It’s Thursday January 9th 2003, 5:l5 pm and it is my first meeting as President of Chapter 62. I leave Cupertino early to pick up Jack Cross to make sure we arrive early. Out of the garage, and now it is raining; I make two calls to Jack to let him know that I am stuck in traffic and rain. One and one half hours later at 6:45 pm while we arrive late, only a couple of members are already there. Things start to happen though, as chairs and tables are set up, and hot dogs start to cook. The meeting started l5 minutes late with 40 plus in attendance. Not a bad showing for a stormy night.
Steve
Switaj, our speaker, has many years of controller experience, and is
currently assigned to the Reid Hillview Tower. Steve spoke about
safety at the airport. By the way, visitors, two at a time, are
welcome to the Reid Hillview Tower. Please call 272-7014 ahead
to set up a time.
Alec Pipiani is working on our meeting programs, next month's program will be Martin Hollmann. There are possible fly-outs later in the year to Porterville and to the location that Jack Bowlus is working on his airplane, near San Miguel. Please call Alec at 408- 923-8119 with any ideas or suggestions for fly-outs.
Here are some updates on our members: Jack Bowlus, while not quite ready to fly yet, has taxied and run it down the runway. He reports lots of acceleration from the Ford V6. Ralph Reichhold has only l-l/2 hours left on his 40 hour fly off time. Boyd Blue's project has just been signed off. Congratulations to all. It is nice to see members moving ahead on their projects
We had two guests at our January meeting, Arnold Lawton and Rich Pottorff and one new member who found us through our website. Welcome Ray Montague.
Annual dues are due, please update your information online and send a check to Randy Wilde or John Wieler. Please be sure to keep your national dues current. Remember, National EAA membership is required to belong to a local chapter.
I am looking forward to a great year with many events. As always we will need help from all of our members to make it happen.
See you at our February 6, 2003 meeting. Jon
Special Interest Groups
It isnt clear how many of our members are actually actively building aircraft. When reviewing the members database it lists many in progress kits. In an effort to provide help and guidance to each other we created Special Interest Groups.
Special Interest Groups is an idea from a few years ago. Simply stated, it was created to place members with similar interests together to pursue those interests. The list lives on the Chapter 62 web site and is easy to access.
The SIG’s listed on the right were created as communication networks in support of chapter members. By joining you can meet and work with other members with common interests and similar goals, seek assistance on your project, or seek knowledge by providing assistance to a builder. SIG activities are open to all Chapter members. There is more to it than signing up though. It requires your follow through. This is a well thought out tool for the use of our membership. Want to learn, need help? Join a SIG.
To join a SIG, send an email to the webmaster at eaa62.org, or phone the request to (408) 735-8014. To view the SIGs, log into the Chapter 62 web site www.eaa62.org and click Builders Corner.
Current Groups (#)
| Antique/Classic SIG | (0) |
| Composites SIG | (0) |
| Designing Aircraft SIG | (0) |
| Fly-outs SIG | (16) |
| Panel Topics SIG | (0) |
| Power Topics SIG | (0) |
| Rotary Wing SIG | (0) |
| Sheet Metal SIG | (0) |
| Tube& Fabric SIG | (0) |
| Ultralight SIG | (0) |
| Wood &Glue SIG | (0) |
| Young Eagles SIG | (0) |
Aloha from Maui. My wife Linda and I are very lucky in that we are able to take this trip every year at this time. Even though California weather is not all that bad (I was raised in Milwaukee Wisconsin, so I know bad weather), it is nice to escape in winter time, even from California rain. One goal I have set while here is to talk to the EAAers here on Maui to determine what they are building, and what issues they face regarding flying and regulations particular to them.
Speaking of winter, I use Shell 15/50 in the winter, and Shell 100 (50 weight) in the summer. I know that some aircraft owners believe that you should stick with one weight, but I have a hard time with that each time I start my engine at, or below, 40F. I cant help but imagine those cold expanded metal parts rubbing together without proper lubrication. As per the Aviation Consumer report I mentioned a few issues ago, I think it is a good decision. As I have said in last months IAs, my goal to make it to and past TBO.
