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

8 | August 2014

Bcker From Scratch

Jungmeister a delight
to y, a bear to build

+
Learning to Fly the Chute
Powering along under a exible wing

Piston Power to China

Hopping the Pacic in a stock Bonanza

EAA Annual Report

Successes and challenges of the past year
 The New SkyView

Featuring SkyView Touch

Touch when you want

w it.
Turbulence when yo
you
ou don
ou don't.
don't t.
Earlier this year we reintroduced our flagship system with the addition of SkyView Touch. From the beginning,
Dynons pilot-engineers designed SkyView to have a clean and intuitive pilot interface so you can focus on
the flying, not the technology. SkyView Touch adds the convenience of touch when you want it, but keeps a
full set of buttons and joystick knobs for precise control in turbulence. We also added dedicated Knob and
Autopilot Control Panels for a streamlined and customizable interface. SkyView 10 software offers dozens of
new features like the six-pack instruments, VFR sectional and IFR en-route charts, and twin and large engine
support.

At AirVenture 2014 we announced the next wave of SkyView features for your experimental or light sport
panel. SkyView 11 adds video input support with a new adapter, a Dynon 8.33 kHz COM radio, and much
more.

Whether youre new to glass cockpit technology or fly 777s at work, theres a complete SkyView panel for you.

We invite you to discover The New SkyView. Go Fly.

Learn more at www.TheNewSkyView.com

SkyView Touch Equipped

Hangar D: 4053-4054- 4055

Oshkosh Is a Two-Way Street
BY JACK J. PELTON
AMONG THE MOST important guests at our annual y-in and convention
at Oshkosh are people from government. Oshkosh week is the best
chance every year for us to express our concerns to regulators and
elected leaders, but more importantly, it is their singular opportunity to
see up close all forms of personal aviation for themselves.
The FAA has the highest prole, which makes sense. After all, it is
the FAA that directly regulates our ying. The FAA staffs a hangar
near the base of the control tower with people who can discuss all
types of policy from weather forecasting and reporting to airspace
issues. The FAA hangar is your go-to place for answers directly from
FAA personnel.
Perhaps even more important are the Oshkosh visits by the top FAA
leadership, including the administrator, Michael Huerta. As you can
imagine, the FAA is overwhelmed by airline issues. FAA staffers rou-
tinely y on the airlines; they are in and out of airline airports all the
time, and they hear from the millions of airline passengers frequently.
But Oshkosh is the only opportunity every year for the FAA leader-
ship to see the vast scope of private aviation for themselves. In one
south to north trip at Oshkosh the FAA administrator can chat with
people ying powered parachutes, owners of classics and antiques, aer-
obatic pilots, builders and pilots of homebuilts, and at the north end
there are hundreds of people devoted to keeping warbirds in the air.
And all along the ightline are thousands of pilots and owners of con-
ventional general aviation airplanes.
Its almost impossible for FAA leaders in Washington to grasp the
diversity of private aviation, except at Oshkosh. No other event brings
all of us and our aircraft together in one place. Oshkosh is our annual
opportunity to remind the FAA that the freedom to y and to innovate
has created an aviation environment like no other in the world.
Another government agency that will be at Oshkosh is the U.S.
Customs and Border Protection. Its part of the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security, which was created in response to 9/11 and has
grown to be one of the largest components of the federal government.
Working to prevent another terrorist attack is vital to all of us, but
again, we know that private ying is not fully understood by this
agency. There have been too many unwarranted stops and searches of
pilots ying their own airplanes for their own reasons that pose abso-
lutely no threat to anyone.
The best way for the people at the Customs and Border Protection
to understand how we use our airplanes is for them to see us and talk to
us. Oshkosh provides that opportunity. When they see the thousands of
aircraft that have own to Oshkosh from all 50 states and dozens of for-
eign countries they can grasp that we dont t a single pattern. And
when they see the orderliness and cleanliness that is Oshkosh, I hope
they can begin to comprehend that people who y for their own reasons
are the most reliable and not a threat to anyone. Please stop by and
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY
JACK J. PELTON
COMMENTARY / TOWER FREQUENCY
introduce yourself to the Customs people who will have sev-
eral of their aircraft on display.
We will also host elected officials of all levels including
local, state, and federal government. Every level of govern-
ment is important to us because airport issues are local, and
aircraft and pilot regulations are national.
Over the past several years the General Aviation Caucuses
in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate
continue to grow. The elected officials who join the caucuses
are committed to the support of private aviation in all forms.
These elected officials do not promise to grant our every
wish, but they will listen when issues arise. Most importantly
the House and Senate have the power to prod the FAA into
action, or even as in the case of the Pilots Bill of Rights, to
supersede the FAA and set policy.
One of the greatest concerns for those of us who y for
personal reasons is the third-class medical certication sys-
tem. Its broken. What we are asking is to be treated the same
as other Americans who participate in mechanized recre-
ational activities such as boating, motorcycle riding, ATV
riding, auto racing, and on and on. The drivers license system
is in place and working, and we believe that is appropriate for
people who y for their own personal reasons.
Will we hear some good news on third-class medical reg-
ulation changes at Oshkosh? I dont know. I do know the FAA
is working on new standards, and maybe it will be ready by
Oshkosh. But either way, this is our opportunity to express
our views to government officials, and even more impor-
tantly, for them to see us in our own environment.
Only at Oshkosh. I hope to see you there.
www.eaa.org1
 A PUBLICATION OF THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Contents
Vol.63 No.8 | August 2014

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

58
If You Cant Buy One,
COMMENTARY

01 Tower FrequencyJack J. Pelton

94

98
Stick & RudderInto the Mist

What Went WrongWho Needs Ailerons?

Build One
Len Elmendorfs Bcker Jungmeister 06 Letters to the Editor 102 Ill Never Do That AgainBacon-Saving Skills
By Budd Davisson
16 Left SeatJ. Mac McClellan HANDS ON

68
Ferry Flight to China
22 Flying LessonsLane Wallace 104 What Our Members Are Building/Restoring

Two pilots on the odyssey of a lifetime 28 Savvy AviatorMike Busch 108 Innovation on the FlyBlending Two Passions
By Mark Phelps In Harmony
34 Light FlightDave Matheny

76
Run for the Sky
38 Dream Build FlyBrady Lane
110 Hints for HomebuildersCompression Hose Fittings,
Hose Standos

A senior pilots fancy turns to oating 46 Plane TalkLauran Paine Jr. 114 Shop TalkPerpendicular Holes and
with the clouds Homemade Gizmos
By James Lawrence 52 ContrailsJe Skiles
MEMBER CENTRAL

86
Another Successful Year of
NEWS & INFO

10 Advocacy & Safety

121
122
Member Central
Pilot Caves
139
140
Member Benets
FlyMart
Uniting People and Airplanes Governmental Issues 126 News From HQ 141 Classied Ads
EAAs annual report 131 Gone West 144 EAAs Logbook
14 FlightlineIndustry News 134 Members and
Chapters in Action

ON THE COVER: Veteran aerial photographer Jim Koepnick captured the For more on many of the topics in this issue, visit www.SportAviation.org. To view and

beautiful Bcker ying near Lakeland, Florida. submit aviation events, visit www.EAA.org/calendar.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM KOEPNICK www.eaa.org3

 Vol.63 No.8 | August 2014

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

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

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

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

Need to change your address or have other membership

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

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

4Sport AviationAugust 2014

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Arnie Zimmerman at the controls of his Breezy.
BREEZY AND
YOUNG EAGLES
I ENJOYED READING your column about Breezy turning 50 in the
June 2014 issue of Sport Aviation. However, no article about the
history of Breezy would be complete without mention of a spe-
cial Breezy and its pilot. If youve been to AirVenture Oshkosh
in the last 26 years, youve probably seen N3AZ and its pilot,
Arnie Zimmerman, EAA 205374. If you missed him, it was prob-
ably because he was hidden behind a crowd of children waiting
for a ride. Arnie and Breezy could typically be found in one of
two places: parked just off the west edge of Runway 36, or cir-
cling overhead. Arnie has been a strong supporter of aviation
and is actively involved in the Young Eagles program. Over the
past 38 years, he has personally given over 12,000 rides (no,
thats not a typo) and introduced over 1,400 youth to aviation
through Young Eagles ights, most of them in a Breezy.
My Young Eagles ight with Arnie was one of the most
memorable aviation experiences I have ever had. I dont think
any article about Breezys history would be complete without
mentioning Arnie and the ties to EAAs Young Eagles program.
_ _
Benjamin Nelson, EAA 822255, age 13
Kenosha, Wisconsin
6Sport AviationAugust 2014
Age 65: Time to Start, Not Quit
IM ON THE DOORSTEP of that magical but dreaded
age of 65. I will ip the page next Wednesday, the
4th of June. I just nished reading Macs article
in the online version of Sport Aviation, The Age
Thing [June 2014]. As a new 65-year-old to be, I see
light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. After too
many years of having to put it off because of other
legitimate priorities and, at times, a lack of interest,
Im going for a sport pilot license.
To be a pilot and plane owner is a lifelong dream,
and Ive decided its time I go after it. I only wish I
could have done it 30 or 40 years ago, and I probably
should have. So, now its my time.
_
John Pollock, EAA 1138617
Goldsboro, North Carolina
I AM 70 YEARS OLD and rst soloed at 18. I am
a private pilot with instrument rating. J. Mac
McClellans article The Age Thing was excellent!
I stopped ying 15 years ago. Heres why: My
last third-class medical involved six doctors,
including a doctor to monitor stress test; FAA
medical examiner; my primary care physician; two
specialists; and an FAA senior medical examiner
in Washington, D.C. Each was required to write
a report. All showed I was more than capable of
piloting. The cost to me (not to mention time and
inconvenience) was almost $1,000not covered
by medical insurance. Needless to say when the
sport pilot program became available I was very
interested. However, there are no planes available
for rent in my area (Boston) which qualify. The new
proposal is very encouraging.
_
Ray Watts, EAA 1106634
Wellesley, Massachusetts
SEVERAL YEARS AGO when AOPA claimed to be doing
a study on pilot aging I became very interested
(being 14 years your senior). I watched, listened, and
never saw a summary or conclusion! So I did my
own research and found one conclusion: that pilot
incapacitation is a minor issue at any age! I also agreed
to participate in the North Dakota University study on
pilot aging, but they never followed up with me!
I am in good health, no meds, and y club
Archers with no issues. I am now building a
World Aircraft Co. Spirit E-LSA to equip with
amphibious oats, in lieu of continuing to race and
cruise our 42-foot pilothouse ketch sailboat!
Howard Riley, EAA 394602
Grosse Pointe, Michigan
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
THANKS FOR THE
MEMORIES, JEFF
IVE COPIED THE SECOND and third installments of Jeff Skiles fol-
lowing a World War II cadet, etc. articles and mailed them to
my brother-in-law. He ew as pilot his 35 missions in a B-17
with the 8th Air Force. The impact of Jeff s writing has been so
great! Hes 94 and the memory is not what it used to be. Jeff s
articles have led him down memory lane and brightened his life.
Jeff, keep up your good work. Ill bet there are many, many more
out there who have had the same enjoyable experience. I hope
they all write with their thank-you.
_ perfectly. I salivate!
Bill Simon, EAA 479848
Wallingford, Connecticut
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 AviationAugust 2014
Glass Cockpit Doubts
I AGREE WITH LAURAN on glass cockpits (Plane
Talk, Lauran Paine, June 2014). I have
been flying for over 40 years and have seen
some amazing things. I think glass can be
dangerous in the wrong hands. I have a
friend that bought a new Cessna 206 with
a G1000 in the panel. I live in Boulder,
Colorado. We took a trip to Nebraska, and
after rotation his head was buried deep into
the panel. I had to tell him a dozen times to
look outside, on a VFR flight!
Where is it all headed? I think that glass will
cause more accidents with low-time pilots.
Nothing to do but fly and look outside.
Wonderful quote! I will remember that!
_
Glen Marshman, EAA 534364
Boulder, Colorado
OKAY, LAURAN, NOW youve done it again.
Not only did you write yet another hugely
engaging article, about steam versus glass,
but youve suddenly, brutally brought me to
face the wisdom of a decision I thought I had
already clearly made. Troublemaker!
For some time I have envied glass panels
and dreamed about an upgrade to my Wheeler
Express. I already have a GTN 750 and love
it. Im a Garmin junky, a hard-core electrical
engineer, a techie nerd. But the G500s are
just so expensive, and the peripherals a
pain to place. Nothing else fits! Then, along
comes the G3X Touch: It fits my panel space
I start drawing up plans. My $1K vacuum
pump is well past typical life and will soon go
west. The DG is starting to seriously precess
and will need a $1K rebuild. I can sell the
S-TEC autopilot for much of the cost of the
Garminperfect excuses, right? Done deal!
Warn my wife about the imminent hit on the
family finances.
Then along comes your article. Darn! I
sit in the plane and start wondering how
well I will take to speed and altitude tapes,
how cozy and comfortable I am with all that
analog stuff, how at 64 years Im known as an
analog engineer, not a digital one; after all,
any idiot can count to one.
Just sayin!
Seriously, thanks for a great thought-provoker!
_
Reinhard Metz, EAA 353311
Wheaton, Illinois
ADVOCACY AND SAFETY
GOVERNMENTAL ISSUES

Sen. Inhofe Proposes

Pilots Bill of Rights 2
Bill addresses medical reform, CBP stops, FAA enforcement, and more

SEN. JAMES INHOFE (R-Oklahoma) announced that he will Allowance for de novo trials, permitting
introduce a successor bill to the Pilots Bill of Rights, which the federal district court to hear all the
was signed into law in 2012. Inhofe released a draft of the bill, relevant facts of an enforcement case and
tentatively called the Pilots Bill of Rights 2, for the aviation not just adjudicate whether the NTSB
communitys review and commentary before its introduction after judge and board made a proper nding.
the Senates summer recess. The rst Pilots Bill of Rights specied
The proposed bill is the result of collaboration between Sen.
Inhofe and EAAs Legal Advisory Council (LAC) that began
with a meeting during last years AirVenture. When Sen. Inhofe
introduced the first Pilots Bill of Rights, he acknowledged that
it represented a first step toward improving the rights of airmen
involved in FAA enforcement actions and that more would
follow. Wasting no time to fill gaps in the original legislation,
he solicited input from the EAA LAC during AirVenture 2013,
seeking to understand how well the spirit of the Pilots Bill of
Rights was being carried out in the field. Following that meeting,
the LAC developed a detailed list of legal remedies that could
be addressed in further legislation, and EAA continued to work
with Sen. Inhofes staff as Pilots Bill of Rights 2 evolved. The
bills language currently includes:
Aeromedical reform, similar to the General Aviation Pilot
Protection Act, introduced in the House by Rep. Todd
Rokita (R-Indiana);
Prohibition of certain aircraft stops by U.S. Customs and
Border Protection without probable cause;
Provisions for development of legislation designed to reduce
regulatory and certication barriers to the installation of safety-
enhancing equipment and cost-effective means for maintaining
the airworthiness of older general aviation aircraft;
Immunity from civil liability for designated airworthiness
representatives (DARs), designated pilot examiners (DPEs),
and aviation medical examiners (AMEs), offering designees
of the FAA administrator the same shield from liability as fed-
eral employees;

10Sport AviationAugust 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL STEINEKE

 that pilots were allowed to immediately challenge
a disputed order at the federal court level; how-
ever, because these appeals were not de novo
trials, the Pilots Bill of Rights was interpreted to
prohibit the district court from hearing and con-
sidering all the facts of the case;
Expansion of Pilots Bill of Rights protections to
other aviation-related certicate holders, such as
charter operators and repair stations;
A limitation to the FAAs scope of investigation
during enforcement actions, which would prevent
shing expeditions unrelated to the original rea-
son for the investigation;
Reinstatement of the FAAs expungement policy,
limiting the length of time enforcement actions are
retained on an airmans record;
Prohibition of enforcement action by the FAA if it
fails to provide airmen with the due process infor-
mation required by the original Pilots Bill of
Rights; and
A prohibition on enforcement related to NOTAMs
if the FAA fails to complete the NOTAM improve-
ment program called for by the original Pilots Bill
of Rights by December 31, 2014.
Sen. Inhofe will be speaking about the bill, his
plans for gathering the aviation communitys input,
and the timeline for the bills introduction in a forum
presentation at AirVenture 2014 on Saturday, August 2,
from 10-11:15 a.m. in Forum Building 1. His office
can be reached with any comments via his website
at www.Inhofe.Senate.gov.
FAA CLARIFIES ANGLE OF ATTACK INDICATOR
INSTALLATION POLICY
IN FEBRUARY, THE FAA issued a press release announcing that angle of attack
(AOA) indicators would be eligible for certication under industry consensus
standards rather than traditional avionics certication rules. The new policy
will allow manufacturers to build the AOA indicator system according to
standards from the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
and apply for FAA approval for the design via a letter certifying that the
equipment meets ASTM standards and was produced under required quality
systems. The FAA said that this streamlined policy may serve as a prototype
for production approval and installation of other add-on aircraft systems in
the future.
Shortly after the FAA issued its press release, EAA wrote to the FAA
requesting clarication on the installation of these safety devices. In June, the
FAAs Small Airplane Directorate and Aircraft Maintenance Division replied
that its policy is that AOA indicators are non-required equipment that provide
a safety benet. In addition, if they are manufactured to appropriate ASTM
standards, these devices do not represent a major change to type design [] and
do not require a Supplemental Type Certicate for installation.
The installer must determine whether or not installing the AOA indicator
on a specic airframe constitutes a major or minor alteration, which is a
decision based mainly on the conguration and construction technique of
individual aircraft. In many cases, AOA indicator manufacturers will be
able to have their installation instructions approved by the FAAs Chicago
Aircraft Certication Office, which means that the approved installation
data may be used to support the AOA system installation as either a major or
a minor alteration. With approved installation instructions, a repair station
can install an AOA system as a major alteration without having to provide
engineering and safety data to the FAA, as it normally would with non-STC
parts being installed in standard category aircraft.

MEMBERS REPRESENTING MEMBERS

BY SEAN ELLIOTT, EAA VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVOCACY AND SAFETY

AIRVENTURE IS the most
impactful and important
general aviation event in
the nation. In addition
to the entertainment and
sharing of knowledge
and information, the
amount of industry
business and government relations that take
place eclipses all other venues. For EAA to
fully capitalize on the powerhouse level of
these visitors, we have a long standing team
of government hosts who represent EAA
members interests to our top guests.
The EAA government host team consists
of men and women with impressive
backgrounds. For example, a prominent
aviation attorney, a retired airline pilot,
and even a former FAA administrator
are typical of the caliber of our EAA
government hosts. Most importantly
these dedicated volunteers are all avid
EAA, Warbirds, IAC, and Vintage Aircraft
Association members who immerse
themselves in our community 365 days a
year. They really understand your needs
and interests within the GA community.
Each day of AirVenture the team attends
a daily brieng in which the latest EAA
issues and the lineup of visitors for that day
are reviewed. Various teams are formed to
host each VIP, and the logistics are worked
out for the daily plan. There is a great
team dynamic with our host group, as
each days tasks are different, but everyone
enthusiastically pitches in to ensure the job
gets done for the benet of EAA.
The amount of work that we accomplish
with federal agencies during this one week
far exceeds many of the other meetings held
throughout the year. The EAA government
host team plays important roles in making
that happen.
We are indeed very fortunate to have the
caliber of hosts that have long served EAA
in this capacity. If you see one of our hosts
sporting the blue EAA Government Host
polo shirt, take a moment to thank them! If
you think that in the future you might have
what it takes to join our host team, send us
an e-mail at govt@eaa.org.

www.eaa.org11
ADVOCACY AND SAFETY
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
Formation Flight Safety
Part 3
BY CHARLIE PRECOURT, SAFETY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN, EAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
IVE ALWAYS CONSIDERED formation flying one of the most
enjoyable types of flying we can do. Formation fundamentals
strengthen your overall flying abilities, but also require some
unique training to perform correctly and safely. To re-emphasize
some important points from our first two articles, dont take
up formation without some good instruction. Your instructor
doesnt have to be a CFI. In fact it is more important the
instructor be well experienced in formation and in the type of
aircraft you want to learn than be a CFI. The best CFIs in the
world cant teach you to be safe in formation unless they have
formation experience.
The FAA doesnt provide any requirements for teaching or testing
for these skills through the normal certicates and ratings, so we have
to rely on experience within the pilot community. A great reference
is The Formation Pilots Knowledge Guide published by FAST, the
Formation and Safety Team. (Visit www.SportAviation.org for a PDF.)
I highly recommend it!
12Sport AviationAugust 2014
Another key point discussed in Part 1
is the challenge of ying the lead position.
It is important to learn to perform on the
wing to a high degree of prociency before
attempting to learn lead, as these positions
are two entirely different skills and should be
approached in building block fashion. One
way youll know when youre ready to start
learning lead is when you can recognize the
mistakes the leader is making while youre on
the wing!
To continue from Part 2 with more on
the ner points of ying the wing position,
I was thinking about the student errors
that make me uncomfortable when Im
teaching a pilot to y on the wing. For close-
in formation, our correct position relative
to the leader is determined by a number of
things. One is it places you close enough
that you could penetrate IMC together
without losing sight. Another is the proper
position allows maneuvering through turns
safely, while the inverse is true: Being out of
position can increase the risk of collision.
Inevitably, when a pilot is rst learning
to y close formation, there will be lots of
deviations from the proper position, but
I become most uncomfortable when the
wingman drifts high on the leader. There
are a couple of reasons for this. First, as
you drift higher, the leader is moving more
toward your aircraft underside where it gets
harder to see. Worse, if the leader initiates a
turn into you while you are out of position
high, lead will appear to be going under
you. To match his turn you need to bank
away, which will cause you to instantly lose
sight altogether, so youre now stuck, even
though youre only a few feet away. Very
uncomfortable, and a big no-no. As a rule of
thumb, I dont want to ever see the entire
upper surface of the leaders wing (low-wing
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF CHARLIE PRECOURT
aircraft), and I make corrections immediately
to avoid that happening. If the leader is in a
high-wing aircraft, being out of position high
is even worse, as the leader also loses sight
of you! To avoid getting high on the leader,
some wingmen of formation demonstration
teams will y with the pitch trim preloaded
nose down, requiring them to hold constant
back pressure to stay level. With this trim
setting, any drift high can be corrected
quickly by just relaxing back pressure. This
is not a technique I have used personally, just
never adopted it, but I know many have. The
point is to avoid getting high on lead.
Another common student error I see
during turns in close formation occurs when
the leader turns away from the wingman.
When the leads turn away from you makes
you see his aircrafts belly, it gives the
impression that youre low. Instinctively the
rst correction the student makes is to pitch
up to correct. The problem is students often
correct in pitch without initiating bank, so
they end up drifting wide. At this point they
have traded the low position error for a wide
position error, necessitating two sizable
corrections. Instead, when the lead turns
away from me, I make sure that I match his
bank and roll rate as a priority, and then
correct the vertical error with pitch. Ideally
you can do both axes together, but if you
trend out of position low as lead turns away,
be sure to get the bank error xed pronto. In
doing so, I dont have to correct two errors
(vertical then lateral), as I never get wide. I
maintain proper lateral by keeping up in roll,
and then gradually x the pitch.
Another maneuver to master on the
wing is the rejoin. Rejoins return us to close
formation from more distant positions, and
they can be done straight ahead or turning.
Practice turning rejoins by positioning
about 800 feet in trail of the leader. Lead
initiates a 30-degree bank turn, and the
wingman follows and accelerates 5-10 knots.
This is another place where being high on
lead makes me uncomfortable. Wing should
descend enough that lead appears above the
horizon (three to four nger-widths held
at arms length is a good rule of thumb).
At this point your higher speed gives you
a bigger turn radius, which will move you
toward lead. You strive to y along a 30-45
degree bearing line aft of the leader. You can
estimate that by ying your aircraft to keep
lead near the front lower quarter panel of
your windscreen. From that starting point,
if you increase bank, lead will move aft in
your view; if you decrease bank, lead will
move forward. So driving up leads wing
line is controlled by varying bank angle. As
you get closer you can start to reduce speed
to match leads and slide into position.
Your safety escape route is provided by
staying below lead, and if you nd closure
rates are too high for comfort, you roll out
your bank and pass behind and below lead,
overshooting to the outside of the turn
until the speeds are matched. Mastering
the turning rejoin will be a great condence
builder for more complex formation skills to
come later. Fly safely out there!
www.eaa.org13
F
LIGHTLINE
INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITY NEWS

COMBS SETS ANOTHER

RECORD IN REMOS LSA
MICHAEL COMBS, EAA 877079, unofficially earned
a sixth aviation world record in his REMOS GX
light-sport aircraft Hope One after completing a
coast-to-coast ight on Saturday, June 7, as part of
his Flight for the Human Spirit project.
If Combs ight is veried by the National
Aeronautic Association and ultimately the
Fdration Aronautique Internationale, it would
establish a new point-to-point transcontinental
speed record for this class of aircraft.
Between April 2010 and September 2012,
Combs ew for the Flight for the Human Spirit
project through all 50 states and British Columbia,
Canada. On this latest ight, he departed Ontario
International Airport in California at 5:27 a.m. on
June 5 and landed at Charleston, South Carolina,
34 hours, 1 minute later.
The ights nal leg was the most emotionally
charged for Combs, the REMOS team, and fans
due to iffy weather. However, it cleared in time for
Combs, who was accompanied by his son, Daniel
Routh, to make his landing in Charleston.
There are some landings that are more

Mosquito Takes signicant than others, and that one in Charleston

will always be a fond part of my life, Combs said.
The mission has inspired aviation enthusiasts

Flight in Canada to want to learn to y or return to ying, according

to comments the team received during the coast-
to-coast ight.
One of two ying examples Its humbling to think of how many people
we reach from these flights, Combs stated.
We average over 100,000 hits [to our website]
THE POPULATION OF ying de Havilland 98 Mosquitos instantly each day of flight and are overwhelmed by the
doubled June 16 as a newly restored Mk.35 Mossie red up its support of those who believe in the value of
Rolls-Royce Merlin engines and ew for the rst time in 48 years at what we are doing.
Victoria International Airport in Sidney, British Columbia, Canada.
This makes two airworthy Wooden Wonders in the world,
joining Gerald Jerry Yagens example at the Military Aviation
Museum, Virginia.
Restoration was completed by Victoria Air Maintenance Ltd., whose
owner and Director of Maintenance Mike Ingram said the plane,
own by Steve Hinton, EAA 181203/Warbirds 12506, ew perfectly.
Registered owner is Robert Jens of Richmond, British Columbia.
Built after World War II, the aircraft S/N VR.796 came off the de
Havilland Aircraft Company Ltd. assembly line in 1947 and never saw
active service.
The last of 7,781 Mossies built rolled off the production line in
1950. More than 30 different variants were constructed in Canada, Michael Combs and his son, Daniel Routh, celebrate in Charleston, South Carolina,
Australia, and England. The sleek, wooden twin-engine bomber after unocially setting a point-to-point transcontinental world record.
could carry impressive loads nearly 2,000 miles at incredible speeds
(maximum exceeded 400 mph), making it one of the most effective For more information and direct links to Flightline stories,
airplanes for the Allies in World War II. visit www.SportAviation.org.

