BRADY LANE
After the Cassutt Racer, Roger still
wanted a Tailwind, so he rebuilt the Cougar
to become even more Tailwind-like. It basi-
cally became a Tailwind, except for the
aps, he said.
Next was Gusty, a sport plane he
crafted with ideas borrowed from other
aircraft. Not surprisingly Gusty also
resembled a Tailwind.
After building a Glasair II, his first kit
plane, he noticed he had accumulated
enough scrap tube for another fuselage, so
E.J. suggested he build a Pietenpol to take
the grandkids flying. Of course, Roger built
his own version of a Piet.
It flew like a Cub, but with 85 hp could
outperform a Cub, Roger said. It was a
great short-field airplane.
Every aircraft Roger built, he test flew
himself. Thats a real kick in the pants,
he said with eyebrows raised.
Currently Roger is building a Blkow
aircraft, but more on that in a bit.
For six decades, Rogers aircraft have
graced the pages of EAAs Experimenter
and Sport Aviation. He and E.J. helped
start EAA Chapter 10 in Tulsa, Oklahoma,
among other chapters and have watched
the EAA fly-in outgrow Milwaukee, move
to Rockford, and eventually to Oshkosh in
1970. Roger and E.J. were part of the rea-
son for that growth. They soon were a
family of five, and each summer the whole
crew came to EAA.
E.J. remembers seeing many children,
families, and strollers at the 1954 fly-in
and was impressed with how family-ori-
ented the organization was.
Growing up, the kids came here to see
their friends, Roger said. They didnt
come for aviation, but for their friends
Roger paused, reflecting on what he had
just told me, then continued, I guess we
all came for the same reasons.
Their kids are now grown and have
their own kids, but Roger and E.J. have
continued to come to Oshkosh each year.
This is our summer family, E.J. said.
FRIENDS, FAMILY
E.J. was volunteering in EAAs Wearhouse
when I first met her in 2007, folding
42Sport AviationSeptember 2014
shirts in preparation for the fly-in. She
wore a name tag that read hangar
queen, and all the other volunteers
treated her like their own grandmother, a
role she proudly embraced.
Roger has also volunteered in every
corner of EAA. Hes worked in the work-
shops, installed AC units, built buildings,
swept hangar floors, installed bulletin
boards, and built airplanes in the
Aeroplane Factory, which is where I found
him this year volunteering, laughing, and
swapping lies with friends. Its obvious he
enjoys doing whatever needs gettin
done, but that is getting hard now.
E.J.s voice softened and her eyes teared
this summer when she told me that this is
likely their last year. Rogers health is
declining so they came to say goodbye to
their friendsto their family.
Paul Poberezny wrote a letter to
the editor about a little club he
was starting for folks interested
in building airplanes. Roger was
intrigued and wrote Paul a letter.
Ten dollars later, Roger was EAA 41.
E.J. said she came for Roger in the
early years. Now, he comes for me. I
want to come see my friends, she said in
a tender voice.
Sitting in Pauls Aeroplane Factory,
Roger described his current project: Im
12 years into a three-year project, a
Blkow, but I need to sell it, he said. Im above their bunk bed differs from all the oth-
going slower and slower, and think Im
starting to go backwards, he said making
the comparison with flying a J-3 into a
strong headwind.
I shook Rogers hand, thanked him, and
told him I admired his wisdom. His family
had discovered, embraced, and lived the
very heart of EAA.
Since I have a young family who is just
starting to explore aviation, homebuilding,
and camping at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh,
I asked Roger and E.J. what advice they
had for me and young families like mine
who want to experience and carry forward
the EAA theyve built.
CARRYING THE TORCH
Its going to take young people who
understand, who get it, to keep EAA going.
Spend time with your family heregood,
quality time, E.J. said. Thats what will
make Oshkosh and EAA a special place.
The Oshkosh y-in allows people to
spend time together. The 10,000 aircraft
that arrive, the forums and workshops, and
unique homebuilts are not what Oshkosh is
about (as great as all of that is); its about
the relationships that get fostered here.
EAAs Founder Paul Poberezny often
said he was a millionaire because he had a
million friends. Roger and E.J. understand
that, and I want my family to as well.
Paul is not with us anymore, and soon all
who helped start this organization will
have passed the torch to us. Our inheri-
tance is EAAthis community. To continue
the mission they began, we must listen to
the pearls theyve shared with us.
My daughters talk year-round about
KidVenturethe T-shirts they color, the
pedal planes they y, and the airplanes they
buildreal airplanes, Dad. My wife usually
takes the girls to KidVenture while I am
working or doing other aviation activities.
I am glad to report that this year, thanks
to the advice of Roger and E.J.two mem-
bers who know what EAA is aboutIve
understood EAAs mission enough to leave
the ightline, take my staff shirt off for an
hour, and join my girls at KidVenture. The
balsa airplane from Oshkosh 2014 hanging
ers theyve built at previous KidVentures
this one they built with Dad.
Roger and E.J.I will miss seeing your
smiles next year and the sweet way you hold
hands as you walk down Celebration Way,
but thank you for taking the time to show me
EAA and for helping me carry your legacy,
Pauls legacy, EAA, forward.
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
A C2O (Cherokees to Oshkosh) training ight over Oregon.
Aviation Immersion
A busy week of ying
BY LAURAN PAINE JR.
FRIENDSHIPS, CONNECTIONS, GOODNESS, and fun are all part of the
aviation whole and sometimes come in bunches. I like it when that
happens, especially in my part of the country where it rains nine
months out of the year; when spring and summer nally roll
around, aviation sprouts! Last week was one of those weeks that
was a smorgasbord of aviation activity, the kind that makes ya glad
to be a part of it all.
To start with, my former roommate Ziggy (with the last name of
Siegfried, what else ya gonna call him?), from my Air Force pilot train-
ing days and his wife stopped by for a visit. They live on the East Coast,
so we dont see them often. He was in the car with me at the drive-in
when I rst met my bride in Texas in 1967. When we all get together the
stories roll! He ew the C-7 Caribou in Vietnam, volunteered for a sec-
ond tour, and went back in the North American F-100 Super Sabre (in
which one landing he had to dead-stick). Then he ew McDonnell
Douglas F-4 Phantom IIs for the Air National Guard (and once had to
bail out of one when it caught re) followed by a long career with
Peoples Express and Continental Airlines.
His bride is also a Texan, so she and my wife, Kay, speak the same
language. We took them to the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum,
home of Howard Hughes Spruce Goose. Its a wonderful museum and
houses many of the airplanes Ziggy and I ew. Not that it makes us old
or anything like that; our stories about them still keep getting newer
44Sport AviationSeptember 2014
and better. At the museum we ran into
Bubba. He and I served in the Oregon National
Guard together, and he is a docent there. He
took us under his wing and saw to it that we
got the behind-the-scenes, rst-class tour.
That really served to make our visit magical;
the connections, friendships, and airplanes all
combined into one very special package.
That evening at home we all sat around
and the conversation drifted, as it often does
these days, to ailments, Medicare, and grand-
children. I paused, looked over at Ziggy, and
said, Ya know, buddy, when we were 23 years
old and in pilot training we never talked about
any of this stuff. We talked about ying, the
occasional date, and the occasional beer. That
was about it, and it was pretty much in that
order. He laughed. Times change, but as they
say in this day and age, its all good.
Two days after Ziggys visit I ew to
Sunriver, Oregon, to visit an RV-12 Expo. And
that was a really neat deal! The event was the
brainchild of Wally Anderson, the big cheese
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAURAN PAINE JR.
at Synergy Air in Eugene, Oregon. The com-
pany takes RV-12 kits and completes and sells
them (see Delivery Team, February 2014
issue of Sport Aviation). Instead of just waiting
for people to come to it, Synergy took its air-
planes on the road. Great idea; take aviation to
the people.
In this case, it was Sunriver Airport, a
beautiful little airport near a beautiful resort. It
was a great feeling just being there, general
aviation on display; come one, come all. But it
was a lot more than just airplanes on display:
Transition training and ight reviews were
offered (from Mike Seager, of RV instruction
fame, and Lane Community College ight
instructors from Eugene, Oregon); there was
also an experimental light-sport aircraft
repairman course and a Things You Need to
Know About Your Rotax 912 ULS class. Plus a
class on Dynons SkyView system and several
workshops about berglass, prop pitch, tools,
primers, torque, 100LL versus avgas, painting,
automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast,
test ying, and lots more. Take your pick! Just
come see, talk, touch, visit, learn, and hang out.
Absorb some aviation in other words.
One especially neat moment for me at the
expo was the RV-12 there that I helped mentor
some teens to build a couple years ago. And
ying it there was one of those teens: Aric.
With him was another teen, Justin, who was a
part of the next iteration of the Teen Flight
program. I told em, You guys renew my faith
in the younger generation.
Also at the expo was John Stahr of Stahr
Design who creates magnicent paintings on
aircraft, motor homes, and such (see June 2014
Sport Aviation). He and I are at opposite ends
of the painting scale: he the master craftsman
and I the Krylon rattle-can painter. But we get
along well. He mentioned, I could paint some
guns on your leading edges to go along with
your World War II paint scheme, even air
brush some gunpowder soot coming from the
barrels. The word airbrush made me shiver.
I said, Thatd be neat but air brush? Thatd
serve to damage my carefully crafted reputa-
tion for cosmetic mediocrity. He laughed.
On an aviation roll now, a couple days
later I attended a Cherokees 2 Oshkosh (C2O)
Mini-Formation Clinic held at Willamette
Aviation, Aurora airport in Oregon. Willamette
Aviation is an extremely friendly general avia-
tion FBO. The C2O group holds mini-clinics at
various locations across the country in prepa-
ration for the nal clinic in Waupaca,
Wisconsin, which is preparation to their mass
arrival at AirVenture (see Formation Lite,
March 2013 issue of Sport Aviation). From
writing about them I knew they were a great
group of people, but I had never just hung
around and own with them before. They
were what I thought they would be: great guys
and gals, great attitudes, all surrounded by pro-
fessionalism. By free choice, each member of
the group chose to raise the bar on his or her
www.eaa.org45
LAURAN PAINE JR.
ying skills by learning formation, Cherokee-
style, such that the C2O mass arrival at
Oshkosh is well-planned and well-executed.
They welcomed me, but my RV-8 was a
bit of a y in the ointment of their formation.
They y their formation at 90 knots. (Sure
Cherokees can y faster than that, but in
formation ying you have to leave some per-
formance room for your wingmen.) The RV
community generally ies a 120-knot forma-
tion speed. On the rst sortie I ew as an
element lead for a second element. It
worked well, a testament to the versatility of
the RV series of airplanes, 90 knots being
quite doable. (It also worked well for my fuel
ow: really low!)
The brieng for the ight was thoroughly
and professionally done by Ferg, the director
of air operations for the C2O group. Hes a
gem! Retired military and retired airline,
hes a consummate professional, great com-
municator and, on top of all that, just a really
personable guy. He had brieng slides and
brieng sheets, and all questions were
answered before anyone left the room.
Formation ight planning as it should be.
His nal admonition was, Only do what
youre comfortable doing. Our goal is not
about how close. We dont want to swap
Justin and Aric stand by their Teen Flight-built RV-12.
paint. Its about discipline, procedures, hold-
ing position, and professionalism. Exactly!
We had to wait for some rain showers to
pass to take the opportunity to walk through
some of the maneuvers on the ramp. Believe
it or not, little things like that help.
We started engines on cue, got a comm
check, taxied out nose-to-tail, ran up line
abreast, and then took off with in-trail spac-
ing. En route, wingmen practiced holding
position, crossovers, changing lead, all that
stuff. This was a rst experience for some;
some rode as passengers this sortie and then
ew as PIC for the next sortie. All was accom-
plished in a planned area at a leisurely pace.
Ferg was mission commander, giving guid-
ance and suggestions as necessary. It was
good stuff. Lots of learning took place, and
comfort and condence levels were raised.
On return we transitioned to in-trail spac-
ing as briefed and landed on our respective
sides of the runway, fading to the cold side
when clear, then exited for a nose-to-tail taxi
back. All that is how beginning formation
training is done.
Later, as desired, section takeoffs and
landings, rejoins, and such are practiced. The
C2O group does nearly everything other for-
mation groups do. They just do it a little
looser. Theyre doing forma-
tion within their visibility and
performance limits. Their
professionalism and disci-
pline, however, are the same
as any formation group.
Then came the debrief.
Thats where everything is
hashed out and smoothed out
for the next sortie. Thats how
each sortie gets better and
how the C2O AirVenture
arrival becomes a thing of
prideful ying. So yeah, yet
another great aviation experi-
ence for the week!
What Ive related is not
unusual by any means. Events
like these regularly take place
all across this great land. Its all
a very satisfying slice of
American life; its also a very
special slice of American life.
But at about this same time there was this
(I hesitate to bring it up, but I have to say it): a
hit piece of cruddy journalism was pub-
lished in USA Today slamming general
aviation. Passing hangar bums told me all
about it. I didnt read it; I didnt have to. If its
about general aviation and its in the main-
stream media, its not worth reading; its bias,
slant, sensationalism (usually with some hor-
rid pictures), and hype all rolled into one. I can
smell it a mile away. Strong words from me
but, dang it, thats how I feel. What does the
media leave out? Stories like Ive been telling
you prior to this paragraph: the good.
Is there room for improvement in general
aviation? Of course there is. And its up to each
of us, every day, to work on it. And we do. Is
there room for improvement in journalism?
Yes, there is. They could start by telling the
truth and nothing but the truth. But theyre
not inclined to do that; its not a part of their
culture. It is, by the way, one of the main rea-
sons why newspaper subscriptions have
declined so precipitously. Enough. I refuse to
dwell on the negativity they wallow in.
Now Im going to tell you this: In the back
seat of my airplane on the C2O formation sor-
tie I ew was Justin. I had just met him the
weekend earlier at the RV-12 Expo, and here
he was at yet another aviation event. He partic-
ipated in the building of an RV-12 with Teen
Flight II, was a mentor for Teen Flight III, and
is a summer engineering intern with Vans
Aircraft and a private pilot. Hes young, eager,
bright-eyed, polite, and enthusiastic. (He kinda
reminded me of me 50 years ago.) Golly, its
good to see youth like that; it was a real plea-
sure to have him ride along. My wish is that
overreacting officialdom never acts to stie
aviation dreams; I hope Justin always has the
opportunities I had.
Tomorrow? Im giving a ride to an adult
who has shown an interest in learning to y.
So the beat goes on at my house. I aint giv-
ing up. And you aint giving up. There is no
woe is me in us. There is too much that is
good at stake.
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.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAURAN PAINE JR.