As I was changing oil and filter in December, I inspected everything I could with the cowl off. Always a good practice I think. I also tried (unsuccessfully) to determine why #4 CHT isnt registering correctly on my JPI engine monitor. After disassembling the CHT/EGT wiring bundles on the left side I found that #6 CHT lead was starting to get a little burnt due to its proximity to the left turbo-charger. I rerouted the bundle as far away from the exhaust as I could, and made sure that the fire sleeve was safety wired all the way around the bundle. As of this writing, I still havent found that pesky #4 CHT indication problem. I am pretty sure it is wiring related as I had the instrument checked at the factory when I had an upgrade done. Troubleshooting wiring can be a real art. I have decided to wait until March/April when I can get professional help from the avionics tech who helped wire the airplane in Oregon. I know that #4 cylinder is okay because EGT is similar in temperature to all others; and, there is no other problem associated with it such as excessive loss of oil or rough running engine. I admit that I am close to being a perfectionist when it comes to the airplane, but this problem will have to wait a while. The annual inspection (for some reason I have trouble remembering the proper term for experimental aircraft) is due in March. At that time, when the interior is out and everything is more accessible especially under the panel, I will revisit that #4 cylinder head temp issue. Time seems to fly as I am almost looking another inspection in the face.
I am coming along slowly on my instrument currency. Between scheduling conflicts and wet grass field problems at 1C9 I havent made as much progress as I would have liked. I dont believe in rubber stamping anything either, especially something as important as instrument currency; and neither does my instructor. Some pilots have asked what is taking so long. I hadnt flown instruments in over five years. Then you add a faster aircraft to the mix and it is simply more difficult. Adding more speed to the approach speed I was used to means I have adapt. Corrections on the approach need to be much faster farther out, and much smaller closer in. Ill get it, but in my own timeframe and at my comfort level. Gee, I guess that means I will need to continue flying my ES--poor me..ed
David Young has been a Chapter 62 Member for several years now. These excerpts are from Dave’s cross country email log which he sent to several of us. As you will read over the next number of segments, Dave’s cross country trip covered west to east coast and back again. Come along in his C182 to find out what kind preparation was required and how it feels to fly without a schedule over a six week period…..ed
As many of you know, I am planning a trip across the United States in my airplane, an orange and white Cessna 182 - tail number N7922C. If you are getting the email, I think you are among the people who are interested in this trip, and interested in semi regular updates on the trip.
Last August my airplane came out of its first annual with me as the owner. At that time I had three cylinders replaced. From pretty much the start I had always had some oil seepage, which would streak down the pilot's side of the plane and onto the strut. As I learned long ago, a tablespoon of oil, which is absolutely nothing as far as the engine is concerned, can make a large mess, so I was not concerned with the streaks. I check my oil religiously every preflight, and log the amount, and what I add - if I need to add. At no time was I adding oil, more than normal (which was a quart roughly every 10 to 12 hours of flight for my plane.)
I consulted with my mechanic and he was confident that the push rod seal on cylinder # 4 was most likely leaking. We could tell that was the cylinder the oil was coming from. Most likely something wasn’t right after the work done at annual. It was resealed in December, at no cost to me - run up on the ground, with no issues found, and the issue was closed.
After I flew again the oil was back, but I was, not loosing any oil out of the engine. I informed my mechanic, and we decided the next oil change would be soon enough to take care of it. This was fine, as I was getting the oil changed before I went cross-country, and I wanted this fixed, so if I did get a "real" oil leak, I would notice it.
In mid March the oil was changed, and this time the push rod tube seal was replaced. Again, the ground run up went fine with no leaks observed. I flew it around and again the leak persisted - although it did not seem as bad as it had previously.
I wasn’t too concerned about it, but asked that they check it again and try to figure it out. Having a seal go bad again was highly unlikely, and I worried there might be something else going wrong. They decided to take the exhaust off, and physically looked into the cylinder. They found a hairline crack in cylinder # 4 - one of the three new cylinders installed during annual inspection last year.