14Sport AviationAugust 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF FLIGHT FOR THE HUMAN SPIRIT
FLTPLAN.COM NOW ON ANDROID
FLTPLAN.COM, the largest online and mobile
device ight-planning service, has rolled
out a new app for Android devices. Just like
the companys popular app for the iPad,
the new Android app links seamlessly to
www.FltPlan.com. You can go from a desktop
to a mobile device in any order and not need
to change anything or lose information.
Apple iOS devices dominate in the
cockpit, but more and more capable
Android devices are becoming available
from companies such as Google and
Samsung, and FltPlan.com wants pilots
to have a choice. Pilots can use any
combination of iOS or Android devices,
and if the battery goes dead or they forget
a mobile device, they always have full
FltPlan.com capability available from any
computer.
As always ight planning and ight
information, including FAA certied
and approved weather, are always free
on FltPlan.com.
The company, founded and operated by
pilots, introduced a new service in January
called FltPlan Go. It is a streamlined version
of the original FltPlan.com that offers even
more features than the original legacy
system. FltPlan.com will continue to support
the legacy system so there is no need for
pilots to change to Go if they dont want to.
Any pilot can register to use FltPlan.com
for free at the website. More than 145,000
pilots use the service regularly, and a large
majority of the non-airline ight plans are
led using FltPlan.com.
SEBRING DATE CHANGE, NEW WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY FORMAT ANNOUNCED
THE 11TH ANNUAL U.S. Sport Aviation Expo
at Sebring Regional Airport, Florida,
will open one day earlier in 2015from
Wednesday, January 14, through Saturday,
January 17, 2015.
Weve observed that attendance on
Sunday traditionally has been lower than
other exhibit days, and our survey results
indicated our visitors from around the
country like to fly home on Sunday, said
Expo Director Jana Filip. So, amending
our dates seemed like the best way to
offer a better event for both our exhibitors
// ROSEN SUN VISORS are now compatible
with RV-6, -7, and -9 models with sliding
canopies and Lancair Evolutions. The
visors use a darkly tinted, transparent
lens mounted to a multi-axis swivel
system to allow pilots to put the visor
between their eyes and the sun glare.
Each visor system is custom designed for
the specic aircraft and is machined from
aircraft quality aluminum that is then
anodized with a black nish.
The Rosen visor system allows
pilots to position the visor lens in the
windshield, side window, and overhead.
The visor on each side can be positioned
independently of the other. There are
friction adjustments that can be ne-
tuned to keep the visor exactly where you
want it. Average installation time for the
Rosen visor is about 30 minutes.
// LIGHTSPEED AVIATIONS Zulu PFX
(Personal Flying Experience), its new
active noise reduction aviation headset,
was launched in June. The company
claims it to be the quietest aviation
headset available, after thorough eld
testing by more than 50 pilots in dozens
of aircraft and helicopters.
Technological advances deliver
new levels of quiet by adapting ANR
and audio responses to the users ears,
environment, and personal preferences.
Acoustic response mapping uses sound
waves and advanced signal processing
to provide a custom audio response
and our visitorsand its good for our
volunteers, too.
With about 20 additional exhibitor
spaces available in 2015, Filip confirmed
the Expo will again offer extra benefits
to exhibitors who enter into partner or
sponsorship agreements with the Expo.
Contracts for the 2015 event are currently
in the mail to previous exhibitors.
The Expo offers on-site overnight
camping for homebuilts as well as special
display parking space for owners to
showcase their aircraft.
based on each pilot. Streaming Quiet
dynamic ANR uses external ambient
microphones to continuously sample
cockpit noise at a rate of 1 million times
per second.
Pilots can also personalize preferences
with FlightLink, Lightspeeds free app for
the iPad and iPhone.
// AIRCRAFT FLOATS Manufacturing
(AFM) has started production of its new
amphibious oat design with integrated
main wheels. The new oats are based
on the light-sport-compatible FL1450
inatable oats by Full-Lotus and offer
large-sized main wheels that extend
electrically from within the body of the
oats for hard-surface operations.
Aircraft equipped with these new
oats can now operate off water, ice, and
snow as well as grass, dirt, and pavement.
// TRIG AVIONICS is now a NextGen GA
Fund Partner, providing customers with
access to nancing to meet the FAAs
2020 ADS-B mandate.
Trig has a U.S. network of 200-
plus approved dealers and a Wichita,
Kansas, service center at Mid-Continent
Instruments and Avionics. If the eet is
to meet the mandate, more than 30,000
ADS-B installations need to be done per
year, or 120 installations per dayan
installation rate 25 times higher than
today, according to Aviation Week &
Space Technology.
www.eaa.org15
 J. MAC MCCLELLAN
COMMENTARY / LEFT SEAT
What Happens If You
Dont Install ADS-B?
J. MAC MCCLELLAN
WE HAVE ALMOST FIVE and a half years remaining before the FAA
mandate for airplanes to be equipped with ADS-B takes effect. On
New Years Day of 2020 you will need to have a certied ADS-B
out system installed in your airplane to y in airspace that now
requires a Mode C transponder. The rule is actually pretty simple. If
what and where you now y require Mode C, you must have ADS-B
to y in the same airspace by the beginning of 2020.
That ADS-B requirement has loomed over all of us for more
than five years. When the rule was adopted by the FAA in coordi-
nation with aviation regulatory authorities around the world
there appeared to be plenty of time to get the whole fleet
equipped. But now that doesnt seem like a sure thing. The clock
is counting down, and relatively few airplane owners have
installed compliant ADS-B out systems.
But what happens if you dont install the required ADS-B
equipment by 2020? It could be that thousands of airplane own-
ers simply dont need ADS-B, or at least may be willing to make
the concessions necessary to fly without it.
Earlier this summer Congress held yet another hearing on
ADS-B and the whole FAA NextGen program that will transform
aerial navigation and traffic separation in the coming years.
ADS-B is a core component of NextGen, but the program also will
transform air-to-ground communications, add new efficiencies to
air traffic by closing up spacing, and automate many procedures
that now must be coordinated between pilots and controllers.
In case you missed it, ADS-B stands for automatic dependent
surveillance-broadcast. With ADS-B equipment installed every
airplane will automatically broadcast its position, altitude, and
velocity. Every other airplane in range can listen to the broadcast
and then plot the relative position of each aircraft if it has the
necessary ADS-B in equipment installed. Most importantly, the
16Sport AviationAugust 2014
controllers equipment will also listen to
the broadcast and use the information to
locate each airplane, replacing the less
precise radar that has been used for
decades to monitor traffic.
The key element in ADS-B is use of a
common navigation grid to locate every
airplane. And that grid is WAAS-aided
GPS positioning. With all airplanes using
that common navigation source to estab-
lish and broadcast position and altitude,
the relative distance between all airplanes
both vertically and laterally will be plotted
with great precision.
What Congress heard at the hearings
againis that installing ADS-B is a large
cost burden for airplane owners, and repre-
sentatives also heard that because airplane
owners are not installing the equipment yet
in signicant numbers, there wont be
enough avionics shop capacity to perform
all of the installations in the nal year or
two before the deadline.
Airplane owners are delaying installing
ADS-B out for two major reasons, in
addition to the cost and downtime. The
first big reason to hold off is that new
technology is constantly being developed.
There are multiple paths to ADS-B com-
pliance, and given the continuous
advances in electronic technology, it is
 J. MAC MCCLELLAN
certain new and perhaps less costly
equipment will be introduced before
the 2020 deadline. If I install ADS-B
now, I may miss out on a much lower
cost option that becomes available
between now and the end of 2020.
The other big reason for airplane
owners delay is that ADS-B out capa- panel. They must be turned on and
bility does essentially nothing for the
airplane owner except cost several
thousand dollars or more. ADS-B out
will be busily broadcasting your posi-
tion and altitude to everyone else, but
wont show you a thing. To get any
new information you need ADS-B
in equipment.
Under the rules ADS-B in, which
will show the relative position of
nearby traffic, is not required. And
depending on which technology you
choose to meet the out rule, you may
need an entirely separate system to
get all of the information sent on the
in channel.
More confusing still for airplane
owners is that portable ADS-B in
receivers have been developed over
the past couple of years that typically
cost between $500 and $800 and give
you nearly all of the benefits of an
installed system. With a portable
ADS-B receiver you get all of the text
weather information, NEXRAD, TFR
locations, NOTAMs, and other infor-
mation sent on the flight information
system (FIS) channel of ADS-B, and
its subscription free. And you can see
most, but not all, traffic. The portable
receivers send the data to your per-
sonal electronic displaymost
commonly an iPadso you use the
same mobile device you are probably
already carrying in the cockpit to show
charts and other info. The iPad is a
great display, and most likely already
bought and paid for.
So airplane owners are faced with
the choice of paying well north of
$4,000 with installation costs for an
FAA-approved ADS-B out system and
getting no tangible benefit, or spending
well under a grand to get loads of FIS
18Sport AviationAugust 2014
data without subscription that is dis-
played on your tablet. Why wait to
install the out system? I think its
pretty obvious.
Another downer for airplane owners
is that, even after 2020, we all have to
keep our Mode C transponders in the
operating at all times that are required
now, and they must be checked and
recertified every two years even after
the ADS-B mandate is in effect. So
we are being required to pay thousands
to add new equipment that gives us
no new information, but still must
keep the transponder installed, turned
on, and certified with the expense
it involves.
But now that doesnt seem
like a sure thing. The clock is
counting down, and relatively
few airplane owners have
installed compliant ADS-B
out systems.
The reason the transponder lives on
essentially forever is that it provides
the safety net for ADS-B. The traffic
collision avoidance system (TCAS) that
is required in all airlines and larger jets
relies on transponders to see other
airplanes. The TCAS requirement
remains after 2020, and so does the
transponder requirement for all of us. If
ADS-B out equipment fails on any
airplane for whatever reason, TCAS
will be the backup to keep jets from hit-
ting other airplanes.
That all makes sense to me because
if the ADS-B equipment in an airplane
for some reason stops working, that
airplane becomes invisible to control-
lers under NextGen, and to other
ADS-B equipped airplanes. Under our
current system the primary radar that
sees an airframe backs up the tran-
sponder. Under NextGen controllers
radars will be decommissioned, so without TCAS there
would be no backup to separate an airplane with a failed
ADS-B out system.
So we can get loads of subscription-free in-flight infor-
mation from a portable ADS-B in receiver, but what do
we give up by not installing ADS-B out by 2020? If an
airplane owner chooses not to install ADS-B out, he
wont be authorized to fly in some airspace because con-
trollers couldnt see him when the radar goes away. You
couldnt fly IFR, of course, or in Class B and C airspace,
some altitudes in Class E, and within 30 miles of the 34
busiest airline airports in the country. And that owner
couldnt get radar flight following because radar will
be gone.
But thousands of airplane owners dont fly in Class B or
C, or ever fly IFR, and many dont use flight following.
Those owners would be giving up little or nothing by not
installing ADS-B out.
On the other hand, the non-ADS-B-equipped airplane
would not be a collision threat to airliners, which is every-
bodys big worry. Those non-equipped airplanes would not
be in the regulated airspace airliners fly in. And even if
there were some sort of a blunder, the TCAS equipment in
the airliner would see the non-ADS-B airplane transpon-
der and give the airline crew a resolution advisory
escape maneuver just the same as it does today before the
ADS-B deadline.
Many thousands of GA airplanes already have traffic
warning systems, and all of those systems look for a tran-
sponder, not ADS-B. These traffic advisory systems (TAS)
operate essentially the same as TCAS in jets, except a TAS
does not issue a collision threat escape command. Any
airplane owner who installs a traffic alerting system now
or in future years will still be able to see the transpon-
der-equipped airplane even though it doesnt have ADS-B
out. The traffic alerting systems dont provide as precise
a traffic plot as would be possible if everyone had ADS-B,
but were talking about VFR flying here where visual sep-
aration will still be the rule with or without ADS-B in
every airplane.
Years ago as the ADS-B and NextGen plans evolved the
cost of new equipment didnt seem too terrible to me. But
then I had my IFR hat on and was based just north of New
York City where there just isnt enough room for cars, peo-
ple, or airplanes, and in the really congested and regulated
airspace ADS-B still makes sense to me.
But its a big country and pilots fly for all sorts of
reasons many of which never put them into the ATC sys-
tem or near crowded airspace and airline airports. The
thousands of dollars in cost to install an ADS-B out
system is a significant chunk of the total value of many
personal airplanes. And for those pilots flying VFR in

www.eaa.org19
J. MAC MCCLELLAN
uncrowded airspace they will get nothing
useful back from the required ADS-B
out equipment.
The FAA thought it had this covered
with its carrot of ADS-B in with all of
the weather, NEXRAD, and other informa-
tion sent up on FIS. The FAA expected us
to install a full ADS-B in and out system
so we could receive FIS. Now that we
know we can receive FIS without install-
ing the expensive out equipment, the
carrot is gone.
We went through the Mode C tran-
sponder wars for many years because
a transponder made the system safer
in crowded airspace but had no tangible
payback to the airplane owner. The
controversy finally died down, and
pilots who want or need to fly in busy
airspace have installed transponders
and some who dont use that airspace
did not.
20Sport AviationAugust 2014
But thousands of airplane owners dont y in Class B or C, or ever y
IFR, and many dont use ight following. Those owners would be
giving up little or nothing by not installing ADS-B out.
Even adjusted for inflation, the cost of you will benefit from unpredictable
ADS-B will be larger than the cost of tran- advances in technology that could greatly
sponders and encoders were when we reduce the cost of ADS-B out equipment
were at the height of all that squabbling. and installation.
And we cant replace the transponder cost I know this isnt what the FAA wants to
with ADS-B. We will be required to have hear, but think about how and where you
both for full airspace access. y. Read FAR 91.225 that describes where
The FAA has those of us who fly IFR, you must have ADS-B out to y after
or are based in or fly near airline airports, 2020. Many airplane owners can simply
over a barrel. Equip with ADS-B out or afford to wait and see on ADS-B out and
dont fly after 2020. But for many pilots not need to change their ying habits much,
I think its perfectly logical to take a if any, when the deadline rolls around.
wait and see approach to installing
ADS-B out. If you arent using ATC ser- J. Mac McClellan, EAA 747337, has been a pilot for
vices now, you probably wont change the more than 40 years, holds an ATP certicate, and owns a
way you fly much, if any. And by waiting Beechcraft Baron. To contact Mac, e-mail mac@eaa.org.
 LANE WALLACE
COMMENTARY / FLYING LESSONS
Sean D. Tucker: Fearful Flier
to Passionate Ambassador
One-on-one with the EAA Young Eagles chairman
BY LANE WALLACE
SEAN D. TUCKER IS telling me about his early pilot days.
I was a very fearful ier, he says. Id panic if I went into a 40-degree
bank. It took me three years to get my license.
Fearful. Panic. These are not words most people would associate
with a person who has been one of the top air show performers in the
world for the past 15 or 20 years. In point of fact, when Sean rst came
to my attention, back around 1989, he was a relative newcomer on the
California air show circuit. And he was so brazenly daring in his aero-
batic maneuvers that I dubbed him the air show performer most likely
to kill himself before the end of the air show season.
And yet hes 100 percent serious.
Thats why I went to a little old lady named Amelia Reed in San Jose
in 1973 and took an aerobatic course when I was in college, Sean says.
And thats when I fell in love with ight, because I conquered that fear
22Sport AviationAugust 2014
by learning aerobatics, and learning control of
an airplane in that third dimension.
Sean, of course, has never been one to do
something halfway. So Amelias challenge
soon became reeling in her newly zealous
aerobatic students wilder tendencies. She
even made a note in his logbook, at one
point, that she was grounding him for life
after some unauthorized maneuvers in one
of her airplanes.
Sean laughs affectionately at the memory.
Yeah, I got into [aerobatics] just as the
gyroscopic envelope was being expanded.
When people started doing all these tumbles
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TYSON RININGER
LANE WALLACE
and ips. And I was mad about it. I was just
mad about it. I was doing things that people
hadnt seen before. I had all this passion and
ideas about what airplanes could do, from
the perspective of a showman. But some of
the stuff I was doing was very dangerous.
Fortunately, I had some really good men-
torspeople like Leo Loudenslager, Charlie
Hillard, the French Connection, and Bob
Hoover. They kind of reined in my enthusi-
asm, and tempered it, to get me to minimize
my risk and create some outs. Without those
people, I wouldnt be alive today.
Its surprising, reallyair show per-
formers look like such daredevils when
theyre performing. But the ones who last
are perfectionists who do create backdoor
options in case anything doesnt go per-
fectly, and they dont try anything they
dont know so well, inside out, from every
angle, that they could practically perform it
in their sleep.
Putting a routine together takes years,
Sean says. Developing another maneuver to
add to a routine takes years. Im hopefully
adding two things to my sequence this sum-
mer, but its taken me a couple of years to
make it happen.
24Sport AviationAugust 2014
Fearful. Panic. These are not words most people would associate
with a person who has been one of the top air show performers in
the world for the past 15 or 20 years.
Why so long? Part of it is the limits that
all those grueling gyroscopic maneuvers put
on a pilot.
You can only do this for 20 minutes at
a time, Sean says. And its so physically
demanding that I can only handle it three
times a day with an hour break, at least, in
between. I can fly aerobatics 10 times a
day. But I cant fly air show aerobatics 10
times a day. You become desensitized, you
become too weak, you cant feel the
machine anymore. And thats when you
become dangerous.
Another part of the long lead time, how-
ever, is the degree of perfection thats
required, so low to the ground.
In a low-level environment, Sean
explains, you have to be very calm. You
have to be very clear in your thinking. You
cant have any doubts. Especially in these
gyroscopic maneuvers. Its all about
nuances. Subtle pressures: off the stick,
off the throttle, just for a second, and only
slightly off, and then back on. Youre coming
down backwards, falling out of the sky, doing
a somersault, and youre at zero airspeed but
youre gaining vertical mass going down. So
you have to be righteous every single time in
your decision-making, when it doesnt work,
as to what your out is.
As a result, he says, if he doesnt have the
timing and execution of a maneuver down
perfectly, or very close to perfectly, I cant
put it in the sequence, because I wont be
calm enough to handle those pressures in
the low-level environment.
But even with all that work, perfection is
an elusive quarry. I asked Sean whether doing
the same routine, show after show, and year
after year ever got old; whether complacency
was ever an issue for him. After all, hes been
in the business for 30 years now. Surely the
novelty and wow factor of even gyroscopic
tumbles wears off at some point. At least,
thats what I would think.
Turns out, I would be wrong.
In my entire career, Ive had maybe two
perfect performances, Sean says. Its that
hard. It is, Sean acknowledges, a bit like golf.
Even Tiger Woods at his height had to work
hard at every single performance. And even
then, as now, he didnt always get it right.
At the same time, one of the characteris-
tics that led Sean to become as good as he is
at air show performing is a passionate,
unquenchable thirst for pushing the enve-
lope; for adding to what he already does and
expanding into the next, unknown chal-
lenge. Which is why, or at least part of why,
he took on the job of honorary chairman of
EAAs Young Eagles program last year, when
Chesley Sullenberger and Jeff Skiles, of US
Airways Hudson River landing fame,
stepped down.
A wise old man told me a long time ago
that it doesnt matter how rich you are, or
famous, or what youve accomplished.
Youre not relevant unless youre giving
PHOTOGRAPHY BY RON SELLERS
LANE WALLACE
back, Sean explains. So this is important to
me. My life has been dened by being an
EAA member, and my success has been
because of EAA members, so this is my turn
to give back.
He notes, however, that there is nothing
honorary about the title. This is a job, he world through a kids eyes reminds me how
says with a wry laugh. Its probably the
most important job Ill ever have in aviation,
and its a huge honor, but its also a lot of
work. Im very passionate about the out-
doors, and I love my free time. And while I
havent had to give up the outdoors com-
pletely [to be chairman], Ive certainly had to
give up golf.
Hes completely serious when he says
that. The work is real, and Sean is the
Energizer Bunny of aviation when it comes
to pace and energy level. He gives rides and
speeches, meets with volunteers, commu-
nity groups, kids, and the press, and
promotes the Young Eagles idea of inspir-
ing young people to dream big, every week,
and at every venue. Hes even started his
own nonprot organization that funds and
mentors underprivileged kids in his home
Salinas Valley area through their solo
ights, and, for those who need it, their
GED certicates.
But if the workload is high, so is the
reward. Interestingly enough, when I asked
what made it worthwhile, the rst answer
out of Seans mouth was, because you get to
come in contact with these magnicent
human beings called volunteers. He gets
just as red up about the adults who donate
their time and airplanes to organize Young
Eagles events, and take an interest in the
kids, as he does in the kids themselves. At
each of his events or shows, in fact, he takes
not only a Young Eagle ying, but a volun-
teer picked out by the local chapter, as well.
Theyre everyday Joes, he says. But that you are welcome here. And its a start to a
theyre guys whove taken 500 or 1,000 kids
ying. Last week I ew a test pilot in the
United States Air Force whod been a Young
Eagle himself back in 1993, and whos since
given more than 300 Young Eagles rides.
Look how far hes come! So, people think
theyre lucky, going ying with me, but Im
the lucky one, because I get to meet so many
people like that.
26Sport AviationAugust 2014
Then, of course, there are the kids.
I think what inspires all these volun-
teers, he offers, is the reactions they get to
see. Seeing these kids exposed to our world,
and seeing the world from the perspective of
the sky for the rst time. Because seeing the
lucky we are to have this opportunity.
I know what he means. Anyone whos
ever given a Young Eagles ride knows what
he means. To see a kids eyes light up with a
vision; a dream, and hope and ideas of a
horizon suddenly bigger than they ever
imaginedits heady stuff. Scuffs a little of
the cynical rust off anyone with a heartbeat.
I ask Sean whether there are any rides
that particularly stand out for him. He
doesnt even have to ponder the question.
My life has been dened by being
an EAA member, and my success
has been because of EAA members,
so this is my turn to give back.
Yeah, he answers. There was this kid.
A throwaway kid, in terms of a broken fam-
ily, andlets just say, someone who hadnt
been given the gift of love. And I had him in
the Cub, and we were ying for about 20
minutes, and he said, You know, I never
want to land. Sean pauses for a long
moment. So it does change their lives, he
says. Even that one ight.
I ask him if he thinks thats really true;
whether one ight alone can make that
much of a difference.
Its a small step, for sure, he acknowl-
edges. But its a rst important step to know
that there is an airport, and its accessible, and
path. Where do we go next, is the question.
That is an important questionnot just
for Young Eagles, but for Sean himself. He
tackles the Young Eagles question rst.
I think the next issue, he says, is how
do we make [ying] accessible? How do we
make it affordable? Thats what Im trying to
gure out. Without question, it has to be
community supported. I would love to
develop scholarships, although that would
be up to the EAA board of directors and the
membership, to make that happen. But I
think one of our most important values is
hope. If you give someone hope, they can
accomplish anything. And scholarships are a
part of that. I would love to build a scholar-
ship base to get kids not only ying, but get
them to junior college, and show them path-
ways to get there. Thats my vision, and
thats what I think the next logical step is for
Young Eagles, is to be able to say, no matter
what socioeconomic background you have,
and no matter what color you are, your
dreams are valid and achievable.
And what about Sean, himself? There
is a long pause while he thinks about the
answer to that.
Truth is, I think Im about one injury
away from being done [as an air show per-
former], he acknowledges. And in any
event, there is a day that is coming, before
too long, when I hang up my helmet. I dont
want to retire as my skills are diminishing.
But I dont want to retire a day sooner than
that. But by the time Im 65 (three years
from now), Im pretty sure Ill be close to
sending myself out to pasture.
Thats only in terms of air show perform-
ing, of course. Pasture for someone like Sean
is a relative term. Its not about stopping. Its
just about altering the ight path.
I dont think your journey is ever over,
he says. Im not nished yet. Like, I want to
become the very best instructor I can be. All
my instructors at my school [in Salinas] are
better than I am, because they do it all the
time. And I want to inspire people. I believe
ight is the ultimate metaphor for freedom.
I love the look of joy people have when you
take them ying. And more than just sharing
something we love, its about giving them
the opportunity to have joy. Inspiring them
to live that joy.
For someone who started out as a fear-
ful flier, Sean D. Tucker sure has come a
whole long way.
Lane Wallace, EAA 650945, has been an aviation col-
umnist, editor, and author for more than 20 years. More
of her writing can be found at www.LaneWallace.com
and at www.TheAtlantic.com/Lane-Wallace.
 M
IKE BUSCH
C OMMENTARY / SAVVY AVIATOR
A Mechanics Liability
If your mechanic seems overly cautious and self-protective in
his approach to maintaining your airplane, he has good reason.
MECHANICS HAVE ALWAYS been subject to FAA sanctions: certicate
suspension or revocation, nes, warning notices, letters of correction,
and remedial training. But during the 1960s and 1970sthe heyday of
piston general aviationsuch enforcement actions against GA
mechanics were exceedingly rare. Thats no longer the case.
In 1978, the FAA added a new rule (FAR 43.12) making it a viola-
tion for any mechanic to make, or cause to be made, any fraudulent or
intentionally false entry in any record or report that is required to be
made, kept, or used to show compliance with any requirement under
this part [of the FARs].
In plain English, 43.12 makes it a violation for a mechanic to auto-
graph a lieto pencil whip a logbook entry, maintenance release,
yellow tag, etc. If a mechanic signs a logbook entry stating that some
airworthiness directive (AD) was complied with or some other
inspection or repair was performed and the FAA discovers that the
work wasnt actually done as documented, the mechanic is toast.
The penalties for violating 43.12 are extraordinarily severe. An
individual mechanic accused of violating it almost certainly faces
revocation of all his FAA certicates and will likely be looking for a
new career. A repair station can face daunting nes up to $250,000
per violation and/or revocation of its repair station certicate.
That said, its not all that difficult for a mechanic to avoid get-
ting in hot water with the FAA. The regulations that govern GA
mechanics (Part 43) are vastly more concise and understandable
than the ones that govern GA pilots and aircraft owners (Parts 91
and 135). In fact, Part 43 contains just 13 rules, and theyre remark-
ably straightforward.
28Sport AviationAugust 2014
Reduced to its bare essentials, Part 43 sim-
ply requires that a mechanic:
Perform work by the book per manu-
facturers instructions or FAA guidance.
Use the proper tools per manufacturers
recommendations or industry practice.
Do all work in such a fashion that the
aircraft is safe to y, conforms to its type
design, and complies with all applicable
ADs and airworthiness requirements.
Record all his work in the aircraft main-
tenance records accurately.
Operate under supervision when he does
work that hes never done before.
Pretty commonsense stuff, right? A
mechanic who makes a good-faith effort to
follow these basic rules is very unlikely to get
in trouble with the friendlies.
CIVIL LIABILITY
But a mechanic who follows the FARs to
the letter isnt out of the woods. If an air-
craft he works on winds up in an accident,
the mechanic may easily find himself
hauled into court as a defendant in a civil
lawsuit, accused of negligence for alleg-
edly performing improper maintenance,
PHOTOGRAPHY BY AYZEK (WWW.THINKSTOCK.COM)
and facing ruinous money damages and
legal expenses.
Under tort law, theres no need to show that a
mechanic violated a regulation in order to nd him
negligent. It is only necessary to convince a jury
that he failed to exercise such care as would be
reasonably expected of a prudent person under
similar circumstances, either by doing something a
prudent mechanic would not do or by failing to do
something a prudent mechanic would do. Its
unnecessary to prove this beyond a reasonable
doubt, but only by a preponderance of the evi-
dencein other words, the jury need only
conclude that its more likely than not that the
mechanic acted negligently.
This prudent mechanic standard can be
mighty fuzzy. Suppose, for example, the plaintiff
attorney representing the widow of an air crash
victim alleges that a mechanic who worked on the
aircraft was negligent because he failed to comply
with a mandatory service bulletin. We all know
that there is no FAA requirement for a Part 91
owner to comply with SBs (even so-called manda-
tory ones) unless the SB is explicitly mandated by
an AD. In fact, most Part 91 operators dont com-
ply with most SBs.
Can a mechanic be found negligent if he doesnt
comply with a SB? Would a prudent mechanic have
complied with the SB? What if the mechanic rec-
ommended that the SB be complied with, but the
aircraft owner said no? How would a jury of citi-
zens who have no background in aviation, aircraft
maintenance, or FARs decide these questions?
If youre an A&P, this is the stuff that keeps you
awake at night.

THE GARA EFFECT

In the salad days of piston general aviation, lawsuits
against GA mechanics and shops were rare because
few GA mechanics and shops had enough assets to
make them worth suing. Manufacturers like Beech,
Cessna, and Piper had deep pockets and insurance, so
they were the primary targets of air crash litigation.
Even if the cause of the crash seemed unrelated to the
hardware (as is usually the case), the manufacturer
would be sued anyway and would often wind up set-
tling rather than incur the costs of going to trial.
Things changed dramatically 20 years ago when
President Clinton signed into law the General
Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994 (GARA), which
immunized GA aircraft manufacturers against
product liability for aircraft older than 18 years.

www.eaa.org29
 There are a few exclusions from this
immunity, but for the most part GARA pro-
vides the manufacturer with bulletproof
immunity against air crash lawsuits.
Taking GA aircraft manufacturers off
the hook didnt make air crash lawsuits go
away. It simply increased the liability bur-
den for everyone else involved with the
accident aircraft, including engine and
component manufacturers, aircraft own-
ers, and especially mechanics and
maintenance shops. In the wake of GARA,
there has been an explosion of civil suits
against maintenance folks.
This litigation explosion created
another problem: Liability insurance for
mechanics and shops has become hard to
get. Many underwriters abandoned the
maintenance market, leaving maintenance
shops with few choices and little competi-
tion. Small shops and most individual
mechanics are now forced to go bare, and
those lucky enough to be able to nd insur-
ance often pay exorbitant premiums for
low coverage limits.
NIGHTMARE SCENARIO
To illustrate the risks shops and mechanics
face, consider the following hypothetical
scenario created by aviation attorneys Stuart
Fraenkel and Doug Griffith and derived
from a composite of actual air crash lawsuits:
Peter Pilot of Charlies Charter Service
Inc. is ying passengers in a 1979 Flibney
780 on lease-back from Oscar Owner and
maintained by Mike Mechanic of Pristine
Repair Corp. During an approach in IMC
while being vectored by ATC, Peter Pilot is
twice observed deviating from assigned alti-
tude and heading and has to be given
corrections. Shortly thereafter, the airplane
enters a spin and crashes, killing all on
board. Witnesses tell NTSB investigators
that they heard the engine sputter.
Investigators nd that Peter Pilots medi-
cal expired a month before the crash. The
toxicology report showed the presence of
antihistamine medication in his blood. The
airplanes tail section is located about 100
yards from the main wreckage, and its main-
tenance records indicate that Mike Mechanic
of Pristine Repair Corp. had overhauled the
30Sport AviationAugust 2014
airplanes engine 120 hours prior to the acci-
dent, but at the direction of Oscar Owner did
not comply with one of the engine manufac-
turers mandatory service bulletins.
Eighteen months later, the NTSB issues
its probable cause determination: Peter Pilot
suffered spatial disorientation while in IMC
and lost control of the aircraft. A contributing
factor was Mr. Pilots use of an over-the-
counter cold medication.
The families of the deceased passengers
le a civil lawsuit. Defendants include the
estate of Peter Pilot, Charlies Charter
Service, Mike Mechanic, Pristine Repair
Corp., Oscar Owner, Flibney, and the U.S.
government (who provided ATC services). In
pretrial motions, the judge dismisses the suit
as to defendants Flibney (because of GARA)
and the U.S. government (because the con-
trollers actions were deemed to be
immunized under the Discretionary
Function exception to the Federal Tort
Claims Act).
The plaintiffs demand a jury trial. By
law, the ndings of the NTSB investigation
and the probable cause determination are
inadmissible at trial, so the jury never hears
about them. The jury returns a judgment for
the plaintiffs in the amount of $10 million,
and allocates fault as follows: 10 percent to
Peter Pilot and his employer Charlies
Charter Service; 10 percent to Mike
Mechanic and his employer Pristine Repair
Corp.; and 80 percent to Oscar Owner.
Oscars $1 million aircraft liability policy is
limited to $100,000 per person.
This does not mean that Mike Mechanic
and Pristine Repair Corp. are responsible
for only $1 million, however. State law gen-
erally provides for joint and several
liability for economic damages, which
means that all defendants are equally liable
to the plaintiffs to satisfy the entire amount
of the $10 million judgment. Conceivably,
the plaintiffs could come after Mike
Mechanic and Pristine Repair Corp. for the
entire $10 million, and leave it up to them to
go after the other defendants for their share.
Is it any wonder that so many A&Ps
and shops seem overly cautious and self-
protective in their approach to
maintenance these days?
THE A&PS DILEMMA
In the good ol days before GARA, an
A&Ps maintenance decisions were
guided by two principal concerns:
(1) Is it safe? (2) Is it legal under the
FARs? Those are precisely the two
considerations a mechanic should be
concerned about.
But in todays litigious climate, the
prudent A&P is now forced to worry
about a third concern: (3) How will it
appear to a civil jury that knows noth-
ing about aviation after being spun in
the worst possible light by a skilled
plaintiff s attorney? That is a very dif-
ferent standard indeed, and has had a
tremendous chilling effect on A&P
maintenance decision-making.
Consider this scenario:
An owner brings his Cessna 182 to an
A&P, complaining of nose-wheel
shimmy. The mechanic investigates and
discovers that the cause of the shimmy is
that the bolt holes in the nose landing
gear trunnion are worn, elliptical, and
sloppy. The mechanic must now decide
how to x the problem.
A new trunnion from Cessna costs
more than $5,000. A used serviceable
one from a salvage yard is available for
half that price. The mechanic also con-
siders the possibility of reaming the
worn holes in the original trunnion
oversize and installing bushings to
restore the holes to their original
dimensions; Cessna hasnt approved
this repair, but the mechanic believes
that it would x the shimmy and be a
minor alteration conforming to accept-
able industry practices.
The A&P considers all three repair
options to be safe and legal. But he wor-
ries what might happen should the
airplane ever be involved in a nose-gear
collapse and the mechanic nds himself
in court. If the mechanic repairs the exist-
ing nose strut with bushings, a plaintiff
attorney might ask him to explain to the
jury why he made a repair that wasnt
authorized by Cessna. If he replaces the
damaged trunnion with a salvage yard
part, a plaintiff attorney might ask him to