JEFF SKILES
COMMENTARY / CONTRAILS
KGUP
KINW
KABQ
KFFZ
Flight Home
Experiencing a new airplane
BY JEFF SKILES
NINE MONTHS AGO in my November column, Last Flight, I wrote
about the nal ight in my Waco as I ew with its new owner home chased only 20 miles away from where I
to Ontario. Davids enthusiasm for his new purchase was perfectly
countered by my melancholy as I knew that very soon I would see
my Waco for the last time. For every winner there is a loser. For
every death there is a new birth. The yin and the yang of life that
together form a whole.
But now I am on the other side of that equation as I ready my
new airplane for its delivery flight home. Theres something sat-
isfying about bringing an airplane to its new airport of residence
from a very great distance. It affords one a period of time to get
acquainted, to figure out how it likes to fly, to assess what
works, maybe what doesnt, and mull over what you would like
to change.
48Sport AviationSeptember 2014
KOSH
KBIE
My rst airplane, a Cessna 140, was pur-
live. Consequently, the delivery ight was
quite short and hardly enjoyable. Delivery
ights should allow you to experience new
places, beautiful vistas, and interesting peo-
ple to forever cast the experience in your
memory. The 140s ight had none of that. I
y farther to a pancake breakfast.
My second purchase, the Waco, was
located in Allentown, Pennsylvania,
necessitating a nice two-day trip across
Americas heartland allowing the Waco
and I to slowly grow accustomed to one
ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS LIVIERI
JEFF SKILES
another. I brought traveling companions,
and we stopped along the way to share my
new purchase with like-minded Waco a-
cionados. I learned that an airplane as
singular and unique as a Waco comes with a
ready-made social network, so sparsely are
Wacos scattered across the land that own-
ers must ock together for mutual support.
THE SKYWAGON
My current not exactly new but new to me
airplane, a 1968 Cessna 185, was located even
farther away on the other side of the conti-
nental divide in Phoenix, Arizona. The ight
home from the warm and sunny Southwest
promised a nice long period for the
Skywagon and I to get to know one another.
I spent many hours planning my route
home to take advantage of the most promis-
ing scenery. Alternate routes were
developed in case the winds were too
strong in the high passes. Friends were con-
sulted to dispense expert knowledge.
Be careful not to y too close to the
downwind side of a ridgenever y when
the winds are more than 20 knots in the
passes. As it would turn out, none of it was
of value as I arrived in Phoenix to pick up
my new airplane.
TEST FLIGHT
For the ight home I was accompanied by
my friend and colleague Bret Steffen, EAA
director of education. Bret is certainly a
very agreeable companion for this adven-
ture. As co-workers we have taken
personality proles and discovered that we
are almost exact opposites, which perhaps
is why we get along so wellthe yin and
yang again.
I hadnt actually own the aircraft when
I looked at it a month prior, so a test ight
was part of completing the sale. So, before
Bret and I departed for points east I went
aloft with the previous owner, John, just to
verify that the Skywagon was relatively
straight, or as straight as a 44-year-old air-
plane can possibly be. His lovely wife, also
a pilot, rode in back as they said goodbye to
their beautifully kept 185. I fondly remem-
ber my Waco and tried to be understanding
of their plight. They had made the 185 their
50Sport AviationSeptember 2014
own with new paint, interior, and modica-
tions, but now the big Cessna had to go to
make way for an LSA as they both transi-
tioned to a new sort of ying with the
passing of years.
As we descended for landing at Falcon
Field I could well surmise the feelings in
Johns heart, as his prized aircraft was
about to disappear over the horizon with
someone else at the controls.
Would you like to make the landing? I
offered. I have many landings ahead in this
Cessna; you have only one.
He gratefully took the controls and
accomplished a touchdown that should bol-
ster his remembrance of the day. A perfect
landing that closed the circle on his tenure
with the Skywagon.
Delivery ights should allow
you to experience new places,
beautiful vistas, and interesting
people to forever cast the
experience in your memory.
After the paperwork was signed and the
insurance coverage was activated, I found
myself loading my new airplane for depar-
ture. As always when buying a used
airplane, once the sale was complete the
extras appeared, all those many small items
that seem to have become loosely attached
to the aircraft.
In the case of the Skywagon, I found
myself making room for the windshield
V-brace that is part of the float kit, various
cowl inlet and pitot tube covers, ski and
float fuselage attach fittings, and the far
rear seat. Even though the Cessna 185 has
no more cabin space than a Cessna 182, it
was originally certified as a six-seat air-
craft with the last two passengers
intimately sharing the baggage compart-
ment. Clearly this arrangement could only
be deemed suitable for small children.
While I couldnt ever imagine myself using
the Skywagon as a six-seater, the various
pads and fittings allowing it to be
employed as such were dutifully loaded on
board. Mentally I had already picked out
the shelf in my own hangar where all of
this equipment will rest until I in turn sell
the Skywagon to the next owner.
After all this detritus was tucked away,
John produced the box. All you aircraft
owners know what Im referring to. The
box contains all the paperwork that legions
of previous owners couldnt quite gure out
what to do with, old articles copied from
magazines on various topics, assorted fuel
receipts, copies of all the purchase paper-
work from a sale made ve owners ago, and
a detailed description of the annual done in
1977. No one pretends that any of this infor-
mation has value, but nobody wants to be
the one to eighty-six it either so it goes in
the box, and I packed the box away with all
the other stuff I dont see myself needing.
As a matter of fact, the Skywagon came
with so much ancillary junk that there was
barely room left over for our bags. I had a
feeling of satisfaction as I stuffed the last
of the luggage, parts, and papers into the
baggage compartment and slammed the
door shut.
John and his wife left quickly, some-
thing about a tennis tournament at their
retirement development. I think that more
than likely they didnt want to be around to
witness the departure of their beloved
Cessna as Bret and I readied for takeoff.
THE ROUTE HOME
My endless hours spent planning a lei-
surely sightseeing flight home was
completely for naught as strong winter
weather was the rule this late January
afternoon. Wed be lucky to get out now or
face being stuck for days.
My plan to file IFR for Albuquerque, a
plan that seemed perfectly practical sitting
at 800 MSL in Wisconsin, ran afoul of the
clouds and possible icing along our course.
At a loss for an alternative plan in this for-
eign environment I decided to ask those
who should know. So I strolled into the
FBO and found one of its pilots to help me
figure the best way home. Local knowl-
edge is always best, particularly when
shared for free.
JEFF SKILES
My new friend verbally charted a cres-
cent-shaped course departing directly
north out of Phoenix to Winslow, Arizona,
then turning eastward over Gallup, New
Mexico, then to Albuquerque, and on to
points east. Albuquerque is the last hurrah
of the long line of Rocky Mountain peaks
before the land gives way to the endless
grasslands of the high plains. After a quick
check of the weather, the plan seemed to
hold both the promise of easy VFR weather
and cruise altitudes below 10,000 feet,
barely below it that is.
We topped off the tanks and were off.
The ight started off pleasantly enough as
the terrain climbed below us and we in turn
drifted skyward. But the winds also
increased. They were blowing on our tail to
be sure, but the roiling air currents pro-
duced increasing turbulence making our
ride fairly rough.
While these gale force winds would
have made mountain passes impossible, the
terrain below was predominantly at. So
we bounced along in the winds and ther-
mals to Winslow. We deviated from course
for a must-see view of the meteor crater,
but otherwise the view was of endless, bar-
ren high desert with little passing below to
excite the imagination.
Gallup fell into our wake as the turbu-
lence made Bret and me begin to question
our ambitious goal for the day. Bumps are
tiring and the day was already getting
long. Approaching Albuquerque the
winds seemed to peak, and both Bret and
I had enough. We were tired of the con-
stant gyrations of the aircraft. With the
promise of a clear path home in the morn-
ing we descended for landing at Double
Eagle II Airport.
It all seemed like the right thing to do
until I listened to the ATIS. The winds were
just as strong on the ground as in the air,
35-45 knots blowing anywhere from 20-40
degrees off the runway heading. As usual
with such strong winds they were swinging
around so much that it was impossible to
calculate a crosswind component, and this
would be my rst landing in my new air-
plane to boot. Maybe I shouldnt have
offered John that last landing in Phoenix.
52Sport AviationSeptember 2014
Having at least one under my belt would
feel good right about now. I technically met
the insurance requirements because of
some 180 time logged decades ago, and I
have plenty of recent large taildragger
experience in my logbook, but the winds
were blowing the tumbleweeds across the
runway at a NASCAR-like pace.
I always wheel land in stiff winds, and
the technique proved equal to the task this
time as well. As is often the case in such a
gale, landing is the easier part of the equa-
tion. Taxiing to the ramp was a bear. But
soon the Skywagon was facing into the
wind, dancing mightily against tie-down
ropes. The door to the FBO was closed due
to a 6-foot high pile of tumbleweeds, but
entrance was gained through the side, and
soon we were enjoying dinner while listen-
ing to the howling wind rattling the rafters.
My endless hours spent
planning a leisurely sightseeing
ight home was completely
for naught as strong winter
weather was the rule this late
January afternoon. Wed be
lucky to get out now or face
being stuck for days.
CLEAR, CALM, AND BEAUTIFUL
As often happens in such situations, the
wind blew so hard that it blew itself out
overnight, and the next morning dawned
clear, calm, and beautiful. On our early
drive to the airport the tans of the land-
scape were a perfect backdrop for the
oranges and purples cast by the rising sun.
Amazingly, our hotel van driver turned out
to be a pilot and had own his Bonanza to
Oshkosh many times. The drive to the eld
was full of conversation about the upcom-
ing days ying.
Soon we were in the air, and after a
quick jog north around Sandia Mountains
and an equal diversion south to clear the
peaks of the Sangre de Cristo range, we set
course for home.
GPS is a wonderful thing. You can tune
in a place a thousand miles away and head
directly there. Pure magic! Bret brought
along his Stratus ADS-B receiver, and that
combined with a ForeFlight app gave us the
weather up ahead as well. Amazing!
We were shooting through a corridor
between weather systems with a 12-hour
window of VFR weather. We should be
able to make it all the way home.
The Plains states have a whole lot of,
wellplainsendless prairie grass with
few man-made features to destroy the
passing landscape. As we headed north-
east the open plains slowly turned to
ranches, and the ranches to farms, and by
noon we were on approach to Runway 36
in Beatrice, Nebraska.
Somehow my two days in the south-
west had left me with the impression that
winter was over. Beatrice relieved me of
this misconception as it was in the grips
of an icy chill. We fueled, paid, and left
about as fast as was possible. At least the
cabin heater worked well!
After another three and a half hours in
the saddle we were tucking the Cessna
away in its hangar. Its unbelievable that
you can wake up in New Mexico and be
putting the airplane away in Wisconsin
before dark. A satisfying delivery flight
to be sure.
And what of my new Skywagon?
Pictures online, pre-purchase inspec-
tions, and test flights can only go so far.
Now that I have worn the aircraft like a
glove and have my first landing story to
tell, I can say that I got a good one!
Fast, IFR-capable, great-looking, and
its the perfect airplane for me. Still, it
could use shoulder harnesses, and an
engine analyzer, not to mention GAMI
injectors, and
Note: A B.A.S. inertia reel shoulder harness
system was the rst addition to the aircraft
after I brought it home.
Je Skiles, EAA 336120, can be reached at
jereybskiles@gmail.com.
54Sport AviationSeptember 2014
 MORE AIRPLANES, more people, and more ying action
than we have seen in years summarizes EAA AirVenture
SEVEN DAYS OF NONSTOP
Oshkosh 2014. It was the best most could remember.
AVIATION ACTION
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds performance was a
rst over Oshkosh and people loved it. Final weekend
attendance was way up compared to past years.
But as ashy and exciting as the Thunderbirds were,
they were only part of an exciting week that treated us
to mostly cool and pleasant weather and more airplanes
than have own into Oshkosh in many years. No matter
what segment of the vast aviation scope that is Oshkosh
you looked at, there was more to see and do.
Its impossible to capture even a small part of
Oshkosh action in any medium, but a large group of EAA
staff and volunteer photographers fanned out across the
airport throughout the week to shoot the highlights.
If you were able to be in Oshkosh this year, we hope
these photos bring back memories and perhaps show
some of the ying and events you couldnt get to. If you
were unable to attend this year, we hope these photos
give you a taste of what you missed.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY www.eaa.org55

56Sport AviationSeptember 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY
 PHOTOGRAPHY BY SPENCER THORNTON PHOTOGRAPHY BY PHIL WESTON

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SPENCER THORNTON PHOTOGRAPHY BY CINDY LUFT

The week opened with a service celebrating the life of EAA

Founder Paul Poberezny at the Memorial Wall. Pauls famous
VW Red One was parked in a place of honor at the Gathering
of Eagles gala fundraising dinner on Thursday evening. Kenny
Loggins entertained a huge crowd on Boeing Plaza on Monday
evening. NASA brought its extremely modied B-57 Canberra
that ies above 60,000 feet to conduct a variety of research
projects. Kyle Franklin stood his Dracula on edge during the air
show. Seven beautiful Lockheed 12s from the golden age, the
majority still ying, graced the Vintage airplane area.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SPENCER THORNTON www.eaa.org57

 Rich Alldredge ew the Gee Bee Q.E.D. replica built by Jim
Moss who passed away shortly before the decade-long
project was complete. Pilots who competed in the Valdez
extremely short takeo and landing contests brought their
specially congured airplanes and amazed the crowd
with unbelievably short combined landing and takeo
distances. In an emotional moment for all, EAA Chairman
Jack J. Pelton presented Audrey Poberezny with the
Freedom of Flight Award, the associations highest honor.

58Sport AviationSeptember 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHET WEHE

 PHOTOGRAPHY BY SPENCER THORNTON

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY www.eaa.org59

60Sport AviationSeptember 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRETT BROCK
 The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds ew three performances in
their rst appearance at Oshkosh. At the other end of the
airspeed spectrum, powered parachute pilots enjoyed the
cool and smooth morning air. Both WomenVenture and
KidVenture had record numbers of participants and more
scheduled activities than ever before.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRADY LANE PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MELODY WOLLANGK www.eaa.org61

62Sport AviationSeptember 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY
 PHOTOGRAPHY BY TYSON V. RININGER

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TYSON V. RININGER PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY

A large crowd was on hand to welcome veterans returning

from the Honor Flight to visit memorials in Washington, D.C.
Thousands of EAAers took time to sign enormous posters
commemorating the life and remarkable achievements of EAA
Founder Paul Poberezny. Brand new workshops gave people a
better place to learn welding and other basic aircraft building
and maintenance skills. More than 100 Bonanzas and Barons
were part of an annual formation arrival. Country singer Sandra
Lynn was the headliner on Wednesday evening, and a was a
big hit with EAAers.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MELODY WOLLANGK www.eaa.org63

 PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAURIE GOOSSENS

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DENNIS BIELA

The wall of re continues to dazzle fans of all ages.

Sean D. Tucker pointed his Oracle Challenger III straight
up over the runway. Gene Soucy and his Showcat are
a perennial favorite during the night air shows. The
Marines put on an amazing show ying the V-22 Osprey
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRADY LANE tilt-rotor aircraft from a stationary hover to ying
speeds way above 200 knots.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SPENCER THORNTON PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY

64Sport AviationSeptember 2014

Six exotic and long-range homebuilts set out to y from Mojave, the
hotbed of extreme aerial performance, nonstop to Oshkosh. Five of them
made it into this photo formation over Wittman eld. Wasabi, a Formula
One racer, is nearest the camera. Next is Tango 2, Rutan Catbird, Glasair II,
and Long-EZ Ol Blue.

66Sport AviationSeptember 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY TYSON V. RININGER

 these thi ng
are
t

s?
a
wh

A LOOK AT ULTRALIGHTS AND LSA

BY DAVE MATHENY

68Sport AviationSeptember 2014

ILLUSTRATION BY DAVE MATHENY www.eaa.org69
AROUND MY HANGAR, which was built at
about the time of the dawn of ultralight
aviation in 1982, everybody has always
known what ultralights and other very
light aircraft are. They are things that
look like a cross between an airplane and
praying mantis, or a hang glider on ste-
roids with a go-kart underneath, or a
go-kart with a big prop at the back and a
bundle behind that turns out to be a para-
chute canopy stuffed into a bag, or a
gigantic fan mounted on a parachute har-
ness plus the bundled-up canopy, or a
helicopter-like craft with unpowered
rotors. And of course there are actual
light airplanes that are so obviously
descended from high-wing Cubs and
Cessnas or low-wing Pipers and
Beechcraft that nobody could fail to rec-
ognize them.
Today we refer to them collectively as
ultralights and light-sport aircraft. Yes,
fine, we get that, say many pilots of con-
ventional aircraft, but what are they?
They are flying machines, of course, made
to satisfy that need in so many of us who
just want to get airborne for a while. It is
a need that can be met in ways other than
with conventional aircraft.
Lets start with the craft at the bottom
of the heap, in both weight and prece-
dence: ultralights, which cant legally
weigh more than 254 pounds empty, must
ULTRALIGHT DEFINITION
In simple terms, a legal ultralight must meet
these criteria:
One seat
Weigh less than 254 pounds
Top airspeed in level ight of 63 mph
Power-o stall speed of 28 mph or less
5-gallon maximum fuel capacity
Certain limitations apply to ultralight ight opera-
tions, such as (to simplify) ying only during the day,
in uncontrolled airspace, and not over congested
areas. Note that the exact criteria allow for some
slight exibility in these limits, such as being able to
y for half an hour before sunrise and after sunset if
the vehicle carries a strobe visible for 3 miles,
and being allowed an additional 24 pounds if a
parachute system is carried. For greater details,
visit www.EAA.org.
70Sport AviationSeptember 2014
give way to all other forms of flying
machines, and are not even called aircraft
by the FAA, but vehicles.
EARLY DAYS
Some history to provide context: In the
early 1960s Francis Rogallo, an aeronauti-
cal engineer, proposed a collapsible fabric
wing that could be used to recover space-
craft returning to Earth. Its delta shape is
instantly recognizable today as a hang-
glider wing. (It was ultimately not
adopted by NASA, which went with
round-canopy parachutes instead.) It CGS Hawk
caught on with sport-flying enthusiasts
who developed it into the hang glider: a airworthiness certification. The FAA
wing that was controlled entirely by the ruled that anything that could be foot-
shifting weight of a pilot underneath it, launched was exempt from the law; if you
either prone or seated. The sport began to could pick it up, carry it, and run fast
catch on. Utilizing aluminum-tube spars enough to take off, it was some form of
and Dacron sails from the world of sailing hang glider. (This generated some unin-
for lightness (the craft had to be carried tentional comedy as one or two
up hills for each flight), these early hang manufacturers demonstrated their bona
glider pilots were able to glide down hill- fides by providing photographs showing
sides or off cliffs, and in time even fit young men staggering along down a
employed sailplane-soaring techniques to hill under the burden of their aircraft and
stay aloft for hours. getting airborne in what had to be a
Inevitably power was added, and the Beaufort force 8 gale.)
first powered hang gliders began to
appear in the 1970s, and not just in flat-
land parts of the world. Although these On any given weekday evening and all
flying devices were essentially still just
weekend (in mild weather), there was
hang gliders, the three-wheeled trike
unit with power at the back promptly at least one ultralight in the air, and
appeared. This arrangement allowed the
pilot to sit below the wing, comfortably frequently two or three. In general
and in full control through the same tri-
aviation, by contrast, single-engine
angular bar, but with the engine and
propeller mounted at the back of the production lines were shut down. It
trike. Although it might have looked at
the time to be a transitional technology, looked like ultralights were the future
waiting for a more airplane-like craft to
of recreational aviation.
evolve, the trike not only remained but
has secured a prominent place in light
aviation. At times in my hangar there HERE COMES EVERYBODY
have been more trikes than any other By 1981 all those involved in this new
single type. branch of aviation knew that the foot-
Odd-looking craft began to appear in launch rule would not last. In 1982 the
the late 1970s, often resembling praying FAA issued Federal Aviation Regulation
mantises. These were dubbed ultra- Part 103Ultralight Vehicles, setting crite-
lights. Before long observers were moved ria for what constituted an ultralight
to ask why these things, many of them (chiefly single place and light weightsee
looking something like airplanes and not the sidebar). It also exempted their pilots
like hang gliders, were not considered from any need for certification. An out-
actual aircraft, needing registration and pouring of designs, some of them very
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF EAA
strange-looking, enjoyed brisk sales. Boris
Popov, who would go on to create the
Ballistic Recovery System (BRS), a whole-
aircraft parachute recovery device now in
use on the Cirrus and other airplanes, was
at the time an ultralight dealer in the Twin
Cities area. He recalls selling one unit a
day during 1981. I bought an American
Aerolights Eagle from him that year. It was
a tailless flying wing with a canard, pow-
ered by a single-cylinder 20-hp engine. I
took the brief flight-training course and
began flying wherever I could find a place
to set the craft up.
For a while there it seemed that the
sky would soon be dark with ultralights.
By 1982 Boris had established an airpark
near the Twin Cities in Minnesota. On
any given weekday evening and all week-
end (in mild weather), there was at least
one ultralight in the air, and frequently
two or three. In general aviation, by con-
trast, single-engine production lines were
shut down. It looked like ultralights were
the future of recreational aviation.
However, when EAA Founder Paul
Poberezny was asked whether he would
agree with that assessmentI havent
been able to find the exact quotehe
observed that flying had undergone a
similar boom in the late 1940s and had
cooled down after that to a steady
increase, although less wild than at first.
By implication at least, he advised using
caution in making predictions.
A MATURING PROCESS
In fact, the ultralight market did cool
down. By 1983, possibly because most of
the people who were going to buy an
ultralight had bought one by then, activ-
ity continued but not as briskly. Another
factor in the deflating market may have
been the broadcast of an episode of ABCs
20/20, titled Ultralights: Flying or
Dying? The shows centerpiece was a
video showing Washington, D.C., TV per-
sonality Steve Douglas killing himself in
an ultralight. According to the dealer
who supplied the ultralight, Douglas
wasnt supposed to fly, just taxi, but he
took off anyway, apparently without fas-
tening his seat belt. A short time later at
an altitude of a few hundred feet, Douglas
can be seen getting into a series of
pilot-induced pitch oscillations. As the
oscillations grew increasingly violent, he
was thrown overboard and fell to his
death. It was a horrifying spectacle. In
the opinion of the pilots I knew who
watched it, the show made a feast of the
grisly moment. The episode cited some
other fatalities and concluded with the
hosts sitting around a desk, attributing
the whole terrible situation to a supposed
rash of deregulation going on in
Washington. The clear implication was
that people dont crash or fall out of cer-
tificated aircraft, in effect calling for a big
clampdown on the sport. Whether the
episode actually caused a general reduc-
tion of interest in ultralights as dealers
said, or just added to the trend, is argu-
able. It was not TV journalisms finest
hour in any case.
Ultralights still sold pretty well, and in
fact the cost per unit just about doubled
after the 20/20 show, while the number of
manufacturers decreased, reducing the
field to the more reliable ones such as
Quicksilver, Challenger, Teratorn, CGS,
and others. Although total sales numbers
were not officially tracked, word was that
a majority of the craft being sold by the
late 1980s were two-seaters, which meant
that they were not ultralights, strictly
speaking. With Part 103, the FAA had pro-
vided a narrow exception to the
single-seat requirement, allowing for the
use of two-seat, ultralight-style training
aircraft to train new pilots, and there
were a lot of new pilots needing training.
At one point in the late 1980s, there were
only two legal two-seat instructors in the
state of Minnesota, Boris Popov and me.
By the mid-1990s training was avail-
able mostly in weight-shift-controlled
trikes, and our hangar turned out new
trike pilots often.
But it was obvious to everyone
involved that there were several thousand
airplane-like, aerodynamically controlled
aircraft (aircraft in practical terms, not
official nomenclature) flying around that
were not legal ultralights, airplanes with
airworthiness certificates, or any other
sanctioned existenceand that were not
actually being used for training, and
whose pilots were not qualified to
instruct in any case.
SPORT PILOT
REQUIREMENTS
To get a sport pilot certicate, in addition to certain
age and literacy requirements, a person has to have:
At least 20 hours of ight time, including 15 hours
of dual instruction, two hours of solo, two hours of
cross-country dual, and a solo cross-country of 75 miles
Pass written and practical ight tests
Have a state-issued drivers license for a
medical requirement
For more details, visit www.SportPilot.org.
Also in that time period no training
was available in airplane-like craft within
200 miles. (I had sold my two-seater and
moved on to just flying for fun.)
Weight had also been a problem
almost from the beginning. Even the
iconic Quicksilver MX could only meet
the 254-pound limitation in its most
basic, unimproved form, as sold in 1982.
Soon almost every common ultralight was
a little heavier than that, and some a lot
heavier than that. Pilots naturally tend to
add equipment to their flying machines,
and although Part 103 allowed an addi-
tional 24 pounds for a parachute system
such as a BRS, weights ratcheted ever
upward, and the stall speed maximum of
28 mph (another ultralight criterion) was
also left behind. The top airspeed limit of
63 mph was less in danger, ultralights
having always been draggy, because going
from a 40-hp engine to a 50-hp would
only net you another couple of knots. But
all of the criteria were exceeded. Even the
factory-installed 5-gallon fuel tank on my
1983 Quicksilver MX was somehow, mys-
teriously, able to hold 6 gallons.
ASK NOT FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS
It was a situation that could not last.
Governments act slowly, but they do act.
The light-sport aircraft (LSA) regulation
appeared in 2004. It was a big broom that
swept into one strange pile everything
from two-seat, overweight ultralights
to such golden oldies as Piper J-3 Cubs
and certain Ercoupes, and added or
allowed some very new designs that were
powerful, fast, and pleasing to look at in
www.eaa.org71