After pulling the cylinder, a new one was ordered from the manufacturer at no charge to me. I believed my mechanic when he told me the crack would not have broken the cylinder if I had left, as I was not losing any oil. On the flip side, I am very glad that it was found here, with a mechanic I know, rather than in the middle of Iowa.
The moral of the story is that even the little things should be fixed. I am very happy that I kept on the mechanics about the oil, rather than simply writing it off as a minor issue; and I am happy that they took the concerns seriously and really looked into the issue, rather than simply trying to convince me it was a non-issue.
I had lunch in an exotic location today - Capitola California. The plane is still being worked on. I flew it today to check some of the work, and it still might have minor issues - the mechanics are going to take another look at it tomorrow. At the moment I am thinking Sunday will be the launch date - but who knows!
Details:
When we last left this saga the piston had been replaced. When the mechanics did the run up on Monday they saw the same cylinder (#4) (yes- I mean cylinder) was still leaking, and now cylinder #3 on the other side was also leaking.
The next course of action was to pull all the push rod gaskets and washers and replace them, as this seemed to be where the oil was coming from. This involved resealing all the push rod seals, letting them dry, hooking everything back up and test running it. They ran it this afternoon with no issues.
I test flew it, never leaving the airport traffic area, and when I was done I saw the same miniscule traces of oil I had always seen. Tomorrow they will pull the cowling - again -to see if it is actually the engine, or if it was simply residual oil from the work being done. A teaspoon of oil can make a real mess, so if the engine all looks clean, I will be happy.
I will fly around here for a few more hours to make sure life is good, and life continues to be oil free - but will not push the situation. We will see.
Once again my plans have been very dynamic. I believe in my last note I stated that I was leaving on Sunday... well... that changed and I decided to leave today (Saturday.) I am typing to you from the Texas Station Hotel in Las Vegas. "How did that happen? I thought you were going to Laughlin Nevada?" you may be asking yourself. Well keep reading.
To back up a couple of days, my plane was fixed and running on Wed. I flew it for about 40 minutes, and what I thought was a leak, was not. My mechanic pulled the cowling off and everything was bone dry. The oil I saw on the outside was most likely residual.
I scheduled to fly with my instructor Friday afternoon. I packed the plane as if I was leaving on the trip, and we flew for almost three hours. The weather on Friday in the bay area was not great. It was cloudy, and ugly, the base of the clouds were around 3,000 ft., and the tops were at about 6,000. This was perfect for practicing instrument work, and we flew over to Stockton airport.
When we returned, the engine was still bone dry - so I was very confident the engine was repaired. When I checked the oil this morning, the level hadn’t changed.
I checked the weather last night, and it was forecast to be about the same as it had been Friday, so I thought I could take off Saturday without any issues. Very little had changed, when I woke up this morning, so I finished packing, and loaded up the airplane.
Once ready, I called the Flight Service Station (FSS) to get yet another weather report, and to file an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) flight plan. As I filed to Laughlin the briefer started talking about a riot, which broke out in the city at 2am Saturday morning. He was wondering if I had heard about it. I hadn't.
After pre-flight I called ground control to taxi out to the runaway. When I spoke to ground to pick up my clearance, they questioned going to Laughlin because of the biker convention going on (which I had no idea about.) After about 1/4 of the way there I decide to listen to the news on the ADF. Sure enough, the top story: The 8,000 bikers in Laughlin, and the riots that happened the previous night, which shut the city down. They had to put the city in lock down over night.
I decided that it was not the place for me. No problem. I had already pulled out all the charts for North Las Vegas, since I had filed it as an alternate, so I decided to change my routing to go to North Las Vegas. Air Traffic Control amended my clearance, and I arrived about three hours after takeoff. The local storms created quite a nice tail wind to push me along.
The bottom line is, always be prepared to change the plan - even if it is not for weather issues. Tomorrow I should be heading for Santa Fe New Mexico.... but who knows.