www.eaa.org31
 explain to the jury why he decided to install
an undocumented part from a junkyard.
If you were the A&P, what would you do?
A&Ps face such dilemmas all the time:
What about an engine that is past TBO
that the owner wants to continue in ser-
vice because its running great? How
about a costly SB that the owner doesnt
want to comply with? The mechanic may
believe that keeping the engine in service
or ignoring the SB is both safe and legal,
but is understandably worried whether
such actions might not appear reasonable
and prudent to a jury of aviation-chal-
lenged citizens, especially after the
plaintiff lawyer makes them sound like
capital crimes.
A SOLUTION?
The obvious solution to this dilemma is
that aircraft owners shouldnt put their
mechanics in situations like this. The deci-
sion-making burden should rest with the
owner, not with the mechanic.
Heres how this should work: The A&P
informs the owner about Flibney Service
Bulletin 99-44 that calls for the frammis at
the distal end of the portoan armature to
be replaced with an improved part, and
explains that compliance with the SB will
cost approximately $2,400. After consulting
with a tech rep at the Flibney Owners and
Pilots Association, the owner decides he
doesnt want this costly SB to be performed.
The A&P then presents a signed-and-dated
letter to the owner that says:
I advised the owner of N12345 of
Flibney Service Bulletin 99-44. The air-
craft is operated under Part 91, and
therefore compliance with this SB is not
required by regulation. After a thorough
discussion of the technical and regulatory
aspects of SB 99-44, the owner decided
that he did not want this work performed,
and instructed me not to do it.
The A&P asks the owner to countersign
a copy of this letter, acknowledging receipt,
and keeps the copy in his les. Such a con-
temporaneous written record would almost
certainly go a long way toward convincing a
jury that the A&P was not negligent in fail-
ing to comply with the SB.
32Sport AviationAugust 2014
The obvious solution to this
dilemma is that aircraft owners
shouldnt put their mechanics
in situations like this. The
decision-making burden
should rest with the owner,
not with the mechanic.
This doesnt solve all the A&Ps liability
concerns. Unless he is blessed with 20-20
foresight, the A&P cant anticipate every
possible decision that might ultimately be
used as a basis for an allegation of negli-
gence. But he certainly can anticipate the
obvious ones (like busting TBO or declin-
ing SBs and other manufacturers
recommendations), and for those this is an
easy and effective antidote.
Some owners just dont want to get
involved in the messy business of main-
tenance decision-making and expect
their mechanics to make decisions on
their behalf. They might even feel
annoyed if their mechanic hands them a
CYA letter placing the decision-mak-
ing burden on them. Thats ne so long
as the owner understands that in todays
climate, mechanics and shops can be
expected to make decisions that mini-
mize their perceived liability exposure,
and that such decisions can be very
costly for the owner.
Owners concerned with controlling
maintenance costs simply must get
involved in the process and be willing to
accept responsibility for key maintenance
decisions. If you let your mechanic make
those decisions for you, you might not be
happy with the outcome.
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.
 Escape Artist
Getting out of a soft eld
ANY STORY THAT BEGINS with I saw this really great-looking eldit
looked so nice from the air, smooth as a golf green! So I landed on
it is bound to elicit a welcoming grin on any pilots face. Or almost
any. There will always be a few scolds who cant wait to point out
that a potential landing place that merely looks good from the air
can conceal all sorts of heartache and grief, and theyre right. But
since youre standing there, alive, and telling your story about how
wrong you were to land there, they might try cutting you a little
slack. Of course, they might be right to wonder whether youre
being sort of smug about having ultimately escaped the clutches of
the ground.
Our larger, heavier cousins in the aviation world, the Piper
Malibus, Beechcraft Barons, and up, almost always operate off a
34Sport AviationAugust 2014
hard surface. Those of us down at the light-
weight end of the spectrum very frequently
y out of soft elds: grass if were lucky, dirt
if were not, or sometimes thatch-like veg-
etation that I think of as Satans own snare
grass. But even lawn-like grass can act like
Velcro if its long or wet, or both.
If you regularly take off from a particu-
lar soft eld because its home base, then
you already know how to handle it best. Its
when you get into such a place thats unfa-
miliar that some generalizations about
soft-eld takeoffs can be handy.
ILLUSTRATION BY DAVE MATHENY
NOT ON ANY CHART
Of course we need to avoid getting into such
places to begin with. But often there are rea-
sons other than forced landings that will
have gotten us there. You might, for exam-
ple, be testing an aircraft youre considering
buying or ferrying one out for a friend.
And then there are what can be called
pretty good elds that are not real airstrips.
Ultralights and other very light aircraft
drop in to at least a dozen places within 30
miles of my home base near the Minnesota-
Wisconsin border. Most of these elds are
not on any chart and are marginal in the
sense that they can stray over the line from
Very nice if recently mowed to You will
need a tractor to extract you. Further
clouding the matter is the question of own-
ership of the land. I have routinely landed
over the years on a grass strip known to me
only as Buds. I have never actually met
Bud, but he is said to welcome our sort. My
local ultralight club held a y-in there,
although I wasnt able to attend, but
because of that I trust that Bud is okay with
me landing there. He usually mows the
grass every couple of weeks in summertime
and keeps the place very neat. Before land-
ing there when ying alone, that is, not as
one of a group, I ask other pilots about the
condition of the strip. If there isnt any cur-
rent information I stay away, especially if
theres been a recent rain. Wet grass is
always a deterrent to getting airborne.
Another eld adjoins a small country
restaurant that serves breakfast to hungry
pilots on weekends. (It probably also
serves normal hungry people, but I
wouldnt know about them.) The ground
under the vegetation is smooth, but it has
not always been recently mowed. Both
Bobs and the restaurant eld look inviting
from the air, but either can trap the unwary
pilot if the grass is somewhat longand
you cant tell from the air just how recently
it was mowed.
GOOD ON TOP, BAD DOWN BELOW
Then there are elds that merely look good
from the air but turn out to be bad. They can
be bad in ways that go beyond mere long
grass, including the unseen presence of
ditches, rocks, and lengths of wire acciden-
tally left on the ground, the sort of thing you
might trip over when walking.
Once you are down on one of these elds,
for any reason, the rst requirement is to
conrm that you have enough runway to
take off. I state dogmatically that the mini-
mum distance needed for takeoff provided in
the aircrafts operating manual, given the
density altitude, will be considerably less
than the minimum needed to get airborne
from a soft eld. And once airborne, you will
need to be able to clear any obstacles such as
trees, buildings, or wires. What this means is
that you may not have any choice but to stay
on the ground. At this point we who y for
sport have to rein in and ask ourselves if
staying on the ground might be the only
www.eaa.org35
 DAVE MATHENY
choice, to nd some way to recover the
aircraft other than ying it out.
It is best to walk the eld before
attempting a takeoff. I once retrieved a
Quicksilver MX Sprint from a eld where
it had been force-landed the evening
before because of carburetor ice. (Not a
common problem in two-cycle engines,
but it does happen on extremely humid
days with low throttle settings.) The eld
was a plantation of tiny baby Christmas
trees, a few inches high and so widely
spaced that I could take off with my main
wheels between the rows. I rst walked
the 300 feet that I thought I would need
for takeoff, and from there could see that
I would have another unvarying quarter
of a mile more of baby trees before having
to clear a line of fully grown trees. That
takeoff went easily. (Well, it went easily
after I dealt with the little problem of the
recoil starter choosing that particular
morning to come apart, but thats a story
for another time.)
THE NEED FOR SPEED
If you have just landed in a eld and
abruptly realized that its very soft, it may
be necessary to keep moving to prevent
sinking in. If you were to encounter a
ditch or a big rock while fast taxiing, it
would at least be of some comfort to
know that you didnt hit it during the lat-
ter part of a takeoff, which could result in
a pretty ugly accident. When I rst
started ying, and blundering around
making rookie mistakes, I saw this really
great-looking eldit looked so nice from
the air, smooth as a golf green! So I landed
on itonly to nd that recent rains had
left it soggy. The part I landed on had
some sort of sparse, short grass in clumps,
but the rest of the eld, the majority of it,
had long, thick, brambly stuff. That was
when I rst encountered Satans own
snare grass. I did not dare slow down. The
rst full-power takeoff attempt was
bogged down. I circled back at full power
and tried again, failed, and made a third
run, this time just barely getting airborne.
It was enough to allow me to accelerate in
ground effect and climb away.
Which brings us to the actual takeoff.
A soft-eld takeoff will require whatever
ap settings are recommended for your
36Sport AviationAugust 2014
aircraft and, with rare exceptions, full
powerassuming thats permitted in the
pilots operating handbook. And a nose-
high attitude, in a tricycle-gear aircraft, to
get the nose wheel out of the equation
and up where it cant hit things and hold
you back. Taildraggers will usually need
to have the tail wheel off the ground, and
can accelerate in a level attitude. Thats
an advantage for them, because the nose-
high attitude is draggy and inefficient.
Its here that the advice I got from my
rst instructor always pays off: Make
every takeoff a high-performance takeoff,
he said. That sounded like a lot of unnec-
essary work, but Ive always been grateful
for the concept. I was ying a Cessna 152
out of a grass airstrip, so the nose-high
attitude excited no comment from specta-
tors; you might get some raised eyebrows
by doing that in a Beechcraft Bonanza at a
regular airport, although theres nothing
illegal about it. Any very light aircraft
launching that way from a grass runway
will not look at all strange.
Your aircrafts handbook may recom-
mend only moderate back pressure on the
stick until reaching a certain airspeed. I
will defer to that unless its an emergency.
But this again is a reason to have practiced
these soft-eld takeoffs over and over. As
with everything else in aviation, doing any
procedure regularly is benecial.
FEEL
Its crucial. You need a feel for what will
get you airborne and what will not.
Whatever the airspeed indicator says, as
you trundle along ever faster you can feel
the aircraft get light and start to leave the
ground, sometimes sinking back for a
moment, then lifting off again. Were
beyond mere prociency and being com-
fortable with the technique. Constant
practice gives us a feel.
Taking off from a snow-covered eld in
western Minnesota once in winter, I had to
make three runs before I could get air-
borne. Strictly speaking, this was a snow
takeoff technique, since I was basically
establishing low-resistance ruts, but the
soft-eld quality is essentially the same. I
could tell that the airplane was not ready
to y on the rst two runs, so I rejected
each. The third one felt right, and was.
UP, UP, AND AWAY
When nally free of the ground, get the
nose back down and build up airspeed,
although not so far down that you strike
the ground with your nose wheel.
Choose the smallest deck angle that
allows missing the trees, wires, or any
of those structures that always seem to
lay across the path to freedom. If you
can y level just above the ground, tak-
ing advantage of ground effect, you will
be able to store some energy and put it
in the bank for a steeper climb if
needed a few seconds later.
Do know in advance the critical
climb airspeeds for your aircraftVX
(best angle of climb) and VY (best rate
of climb). Which one gets you out of
there best, or more safely, all depends
on whether theres room to y level
and accelerate in ground effect (the
soft-eld pilots friend). Obviously, the
fewer obstructions at the end of the
eld the better.
If the place is surrounded by hos-
tile terrain I circle while climbing,
but using as shallow a bank as is pos-
sible, because any turn eats airspeed
and reduces climb rate. I have a fond
and scary memory of a time when I
went with a group of other ultralights
to a very pleasant meadow that was
surrounded by pine-covered slopes in
all directions. The others were land-
ing without difficulty, so I saw no
problem with landing. I hadnt given
any thought to an eventual departure,
and neither had theyexcept for the
guy who had led us there. He took off
rst and made two 360-degree circles
to get sufficient altitude to y away,
with the rest of us watching and say-
ing uh-huh, as if we knew all along
how to do that. Sometimes we learn
through observation.
I like the adventure of going into
strange new elds. Adventure is good,
but being able to get back out again is
far better.

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.org37
 BRADY LANE
COMMENTARY / DREAM BUILD FLY
The Lark of Duluth
Built from pictures and rumors
BY BRADY LANE
THE TALK OF TOWN CARRIES an elevated tone of excitement, and
rightfully soa festival celebrating innovation, sport, and the
future of mans dreams has come to town.
Families gather along the shoreline of Lake Superior, near the
industrial Duluth Harbor, for the gala. Men spiffed in their nest
trousers, pressed shirts, and high hats and ladies adorned in ow-
ing dresses and elegant Victorian umbrellas can hardly contain
their glee.
A hush falls on the crowd as a small fe and drum corps begins
a patriotic hymn. Children run to the action in hopes of a glimpse
of the centerpiece of the festivalThe Lark of Duluth, a Benoist
XIV ying boat being paraded to the shoreline behind a majestic
and proud Belgian stallion.
The year was 1913. Well actually, it wasnt, but thats sure what it
felt like thanks to the artistic fanfare of Mark Marino, EAA 268003,
and friends. Marks whole purpose in hosting this festival, and build-
ing an airworthy Benoist ying boat for its centerpiece, was to
38Sport AviationAugust 2014
rewind the clock 100 years and create a liv-
ing celebration of aviations early years.
Mark and his wife, Sandra Ettestad, live in
Duluth, Minnesota, on the southwest corner
of Lake Superior. Both are trustees of the
Duluth Aviation Institute. Their home air-
port, Duluths Sky Harbor (KDYT), is one of
the states most picturesque. The single-run-
way airport is located on a peninsula jetting
into the great lake, and landing there feels like
shooting an approach to an aircraft carrier.
Tucked inside Marks hangar are many
treasures. Among them sits a dusty shelf of
trophies where two Lindys are proudly dis-
played. Mark has completed seven
homebuilt aircraft, and the Benoist replica is
his latest and most unique.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRADY LANE
 BRADY LANE

ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO

In an era before Internet and television, the city
of Duluth hosted a six-week festival named in the
aircrafts honor, the Lark of the Lake. The y-
ing boat gave numerous exhibition rides and even
raced against power boats.
Who won? I asked Mark. I think they let the
airplane win, he answered honestly. The lakeside
event afforded many townspeople their rst look
at aviation and what was possible with a hydro-
aeroplane, as news reporters called it in their
near-daily reports on the aircraft.
It seems to me the popularity of this sport is
sure to increase rapidly, pilot Tony Jannus is
quoted saying by the Duluth Herald, July 30, 1913.

We still intend to y it, Mark said.

We didnt go through all these years
of work to let it sit on the water.
When winter arrived in 1913, Tony and Roger
Jannus approached The Lark of Duluths owner
Julius Barnes with a proposal to take the ying
boat south, specically to St. Petersburg, Florida,
to start an air service. On the morning of January 1,
1914, The Lark of Duluth became the worlds rst
heavier-than-air airliner, transporting passengers
across the Tampa Bay, one at a time for $5 each
way. The St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line
offered 23-minute ights across the bay, saving
travelers a half-days journey by horse and buggy.
The airline eventually ew more than 1,200
passengers in the Lark. That makes 2014 the cen-
tennial of heavier-than-air commercial aviation
travel, a world-changing development.
The Duluth Aviation Institute and Mark and
Sandra wanted to commemorate this anniversary
by giving the world, aviation community, and
city of Duluth a tangible, living, and airworthy
Benoist ying boat to serve as a reminder of our
past and an example of what can be accom-
plished when someone dares to be the rst. And
that is Marks message when he talks to students:
Somebody has to be the rst to do something.
You can be that person, he says.

THE CHALLENGE
Even as an experienced builder, Mark had a
monumental challenge before him. No original
Benoist ying boats exist today, in part or whole.

40Sport AviationAugust 2014

They all crashed within a few years
of being built. And no factory plans
exist either.
So for two years, Mark and
Sandra traveled the country collect-
ing every photograph, news report,
interview, and article ever published
about the Benoist ying boat.
We built this aircraft completely
from pictures and rumors, he said.
And the pictures he found were
as varied as the rumors.
We know they were constantly
changing the airplane back then. In
every single picture theres something
different, Mark said. In one picture
the radiator was up front, in another
picture it was in the back. The
exhaust pipes kept changing position.
Theres almost nothing consistent
from picture to picture.
One hundred years ago, they tried,
experimented, and learnedthe same
formula Mark used to build his replica:
sometimes on purpose, other times by
accident. But thats the living story of
the Benoist, aviation, and innovation.

FROM PICTURES AND RUMORS

What I enjoyed most was the dis-
covery, Mark said. In his research,
Mark purchased high-denition
photos from the Smithsonian, the
details of which revealed countless
intricacies he and the team refer-
enced hundreds of times throughout
the construction.
As a builder of a replica, our goal
was to build it as close to what they
did back then. We do that, even if we
dont like what they didto a point.
Were not out to hurt ourselves or
anybody else, Mark said.
Mark submitted the design to
Steve Dorsey, an engineer at Cirrus
Aircraft, for analysis and learned the
design yielded just more than a 1g
aircraft. By doubling a few critical
cables they were able to increase the
strength to a 2.9g aircraft.
They didnt have the aviation
information we have today, yet its

www.eaa.org41
 BRADY LANE
phenomenal how well they did with
what they had, Mark said.
No pulleys existed on the original and
none exist on Marks replica. Anywhere a
control cable changes direction is done
with copper guide tubes, which creates
substantial drag on the controls.
Tom Betts, EAA 233695, one of the
main volunteer builders helping Mark,
said he learned a lot about 1913 aviation
and how they did things, seeing many sim-
ilarities used by shipbuilders of the day.
Real craftsman built these, but not
like we build airplanes today, he said.
They were still learning about aviation.
The sides on this were 1/2-inch-thick
wood. It feels like the USS Constitution,
then its lifted aloft by these spindly
wings and spider web of cables.
The aircraft has a 35-foot wingspan
and a length just less than 26 feet.
Anything over 26 feet required a captains
license, so that was part of their planning
in building this dimension, Tom said.
The wings, ribs, struts, hull, and
fuselage were constructed of Sitka
spruce, a wood known for its straight
grain and subsequent strength. The
pilot and passenger sat side by side in
front of the engine compartment and
pusher propeller.
42Sport AviationAugust 2014
The control conguration was uncon-
ventional, at least by todays standards. A
lever in the left hand controlled the rudder.
Mark couldnt determine through
photographs which direction did what,
so he polled everyone at the airport.
Without exception, everyone said the
forward position should be right rudder,
aft for left rudder, so Mark built it that
way. On the oor was a single pedal, an
accelerator, similar to automobiles, in
lieu of a hand-operated throttle like mod-
ern aircraft. While historically accurate,
Mark would soon nd this conguration
challenging for a modern pilot to y.
TAXI TESTS
Construction of the Lark was completed
in the early summer months of 2013, and
the ying boat earned its airworthiness
certicate on the 100th anniversary of
when the Lark rst arrived to Duluth.
And like the original, the learning curve
was just beginning.
Tom rode along on most of the tests
serving as Marks HUD, holding up his n-
gers showing Mark the engines rpm. The
aircraft had a tendency to want to porpoise,
so they only conducted tests on calm water.
We know very little about the actual
ying of the original aircraft, Mark said.
A Belgian horse is used to parade The Lark of Duluth down
to the water last summer during a festival honoring the
aircrafts history and the replicas completion.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRADY LANE
BRADY LANE
Pictures reveal it was own low. They talk
about 50-100 feet. They didnt want to y it
any higher than they were willing to crash,
and we dont either.
Mark remembered those words at a criti-
cal moment his next time at the controls.
DISASTER
On July 16, 2013, during his ninth taxi test
and his rst time alone in the aircraft, Mark
glanced down at the tachometer (his HUD
was no longer with him) and noticed he was
reaching 4000 rpm. By the time he looked
up, the Benoist was airborneabout 5 feet
off the water. The ight was unexpected but
smooth and controlled, so Mark continued
the ascent with an airspeed around 40 mph.
The Lark was ying over the Duluth
Harbor for the rst time in 100 years, but
Marks attention was on handling the air-
craft. Like many of the rst passengers said a
century before, Mark said it wasnt scary, but
it was on the twitchy side.
I remember thinking, Im getting a little
too high. If this doesnt work, its going to
hurt. So I pointed the nose down toward the
water, Mark said.
Those watching estimated he was about
50-60 feet high at this point. Shortly after he
started down, the engine lost power.
The original Lark of Duluth had unconventional controls, per todays standards, with a single foot pedal controlling the throttle and a hand
lever for rudder control. Mark used the same conguration on his replica, at least initially.
44Sport AviationAugust 2014
When something goes wrong, every-
thing goes into automatic mode, Mark said.
I probably instinctively added throttle,
which was actually the rudder in the
unconventional conguration.
Mark assumes he stalled the aircraft
about 10 feet above the water. When it hit
the water, the nose of the aircraft broke
into pieces, and fortunately, Mark was
not injured.
In the aftermath, the team discovered the
fuel pump had become clogged with some
epoxy residue, which likely caused the
engine to stop shortly after Marks inten-
tional descent. The unconventional control
conguration only made matters worse.
We knew going in, we were building an
airplane that wasnt the safest in the world,
Mark said. We were ready; we were safe; it
just didnt work out.
Though there was substantial damage, only
two out of 76 ribs were broken. During the
rebuild, Mark made some design changes to
improve safety. The aircraft now has a
conventional control system, with a foot-
controlled T-bar for rudder control and a
hand-operated throttle.
We still intend to y it, Mark said. We
didnt go through all these years of work to
let it sit on the water.
Four months and 400 man-hours later,
the ying boat was fully repaired.
REPEATING HISTORY
During the summer of 1913, the original
Lark of Duluth was involved in an accident
that broke the aircraft to pieces mere days
before its debut at the Lark of the Lake fes-
tival. Marks replica was wrecked in a
similar fashion 100 years and one week
after that accident, before its debut at
AirVenture 2013.
The problems are a part of its story. It
has a new historya history thats repeating
itself 100 years later, Mark said.
Though Mark and his team are continu-
ing with their goal of having a ying replica,
he is holding off any more ight tests until
after AirVenture because he doesnt want to
jeopardize the opportunity to let the world
see this aircraft on the 100th anniversary of
its historic ight.
Its such a signicant airplane and there
are only two airworthy examples in the
world now, Mark said. EAA board member
Kermit Weeks also recently nished build-
ing an airworthy replica last year, but it has
yet to make its rst ight.
AIRVENTURE 2014
Marks Benoist Type XIV will be on display
all week during AirVenture Oshkosh 2014 in
front of the VAA Red Barn.
EAA is the inspiration behind all this
building. It has been the catalyst to sustain
the freedom to do whatever we want, Mark
said. And this is why people go to EAA, to
see the rare things happening in aviation. The
community is what makes building airplanes
not only successful, but also a lot of fun.
For those fortunate enough to see Marks
Benoist this summer, you will most certainly
be amazed at his craftsmanship and artistry.
While youre admiring the aircraft on dis-
play, I hope you also take time to shake
Marks hand, because even with just 0.1 in
his logbook, hes currently the highest-time
living Benoist pilot in the world.
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.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRADY LANE
 LAURAN PAINE JR.
COMMENTARY / PLANE TALK
Mystery Airplane
Unraveling serendipity
BY LAURAN PAINE JR.
YOU AND I HAVE BEEN on a few journeys in this column over the years.
I want you to go on another one with me. This one is a little different,
or at least it was for me. All I can say is that this one drew me like a
magnet, yet it took me a few years to get up the nerve to act upon it.
Every time I y southwest of my home airport, I see the silhouette of
a DC-3, and every time I do, I wonder about it. And Ive been doing that
for about, oh, seven years now. Almost every time I circle and take
another look. Yup, sure enough, its a DC-3 parked in a farmyard with no
obvious runway about. Curiosity often takes me a little lower for a bet-
ter view. After all, I ew the DC-3 (well, the C-47) in Korea and once
ferried one, island hopping, across the Pacic Ocean. I have a soft spot
for the Gooney Bird. Historically, its an aviation icon. Descending a lit-
tle lower now, its still a DC-3. But how? Why?
O Laurans left wingtip, a DC-3 sits in a farmyard.
46Sport AviationAugust 2014
What are you thinking right now?
Im feeling pretty safe loitering about the
location; Im thinkin plenty of other airplanes
have circled this guys place, too. How can you
not? Remember for 16 years in the National
Guard I was a reconnaissance/surveillance
pilot. Its in my aviation blood to nd things
from above and sort them out. Of course in the
OV-1, I had side-looking airborne radar (SLAR),
infrared cameras, conventional cameras, and a
team of analysts on the ground to interpret
whats what. Now I just have a lone RV-8 and
one set of eyeballsand a lot of curiosity. I also
have this soft spot in my heart for airplane peo-
ple, whoever they are, in whatever pasture they
may be, with whatever airplane. Im sensing a
bit of a character here, and I like characters.
Looking for more details in my lazy cir-
cling, I see a big shop-type building, a home, a
small pond with something in it, another much
smaller airplane silhouette, various pieces of
equipment and machinery, and some cars, one
seemingly the shape of an older Volkswagen
Beetle. Just your typical barnyard, right? But
with a DC-3 centerpiece. I also made a mental
map of the roads and lanes and driveways Id
have to travel to the get to the place. Should I,
that is, ever get up the nerve to drive there
uninvited. Curiosity killed the cat, ya know.
I also mentally rehearsed the rst thing Id
ask after I drove up. Something like, Hi, uh,
are you aware that you have a DC-3 in your
front yard? or, Is this the next airplane to
Tulsa? Dont like either of those? Okay, what
would you rst ask him?
I also managed to get some approximate
coordinates (remember those?) for the place.
At home, Google and I worked on them, and lo
and behold, after some roundabout computer
pathways new to me, came up withan air-
port! OR39 to be exact. Public knowledge. Its
Flying Tom Airport by name. Its not on the
sectional, but its in the FAAs official books. I
thought, Well Ill be a switch-tailed heifer!
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAURAN PAINE JR.
LAURAN PAINE JR.

THE STORY IN PICTURES

Along with other official stuff about the airport was the owners
name, Kevin. After that getting a phone number was relatively
easy. Getting the nerve to call KevinIm shywas not so easy.
Finally one ne day I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and
said to myself, You just need to drive there. How bad can it be? Its
airplane people. Itll be okay. So thats what I didalmost. There
is a small country store just before you get to the lane leading to
Kevins place. I stopped and asked if they knew anything of the
DC-3 on the hill. They did not. I then asked the beer truck delivery
driver who happened to be in the store the same question. He
drives the highway that goes nearest to Kevins place nearly every
day. (You can see the DC-3 from the road if you know where to
look.) He denied all knowledge of any DC-3. Okay, whats going on
here? Am I the only airplane nut? Or am I the only stupid airplane
nut? (Never mind. Dont answer that question.)
From the country store I headed down the highway and turned
onto the lane that I knew, from my aerial reconnaissance, lead to
Kevins place. Its a nicely graveled, tree-lined lane. Quiet, invit-
ingright up until you spot the black sign nailed to a tree that says
in bright, orescent letters, Private PropertyNo Trespassing.
Uh-oh! I couldnt quite turn around on the narrow lane so I kept
going, albeit a little slower, and came to another sign near a rail-
road track. This sign says, Private RR CrossingNo Trespassing.
I was beginning to get the hint but still didnt have room to turn
around. I drove a little farther to a bend in the road where I could
nally turn around. In the turn I looked right up the driveway that
leads to the barnyard and the DC-3. So close, yet so far. I chickened
out and headed for home with more questions than answers.
Okay, tough guy, what would you have done?
At home, somewhat emboldened by my near brush with dan-
ger (in my mind, anyway), I picked up the phone and called
Kevin. I left a message, a rather rambling one: Hi, Kevin. My
name is Lauran and I y out of Salem, and for several years now
have own over the DC-3 parked in your yard, and I used to y
DC-3s so I am curious about your airplane and was wondering if I
could maybe stop by for a visit or something like that sometime?
Hows that for rambling? Then, at the last moment, I thought Id
better close with a caveat: But, hey, if you dont want to talk
about it, I can certainly understand that, too. Then I hung up and
the wait began. Would he answer?
And I waited and wondered some more.
The next morning I was sitting at my desk and the phone rang.
I answered, and the voice on the line said, Hi. This is Kevin.
Yo! I briey thought of opening with the next airplane to
Tulsa line but then thought better of it. I said, Hi. My name
is Lauran and I y out of Salem and cant help but notice that
you have a DC-3 in your front yard. Is that something we can
talk about?
Kevin said, Sure. And then, long pause, he said no more. I
sensed that Kevin doesnt waste a lot of words.
I opened with, How did it get there?
We ew it in.

48Sport AviationAugust 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAURAN PAINE JR.