LSA DEFINITION
In very simple terms, an LSA must meet these criteria:
Not weigh more than 1,320 pounds gross
Have a maximum level airspeed of 120 knots
Stall speed not more than 45 knots
Seat no more than two persons
One engine
Unpressurized cabin
Fixed-pitch or ground-adjustable prop
Fixed landing gear
Certain exceptions are allowed, for example a
somewhat higher weight for seaplanes. For
greater details, visit www.EAA.org.
their aerodynamic sleekness. The one
feature they all had in common was a
gross weight of no more than 1,320
pounds. Many of the new LSA were cre-
ated while the economy was still hot. As
we all know, the economy went into a
severe recession, fortunes were lost, and
many of the new aircraft did not sell. (See
the sidebar for LSA definitions.)
The sport pilot regulation allowed any
ultralight pilot who wanted to continue
flying what had never really been an
ultralight and had become an LSA to
come in from the cold. Sport pilot was
also an answer (of sorts) to a long-nour-
ished hope that the FAA would create a
category of pilot certificate that would
drop the medical requirement.
Backing up for a moment: Pilots had
asked for decades that the third-class
medical requirement be removed from
the private certificate, pointing out that
drivers of vehicles on the highway posed
a far greater danger to others in the event
of an incapacitation such as a heart attack
or stroke while driving than would the
pilot of a light aircraft to anyone on the
ground. (This was not an argument for
tightening drivers license medicals,
which seems never likely to happen in
this galaxy, but for a relaxation of pilot
medicals.) The recreational certificate
appeared in the late 1980s but was
greeted with a huge collective sigh of
disappointment. It lowered some criteria,
but it kept the unpopular third-class
medical requirement. Many pilots
72Sport AviationSeptember 2014
who had lost their medicals but wanted
to continue flying now looked forward
to the new rule. The new sport pilot
certificate did allow pilots to fly with
only a state-issued drivers licensebut
only if they had never been denied an
aviation medical.
The sport pilot regulation allowed
what had been maverick, unregulated
pilots and their unregulated machines to
join the legitimate aviation family. The
cost of new, ultralight-style, LSA was
heftyyou couldnt even look at one for
much under $30,000but it was possible
for a person who had been flying an ille-
gal, fat two-seat ultralight-type aircraft
to get it certificated under a part of the
LSA regulation, and to earn a sport pilot
certificate. Those with private or better
certificates needed very little else to get
current and didnt need a medical other
than a state-issued drivers license.
Weight isnt so much the issue as the
way they are usednot as transportation,
but as a means to get their pilots
airborne. Most of the time, pilots of
lightweights take off with no destination
in mind other than the local sky.
SO WHAT ARE THESE THINGS?
All of the preceding establishes what an
ultralight is, historically and technically,
but now we want to look at ultralights in
practical, flying terms. We can make some
useful generalizations about all of the air-
craft down at the low end of the weight
spectrum, whether they are legal ultra-
lights or LSA of any configuration.
We will have to look beyond the fact
that they are very light, although such
large quantitative differences can make
for a qualitative difference. They handle
differently from regular aircraft and
inhabit a different part of the flying cul-
ture, much as a .22 target pistol differs
from a .50-caliber Browning machine
gun, or a racing bicycle from a Harley-
Davidson Electra Glide, although both
have two wheels and go on the road.
Weight isnt so much the issue as the way
they are usednot as transportation, but
as a means to get their pilots airborne.
Most of the time, pilots of lightweights
take off with no destination in mind other
than the local sky.
No matter if its an ultralight or a very
light LSA it will be sensitive to air cur-
rents, more so than even such fairly light
aircraft as a Cessna 150. The super-light
ones just plain get knocked around more,
which gets old fast. I found, having
started flying in ultralights and then mov-
ing on to get a private certificate and to
own a general aviation airplane, that I
enjoyed newfound freedom with the air-
plane to be able to take on long flights
and windier, rougher air than is the case
with ultralights. I enjoy driving a car that
handles well, not one that communicates
every pebble in the road to the seat of
your pants. Even so, there is a sense of
intimacy with the atmosphere that has a
certain appeal.
Lightweights are not really intended
for transportation. You dont usually go
very far in one of these, and if you doI
occasionally make a journey of 70 miles
just for a change of scenery or to drop
into a different airportit is something
of a leather-helmet-and-goggles adven-
ture, a sense that is emphasized by the
majority of lightweights having open
cockpits. Most, such as the basic
Quicksilver types, trikes, and powered
parachutes, have either nothing in front
of the pilot or a windscreen. Powered
paragliders have nothing at all around
the pilot, whose fuselage is what
amounts to a parachute harness.
Its noteworthy that having nothing in
front of you does not mean being blasted
and buffeted by the wind, as you might
expect from the experience of extending
your hand from a car window into the
slipstream. Contrary to what one would
expect, the air is just a steady presence,
not a blast, and is barely noticeable, at
least up to about 45 mph. This smooth,
even pressure will be interrupted and
made somewhat chaotic by the use of a
small windscreen that reaches only to
chest height. A full windscreen and pod,
leaving only the sides open, allows the
pilot to handle much greater speeds.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF EAA
 You do tend to lose things overboard
that are not firmly securedcaps and
charts, mainly. That sense of intimacy
referred to above is enhanced by the
smell of freshly mown hay, cut grass,
smoke, and small, warm currents coming
off the ground. Sometimes, for the last
flight of the day, I kill the engine at 1,000
feet over the field and glide down, listen-
ing to the wind flowing over the airframe
until touchdown.
ULTRALIGHTS AND LSA TODAY
Ultralights have not gone gentle into that
good night, to paraphrase Dylan Thomas.
They are out there and very real, old ones
and new ones. They come in all the forms
described above, however tongue-in-
cheek: in airplane-like craft, weight-shift
trikes, powered parachutes, powered
paragliders, and gyroplanes. They are sin-
gle-seat, correct in stall speed and top
speeds, their weights within the 254-
pound limit, if just barely.
The days of the under-$10,000 ultra-
light are mostly over, although a sharp
eye can occasionally spot a 25-year-old
hangar queen that needs a lot of work for
something under that price. In some
cases parts and sails are available. (But,
as I have warned in previous articles, any
buyer should avoid the oddball types for
which parts and sails cant be found, and
which were of doubtful airworthiness
even when new. I have swum in these
waters for 23 years, so take my word for
it that there are both good ones and bow-
Quad City Challenger
wows out there. Be ultra careful.)
Lets take these apart and look at them
by type.
Trikes tend to be fairly speedy, heavy,
and surprisingly expensive; $30,000 is
not at all unusual for a craft that looks
like a powered hang glider (but dont say
that in front of a trike pilot if you dont
want a lecture on the lunacy of even
thinking of using that wing for hang glid-
ing). They are more common in other
countries where they are usually desig-
nated microlights. Their owners
usually fit them out with color-coordi-
nated pods, beautiful leather seats, and
custom gear. Instrument panels are
extensive and typically high-tech. The
ubiquitous Rotax 912 is the usual power-
plant. Any trike with all of these
attributes will not meet ultralight crite-
ria, and most have already been brought
into the LSA fold. The only low-tech item
on any trike is still the triangular control
bar by which the pilot makes the aircraft
go where he or she likes.
Airplane-like craft such as the CGS
Hawk, Quicksilver, and Challenger gener-
ally have a conventional layout: wings in
front, tail in back. Because the two heavi-
est parts of the machine are the pilot and
the engine, designers will usually use a
pusher configuration, balancing the
weight of the engine at the trailing edge
with the pilot out front and fuel tank in
the middle, where its varying weight
will not shift the CG much and affect
longitudinal stability. The resemblance
to a praying mantis has faded over the
years because fuselages are now covered
more often than not. Among these,
single-seaters often qualify as true
ultralights. Two-seaters, just like
conventional aircraft, are either tandem
or side-by-side.
Powered parachutes, like trikes, tend
to be heavy and to have numerous high-
tech goodies on board. All two-seaters by
definition will be LSA. They are con-
trolled laterally by foot pedals, which pull
down on one side or other of the canopy
inducing a turn through drag. Because
they fly at a constant speed, typically
between 25 and 30 mph, adding or sub-
tracting power is what causes altitude to
change. Learning to fly them takes some-
The days of the under-$10,000
ultralight are mostly over, although a
sharp eye can occasionally spot a
25-year-old hangar queen that needs
a lot of work for something under
that price. In some cases, parts
and sails are available.
what less time than other flying
machines. The tricky part is finessing
canopy inflation during the takeoff.
Strong and gusty winds are not handled
well by this type.
Powered paragliders are an intensely
personal type of flying: engine, propeller,
and fuel supply are strapped to the pilots
back, and takeoffs and landings require
athletic skill as well as flying savvy. They
rarely fly above 1,000 feet, mostly staying
down among the fields.
Gyroplanes look something like heli-
copters but have unpowered rotors. They
are propelled by engines turning propel-
lers, usually in a pusher configuration;
forward motion causes autorotation and
lift. They can typically handle stronger
winds than most other lightweights, or as
one autogyro pilot told me, The rotors
just chop up turbulence.
Saving the best for last: The great thing
about old ultralights is their low price and
operating costs. I paid under $10,000 for
my Quicksilver GT400 in 1999. It was nine
years old at the time and had under 200
hours on engine and airframe; hangar
rental is under $100 a month, I do my own
maintenance, mostly directed by a very
knowledgeable mechanic friend, use car
gasolinewhats not to like?
Now that we have some idea of what
these lightweights are, we have the ques-
tion of who flies them. We will take on
that one next month in my regular Light
Flight column.
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.
www.eaa.org73
 ONE WEEK, THOUSANDS OF
VOLUNTEERS, AND WE BUILT A
ZENITH CH 750 CRUZER

BY CHARLIE BECKER

EAA THANKS the proud supporters of the One Week Wonder project:

SteinAir Scheme Designers Skytek Aircraft Services Ltd.

Sensenich Matco AeroLEDs
Poly-Fiber Flightline Interiors The Ray Allen Company
Sennheiser Cummins Spinners

74Sport AviationSeptember 2014

 FOR ANYONE WHO HAS ever helped build any part of an
aircraft, the idea of going from a kit in a crate to a certi-
cated aircraft in one week is mind-boggling. I knew we
wouldnt lack volunteers, but even after reviewing the
detailed Gantt chart that showed it could be done, I still
had my doubts. The one thing I was sure of was that if
we did get it done, it would live up to its One Week
Wonder name.
The whole idea was to show everyone how build-
ing your own airplane from a modern kit is within
reach, that its fun, and that EAA has all the resources
you need to help you along the way. On Monday morn-
ing as AirVenture opened, we also opened the crates
containing the complete Zenith kit. The countdown
clock was started, and thousands of people stood in
01
The project kicked o at 8 a.m. sharp on opening day with the unpacking of the kit. The
media showed up in force, as did the crowd and our volunteer builders. The crowd never
let up all week as everyone was fascinated by the building process. Note the countdown
clock in the background with 6 days, 23 hours, 53 minutes, and 58 seconds to go.
03
Patricia and her husband, Jonathan, made the trip from Ghana, Africa, to Oshkosh this
year just to be part of the One Week Wonder. Even the experienced builders like Patricia
still needed to review the photo assembly manual and plans.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY
lines to have the chance to pull a rivet and work on
the Zenith in many other ways.
Before the clock reached zero, the CH 750 was com-
plete, the Rotax engine was started and run, and the
airworthiness certicate was issued by an FAA desig-
nated airworthiness representative. Sunday afternoon,
the One Week Wonder taxied before the air show crowd,
and a few days after the show was over and Oshkosh was
nearly back to normal, EAAs Jeff Skiles took the Zenith
on its maiden ight.
Flying off the remaining test hours and painting the
CH 750 remain to be done, but in the following photos
you can see how the project came together. The effort
truly was a wonder of volunteer cooperation and the
skill of so many EAA members.
START
02
The entire tail section was built by a team of six teenagers over the rst two days. The
team was led by Ghana, Africas Patricia Mawuli, the only Rotax-certied woman in the
world and an experienced Zenith builder. From left, Gwendolyn Herman, Greg Kilpatrick,
and Patricia.
04
After starting at 8 a.m. and two shifts of volunteers building, the structure was already starting to come
together. The horizontal stabilizer and elevator were almost complete, the aft fuselage was boxed up,
and the right wing was partially skinned6 days, 14 hours, 23 minutes, and 12 seconds to go.
www.eaa.org75
 05
Volunteers hard at work squaring up the fuselage with 5 days, 18 hours, 47 minutes, and
35 seconds to go! The clock was an ever present reminder of just how much work was
ahead and how little time was left.
07
The Worlds Largest Builders Log: Just like every homebuilt project, a builders log was
kept. Every builder on the plane was asked to ll out their part in the build with their
name, city, state, and work performed. More than 2,500 people helped build the aircraft.
09
At 8:01 a.m. on Friday, people were already lined up to pull a rivet. After pulling a practice rivet
and receiving a One Week Wonder pin to signify that they had gone through the training,
attendees could then pull a rivet on the airplane under the guidance of a homebuilding
ambassador. We also took their pictures and had them sign their names next to their rivets.
Believe it or not, fewer than a dozen rivets had to be drilled on the wing panel!
76Sport AviationSeptember 2014
06
Homebuilding ambassador volunteer Bill Reed (right) from Ottawa, Canada, taught one of our
younger visitors how to pull a rivet. The ambassadors taught thousands of people the basics
of pulling rivets and answered their questions. It was amazing how the act of pulling a single
rivet on the aircraft was such a big event for attendees and hopefully the inspiration they need
to put build a plane on their bucket list.
08
Sta Sgt. Benjamin Ayivorh, EAA 1146709, dedicated crew chief for Thunderbird No. 5, signed
The Worlds Largest Builders Log after pulling a rivet on the airplane. Sta Sgt. Francisco
Garrigas, assistant dedicated crew chief for Thunderbird No. 5, also took part in the One Week
Wonder project and pulled a rivet.
10
Steve Oppenlander (center) coached his team of volunteers on the construction of the right
wing. Each major structure had a team leader who provided guidance and checked the quality
but did very little building. The rest of the team was made up of both newbies and experienced
builders who were tasked with the actual construction.
 11
A big milestone achieved as the project was lowered onto its landing gear for the rst time with 4
days, 18 hours, 15 minutes, and 3 seconds to go. As they say, 90 percent done, 90 percent to go.
13
Chris Heintz, founder of Zenair, and Audrey Poberezny, wife of late EAA Founder Paul
Poberezny, shared a hug. Both of them have contributed so much to the success of EAA
and the homebuilt movement. Chris made the trip to Oshkosh this year just for the One
Week Wonder project. Audrey pulled a rivet on the right wing. In all the years of helping
Paul build aircraft, this was her rst pulled rivet.
15
FAA Administrator Michael Huerta was all concentration as he pulled a rivet on the aft
fuselage under the watchful eye of Caleb while Sebastien Heintz looked on. The project
allowed us to educate many FAA ocials on homebuilding and EAAs safety programs
and to simply amaze them with the EAA can-do spirit.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY, HILARY LAWRENCE, AND BRADY LANE
12
Volunteers worked away on the left wing skin. Once the wing had enough rivets to hold
it together, the remainder of the wing panel was riveted by anyone who wanted to pull a
rivet4 days, 17 hours, 38 minutes, and 23 seconds to go.
14
FAA Administrator Michael Huerta discussed the project with EAAs Doug Macnair and Tom
Charpentier, along with Caleb Gebhardt from Zenith Aircraft. The project was an excellent
opportunity to show many FAA personnel rsthand the advanced technology, ease of
construction, and high quality of todays kit aircraft.
16
With only 1 day, 15 hours, 15 minutes, and 9 seconds to go, the wings were tted onto the
fuselage. Caleb checked the angle of incidence.
www.eaa.org77
 17 18

Its not an aircraft without the appropriate paperwork. FAA Designated Airworthiness
EAA Homebuilt Community Manager Charlie Becker was all smiles after a successful power-up Representative (DAR) Bobby Thomas and Charlie reviewed the paperwork and logbooks.
of the Dynon SkyView and radio call to the Oshkosh tower. Mike Gleason of SteinAir, who built Bobby became a DAR several years ago after EAA worked with the FAA to establish the amateur-
and ies a Zenith 701, handled all the wiring for the project. built DAR program.