P.S. - The routing - for those following on a map - is not a direct line for small aircraft, because of the Sierras and some military areas. I basically had to go south east for a while, and then turn east to north east to go to Las Vegas. Route of flight was, San Jose to Bakersfield, to Palmdale, to Dagget, and then direct to Los Vegas.
First of all - always file pilot reports! They are the most helpful things in the world, especially on days like today. I filed two during my trip here.
The weather this morning had three Airmets- one for Mountain Obscuration (which is almost always out, so I kind of ignore that one), one for icing above about 7,000 feet in clouds, and one for moderate turbulence below 18,000.
I was mostly concerned about the turbulence between Bakersfield and Palmdale, and then into the high dessert which is basically mountain flying. In addition, surface winds at Palmdale and Fox field were forecast to be 25 knots gusting to 30 knots. Winds aloft were actually about the same - 20 to 30 knots at 12,000. I was planned for, and filed 11,000.
The PIREPs all said smooth. Three different planes within about an hour had gone through the pass with no issues. They all reported tops around 6,500 - although there were a couple of reports of ice. I decided to take my time loading the plane, hoping it would warm up a little, and I could get more info on the weather.
After loading I called flight service, and there was only one other PIREP, which again said, smooth. I decided to play it safe, and I had the Bakersfield approach charts out - if the PIREPs changed, or ATC knew more than I did, I would simply spend the night in Bakersfield - no big deal.
I took off around noon and climbed out. Since the weather was low, Bay Approach was not very busy and did not have to vector me around too much, or slow down my climb. I was still a little nervous about ice, but I had the San Jose approach chart in front of me so I could come right back if I didn't like what was going on. I got into IMC around 4,000 and popped out around 7,000 - about six whole minutes of actual. No ice or turbulence. I went up to 11K and had a very smooth flight until I had to start descending into Las Vegas. I was over a solid layer of clouds until I got into the Palmdale / Edwards dessert area. I was basically clear after that point. The clouds almost came up to meet me in the central valley - but not quite. I estimated tops at Bakersfield around 10,500.
Even the Las Vegas turbulence, which I expected since it was late in the day, was not too bad. I had a couple of bumps, but then it would smooth out. The bigger issue was the landing. The tower knew I was from out of town, and was a huge help. The winds were 15 knots gusting to 20, and were at about 45 degrees to any of the N. Las Vegas runways. The tower offered my either 12 or 25 - the winds were 180. I was set up for downwind on 12 so continued. The controller then called the turbulence spots for me on final - a shopping mall and eddies off the hangars. He was great. I kept extra power; had only 20 degrees of flaps, and landed, almost full right rudder - but I did land and I kept it straight on the runway. So here I am - unexpectedly in Las Vegas - tired and happy.
Next month more cross country time with weather decisions to boot………..ed
President John Garliepp called the meeting to order at 7:40. The first item discussed was that of members talking during the meeting and program.
Jon urged any who have the desire to talk at these times to take it outside. Jon also urged the members to make our guests feel at home and explain how our meetings work.
The minutes were approved as appeared in The Intrepid.
Treasurer Randy Wilde read the treasurer’s report.
Alec Piplani spoke on the upcoming programs. Chapter 62 member and aircraft design guru Martin Hollmann will be our program for February. Anyone who has an idea for a program, please contact Alec.
Carlos Treves was absent, so no Young Eagles update.
John Wieler was absent, so no membership update.
Jack Bowlus spoke on his project, which is a Piper Pacer converted to a Ford V6; the basic aircraft is assembled and he has done some taxi tests.
The FAA has signed off Boyd Blue’s GlaStar
Ralph Reichhold’s Cavalier needs 1.5 more hours to complete the 40 hour restriction.
Kevin-Neil. Klop has resigned as director. We need someone to fill in for him.
We gave a big hand to Alec Piplani for his effort on the Christmas party.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:57. The raffle followed the coffee and donuts.
The program was a presentation by Steve Switaj from the RHV tower.
Officers and board present were: Jon Garliepp, Alec Piplani, Ted Robinson, Randy Wilde, Jack Bowlus, Wolfgang Polak, Ralph Reichhold and Rolland LaPelle.