 LAURAN PAINE JR.
I didnt see a runway.
Its right next to the driveway. Its
pretty nice when its all mowed.
Were on a roll now so I asked, How
long ago did you y it in?
About 12 years ago, right before 9/11.
We ew it to Salem in 2001 for some
radio work.
I mentioned, Its probably got quite a
history. All DC-3s do.
Oh, yeah. It was once a government
sprayer. Then the Cummins Engine people
had it. Then Indiana University. Then it ew
car parts for awhile. Its got the modied
cowl and gear doors so it goes pretty good.
Whend you last start it?
About four or ve years ago.
Okay, Im thinking enough questions
about the DC-3. Its Kevins airplane, and
he likes it. Im no one to pass any kind of
judgment. I changed the subject a bit
with, There appears to be something in
the pond.
That was my rst airplane. I wasnt
very good back then. It was wrecked, so I
put the fuselage nose down on a stump in
the pond.
On a stump?
Yeah, it was just something to do,
I guess.
I replied, Hey, if it works for you, it
works for me. And under the wing of
the DC-3, there appears to be another
small airplane.
Thats an experimental. Its got an old
EAA sticker on it.
And a smaller airplane out in
the open?
Kevin said, Thats my P-51
weather vane.
And one of the cars appears to be a
Beetle? Im starting to feel like a nosey
idiot now, but Im liking Kevins honesty
and spunk.
I put in a septic tank for a college pro-
fessor, and he paid me with the Beetle. I
think he got the better deal. Thing needs
brakes. I got a couple 8N Ford tractors, too.
Ah, tractors are always good. I had to
ask, Flying Tom Airport?
Tom was a buddy of mine that was
killed. It was pretty traumatic at the
50Sport AviationAugust 2014
time. I wanted to remember him. I was
beginning to think Id bothered Kevin
long enough when he added, I liked
Gordon Baxter.
I said, Me, too. He was my writing idol.
I know.
You know?
I read your stuff.
Well, shut my mouth! Here I am cir-
cling Kevins place for years, and he reads
my stuff. Were connected! I then said, Id
like to meet you sometime. I like the way
you roll. I started up your driveway once
but saw the no trespassing signs.
Thats new. Most people dont pay any
attention to them. I work at various con-
struction sites (Kevin has an excavating
business), and the kids are teenagers so
theyre busy coming and going. Theres
usually somebody here. Come on up, any-
way, though. Fine with me if you look
around. Dog is friendly. Well catch up to
you one of these days.
SonallyI went there, all the way
there, right by a sign on an equipment
shed that said Taildragger Lane and up
to, yup, the DC-3. It was standing a bit
weathered but still tall and proud as
DC-3s tend to be. I knocked on the door of
the house. No answer. Dog just wagged his
tail. I felt a little awkward being there
alone, so I didnt stay long, but the land-
scape was friendly to me now since Id
talked to Kevin. There was a light breeze,
and it just felt good being surrounded by
the aviation serendipity.
So thats my little story of aviation
intrigue. It was me long being curious
about a DC-3 in a barnyard, and Kevin
nicely sorting it all out for me. I thank
him for sharing his aviation world. I like
him. No nonsense. He likes what he likes
and does what he does. I like people like
that. Im looking forward to meeting him.
Therell be more stories, Im pretty sure
of that.
Lauran Paine Jr., EAA 582274, is a retired
military pilot and retired airline pilot. He built and
ies an RV-8 and has owned a Stearman and a
Champ. Learn more about Lauran at his website,
www.ThunderBumper.com.
 JEFF SKILES
COMMENTARY / CONTRAILS
Plane Shopping
A journey to nd the perfect airplane
BY JEFF SKILES
MY GRAND SEARCH FOR A NEW aerial conveyance has come to an end.
Well, to call it a search just may be giving the entire exercise too
much credit. More like endless hours scouring online aircraft listing
sites imagining myself at the controls of just about any, and some-
times every, airplane that caught my eye.
OUT WITH THE OLD
As devoted readers of this columnI hope devoted anywayyou will
recall that I moved on from my wonderful cabin Waco about a year
ago. A ner more honest airplane could not have graced the skies. I
probably wouldnt have thought of selling it at all except my long-
time friend in the hangar next door, well call him Larry, peddled his
very similar Waco UEC to a gentleman from Germany. Larry talked
me into buying my Waco YOC in the rst place. In fact he convinced
the previous owner to sell it to me when he wasnt even contemplat-
ing such an action.
It seemed like a rare nd at the time, but as the years wore on I
began to wonder exactly how large, or more to the point, frighten-
ingly small the resale market might be for a big radial engine
taildragger from the 1930s. And, I was getting tired of soaking up
the oil on the hangar oor with kitty litter bought in bulk. Radial
52Sport AviationAugust 2014
engine acionados just said the Waco was
marking its territory. The YOC marked its
territory a lot!
So, when Larry sold his Waco I took it as
a sign, a call to action. Larry managed to sell
his airplane remarkably fast through a high-
end WWII ghter broker who inexplicably
was branching out into low-end antiques.
Putting my concern for the sales agents
stunning lack of business sense aside, I
called and discovered that he would be
happy to list my Waco. I wasnt really
expecting anything to happen. In fact I
thought it would languish on the market for
years. The thought that I would actually
have to part with my Waco never really
entered my head. I just thought that I would
be assuaging my conscience by trying to
sell it all the while fully expecting to still be
a Waco owner ve years down the road, but
it sold faster than I could have imagined.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF SKILES
JEFF SKILES
This unwelcome turn of events left me in the
less than enviable position of owning a han-
gar but no airplane to put in it. I had to go
one way or the other. Sell the hangar, or buy
an airplane.
IN WITH THE NEW
So this is how I found myself burning the
midnight oil looking at innumerable cant
miss aircraft that would be just about perfect
for my needs. The only problems being that
my needs are a moving target.
The airline pilot in me wanted to dene a
mission, a purpose for owning an airplane
that would certainly make the exact make
and model that would fulll my desires
abundantly clear. Problem is I have no par-
ticular reason to own an airplane at all. Not
that I let that keep me from dening hard
and fast requirements. I imagined myself
with a nice IFR ship, but the truth is I have
no place to go. Four seats were absolutely
54Sport AviationAugust 2014
necessary even though I made only three
ights in my Waco with more than one pas-
senger onboard. A little more speed would
be nice, but of course I like to see the coun-
tryside slip by beneath my wings, and slower
can often be better for sightseeing.
So I continued to peruse the photos and
ads on the Internet and occasionally ipped
through the pages of the odd Trade-A-Plane
that happened to come my way.
I started out thinking about a Cessna 170.
I even mentioned so in a column awhile back
and received numerous calls and e-mails
from members with 170s for sale. I learned
the differences between a straight 170, a
170A, and a 170B. I thought a 170 would
make a nice economical airplane that would
satisfy my strong internal need for practical-
ity. Im not much of a dreamer Im afraid.
Unfortunately my Cessna 170 purchase
was benchmarked by a just missed sale of a
really nice B model with an almost new
This unwelcome turn of events
left me in the less than enviable
position of owning a hangar but
no airplane to put in it. I had to
go one way or the other. Sell the
hangar, or buy an airplane.
engine. It was selling for a very reasonable
price, but someone else had looked at it the
night before I called, and prior to my making
the two-hour trip to see it, it was gone.
I continued to search but never could
nd one that quite measured up. That prob-
ably saved me from buying a common
example on the spot. But something else
happened that took my search in new direc-
tions. I went ying with my veterinarian in
his Cessna 170B with a 180-hp engine and
STOL modications. Suddenly a common
170 didnt quite make the grade. I now
wanted a short takeoff and landing per-
former that could shoehorn itself into any
cow pasture. Visions of landing on gravel
roads in Utah or mountain strips in Idaho
lled my head.
The problem is that Cessna 170s with big
engines are as rare as hens teeth. Or at least
they were last fall. Like classic cars and RVs,
most people sell their toys in the spring.
Supporting them through the winter with
little hope for further use going forward
apparently drives people to Barnstormers.com.
Right now there are several attractive exam-
ples for sale. But of course now is now, and
then was then.
One cruel fact of aircraft shopping became
almost immediately apparent. Desirability
and distance from ones front door seem to be
a Machiavellian match. The good ones all
seem to be in CaliforniaI live in Wisconsin.
ITS ALL ABOUT THE JOURNEY
The good news is that I like to look at air-
planes. So much so that I began to wonder if
maybe actually buying one would somehow
be a disappointment. When you havent
actually slapped the cold, hard cash on the
table, all options are open.
As time went on I began to despair of
ever nding an acceptable Cessna 170, so I
expanded my search. I tried to like Stinson
108s. A nice, solid machine, but the Franklin
six-cylinder engine scared me off. I briey
imagined myself as a Maule man, but I was
concerned that Maule men might be few and
far between, and resale potential is an
important quality for me. I nally settled on
Cessna 180s. After all its just a big 170, and
there seemed to be several examples conve-
niently available right here in the Midwest.
So now every evening I would peruse my
list of Internet aircraft sales sites looking for
170s, 180s, and after awhile I decided to
throw in 185s since they are just a 180 with a
big engine. Still, the airplane search was less
than promising. I looked at a few 180s and
found that there is no shortage of prime
examples with exceedingly low compres-
sions, ratty interiors, and title or STC
paperwork problems. Been there, done that.
One day I happened to be in Reno,
Nevada, with a little free time on my hands.
There was a bright red mid 50s 180 for sale
represented by a very nice salesman. Most
salesman are niceat least the successful
ones. So I found myself in the salesmans car
headed for a eld south of town. It was a
good plane but a bit pricy for what it was.
Sensing my reluctance on this particular
Cessna, the salesman casually mentioned
that he also had a Cessna 195 available. At
once the clouds parted and light streamed
down from the heavens. Cessna 195s have
always been my absolute favorite airplanes:
sleek, fast, and major classic appeal. The
www.eaa.org55
JEFF SKILES
45-minute drive to another airport seemed
like a day, but it produced the plane of my
dreams. It had beautiful maroon paint and a
spacious interior. The exquisite bump cowl
tightly corralled a powerful seven-cylinder
Jacobs radial. I was in love as I imagined
myself winging across the Midwest in such a
fabulous machine.
I had the checkbook halfway out of my
back pocket when the owner and I began
discussing the proper place to leave the prop
on shutdown to evacuate the oil. His prop
was not positioned just right, and as soon as
he pulled it through to place the No. 1 blade
over the No. 7 cylinder, it promptly spewed
out what seemed like a pint of oil onto the
oor. Thats what I was trying to get away
from in the Waco. I prefer an airplane that
keeps its oil on the inside, not on the out-
side. The checkbook quickly slid back into
my pocket.
On New Years Day I ew to Charlotte,
North Carolina, and then drove three hours
to look at a 1974 Cessna 185. It was a jump
plane and was still set up as such. The owner
was a jumper not a pilot, and when it came
to a test ight he just gestured toward the
plane and said, Take er up.
You mean alone, I said incredulously.
Yeah, I wont be much help, he said.
And so I went up for a test ight. It still had
the jump door installed, which in my view is
56Sport AviationAugust 2014
of limited utility. Im sure it was of great
benet to those whose sole desire is to throw
themselves out of an aircraft, but I just dont
see myself departing the plane by similar
means. The 185 was certainly a possibility
but more something to keep in the back of
my mind rather than the object of a pur-
chase on the spot.
KISMET
But then a couple of weeks later I found
myself in Phoenix. There were two 185s
available for me to look at. The one I really
liked had a onetime STC for a turbocharged
engine out of a Cessna T210. We atlanders
are suspicious of turbochargers; we have
plenty of air available and dont want the
maintenance headaches of blowers. But I
liked the plane otherwise. It was painted in a
sort of cranberry-violet color that I hoped
might grow on me over time, and I walked
away thinking I had a contender.
The second 185 had a nice new paint job
and new interior, but it was almost too pretty
for a Cessna taildragger. I couldnt imagine
landing it on a grass runway, and forget about
off airport. It was a civilized mans Cessna
185. This Skywagon was like a pristine pickup
truck, and theres something thats just not 185 Skywagon.
right about that. I didnt even think about a
test ight and went home imagining myself at
the controls of a turbocharged cranberry-
violet taildragger roaring around the back-
country strips of Idaho.
But I just couldnt get past the onetime
turbo STC. I didnt want a one-of-a-kind air-
craft. Remember, the practical side of me
demanded something that could be resold eas-
ily, and unique aircraft arent that at all. I just
couldnt quite pull the trigger, but then the
salesman for the pretty Skywagon began to call.
Frankly, it was probably third on my list,
but the salesmans persistence began to sway
my thinking. It was a well-equipped IFR
machine. It had new paint and interior. It
had reasonable time on the airframe and
engine, relatively little battle damage for a
185, and came equipped with a STOL kit and
vortex generatorstheyre supposed to
allow you to land shorter. Most importantly,
this 185 was the cheapest!
As I thought about it, I began to sour on
cranberry-violet, and the jump plane was
no longer even in the cards. Maybe some-
thing that grows on you slowly lasts longer
in the end. The pretty Skywagon began
looking better and better. And so after a few
phone calls and e-mails I was committed to
a new tenant for my hangar, and my third
aircraft ever, a sharp-looking 1968 Cessna
Je Skiles, EAA 336120, is EAA vice president of com-
munities and member programs.
 IF YOU CANT BUY ONE, BUILD ONE

LEN ELMENDORFS BCKER JUNGMEISTER

BY BUDD DAVISSON

58Sport AviationAugust 2014

Len Elmendorf can look back on a lifetime of building unusual one-of-a-kind
and plansbuilt aircraft, but the Jungmeister was the biggest challenge.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM KOEPNICK www.eaa.org59

SOME AIRPLANES ATTAIN legendary status, The first aircraft he actually built was Jungmann I had been working on. So
even though the vast majority of the pilot also the first airplane he designed himself. when I started on Flip Flop it was only nat-
population may not be familiar. The I had been working with air show ural that Id borrow some of what Id seen
1934/35 Bcker Jungmeister is one of pilot Bill Barber on his Bcker Jungmann in the Bckers. It first flew in 69 with
those airplanes. To some its vaguely a and found I really liked biplanes, so I another 125-hp GPU. At a gathering, Steve
funky-looking little biplane whose name started doodling around with designs, he Wittman and I had a long discussion about
they have heard but cant pronounce. says. Then got serious about it and built auto engines and how to adapt them to air-
However, those who know its history and Lil Flip Flop. Flip flop is what aerobatic craft. Should they be right side up, upside
have seen it fly whisper among themselves pilot Frank Price called aerobatics, so the down, geared, or direct drive? At the same
about how precisely it snaps. How it rede- name seemed to fit. Price also flew a gathering were a couple of people from
fines the word agility. And how homebuilt Bcker, the Jungmeister, which GM product promotion, one of whom
legendary Jungmeister pilots like Beverly is a single-seat version of the two-place offered to help me get an LT1 engine,
Bevo Howard, Frank Price, and before
them, Count Jose Aresti, Alex Papana, and
many others dominated aerobatic contests
into the 60s. Until the Pitts and Zlins
came along, the Bcker Jungmeister
was aerobatics.
Because of the foregoing, the B 133
Jungmeister is lusted after by a driven
group of near fanatics who know that its
unlikely theyll ever own one, because the
B 133 isnt cheap and there are very few
to be had. Reportedly, there may be no
more than several dozen originals (some
German, some Swiss, some Spanish) flying
in the United States with maybe 50 world-
wide. Then there are the eight or nine that
were built in Germany in 69 and 70 to
factory blueprints. Plus a small handful of
heavily modified homebuilt versions have
been made. Assuming youre cash-limited,
homebuilding is the most viable way to
own a Jungmeisteran EAA mantra is if
you cant afford it, build it. This is the
route Leonard Len Elmendorf of
Summerfield, Florida, took. However,
even though this wasnt the first time hes
done the scratchbuild-something-unusual
thing, the B 133 was still a challenge.
Len had been into airplanes since The length of the motor mount was necessary because the IO-360 weighs so much less than the Siemens radial.
before Henry Fords chemist gave him a
ride in a C-170 in Detroit when he was a
youngster. Then we drove over to a new
place called McDonalds for something Id
never heard of: french fries. The chemists
son was going to take a flying lesson, so I
went with him and was totally hooked.
Len says he joined EAA sometime in
the early 60s where his urge to build
stuff immediately drove him to homebuilt
aircraft. He bought a Baby Ace and
repowered it with an O-290G Lycoming.
In those days, those ground power units The horizontal stabilizer, like the rest of the airplane, uses lots of very small-diameter, very thin-walled tubing. On the originals, what
cost less than a hundred bucks, he says. looks like wire was actually 1/8-inch tubing.

60Sport AviationAugust 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF LEN ELMENDORF

The wing walk areas are challenging in both woodwork and metal.
Every control surface is a collection of complicated ttings and
ne woodwork.
which I geared and installed in Flip Flop.
It made for a very unusual airplane. So
unusual that the FAA really worked with
me on it and issued a test area waiver that
let me ferry it to Oshkosh, which was then
designated as my new practice area.
After that I went through so many
projects, finishing and flying each of
them, that its a little hard to remember
them all.
He rebuilt a Stinson 108 before build-
ing a 125-hp CUBy with two 36-gallon
wing tanks. An RV-6 from an undrilled kit
took him nine months (he was a sheet
metal guy when right out of high school).
Then an RV-10, a Murphy Rebel, a C-170
that was stuck in the top of pine trees, and
a Skylane that was essentially a new air-
plane that he made from scratch.
Obviously, he was never without projects.
But the big one was just about to descend
on him.
I took Frank Prices acro course in
1965 and flew back to Waco in 66 and
joined the Tiger Club, so Bckers had
always been part of my life. A friend had
bought the plans Price put out for the
The American Tiger Club logo on the turtle deck pays homage to Lens early association with aerobatic ace and Jungmeister pilot Frank Price.
Jungmeister and accumulated all of the
required material. But he ran out of steam,
and I bought the project in 2010. Prices
plans were 22 sheets and left a lot to your
imagination. They would build a sorta
Jungmeister, but it wouldnt be exact.
ASSUMING YOURE
CASH-LIMITED, HOMEBUILDING
IS THE MOST VIABLE WAY TO
OWN A JUNGMEISTERAN EAA
MANTRA IS IF YOU CANT
AFFORD IT, BUILD IT.
Then I ran across Joe Krybos B 133
plans that were, for all intents and pur-
poses, factory drawings. They contained
over 800 individual drawings on over 100
big blueprint sheets, and everything was
there. Everything! This was what you
needed to build a real replica Jungmeister.
They even had plans for the adjustable
seat, the little leather boots around fit-
tings that Bckers are famous for, and the
universals that are on most of the wires.
Joe had some original German plans, and
when I compared them to the new plans I
could find no mistakes. They were perfect.
And they set the direction for my next
project: I wanted to build a Jungmeister
that was as close to a factory airplane
as possible.
A side note for any who havent had
the pleasure to closely examine a
Jungmann or Jungmeister: They are prob-
ably the most complicated biplanes for
their size ever built. The parts count for
each is astronomically high. At the same
time, they are probably the lightest
biplanes for their size.
The two concepts would appear to con-
tradict one another until one considers that
Carl Bckers design approach adhered to
the use two small pieces rather than one
large one concept, which is always lighter.
Plus being a German perfectionist in his
engineering, he designed each part to be
exactly what was needed. No more, no less.
This is difficult because raw materials come
in standard sizes, which means some mate-
rial will be thicker than necessary so
fabricated parts will be stronger and
www.eaa.org61
heavier than needed because the right size
material wasnt available. Bcker wouldnt
allow that to happen, so he sized each t-
ting and part to compensate for the
material thickness. Thats why there is a
bewildering variety of tubing sizes in the
fuselage. At the same time, rather than
make a tting strong enough to compensate
for loads that were pulling at slight angles,
he simply put a swiveling, universal tting
at each end of the part. And they were very
precise universal ttings.
The result is that a single, uncovered
wing panel with no ailerons or fittings The aluminum cowl started as a plaster mold from which berglass molds were made and those transferred into concrete. The aluminum
weighs less than 20 pounds, which seems was hammered into that mold in sections.
impossible until they are examined
closely. The entire airplane is that way. So, shot lots and lots of photos in the process. Most days Id put in a minimum of
there are possibly 50 percent more parts That made assembly about a thousand three to four hours. But if I felt like it, Id
in the airplane than there would be nor- times easier for me. do 10 hours, and then there were times Id
mally, but the airplane weighs Incidentally, he says, I should point get mad at something and not touch it for
considerably less than it should for its size out that, although I was trying to do this a week. You cant worry about time on
and strength. factory-perfect, I fully recognized that something like this. In fact you time
Its a complicated airplane, but build- perfection is the enemy of completion, so everything with a calendar, not a watch.
ing a replica was even more complicated I have to admit to cutting a few corners. Doing the seat alone took a month,
because Len had nothing to go by other For instance, I didnt join the cables by and I was working on it pretty hard at
than raw plans. braiding. They are Nicopressed. There that point.
First, he says, there was no assem- was enough new stuff I had to learn with- In an effort to duplicate factory meth-
bly manual. Just hundreds of parts that out worrying about braiding cables. ods where he could, Len gas welded
you didnt know how for sure they went
together. Fortunately a friend, Joe Vasile,
took an original Jungmeister apart and

AIRCRAFT DATA BOX

Aircraft Make & Model: Elmendorf Jungmeister

Length: 19 feet 8 inches

Wingspan: 21 feet 8 inches
Wing Area: 129 square feet

Gross Weight: 1,320 pounds

Empty Weight: 1,018 pounds
Fuel Capacity: 20 gallons
Seats: One

Powerplant Make & Model: IO-360 Lycoming

Propeller: 76-60 Sensenich

VNE : 180 mph

Top Speed: 147 mph
Cruise Speed (180 hp): 125 mph
Landing Speed: 47 mph
Takeo Roll: 350 feet
Rate of Climb at gross: 1,200 fpm
Range at 65 percent (estimate): 250 sm

Besides locating the cowling, a means for mounting it had to be devised.

62Sport AviationAugust 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF LEN ELMENDORF

Until the arrival of the Pitts and specialty monoplanes from Europe,
the Jungmeister set the standard when it came to aerobatics.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM KOEPNICK www.eaa.org63

rather than TIG welded the fuselage,
which was a long, tedious process. There
are lots and lots more joints in the fuse-
lage than in a normal fuselage. Plus there
is a ton of really small, thin tubing so
youre constantly being challenged in the
amount of heat you can use without melt-
ing through.
The tail doesnt even use sheet metal
for the ribs, he says. The horizontal spar
is large diameter but only 0.028-inch wall.
Its so thin it feels like TV antenna mate-
rial. My ribs are made of what amounts to
1/8-inch wire because the originals were,
if you can believe it, 1/8-inch tubing!
When you pick up a bare horizontal stabi-
lizer half, you cant believe how light it is.
The landing gear is a fairly simple oil-
damped, spring arrangement that does an
excellent job of softening the touchdown,
which happens at under 50 mph.
However, although it was simple there
were a lot of parts, and Len reports it took
two months to machine all the parts and
another month for the tail wheel itself.
Len intended on flying the airplane
rather than spending time tinkering with
More tiny pieces required for ight.
Planning for access panels was an ongoing task.
64Sport AviationAugust 2014
COVERING AND PAINTING ANY BIPLANE IS A LONG PROCESS,
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, ITS ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING BECAUSE
THE VISUAL PROGRESS INCREASES SO RAPIDLY. WHILE BUILDING
THE MAJOR STRUCTURE, YOU CAN BE WHITTLING OUT LITTLE
PIECES FOR MONTHS BEFORE THEY GO TOGETHER AND
BECOME SOMETHING RECOGNIZABLE.
an antique engine. As much as I would
love to have a round motor under that
cowl, first I couldnt really afford a
Siemens, even if I could find one, but
keeping it running would have dampened
the fun of running around the country
in the airplane, he says. Besides a
friend had an IO-360-A1B that he was
going to use on a Great Lakes, then
changed his mind. The price was too
good to pass up. I put a complete Christen
inverted system on it, and it doesnt miss
a lick. The only drawback was that to
make the CG work, I had to move the
nose out about 4 inches, which changed
the look a little.
There have been any number of
Jungmeisters and Jungmanns re-engined
Notice how many small tubes are used and how complicated some of the ttings are.
with flat motors. In both cases, the
Lycoming is simply the wrong shape for
the fuselage. The Jungmann had a skinny
inline engine, and the Jungmeister had
the little 160-hp seven-cylinder Siemens
radial. So, putting a flat cowling on either
airplane just looks wrong. Therefore,
cowling a flat thing with a round thing
takes some planning, and more than a lit-
tle skill.
I knew I had an appearance problem;
however, another Bcker owner, Pat
Quinn, showed me pictures of one done in
Germany, called Antaries, which I really
liked. Later Steve Beaver, who has the
Bcker info website, found pictures of the
structure they used, so now I have ideas of
what to do and how to do it.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF LEN ELMENDORF

The cowling took many months to design and fabricate.
I made seven sections with the joints
between each cowl bump. I made up a
cowl section in foam and used that to
make a female concrete mold in that
shape. I then used leather mallets to force
the 0.050-inch 3003 aluminum down into
the mold. I butted the sections together
over a framework, ran joiner strips under
the joints, and flush riveted the sections
together. A little Bondo and a lot of sand-
ing and it was ready to go.
Covering and painting any biplane is a
long process, but at the same time, its one
of the most exciting because the visual
progress increases so rapidly. While build-
ing the major structure, you can be
whittling out little pieces for months
before they go together and become some-
thing recognizable. However, the second
you stretch fabric over a wing panel, for
instance, it suddenly stops being structure
and becomes a wing. Then theres a drawn
out (sometimes painfully so) period where
youre preparing the surfaces for paint.
However, as youre watching the spray
gun put color down, each pass adds a
visual step toward completion, and
66Sport AviationAugust 2014
you think, Wow! Its actually becoming
an airplane.
When Len came to the covering step, he
says, I went Poly-Fiber all the way through
the tapes. I know the material well and like
the way it goes on. But then for the same
reason I primed it with Air-Tech and shot
on a PPG color base coat that I topped with
Air-Tech clear coat, he says.
If there is a drawback to biplanes, it is
getting the black magic to work while
doing the rigging. Sometimes the rigging
gods smile on a builder and everything
works just right.
Len says, The best way to describe the
first flight is that from the time it left the
ground, it felt okay to play with. I eventu-
ally had to do some trimming adjustments,
but you had to be in early morning smooth
air to tell that they were needed.
The best part is that all the time I
spent on landing gear alignment paid off
because I know of no taildragger that is
more benign on the ground. And its sur-
prisingly fast: an honest 125 mph at a
moderate power setting in smooth air. Itll
top 140 mph if you let it turn up, but it
There are seven sections butt-jointed and riveted with
strips underneath.
The cowling mounting rings. Nothing is simple.
stalls right around 47 mph and is as gentle
as any airplane youve ever flown. Thats
pretty much the character of the airplane.
Over the years so many people have done
so much so close to the ground that [they]
couldnt have done unless the pilots had
total trust in the airplane.
Len Elmendorf has gone to a tremen-
dous amount of effort to build an airplane
that is as close to being a factory
Jungmeister as possible without the large
price tag. Its hard not to ask whether it
was worth the massive time investment.
He grins and says, The airplane is
everything that I hoped it would be. And
Im proud to be one of a small number of
people in the world who have the pleasure
of owning and flying a Jungmeister.
Sounds as if it has definitely been
worth the effort.
Budd Davisson, EAA 22483, is an aeronautical engi-
neer, has own more than 300 dierent types, and has
published four books and more than 4,000 articles. He
is editor-in-chief of Flight Journal magazine and a ight
instructor primarily in Pitts/tailwheel aircraft. Visit him on
www.AirBum.com.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF LEN ELMENDORF
FERRY FLIGHT TO CHINA
Shanghai Hongqiao Airport

Guam

Pohnpei, Micronesia

68Sport AviationAugust 2014

 TWO PILOTS ON THE ODYSSEY OF A LIFETIME
BY MARK PHELPS

Tracy, California

Hilo, Hawaii

American Samoa

www.eaa.org69
ONE OF THE ITEMS on many a pilots bucket Jerry Clark came by his expertise via a teach people to y, but this is more excit-
list is an ocean crossing. Romantic images long professional piloting career. His life ing, Jerry said. He explains that Windward
of Charles Lindbergh, Wiley Post, Douglas experience includes stints ying canceled is getting busier, and for anyone interested
Wrong Way Corriganeven Amelia checks, freight, and jet charters. With his and qualied, hes looking for pilots.
Earharticker through our imaginations partner Robin Leabman, he co-founded Abingdon ies ferry ights for the
like old newsreel footage. Its true that the Windward Aviation in 2010, a ferry adventure of it, really. At age 29, she dis-
very thought of 15 or more hours of immo- specialist that ies under contract with plays wisdom and business acumen well
bility can be enough to cause cramps in our Beechcraft. At the time of the Shanghai beyond her years. And her craving for the
backsides. But the mental visions of endless trip the company had performed more unusual goes way back. Even as a young girl
miles of ocean in daytime, unlimited starlit than three dozen missions, covering she had set a goal of spending time living in
sky at night, and stunning sunrises and sun- Europe, Africa, the Atlantic, and several an underdeveloped country. So in her third
sets in between are enough to spark the Pacic crossings. I can stay at home and year of undergraduate studies at the
yearning to tackle one of aviations most
profound piloting challenges.
At the Asian Business Aviation
Conference & Exhibition (ABACE) in
Shanghai, China, last April a Beechcraft
Baron twin and Bonanza single were on
display, and were the rst piston airplanes
ever to grace the ramp at the show. And
they didnt make the trip to the other side
of the planet in a container ship. The two-
pilot aerial odyssey started at the factory in
Wichita, Kansas.
Ferry pilots Chelsea Abingdon Welch
and Jerry Clark ew from Wichita to Tracy,
California (KTCY)a staging ight would
itself be a daunting undertaking for most
pilots. At Tracy oversized ferry fuel tanks
were installed in the cabins and front pas-
senger seats. The Bonanza held a total of 268
gallons, the Baron about 400. That meant
that Abingdon and Jerry were taking off at
approximately 30 percent above maximum
gross weight, allowable under the FARs for a
mission such as this. Naturally all runway
length and takeoff calculations are critical.
Jerry and Abingdon took off from Tracy and
left the California coast on April 3.
Ferry pilots are different, said
Abingdon. Its a unique type of ying, and Refueling at Pohnpei International Airport in the South Pacic. Pilot Abingdon Welchs wry smile reveals some skepticism about the
the pilots dont t the same mold as airline security course she was supposed to have taken to qualify for her credentials.
or corporate jobs. She politely stopped
short of saying that ferry pilots are rogues
or renegades, but left the distinct impres-
sion that even if a free spirit isnt required,
it probably helps. But it takes free spirits
with an amazing capacity for discipline,
detailed planning, and skill. Its the hard-
est ying you can imagine, she said. The
pilot is responsible for everything: ight
planning, weather, communications, over-
seeing the installation of the tanks and HF
[high-frequency] radio equipment, survival
gear, and so forth.