19 20

Fuel ow testing is something that EAA strongly encourages all homebuilders to check before
any ight testing begins. The team put the aircraft in a simulated takeo attitude to make sure
the Rotax 912iS Sport engine would have plenty of fuel for takeo. Better to prove this on the After receiving the FAA airworthiness certicate, the volunteers triumphantly marched the
ground than to take your chances in ight. Only 3 hours, 52 minutes, and 59 seconds left. aircraft to show center to taxi it in front of the crowd.

21 22

The nished aircraft, N140WW, sitting in front of the crowd as a Thunderbird takes o to
The volunteers celebrated as the One Week Wonder taxied under its own power in front of the perform. In a year where the Thunderbirds were the headline air show act, the One Week
crowd. It is amazing what EAAers can accomplish when they come together for a common goal. Wonder project kept homebuilding front and center.

FINISH

78Sport AviationSeptember 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY

80Sport AviationSeptember 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF JOHN F. MILLER
 ENGINE-OUT ACCURACY

LANDINGS|
Building pilot condence with short takeo and landing practice
BY JOHN F. MILLER

www.eaa.org81
ENGINE-OUT ACCURACY

THE ENGINE ON the Piper Pacer is silent, and

the pilot is concentrating on setting it down
on a marked spot on a dry lake bed.
This is not an emergency. The engine
was shut down on purpose. It is part of a
practice session set up by a group of
Southern California pilots wanting to
improve their skills in short-eld takeoffs
and landings with accurate engine-out
landings as the ultimate goal.
The idea for these sessions was con-
ceived around a campre at a summer y-in
at Johnson Creek, Idaho. It was our rst
venture into the backcountry Idaho strips,
and we were wondering how well we could
manage an engine-out over this backcoun-
try terrain where safe landing spots were
few and far between. High-density alti-
tudes, canyon winds, and short strips are a
challenge we felt we could manage safely
with powerbut what if we lost power?
During ight instruction for our certi-
cates we were taught simulated
engine-out practice, but we always knew
we just had to nudge the throttle and the
engine would bail us out of any misjudg-
ment. And there seemed to be a reasonably
good glide ratio with the engine idling.
However, things are very different when
the prop has stopped or is just spinning in
the wind.
This became apparent when rst we set
up our practice sessions on Soggy Dry Lake
(excuse the apparent oxymoron) in the high
desert near Lucerne, California. Southern
California has many desert dry lakes, miles
wide and long, that allow for mistakes as we
work to improve our skills. Orange traffic
cones are set up to mark a designated land-
ing spot, and ag markers are placed at
100-foot increments before and after the
designated touchdown spot. Spotters with
handheld radios are placed so that takeoff
and landing distances can be relayed to the
pilot. One dedicated spotter monitors the
traffic and provides separation when more
than one aircraft is in a practice phase.
Before the accuracy landing attempts
each pilot tries various techniques to
achieve the shortest takeoff distance. I have
found that, on my Avid Flyer, holding the
brakes at full power with no aps and then
letting off the brakes and applying 10
degrees of aperon, just when the tail starts
to lift, works like the collective on a

82Sport AviationSeptember 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF JOHN F. MILLER

LANDINGS|

helicopter, lifting me up in ground effect

and shaving 50-75 feet off my liftoff dis-
tance. Others have had similar ndings.
Next comes an accuracy landing, but
with power on and variations of power nec-
essary to land within 100 feet of the spot.
The next attempt is with idle power only
until landing within 100 feet of the spot can
be repeated.
The next sequence is designed to allow
a pilot to know what the turn-back alti-
tude is for his aircraft. The pilot lifts off
and sets up a climb at VY and pulls the
power back to idle at an altitude between
500-1,000 feet AGL. Then the pilot turns
left or right at a 45-degree bank and
attempts a 180-degree turn back. The pilot
adjusts his power reduction altitude and
bank angle to achieve the optimum turn-
back option for his aircraft. This is noted
and repeated at least three times to test for
repeatability, allowing the pilot to choose
quickly and efficiently between landing
ahead or turning back in a power failure
during takeoff.
Since the lake bed allows a landing in
any direction the pilot can practice takeoffs
and landings with headwinds, crosswinds
at any direction, and even the effects of a
forced landing with a tailwind.
On the next practice sequence the pilot
turns nal at 1,000 feet AGL, and when he
feels he can make it to the landing spot the
engine is shut down. Thats when the real-
ization sets in that the glide ratio has
changeda lot! On the rst engine-off
attempt it is not uncommon for a pilot to
land 200-300 yards short of the target.
However, with a few more attempts most
pilots can land within 100-200 feet of the
designated touchdown spot.
It doesnt take long without these prac-
tice sessions for skill levels to start slipping,
so we plan our practices for one per month,
especially before we leave for the back-
country strips. This is not a competition
between pilots, and no one is pressured to
do any part of the practice regime they are
not comfortable attempting. The resulting
boost to pilot condence and awareness is
worth the effort.

John F. Miller, EAA 574883, holds a commercial certi-

cate, but now ies as a sport pilot in his Avid Flyer Model
B STOL, which he has enjoyed for more than 4,200 hours.

www.eaa.org83
STICK AND RUDDER
BETTER PILOT
Unplugged
Thinking outside the box
BY ROBERT N. ROSSIER
FLYING IS JUST WAY too easyat least when we have modern tech-
nology at our fingertips. The aircraft I usually fly is equipped
with a Garmin GNS 430W, which adds a full array of wizardry to
the art of navigation and situational awareness. The box loads
flight plans and instrument approaches at the push of a button. I
dont have to look up a thing when getting ready for an
approach; the frequencies pop into the comm selector, intersec-
tions are loaded, and Ive got a map depicting my position and
the course to be flown with track and distance to the next fix
prominently displayed. Should anything go wrong in flight I
spin a knob and get the nearest airports, frequencies, and air-
port information. You name it, all right there.
84Sport AviationSeptember 2014
So it wasnt too surprising that I felt
pretty confident going into the instru-
ment approach part of my recent
company checkride. Instead of a dive-
and-drive, dragging-the-wave-tips,
over-the-water, nail-biting localizer
approach to the airstrip, I was flying the
cross hairs on a safe glide path to my
missed approach point. It was childs
play. I was aware that at some point the
check airman would toss a monkey
wrench into my approach plans. I was
ready for that, too. The often neglected
nav No. 2 was set to the localizer, tuned,
and identified in old-school fashion, and I
knew I could switch from GPS to my
backup navigation seamlessly. I was
thinking outside the box.
It was no surprise when a minute or so
after crossing the final approach fix the
plug was pulled and the box went black.
But it didnt matter because I had my
approach set up in No. 2. I could almost
ignore the problem, and just continue fly-
ing to the minimum descent altitude. But
then came the question, So wheres your
missed approach point? There were two
ways to identify the MAP. The best choice
in my mind was DME, but I didnt have
one. That meant the only way to deter-
mine my missed approach point was
timing. But silly me, I hadnt checked the
time crossing the final approach fix. In
essence, I was out of luck. My only option
was to go missed approach and try the
approach again. Unless ATC (the part
played by the wily check airman in the
right seat) would vector me to the
approach, I would be forced to go back
and enter the hold, and then fly the full
approach, all without the aid of the box.
This would be much more difficult than
ILLUSTRATION BY GARY COX
normal. With only one nav radio, I would
be switching frequencies and retuning
the OBS to track the localizer and find the
final approach fix. This was old school. It
was ugly, and I was rusty. I could feel the
beads of sweat forming on my forehead.
Technology in the cockpit is a wonder-
ful thing. It reduces workload, improves
situational awareness, and puts us in a
much better mindset to cope with the
normal challenges of flight. In an emer-
gency it provides a host of information at
our fingertips. Rather than pore over a
beat-up copy of the AFD, or unfolding
charts and searching the fine print for
information, its right there for us. The
real challenge comes when, as in my
recent checkride, the box goes black.
If we arent thinking outside the box,
or have forgotten how to do things
old-school, we can suddenly find our-
selves both literally and figuratively
in the dark.
If weve been diligent we know what course to y and for
how long to get us to our destination. But with our fortunes
tied to the whims of the winds and weather, we might want
to have a better plan than simply y on.
Depending on what you fly, where might want to have a better plan than
you fly, and how you fly, the effects of simply fly on. Even without a wind
losing some of your cockpit technology shift or weather change, a drifting DG
in flight can vary significantly. But or cantankerous compass can quickly
even when flying in good VFR, the put us in navigational no mans land.
sudden darkness syndrome that comes In a perfect world we could call
with failed navigational technology ATC and controllers might oblige us
can ratchet up our stress levels. with some navigational assistance.
Hopefully weve been paying attention Otherwise, were on our own. If we
and know where we are when the still have some backup electronics in
problem surfaces. If weve been dili- the cockpit, we can at least tune in a
gent we know what course to fly and couple VORs, plot our bearing from
for how long to get us to our destina- them on a sectional chart, and identify
tion. But with our fortunes tied to the our position at the intersection of
whims of the winds and weather, we these bearings. If you havent done this
www.eaa.org85
 STICK AND RUDDER
BETTER PILOT

for a while, it might be a good skill to review. Such skills do

soon get rusty with neglect.
Once we know where we are, a number of strategies can
be helpful in getting to our destination. Back when I
learned to fly in the last millennium (not as long ago as it
sounds), plotting a course on a sectional was a well-prac-
ticed art. While a straight line course from departure point
to destination would seem most efficient, plotting a route
that took advantage of easily identifiable features on the
ground was generally preferable, as was choosing a route
that avoided inhospitable terrain. When we suddenly find
ourselves unplugged we might want to take advantage of
such practices to make the job of navigation easier. Roads,
railroads, power lines, rivers, and coastlines can all make
navigation easier than flying over an endless sea of corn-
fields or forests. Once we have such a linear feature to
follow, a periodic bearing from a single VOR will help con-
firm our position.
Back in those days we did have moving maps, but they
were manually powered. My flying mentor would always
insist that I keep a folded sectional on my lap with the top
oriented in my direction of flight, and my finger on the last
confirmed checkpoint. More than once that practice kept
me out of trouble, and my skills at pilotage stayed pretty
sharp. Not so much anymore.
For the IFR pilot, loss of the box can be a bit more seri-
ous and complicated by the preflight planning we may or
may not have performed. One problem is that we might
have just one GPS, and losing that box takes a whole lot of
options off the table. If were following an RNAV or T
airway, we lose our ability to continue navigation along the
airway. Hopefully we have a second radio and can get help
from ATC. If our plans for arrival, or our alternate airport,
relied on GPS approaches, we once again can find our-
selves in a fine mess. Maybe ATC can bail us out again, but
reverting to ground-based approaches and setting up our
radios for such will likely increase the stress level and
make for a much more challenging finish to our flight. If
all the radios are inoperative, maybe a handheld radio in a
readily accessible flight bag would be the key to success.
Regardless, knowing where to fly to find VFR conditions,
and having the fuel to do so, might be the only ace we have
up our sleeves.
As with all emergencies previous planning can prevent a
particularly poor performance. We might want to consider
ling Victor airways and choosing alternate airports also
served by non-GPS approaches. Every once in a while we
might want to practice a full approach using only our backup
navigational equipment. With those skills kept sharp well be
in a much better position to maintain our condence, focus,
and capabilities when the box goes black.

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.

86Sport AviationSeptember 2014

WHAT WENT WRONG
BETTER PILOT
A Steep Approach Stall
BY J. MAC MCCLELLAN
ITS BEEN REPEATED OFTEN by almost every pilot that an airplane can
stall
t ll att any airspeed
i d andd any attitude.
ttit d A And
d th
thats
t ttrue. B
Butt th
the reality
lit
is nearly all stall/spin accidents are caused by the pilot ying too
slowly and not because he loaded up the wing with enough g to
make it stall well above the normal stalling speed.
But a stall at higher than expected airspeed can happen. And the
NTSB believes that it did happen to the pilot of a Cessna 170B that
crashed just short of the runway killing both occupants.
The VFR ight was not a long one from the Crazy Creek
Gliderport to Auburn, both in northern California. The weather was
perfect VFR with a clear sky, 4 knots of wind, and pleasant tempera-
ture of 24C. It was about 4:30 in the afternoon.
A friend of the accident pilot had departed the gliderport for the
trip to Auburn earlier. While the friend was near Lincoln airport,
about 13 miles from the destination, the Cessna 170B pilot called him
on the air-to-air frequency and said he was 18 minutes behind.
The friend of the Cessna pilot landed at Auburn and was putting
his airplane back into the hangar when he saw another airplane on
downwind for Runway 25. He thought at rst it was the Cessna 170B
but didnt watch the airplane y the rest of the pattern because he
was concentrating on putting his airplane in the hangar.
When the Cessna didnt show up he assumed it was another air-
plane he had seen in the pattern. But after about an hour passed he
became worried and notied authorities. It took until the next
morning for searches to spot the wreckage of the Cessna in a
wooded area just 1,257 feet east of the Runway 25 threshold. The
airplane had descended almost vertically into the trees. The nal
ight path was so close to straight down only one tree was damaged
in the crash.
88Sport AviationSeptember 2014
witnesses to the acci-
There were no wit
dentt sequence. B
d Butt iin this case there was
something generally more reliable than
human eyewitnessesa GPS recording.
The Cessna pilot had a Garmin GPSMAP
296 handheld onboard, and its memory
chip survived the crash.
The pilot, age 59, had been rated to y
gliders for more than 11 years before the
accident. About four years before the crash
he added a single-engine land rating to his
private pilot certicate. Investigators found
that he had logged a total of 476 hours in
single-engine airplanes, and 432 of those
hours were in the Cessna 170B. He had
logged 93.7 hours in gliders. But he had
logged only 3.75 hours total in the Cessna in
the previous 90 days.
The B version of the Cessna 170 is the
nal model in the series. Its the one with
the tapered all-metal wing and single strut.
The 170B was also the rst Cessna single to
have what became the companys trade-
mark very large aps that could be
extended to 20-, 30-, and 40-degree posi-
tions using a long handle located between
the two front seats.
With aps in the full 40-degree position
the 170B has lots of drag and can descend at
a steep angle without gaining airspeed. The pilots operating
handbook notes that the aps on the 170 allow a steep, well-
controlled approach making slips unnecessary. Slips with full
aps are to be avoided because if the slip is extreme enough
at a relatively high airspeed, the airow is disturbed over the
tail surface resulting in a sudden and steep downward pitch
of the nose.
The Auburn airport has a single runway 3,700 feet long,
and Runway 25 slopes downhill 1.5 degrees. Airport elevation
is 1,539 feet. There is a two-light PAPI visual glide slope aid on
Runway 25, but it was NOTAMed out of service on the day of
the accident. The PAPI approach angle is set at the standard 3
degrees. There is rising terrain to the northeast and southeast
of the Runway 25 approach path, but it does not intrude on a
standard 3-degree nal approach angle.
The data recorded by the Garmin GPS 296 showed the
Cessna entering the downwind leg at an altitude of 2,568 feet.
That would be a perfectly normal 1,000 feet above the airport
pattern entry.
The pilot continued to descend on the downwind leg and
during the turn to base and then nal, but at all times
remained well above the 3-degree nal approach angle. The
last recorded GPS position had the Cessna on a ground track
of 267 degrees, nearly lined up with the runway, at an alti-
tude of 1,744 feet.
The nal three data points showed airspeeds of 65, 63, and
64 knots. The speeds derived from the GPS data are, of course,
groundspeed, not indicated airspeed. But NTSB experts used
the reported wind to convert the GPS groundspeed to true air-
speed. Once true airspeed was known it could be converted to
calibrated airspeed by adjusting for altitude and air tempera-
ture, both of which were also known. Calibrated airspeed is
indicated airspeed with errors in the pitot-static and instru-
ment removed.
It is calibrated airspeed that matters because a wing stalls
at the same calibrated airspeed at the same g-loading. The
handbook shows the 170B stalls at 45 knots at 1g with full
40-degree aps. With aps up the same wings-level 1g stall
occurs at 50 knots calibrated airspeed. However, those stall
speeds are also for coordinated ight. If the airplane is slip-
ping or skidding, the angle of attack can increase, and thus the
stalling speed would go up. Investigators had no way to know
if the 170B was slipping based on its GPS ground track,
groundspeed, and altitude.
The pilot was descending at about 250 fpm when he began
the turn to base leg. The descent rate increased to more than
800 fpm as he was completing the turn to nal. The GPS data
showed the descent angle increased to about 9 degrees just
before the recording stopped. The wreckage was located about
130 feet beyond the nal GPS data recoding. The diameter of
the turn from downwind to nal was about 0.6 of a nautical
mile, so the pilot was not ying a particularly close pattern.
The airplane came to rest inverted with all major structural
components located within about 30 feet of the main wreck-
age. The damage was extensive, but investigators concluded