Respectfully
submitted,
Ted Robinson,
Chapter secretary
President Jon Garliepp called the meeting to order at 7:30.
It was moved and seconded to accept the secretary’s report, with minor changes.
Randy Wilde handed out the treasurer’s report.
Alec Piplani spoke on upcoming programs and the raffle.
January’s raffle netted $21.00.
February’s program will be Martin Hollman;
Tentative program for March will be John Palmer, a master machinist/mechanic who has built three Wright Bros engines.
Carlo Treves gave a Young Eagles update. We have seven events scheduled for 2003.
John Weiler gave a membership update. All who have not updated info on the web and sent in their dues are urged to do so now.
Robin Gould was absent, but Alec Piplani spoke of at least one future fly-out. It will be Saturday, April 26th to Porterville.
Ralph Reichhold said we have no open houses scheduled.
Wolfgang informed us that tech counselors and flight advisors can now be found on the chapter website.
Avion Research’s CEO Trevor Burward-Hoy has offered to have an open house at his facility in Sunnyvale on some future Saturday. He would be happy to demonstrate to ten or fifteen members the design, layout, CNC machining, powder coating, silk-screening, etc. of an instrument panel. We will have more info at February’s meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:40. Officers, board and members present were: Jon Garliepp, Alec Piplani, Randy Wilde, Ted Robinson, Ralph Reichhold, Carlo Treves, Wolfgang Polak, Larry Reed, Rolland LaPelle and John Weiler.
Respectfully
submitted,
Ted Robinson,
Chapter
Secretary
So you say that you got one of those phones that take photos for Christmas? And you’ve been having a great time sending photos of aircraft parts as hints to your spouse?
Did you know that you could use that phone (or any other phone that is web-enabled) as an aid in flying? Here’s how.
WAP stands for Web Application Protocol. It’s a format that web designers can write to that will allow your web-enabled portable phone (that’s the button that always warns you that you are about to incur additional charges) to read data in that can be displayed on your phone screen. I have read reports that boast that WAP may replace Wireless PDAs (but don’t bet on it, because many of the new PDAs are coming out with phones).
So here’s some interesting notes on WAP enabled phones:
This was taken from their Site: “Pilot My-Cast can provide personalized weather information to the general aviation pilot. You can view METARs and TAFs along your route. You can pan around a METAR and page through flight conditions, ceiling, visibility, wind, cloud cover, altimeter, temperature and dew point information. You can also view animated Doppler Radar centered on your airport.
Best thing is that it’s free, if you have the right phone. It’s available for NEXTEL and ATT Wireless phones.
http://www.cupittaviation.com/
This site offers basic and enhanced weather for both WAP enabled and also PDAs. Basic is free, enhanced costs a few bucks more. It’s worth a look and may cover more handsets that Mycast described above.
WAPMet is a free METAR decoding service for WAP enabled devices. You can use your mobile phone to enter the 4 digit ICAO code or part of the name, for any airport or reporting station world-wide and receive the latest METAR weather report. WAPMet doesn't just give you the METAR report; it also gives you a "human readable" version saving you the need to decode the METAR yourself. This site is also free. Visit it to learn how to access this data.
This site also offers free WAP weather, but you may only be able to use it if you are flying to the UK! It might be fun to visit
So which phone works best? Suggestions are for the Motorola T720. Which service is best? Although I currently have Sprint, and the My-Cast currently only works with Nextel and AT&T, the folks at Verizon are working to provide this service. Some pilots report that Verizon has better coverage than other services. I would be interested in any feedback about service from other pilots.
Next month, we’ll revisit the wireless PDA aviation services available.
The FAA has proposed an NPRM to "to revise and codify Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) No. 51–1, Special Flight Rules in the Vicinity of the Los Angeles International Airport."
The proposed action plans to change the northern boundary of the Los Angeles Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA), established by SFAR No. 51–1, to align the area with the Los Angeles Class B airspace area revisions adopted in 1997. Also, this action would revise the description of the SFRA airspace to make the requirement to operate at fixed altitudes clearer. The FAA is proposing this action to reduce the potential for climb/descent conflicts, to ensure compatibility with current traffic flows, and to increase overall system efficiency and safety.