70Sport AviationAugust 2014

 On the ramp in Shanghai, Abingdon Welch shows o the Bonanza she ew, and one example of the watches shes designed
and markets for female pilots.
University of California, San Diegowith
what may seem like an odd double major in
lm and psychologyshe applied for a cov-
eted spot with the Peace Corps. She was
successful and received an assignment as a
business development volunteer in
Mbalmayo, a small town of about 60,000 on
the shores of the Nyong River in Cameroon,
Africa. She spent her time there working
with two brothers in developing and oper-
ating a general store.
After her stint in Africa, Abingdon
returned to California to address another of
her youthful ambitions. Ever since I was
14 I had followed the aviation industry. At
one point I wanted to start an airlineone
of those ambitions you have as a teen, she
said. Its not such a foregone conclusion
that all 14-year-olds have visions of starting
an airline, but Abingdon is probably well
beyond average in many ways.
When she decided to learn to y she vis-
ited several Southern California ying
schools with three questions: How long
will it take?, Is there a way to cover the
cost? and Can you offer me a job? Her
bold, up-front approach secured an
internship at one of the schools, and after
getting the appropriate ratings she began
performing ight instruction. Stints as a
demonstration pilot for Cirrus and some
work as a delivery pilot followed, which led
to her interest in long-distance ferry ying.
Along the way her business ambition
kicked in when she took a fancy to the pilot
watches worn by some of her male instruc-
tors and fellow students. I thought they
were really cool, and I wanted one of my
own. But I found they werent available for
women. That was all she needed to hear.
Starting in 2006 she launched The
Abingdon Company, contacting watch
designers and manufacturers to come up
with a line of pilot watches for women.
It has become a half-million dollar busi-
ness that she says is largely self-sufficient.
She said, Now, after the early years of
building and sustaining the company, Im
able to focus on the part of the business I
like best, which is coming up with new
ideas for designs.
On the China trip she and Jerry
switched airplanes back and forth, ying
the Bonanza and Baron in loose SD, SD
SHE POLITELY STOPPED SHORT OF
SAYING THAT FERRY PILOTS ARE
ROGUES OR RENEGADES, BUT LEFT
THE DISTINCT IMPRESSION THAT EVEN
IF A FREE SPIRIT ISNT REQUIRED, IT
PROBABLY HELPS.
formation (same direction, same day)
from Tracy to Hilo, Hawaii (PHTO), a trip
that took 12 hours, 54 minutes. This rst
overwater leg was the longest of the entire
voyage without an alternate. Next, they
took off from Hilo for American Samoa
(NSTU), the longest leg of the trip in time
at 15 hours, 32 minutes. The next stop was
Pohnpei, Micronesia (PTPN), 15 hours, 12
minutes ying time; then Guam (PGUM), a
short 5 hours, 48 minutes away.
Whats the greatest challenge on a
15-hour ight? No surprise here:
Boredom, Abingdon said. But as with
everything she does, from business practice
to life planning, theres a process. She said,
www.eaa.org71
The most important thing is to structure
the day, just like a normal day. For example,
I take great effort to make sure that the only
thing I have to do in the morning before
takeoff is perform my preight inspection
and then go to the bathroom.
From there her daily routine is goal-ori-
ented, largely based around meals. For
example, after takeoff in the heavily loaded
aircraft, it takes as much as an hour to get
established in level ight at the cruising
altitude of 6,000 feet. During that time, she
is establishing communications with air
traffic control and monitoring engine per-
formance. After reaching cruise altitude
theres checking fuel ow from all the fuel seem like the ultimate surrender to the cur- winner, she said. Abingdon would also ask
tanks (takeoff is performed on the regular rent obsession with connectivity, but in fact for recommendations on what and where to
fuel tanks, and only after reaching cruise it served a very practical purpose in com- eat at the next destination. I was getting
altitude does she switch to ferry tanks), bating what Abingdon identied as one of random messages and recommendations on
switching to the aft-most tank, testing high- the most profound challenges to long-dis- restaurant choices from all over the world,
frequency radios, and evaluating avionics tance ying: boredom. she said.
performance. All okay? Now its time to get After breakfast, Id send messages to Other ways to pass the time included
breakfast, Abingdon said. my family. Then I would set up competi- monitoring 121.5 for emergencies and
One interesting trick Windward pilots tions on my Facebook page. On one trip I chatting with airliners on designated air-
use is to lay a towel over the throttle asked everyone to send me what they to-air frequencies.
quadrant as a reminder whenever the air- thought was their funniest joke, and at the The nal leg was Guam to Shanghai
plane is drawing fuel from ferry tanks. Its end of the ight I would announce the Hongqiao International Airport (ZSSS)
just an easy way to help keep track of the
complicated process of ensuring prudent
fuel management.
Some other things about long-distance
ying are still the same as when Lindbergh
ew the Atlantic in his Ryan monoplane,
the Spirit of St. Louis. Even though the
ight instrument computers automatically
stored all pertinent engine and perfor-
mance data, Abingdon and Jerry still
recorded hourly information on oil temper-
ature, pressure, engine rpm, and more.
Abingdon said she subdivides her day
into two- to three-hour segments. After
breakfast the next segment leads into
lunch, then the next to a snack before the
last stretch to the days destination airport.
She and Jerry usually saved dinner for after
their arrival.
And speaking of dinner plans, one piece
of technology not dreamed of in
Lindberghs day has led to some creative
and amusing ways to pass the time.
Abingdon carried a DeLorme satellite
communications device, allowing her to
stay in contact with not only mission coor-
dinators, but also friends and family Abingdon Welch points out the nal destination of her odysseyShanghai, China. Note the towel over the throttle quadrant. Its a way
through Twitter and Facebook. That may for ferry pilots remind themselves when they are operating on auxiliary fuel tanks.

72Sport AviationAugust 2014

14.5 hours on the wing. That included a
hold of an hour and a half for the clear-
ance to enter Chinese airspace to be
sorted out. But once inside the countrys
airspace, Abingdon explained that the
handling from ATC was excellent. It was
just like flying in the U.S., she said,
except that altitude is given in meters,
but that wasnt too hard to figure out. She
received vectors for the ILS approach to
Runway 18L, entered a right crosswind
leg, and flew an easy right pattern. It was
one of my best landings of the trip, she
said. The arrival of the Baron and Bonanza
marked the first time piston aircraft had
appeared at the mainland China airport in
recent memory.
After the ABACE show the pair contin-
ued on to Japan and then to Taiwan, where
the Bonanza and Baron are based for
owner Pacific-China Aero Technology
(PCAT), an aircraft management and ser-
vice company based in Beijing. Jessica
Wang, executive of GA marketing and
sales for PCAT, said the aircraft are avail-
able for sale, and PCAT has another
Bonanza and Baron coming from Wichita.
Jerry Clark, left, and Abingdon Welch, right, pose with two of the line technicians at one of their fuel stops.
74Sport AviationAugust 2014
Those two will likely be based in mainland
China, perhaps in Beijing where there is
growing pressure to expand the role of
light aircraft. She said PCAT believes there
is a clear future for piston aircraft in the
region, and the appearance of the Bonanza
and Baron is one step in the journey to fur-
ther stretch the airspace restrictions.
People will see these airplanes here at ravages are more than offset by the stunning
ABACE and recognize their potential, she
said at the show. Possible customers may
go back to other regions and ask officials
about the possibilities of further expand-
ing airspace. Jessica explained that the
recent move to open up airspace up to
1,000 meters (about 3,280 feet) is a step in
the right direction, and the appearance of
the two Beechcraft at ABACE was another
wedge in the move to further expand the
utility of light aircraft. PCAT envisions
medical flights as a first step, hopefully
followed by additional roles as light air-
craft become more visible in the region.
Jerry Clark said he hopes Abingdon, he,
and other Windward pilots will nd them-
selves retracing these routes on a more
regular basis as time goes on.
I CAN STAY AT HOME AND TEACH
PEOPLE TO FLY, BUT THIS IS MORE
EXCITING, JERRY SAID.
And if boredom is one of the most pro-
found challenges in this type of ying, its
experiences of cloud, sky, sunsets, and sun-
rises. Abingdon said, They say you have to
y through a storm to earn the view of the
rainbow. And if the long hours of boredom
are the storm, then some of the other expe-
riences make up for it, and then some.
And yes, she has a favorite: For some
reason I think sunrise is even more beauti-
ful than the sunsets. Theres an
unbelievable sense of calm in the way it
unfolds. It was like watching a movie, but
one of the most beautiful movies Ive ever
seen in my life. It makes the whole ight
worth it.
Mark Phelps, EAA 139610, is an aviation writer living
in New Jersey. He is the former editor of EAAs Vintage
Airplane magazine.
 A SENIOR PILOTS FANCY
TURNS TO FLOATING
WITH THE CLOUDS

BY JAMES LAWRENCE

76Sport AviationAugust 2014

Flight instructor Eric Farewell of Aviator PPG makes a low pass in his powered paraglider trike.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES LAWRENCE www.eaa.org77

EVERY FLYING REALITY begins with a dream.
Mine is a rekindled one, rst born of ap-
ping Dacron sails, aluminum tubes, and
stainless steel cables on the beaches of Cape
Kiwanda, Oregon, in the early 1970s. I
learned to hang glide there in my early 20s.
A favorite ight was to hover for hours
at a time, a couple hundred feet above a sand
dune, enjoying the magnicent view. Before
long I dreamed of thermaling in the moun-
tains like the sailplanes did. My life was
changed forever by those days.
Clockwise from above: Student Kory Fletcher dons the 70-pound paramotor pack with help from James Farewell, left, and big brother
Eric; Kory learning to kite the wing in light breezes; kiting and more kitingdays of it.

ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE ACROBATS OF THE SKY collapsed paraglider wings. Some carried
One balmy day during the 2013 Sun n Fun lightweight engine backpacks with cages
Its so wonderful to y over the desert, says Fly-In, I stood photographing demo ying made of protective webbing. Others rolled
Deanna Lucky of Phoenix, Arizona. at the events ultralight mecca, Paradise out on spidery-legged trike units made of
Shes a high-energy, self-described go-getter of City. Suddenly like circus performers tum- carbon ber tubes with power modules
33 who bartends at a popular watering hole in town. bling into the ring under the big top, a bolted on.
One day a patron oered her a tandem ride. She said, ragtag band of powered paraglider (PPG) I noted the age range of the group: from
Heck yeah!
enthusiasts poured onto the eld, bubbling teens to folks older than meand Im 69.
I didnt have a clue what paragliding was, she with infectious, happy energy. They carried The troupe laid out their elegant, rainbow-
says. But I took the rideand started training three
days later!
billowing jumbles of what looked like big hued, scimitar-shaped wings. Pilots cinched
beanbags and tangles of thin, rainbow-col- down motor backpack straps or climbed into
I asked what took her so long. She laughs.
ored suspension lines. Those bags were trike units. One young woman rode a trike
I lucked out, too. Ryan Shaw, one of the top PPG i-
ers in the world, lives here. He trained me. Deanna
had never own before. But practice makes perfect:
I kited every morning and afternoon for two weeks.
I wanted to be perfect before I put that weight on
my back.
Two years later, a near-daily ier, she helps Ryan
Shaw teach new pilots. Im out at ve every morn-
ing; its my cup of coee!
Her rig is a Nirvana Instinct NS 160. It weighs 60
pounds, without fuel and the harness. Her wing is a
20-meter Nucleon WRC.
And heres what Deanna loves most about paraglid-
ing: Im up there in my own little world. Its fun
and an adrenaline rush, but also very relaxing.
The biggest challenge? Launching, she says. But
Im condent, so I dont worry; I just relax. Im
more self-conscious at meets with lots of people
watching me!
Actually, she adds, Im excited to get out and
show o.
Deanna is a born good listener, which is why she
loves tending bar. Beginners, particularly males,
dont always return the favor. The last thing a
newbie pilot wants is some woman telling them
what to do. But we all need to work together to
grow a safer sport.
Thats why I did well in my training: I listened
because I had no idea what I was doing. I still
learn that way in my ying.

78Sport AviationAugust 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES LAWRENCE

with big, cartoony gray balloon tires and a
pink wing bundle. She looked to be all of 14.
Before long, the staccato snarl of two-stroke
engines brought forth sweet wafts of premix
exhaust. High-denition cameras were
switched on, headsets and radios checked. A
short wait for a thumbs-up from those tire-
less ightline folks clad in orange, and it was
magic time. I watched one after another par-
amotor pilot line up, tug the crumpled
bananas of fabric into inated wing shapes
overhead, and jog into the sky.
Did you ever awaken from a dream of
spreading your arms, running down a road,
and oating into the blue? Here is that
dream made real. Yep, I thought. Gotta
do this.
BOOT CAMP BLUES
Four weeks later Im sitting in Eric
Farewells Aviator PPG shop in Lake Wales,
Florida. Its the rst day of my powered
paragliding training course. Erics a likable,
fast-talking, Jimmy Stewart-esque ambassa-
dor of ight whos been ying since he was a
preteen. Hes just 28 but has already logged
time in 81 aircraft and gives every
Clockwise from top left: James Lawrence drives around on the trike without the wing; kiting practice with James Farewell.
impression that aviation is rst, last, and
foremost the center of lift in his life.
He welcomes Kory Fletcher, a strapping
22-year-old from Ohio, and me to class.
Kory has caught the fever. Although hes
never ridden in a lightplane, a brand new
Nirvana power pack waits back home.
Erics younger brother and training appren-
tice James, an 18-year-old up-and-coming
PPG pilot in his own right, joins the session
as Big Bro clues us in to what lies ahead.
You wont even touch a paramotor pack
for several days, Eric says. Powered para-
gliding is all about learning to handle the
paraglider wing rst. So brothers, we are
going to go out every morning and after-
noon, weather permitting, to practice
kiting the wings.
He shows us ying photos and videos on
his computer and tells us well be launching
our wings hundreds and hundreds of times.
Im not exaggerating, he says. Its the best
way I can teach you to react instinctively.
Trust me, especially for pilots like you, Jim,
its not a think-your-way-through process.
Its more like riding a bike: You learn to react
automatically before the wing gets away
from you. He talks candidly about some
PPG schools he knows of that rush pilots
into the air. His course runs nine days or
more. And its all safety rst. At my age, I like
those priorities. Eric tells me Ill y the
Nirvana trike rather than the foot-launched
backpack. Aw, says my inner macho, I can
handle foot launch.
Then my creaky knees, lower back, old
rotator cuff injuries, and stiff neck sing an
overruling chorus. If its good enough for
Eric at 28, who loves trikes as well backpack
ying, itll work for me.
BUILDING SWEAT EQUITY
Four hours into kiting day one and Im get-
ting an education in humility. Gathered on
the gentle sloping grass of nearby Lake Easy
Ive discovered kitings biggest challenges lie
primarily between my ears.
Classmate Kory is doing well. Im not.
Self-critical, I grumble at myself for being all
over the sky with the wing, which wants to
dance, weave, and jerk around over my head
like a tea bag in boiling water. When I yank
on the brake lines too hard, or move in the
wrong direction, or pull the wrong brake
www.eaa.org79
line, which I seem incapable of not doing, Im taking over. And body is dead wrong hand-eye-brain dysfunction to wade
the wing collapses into a disdainful pile at most of the time. Now I get Erics Carl through, although progress comes more
my feet. Sagan-like invocation of hundreds and quickly. In time mind and body sort that
hundreds of launches. He wasnt kidding. out, too. And something else is happening:
DONT STEP ON THIS CATS TAIL! The next few days are one hot, sweaty lit- Im feeling the wing come alive. It wants to
Paragliders are controlled by quick, anticipa- any of launch, collapse, crash, repeat. y all by itself; I just have to get out of its
tory, mostly small inputs of the left and right Then something clicks. Reverse launching way. A paraglider wing is like a feral animal:
brake handles, which attach to riser lines becomes less mysterious, then natural. I You learn to understand and respect it. If
that anchor all along the trailing edge of the can keep the wing overhead now for long, you jerk it aroundwell, ever tried to pet a
ram air-inated envelope. Pull in the brake, satisfying minutes. Pat your head, rub your wild cat?
and it pulls down the right trailing edge. tummy: piece of cake! Then we learn for- Its been a long, demanding several days,
Simple, right? Yes, but the aerodynamic ward launches. Thats a whole new set of but other commitments are calling me away.
effects are nuanced. You pull the brake to
induce, like a wing ap, more lift and more
drag. Keep pulling, though, or pull too far
the rst time, and you risk completely stall-
ing that side of the wing. A full stall leads to
a crash back to the ground. The proper kit-
ing drill goes like this:
Face the wing for a reverse launch. Clip
the left and right riser groups into your
harness carabiners.
Hold the brake handles in your left and
right hands.
Hold both A or leading edge-inating
risers in your right hand.
Now, showtime: Back up smartly unless
theres enough breeze to inate the glider
on its own; tug rmly on the A lines; keep
tugging as the wing rides up in a
90-degree arc to an overhead position;
now stop the wing with a quick tug on
the brakes.
Thats it. Now just keep that wing hover-
ing overhead with little adjustments of the
brakes. Simple, no? No, if you dont tug the
brakes quickly enough, the wing races right
on over your head in a continuation of the
arc that brought it up. That invariably ends
in an inglorious, loud thwomp! Ask me how I
know. Or pull too much brake during launch
and the wing collapses right back down
where it started. Ask me how I know that,
too. Or, if it shoots into the sky with one side
lower than the otherthis is the part thats
driving me battyyou must quickly slide
your body, crabwise, to the side thats drop-
ping, simultaneously tugging on the brake on
that side, to add drag to the other wing thats
rising. Piece of cake, right? So is riding a uni-
cycle while juggling amethrowersonce
you learn how.
For my part, I tend to pull the wrong
brake and move my body toward the wrong Top: James Farewell gets a free ride with a 2-hp (humanpower) motor. Bottom: Kory Fletcher takes a breather after his rst powered
side. Brain says, Do this. Body says, Naw, ight attempt; the Farewell brothers ready the power pack.

80Sport AviationAugust 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES LAWRENCE

 The question is will I learn enough to y throttle. Im weary. Its been a long,
BORN FREE TO THE SKY under power before I go home? demanding trip. Come on coffee, do your
thing. Eric connects the riser groups to my
Eric Farewell was born 100 yards from the grass air- VROOM! VROOM! TIME harness. His voice comes through my
strip adjacent to the familys Chalet Suzanne resort A week later I rejoin the Aviator PPG headset: Okay, start the engine. I press
near Lake Wales, Florida. Almost my entire immedi- crew, happy to hear that Kory Fletcher the black button on the bicycle brake-style
ate family was involved in aviation: mother, uncle, successfully flew the morning after I left. throttle grip strapped to my left handthe
grandmother, and my grandfather, who ew ghters
and bombers in both theaters during World War II. Now its my turn. Calm, warm, humid air engine has its own little starter! It coughs
greets us at 6:30 a.m. Eric and James lay immediately to life, vibrating the trike.
I discovered ultralights when I was very young, he
says. One of his earliestand onlyying memories is out the wing while I jet around in the Okay, power up to launch the wing. I
weaving a Quicksilver MX II like a pylon racer between trike like a kid, getting a feel for the squeeze the throttle lever, the engine revs,
the tall saguaro cactus of Buckeye, Arizona. I was 12
or 13, and so free! I could climb over mountains, orbit
over silver mines, see the sunrise from the air.
Its one of few recollections that survive from those
years. At 18, while he hand-propped an ultralight, the
airplane got away from him. He suered severe injuries
to head and body that cost him most of his memory.
Its freeingand also terrifyingnot to remember
who you were or what you were like as a kid.
His injuries, including four broken vertebrae, doomed
his dreams of becoming a U.S. Air Force Academy
cadet. But as soon as he recovered, he went right
back to ying. In time, hed logged more than
1,200 hours in 81 types of ultralights, gyros, and
xed-wings.
Light aircraft always had my heart. I ew nonstop
every morning and evening that I could at our air-
strip. He lists the Titan Tornado, Air-Bike, Citabria,
Mini-Max, and Hi-Max among his favorite ivvers.
Somewhere along the way to getting his private pilot
and commercial tickets, he lost interest in GA ying
then he got into paramotors. Id watched the sport
for some time. Once the technology advanced to the
point I felt it was safe enough, I jumped in. It took
over my life!
He continues, Here was the ultimate in freedom.
Its like having an all-terrain vehicle that you stu
in the back seat of your car, take o in 10 yards from
a friends backyard or any eld, and y around for
an hour.
After awhile, he got bored with just ying around,
so I got into acrobatics. Its like owning a Cessna 150
that in time becomes an Extra 300: It grows with your
skills. Its like the Swiss Army knife of ying!
Hes taught ying since 2002, starting in ultralights.
The Aviator PPG, founded in 2012, has become a full-
time gig. And youre now my oldest graduate! he
tells me, recounting a student age range that begins
at 14. He likes to say the sport attracts the young, and
young at heart.
Our goal is to be as professional as possible; to build
a community, a family, of safe, responsible, gracious,
and enthusiastic pilots, he says.
I build skills, and we dont take shortcuts or y in
marginal wind conditions. I wont throw people up
into the air like some schools do. I want students
to know exactly what theyre doing, what to expect
once theyre in the air, and what to do if things
go wrong. Safety rst, brother.
Top: Students kiting near dawn. Regular kiting is encouraged to keep sharp with wing handling. Bottom: Eric Farewell shows how its
donein style.

82Sport AviationAugust 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES LAWRENCE

then coughs, and bogs down. I ease off a the low tip lifts back up and about the Five minutes later, Eric has me do
bit and the engine surges, the trike rolls same moment he yells, Full throttle! Im some turns, then chop power, and set up a
forward, and the wing flies up behind me! squeezing the handle and one second dead stickdead brakelanding. The
I look left. The wingtip rises upand up, later, just like that, I feel the surge in the long, peaceful descent takes nearly five
thats goodno no, too farand down it seat and Im lifting off the ground! minutes. A few feet above the grass, Erics
crashes on the right side. Kill the engine! Now my old flying habits take over, but voice in my ears the whole time, I pull the
Kill the engine! Eric yells. I thumb the these are good habits. Erics voice slides brake handles down all the way. The sink
red button on the throttle before lines into soothing in-flight mode over the rate arrests, I feel the flare, the trike set-
can get sucked into the prop cage. Eric radio, but Im back in my element: tles on with a soft plop, and that beautiful
patiently runs over the 20,000 or so things relaxed, relieved, and climbing for the banana-shaped wing, job done, falls
I didnt do quite right. little white puffies. I keep the wing behind me and were home free.
Another try. I gun it, the wing flies up, happy. I can feel it up there, alive and Grins, whoops, and handshakes as Eric
I back off the throttle, pull down on both responsive to every little tug of brake or comes running up.
brakes to stop the surge forward, then squeeze of power. We climb up to 1,200 Vivid memories of that launch, the
add power to keep rolling forward. Erics feet or so. All the kiting, frustrations, and peaceful undulations of hanging from that
yelling, Good! More gas now, more gas. discomfort melt away. It was worth every slice of wing fabric, stay with me for days
Youre taxiing, good, good! For a few second for this. afterward. Then one feeling rises up and
precious seconds Ive got it all working. Cruising around, I enjoy the gorgeous refuses to leave: the urge to go up again in
The wing stays up where it should. I wait green-gold landscape below and endless that magic chair, and merge with the sky.
for his command for full powerand then blue surrounding me. The view all around
the wing slides right, I react too slowly, is incredible: nothing ahead, to the side, James Lawrence, EAA 1017520, former actor (T.J. on TVs
and thwomp, back to the ground. Grrrr. below, or above other than the wing at 12 S.W.A.T.), has own, written about, and photographed
Another half-hour of trials and Im oclock. It feels like levitating along at aircraft from hang gliders to warbirds since 1977 and has
only getting worse. Trike launches call for jogging speed in a lawn chair. covered the LSA scene since 2007.
a fairly precise timing sequence. Its not
like cobbing the throttle and looking for
60 knots. And I must not be getting it.
Then the breeze begins to swirl over the
trees at the Farewell familys airstrip.
Gloom settles into my stomach. This is
my last opportunity to fly. Im driving to
Tampa International in three hours. All
this training. No flying. Maximum bum-
mer. I take a break. Have some water.
More coffee. Talk with Mark Jones and
Tom Halpin, two new students. Tom says,
Why not try it one more time? Eric says,
Yeah, come on, hop in. The winds south
enough. If you can keep the wing up just a
bit longer, youll be flying.
Feeling pessimistic, a little voice
inside me says, Aw, come on. Give it
another shot. I strap in and line up, lis-
tening to Erics instructions in the
headset. Okay, when youre ready give it
the gas. Here goes nothing. I gun it, the
wing surges up, I back off the throttle,
pull in some brakes to stop the surge,
watching that left tip like a hawk. Good!
Add throttle and start taxiing, Eric says
encouragingly. Ive got the wing stablea
minor miracle. I rev up, but the wing is
dropping again. Erics yelling, Turn
toward the low wing, turn toward the
wing! I do, tugging opposite brake, and James Lawrence, bottom left, after his successful ight in the trike, anked by Mark Jones, Tom Halpin, and Eric Farewell.

84Sport AviationAugust 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES LAWRENCE

 Another Successful Year of Uniting

Michelle Roufs, EAA 1124272, a student pilot

from Newton, Kansas, ew to Oshkosh
with her instructor in a Varga Kachina.

86Sport AviationAugust 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRADY LANE

 You just cant beat a combination
of dedicated people and airplanes.
People and Airplanes
EAAS ANNUAL REPORT
EAAS MISSION IS to bring people and airplanes
together. When we do that, magic can happen.
Im happy to report that EAA had another
successful year of providing a genuine aviation
experience for thousands of people. We nished
our scal year, which ended in February, with
more members at a total of 188,161, a positive bal-
ance sheet, and progress on helping to make
personal ying more available and less of a has-
sle. Details are in the following pages.
I credit our positive results to the prudent
management of your board of directors because
we faced some unexpected headwinds. The big-
gest surprise was the nearly half-million-dollar
bill the FAA handed us for air traffic control ser-
vices for our annual convention and y-in at
Oshkosh. And the change in policy came just a
few months before the big event.
We had the reserves to weather that turbu-
lence and now have in place a nine-year
agreement with the FAA going forward. We are
now assured that we can continue to welcome
more than 10,000 airplanes to Oshkosh during
the week of convention with no unexpected
charges or changes in operating procedures.
The other headwinds we encountered were
not surprises. The number of active pilots con-
tinues to decline, as does the number of
registered private airplanes of all types. The
average age of pilots and airplanes is still
increasing. But EAA has developed strategies to
stabilize, and I believe even reverse, the negative
trends we have been tracking for many years.
Our Young Eagles program continues to be
aviations most prominent and effective way to
introduce young people to ying. We are closing
in on 2 million Young Eagles own, all by EAA
members who volunteer their airplanes and y-
ing skills. I cant thank all you enough for your
care and giving to the next generation.
EAA is also working very effectively to make
it easier for already certificated pilots to keep
flying by lobbying for reform in third-class
medical certification. This has been a long
They are the best.
Sport Aviation, August 1966
struggle, but our efforts are paying off. The
FAA has announced new rules are being devel-
oped that will allow very expanded types of
private flying using a drivers license instead of
a third-class medical. The proposed rule
changes have not been published as I write
this, but I am convinced the changes will be
significant and welcome.
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, our annual y-in,
remains the single largest aviation event in the
world and brings together more people and air-
planes for one week than at any other place or
time. Oshkosh not only shows the beauty and
thrill of ying to hundreds of thousands, but also
reignites the ying passion in all of us. As you
can see in the nancial statements in this report,
Oshkosh is key to supporting all other EAA activ-
ities throughout the year.
The EAA AirVenture Museum continues to
contain and display the premier collection of his-
toric airplanes in many categories, telling the
story of aviation from the rst gliding and pow-
ered ights by the Wright brothers to the rst
privately designed and built spacecraft. EAA also
takes ying history on the road with our faithfully
restored B-17 Aluminum Overcast and our Ford
Tri-Motor ying the country offering rides.
Touring the two historic airplanes is a signicant
investment in keeping aviation history alive, but
your directors are convinced its worth the cost
for as long as we can keep the airplanes operating.
As I review the solid results of a challenging
year, I am once again reminded that none of this
would be possible without the generous volun-
teer work of thousands of EAAers. Everything
from buildings and grounds maintenance to y-
ing Young Eagles is done by volunteers, and your
board of directors and I cant thank each of you
enough for your dedication.
www.eaa.org87
Financial Performance
FOR THE FISCAL YEAR that ended February 28, 2014, EAA and the EAA and a variety of other youth education and outreach pro-
Aviation Foundation generated total revenues, gains, and other income grams. Cash donations were approximately $5.3 million or
of $41.3 million, an increase of $4.9 million or 13.6 percent. roughly 14 percent of total revenue in FY 2014, which is rela-
AirVenture is EAAs single largest source of revenue at 37 percent of tively consistent with the prior year. Donated services and
the total, consisting of admissions, camping, exhibits, sponsorship, com- property was $1 million in FY 2014, essentially even with the
missions, and other miscellaneous sources. AirVenture 2013 revenues prior year.
totaled $15.1 million, $400,000 or 2.9 percent higher than the prior year. Investment income represented $3.8 million or 9 percent
Membership levels increased 4.4 percent to 189,000 during FY 2014. of EAAs total income in FY 2014, an increase of $2.1 million
Related dues income generated was $5.75 million, relatively even with over the prior year. Substantial improvement in the invest-
the prior year. Membership dues represent approximately 14 percent of ment markets during FY 2014 led to the year-over-year
EAAs total revenues. increase. Most of these gains are from investment holdings of
Donations are important to EAAs mission of growing participation the EAA Aviation Foundation.
in aviation, providing essential support for Young Eagles, Air Academy, EAA and EAA Aviation Foundation incurred total operat-
ing expenses of $34.9 million in FY 2014, an increase of
$600,000 or less than 2 percent.
AirVenture is the largest area of operating expense at
Consolidated Statement $12.3 million or 35 percent of EAAs total expenses in FY
2014. The cost of AirVenture increased by $1.2 million over
of Financial Position the prior year due to a number of investments made to
enhance facilities, visitor amenities, features and attractions,
event promotion, and most notably FAA air traffic controller
February 28, 2014 February 28, 2013 costs. These investments are intended to ensure that
Assets AirVenture maintains its stature as the worlds premier avia-
Current assets 13,742,876 9,821,613 tion event.
Pledges receivable less current portion 44,296 66,562 While increasing investment in AirVenture, EAA also
Investments 25,928,273 22,638,349 increased the level of funding to program offerings in all
Property and equipment 63,122,993 61,248,376 other areas. Program expenses were $8.9 million in FY
Less accumulated depreciation (37,358,492) (35,225,744) 2014, an increase of $900,000 or nearly 11 percent. EAAs
Net property and equipment 25,764,501 26,022,632 programs offer myriad educational opportunities, advocacy
initiatives that protect members rights to y, and other ser-
Land 3,311,511 3,311,511 vices that support builders, restorers, and aircraft owners
Display aircraft 10,631,960 10,305,217 of all kinds.
Other assets 4,274,802 3,832,379 Management and general expenses totaled $3.9 million in
Total assets 83,698,219 75,998,263 FY 2014, a decrease of $1.1 million or 22 percent. Most of the
decrease relates to lower staffing costs, including the CEO/
president role currently being supported by Chairman Jack
Liabilities and net assets Pelton on a volunteer basis, and a recent favorable trend in
Current liabilities 10,199,487 9,307,440 health care costs.
Gift annuity liability, less current portion 169,301 172,244 As a result of these FY 2014 operating activities, EAA
Deferred compensation, less current portion 340,496 691,399 and the EAA Aviation Foundation have generated an
Long-term debt, less current maturities 8,257,187 8,064,424 increase in net assets of $6.3 million. Total net assets for the
Other long-term liabilities 79,523 182,270 combined entities at scal year-end were $62.5 million, an
Unearned income, less current portion 2,177,798 1,453,037 11 percent increase over the prior year. Of this amount,
$45.9 million (73 percent) is unrestricted as to use, and
Net assets $16.6 million (27 percent) is subject to temporary or perma-
Unrestricted 45,899,109 40,518,724 nent use restrictions.
Temporarily restricted 3,229,491 2,635,733 EAA management is pleased with the results of its scal
Permanently restricted 13,345,827 12,972,992 2014 operations and believes the nancial condition of EAA
62,474,427 56,127,449 and the EAA Aviation Foundation is sound. Going forward,
management will continue to exercise vigilance in adminis-
Total liabilities and net assets 83,698,219 75,998,263 tration of EAAs nancial resources to provide valued
programs and services to the membership while contributing
to the overall health and vitality of aviation.