www.eaa.org89
WHAT WENT WRONG
BETTER PILOT
from damage to the ap handle, and to the
ap rollers, that the wing aps were fully
extended to 40 degrees. There was no indi-
cation the Cessna struck a bird or other
object before descending nearly vertically
into the trees.
The NTSB official probable cause nding
is the pilots failure to maintain airplane
control during approach to landing, which
resulted in an inadvertent stall and subse-
quent spin. The wreckage path certainly
points to a stall/spin. Its almost impossible
for an airplane to descend nearly vertically
and end up inverted without stalling and
spinning. But why would the 170B stall
when ying about 20 knots over its normal
stalling speed?
For an airplane to stall at an indicated
airspeed higher than normal the wing has
to be loaded beyond 1g or be in uncoordi-
nated ight. The most dramatic example of
a highly loaded wing stalling at high air-
speed and uncoordinated is a snap roll. The
snap roll is a near instantaneous stall above
90Sport AviationSeptember 2014
the normal stalling speed, and because the
pilot steps on the rudder, the airplane
rotates at the stall. As soon as the pilot
releases back pressure on the stick the wing
is ying again.
But why would the Cessna 170B pilot
pull back hard to load up the wing when he
was actually way above the normal glide
path? He needed to go down, not up to get to
the runway.
The NTSB just throws up its hands on
that question and notes in the report that
the reason for the stall could not be deter-
mined. The fact that it included the
warning from the operating manual that,
with full aps, the 170B could tuck nose
down abruptly in a slip indicates a possibil-
ity investigators explored. If the pilot
entered an aggressive slip and the nose sud-
denly dropped, would he have then pulled
back with enough force to yank the airplane
into a stall? Or could a very aggressive slip
increase angle of attack to the stalling
angle? It could happen, but the Board was
not convinced it had enough evidence to
say exactly why the airplane stalled.
I cant speculate beyond the contents of
the official NTSB report and probable cause
nding. But this accident is yet one more
reminder that even on a beautiful day for
ying, precise control of the ight path and
airspeed are essential for safe operation in
the traffic pattern. Airplanes simply dont
stall when ying more than 40 percent
faster than the normal stalling speed unless
something very unusual happens.
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
Day and Night
Lost in a trike after sunset
BY BILL CRAFT, EAA 597456
I STARTED OUT FLYING ultralight trikes and went through ight instruc-
tion and got my official United States Ultralight Association license.
I ew every chance I could, which meant mostly weekends and vaca-
tion days. Flying trikes really limits you to ying VFR on really nice
days, especially in light winds. I had a vacation house down at the
New Jersey shore where I stored the trike when I wasnt ying.
One of the nice features of the trike was that you could take it
apart, put it on a trailer, take it home, and store it in the garage. Of
course one of the bad things is you had to reverse this process to y.
One New Years Day, the New Jersey weather had a uke, and it
was warm in the 50s with light windsa perfect VFR day. I trailered
my trike to the Woodbine Municipal Airport to meet up with my
instructor and planned to enjoy the day ying.
The rules then restricted an ultralights fuel to 5 gallons, so I car-
ried a gas can and two-cycle oil in case I had to refuel. Jesse, my
ight instructor, wasnt big on radios or other electronics and just
ew by a wristwatch compass and local knowledge. I followed him
as we went north and enjoyed ying up the coast.
We ended up landing on a private strip near a restaurant and ate
lunch. I checked my fuel and thought I better ll up for the ight
92Sport AviationSeptember 2014
back. Having a gas can and oil I expected to
be able to buy fuel and be on my way shortly,
but this was New Years Day and the local
gas station was closed. Now what? There
wasnt a gas station within walking distance
that I could see. Finally a waitress getting off
shift saw my dilemma and offered to take me
to a gas station down the road.
This all took time, and this is January in
New Jersey where it gets dark at 4 p.m. With
plenty of fuel we took off and started back to
the Woodbine airport. I am enjoying the
ight and not really paying attention as I am
ying along. Suddenly I notice I cant see
Jesse. I did a 360 and scanned the area, but
no other trike was in sight. I have an Icom
handheld, but Jessie does not have a radio,
so I cant contact him.
I am sure he must be behind me so I go
back a few miles to look for him. Still no
ILLUSTRATION BY MATT BELLISLE
trike in sight. Maybe he landed for some reason or maybe he
crashed, what do I do? By now after doing a few 360s and
flying around I have lost my bearings. Fortunately I can see
the southern tip of New Jersey, so I head south knowing that
the airport is a few miles inland so I cant miss it.
By now the daylight is fading and I cant really see land-
marks, so I begin to realize that I am lost and will not nd the
airport. I thought I could call ight services and ask for help,
but the handheld radio battery has gone dead. Now its begin-
ning to get dark, and I cant see the compass except every few
seconds when the strobe on the mast ashes, but I think I can
follow roads to get me back.
I nd a road with lots of cars. I can see headlights and tail-
lights so I follow what I think is a main road that takes me
back down to the shore. Suddenly the road stops; I have fol-
lowed the wrong road. Now I know the denition of a cold
sweat. I am lost. The good thing is I have plenty of fuel to get
back to Cape May County Airport, which is my plan B.
It is really dark, and by dark I mean its like looking at a
sheet of black paper, not a light in sight. I am over the
Pinelands, devoid of any development. No houses or street-
lights, and nothing but a black void below. I cant see any
instruments on my trike so I have no idea of my altitude.
More panic is starting to set in. I keep scanning the skies
for any clues of where I am. I suddenly think, What does the
airport look like at night? I think there was a test question on
that. I am scanning for any ashing lights that could be an
airport. Its amazing how many ashing lights there are at
night in the distance. I see a light off to the east that seems to
be ashing white and green, so I turn toward it. What if I am
wrong? I see the ashing light on a water tower and think
that it is Woodbine; it looks like the lights of a small town.
The airport cant be far now.
I see the beacon flashing at the airport, but all the run-
ways are dark. My radio is dead, so I cant turn on the lights.
Now what? Like a lightning bolt, the runway lights all turn
on. Aha! There is an airplane landing. Just as I set up for
landing I see the strobe lights of Jesses trike, and he is over
the airport also.
We both land, and everything is good. My legs are shaking
so much I can hardly stand up. Now that all is safe I can
nally relax. Jesse had gone off to the east to follow the ocean
beaches back because he knew they are lit well. I had fol-
lowed the Bay side down, all dark at night. Jesse assumed that
I was following him even though he could not see me.
Lesson learned: Be capable to y at night even if you dont
plan on it. Pay attention to seasonal sunset times and plan
accordingly. Have a ashlight and instruments that light up
and have an alternate power source for the radio. If not, make
sure you turn off you handheld when not in use so it will be
available when you really need it to work.

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

www.eaa.org93
H
ANDS ON
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE BUILDING/RESTORING
South African Sport Flier
Aeronca Chief
BY CHRIS HICKS, EAA 108672; DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA
THE LONGEST REGISTERED aircraft in South Africa turned 75 on
May 16, 2014, and the occasion was celebrated with 50 guests in
attendance at our home airfield, Grassroots at Cato Ridge. Our
Aeronca Chief was built by the Aeronca Aircraft Corp. in 1939 as
a 50C model at the old Lunken airport, near Cincinnati.
Imported to South Africa and given the fuselage code of
ZS-APY, the original 50-hp engine was replaced with a 65-hp
engine because the majority of airfields here are between 2,000
and 6,000 feet ASL.
94Sport AviationSeptember 2014
The Aeronca Chief is a two-seat, side-
by-side, high-wing taildragger owned by
the Tyre Kickers Syndicate in which my
son Nigel and I are the last remaining
members. The Chief was registered in
South Africa on May 16, 1939, and was
originally owned by Bill Reid.
There is one older, recently registered
aircraft on record, but the Chief is the
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF CHRIS HICKS
 AIRCRAFT SUBMISSIONS
Share your craftsmanship with EAA Sport Aviation
readers worldwide! Send us a photo and descrip-
tion of your project and well consider using it in
What Our Members Are Building/Restoring. Please
include your name, address, and EAA number.
We reserve the right to edit descriptions. For guide-
lines on how to get the best photo of aircraft, visit
www.SportAviation.org.
Mail: EAA Publications, Aircraft Projects,
P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086
E-mail: editorial@eaa.org
longest surviving, continually registered,
and airworthy aircraft currently flying in
South Africa.
An interesting historical snippet on
this Aeronca is that during World War II
all private aircraft were commandeered
by the South African air force. To avoid
this potential takeover, the owner disas-
sembled the Chief along with a second
airplane, ZS-ARB, and stored them in the
rafters of a factory on West Street in
Durban, South Africa, for the duration of
the war. At the end of the war they were
re-assembled and used as the first private
training aircraft at the Stamford Hill
Aerodrome in Durban.
In 1970 Don Daniels and Rob
Murgatroyd of Benoni purchased the
Chief for 700 rand and restored it. In
1974 APY was acquired by a syndicate
in Pietermaritzburg known as the
Taildraggers Assoc. and headed by
Hugh Raw.
Unfortunately the Chief was later
damaged in two incidents; one was
wing damage when it collided with an
orange tree near Richmond, and a more
serious event while being started at
Virginia by Don Ritson. While swinging
the prop the Aeronca jumped the chocks
and collided with a Cherokee owned
by J. Aitken.
The Tyre Kickers Syndicate took owner-
ship in 1978, and I bought in during 1982
when the Aeronca was moved to the
400-meter-long Grassroots strip and have
owned this Chief for the last 32 years.
Infatuated with ying my whole life, before
I became involved with the Chief I had pur-
chased a 50 percent complete KR-1, and I
thought I could get it ying in a few years.
Two years later I sold it 30 percent com-
plete, therefore minus 20 percent.
The second airplane I bought was a
Jodel D9, which I flew prior to purchase.
It had a dodgy undercarriage so I set
about fixing it. I never flew it again and
sold it 70 percent complete. Seems that I
was always taking one step forward and
three steps back when it came time to
restoring airplanes.
After a third effort I realized that I am
not a builder and should pay someone to
do the restoration or rebuild. Eventually I
learned my lesson the hard way and
bought into the syndicate owning the
Aeronca and slowly bought up all the
shares as they became available.
Our Aeronca Chief has a stall speed of
40 mph and cruising speed of 75 mph so
we enjoy going nowhere fast. The inside of
the cockpit is spartan at best with few
instruments, only the bare necessities and
two fuel tanks totaling 70 liters. The
Aeronca is not known for its speed but
renowned for its longevity and colorful
character, and it continues to grace the
skies over South Africa as a lasting tribute
to sport aviation on our side of the pond.
www.eaa.org95
H
ANDS ON
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE BUILDING/RESTORING

CONNECTICUT MARQUART CHARGER

I STARTED BUILDING the Marquart Charger the
same year I joined the EAA, 1975. I owned a
small aircraft repair shop in Madison,
Connecticut, and gured it wouldnt take long
to nish the aircraft. Being a plansbuilt aircraft
with 10 degrees of wing sweepback, I soon
found out there was more to this than I origi-
nally expected.
By 1978 I had the wings built and many key
components purchased including the engine,
ying wire set, propeller, and most instruments.
The aircraft has a Lycoming O-320 naturally
aspirated engine of 150 hp. My transceiver is a
Collins Microline; transponder is a King KT-76
and is encoding altimeter equipped.
Instrumentation is basic for VFR ying. Both
cockpits have ight and engine controls. Total
fuel load including wing tanks is 27 gallons.
Brakes are the old Cleveland drum style from an
old Tri-Pacer, and the tail wheel is a Scott 3200.
I have a retractable Whelen LED landing light
in the belly and wingtip strobe lights.
It wasnt until November 2011 when my
tech counselor, Joe Gauthier, ew the nished
Charger on its maiden ight. Being plansbuilt,
there are few components that you can
purchase ready to go. The education, con-
dence, and satisfaction you get from being the
manufacturer is hard to beat. Completing this
project was a major milestone, and anyone
involved with building an aircraft should perse-
vere and get it airborne. I didnt keep track of
the build hours, but I remember Ed Marquart
saying it would take about 5,000 hours to com-
plete. I thank my many friends who helped and
contributed to getting the job done.
Albert A. Johnson Jr., EAA 93154; Madison, Connecticut
E-mail: aajohnson@snet.net; Technical counselor: Joseph Gauthier

FLORIDA VANS RV-6

IN THE FALL OF 2011 I purchased what had previously been a ying RV-6 that was
recently de-powered. Originally congured for an automotive engine, and possessed
of some moderate aws, N248DD became essentially a restoration and repower
project. Over 13 months and an estimated 1,000 hours of labor led by Brian Parrish,
Don Hall, Ed Jarnagin, and me as lackey/understudy and eventual test pilot,
N248DD received a fresh O-320 Lycoming (160 hp) with an Ellison Throttle Body
fuel system. The RV was recertied and ew again in January of 2013. At 2400 rpm
it cruises at 160 mph and operates now out of a short grass eld with ease.
N248DD also received a rat rod paint scheme. What was the primer coat wound
up inspiring recollections of Bf 108 paint schemes, and we wound up putting a
Luftwaffe iron cross on its wings and fuselage as a joke during construction. But
quickly, the LuftwaffeDouble D (as it affectionately became known around the air-
port) paint scheme solidied, and I wound up adding nose art and strang bullet
holes on it until such time as it receives a nal paint job.

Ed Verner, EAA Lifetime 606366; Lakeland, Florida

E-mail: seawindii@yahoo.com

96Sport AviationSeptember 2014

DENMARK PIPER PA-12
MY PIPER PA-12, serial number 12-417, was used as a
glider tug in Germany, where it was involved in a land
accident in the 1970s. We bought the remains in 2002
and spent the next 11 years building our idea of a
great camping and island-hopping short takeoff and
landing airplane.
The aircraft has a new fuselage with a lot of modifica-
tions: upper cabin X-brace, cathedral ceiling, under-floor
elevator controls like the PA-18 to make room for a two-
story luggage compartment, tail reinforcements, all-glass
seaplane door, and L-21 windows.
The wings were modified with Super Cub flaps and
Micro AeroDynamics vortex generators. Wing spars,
most ribs, and sealed struts as well as gear legs and
engine mount are new from Univair. We used the
Kenmore STC to install an O-320 with starter, alternator,
and suction pump (came out of a crashed R-22). The bat-
tery is a firewall-mounted Odyssey. There is a full gyro
panel, Icom radio and Garmin GPS, and transponder. The
fuel system is a copy of the CubCrafters PA-18 system, which Maiden flight was June 18, 2013, and left but a few minor nits
eliminates the header tanks in the cabin. Capacity is a standard to pick. Special thanks go to my friends Peter Zier and Bent
Super Cub, two 18-gallon tanks. The fabric is Superflite, using Iversen for all their help and a very special thank-you to my best
Stewart System chemicals. friend, rib stitcher, and wife, Mette, without whom none of this
All the modifications were thought out courtesy of many would have been possible.
friends in Alaska and Canada, who use their Cubs for working
in the bush and who generously shared their experiences Bent Esbensen, EAA 340075; Esbjerg, Denmark
through www.SuperCub.org. E-mail: besbensen@gmail.com

FLORIDA VANS RV-9

AFTER FIVE YEARS of dedicated work, most of it spent in my garage in
New Jersey for 30-plus hours a week, I completed my RV-9A. The
plane has a new ECi Titan O-320, Light Speed ignition, Catto prop
with Advanced Flight Systems EFIS, ADI Pilot II autopilot, SL30,
Icom 210, and Garmin 400W. Modications include windscreen/
canopy raised 3/4 inch for extra headroom, windscreen defroster,
center console to hold maps, and Halon extinguisher. I also built the
side panels and used comfort foam on the seats. The RV was painted
by Flying Colors of Leesburg, Florida. The paint scheme is primarily
white, with metallic blue and silver trim.
The plane is fast and fun! I need to thank so many people
for their help: Tom Emory for his expertise; the good people
at Vans; Fred Strucklen for my training; and especially my
wife, Karen, for putting up with wings in the living room for
two years and aluminum shavings permanently attached to
the rugs throughout the house.
I encourage anyone to build an airplane, but before you do
you need to research your future project before you make a
commitment. Is there technical support in your area, from the
builder or from others? Does the plane satisfy your needs,
your skill level, and your familys needs? There is nothing
worse than building a plane that is too hard to y or is a sin-
gle-seat aircraft when you hate to be alone. The plane is a
huge nancial commitment as well as very time-consuming.
Get all family members on board before you begin.