The FAA is asking for comments to the NPRM by February 14, 2003.
The FAA issued SFAR No. 51–1 in February, 1988, to provide Visual Flight Rule (VFR) pilots with a safe and direct north/south route through the Los Angeles (LAX) Terminal Control Area (TCA), now known as the Los Angeles Class B area (53 FR 3812, February 9, 1988). Specifically, SFAR No. 51–1 allows certain aircraft operating under VFR to fly through the Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) without contacting air traffic control personnel provided that specific conditions aremet. The conditions include equipment, use of lights, maximum indicated airspeed and operations at fixed altitudes.
FMI: http://dmses.dot.gov/docimages/p74/210240.pdf
California Governor Gray Davis has proposed drastic budget cuts that include transferring nearly $5.2 million from the state's aeronautics account to the general fund. "No way," said Anne Esposito, AOPA vice president of airports. The aeronautics account funds nearly all of the state's airport improvement projects, which, under the proposed budget cut, would be virtually eliminated. "If the proposed cuts take effect, you will see no improvements to general aviation airports in California next year," said Esposito. The majority of the funds in the aeronautics account are derived from state sales taxes on aircraft fuel purchases. "Pilots deposit money into that account every time they buy fuel," said Esposito. "Shouldn't that money be used to fund aviation development?"
California AOPA members should contact their state representatives. Let them know that the proposed budget cut would negatively affect the airport in your community.
Okay folks, here is where you can make a difference. Send Gray Davis your (polite) unemotional response to his tactic of stealing from us. It’s the same old story time after time. Government is not held accountable and they continue to waste taxpayer’s money. Tell him NO!!
Martin Hollmann, President of Aircraft Designs Inc., will be our guest speaker for the February meeting.
Every year Martin brings a very interesting program to share. This year it will cover a variety of subjects. Martin will be talking about "Rockets, Jets, and Homebuilt Aircraft."
Bring your questions and get them answered by an expert.
For more information:
http://www.aircraftdesigns.com/hollmann.html
Frazier Lake Antique Display is the first Saturday of every month from 10AM-4PM at 1C9, Frazier Lake Airport. Come to visit, or display your antique aircraft
6th Chapter 62 General Meeting
9th AOPA Air Safety Foundation Pinch Hitter Sacramento, CA. www.aopa.org/asf
13th Chapter Board Meeting RHV 7:30
29th Riverside, CA Airshow 2003, Riverside Municipal Airport KRAL Contact Information: Thomas L. Miller 909-682-1771
ANNUAL SUN 'N FUN RACE SET FOR APRIL http://www.sun-n-fun.org
Aircraft Spruce will host the twenty-first running of the Sun 100/Sun 60 Air Races as part of the annual Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-in in Lakeland, Florida.
The homebuilt race is scheduled for April 3 with the certified race the following day. Each race is restricted to 75 aircraft and there is a $25 entry fee. To obtain an entry form, contact Jerry Aguilar at Aircraft Spruce, 800/824-1930
Golden West Fly-in —June 20-22
Oshkosh —July 29-Aug 4.
EAA Chapter 62 meetings are open to the public. EAA member’s guests, and visitors are always welcome. Chapter 62 usually meets on the 1st Thursday of each month (except August), 7:30 PM. at Vern Miller Aviation, 2635 Cunningham Avenue, Reid Hillview Airport (main entrance, on Cunningham Avenue right side of the road).
Hangar Hour
Come
meet your fellow EAAer’s, make some new friends, have some
food, and enjoy the camaraderie. Food will be sold from 6:30: to 7:25
during which time you can hangar talk or view various ‘How To’
videos. The meeting will start promptly at 7:30 PM, with 10 minutes
of announcements, 10 minutes of “open mike,” and 10
minutes for the coffee break. The program starts promptly at 8:00PM.
To contact Chapter 62 please see the web site at www.eaa62.org.