88Sport AviationAugust 2014

Consolidated Statement of Activities
February 28, 2014

Temporarily Permanently
Unrestricted restricted restricted Consolidated February 28, 2013
Revenues, gains, and other support
Admissions and registrations 10,130,116 10,130,116 9,297,213
Membership dues and subscriptions 5,762,435 5,762,435 5,752,480
Donations 1,900,331 3,281,620 93,294 5,275,245 4,949,681
Investment income 1,648,503 1,874,393 279,541 3,802,437 1,717,464
Merchandise sales 2,250,019 2,250,019 2,013,427
Advertising 2,870,822 2,870,822 2,621,887
Sponsorship 2,269,296 2,269,296 2,636,096
Rental income 4,805,308 4,805,308 4,556,213
Commissions and royalties 1,454,057 1,454,057 1,174,611
Donated services and property 1,064,282 1,064,282 1,035,542
Other 1,589,460 1,589,460 586,997
Assets released from restriction 4,562,255 (4,562,255)

Total revenues, gains, and other support 40,306,884 593,758 372,835 41,273,477 36,341,611

Expenses
Program expenses 8,890,855 8,890,855 7,986,537
AirVenture expenses 12,271,897 12,271,897 11,058,016
Membership services 6,341,462 6,341,462 6,946,470
Management and general 3,881,892 3,881,892 4,946,189
Cost of merchandise 1,957,378 1,957,378 1,796,855
Fundraising 1,578,384 1,578,384 1,513,442
Other 4,631 4,631 69,293

Total expenses 34,926,499 34,926,499 34,316,802

Change in net assets 5,380,385 593,758 372,835 6,346,978 2,024,809

Beginning of year 40,518,724 2,635,733 12,972,992 56,127,449 54,102,640

End of year 45,899,109 3,229,491 13,345,827 62,474,427 56,127,449

This report was compiled from the audit of Experimental Aircraft Association and the EAA Aviation Foundation Inc. recently completed by Grant Thornton LLP. Copies of the complete audit report, including footnotes, are available at www.EAA.org.
8 9 4 5
7 10 6
6
3
5

1 1
4

3
2 2

Revenues, gains, and other support......... $41.3 million
1. Admissions and registrations ............................ 24.5%
2. Membership dues and subscriptions ................ 14.0%
3. Donations ........................................................... 15.4%
4. Investment income ..............................................9.2%
5. Merchandise sales............................................... 5.5%
6. Advertising ........................................................... 7.0%
7. Sponsorship ......................................................... 5.5%
8. Rentals ............................................................... 11.6%
9. Commissions and royalties ................................. 3.5%
10. Other ....................................................................3.9%
Expenses..................................................... $34.9 million
1. Program expenses ............................................ 25.5%
2. AirVenture expenses ......................................... 35.1%
3. Membership services ........................................ 18.2%
4. Management and general .................................. 11.1%
5. Cost of merchandise ...........................................5.6%
6. Fundraising........................................................... 4.5%

www.eaa.org89
Thank you for your support and for sharing your love of ight through EAA.
$250,000+ Craig and Gisele Barto Wyche and Rhonda Coleman
James and Jane Slattery Eileen Bjorkman James and Ann Cooling
Cirrus Aircraft Corporation Norm and Kathy DeWitt
$100,000-$249,999 Citation Jet Pilots Chuck and Eileen Drake
Emil Buehler Perpetual Trust Richard and Mary Compton James Dricken
Cessna Aircraft Company ConocoPhillips Bruce Fine
Van & Betty J. Eller Living Trust Marsha Dickson ForeFlight
Robert Hagedorn John Dunham Alan Gaudenti
David Lau Embraer Robert and Diane Gingell
Norman Moyer Fagen Fighters WWII Museum James and Marge Gorman
Phillips 66 Falcon Insurance Gulfstream
Norbert Fiedler Jeff and Martha Hamilton
$50,000-$99,999 Randy Foutch Richard R. & Gretchen E. Harper Fund
Daher-Socata GE Aviation Jack Harrington
Dodie Gann Michael and Wendy Graham Helicopter Association International
Global Aerospace Charles and Lisa Gregg Greg and Suzanne Herrick
Jeppesen William and Gerry Grifth Doreen Hillard
Austin E. Knowlton Foundation Michael and Maria Herman International Society of Transport Aircraft
Charlotte Vern Olson Trust Nathan and Christa Houser Trading Foundation
Jack and Rose Pelton The Hubbard Broadcasting Foundation Jackson Walker LLP
Jack Roush Johnson Family Foundation Jim and Cindy Janes
Dale and Kathy Schneider Clay Keath Don and Nieves Jones
Walton Family Foundation Rick King Herb and Carol Jorgensen
Keith Kocourek Kansas Aircraft
$20,000-$49,999 Bradley Mottier Karrels Foundation
Stuart Auerbach and Marilyn OReagan Marilyn Niccum Richard Kimberly
Ted and Grace Bachhuber Foundation Inc. Northrup Grumman Foundation Bill and Beth Knighton
Bill and Debra Bachschmidt Parker Cleveland Wheels & Brakes John E. Kuenzl Foundation Inc.
Tom and Hetty Ball Richard A. Perritt Charitable Foundation Ronald Lohr
Jerrel and Janice Barto PHD Hospitality Marsh USA Inc.
Beau and Debra Bradley Cliff Robertson Ethics Foundation Phil and Stephanie Martineau
William Buerschinger David and Andrea Robertson Robert Menke
August A. Busch III Charitable Trust Peter and Fawn Rogers David Mills
William Cole Jeannie Rose National Business Aviation Association
Jim and Julie Cook Dan and Keena Schwinn Grant Norwitz
Ron and Diane Fagen Cyrus Sigari Jim Phillips
Tracy Forrest SportAir USA Piaggio American Inc.
Jerry and Lori Fussell Richard Swenson Max Reising
Garmin Ron Tarrson Alan and Jane Ritchie
Ned Greenop Jim and Angela Thompson Aniceto Rivera
John Grillo Jack and Joy Timken Myrt Rose
Honda Aircraft Company Tinker Murdock Family Fund Scott Seibold
Agustin Huneeus Gary and Lisa Turchin Sennheiser
David and Florence Kleine John and Lori Turner Robert Sherman
John and Adrienne Mars Jon Vesely Craig and Sue Sincock
Jim and Miriam Mulva Marc and Amy Wheeler Terry and Kimberly Slawinski
Ed and Pat Noel Dee Winston Sportys Pilot Shop
Virginia L. Peterson Trust Paul Wood Robert and Wendy Stallings
John and Elizabeth Seibold Daniel Sullivan
Michael Slattery $5,000-$9,999 Tubreaux Aviation
Rich and Sue Sugden Aircraft Spruce United Technologies Corporation
Richard Taylor AirFleet Capital University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
Terry and Janice Turke Alaska Airlines Ventura County Chapter of the Ninety-Nines
Shane and Ginny Vanderwaal Allianz Estate of Marianne M. Wadsworth
Waste Management Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Thomas Wathen
Joe Whisenhunt ATK Robert and Susan Wilson
Williams International Richard and Adrienne Beattie Wings Over the Rockies
BendixKing
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Steve and Cindy Aughinbaugh Raymond Bottom Patricia Adikes-Hill
Aviation Education Foundation Rick Brewer Foster and Lauren Bachschmidt

90Sport AviationAugust 2014

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Continental Motors Inc. Stacey Chiocchio Steve and Carol MacCabe
Courtesy Aircraft Steven Clark Dale Machalleck
Ken and Tanja DeHoff Jim Click Daniel and Cate Majka
EAA Chapter 706 Inc. Larry Coha David and Martha Martin
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University John Cronin Joseph Masessa
Jim Emery Davies Ford Bruce and Jolene McCaw
David Flinn Peter DeCraene Debra McFarland
David and Lyn Gemperle Deerwood Bank Megan McLaughlin
Richard Gravel James Denman Tim Moore
Stephen Greak Janine Diana Terence OBrien
Great Rivers Aviation LLC EAA Chapter 132 Inc. David Oreck
Ken and Melissa Griffey EAA Chapter 160 Inc. James Origer
Michael Hackwith EAA Chapter 1454 Inc. Park Industries
Travis Hamilton Eagle Bank Scott Pearson
Clay Healey John Earley Rachel Peters
James Hefelnger Dean S. Edmonds Pat and Barbara Phillips
Jared Isaacman Kevin Egan Darren and Lisa Pleasance
The Zora Jacobson Revocable Trust John and Barbara Elford Anais Pouille
Johnson County Community Foundation Sharon Elske Charles Precourt
Ben and Audra Lee Stephanie Esla Clay and Carol Presley
Richard and Betty Meyer ExxonMobil Timothy Raupp
Larry Noe Amber Favaregh James Ray
David OMaley David Fetter William Rewey
Gordon Rock Firstair Group Inc. Mike Rinn
Ryan Family Charitable Foundation Fletcher Family Foundation Todd Ritzman
Don and Judy Seibold Donald Forslund Douglas Roever
Jerome Simon Piero Fracella Claire Rolfs
Simons Rockwell Ford of Bath Inc. Bryant Gaines Robert Ross
Sun n Fun Fly-In CarolAnn Garratt Paul Royko
William Talen Robert Gilmore Kenneth Schmetter
Ed Turley Gayle Gorman-Green Charles Schnatter
John and Suzy Vette Mike Goulian Louis and Christine Seno
Craig and Connie Willan Richard and Pat Graham Don Smith
Women in Aviation, International Rex Gray Peggy Smith
Wreyford Family Foundation Greenaway Foundation Timothy Staats
Anne Wright Ross Gresley Fred and Carol Stadler
Arnold Zimmerman Adam Grosser David and Jan Stadt
James Zimmerman Michael and Sheela Hall Cynthia Staffeldt
Herbert Zwahlen James Hawkes John Starynski
Guy Hill STS Aviation Group
$1,000-$2,499 Josh and Julie Hochberg David Stubben
Victor Abbey Steve Hocking Todd Suko
Deb Abrahams Ray Hofman Ted and Dottie Teach
Bill Adams Rita Hollman John and Nora Teipen
Mark Aloe Michael and Billie Howard Eric Treland
Analytical Mechanics Associates Inc. Layton Humphrey United Airlines Foundation
Louis and Sue Andrew Steve Hutchens Steve Vatale
Jack Arthur IBM Corp. Vern Eide Ford
Aspen Avionics Paul Jackson Vigyan
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Aviation Resource Center of Wisconsin Richard Kane David Willeford
Aviation Supplies & Academics Pete and Nancy Kelley Patrick Wilson
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92Sport AviationAugust 2014

STICK AND RUDDER
BETTER PILOT
Into the Mist
Avoiding the dangers of VFR into IMC
BY ROBERT N. ROSSIER
ONE OF THE MOST SUREFIRE ways for pilots to meet an untimely end is
to continue ying VFR into instrument conditions. For even the
slowest airplane, slamming into terrain at ying speed is tantamount
to suicide. Losing control of the aircraft virtually assures an ugly
end, and ying blindly into thunderstorms can quickly tear an air-
craft apart. Sadly, NTSB reports continue to appear bearing the grim
news of non-instrument-rated pilots who failed to heed the warn-
ings and continued on in the face of IMC. The real problem, it seems,
is that pilots often dont recognize the severity of their situation, or
the hazard posed by the conditions, until they are already airborne
and ying dead on into danger.
94Sport AviationAugust 2014
INTO THE STORM
In some instances, it seems the pilot must
have felt some form of pressure to continue a
ight in the face of obviously adverse weather
conditions. In October of 2013, a 163-hour
private pilot planned a roughly three-hour
ight from Merritt Island, Florida, (COI) to
LaGrange, Georgia, (LGC) in a retractable-
gear Piper Arrow. About two hours into the
ight, the pilot was advised by ATC of heavy
and moderate precipitation extending from
the airplanes 10- to 2-oclock positions and 14
miles ahead. The pilot acknowledged the
information and told ATC that he would try
to y around it. No further transmissions
were received from the pilot.
The NTSB report paints an ugly picture.
Radar data indicated that the aircraft made a
descending right spiral to the ground in an
area of light precipitation. The data was con-
sistent with a pilot succumbing to spatial
disorientation. The pilot was killed in the
resulting crash. The pilots logbook revealed
that he had only 1.7 hours of simulated
instrument time in his total ying career
hardly enough to become procient in deal-
ing with such conditions.
THE LAST IMPORTANT MEETING
In a similar report, the pilot of a Cessna 182
had departed his home airport in Delta,
Colorado, (AJZ) just before 8 a.m. on his
way to nearby Crawford Airport (99V) some
20 miles away where he was to take his pri-
vate pilot ight test. Conditions at the time
included a 600-foot overcast and visibility of
4 miles. The aircraft crashed about 2 miles
from the departure airport, fatally injuring
the pilot.
A common thread in these two accidents
seems to be a failure to recognize the sever-
ity of the conditions, and the pilots own lack
ILLUSTRATION BY GARY COX
of skills and abilities to meet the demands of
the ight. Even light precipitation can dras-
tically reduce visibility, making it impossible
for a pilot to y safely by visual references.
Likewise, it can be very difficult to judge
cloud heights while on the ground. What
might appear to be reasonable ying condi-
tions on the ground can be a nightmare just a
few hundred feet in the air.
INTO THE DARKNESS
Nighttime is especially dangerous in mar-
ginal ight conditions, since we cant
exactly see the clouds, or the hidden ter-
rain and obstacles. Consider the case of the
pilot of a Piper Warrior who departed VFR
from Florida Keys Marathon Airport
(MTH) at about 5:30 p.m. local time on a
ight to Vero Beach, Florida. It was dark at
that time of day in February, and the pilot
called ATC for ight following as he
headed north along the coast. Passing West
Palm Beach, ATC advised the pilot that
Vero Beach Municipal Airport was report-
ing IMC, so the pilot reported that he
would land at St. Lucie County
International Airport (FPR) in Fort Pierce,
Florida. About 4 miles south of Witham
Field Airport (SUA) in Stuart, Florida, the
pilot contacted Miami Air Route Traffic
Control Center for further ight following.
He was advised by ATC that radar coverage
was not available at his current altitude,
which was a mere 450 feet. The pilot
acknowledged the transmission and was
never seen or heard from again. Debris
from the aircraft, including personal arti-
facts from the pilot, washed up on the
beaches near Stuart in the following days.
It is unclear from the NTSB report
whether or not the pilot had received a
weather brieng for the ight, but it is prob-
ably safe to say that the pilot did not expect
IMC in Vero Beach. It is quite likely that the
pilot descended to the low altitude of 450
feet to avoid entering the clouds. It would
have been very difficult at that altitude, over
the ocean, to maintain ight by visual refer-
ences. Sadly, by the time the pilot asked
Miami Center for help, there was nothing
controllers could do.
This sad story highlights some important
lessons. First is the importance of always
getting a thorough weather brieng, espe-
cially for a non-instrument pilot
contemplating a night ight. Just as impor-
tant is the need to maintain safe altitude and
to request assistance in a timely manner
when safety of ight becomes a concern.
TRAPPED IN A MAZE
Clouds and mountainous terrain concoct a
particularly deadly combination that can
leave pilots without any good options. Take
the case of a Glasair III pilot on a VFR
ight from Hobbs, New Mexico, (HOB) to
Mesa, Arizona, (FFZ) in April of this year.
The pilot contacted the air route traffic
control center in Albuquerque, New
www.eaa.org95
STICK AND RUDDER
BETTER PILOT
Mexico, and declared an emergency, stating
that he was trapped underneath a cloud
layer in mountainous terrain, and that the
visibility was deteriorating. The controller
attempted to guide the pilot out of the
deadly maze, directing him to the San
Carlos Apache Airport (P13). The aircraft
crashed in remote mountainous terrain,
killing the pilot. Once again, by the time the
pilot had asked for help, there was not
much ATC could do.
THE CLOSE CALL
The 150-hour private pilot of a Cessna 172
and his passenger were on a ight from
Springeld-Branson National Airport (SGF),
Springeld, Missouri, to Northwest Alabama
Regional Airport (MSL) and hadnt gone far
when the situation became desperate. The
pilot had departed in marginal VFR condi-
tions, and after climbing to his planned
altitude was forced lower due to ceilings.
ATC advised the pilot that his destination
96Sport AviationAugust 2014
was IMC and suggested he divert to Bolivar,
Tennessee. The pilot turned to a heading
suggested by ATC, but had to continue
descending due to lowering ceilings.
Realizing the seriousness of the situation,
the pilot elected to make a precautionary
landing in a elda decision that most likely
saved his life. The aircraft landed hard in
muddy terrain, causing substantial damage,
and injuring one of the occupants. The good
news is that both the pilot and passenger
lived to tell the tale.
AVOIDING DISASTER
Getting trapped in IMC is a deadly serious
situation for the non-instrument-rated pilot,
and the following tips can help prevent the
fatal outcome.
Step one in avoiding IMC encounters is
to obtain a thorough weather briefing, and
then get frequent updates. Avoid flying in
marginal conditions, or into areas of
known IMC.
During the ight, keep careful tabs on the
weather, and leave yourself some outs in the
form of airports with good VFR weather to
which you can readily divert.
Use ight following as a resource to
improve the ight safety, and act early when
conditions start to deteriorate. If you wait
too long, there may be nothing ATC can do
to help.
Get all the instrument training and expe-
rience you can. Having the skills to control
the airplane solely by reference to instru-
ments can save your life when weather
closes in unexpectedly.
If possible, avoid ying into instrument
conditions. As the stories here suggest, it is
much better to make a precautionary off-eld
landing than y blindly into the mist.
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.
WHAT WENT WRONG
BETTER PILOT
Who Needs Ailerons?
BY J. MAC MCCLELLAN
MAINTENANCE ISSUES THAT lead to fatal accidents are really quite rare.
Most maintenance mistakesat least the ones that are implicated in
accidentstypically involve the engine. No surprise there. Engines
are complicated and highly stressed compared to other components
of an airplane.
Airplane airframes are actually quite robust with lots of margin
designed in. Most cracks in structure, even primary structure, dont
bring airplanes down. And even signicant corrosion can occur before
the structure is compromised. I remember once seeing a V-tail
Bonanza taxi up to the maintenance shop with corrosion so bad on the
magnesium ruddervators that the trailing edge of the metal was scal-
loped between the rivets. Yet it apparently ew just ne.
But there are some airframe components that dont have as much
margin as others. And there are components that, if proper mainte-
nance procedures arent followed, can compromise the safety of the
entire airplane in a fairly short time.
It was a hot but nice day in Puerto Rico when a Cessna 172 was
approaching Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport (TJIG) in San
Juan. TJIG is a large general aviation airport just a few miles from the
main Luis Munoz Marin International Airport. The wind was less than
10 knots from the east, and there were scattered clouds at 4,000 feet.
The Skyhawk pilot was approaching TJIG from the west, and the
tower controller cleared him for a straight-in approach to land on
Runway 9. Everything was routine until the 172 was just a couple
miles from the runway when the pilot called the tower saying, I
think I got my aileron cable broken. Ah, I am unable to maintain
level ight, so Ill continue the descent and land.
98Sport AviationAugust 2014
NTSB investigators interviewed several
witnesses who saw the Skyhawk approach-
ing the runway. All agreed that the airplane
appeared to be maintaining level ight. But
then they saw it bank to the right and
descend until it hit the water in a right-
wing-low nose-down attitude.
A pilot on approach behind the 172 told
investigators that the airplane made some
zigzagging prior to banking to the right. He
saw the airplanes right wingtip strike the
water surface followed by a cartwheel. The
airplane disappeared below the surface.
Investigators recovered video of the acci-
dent sequence from a security camera. The
video showed the 172 banking to the right
and remaining at a more or less continuous
bank angle and turn rate. The video showed
the airplane turning right almost 180
degrees before striking the water. The air-
plane sank within about two seconds.
The NTSB located the private pilots log-
book showing 1,150.9 hours total time. The
last entry was 10 months before the accident
ight, but the pilot had subsequently indi-
cated 1,175 hours on his medical application
about three months before the accident.
Investigators couldnt determine the extent
of the pilots recent experience, but he
clearly wasnt inexperienced.
The Skyhawk had been built in 1976, but
the best information the NTSB had on total
time is just more than 3,000 hours that was
indicated on the tachometer. A Hobbs meter
showed only 586 hours, but it could have been
replaced or added later in the airplanes life.
The airplanes last annual inspection was
recorded just three months before the acci-
dent. The records showed a tach time at
annual just 10 hours lower than the tach
time found in the wreckage. However, there
was confusion about exactly when the
annual was performed. The IA who signed
off on the inspection thought it was about
six months before the accident, but the
records show only about three months.
Examination of the wreckage revealed
the ap jackscrew was in a position correlat-
ing to 10 degrees of ap extension. The
ailerons and aps remained attached,
But there are some airframe components that dont have as
much margin as others. And there are components that, if proper
maintenance procedures arent followed, can compromise the safety
of the entire airplane in a fairly short time.
though there was crush damage across The control cables in the Skyhawk are
much of the wing. made from strands of steel that are laid
The interconnect aileron cable, the cable (twisted is a layman term) to form a wire
that traverses the wing between ailerons, rope. Large diameter cables are often
exhibited broomstrawing, which indicates called wire rope, but the much smaller
the cable failed in overload. However, the cables used in airplanes are called cables,
right aileron direct cable, the one that travels and their use dates back to the earliest air-
from the control columns to the control sur- planes. The aileron cable in a Skyhawk is
face, appeared to have failed before impact. 3/32 inch in diameter.
When investigators looked more closely As a lifelong racing sailor I have had a
it appeared the aileron direct cable was love-hatemostly hateaffair with wire
corroded. The corrosion was most promi- rope. Before high-tech bers such as
nent where the cable had passed over a Vectran, Spectra, Dyneema, and others were
pulley located above the right side cabin developed racers used wire rope to mini-
door post. mize stretch in rigging. The wire rope cut
www.eaa.org99
WHAT WENT WRONG
BETTER PILOT
into anything it came in contact with,
including the sheaves (pronounced shiv)
that are the rotating wheel components in a
pulley. The wire rope also cut into sailors
hands and had to be handled with care if it
was going to have a decent service life.
The quickest way to cause a wire rope to
fail is to bend it over too sharp of a radius, or
to chafe it over a sheave that has jammed.
When that happens the individual strands in
the rope begin to break and stick out. Sailors
call those shhooks, and they really slice
your ngers.
Stainless steel wire rope is available, but
the stainless is more brittle than galvanized
steel. The stainless wire ropes resist corro-
sion, which is good, but the strands tend to
break down more quickly because the
stainless wires arent as exible as galva-
nized. Its a kind of pick your poison choice.
We have the very same issues in air-
plane control cables. The control cables in
an airplane are not usually as highly
loaded as on a racing sailboat, but corro-
sion and chafe are the enemy for both. If a
sheave locks up, or control cables chafe
against each other, or against the airframe,
cable life can become very short. And cor-
rosion of the typical galvanized cable is
a huge issue in airplanes that operate in
hostile environments of high humidity
and near seawater. The Skyhawk that
crashed in Puerto Rico lived in that
hostile environment.
100Sport AviationAugust 2014
Because certication requirements demand that an airplane with
a single control systemwhich is pretty much all airplanes without
boosted or powered controlsmust be controllable after a single
failure. In other words, test pilots demonstrated that the Skyhawk is
controllable in roll using rudder only.
Investigators found that the control instructions. Cessna requires that for
cables in the accident Skyhawk appeared to Skyhawks that spend 30 percent or more of
be oiled as the maintenance manual directs their time ying in or stored in severe cor-
to retard corrosion and maintain exibility. rosion areas the control cables and
There were signs of some corrosion on each components must be inspected every 600
cable examined, but when examined micro- hours or 12 months, whichever occurs rst.
scopically there were no broken strands. The aileron cable inspection guide
Corrosion preventive compound was found requires that cable tension be measured and
on the cables, even in areas were some cor- adjusted, and that the entire length of all
rosion was located. cables be visually inspected for signs of cor-
But 2 inches of the right aileron direct rosion or broken wires. The maintenance
cable that failed, the section that passed guide also instructs the inspector to run a
over the door post pulley, was severely cor- shop rag along the length of each cable. If
roded. Under magnication it was apparent there are any broken wires, the shhooks
most of the strands had corroded com- will snag the rag. If broken wires are found
pletely through. The door post pulley had in the cable, it must be removed and bent in
moderate corrosion on the sheave bearing a loop to inspect the severity of the damage.
and spacer, and the sheave would not The maintenance guide also requires
rotate. And the rim of the sheave showed inspection of all pulleys, chafe blocks, fair-
signs of scoring where the cable had leads, cable terminals, and so on. A broken
dragged over the frozen sheave. wire on a cable in an area that does not pass
Cessna and other airplane manufacturers over a sheave or chafe on airframe parts is a
are very aware of control cable maintenance particular concern because it is almost
requirements and publish very specic always caused by corrosion.
 It is possible, according to the mainte-
nance guide, to inspect nearly all of the
Skyhawk flight control system without
disassembly. Visual inspection can be
by direct sight, mirror and flashlight,
or borescope.
The expanded Cessna maintenance
guide doesnt point this out, but the NTSB
notes that the pulley over the door post is in
a very difficult area to see or reach. The
NTSB found it likely that during the inspec-
tion of the Skyhawk the mechanic failed to
see the corrosion of the cable and pulley
mechanism. Thus the probable cause nd-
ing for the accident is maintenance
personnels improper lubrication of the
right direct aileron control cable and failure
to detect the severe corrosion of the cable
during a maintenance inspection, which
resulted in the in-ight failure of the cable,
the pilots subsequent inability to maintain
aircraft control, and the airplanes impact
with terrain.
Why did the board include the pilots
inability to maintain control in the probable
cause? Because certication requirements
demand that an airplane with a single con-
trol systemwhich is pretty much all
airplanes without boosted or powered con-
trolsmust be controllable after a single
failure. In other words, test pilots demon-
strated that the Skyhawk is controllable in
roll using rudder only.
In the laboratory ying that is experi-
mental ight testing, airplanes are
controllable with one of the primary ight
controls failed. But experimental ight tests
are conducted in smooth air so turbulence
doesnt mask the actual behavior of the air-
plane. And most importantly the test pilot
knows what is failed and is fully briefed and
prepared to handle the problem. If the test
doesnt work out, he gets to try again.
Compare that to a pilot on approach who
suddenly loses aileron control. It was a hot
and sunny afternoon, so it was most likely at
least a little bumpy. Prompt and aggressive
use of the rudder would almost certainly
have been enough to get the airplane to the
runway. But this pilot had to recover from
the surprise of the aileron failure, gure out
what was wrong, and then make the rudder
inputs to level the wings while bumping
along not far above the ground. Could you
handle this failure every time? Could I han-
dle it every time? You only get to make one
mistake. Its something to think about.
This article is based solely on the official nal
NTSB report of the accident and is intended to
bring readers attention to the issues raised in
the report. It is not intended to judge or reach
any denitive conclusions about the ability or
capacity of any person, living or dead, or any
aircraft or accessory.
J. Mac McClellan, EAA 747337, has been a pilot for
more than 40 years, holds an ATP certicate, and owns a
Beechcraft Baron. To contact Mac, e-mail mac@eaa.org.
www.eaa.org101
ILL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN
BETTER PILOT
Bacon-Saving Skills
Precision coordinated turns
BY GROVER MAURER, EAA 0377842; FRISCO, TEXAS
IN 1961, WHEN I THOUGHT it was time for me to spring the idea of
buying an airplane and learning to y, I started by casually leaving
ying magazines lying around the house for weeks, and working to
convince my wife, Jeanne.
Our search for the right airplane led us to the airport in Renton,
Washington, and a pretty, orange and white Commonwealth
Skyranger. It had a cracked wooden wing rib, and as we waited for
the repair we began a search for an instructor. We went through our
rst hours of dual with instructors that moved on. One was injured
ferrying a Seabee amphibian, another moved to Alaska, and another
who just did not connect. We continued our search.
When we met Ed White, 81 years old, we both agreed that he was
what we had been looking for. Ed had been instructing for a long
time, and he had a way of teaching that made us look forward to
every session. Ed would not recommend me for my private pilot
checkride until I had mastered controlled ight under the hood with
only the primary instruments visible. Straight and level ight, turns
in both directions, maintaining airspeed and altitude, rolling out on a
new course, one-needle turns, and always keeping the ball centered.
102Sport AviationAugust 2014
And nally, recovery from an unusual atti-
tude. At the core of all of this training was
the precision coordinated turn. Learn this
and it will save your bacon someday, Ed
said. He was right.
Time passed and our family grew, so it
was time to move on to an airplane with
more space. Our new ride was a Stinson
Voyager 108 with the Franklin 150-hp
engine. It would carry the four of us, and we
took every advantage of its utility. My shift at
the Boeing Company ended each day at 3 p.m.,
and with the long summer daylight hours in
the Northwest, we had practically a whole
day left to play. Within an hour or so ight
time from Bellevue there are many small
remote airstrips ready to explore. We visited
the islands strips on Puget Sound and the
Washington state-operated emergency
ILLUSTRATION BY MATT BELLISLE
strips throughout the state and in the
Cascade Mountains. By the time I would
arrive home from work, Jeanne would have
the picnic packed. Our children, still pre-
school age, were prepped and ready for
anything, and we would head to the aireld.
Our destination one afternoon was a
Washington state emergency strip located
on the outer anks of Mount Rainier. The
Pilots Guide to Washington Airports lists the
eld elevation at 2,600 feet and a length of
3,000 feet. Further it states there are 50-foot
trees on each side of the runway. It was an
easy trip to navigate; just point the nose
toward that big lump with a little snow on
top that was lling our windshield.
Following our nger-on-the-chart navi-
gation method, we located the strip and set
up a straight-in approach. The windsock
was limp as we reached a pattern altitude of
about 800 feet AGL. Adjusting power and
aps, the landing approach looked good.
Then we spotted the deer strolling on the
side of the runway. I immediately applied
full power and retracted the aps. My
impulse was to climb back to pattern alti-
tude, return on the downwind leg, and start
all over, hoping that our yby cleared the
area of deer. Reaching the end of the runway,
the terrain to the left in the direction I had
planned to turn was blocked by tall r trees
and higher landscape. I abandoned that plan
and decided to just climb straight ahead out
of this situation and then start over. Nearly
back to pattern altitude the Franklin was
giving it all it had, and we gradually gained
some space. But relief was short-lived when
the reality struck that the terrain ahead was
climbing faster than we were. A lot faster.
Jeanne and I had said little, but she knew
the situation we were in. I asked her to slide
her passenger window back so I could gauge
the distance to the trees on the hillside on our
right. There was space now on our left for a
U-turn, but it was going to be very, very tight.
I ew the Stinson as close to the trees on our
right as I dared and continued to climb until
we had to turn. Rolling into a left bank, steep
at rst, pulling one notch of aps and reduc-
ing power, I entered the most coordinated
turn in the history of aviation. I had to get this
right. Center the ball, watch the airspeed, and
y the terrain. Jeanne was giving updates on
our clearance on the right side, which was
also steep with no way out.
Watch the ball, watch the airspeed, and
watch the terrain. The Stinson felt solid,
which helped my condence. Watch the ball,
watch the airspeed. Ninety degrees through
the turn the clearance on our right had
improved. Now the hill on the opposite side
began to come into view. The turn was tak-
ing forever, and my focus on the ball and
airspeed was making it seem longer. Then it
became evident that at this rate of turn we
would narrowly escape.
As we completed the turn, the runway
was clear of critters, and we were high and
But relief was short-lived when
the reality struck that the terrain
ahead was climbing faster than
we were. A lot faster.
nearly lined up for a straight-in approach.
Adjusting the power and applying aps, we
continued our glide to the runway. All
through this we had experienced very little
turbulence. As we dropped below the tall r
trees framing the runway, the trees closed in
over us, giving the impression of landing in a
bottom of a huge tunnel. Rolling out, we
spotted a good place for a picnic and turned
off to park, facing the runway.
After we had nished our picnic, and the
kids were looking for squirrels in the trees,
Jeanne and I talked about what had just
happened. Today I cant remember our exact
conversation, but I think we must have
talked about our options, which were few
once we had dropped below the pattern alti-
tude on our landing approach. Over the
years I have often relived that day and the
role Ed White played in our ight instruc-
tions. Thanks, Ed.
SUBMISSIONS
SHARE YOUR CLOSE CALL so we can all learn from the
experiencesend your story to editorial@eaa.org
for consideration.
www.eaa.org103
H
ANDS ON
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE BUILDING/RESTORING

An Ace in the Hole!