John Lupnacca, EAA 820333; The Villages, Florida

E-mail: lupnacca@comcast.net; Technical counselor: Donald Osmundson

www.eaa.org97
HANDS ON
INNOVATION ON THE FLY
Been There, Drone That
Unmanned aircraft or RC model?
BY MARK PHELPS
BACK IN THE LATE 1950s, my father may have unwittingly set me on
my course toward becoming a pilot. As a kid, I longed for the next
step up from building balsa and plastic model airplanesying a
gas-engine, U-control Stuka dive bomber. Or maybe a Spitre. I can
still picture the catalog photos. My dadprobably envisioning
minor explosions, severed ngers, and blunt trauma woundsjust
said no. Could that have been the rebellious bad seed that blos-
somed years later in the form of ying lessons?
I never had the chance to y powered model airplanes. But I
would often stop by the roadside to admire RC modelers, even after
I had learned to y real airplanes (though some wise guys on the
ightline would make a big show of inspecting the wingtips of my
tiny Grumman AA-1B looking for the control wires.)
Now that unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)or just drones
have become such a hot political topic, I try to fall back on my
thoughts and experiences from those early days for some perspec-
tive on the controversy. As usual, the white-hot scrutiny of a
24-hour news environment leads to misinformation and emotional
misinterpretation of the minimal amount of actual facts that are
reported. And that goes for both sides of the argument. So, Ive
tried to use what I know to be realistic in assessing the issue of
drones and their integration into U.S. airspace.
For a start, the 2012 FAA mandate calling for full integra-
tion of UAS into U.S. airspace by September 30, 2015, was a
surprise, at least to me. The contrast between the specic calendar
deadline and the vague denition of full integration was puz-
zling. I smelled the familiar, heavy aroma of econo-politics in the
air, and the inside-the-beltway pressure that goes with it. With
combat operations winding down in Iraq and Afghanistan, what
was to become of all that ramped-up drone research and technol-
ogy, and the military contractors who had invested so heavily in it?
In the months since then, Ive tested out that concept in private
conversations with people who ought to have the inside story. Ive
gotten some knowing glances in return, but little or nothing in the
way of quotable quotes. But it was big news when FAA
Administrator Michael Huerta addressed the UAS trade groups
98Sport AviationSeptember 2014
convention in August 2012 and said the
powers that be at 1600 Pennsylvania
Avenue need to realign the agency to
accommodate drones. We need to change
the way we do business, he said. We are
going to allow new ideas to soar to their
potential. Our goal is to safely and effi-
ciently integrate unmanned systems into
our airspace.
It has to make you wonder: If the FAA
agenda is so committed to leveraging mod-
ern technology, wheres the resolve to push
NextGen into service and bring air traffic
control equipment and practices at least
into the third quarter of the last century?
Part of the inevitability of misinterpre-
tations about unmanned flights comes
from the wide technological span of what
drones really are. In the military, UAS
could range from hand-launched surveil-
lance drones (some not much larger than a
dragonfly) to airliner-size platforms tar-
geting smart bombs (or even dispensing
them) and fulfilling other electronic relay
missionssort of like a cross between an
AWACS platform and an atmospheric sat-
ellite. On the other hand, in the
hobby-flying market the wire-controlled
Cox-engine airplanes I lusted after in the
mid-1900s have long since been surpassed
by far more sophisticated machinery.
Modern engines (even jets), electric
motors, sophisticated radio control, GPS
monitoring, and lightweight, high-defini-
tion cameras (streaming pilot-eye views)
are game changers. Combined they can
make flying RC aircraft much more than a game. And
therein lies the crux of the problem.
With very few exceptions, hobbyists ying RC aircraft
have shown themselves to be responsible and prudent. Most
understand the dangers involving interfacing with manned
aircraft, since many are actively involved in ying those air-
planesand many more aspire to become pilots. At the very
least, the safety culture associated with RC modeling mirrors
that of pilots engaged in manned ight. Those who trans-
gress and create a hazard to aerial navigationor to innocent
bystanders on the groundare dealt with harshly within
their own community. The result is that the danger from
most experienced RC modelers is practically nonexistent.
But what happens when others get involved, particularly
when money and prot start to become a factor? It started
when the radio-control aircraft became powerful enough and
high-denition cameras became light enough that they could
be mixed together. Add the hover capability of quadcopters,
digital control systems, and lower prices, and operations
started to branch out to involve those lacking the understand-
ing and/or the moral compass shared by existing RC modelers.

Modern engines (even jets), electric motors, Throttle-Body

For 30-125hp
sophisticated radio control, GPS monitoring, and 4-Stroke
Engines
lightweight, high-denition cameras (streaming
pilot-eye views) are game changers.
Included in AeroVee Price!
How real is the threat? Part of the problem with under-
standing drone issues is that many of the proposals that have
been presented as controversial seem sounthreatening. For
example, a plan to deliver beer to ice sherman drew a product Line of Sonex Aircraft, LLC

or call: 920.231.8297
national attention when the FAA jumped in and grounded
the suds. In fact, the beer-delivery scheme, within line of
sight of the vendor and skimming just above the rooftops of
the shing shacks, sounds pretty harmless.
But other would-be commercial drone operators who have
challenged the FAAs authority are not as innocent. For exam-
ple, one man challenged local law enforcements authority to
limit his freedom to hover his camera-equipped quadcopter
over a traffic accident scene. As it happened, the police on-site
were trying to clear the airspace for a medevac helicopter. The
amateur video operator claimed he was not told that a chop-
per was inbound, but was that information really necessary?
While its often unwise to go too far with a slippery slope
argument, I cringe at the thought of dozens of sub-$1,000
paparazzi-copters crowding over every conceivable news
event, bumping into each other, with their operators all
claiming constitutional rights under freedom of the press.
Privacy issues are certainly paramount, though I have seen
the other side of the coin overplayed, as well. Not long ago,
there was a story written with great moral indignation over
the rst instance of a domestic drone-related arrest. The

www.eaa.org99
HANDS ON
INNOVATION ON THE FLY
suspects in question had ed to a cabin in
the remote wilderness, and law enforcement
used an unmanned aircraft to conduct sur-
veillance in the area where they thought the
bad guys might be holed up. The drone
found them, and troopers subsequently
moved in to make the arrest. The unwritten
outrage in the headline was, So now theyre
using drones to spy on us? Are laser-guided
missiles next? What the news story failed to
address was the simple fact that a Super Cub
with two patrolmen and a GoPro camera
could have accomplished the same thing.
And there are many examples of law
enforcement officers with private pilot cer-
ticates taking the initiative to rent aircraft
for exactly that purpose, with no one ques-
tioning their integrity.
What is clear to me is that a lot of anti-
drone privacy advocates have missed a
fundamental reality. We pilots of low-ying
airplanes are already privy to much of what
they fear drones might see: backyard sun-
bathers, opposing football teams practice
100Sport AviationSeptember 2014
The outrage over drones is that their sole mission may be to make
such observations on purpose, and that theyre cheaper, can remain
on station longer, and safer should the suspects choose to take a
potshot at the eye in the sky.
sessions, or the wrong car in the wrong drive- pipeline patrol, aerial surveillance of crime
way at the wrong time. Most of the time, our scenes, overview of hazardous material
observations are accidental, though I do spills, search and rescue, and more. At the
remember the sign posted in the pilot lounge same time the FAA in conjunction with law
at Hanscom Field many years ago reading, It enforcement and Congress needs to enact
is forbidden to y over the nudist camp that is sensible, forward-thinking rules to keep
located at 7 DME on the 015-degree radial of drones safe from the dangers of midair colli-
the [XYZ] VOR. The outrage over drones is sions, and within the connes of reasonable
that their sole mission may be to make such privacy concerns. People who have operated
observations on purpose, and that theyre RC aircraft for decades understand. Now, if
cheaper, can remain on station longer, and only they could teach everyone to abide by
safer should the suspects choose to take a the same standards.
potshot at the eye in the sky.
There is no question that prudently oper- Mark Phelps, EAA 139610, is an aviation writer living
ated drones can more safely and effectively in New Jersey. He is the former editor of EAAs Vintage
serve many useful purposes: crop spraying, Airplane magazine.
H
ANDS ON
HINTS FOR HOMEBUILDERS

HOW TO
Figure 2: Slotted bracket control mounts.
Figure 1

A Dual Throttle
Solution
BY CHARLIE BECKER, EAA HOMEBUILT COMMUNITY MANAGER

IN OUR EAA ZENITH staff build project (www.Zenith750Project.com) we are

using a center shared stick. We plan on doing a lot of training in this Figure 3: Close-up of the rod end bearings at the end of
aircraft so we wanted to make sure that both the pilot and CFI would each throttle.
have access to the throttle. Since the pilot will hold the stick in his
right hand, the throttle must be on his left, so putting the throttle in
the center where both the pilot and the CFI could reach it was not an
option. We needed a way to run dual throttles, and I thought Zeniths
solution was worth sharing with my fellow builders.
We used your basic friction lock throttle with a male 10-32 threaded
end (Aircraft Spruce part No. A-800). To make sure the right seat throt-
tle could not inadvertently be locked at the same time as the pilots, we
removed the friction lock. This is a simple matter of unscrewing the
throttle and removing the white plastic friction lock (see Figure 1).
We used two slotted bracket control mounts (Aircraft Spruce part
No. 10465) and welded them together (see Figure 2), bent them to the
appropriate angle, and mounted them to the stud used to hold the oil
tank ller neck on the O-200 engine. For an added measure of safety, I
drilled a hole in the arm and the unit so we could run a bit of safety
wire to eliminate any chance that a throttle could escape. Now we need Overview shot of the setup.
a way to attach both throttles to the carburetor arm. We used two rod
GOT A HINT?
end bearings with some spacers (see Figure 3). All in all, a slick solu-
tion to the dual throttle conundrum. SEND YOUR TIPS to cbecker@eaa.org.

102Sport AviationSeptember 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY JENNIFER BOWEN AND JASON TONEY

FIREWALL PASS-THROUGH
BY MARTY MAISEL, EAA 114299; LINCOLN, CALIFORNIA

HERES MY PROBLEM: A cable with pre-
installed multiple-pin connectors on each
end had to pass through my homebuilt
project firewall. I needed to find a method
of enclosing the cable as it passes through
the firewall without having to remove a
connector. My solution was to fabricate a
split externally threaded tube.
I purchased a couple of steel-threaded
nipples (usually used for household elec-
trical applications) and several nuts from a
local hardware store. The nipples were
carefully cut to make two halves that when
placed together form the shape of the ini-
tial, one-piece nipple. This was verified by
checking that the nut can be easily
threaded over the full length of the nipple. application of a high temperature sealant)
Four nuts were then cut to allow the thick- is shown below.
ness of the cable to pass through. With a modest amount of work, the
Since the nuts will be used as jam all-metal cable enclosure provides the
nuts, the cutouts were located so that required firewall penetration security at a
they will not be aligned in the assem- very low cost.
bled fitting.
An opening in the
stainless steel firewall
was made to allow the
smaller connector to
pass through. This open-
ing was then sealed with
overlapping slotted
cover plates. The final
installation (prior to the

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF MARTY MAISEL www.eaa.org103

H
ANDS ON
SHOP TALK

Wire-Edging
The nishing touch
BY BUDD DAVISSON

IVE ALWAYS BEEN FASCINATED with (and frustrated by) forming alu- Basically, rather than just having a raw
minum into complex shapes. I look at guys like Kent White, Jim edge out there, he had rolled the metal edges
Younkin, Ron Covell, and others as near-gods in the way they can around a small piece of wire, which gave it a
make sheet metal take any form they want. Im talking compound much more nished look. Oooh! I liked that,
curves here, not the bent/rolled at stuff. And some day before I die, and it looked like something many of us
Im going to carve out some time to conquer some of those skills. could use. So, I talked to Jon who volun-
However, when we were doing a piece on Jon Ross Breezy project teered to shoot some photos and explain
for EAAs Experimenter magazine, I spied a little piece of sheet metal how he had accomplished the wire-edging.
work he had done that looked like something Ive always wanted to Then I decided to carry the concept a
know how do: He had wire-edged the eyebrow baffles over his little further and expanded the subject just a
engines exposed cylinders. little by talking to Kent White (TinManTech.
com) about the process. Kent and I are good
friends and part of a chat group of guys who
talk about just about everything in the uni-
verse on a daily basis, including airplanes.
But my missive to him this time had to do
with the process he used in wire-edging
components, and, between his input and
Jons, I felt as if we had enough to get a
builder started in wire-edging.

THE EDGE SHAPE DRIVES THE PROCESS

The process can actually be summed up in one
sentence: A ange is bent past 90 degrees, a
wire is nestled into the alcove created, and the
ange is carefully hammered down over the
wire. However, the process is obviously much
more complicated than that, although some of
the complexity can be skipped over, if the front
edge is straight.
Jons cylinder baffles had a nice sort of gen-
tle reex at the edges. It was a pleasing look
that came from trapping the wire in the metal
while it was still at and bending it to shape
afterward. Because shaping the edged at
sheet into a curve requires the metal on the
The metalworkers tool kit. Clockwise from lower left: The standing ange before bending back, oak-corking tool, aluminum T-corking tool, outside of the bead to stretch and that on the
hard plastic, dead-blow cross-peen hammer, padded Vise-Grip welding clamp, small and large shot bag (for steadying work pieces), and inside to shrink, it gives that subtle re-curve
curved-edge track dolly. Wire is on a section that reverses and changes direction and lays on a at surface while turning the edge. just aft of the edge. Incidentally, I never knew

104Sport AviationSeptember 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF BUDD DAVISSON

what the grooves in the rollers on my slip
roller were for. I thought they were for making
rings (which they do nicely), but they are there
to accommodate a wire edge on a sheet thats
being rolled. Or at least they work well for that.
However, if the edge being wired isnt straight,
or if the builder doesnt want the reex, the
process gets a little more complicated. Thats
where Kents input was helpful.
FORMING THE INITIAL FLANGE
Jons method of bending the ange on some-
thing that was going to have a curved (not
straight) edge was easy to understand and
accomplish. A 3/4-inch birch plywood sand-
wich held together by clamps is cut to the
shape of the blank needed. The bottom piece
has a slight radius in the edge to give the wire a
place to lie, which is generally bigger than the
bend radius required for that thickness of
material (dont forget the set-back when gur-
ing the ange height). Jon used 0.040-inch
5052-H32, but the same method applies to any
of the more formable aluminums like 3003.
The height of the ange should be 2.5 times
the thickness of the wire, measured on the
inside of the ange. Jon says he lays out a line
2.5 times the diameter inside and uses that on
the edge of the forming block. Obviously, its
better to be a little short than too long. The
ange is gently hammered down over the bot-
tom form block using a plastic hammer. Jon
and Kent both do it the same way.
GETTING A FLAT SURFACE, IF DESIRED
If the re-curve in the surface near the edge is
to be eliminated, Kent shrinks or stretches
the ange, as needed, before bending it over
the wire. The edge of the scoop, or whatever
is being made, may be curved in two direc-
tions, both in front view and in top view. But,
its not a compound curve because the sur-
faces are at. However, if metal to be
wire-edged isnt at with a straight edge, then
regardless of which way the edge is curved
(front view, top view, or both), the aluminum
in the area of the wire will be unknowingly
stretched or shrunk while in the simple pro-
cess of being hammered around the wire.
This is compounded when the sheet is
reshaped, e.g., run through a slip roller. This
will deform the surface in the local area.
If the small amount of reex/deforma-
tion is not desired, Kent suggests shrinking
or stretching the edge while it is still a
90-degree ange in accordance to what is
expected to happen when it is formed over
the wire in a curve. The ange on an inside
curved (concave) edge needs to be stretched
before it is hammered over the wire so the
edge has the extra length needed and doesnt
try to deform the area. Similarly, the ange
in the area where it is in an outside (convex)
curve needs to be shrunk because the edge
of the ange will be bent over so it is inside
the radius of the front edge of the curve so it
www.eaa.org105
H
ANDS ON
SHOP TALK
needs less distance. That means a ange
will be both stretched and shrunk, if the
nal edge has both concave and convex
curves. Kent says he shrinks the ange by
heating it in spots with a torch (careful
with the heat or youll have aluminum
dribbling on your feet) and stretches it by
smacking it in narrow intervals with a
cross-peen hammer while backed by a
steel dolly.
THE WIRE GOES IN
The wire can be almost any diameter. Jon
used 1/16- and Kent 1/8-inch diameter. It
depends on the thickness of the material
and the appearance desired. Kent suggested
it be galvanized so you dont have to worry
about rust. It is already pre-bent to the nal
shape to be required before it is clamped in
place at the base of the ange about 6
inches from the end. To clamp it use a Vise-
Grip welding clamp with padded jaws.
Initially when shaping the ange, it is
worked over a special, almost sharp-
nosed dolly, which allows it to bend well
past 90 degrees. Kent uses a manufac-
tured sharp-nosed dolly, but Jon went the
DIY route. He simply tacked a relatively
thin (1/16 inch) piece of at steel plate to
an old bucking bar, but a heavy piece of
thick steel plate would work. The at
strip works best if it is 4130 and is thin.
Regardless, it has to be the same thick-
ness as the wire. The overhang of the at
strip becomes the nose of the dolly
(round the edge to match the wire) that
rests against the corner of the ange.
With the nose of the dolly so thin, the
ange material can be beaten around the
dolly nose, forming a nice little pocket for
the wire to snuggle into.
The wire is clamped in place, and as
the aluminum is gently hammered over
the wire and around the back (with a
dolly backing it up), it becomes difficult to
hammer it tightly down around the wire
without marking the aluminum surface
with the hammer. This is where a plastic,
cross-peen hammer (narrow, horizontal
at, blunt nose) made of something that
wont mar the surface, like Delrin, comes
into play. A weighted, dead blow, Delrin,
106Sport AviationSeptember 2014
HOW TO
or plastic hammer is available from a
number of sources (TinManTech.com,
Ron Covell/Eastwood, etc.). Its small,
horizontal nose can force the material Jon Ross wire-edged the cooling baes on his Breezy. The reexed
down around the wire. But it cant tuck it edge seems apropos to the application.
into the little crevice at the bottom where
it lays against the sheet.
To tuck the aluminum tightly around the
bottom of the wire, a narrow, aluminum,
T-shaped corking tool has to be fabricated
out of 3/16-inch aluminum plate (can also be
oak). Basically, it is a soft, blunt chisel that is
used to chase the edge of the ange into the
small gap at the bottom edge of the wire so it
is totally encapsulated. Move slowly, with A line is drawn 2.5 times the wire diameter in from the edge of the
lots of individual, soft taps, as opposed to a ange and represents the middle of the bend line. The aluminum
spread-out series of harder hits. is then gently hammer-formed over the rounded edge of the
lower block.
WHY WIRE-EDGE?
For the most part, what were talking
about here is cosmetic. A brow baffle
wont work any better with a rounded
edge than one that is left raw. I suppose it
is possible that by ridding ourselves of
sharp edges, there is a little safety
imparted by a wire edge. Also, it stiffens
and keeps the edge from exing and
cracking. However, the all around best Once the square ange is formed, Jon used a DIY dolly (an old
reason to wire-edge raw aluminum (or bucking bar tack welded to 0.062 steel plate with rounded edges),
steel for that matter) is that it simply over which to form the ange.
looks better. It looks more nished and
professional. Also, there is that little inner
grin we get when someone exclaims,
Hey, that looks great! Howd you do
that? Thats reason enough to learn the
technique. Ive got some scrap aluminum,
and next weekend will be wire-beading
days in our household. Now I just have to
build something that needs it.
Thanks to Kent and Jon for sharing The cross peen on the nose of the dead-blow hammer works the ange
their expertise with us aluminum-dum- around the wire, but the DIY aluminum corking tool nishes the job.
mies out here. We all thank you. For
more info on this and other aluminum
forming and welding tricks, visit Kent
at www.TinManTech.com.
Budd Davisson, EAA 22483, is an aeronautical
engineer, 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 maga-
zine and a ight instructor primarily in Pitts/tailwheel A nished beaded edge. Looks professional, doesnt it? Of course, Kent
aircraft. Visit him on www.AirBum.com. White did this one (on an old race car), and he is the professional.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF BUDD DAVISSON
 p.110 Pilot Caves p.112 News From HQ p.117 Gone West p.118 Members/Chapters in Action

EAA FLIGHT ADVISORS

George Moore, EAA 381604, was on his third test

ight with his Tri-R KIS TR-1 when he decided to
push the speed envelope. The over-speed sensor
in the Eggenfellner Subaru engine put the engine
into limp home mode. Without sucient power
to make it back to the airstrip, George (pictured)
was forced to make an o-eld landing at a site
suggested by his EAA ight advisor, Terry Lutz, EAA
69308. George said, The trap-shoot area Terry
pointed out to me was my only option. That was
the best landing of my life!
Launched by Paul Poberezny in 1994, the EAA
Flight Advisor program has grown to more than
500 advisors. The program was designed to
increase sport aviation safety by connecting EAA
volunteers who are experts in specic areas
of ying with members preparing to y an
unfamiliar aircraft.
For more information on nding an EAA
Flight Advisor in your area, visit
www.EAA.org/ightadvisors.