Corben Cabin Junior Ace
BY STEVE MCGUIRE, EAA 369197, AND JIM YATES, EAA 444188; PONCA CITY, OKLAHOMA

OUR AIRPLANE IS CALLED a Cabin Ace SJ. This is a replica of the thought might be original, and we
Corben Cabin Junior Ace manufactured by the Ace Aircraft com- designed the logo on the fuselage.
pany of Wichita, Kansas, in the late 1920s. An unknown number The complete build time took seven
were built, and none exist today that I am aware of. Our plane years, and most of it was done in my 28-by-
was built from partial plans and old photographs. Several changes 30-foot heated and air-conditioned shop in
were made to improve safety and accommodate a small my backyard. Jim and I basically spent
Continental engine rather than the small radial used on the origi- about seven to eight hours Monday-Friday
nal plane. We also increased the size of the passenger on the project when we were both in
compartment to accommodate any extra baggage we may find town. Im usually out of town for two
ourselves with. No color photos remain of the original airplanes, months in the winter and he is gone part
but old black and whites show a dark fuselage with lighter color of the summer, so we only worked about
wings and tail. We chose black and orange as something we seven to nine months out of the year.

104Sport AviationAugust 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF STEVE MCGUIRE

 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
Lots of time was required as much of
the plane had to be conceived and
designed by us.
The engine is a Continental A-65 modi-
fied with C-85 cylinders. The cockpit has
shoulder harnesses and dual flight con-
trols. The old parallel lift struts used by
Corben were changed to the V-type found
on Cubs and Champs to make cockpit
entry and exit easier. We also moved the
landing gear forward 1.5 inches in order to
get away from the very light tail Corben
airplanes are known for. Baby Ace Model
D wings were used, and two 11-gallon wing
tanks were added.
Jim and I both agree that one secret in
aircraft building is to try to do something
almost every day. It also helped that there
were two of us on this together. Jim and I
are both retired chemists. Weve known
each other 45 years and have flown
together for more than 20 years. Were
very compatible, and both have high stan-
dards in the work we do. We had fun
working together earlier restoring my
Luscombe 8-F and his Piper PA-12 Super
Cruiser. We also have a support group of
friends in our local EAA chapter. When we
got stumped on something, there was
always someone there to help us out.
I took an EAA workshop on fabric cov-
ering about 20 years ago when I began my
first kit plane project. Then, I took an EAA
workshop on gas welding when I started
my first scratchbuilt plane about 14 years
ago. Both were invaluable aids. I built a
Baby Ace Model D after taking the welding
course. I was also very fortunate to know
EAA Founder Paul Poberezny during that
time. What a great fellow he was, and an
expert homebuilder! He always answered
any letters I sent him, and he would some-
times call me at home in the evenings to
check on my project progress. He even
helped me with a forum on building the
Baby Ace at one of the Sport Aviation
Association meetings at Frasca Field in
Urbana, Illinois.
I would also like to give thanks to sev-
eral members of our local EAA Chapter
1046 who were a big help. Scott Rower is
an A&P with incredibly talented building
skills. Merle Helt is our chapter technical
counselor and was there whenever we
needed him. Ed Jones is a chapter member
who was a big help on engine and magneto
issues. Joe Harris is another chapter mem-
ber who always seemed to have the old
antique airplane part we needed and was
glad to share.
In closing I would like to say that if you
are considering building or restoring an
airplane, then it is a must to join an EAA
chapter if you dont already belong. Ask a
lot of questions of the chapter members.
Find out who is interested in helping you
when you get stumped. There will be
someone there who will want to help.
Anyone can do this. You just have to con-
nect a lot of small tasks together, and next
thing you know, you have a plane.
www.eaa.org105
H
ANDS ON
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE BUILDING/RESTORING

NEW YORK SONEX

MY SONEX PROJECT was started by the late
George Zion. I bought it from the estate
and finished it with a lot of help from
A&Ps and EAA Technical Counselors
Marty Vandelinder and Chuck Burtch, IA
Charlie Branagh, and the late Bernie
Shaknowski. I am an IA myself and chose
the Sonex for various reasons. Most of the
finishing work was done in my basement,
working four hours a day, four or five
days a week.
I installed a Jabiru 3300 with a
Sensenich prop, and inside I have an air-
speed indicator, altimeter, and a Grand
Rapids EFIS. I am 6 feet 4 inches and 300
pounds, so I made it single seat with a side
stick, which I like a lot. There is more leg-
room in the Sonex than my Luscombe.
The plane was painted by Scott Revoir, a
body shop owner and an A&P. The rst ight
was October 3, 2013. The airplane is a real hot
rod, and I was showing 150 mph at 3,000 feet.
Walter Kahn, EAA 9912; Baldwinsville, New York

WASHINGTON VANS RV-7

ON MAY 10, 2013, I made my rst ight in my completed RV-7. After a decade of
building it was nally time to experience the joy of ying this marvelous kit
from Vans Aircraft, and it did not disappoint me! The plane ew perfectly, and I
have now completed the testing phase ying out of the Tacoma Narrows Airport
in Gig Harbor, Washington.
My RV-7 includes an IO-360 engine from Aero Sport, Hartzell blended airfoil
prop, and a beautiful paint job by Dan and Linda Mauer of Red Bluff, California.
The entire project took me 10 years. Work, family, and an extended illness
caused some delays. I began building in my home shop and moved to an airport
hangar for the nal assembly and testing.
A special thanks to EAA Technical Counselor Marv Scott for his pre-inspec-
tion inspection and construction advice, Terry Burch for his EAA Flight Advisor
input and for completing the rst ight, and to EAA Flight Advisor and DAR
Charlie Cotton for his help navigating the certication paperwork maze.

Bob Alexander, EAA 686909; Fox Island, Washington

E-mail: rkalex123@aol.com; Technical Counselor: Marvin Scott

106Sport AviationAugust 2014

TEXAS ROTORWAY EXEC 162F
I RECENTLY COMPLETED the construction
of this RotorWay Exec 162F. I purchased
the kit from another owner who had pur-
chased it in 2000 but did very little on the
build. I upgraded the kit to include the
newer and wider landing gear, a cog belt
drive, RotorWay engine upgrade, 35-mm
secondary shaft, and MGL Explorer glass
cockpit display. The inaugural ight was
on November 9, 2013, by test pilot and CFI
Mark Peterson. I spent 600 hours con-
structing the ship from June 1 through
November 1, 2013. It was a real delight
building this helicopter, and I look for-
ward to getting my rotor wing ticket. My
future plan is to keep the RotorWay here
on my 10 acres west of Austin and y
locally and cross-country for pleasure.

Paul Pablo Workman, EAA 1119686; Austin, Texas

E-mail: paulworkman@austin.rr.com

KENTUCKY
VANS RV-12
I BUILT MY VANS RV-12 in the basement
of our home in Kentucky.
My wife, Sandy, and I have been
attending EAA conventions, back to
when they were held in Rockford,
Illinois. We finally made the decision
to build and placed our first kit
order with Vans Aircraft at
AirVenture 2009.
The plan was to use some of our
spare time that came with retirement,
build in compliance with the new
E-AB rules, and not to set any com-
pletion deadlines. As a result, we
have enjoyed almost 1,300 hours of
pleasure and satisfaction, and ended
up with a wonderful airplane.
We did all of the building our-
selves, with great support from Vans
staff and lots of guidance and encour-
agement from other builders,
including those who regularly read and post to the Vans Air Hints for Homebuilders, provided a myriad of valuable infor-
Force forum. We are extremely pleased with the appearance, mation. Thanks, EAA. Now, lets go fly! First flight was on
comfort, and handling characteristics of the airplane. It easily November 21, 2013.
meets Vans performance specifications and is now named Lil
Coupe. Also, being novices at building, we found that the EAA Tom Odehnal, EAA 46187; Pirates Cove Airport (42KY) on Kentucky Lake
Sport Aviation articles as well as the EAA videos, both called E-mail: tomscub@gmail.com

www.eaa.org107
HANDS ON
INNOVATION ON THE FLY
Blending Two Passions
In Harmony
Flying Musicians sing out
BY MARK PHELPS
SOMETIMES, INNOVATION WORKS backward. In this case, vintage wood
from a postwar airplane has been pressed into service to create a time-
less musical instrument. The material may be old, but the creative
thinking behind the project was decidedly fresh and out
of the box.
The Flying Musicians Association (FMA) has been combining the
passions of pilots and musicians since 2009. It always has a strong, if
subtle presence at AirVenture. The right-brain skills that breed musical
creativity are not often combined with the left-brain prociency it takes
to build and y airplanes. When they do come together within one cra-
nium, the combination can be explosive.
A chance encounter with an FMA jam session during AirVenture,
planned or impromptu, can be one of those unexpected magic moments
that youll remember for years. You can nd FMA members performing
at events, their big jam session in the Ultralights area on Thursday
night, or just sitting around the campre in Camp Scholler getting the
utmost out of G, C, and D chords.
One thing that aircraft innovators, builders, and restorers have in
common with many musicians is an appreciation of ne wood. On the
aircraft side, Sitka spruce has always been the species of choice. And
only the nest grains were chosen to build up wing spars for the light
aircraft of the 1930s and 40s. For those who appreciate ne guitars, the
resonant qualities of Sitka spruce tops are known to be the best (other
woods such as rosewood and maple are often used for sides and
Dee Welch combined his aviation passion with his love of ne musical instruments to fabricate
his unique guitar. Its Sitka spruce top is made from wing spars from a 1946 Taylorcraft.
108Sport AviationAugust 2014
backs)and the older the wood, the better. Im
not sure why that is, but I do know that my
spruce-top 1964 Martin guitar now sounds
fuller and richer than ever.
Dee Welch probably does know why. Hes
a skilled woodworker, a member of the
Flying Musicians Association and the
Seaplane Pilots Association, and owner of a
Super Cubon oats, of course. Apparently
looking for a new challenge, Dee decided
hed like to try building a guitar. Knowing the
desirability of old growth spruce for the top,
and recognizing that old hangars often have
old wing spars slung up in their rafters, he
began scouting around airports in his home
state of Wisconsin.
He hit pay dirt at Long Lake Aviation at
Price County Airport, where Mike Drover had
salvaged a set of spars from (he thinks) a 1946
Taylorcraft. They were just too good to throw
away, Mike said. Dee reckons that since wood
to be used for spars needed several years to
age, and with World War II intervening, the
tree that these spars came from was likely cut
in the mid-1930s. As for the pedigree, the
requirements for a spar meant it had to have a
specically ne vertical grain, and nding that
tight of grain in a 16-foot section meant that
this had to be the best of the best from that
tree. But how do you fabricate an 18-inch-wide
guitar top soundboard from 6-inch-wide wing
spar material?
Dee sawed three 24-inch-long sections of
3/16-inch-thick spar. He then butt-glued the
three sections together and sanded the result-
ing plank to 0.110 inches to create the blank for
the top soundboard. Cut to shape and with the
sound hole installed, it started looking like part
of a musical instrument. Dee also used seg-
ments of the Taylorcraft spar for internal
bracing. The guitars sides are Missouri black
walnut, and wood for the back comes from a
Wisconsin aspen. Guitar players know that
different woods have different resonant
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF DEE WELCH
qualities, and Dee purposefully chose the char-
acteristics of these species for his guitar.
Rounding out the materials list: the neck
is a combination of cherry and locust wood
(also known in Texas as post oak that is said
to be the second-hardest wood in North
America after Osage orange); the heel is of
cherry; the headstock is of birds-eye maple;
the ngerboard is locust; and the decorative
binding is Missouri red cedar and white
Wisconsin basswood.
Dee describes the process of building a gui-
tar as similar to that of building or restoring an
airplanenot one big job, but a series of little
jobs strung together until you run out of items
to cross off the punch list. He reported that it
requires precision and step-by-step work, but
it doesnt take too long and doesnt require a
lot of expensive tooling. Bending and molding
the shape of the sides is one of the more elabo-
rate parts of the process. He encourages
anyone with an interest in guitar making to
consider ferreting out an old set of spars for
the same purpose.
After completing the guitar, Dee brought it
to the EAA Seaplane Base during AirVenture
where a couple of young guitar players put it
through its paces. That generated some
intense interest, and Dee decided he would
donate the guitar as a raffle prize for all new or
renewing members of either the Seaplane
Pilots Association or the Flying Musicians
Association. Anyone joining up or renewing
membership received a chance in the raffle,
and additional chances were made available as
well. John Zapp, who heads up FMA, started
spreading the word, and has brought the guitar
to a half-dozen or more national aviation
events to promote both organizations, starting
with the AOPA Aviation Summit in Fort
Worth, Texas, last October. He reports the gui-
tar raffle has not only boosted membership but
also generated interest in both associations.
John has also enlisted the help of master
luthier and FMA corporate member Billy
Gee, who operates Guitar Specialists in
Moravian Falls, North Carolina. Billy did a
complete setup on the guitar, tweaking the
neck and ngerboard, optimizing the place-
ment and conguration of the frets, and
generally improving the sound and playability
of the guitar. Billy has cared for musical
instruments for some of the best known
musicians in the country, including late guitar
virtuoso Doc Watson. He is also a widely
respected bassist who has played with some
of the top names in bluegrass.
The Taylorcraft guitar (not to be con-
fused with the Taylor brand, which I
understand slightly outdoes Dee in produc-
tion numbers) will be on display during
EAA AirVenture at the FMA booth. You
can still join either organization, or purchase
a raffle ticket to put your name in the hat
for the drawing. The winner of the member-
ship raffle will be announced at the SPA
annual corn roast on Thursday night, July 31,
during AirVenture.
Mark Phelps, EAA 139610, is an aviation writer living
in New Jersey. He is the former editor of EAAs Vintage
Airplane magazine.
www.eaa.org109
H
ANDS ON
HINTS FOR HOMEBUILDERS

Compression
Hose Fittings Add a little SAE 30 oil on the threads of the nipple before
BY CHARLIE BECKER, EAA HOMEBUILT COMMUNITY MANAGER installing it into the hose end tting.

A REALLY NICE SOLUTION for oil and fuel lines on a homebuilt is

using braided stainless steel hose. It is lightweight, exible, and
tough. The best part is the hoses are easy to make and you dont
need any special tools. I just made up three fuel lines for the EAA
staff Zenith CH 750 project (www.Zenith750Project.com) and
thought Id share how I did it.

HOW-TO

Wrap the hose with tape where you cut it so it doesnt allow the stainless steel braid to fray
during the cutting process. Use a cut-o wheel in a die grinder to make your cut. If you
end up with a stray wire or two, just snip them o with a side cutter. If the cut needs to be
squared up, Ive had some success touching it up with a belt sander before I remove the tape.
I put the hose end into a smooth-jawed vise so the vise holds
the hose tting securely but doesnt mar the aluminum
tting. After hand-tightening the nipple into the hose as
much as possible, it is just a matter of wrenching it down
until it is tight. If it is a real struggle, you back out the nipple,
add a bit more oil, and do it again.
After the hose is complete, make sure you run some
solvent through the line and blow out with compressed air
to remove contaminants. Also, do a visual inspection of the
inside and verify that your tape is in place and the tting has
not slipped, and I like to give it a good tug by hand to make
sure the hose ends are secure.

When it is done, youll have a very attractive hose for your

The next step is to press on the tting until it is ush with the shoulder of the tting. You 37-degree AN ttings.
can look down the hose to check that it is all the way in. Then put a piece of tape around
GOT A HINT?
the end of the tting to make sure it doesnt slip while installing the nipple. Ive never had
it happen, but you want to make sure the hose remains fully inserted into the tting. SEND YOUR TIPS to cbecker@eaa.org.

110Sport AviationAugust 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY JENNIFER BOWEN AND JASON TONEY

HOSE
STANDOFFS
BY CHARLIE BECKER, EAA HOMEBUILT
COMMUNITY MANAGER

SOMETIMES IN THE engine compart-

ment you will need to secure a hose
or line so that it doesnt chafe dur-
ing operations. Often the easiest
thing to do would be to simply zip
tie it to a tube or fitting. However,
this approach is not the best prac-
tice. A solution that is almost as easy
is to make a standoff using a zip tie
and tubing. Get a piece of about 1/2-
inch clear polyurethane tubing and
run a zip tie in and around the
structural member and then loop it
back to secure the line (it will be an
hourglass shape). This will provide
a nice standoff that secures the line
in place.
Also, I like to wrap the motor
mount with self-fusing silicone tape
(e.g., Uni-Wrap or Rescue Tape) so
the zip tie doesnt slide around on
the motor mount.

www.eaa.org111
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ANDS ON
SHOP TALK

Perpendicular Holes
and Homemade Gizmos
DIY drill jigs
BY BUDD DAVISSON

IN THE COURSE OF BUILDING stuff, everyone winds up with jigs, worth passing along to others. A lot of it is
tools, and gizmos piled up in corners that weve constructed to centered on drilling holes of one type or
make doing something easier, more precise, or just plain possi- another. Most took less than an hour,
ble. Usually well use it once and toss it in the someday I might sometimes minutes to create, but when I
use this again pile. This month I rooted around in piles of that need to drill a hole square to a surface or
brand of personally created junk and thought some of it might be make a precise hole in something thick
I know I have the gadget that will let me
do that.
Incidentally, when I was doing an arti-
cle series with Jim Younkin (metal
craftsman supreme) on free-forming alu-
minum a couple decades back, one of the
things that struck me was how quickly he
could build a jig or a forming tool. What
wowed me even more was how many he
had discarded in a heap in the corner, a big
heap. Someone ought to mount a crusade
to go through every master craftsmans
shop and clean out under his benches and
in the corners to save what he has dis-
carded. The finds would yield bits of
knowledge only he knows but wed all like
to understand.

THE DRILLING-THROUGH-
SOMETHING-THICK THINGIE
It could be a massive laminated spar or
maybe a fitting with ears far apart. There
are lots of places where we need to drill
a hole and have it start and finish in pre-
I sized this to be mounted in a vise and drilled the holes in each end big enough so the tubing would slip through. cise locations with a lot of distance in
I masked o the area and liberally lathered the hole and tubing with epoxy. This could also be a bent, or welded, steel frame. between. The most common method is

114 Sport Aviation August 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF BUDD DAVISSON

to try to set the work piece up
square on something like a drill
press table to go directly through
the piece perfectly square. Except
this assumes the fitting its going
through is perfectly square, and they
often arent.
The alternative is to drill halfway
in from both sides, which almost
always means theres an area in the
middle of the hole where the holes
dont meet perfectly and theres a
sizable discontinuity that cant be
seen or measured. This is not a
good thing.
A better solution is the simple
little jig shown here. Ive built prob-
ably a dozen of them in different
shapes and sizes to drill holes in
things like spars, Kentucky rifle
stocks, and knife handles. The beauty
of this thing is that zero precision
is involved. Zero! Maybe less than
that. It is crude but brilliant in
its simplicity.
Im not sure where I first saw
this, but I think it was while visiting
Charlie Vogelsong at Dillsburg Aero
Works. The concept is dirt simple. A
U is constructed of anything, like
wood or steel, and a hole is drilled in
each ear of the U that is the same
size as a piece of tubing that will act
as a drill guide. A piece of tubing
long enough to go through the ears
of the U with a couple inches to
spare on each end is inserted
through the U and secured in place
with epoxy, with light tack welding,
or by brazing.
Size the tubing so that the inside
diameter is the size of a pilot hole to
be drilled in the work piece. If the
final hole will be 3/8 inch, pilot drill
it 1/4 inch, which means the tubing
will be 3/8 inch with a 0.062-inch
wall. A 1/4-inch bit will struggle to
get through it, so either ream it to
size or simply run a 1/4-inch bit
through it a few times. A 0.058-inch
wall lets it through easier but has a
little slop, which we dont want.

www.eaa.org115
 H
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SHOP TALK

Cut the tubing so whatever youre drilling barely fits between the pieces of tubing. The tighter the better.

To use, spot drill both sides of what youre drilling to precisely locate the holes on both sides.
On the back side, insert a bit the right size backward so the shank acts as a locating pin and
then drill from the other side. Before going all the way through, swap sides and drill from the
other end. If you dont, the bit will push the locating pin out and the piece might move.

I made these in lots of sizes for lots of purposes. The triangular piece with the lip was made
to quickly mark 45-degree cuts in rectangular steel tubing, when mitering it. Ive used it
nonstop since then for a variety of purposes.

116 Sport Aviation August 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF BUDD DAVISSON

A DISPOSABLE, CUSTOMIZE-IT-AS-YOU-GO, 90-DEGREE DRILL JIG
There are lots of high-quality, cant-be-worn-out, clamp-on,
90-degree drill jigs available on the market. All share a cou-
ple of common traits: Drill jigs arent cheap, and I cant get
one early Sunday morning when I somehow find an hour or
two to work in the shop. In this case, the alternative is to
homebrew something that wont be as durable, but will do
the job at least a couple of times.
Incidentally, hardened drill inserts are available that give
these kinds of DIY jigs infinite life, but were assuming
theyre only going to be used a few times. Any more than
that, and theyll lose accuracy.
There are a couple of variations on a theme here, each
simple, cheap, and involving lots of sparks while building.

This one, intended for use in drilling bigger holes, started as a piece of scrap 2-by-4-by-1/4-
inch steel tubing. This stu is not hard steel. In fact, its pretty soft, so that means by using it
for a drill jig youll only get a couple uses out of it before the hole is worn. Thats why there
are so many holes and why they are all small holes; you can drill them out to the size you
want when youre ready to use it, and if necessary you have extra holes to use.
The reason two holes are welded shut is because I screwed up. I located the holes too
close to the bend radius so the bottom ones drifted. Live and learn. The ears on the base are
to use for clamping it into position. The whole thing was whacked out with the ever-present
4-inch angle head grinder/cutter. I watched the clock while doing it, and it took exactly 58
minutes start to nish, all done with the angle head grinder.

www.eaa.org117
H
ANDS ON
SHOP TALK

For drilling smaller 90-degree holes, I make these up three and four at a time so one is always handy. Initially drill the block/
tubing with #40s, and when ready to use it drill a hole out to the size needed at the time and dont use it again. Just clamp it in
place. If working with round tubing, use the mounting plate on the left. It has the shanks of 1/4-inch bolts tacked to both sides of
the bottom so it self-centers when set on round tubing. Sit the square jig on top of it, locate the center punch with a transfer punch,
clamp down, and youre in business. The holes on the support plate are purposely big to clear the bit while drilling.

One of the handiest and best investments youll ever make for 10 bucks is
a set of Harbor Freight transfer punches. They serve as centering pins for
these drill jigs, but more importantly, youll use them a million times for
accurately transferring holes from one piece to another.
The other 90-degree jig I use for drilling lumber. Clamp or screw it
in place and drill away.

Important note: Before using any of these,

center punch the hole to be drilled, then insert
the transfer punches shown above through the
jig to locate the punch mark and center the hole.
Then, and only then, do you clamp it tight.
Also, always insert a tight-fitting transfer
punch in the jig before using it, and check to
make sure the holes in the jig are actually
square. Sometimes they wont be. I weld those
shut so I dont inadvertently use them.

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 magazine and a ight instructor primarily in Pitts/
tailwheel aircraft. Visit him on www.AirBum.com.

118Sport AviationAugust 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF BUDD DAVISSON

 p.122 Pilot Caves p.126 News From HQ p.131 Gone West p.134 Members/Chapters in Action

FLY LIKE AN EAGLE

How do you share The Spirit of Aviation?

By taking kids up in a Young Eagles ight,
inviting a friend to experience The Worlds
Greatest Aviation Celebration, or inviting the
community to an EAA chapter pancake breakfast?
Have you considered participating in EAAs
Eagle Flights program as a pilot mentor or ight
recipient, or by spreading the word to friends
and family?
Launched at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2012, Eagle
QUESTIONS ABOUT Flights help adults explore recreational ying. Our
YOUR MEMBERSHIP? volunteer pilot mentors provide an initial ight
Want to change your address and mentoring on what it takes to become a
pilot. Eagle Flights opened up a whole new world
or need other assistance? EAAs
for Becky Dueck, EAA 1116435. The opportunity
Membership Services sta is to have a ride, a chance to try ying and ask
available to assist you Monday questions in a non-threatening environment,
through Friday from 8 a.m. to made a big dierence, Becky said. In October of
6 p.m. and on Saturdays from last year, I completed my ight training thanks to
8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Central time). the EAA Eagle Flights program.
Call 800-564-6322 (800-JOIN-EAA), For more information, visit www.EAA.org/eagleflights.
e-mail membership@eaa.org, or
visit www.EAA.org/membership.

Becky Dueck, EAA 116435, is restoring a Cessna 150 with a group of female aviators.

www.eaa.org 121
MEMBERCENTRAL
PILOT CAVES

Pilot: Mort Crim, EAA 374925; Jacksonville, Florida

Location: Jacksonville Executive Airport at Craig (CRG), Jacksonville, Florida

MORTS PILOT CAVE houses his Paradise P-1 and memorabilia from 50
years of flying and broadcasting. He soloed an Aeronca Chief in 1952
and went on to own and fly a number of airplanes including a Cessna
210, 340, 414, and 421, as well as a Seneca II. Mort was a television
news anchor at KYW-TV Philadelphia and WBBM-TV Chicago and
for 20 years was senior anchor at WDIV-TV in Detroit. He was a
network news correspondent with ABC in New York for five years
and in the early 80s was the vacation substitute for Paul Harvey.
Hes written numerous articles for Sport Aviation and is a frequent
emcee at the EAA Theater in the Woods. His hangar wall collec-
tion includes a broken prop from his one and only mishap (that first
Aeronca) as well as autographed photographs of aviation legends hes
interviewed including Bob Hoover, Patty Wagstaff, and Brig. Gen.
Steve Ritchie.
Recently, he was interviewed on a number of national TV shows
about his role as the inspiration for Ron Burgundy in Anchorman.
Mort currently is writing a book about the real Ron Burgundy and
what it was like to anchor the news in the 1970s and 80s. He and his
wife, Renee, attended the world premiere of Anchorman 2 in New
York as guests of Will Ferrell.

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.