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.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAROL SPRY www.eaa.org 109

MEMBERCENTRAL
PILOT CAVES

Pilot: Damon and Debbie Ring, EAA 739083

Location: Beach City Airport (2D7), Beach City, Ohio

BEACH CITY IS A grassroots airport ying community populated with

people who simply love airplanes. Houses, each with a hangar, look
across the 3,200-foot grass runway to a picturesque view of rolling
Ohio farmland.
Damon and Debbie Ring became part of the community years
before living there. They were able to rent a semi-enclosed space
for their RV-4, but there were no homes or lots available. Finally in
2008 a house and hangar became available. The house was nice, but
they had dreams of their own design to take advantage of the view
across the runway, so they split the property and immediately began
drawing up their dream airport home.
Unique, at least to Beach City Airport, their pilot cave is designed
so that most of the living space is above the 2,000-square-foot hangar
space, which includes an outdoor living area. Heating efficiency al-
lows the RV-8 and Stearman to spend the harsh Ohio winters in 65F
comfortalso a big plus for winter airplane projects. Trophies from
Damons Sport Air Racing League and AirVenture Cup Race wins in
his RV-8 line one area of the hangar walls along with Debbie pos-
ing with World War II aces Bud Anderson and Gnther Rall at their
annual Oshkosh vacation. Debbie and Damon are both engineers at
Goodyear, reected on the walls with pictures depicting the Good-
year aviation heritage. The Stearman project was completed last fall
and is new to the hangar as a ier.

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 September 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF DAMON AND DEBBIE RING
MEMBERCENTRAL
NEWS FROM HQ
EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh 2014
WITH THOUSANDS OF dedicated volunteers willing to do whatever it
takes to get the job done, its hard to fail. EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
2014 was an unmitigated success due largely to more than 5,400
volunteers working together for a common causeto produce The
Worlds Greatest Aviation Celebration, and the 2014 version was
certainly that.
Attendance topped 500,000, or 5 to 6 percent higher than in
2013. Saturday and Sunday saw 20 percent more people coming
through the gates than a year ago.
It was a tremendous week on many levels, said EAA Chairman
Jack J. Pelton. We lled Wittman Regional Airport with aircraft for
the rst time in several years, with both aircraft camping and park-
ing areas completely full at midweek.
The historic rst appearance of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds
at Oshkosh no doubt attracted many people to the event. Exhibitors
reported outstanding business throughout the week, with some sell-
ing out of product.
Other facts and gures from the 2014 convention:
KidVenture experienced record attendance in its 16th year.
More than 10,000 aircraft at Wittman Regional Airport and
112Sport AviationSeptember 2014
other facilities in east-central Wisconsin.
2,649 showplanes, up 308 from 2013,
included almost 1,000 homebuilts, 1,050
vintage airplanes, 303 warbirds, 122
ultralights and LSA, 91 seaplanes, 40
rotorcraft, 38 aerobatic aircraft, and eight
hot-air balloons.
2,081 registered international visitors
from 69 nations, led by Canada (505),
Australia (416), and Brazil (194). Many
others were here but did not register at
the International Visitors Tent.
917 media representatives on-site, from
ve continents.
EAAs One Week Wonder project totaled
more than 2,500 participants and resulted
in a nished airplane on closing day,
September 3.
Next year (July 20-26) expect to see Burt
Rutan, a new B-29 restoration, 70th anni-
versary commemorations of World War IIs
end, and more.
FIRST CONVENTION
WITHOUT PAUL
AIRVENTURE 2014 was our rst convention
without the man who created it. But there
were reminders throughout the grounds all
week of EAA Founder Paul H. Poberezny,
who died last year at the age of 91. From the
ceremony held at the Memorial Wall Sunday
evening before opening day to volunteers rais-
ing their glasses in his honor at the annual
wind-down party a week later, the 2014 Osh-
kosh convention was a tribute to the man who
made it all possible.
The memorial featured a missing-man
formation ight of P-51s led by EAAs B-17
Aluminum Overcast. Pauls prized P-64 and
P-51 were prominently displayed on Boeing
Plaza throughout the week. Members had
the chance to learn or revisit Pauls life story
at the Welcome Center exhibit, which fea-
tured Pauls VW Red One, the replica Waco
Primary Glider he built (and ew in June
2003), the Mechanix Illustrated Baby Ace that
launched EAA into a national organization,
videos, and more.
The airplanes that circled the daily air show
parachute teams were Pauls planes. The EAA
Lifetime Member Dinner had a strong tribute
theme, and members shared their Paul stories
at Theater in the Woods on Opening Day.

EAA AWARDS PRESENTED AT AIRVENTURE
WHILE THOUSANDS OF EAAers annually give of
their time to make the Young Eagles program
soar, a few are honored each year for their ex-
traordinary efforts. This years Young Eagles
awards were presented to Betty Darst, Chap-
ter Coordinator award; Brian Beauvais and
family, Ground Support Volunteer award; and
Bob Brown on behalf of the Academy of Model
Aeronautics (AMA), Horizon Award.
Betty credits her fellow chapter members
for her success as Chapter 48 Young Eagles
coordinator. Try to involve as many people in
the whole program as possible, she said. Its
a big job so things dont come together without
a lot of planning. But you also need to network
so you know aviation resources.
Brian and Sabrina Beauvais, of Naples, Flori-
da, and their children were recognized for their
efforts at EAA Chapter 1067 ight rallies. The
entire family also pitches in for special events
and the monthly EAA pancake breakfasts.
EAA and the AMA have a free dual youth
membership that has all the benets, including
scholarship eligibility, Brown said. The cross
promotion helps create awareness of AMA and
EAA, and as both face various governmental is-
sues, we support those issues as a total entity.
EAA Chairman Jack J. Pelton presented
the associations highest honor, the Freedom
of Flight Award, to Audrey Poberezny, at the
beginning of the annual meeting on July 29
in Oshkosh.
Pelton said there is nobody more deserv-
ing and who has done more over a lifetime to
support EAA and personal aviation than Au-
drey. She declined to go to the microphone,
but whispered to Jack on stage that she is
not the speaker in the family. And I love you
all very much.
The Chairmans Award for service was
presented to Earl Lawrence, former EAA vice
president who now heads up the FAA Small
MEMBERCENTRAL
Airplane Directorate. Lawrence was instru-
mental in guiding the sport pilot/light-sport
aircraft initiative through the complex federal
bureaucracy to its approval in 2004.
Troy Woodland, co-founder of Just Air-
craft LLC, received the 2014 August Raspet
Award from EAAs Charlie Becker recog-
nizing Woodlands SuperSTOL design. The
award recognizes a person who has made an
outstanding contribution to the advancement
of light aircraft design. My design approach
tries to continually make runways unneces-
sary, he said.
Ann Hamilton, whose passion for people
has driven her to volunteer for EAA AirVen-
ture Oshkoshs Operation Thirst for the past
16 years, received the 2014 Dorothy Hilbert
Award, which is given annually to recognize a
woman who exhibits the same passion, dedica-
tion, and devotion for volunteerism as did the
late Dorothy Hilbert.
www.eaa.org113
MEMBERCENTRAL
NEWS FROM HQ
GATHERING OF EAGLES DINNER
RAISES $2 MILLION
The annual Gathering of Eagles gala during AirVenture raised $2 million to support the Young
Eagles program. The highlight of the fundraising auction was the special 2015 Ford Mustang
done up in F-35 Navy ghter livery, which brought a high bid of $200,000. The Raise the
Windsock fundraiser collected $310,000, and a mystery box containing a Sonex airplane kit
went for $30,000.
EAGLE FLIGHTS MENTOR PILOT
HANDBOOK INTRODUCED
PARTICIPANTS IN EAAS Eagle Flights program now have a guide for
encouraging adults who want to discover ying.
There are many EAA members and other pilots who are dedicat-
ed to bringing more people into aviation, but dont feel they individu-
ally have the know-how to supply regular support and motivation to
those who are just beginning pursuit of their aviation dreams, said
Bret Steffen, EAA director of education. This mentor handbook can
help those experienced aviators turn their knowledge into the wis-
dom that will help those new in the aviation community.
The handbook is made possible by continuing support from
Sennheiser. To order yours, visit www.SportAviation.org.
114Sport AviationSeptember 2014
Name: Kevin Loppnow, EAA 801828
Position: Corporate Pilot
WHOS WHO AT HQ
Describe what you do: I plan, coordinate, and execute ights to
bring EAA staff and volunteers around the country. I also instruct
for the EAA Employees Flying Club, perform prociency ights
for pilots on EAA staff, give introductory ights, and keep EAAs
aircraft ight logs, pilot records, and various other records.
What do you enjoy most about your job? Flying is my heart and
soul, so to actually be paid to be up in the air is a feeling I dont
even have words to describe. I am a huge family person, and the
great thing about EAA is it feels like a big family! I get to meet a
wide variety of people, and I feel like Im part of something great.
How long have you been a pilot? I started ying thanks to my
parents when I was 16, received my private pilot certicate when
I was 17, and became an instructor when I was 18. Now at 28 I
have more than 6,500 hours, 5,000 hours of which being instruc-
tion given. I also have my CFII and multiengine instructor, and
am currently working on getting my ATP.
What aircraft do you own? I like to think of myself as an OPA
pilot: I y other peoples airplanes. I do not own an airplane, but
have had the greatest pleasure of ying a variety of planes, from
ultralights to light-sport aircraft, all the way up through multien-
gine and turbine aircraft.
If you could y any airplane, what would it be? This is a very
difficult question because as long as Im up in the air, no matter
what Im ying, Im happy! But if I had a choice I would love to y
a Dassault Falcon or a Velocity. Dreaming, I would choose a P-51.
Who is an inspiration to you in aviation? From someone who
has no time, to a person who has spent a lifetime in aviation, I
have never met someone who has not been an inspiration. I am
always learning and being inspired, which is why I love being an
instructorI never know when Ill change someones life and get
them to love aviation as much as I do. I feel inspired just to be a
part of that!
Most memorable experience as a pilot: I took my mom on her
rst ight with me to Mackinac Island, Michigan, in a 152. It was
a gusty day and bumpy approach, but I was able to bring it in and
land. On our walk into town, my mom said to me, After experi-
encing that, I will never have a fear of getting in a plane with you.
It was a compliment Ill never forget.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY
 MEMBERCENTRAL

Gone West
Not alone into the sunset but into the company of friends who have gone before them.

ARIZONA MICHIGAN OREGON

Alan Haines (EAA 1085853), Benson Ralph Roberts (EAA 11275), Saginaw A. Merv McCreedy (EAA 301269), Woodburn

CALIFORNIA MINNESOTA PENNSYLVANIA

James Jungwirth (EAA 1055184), Dana Point
Donald Mark (EAA 791976), Sonora
Rudolph Reichelt (EAA 359527), Thousand Oaks
Perrin Zeke Smith (EAA 184514), Soquel
COLORADO
Walter Gin (EAA 59815), Pueblo West
ILLINOIS
James Oenger (EAA 740567), Naperville
Lloyd Red Reinhardt (EAA 11043), Gurnee
Steve Russell (EAA 814286), Oregon
IOWA
Ulf Skoog (EAA 460024), West Des Moines
KANSAS
Roger Brining (EAA 818695), Great Bend
Earl Bohnen (EAA 871205), Cloquet
MONTANA
Harold Bud Hall (EAA 193319), Bozeman
NEBRASKA
Daniel Dietrich (EAA 201040), Omaha
Woodson Stovall (EAA 637185), Lincoln
NEW JERSEY
Donald Osmundson (EAA 114643), Cinnaminson
NEW YORK
Jon Beuchert (EAA 689768), Scarsdale
OKLAHOMA
Daniel Stroud (EAA 221639), Oklahoma City
Ronald Kellogg (EAA 154986), Bradford
TEXAS
William Hooper (EAA 569821), Austin
Gary Skinner (EAA 157675), Plano
BELGIUM
Guy Ries (EAA 27670), Dion-Valmont
CANADA
William Vancise (EAA 799714), Walsh, Alberta
NETHERLANDS
Jacobus Stuik (EAA 837902), Garderen
SWITZERLAND
Heinz Thut (EAA 110296), Zukon, Aargau

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF MILLER www.eaa.org117

MEMBERCENTRAL
MEMBERS/CHAPTERS IN ACTION

GOPRO FLIGHT SCHOLARSHIP

PRESENTED TO FORMER
YOUNG EAGLE
A FORMER EAA YOUNG Eagle and five-time
Women Soar You Soar participant received
the first-ever GoPro flight scholarship at
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2014.
Sarah Benish, EAA 751926, a senior
at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
where she also researches air quality us-
ing data collected from aircraft, received
the Go Fly scholarship, which provides
financial assistance for flight training, a
one-year EAA membership, and a GoPro
HERO3+ Black Edition with mounts.
GoPro and EAA teamed up to create
the new scholarship, which had appli-
cants creating a video illustrating
Kurt Mehre with the completed Mechanix Illustrated Baby Ace replica. why they wanted to earn their private
pilot certificate.
Air show pilot and GoPro athlete Kir-
by Chambliss presented the scholarship

Pauls Project to Sarah.

Sarah, who will be using the GoPro
equipment and social media to document

Returns to Oshkosh her flight training, thanked EAA and Go-

Pro for the scholarship. Im so excited to
share my flight-training experiences with
EAA members complete replica Mechanix Illustrated Baby Ace others, she said. Ive wanted to become
a pilot since I first came to AirVenture at
age 2, and I cant believe my dream is fi-
EARLY IN 2011, EAAS late Founder Paul Poberezny began building a replica of nally coming true.
the homebuilding project that launched the organization to national promi-
nence: the Corben Baby Ace that appeared on the May 1955 cover of Mecha-
nix Illustrated magazine under the headline Build This Plane For Under
$800 Including Engine.
Several members helped, including Kurt Mehre from Wausau, Wisconsin. After
Paul passed away last year, Audrey Poberezny and other members of the family
asked Kurt to see the project through to completion. Kurt accepted the challenge,
but knew he couldnt do it alone, so he took it to his fellow members in Chapter 640.
The goal was always to y the airplane to AirVenture 2014. A dedicated
core building team included Kurt, Dave Conrad, Lyman Hatz, Clifford Hatz,
Bob Mohr, and a host of others. By July 1, wing-rib stitching had just gotten
underway and meeting the AirVenture deadline appeared to be a long shot.
But Clifford Hatz stepped in, picked up the wings, and returned them just
four days later ready to hang on the airframe. According to Kurt, Cliffords
efforts helped drive others to make sure the goal was met.
The FAA inspected the project and issued the airworthiness certicate on
July 17. First ight took place two days later, then Kurt and three others ew
off the required ight-test hours, completing them the Saturday before Air-
Venture. The Baby Ace arrived in Oshkosh on opening day, Monday, July 28.
Thanks to Poly-Fiber for providing the covering material and Hooker Har-
ness for the custom-made restraint system. Chapter President Bob Mohr do-
nated the engine. Kirby Chambliss presents the GoPro ight scholarship to Sarah Benish.