122 Sport Aviation August 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF MORT CRIM

MEMBERCENTRAL

www.eaa.org123
MEMBERCENTRAL
PILOT CAVES

124Sport AviationAugust 2014

MEMBERCENTRAL
NEWS FROM HQ
Rewarding Flight
Essay contest winner receives Young Eagles ight with Sean D. Tucker
CENTERVILLE (OHIO) HIGH SCHOOL sophomore Alberta Dempsey re-
ceived the gift of ight and the experience of a lifetime when she
ew with EAA Young Eagles Chairman and renowned air show pilot
Sean D. Tucker on June 25 in Dayton, Ohio. The ight was the grand
prize of the Vectren Dayton Air Show Essay Contest.
The essay contest challenged youths ages 8-17 to imagine what
rst ight would be like and its signicance. The 15-year-old
Dempseys winning entry, Flying Away From Adversity, uses avia-
tion as a metaphor for life.
To me, ying means that adversity is overcome and your plane
lifts off to bigger and better places, she wrote.
Dempseys words won Tuckers heart. Her essay humbled me
because she captured me as a person and what my world is about, he
said. I cant wait to share this with other young people.
Tucker and Dempsey ew together for about 30 minutes in his
two-seat Oracle Extra 300L in cooperation with the Vectren Dayton
Air Show and the EAA Young Eagles program. In his role as Young
Eagles chairman, Tucker aims to y a Young Eagle and a Young Ea-
gles volunteer at each air show during his 2014 tour.
126Sport AviationAugust 2014
Name: Eric Cernjar, EAA 1133654
Position: Membership Marketing Manager
WHOS WHO AT HQ
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Being able to be a part of someones passion.
This isnt like selling vacuums. Our members
dont have to be in aviation; they do this be-
cause they love it, and I get to, in some small
way, be a part of that. I can tell in talking to
members that this is what really gives them joy
and excitement, and that really doesnt make
work feel like workits a good time!
How long have you been a pilot? I dont
have an aviation background, but I am taking
ground school in the fall. Its hard not to be
inspired when youre around all these aviation
geeks (I say that name with no malice!).
If you could y any airplane, what would
it be? I think Id get a kick out of flying a
seaplane and having the ability to fly into
Canada someday for a fishing weekend on
some remote lake. I think that would be an
incredible experience.
Most memorable EAA experience? Im pret-
ty new, but ying in the Sonex was a pretty cool
experience. Ive never been in a plane that small
before, and its a totally different feeling. It was
a beautiful day outside, and the pilot ew us
over my house out in the country. My two little
girls got a kick out of knowing I was ying by!
Most memorable person you met through
EAA: So far the most memorable person is
Ken Jordan. Ken is a longtime member of
EAA and has been volunteering for years
and years as well. Ken and I worked together
down at Sun n Fun this spring, and he really
was the first person to help me understand
how vital volunteers are to EAA, and what
volunteer culture is like. I cant imagine how
EAA could pull off something as massive as
AirVenture without all our volunteers, and
he helped me understand how fortunate
EAA really is.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TIMOTHY GAFFNEY
 MEMBERCENTRAL

DAVE ROSS RECEIVES EAA TONY BINGELIS AWARD

DAVE ROSS, EAA LIFETIME 98512, of Wakeman,
Ohio, is the 2014 recipient of the EAA Tony
Bingelis Award, recognizing his dedication
as a volunteer EAA technical counselor, RV
builder, and safety chairman for Chapter 50
of Sandusky, Ohio. A retired corporate pilot,
Ross has been an active EAA member for 39
years, ew as captain of EAAs Ford Tri-Mo-
tor, and was a member of the International
Aerobatic Club for 20 years.
Ross is an A&P mechanic and ight in-
structor, and is known for his workmanship
as an RV builder. According to those who
nominated him, he offers up space in his
personal workshop to anyone who wants
guidance in building aircraft. Ross provides a well-read EAA Sport Aviation columnist.
on-site instruction and offers helpful sugges- A permanent display at the EAA AirVenture
tions throughout the building process. Museum commemorates the honorees.
Ross passion for homebuilding has inspired
others through his extensive knowledge and
hard work. He displays his RV-4 at air shows
throughout the country, and has inuenced
many others to purchase and construct RVs.
The Tony Bingelis Award was created in
2002 to recognize an EAA member who has
contributed to homebuilt projects and safety
promotion while maintaining EAA values.
The award honors the late Tony Bingelis,
who was noted as a homebuilding authority,
author of several homebuilding books, and

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AT EAA

EAA IS SEEKING qualied applicants for a number of career opportunities manager of chapters. To learn more about these and other great posi-
available at its Oshkosh headquarters. Among the positions currently tions, visit www.EAA.org/careers on the EAA website. Help us provide
open are director of marketing, director of business development, and high-quality programs and services to our members and volunteers.

www.eaa.org127

HARRISON FORD SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT
EARNS SPORT PILOT CERTIFICATE
FORMER YOUNG EAGLE Brendan Rob-
inson, who received a Harrison Ford
Flight Training Scholarship just last
year, is now a sport pilot after passing his
checkride in late May. Robinson, EAA
1047746, graduated from Chilton High
School, Wisconsin, only a week earlier
and took his checkride in a Piper J-3
Cub: My favorite airplane, he wrote.
Robinson said receiving the Har-
rison Ford Flight Training Scholarship
made it possible for him to earn his
certicate. I am very fortunate for the
opportunity, and I appreciate EAAs
commitment not only to todays avia-
tion, but also tomorrows, he said.
Robinson had two Young Eagles
ights, January 1999 in a Cessna 172
with Chip Davis and June 2011 in the
Young Eagles GlaStar with EAA volun-
teer pilot Fred Stadler. Robinson looks
forward to supporting Young Eagles in
the future.
Lifetime EAA members Angela and
Jim Thompson endowed the scholar-
ship in honor of the enduring legacy
of former Young Eagles chairman and
actor-pilot Harrison Fords contribu-
tion to youth and general aviation. This
scholarship helps young people achieve
their dreams of ight at any level of
need, with scholarship awards support-
ing EAA Air Academy, ight training,
and academic tuition awards.
Robinson is getting ready to attend
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
in Prescott, Arizona, where hell pur-
sue a degree in aerospace engineering.
Hes also a member of the Academy of
Model Aeronautics.
MEMBERCENTRAL
YOUNG EAGLES PROGRAM RECEIVES
SPIRIT OF FLIGHT AWARD
THE NATIONAL AVIATION Hall of Fame has named
EAAs Young Eagles program the recipient of
its 2014 Milton Caniff Spirit of Flight Award, an
honor given to groups or organizations that are
exemplary in improving and advancing aviation.
The committee responsible for the 2014 se-
lection process clearly believes that the positive
impact the EAA Young Eagles program has had on
fostering the growth of American general aviation
is worthy of this recognition, said Enshrinement
Director Ron Kaplan in his letter to EAA.
Since its creation in 1992, the EAA Young
Eagles program has provided more than 1.8 mil-
lion young people from ages 8 to 17 with free
flights in GA aircraft. For many it was the start
of their journey to becoming a pilot, aircraft me-
chanic, air traffic controller, and endless other
career paths. More than 40,000 EAA members
have volunteered over the years to make this
experience possible.
www.eaa.org129

Gone West
Not alone into the sunset but into the company of friends who have gone before them.
ALABAMA
Mickey Pledger (EAA 558641), Spanish Fort
ARIZONA
Ronald Cook (EAA 187297), Aguila
Robert Ward (EAA 214199), Gold Canyon
ARKANSAS
Charles Butcher (EAA 1115949), Sherwood
Robert Thomas (EAA 24542), Mountain Home
CALIFORNIA
James Ayers (EAA 82685), Newbury Park
Urho Makela (EAA 351298), Chula Vista
Bill Pieper (EAA 261499), Georgetown
David Riech (EAA 1111522), Chino Hills
CONNECTICUT
Charles Dechand (EAA 505336), Bloomeld
FLORIDA
Bernard Carifo (EAA 1116495), Bradenton
David Hingson (EAA 569377), Port Orange
Johnny Lee (EAA 581634), Melbourne
Guy Wardell (EAA 295237), Fort Lauderdale
ILLINOIS
Leo Bachman (EAA 43897), Findlay
Jack Harrington (EAA 361738), Palatine
Donald Love (EAA 488307), Galva
George Nathaus (EAA 353265), Chicago
Frank Schoensiegel (EAA 1032366), Round Lake Beach
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF MILLER
Larry Schroeder (EAA 197720), Wheaton
Don Sievers (EAA 250882), Minooka
INDIANA
Harry Sheetz (EAA 9023681), Warsaw
KENTUCKY
Ernest Pat Patterson (EAA 148596), Waddy
LOUISIANA
Oran Badeaux (EAA 1058892), New Iberia
MARYLAND
Raymond G. Stinchcomb (EAA 184777), Severna Park
MASSACHUSETTS
Daniel McDonald (EAA 18118), Whitinsville
MICHIGAN
James Bush (EAA 487874), Acme
Todd Lloyd (EAA 673244), Madison Heights
MINNESOTA
Jerel Johnson (EAA 811732), Clearbrook
Scott Olson (EAA 813638), St. Cloud
Jerey Wanchena (EAA 1054713), Edina
MISSOURI
Neal Froeschner (EAA 246357), Florissant
NEW YORK
Robert Chase (EAA 63266), Granville
Leo Hunsinger (EAA 634237), Binghamton
Robert Starks (EAA 112615), Bualo
MEMBERCENTRAL
OREGON
James Clare (EAA 285644), Cornelius
PENNSYLVANIA
Frank Baker (EAA 106776), Mercer
Robert Fling (EAA 555792), Oxford
SOUTH DAKOTA
James Smith (EAA 61535), Yankton
TEXAS
Bill Beauregard (EAA 380925), Houston
Ralph Parker (EAA 83326), Wichita Falls
WASHINGTON
Bob Heikell (EAA 668335), Moses Lake
WISCONSIN
Gary Bushman (EAA 774884), Menasha
Carl Cihlar (EAA 234450), Brandon
Ken Corbett (EAA 409684), Oshkosh
Bill Cowden (EAA 717389), Menomonie
Robert Groh (EAA 1022213), Waukesha
David Le Voy (EAA 308281), Marsheld
Larry Luzinski (EAA 784570), Beloit
John Simon (EAA 666766), Appleton
Pete Stark (EAA 291315), Appleton
CANADA
J.W. Hostetler (EAA 484990), Red Lake, Ontario
Douglas Marvin (EAA 62115), Bloomeld, Ontario
Joseph Toop (EAA 590897), Edmonton, Alberta
www.eaa.org131
 ble
s for an unforgetta
on e of the
ence aboard
in the world.
maining B-17s
35 9- 6217
17.org or call 800-
to serve
re
re information and
ght.

Aurora, IL
ust 29 - September 1
ra Municipal Airport

132Sport AviationAugust 2014

MEMBERCENTRAL
MEMBERS/CHAPTERS IN ACTION

EAA CHAPTERS GIVE GIFT OF

FLIGHT TO INNER CITY STUDENTS
A SPECIAL EAA International Young Eagles Day
rally took place on June 14, at Ellington Field
in Houston, Texas, as EAA chapters 12 and 774
partnered with local aviation outreach nonprot
Universal Elite Aerospace to provide rst ight
experiences for 23 urban youths.
Kenneth Morris, a U.S. Navy veteran and
founder of UEA, said the experience was life-
changing for the students. Ninety percent of
the teens who attended the event Saturday had
never left a 20-mile radius of their neighborhoods,
which are usually crime-ridden and poverty-
stricken, he said. The positive and inspiring trips
did more than just take urban kids ying, it gave
them condence, boosted their self-esteem, and
provided a chance to escape the harsh daily reali-
Zachary Babb, EAA Chapter 579s 16,000th Young Eagle, ew with Mark Hislop, right, in his 1973 Cessna P337 Skymaster. ties they deal with.
The two ground crew personnel, Carl Car-
ruthers and Jared Dertsch, were helpful by escort-
ing the students to and from the FBO lobbies to

Celebrating 16,000 the aircraft when needed, according to Kenneth.

The pilots, Jeff Bertsch, Jeff Clark, Mike Ely,
Richard Cansler, and Richard Sessions, were all
EAA Chapter 579s milestone Young Eagles ight very patient, informative, and more than willing to
y the kids and teens, Kenneth added. They each
did an excellent job connecting with the students.
EAA CHAPTER 579 of St. Charles, Illinois, reached a major milestone in June,
when it marked the 16,000th Young Eagle own by the chapter during a CHAPTER VIDEO MAGAZINE
Young Eagles rally at Aurora Municipal Airport. Pilot Mark Hislop, EAA
619550, provided Zachary Babb, EAA 1072158, of Hinckley, Illinois, with THE AUGUST 2014 video covers a variety of topics,
the ight in Marks 1973 Cessna P337 Skymaster. The fact that it was also including a behind-the-scenes look at what EAA
Zacharys 15th birthday made it even more special. volunteers and staff do to get ready for AirVen-
Its nice to share something I love doing with young people, Mark said. ture. Some of the highlights include:
Its very rewarding for me and members of my chapter.
Mark said Zachary had a big smile on his face before takeoff. He ew News From HQ
the entire Young Eagles pattern, Mark said. As soon as he took the controls Meet some of the volunteers who arrive to
he was all business. He will be a great pilot someday. Oshkosh early to help prepare for The Worlds
Pilot and Young Eagle were presented with special shirts to commemo- Greatest Aviation Celebration
rate the occasion. Zacharys read, I am the 16,000th Young Eagle Flown by
EAA Chapter 579Aurora Municipal Airport, June 22, 2014, while Marks B-29 Doc
said, I am the Pilot to Fly the 16,000th Young Eagle with EAA Chapter 579... A project update on the volunteer-led resto-
The chapter has taught students about general aviation for 24 years, ration of a Boeing B-29 Superfortress
including the 22 years since the start of the Young Eagles program. Chapter
579 has also own more Young Eagles than any other EAA chapter; Mark Taylorcraft Reunited
has personally own more than 1,800 kids. A student and mentor are reunited with a
Brian OLena, manager of Young Eagles and Youth Pathways at EAA, Taylorcraft after more than 40 years
congratulated the Young Eagles volunteers at Chapter 579 for reaching
the milestone. To watch this months video simply attend
Sixteen thousand is truly an amazing number, Brian said. But the an EAA chapter meeting near you. You can
program is more than just numbers; its about introducing young people locate a chapter in your area at www.EAA.org/
to ight, and we appreciate all of our program volunteers no matter how chapters/locator. EAAs Chapter Video Magazine
many they y. is proudly supported by Dynon Avionics.

134Sport AviationAugust 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF EAA CHAPTER 579

 MEMBERCENTRAL
MEMBERS/CHAPTERS IN ACTION

WELCOME, NEW LIFETIME MEMBERS

Gerald Applefeld (EAA 96605), Hanover, Pennsylvania
William Ashline (EAA 382449), Bristol, Connecticut
Glenn Babcock (EAA 515929), Mooresville, North Carolina
Richard Belsaas (EAA 241480), Rapid City, South Dakota
Frank Bonacci (EAA 635558), Holbrook, New York
Harvey Bushby (EAA 231154), Channahon, Illinois
Allen Campbell (EAA 529821), Meggett, South Carolina
Robert Christiansen (EAA 43627), Rapid City, South Dakota
Richard Ellis (EAA 469164), Freeport, Illinois
Mark Erickson (EAA 274733), Brandon, South Dakota
David Fill (EAA 1142758), Fredericksburg, Virginia
Joan Fobes (EAA 104567), Madison, Wisconsin
Ethan Grindeland (EAA 499705), Hatton, North Dakota
David Homes (EAA 713754), Brookings, Oregon
John Housley (EAA 148899), Chestereld, Missouri
David Jackson (EAA 272361), Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Jay Johnson (EAA 508550), Champlin, Minnesota

136Sport AviationAugust 2014

John Leahy (EAA 77403), Oro Valley, Arizona
Spencer Likas (EAA 730844), Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Robert Maculsay (EAA 476970), Corona del Mar, California
Carl Mattson (EAA 527754), Denver, Colorado
Steven Olsen (EAA 363084), Monona, Wisconsin
Chris Peach (EAA 697437), Waterville, Minnesota
William Remington (EAA 361258), Decorah, Iowa
Robert Schultz (EAA 127436), Saint Charles, Minnesota
John Smokovitz (EAA 270126), Canton, Michigan
Douglas Sowder (EAA 71152), Spokane, Washington
Carl Tortorige (EAA 117878), Quincy, Illinois
Patricia Tortorige (EAA 394677), Quincy, Illinois
John Uhl (EAA 49925), Louisville, Kentucky
Stanley VanGrunsven (EAA 437412), Vancouver, Washington
Kenneth Weber (EAA 1142591), Park Ridge, Illinois
David Wiggins (EAA 538594), Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina

www.eaa.org137

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 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.org139
FLYMART & CLASSIFIED ADS

LED & CONVENTIONAL aircraft lights

YOUR AD HERE!
To advertise in EAA Sport Aviation FlyMart
call Sue Anderson at 920-426-6127, or
e-mail sanderson@eaa.org.

140Sport AviationAugust 2014

LANDING GEAR WHEELS & BRAKES AEROMEDICAL
FAA Medical Problems? We specialize in helping pilots, ATC, etc., when
FAA Medical Certicate problems occur. Professional and aordable.
ARMA Research, LLC, 920-206-9000 www.ARMAResearch.com

AIRCRAFT
RV-9A; Empennage & wing tanks complete, L&R wing skins on,
$4K or BO 740-282-1125

Christavia Mk1 proj. ready 2 cover $10K make oer or trade 714-486-5420

2008 Tundra 4-place. Factory assist build. Superior engine, 3-blade

Grove www.groveaircraft.com

Aircraft Landing Gear Systems

1800 Joe Crosson Dr.
El Cajon, CA 92020
619-562-1268
prop, Dynon EFIS, TruTrak autopilot, Garmin. Hangared, pvt owned.
Featured in Sport Aviation. $120K obo. 605-382-7093.

Velocity XL-RG Fast-Build Kit. Early stages of build. Atlanta, GA

area. Medical condition forces sale, $25,000 OBO 404-754-8637
dmarier56@comcast.net

Barracuda Project for sale, many completed parts & most hardware,
920-566-2566

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

650-593-5010

Velocity 173 LW 75% nish in primer, wings by hanger 18, seats built,
rmolitor@tampabay.rr.com, 715-634-5055

BELAIR COMPOSITES - Buy SCAT Type Hoses Mfgr Direct! FREE CATALOG
call 509-482-0442 or email colson@belaircomposites.com today!

www.eaa.org141
CLASSIFIED ADS
AIRCRAFT INSTRUMENTS
Eighteen years manufacturing AOAs www.riteangle.com 360-260-0772
Digital Altimeter & Gauges Adaptive Interfaces www.adaptint.com
Must sell: Unused planes, ight suit, helmet, other items 630-554-7614
BOOKS
Books by aircraft designer Dan Raymer: Living in the Future: The
Education and Adventures of an Advanced Aircraft Designer Fun read
for everyone who loves airplanes and wonders how they get designed.
Simplied Aircraft Design for Homebuilders Enjoyable how-to for
homebuilders and high school students. Order at www.aircraftdesign.com,
www.atlasbooks.com (800 247-6553), or www.Amazon.com
WORLDS MOST POPULAR Aircraft Design Books @
www.aircraftdesigns.com/831-621-8760
ENGINES
Lycoming Overhauled IO360A3B6D $23.5K more info 203-637-9670
thalheimsix@hotmail.com
Engines starting @ $200 - guaranteed Kawasaki, Rotax, Hirth & most
other brands w/BEST reduc drive, carb, exhaust selection of access w/top-notch
service from friendly sta J-Bird, 262-626-2611, jbirdengines@yahoo.com
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
Hirth Aircraft Engines: 15-110 HP. 1,000 hr rated TBO. 1 yr warranty.
Sales, service & parts. Highest power to weight ratio in the industry.
BlueMax 2-cycle aviation oil. Recreational Power Engineering 5479 East
Country Rd. 38, Tin, OH 44883. PH 800-583-3306 FX 419-585-6004.
Visit us on the web: www.recpower.com
VW Power from Great Plains Aircraft! Type 1 - 1600cc to 2276cc. Direct,
Reduction and Flywheel Drives. Kits and Parts. Engine packages for all VW
powered aircraft. Contact Great Plains Aircraft at 402-493-6507 or GPASC.com
Kawasaki package - save 50%, engine, reduction drive, carburetor
& exhaust. 0-time, 64 lbs, 40 HP Contact J-Bird 262-626-2611
jbirdengines@yahoo.com
LEGAL
Experienced Patent Attorney & fellow pilot ready to help you protect &
prot from your invention. Clients located across the US. Free consultation
& only quality work. Michael L Wise 914-879-4642 www.mlwise-law.com
MISC
Composites & Supplies - 37+ years of excellent customer service,
designers, manufacturers, materials. Always in stock: epoxy, polyester,
Vinyleter resin, carbon ber, Kevlar, lightweight fairing & bonding
compounds, Nida Core, PVC Foam Core, Vacuum bagging & vacuum
resin infusion supplies. Order online www.lbiberglass.com or call for
free catalog 800-231-6537, technical assistance
Help design UL Dirigible build for $5K, www.skyboat.wikispaces.com
Business For Sale: Mid-Sota Aircraft Technologies LED Maplight business for
sale. See at www.mid-sota.com. Call 320-267-2934, please leave message.
Sport Aviation historical collection. Nov 83-present. $350/b.o.
256-684-3029
Hand painted historic aviation oorcloths for home or shop
www.ericksonying.com
142Sport AviationAugust 2014
Carbon ber cowls for non-certied PA 18 aircraft. Selkirk Aviation,
208-664-9589. www.selkirk-aviation.com
Uncommon Gifts for your home, hangar or oce. www.2nd-Sun.com
Centennial WWI, screen printed, Great War aviation T-shirts.
www.GrithAviationScreening.com
Landing Gear-Wittman type rod gear since 1969. Contact Harmon
Lange 503-397-1478, harmon@langair.com
MAGAZINE ANNUALS EAA 1956-08 $100 AOPA 1958-08 $275 FLYING 1941-
08 $290 EAA MANUALS-MISC $75 Details www.barraircraft.com com Jim
Barr 570-368-3655
DreamFlyer simulator, 3, 20 monitors on castered base. Software.
$1800 704-491-7464, earllynch@bellsouth.net
Holy Cowls - RV & Mustang II, www.jamesaircraft.com 850-342-9929
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
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
FLOATS BY ZENAIR 750# to 2500# straight & amphib kits
www.zenairoats.com
OSHKOSH/AIRVENTURE HOUSING
OSHKOSH BOUND? Visit Sleepy Hollow Farm - the closest private RV camp-
ground 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 Limita-
tion must have been amended to permit ight outside the test ight area.
RV-7A quick build wing & fuselage kits, untouched $10K for both,
Santa Fe, NM Call 505-670-2009
LANCAIR IV P Wings Extended Fuel Cells Speed Brakes. Stabilizer &
Elevator Complete.$8,000.00 Right Wing 60% Complete.$12,000.00 Lift
Wing 50Complete.$10,000.00 All Parts And Wing Cradles 402-540-
5969 brownbird1@juno.com
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
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
Pazmany PL-2-two place, all metal, plans $425. Light Sport Aircraft
Category: Pazmany PL-1 -two place, all metal, plans $425 (For info, see
website below). Light Sport Aircraft Category: Pazmany PL-4A- single place,
all metal, plans $375. Pazmany PL-9 Stork-Two place STOL (Fieseler Storch,
3/4 replica)welded tube fuselage, aluminum wing and empenage, fabric
covered. Super detailed plans (700 sq.ft.) $550. Mail plans: USA@0; Canada
$35; Foreign $80. PDF Info Packs $9 available at website below. PL-9 Stork
video or DVD $30. Mail: USA $5; Foreign air & ins. $24. Pazmany Aircraft
Corporation, P O Box 60577, San Diego, CA 92166. Tel:619-224-7330, Fax: 619-
224-7358; E-mail: info@pazmany.com, www.pazmany.com
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
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
Log Home 2/2 1,591 Sq Ft, 50 X 70 Hanger, 1.07 Acres in Kitty Hawk,
Live Oak, FL, vhroberts44@gmail.com
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 lo-
cated inside a secure area and TSA SIDA badges are required for access.
Contact Carol Moyer, cmoyer@yrfd.com or 815.969.4466
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
Hangar Home in gated residential airpark, Naples FL, FAA:FA37 bahol-
der@aol.com 239-793-2001
HANGAR ON ONE ACRE FOR SALE CALL BROKER BILL 760-792-8072
HOUSTON AREA AIRPARK FOR SALE 46+ acres w/grass runway*comml or
residential*Teri Ellingham (Agent) 281-782-3897
CRISPY CEDARS PRIVATE AIRFIELD - Beautiful Door County WI - Lots on
2K runway. Just $44,900 - crispycedars.com 920-495-7539
SERVICES
Patent, Trademarks, Copyrights. Robert Platt Bell, Registered Patent
Attorney, EAA Member, 821 Riverview Drive, Jekyll Island, GA 31527.
robertplattbell@gmail.com. PH. 912-635-2147.
Caravella Aerospace: engineering design & analysis, Solidworks CAD &
FEA. www.caravella.aero/content/services
3D CAD, Lofting, Drawings, Rapid Prototypes, Machining. Michigan
Aerospace MSE. KESLLC38@GMAIL.COM (248) 486-2619
WANTED
Donate your factory built plane to leave a signicant legacy! A charity
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 40 www.Advanced-Flight-Systems.com 503/263-0037 IAC 129 www.iac.org 920/426-4800

AeroConversions 36 www.AeroConversions.com 920/231-8297 Icom America 51 www.icomamerica.com/avionics 800/872-4266
AEROX 96 www.aerox.com 800/237-6902 Jeppesen 33 www.jeppesen.com/itedeck-vfr31 800/353-2107
Aircraft Specialties Services 57 www.aircraft-specialties.com 800/826-9252 John Deere 85 www.johndeere.com/gator 309/765-8000
Aircraft Spruce & Specialty 83,116 OBC www.aircraftspruce.com 877/4-SPRUCE J.P. Instruments 39 www.jpinstruments.com 800/345-4574
Aircraft Spruce & Specialty/Cozy 56 www.aircraftspruce.com 877/4-SPRUCE Lancair International 73 www.lancair.com 541/923-2244
Aircraft Tool Supply Co. 20 www.aircraft-tool.com 800/248-0638 Levil Technology 118 www.aviation.levil.com 407/542-3971
AKG Aviation 109 www.akg.com/aviation 813/221-4181 Lincoln Electric 119 www.lincolnelectric.com/moneymatters 888/355-3213
Aviat Aircraft Inc 95 www.aviataircraft.com 307/885-3151 Lycoming 21 www.lycoming.com 800/258-3279
B & C Specialty Products 54 www.bandc.info/SAV 316/283-8000 Mahindra Aerospace 93 www.ga8airvan.com 855-4-AIRVAN
Bearhawk Aircraft 117 www.bearhawkaircraft.com 877/528-4776 MGL Avionics 54 www.mglavionics.com 877/835-9464
Bendix King 49 www.bendixking.com 855/250-7027 Moduline Aluminum Cabinets 123 www.modulinecabinets.com/A288 888/926-6998
Better Aircraft Fabric 19 www.betteraircraftfabric.com 907/229-6792 MT-Propeller 100 www.mt-propeller.com 386/736-7762
Boeing 7 www.boeing.com/careers 206/655-1131 Pilot Shop 103 www.pilotshop.com 877/288-8077
Bose 23 www.bose.com/A20_13 888/501-8769 Piper IBC www.piper.com 866/FLY.PIPER
Bristell 19 www.bristell.us 717/371-8677 Poly-Fiber Aircraft Coatings 4 www.polyber.com 800/362-3490
California Power Systems 20 www.800-airwolf.com 800/247-9653 Progressive Insurance 113 www.progressive.com 800/PROGRESSIVE
Cessna Aircraft Company 47 www.cessna.com 800/4-CESSNA Pygmy Boats 50 www.pygmyboats.com 360/385-6143
Champion Aerospace Inc 41 www.championaerospace.com 864/843-1162 Randolph Aircraft Products 29 www.randolphaircraft.com 800/362-3490
Cirrus Aircraft 25 www.cirrusaircraft.com/2014 800/279-4322 Rotec Aerosport 18 www.rotecaerosport.com 61 3 9587 9530
CSC Duats 127 www.duats.com 800/345-3828 Sandys Airpark 50 www.sandysairpark.com 800/908-4359
CubCrafters, Inc. 13 www.carboncubex.com 509/248-9491 Savvy Aircraft Maint. Management 141 www.savvyanalysis.com 702/655-1359
Daher-Socata 17 www.tbm850.com 954/993-8477 Sennheiser Aviation 45 www.sennheiser-aviation.com/S1 860/434-9190
DTC DUAT 27 www.duat.com 800/243-3828 Sensenich Propeller 124 www.sensenich.com 717/569-0435
Dual Eyewear 65 www.dualeyewear.com 720/235-1112 Sky-Tec 30, 31 www.skytecair.com 800/476-7896
Dynon Avionics IFC www.dynonavionics.com 425/402-0433 Sonex Aircraft, LLC 36, 37 www.sonexaircraft.com 920/231-8297
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2014 120 www.airventure.org 800/564-6322 Sportys Pilot Shop 9 www.sportys.com/stratus 800/SPORTYS
EAA Aviation Insurance/Falcon 130, 136 www.eaalowerrates.com 866/647-4322 Stauer 125 www.stauer.com 800/333-2057
EAA B-17 132 www.b17.org 800/359-6217 Stemme AG 29 www.stemme.info 803/726-8884
EAA Ford Tri-Motor 136 www.ytheford.org 800/564-6322 Stewart AC Finishing Systems 117 www.stewartsystems.aero 888/356-7659
EAA Job Fair 132 www.airventure.org 920/426-4863 Superior Air Parts 42, 43 www.superiorairparts.com 800/277-5168
EAA Merchandise 128, 141 www.shopeaa.com 800/564-6322 Sojourners of the Sky 32 www.claytontaylorspen.com 817/658-9367
EAA SportAir Workshops 112, 129 www.sportair.com 800/967-5746 Tempest 2 www.tempestplus.com 800/822-3200
EAA Sweepstakes 2014 133 www.eaa.org/sweepstakes 800/236-1025 Trade-A-Plane 124 www.trade-a-plane.com 800/337-5263
EAA Webinars 137 www.eaa.org/webinars 800/967-5746 Trio Avionics 100 www.trioavionics.com 619/448-4619
EAA Young Eagles 137, 138 www.youngeagles.org 877/806-8902 Trutrak Flight Systems 115 www.trutrakap.com 866/TRUTRAK
Epic Aircraft 81 www.epicaircraft.com 888-FLY-EPIC UMA Instruments 103 www.umainstruments.com 800/842-5578
Flight Design USA 55 www.ightdesignusa.com 860/963-7272 US Sport Aviation Expo 2015 35 www.sport-aviation-expo.com 863/655-6444
Ford Motor Company 67 www.ford.com 800/392-3673 Vans Aircraft, Inc. 40, 111 www.vansaircraft.com 503/678-6545
Garmin 5, 91 www.garmin.com 800/800-1020 Vertical Power 116 www.VerticalPower.com 425/328-1658
Glasair Aviation 101 www.glasairaviation.com 360-435-8533 Viking Aircraft Engines LLC 56 www.vikingaircraftengines.com 386/566-2616
Grand Rapids Technologies, Inc. 99 www.grtavionics.com 616/245-7700 Wicks Aircraft Supply 96 www.wicksaircraft.com 800/221-9425
Hamilton Watch 75 www.hamiltonwatch.com 800/234-TIME Zenith Aircraft Company 53 www.zenithair.com 573/581-9000
HTP America Inc 32 www.usaweld.com 800/872-9353

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

www.eaa.org143
EAAS LOGBOOK
WHERE WE CAME FROM

INSIDE THE ISSUE

Highlights from August 1964

Jack F. Roberts stands with his gleaming Stits SA-3A Playboy that he built
with help from two friends.

Early aviation hot rodder Weston Farmer, EAA 16000, and his friend stand
with a steel fuselage that was one of his many barnyard experiments.

Aviation Hot Rodders

K
en Cook of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, flies over the
moraine area of southeastern Wisconsin in his Great
Lakes in a shot for the cover of the August 1964 issue of
Sport Aviation. Features in the issue included the tale of Jack
F. Roberts, EAA 16568, building his Stits SA-3A Playboy, and a
piece about the growing popularity of World War I-era aircraft
by John Doyle, EAA 2931. The schedule of events for Renos
upcoming National Championship Air Races on September
The Great Lakes shows o its striking paint scheme while caught in
12-20, 1964, was included by Don Berliner, EAA 5654. Don said
a steep turn.
five airports in the Reno area were set aside for the fly-in to
accommodate an expected 4,000 aircraft with season tickets View archived issues of EAA Sport Aviation at www.EAA.org.
priced at $3.50 for all visitors over 18 years old.

144Sport AviationAugust 2014

Aircraft Spruce carries everything a pilot could need,
including pilot supplies & avionics always at the
lowest prices. Aircraft Spruce supplies components
for a wide variety of homebuilt aircraft and factory
built aircraft. Visit www.aircraftspruce.com