118Sport AviationSeptember 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY PHIL WESTON


CHAPTER 944 CELEBRATES 25 YEARS
SUBMITTED BY CHAPTER 944
IN 1989, CHILLICOTHE, Missouri, residents
Kevin Golden and Jack Hickey saw the po-
tential for a local EAA chapter, so they orga-
nized a well-attended initial meeting. In the
early 1990s, Slim and Holly Caselman opened
their home and hangar for meetings, and
their grass airstrip turned summer meetings
into small y-ins.
As the membership grew, Chapter 944
conducted outings to the Airpower Museum in
Blakesburg, Iowa, the TWA Museum in Kansas
City, Missouri, and the Nicholas-Beazley Avia-
tion Museum in Marshall, Missouri. Chapter
members began ying Young Eagles at the
Brookeld (Missouri) y-in, and we soon began
to host our own Young Eagles events.
Our y-in, held each August, revolves
around Young Eagles ights. It includes a
breakfast and many raffle items donated by
local businesses, and groups set up booths
for displaying information. Kids are normal-
ly lined up waiting for their Young Eagles
rides, and we have several volunteer pilots
and ground volunteers. The y-ins draw
large crowds every year.
Several years ago, we started a Solo Flight
Scholarship program that provides nancial
assistance for ight instruction. Our chapter
became a 501(c)3 organization in 2009, and we
expanded the education program to include
sending young people to the EAA Air Academy.
Nearly 2,000 Young Eagles have own
with the pilots in our organization. One out-
standing individual, Doyle Leppin, has own
645 kids, along with countless other rst
ights including a woman in her 90s. Doyle
was also recognized within the Young Eagles
program for ying 53 kids in one month
more than anyone else in the United States.
With the support of our community and
volunteers who do whatever it takes, we should
continue to have a smooth ight into the future.
MEMBERCENTRAL
CHAPTER VIDEO MAGAZINE
MEET STAFF SGT. Benjamin Ayivorh, EAA
1146709, a private pilot who likes to y his
DA40 for fun when hes not preighting
F-16s for the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds,
in the September issue of EAAs Chapter
Video Magazine. This months issue also
includes a video recap of EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh 2014. To watch the video simply
attend an EAA chapter meeting near you.
You can locate a chapter in your area at
www.EAA.org/chapters/locator. EAAs
Chapter Video Magazine is proudly sup-
ported by Dynon Avionics.
www.eaa.org119
MEMBERCENTRAL
MEMBERS/CHAPTERS IN ACTION
WELCOME, NEW LIFETIME MEMBERS
Je Anderson (EAA 624445), Midlothian, Texas
Hetty Ball (EAA 1004548), Montgomery, Texas
Tom Ball (EAA 362502), Montgomery, Texas
Jeremiah Boorsma (EAA 831891), Bakerseld, California
Angela Carlson (EAA 814485), Kenosha, Wisconsin
Matthew Carlson (EAA 9002478), Kenosha, Wisconsin
Timothy Cornett (EAA 104565), Madison, Wisconsin
Steven Daudelin (EAA 660426), Maryland Heights, Missouri
Phil Davis (EAA 1040022), Temple, Texas
James Drieman (EAA 296478), Ham Lake, Minnesota
Richard Ellis (EAA 469164), Freeport, Illinois
Gregg Erikson (EAA 56579), Wayne, Illinois
Mary Erikson (EAA 450262), Wayne, Illinois
Alan Hale (EAA 270922), Mount Vernon, Illinois
Bryan Homan (EAA 1148041), Andrews, Texas
Robert Houston (EAA 1034412), Murray, Kentucky
Gary Jackson (EAA 441745), Clinton, Maryland
Thomas Kallio (EAA 721508), Carmel, Indiana
Beth Knighton (EAA 1107555), Wausau, Wisconsin
William Knighton (EAA 452968), Wausau, Wisconsin
6DYY\$QDO\VLV3UR ([SHUWDIIRUGDEO\SULFHGDQDO\VLV
RI\RXUHQJLQHPRQLWRUGDWD
SHUIRUPHGE\WKHLQGXVWU\V
PRVWH[SHULHQFHGSLVWRQDLUFUDIW
HQJLQHGDWDDQDO\VWV
120Sport AviationSeptember 2014
Matthew Kublank (EAA 358495), Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin
Sven Larsson (EAA 418306), Lindome, Sweden
Lewis Lemmerbrock (EAA 840450), Bowling Green, Ohio
Michael Moore (EAA 266958), Spokane, Washington
Luis Nieves (EAA 780258), Napa, California
Clayton Osbon (EAA 401363), Richmond Hill, Georgia
Alexandria Palmer (EAA 777637), Rosamond, California
Chris Peach (EAA 697437), Waterville, Minnesota
Anthony Quadrani (EAA 513271), Kingsford, Michigan
Robert Shafer (EAA 245199), Grosse Ile, Michigan
Susan Shafer (EAA 720889), Grosse Ile, Michigan
Je Shott (EAA 1148061), Spring, Texas
John Smokovitz (EAA 270126), Canton, Michigan
Phil Soucy (EAA 1099143), Springeld, Virginia
Donald Steger (EAA 1105784), Staunton, Virginia
Guy Stovall (EAA 1088056), El Campo, Texas
Lynn Stovall (EAA 1147209), El Campo, Texas
Andrew Swift (EAA 1147591), Northridge, California
Larry Weber (EAA 143378), New Paltz, New York
Kurt Wipperfurth (EAA 748470), Green Bay, Wisconsin
www.eaa.org121

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)
EAA Aviation & Non-Aviation AD&D Insurance - Get per-
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 Finance Solutions Get financing for the widest range
of aircraft in the general aviation industry at rates you wont find
anywhere. www.EAA.org/finance, 800-999-3712
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
defect airplane for inspection. www.EAA.org/techcounselors
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.org123
FLYMART & CLASSIFIED ADS

nt
Manufacturer of Quality Aircraft Parts 5% Discou
A
for EA s!
888.750.5244 memb
er

www.mcfarlaneaviation.com/EAA
High Quality Universal Controls
Perfect for homebuilt or custom projects!
Many knob options and custom engraving
Throttle and choke for dual carb 912/914 Rotax
Vernier-Assist throttle and mixture
Push-to-Unlock
Turn-to-Lock
Simple push-pull
McFarlane Aviation Products
696 East 1700 Road, Baldwin City, Kansas 66006
Ph: 785.594.2741 Fax: 785.594.3922 sales@mcfarlaneaviation.com

LANDING GEAR WHEELS & BRAKES

Grove www.groveaircraft.com

Aircraft Landing Gear Systems

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

LED & CONVENTIONAL aircraft lights

124Sport AviationSeptember 2014

 AIRCRAFT INSTRUMENTS
Flight Simulator Elite Pro Panel - Elite Avionics Panel 3000 - Rudder

YOUR AD HERE!
Pedals - LG at screen - Key Board - HP Pavilion computer - HP Color
Laser Jet Printer CP1518ni, 828-713-9706, rex2888race@aol.com

To advertise in EAA Sport Aviation

Eighteen years manufacturing AOAs www.riteangle.com
FlyMart call Sue Anderson at
920-426-6127, or e-mail 360-260-0772
sanderson@eaa.org
Digital Altimeter & Gauges Adaptive Interfaces www.adaptint.com

Biplane Construction, Ron Walker A&P-IA, a1airplanemech@aol.com,

650-593-5010

EAA Sport Aviation BOOKS

Classied Advertising Rates LIGHT AIRPLANE CONSTRUCTION for the amateur builder. Molds, tools,
jigs, 311 illustrations, 92 pages, $60. LIGHT AIRPLANE DESIGN-statistics,
Classied Word Ads: $25 per
weights, sample calculations, 61 illustrations, 80 pages, $65. LANDING
10 words, 100 word maximum.
Classied ads may be submitted GEAR DESIGN FOR LIGHT AIRCRAFT-245 pages, 463 illustrations, $85.
online at https://secure.eaa.org/ PL-4A CONSTRUCTION MANUAL-104 pages, 394 illustrations, $60. CUSTOM
advertising/classied_ad.html. BUILT AIRCRAFT OWNERS OPERATORS MANUAL-$25. Mail: USA $7; Canada
$20, Foreign air & ins. $28. PAZMANY PL-9 STORK video or DVD $30.
Advertising Closing Dates: 10th
day of month, two months prior to Mail: USA $5, Foreign air & ins. $24. PAZMANY AIRCRAFT CORPORATION,
issue date (i.e., January 10 is the P. O. Box 60577, San Diego, CA 92166. FAX: 619-224-7358 E-mail:
closing date for the March issue). *info@pazmany.com, www.pazmany.com

EAA reserves the right to reject any

advertising in conict with WORLDS MOST POPULAR Aircraft Design Books @

its policies. www.aircraftdesigns.com/831-621-8760

AEROMEDICAL
FAA Medical Problems? We specialize in helping pilots, ATC, Etc.,
when FAA Medical Certicate problems occur. Professional and aord-
able. ARMA Research, LLC, 290-206-9000 www.ARMAResearch.com
ENGINES
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

AIRCRAFT Engines starting @ $200 - guaranteed Kawasaki, Rotax, Hirth &

Velocity 173 LW 75% nish in primer, wings by hanger 18, seats built, most other brands w/BEST reduc drive, carb, exhaust selection of
rmolitor@tampabay.rr.com, 715-634-5055 access w/top-notch service from friendly sta J-Bird, 262-626-2611,
jbirdengines@yahoo.com
Christavia Mk1 proj.ready 2 cover $10K make oer or trade 714-486-5420

VW Power from Great Plains Aircraft! Type 1 - 1600cc to 2276cc. Direct,

2008 Tundra 4-place. Factory assist build. Superior engine, 3-blade Reduction and Flywheel Drives. Kits and Parts. Engine packages for all VW
prop, Dynon EFIS, TruTrak autopilot, Garmin. Hangared, pvt owned. powered aircraft. Contact Great Plains Aircraft at 402-493-6507 or GPASC.com
Featured in Sport Aviation. $120K obo. 605-382-7093.

Kawasaki package - save 50%, engine, reduction drive, carburetor

Barracuda Project for sale, many completed parts & most hardware, & exhaust. 0-time, 64 lbs, 40 HP Contact J-Bird 262-626-2611
920-566-2566 jbirdengines@yahoo.com

www.eaa.org125
CLASSIFIED ADS
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
LEGAL
Experienced Patent Attorney & fellow pilot ready to help you protect
& prot from your invention. Clients located across the US. Free con-
sultation & 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
Holy Cowls - RV & Mustang II, www.jamesaircraft.com 850-342-9929
Business For Sale: Mid-Sota Aircraft Technologies LED Maplight busi-
ness for sale. See at www.mid-sota.com. Call 320-267-2934,
please leave message.
Uncommon Gifts for your home, hangar or oce.
www.2nd-Sun.com
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
Carbon ber cowls for non-certied PA 18 aircraft. Selkirk Aviation,
208-664-9589. www.selkirk-aviation.com
Landing Gear-Wittman type rod gear since 1969. Contact Harmon
Lange 503-397-1478, harmon@langair.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
126Sport AviationSeptember 2014
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
DreamFlyer simulator, 3, 20 monitors on castered base. Software.
$1800 704-491-7467, earllynch@bellsouth.net
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
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.
Volksplane-Complete VP-1 Plans $64 w/FREE Designers
Handbook, Pilots Handbook, builders photos & Flight Reports.
www.volksplane.com & www.evansair.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
Berkut B and C Kit for sale $12000.00, leonimartin@yahoo.com,
035-446-8209
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
RV Builders-Upper/lower gear leg intersection fairings
www.aerosu.com 507-635-5976
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
PROPELLERS
MT 4-blade propeller w/deicers. Lycoming ange. Surplus from Piper
Malibu STC project, <100 TTSN. Up to 350HP at 2700 RPM, perfect for
high performance homebuilt. $5,890 OBO including spinner. Crating &
shipping extra. Contact Jon Sisk 859-351-5429 or jsisk54@gmail.com
www.PerformancePropellersUSA.com . Two & Three Blade
Multi-Laminate Wood composite propellers for up through 300 HP.
713-417-2519
MT & Homann Propellers for aerobatic, homebuilt &
production aircraft. Call for quote. Steen Aero Lab, (321) 725-4160.
www.steenaero.com
REAL ESTATE
T-Hangars for lease at Chicago Rockford International Airport.
RFD has a 24-hr ATC. 1,440 sq. ft. 4301 Falcon Rd, Rockford IL
T-Hangars are located inside a secure area and TSA SIDA
badges are required for access. Contact Carol Moyer,
cmoyer@yrfd.com or 815.969.4466
HOUSTON AREA AIRPARK FOR SALE 46+ acres w/grass runway*comml
or residential*Teri Ellingham (Agent) 281-782-3897
2.5 acres alongside runway for sale call Broker Bill 760-792-8072
2 acre lot in Lakewood WI Air Park 4W N3,50 mi N of Green Bay, WI -
2600 lighted grass strip, $20K, 414-791-7670
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
WANTED
Donate your factory built plane to leave a signicant legacy! A char-
ity that provides mission/medical services to remote areas of the world.
www.samaritanaviation.com 970-249-4341
 AT YOUR SERVICE: ADVERTISERS IN THIS ISSUE AD INDEX

ADVERTISER PAGE WEBSITE PHONE ADVERTISER PAGE WEBSITE PHONE

Advanced Flight Systems 37 www.Advanced-Flight-Systems.com 503/263-0037 Grand Rapids Technologies, Inc. 29, 89 www.grtavionics.com 616/245-7700

AeroConversions 99 www.AeroConversions.com 920/231-8297 HTP America Inc 30 www.usaweld.com 800/872-9353

Aircraft Specialties Services 47 www.aircraft-specialties.com 800/826-9252 IAC 121 www.iac.org 920/426-4800

Aircraft Spruce & Specialty OBC www.aircraftspruce.com 877/4-SPRUCE Jeppesen 45 www.jeppesen.com/itedeck-vfr31 800/353-2107

Aircraft Spruce & Specialty/Cozy 93 www.aircraftspruce.com 877/4-SPRUCE John Deere 101 www.johndeere.com/gator 309/765-8000

AKG Aviation 85 www.akg.com/aviation 813/221-4181 J.P. Instruments 39 www.jpinstruments.com 800/345-4574

Aviat Aircraft Inc 41 www.aviataircraft.com 307/885-3151 Leading Edge Air Foils, LLC 93 www.leadingedgeairfoils.com 800/532-3462

Avidyne 87 www.avidyne.com 800/284-3963 Lockwood Aviation 38 www.lockwood-aviation.com 800/527-6829

Bendix King 51 www.bendixking.com 855/250-7027 Lycoming 23 www.lycoming.com 800/258-3279

Boeing 7 www.buildsomethingbetter.com 206/655-1131 MGL Avionics 99 www.mglavionics.com 877/835-9464

Bose 17 www.bose.com/A20_13 888/501-8769 MT-Propeller 93 www.mt-propeller.com 386/736-7762

Bristell 38 www.bristell.us 717/371-8677 Pacic Health 111 www.claroxan.com 855/820-4050

California Power Systems 105 www.800-airwolf.com 800/247-9653 Piper 33 www.piper.com 866/FLY.PIPER

Cirrus Aircraft 49 www.cirrusaircraft.com/2014 800/279-4322 Poly-Fiber Aircraft Coatings 4 www.polyber.com 800/362-3490

Copperstate Fly-In 86 www.copperstate.org 602/618-0994 Progressive Insurance 79 www.progressive.com 800/PROGRESSIVE

CSC Duats 103 www.duats.com 800/345-3828 Randolph Aircraft Products 37 www.randolphaircraft.com 800/362-3490

CubCrafters, Inc. 27 www.carboncubex.com 509/248-9491 Sandys Airpark 36 www.sandysairpark.com 800/908-4359

Daher-Socata 19 www.tbm850.com 954/993-8477 Savvy Aircraft Maint. Management 120 www.savvyanalysis.com 702/655-1359

DTC DUAT 13 www.duat.com 800/243-3828 Sennheiser Aviation 25 www.sennheiser-aviation.com/S1 860/434-9190

Dual Eyewear 53 www.dualeyewear.com 720/235-1112 Sigtronics Corporation 26 www.sigtronics.com 909/305-9399

Dynon Avionics IFC www.dynonavionics.com 425/402-0433 Sky-Tec 22, 32 www.skytecair.com 800/476-7896

EAA Aviation Insurance/Falcon 91, 121 www.eaalowerrates.com 866/647-4322 Sonex Aircraft, LLC 30 www.sonexaircraft.com 920/231-8297

EAA B-17 119 www.b17.org 800/359-6217 Sportys Pilot Shop 9 www.sportys.com/stratus 800/SPORTYS

EAA Credit Card 100 www.eaa.org/visa 800/564-6322 Stauer 115 www.stauer.com 888/870-9149

EAA Ford Tri-Motor 86 www.ytheford.org 800/564-6322 Stemme AG 31 www.stemme.info 803/726-8884

EAA Merchandise 122 www.shopeaa.com 800/564-6322 Stewart AC Finishing Systems 105 www.stewartsystems.aero 888/356-7659

EAA SportAir Workshops 107, 121 www.sportair.com 800/967-5746 Superior Air Parts 43 www.superiorairparts.com 800/277-5168

EAA Sweepstakes 2014 116 www.eaa.org/sweepstakes 800/236-1025 Tempest 2 www.tempestplus.com 800/822-3200

EAA Webinars 89 www.eaa.org/webinars 800/967-5746 Trade-A-Plane 36 www.trade-a-plane.com 800/337-5263

EAA Young Eagles 113 www.youngeagles.org 877/806-8902 Trutrak Flight Systems 31 www.trutrakap.com 866/TRUTRAK

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University 20, 21 www.ERAU.edu/go 800/222-3728 Vans Aircraft, Inc. 29 www.vansaircraft.com 503/678-6545

Flight Design USA 35 www.ightdesignusa.com 860/963-7272 Wag-Aero 99 www.wagaero.com 800/558-6868

Ford Motor Company 65 www.ford.com 800/392-3673 Zenith Aircraft Company IBC www.zenithair.com 573/581-9000

Garmin 5 www.garmin.com 800/800-1020

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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.,
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www.eaa.org127
EAAS LOGBOOK
WHERE WE CAME FROM

INSIDE THE ISSUE

Highlights from September 1964

John Boothby stands with the nearly completed Bowers Fly Baby that he
and his father, Charles Boothby, EAA 4100, were building. The garage had
to be lengthened to make room for Boothbys car and the Fly Baby.

Chuck Vaneck of Oregon-based EAA Chapter 105 motions to the small gyro-
plane he was building and how he planned to upholster the interior.

Busmans Holiday
P
ete Myers stunning, fully aerobatic Myers Special
flies around the pattern in this shot for the cover of
the September 1964 issue of Sport Aviation. Named
Busmans Holiday, Pete used his plane to demonstrate precision
flying at the annual Rockford fly-in in August of that year.
In this issue of Sport Aviation Venoy M. Draper, EAA 1778,
told how he built a Nesmith Cougar from plans and then took The Grand Central chain of drug stores invited EAA chapters 23 and 28 of Salt
Lake City and Ogden, Utah, respectively, to display their joint eorts for one day.
the completed aircraft on a cross-country adventure around the
Dan Bookout, standing on the sign, was largely responsible for setting up the
United States. Dean R. Sigler, EAA 8499, shared pictures and the display that helped attract thousands to EAA.
progress of a variety of homebuilding projects the members of
EAA Chapter 105 were working on, and Bob Whittier, EAA 1235, View archived issues of EAA Sport Aviation at www.EAA.org.
detailed the principles of color selection.

128Sport AviationSeptember 2014

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