EAA Chapter 25

by Pat Halligan, Chapter 25 President

from On Final July 2005

We all know how excited kids get when Christmas day draws near. Well, the adult version of Christmas is almost here, AirVenture 2005. With SpaceShi- pOne, White Knight and Global Flyer appearing at Oshkosh this year, I would think this is one year you would not want to miss the event. Every year there seems to be an aviation story that stands out from all the rest, but this year there is not one, but a number of events. This should make for an outstanding show.

I really hope a lot of our chapter members can make the pilgrimage to AirVenture this summer even if only for a day or two. I know I’ve written before on how lucky we are to live so close to Oshkosh, but I feel it bears repeating. A one day trip in a single engine airplane or a drive with an overnight stay is a very simple undertaking from the Minneapolis area. With a small effort on your part, you’ll enjoy the experience of AirVenture. If you can take along someone interested in airplanes (flying or building) who has not yet attended AirVenture and share the experience with them, you’ll really enjoy the event.

I remember different years taking along my wife or kids, father-in-law or a good friend and I can still recall how overwhelmed they were with the size of the event and the number of airplanes. Maybe this is the year you take a neighbor, co-worker or family member and get them hooked on flying.

Speaking of flying, I made it to Canada in June for a little fishing and floatplane flying. We caught some walleye, northern and lake trout (nothing big), but enough for a great fish fry one evening and a few to bring home for the grill. If you like fishing, boating and flying you need to try a Canadian floatplane fishing trip at least once in your lifetime. Another fishing trip is being planned with my son Kevin for a 4th of July departure to Alaska for halibut and king salmon. We need some more smoked salmon for Dan Carroll’s Christmas party next December at his hangar. (Now that’s what is known as fishing for an excuse to go fishing).

For those members not at the last monthly meeting, I would like to let you know we’ve started a fund for a bronze plaque on the EAA Memorial Wall at Oshkosh for Earl Adams. The plaque’s dedication ceremony will be held during AirVenture 2006. Earl’s wife and son (Clay) who were at the chapter picnic in June are very touched that the chapter has thought to do this in Earl’s memory. It gives me great pride to be your chapter President when you decide to do such a wonderful thing for a member who gave so much of his time to this chapter. Please send your donation to Ron Oehler or give it to one of the officers during a chapter function.

Don’t forget about your ten raffle tickets you have to sell (or buy?) during the summer months. Jon has informed me that he has already received a fair amount of books back with all the tickets sold. Thanks!

I’ve just been notified or chapter website has been voted one of the top five EAA websites. Congratulation to Jeff Coffey and everyone who has helped him with the beautiful website. The winner will be announced at Oshkosh on July 30th. Good luck Jeff.

It is with great sadness that I inform you of the passing of Don Eide’s wife-Ellen. She was always at the chapter functions helping out and she will be missed by us and certainly by Don and his family. I know it will be difficult for Don, but I shared the DC-9 cockpit with Don on many occasions and I know what a strong individual he is, so with our thoughts, prayers and love of family, he will make it just fine.

God Bless all of you during this Fourth of July weekend.

Pat

by Gary Rosch

from On Final July 2005

This journey begins with the restoration of a 1950 Piper Pacer. It was a five and half year project that brought me closer to my Dad. He passed on his mechanical skills and we spent some quality time together.

In the spring of 2002 Dad suggested going to the big aviation event, Sun ‘n Fun in Lakeland , Florida. The trip was later cancelled because of his bladder cancer though we did not know about it yet at that time. The Pacer was completed in September and Dad had a couple of flights in it before he passed away the following February. If things had gone my way, Dad would have flown with me to Sun ‘n Fun in Lakeland, Florida. In the spring of 2005 I decided to go to Sun ‘n Fun; Dad would be with me in spirit.

As I made plans to go to Sun ‘n Fun I met another Piper Pacer owner who was also thinking of flying to Sun ‘n Fun - Scotty, who has the same year (1950) Piper Pacer as mine. The aircraft are both painted in the same colors and from a distance you would have difficulty distinguishing one from the other. Scotty’s aircraft is a perfect restoration. On my aircraft I can point out all the imperfections you would not even see. When people see my aircraft, they always say what a beautiful restoration. Scotty and I would fly together, in formation, down to Florida. This was an unexpected delight of the trip. It was great to have someone to talk to, watch out for me, advise me on where to go, how to get there, where to stop for fuel. This would be a different adventure in that I would have a wingman. Most of my life I’ve gone solo, “I’ve done it my way” as the song goes. It’s an American Male disease.

Scotty led in a quick low pass over a friend’s airstrip. Jim walked out on his deck with a cup of coffee in his hand to wave us off on our great adventure - life. As we took off I could see lighting flashes from the storms moving into the area behind us. I was glad that we had decided to leave two days earlier. We would switch off on who would lead the formation. When I was leading sometimes we would not talk to each other for extended periods of time. But it was always comforting to hear Scotty’s voice, knowing that he was watching out for me. Even when above some clouds and not able to see the ground, with our onboard GPS I could always know where I was. I really liked flying cross-country with a GPS.

Scotty and I had a radio frequency that we could talk to each other on. If I was leading I could not see him, but it was always comforting to hear his voice. Sometimes he would call to give an updated altimeter setting. As we were flying over the clouds I thought of the B-17’s that flew in formation in World War II and their fighter escorts. I’m sure those bombers really appreciated the company of their fighter escorts. Our first fuel stop was in Canton, IL there was a Bible verse on my fuel receipt, “With God all things are possible” Matthew 19:26. I would need that verse later in the day but after several hours I forgot about it.

Our second fuel stop was in Waverly, TN. We sat in a couple of rocking chairs on a beautiful late Sunday afternoon and had a little lunch. We decided to press on for another couple of hours of flying.

After another hour of flying, Scotty suddenly called over the radio that he was getting an airspace warning on his GPS. I checked my GPS and it was giving the same warning. I checked my aeronautical chart and quickly realized we were entering into a restricted area. I had seen it on the map earlier but had forgotten about it as the hour had passed. We quickly changed course and switched to an emergency frequency to see if someone was trying to contact us, but no one was. Checking the back of the aeronautical chart revealed that the restricted air space was not active on Sunday.

We decided to land and spend the night at Talladega, Alabama. As I flew over the airport and racetrack it looked perfect. There were plenty of camping spots; it even looked like there was some activity on the racetrack. We landed and set up our tents just as the sun was setting. Other than strong head winds that had slowed our progress, the weather had been good and we were more than halfway to Florida! We decided to walk over to the local Fixed Base Operator (FBO), which from the airport diagram looked to be about a mile away towards the racetrack. It was a beautiful warm evening as the stars came out and we called in to let our mechanic know the aircraft performed perfectly. We kept walking on but could not find the FBO. Soon we came across a guard shack. We asked the guard about where to get something to eat. He was new and did not know much other than some places too far to walk to, but his supervisor would be back soon.

The supervisor was not much help either other than suggesting heading the other direction for at least a couple of miles. It turned out that this was a test facility for Harley Davidson motorcycles, but no one suggested the use of a bike and we did not ask. So down the road we headed - a dark unlit road. We couldn’t see much; I thought I saw a dead rat on the road. We reached the first main highway, with nothing in sight other than a freeway off in the distance. We walked along the highway for a while, but still not even some lights that might suggest civilization. It looked like dinner was going to be dried turkey jerky and some grapes. Scotty had moreideas than me. He was going to make a non-emergency call to the local police station to see if a squad car might be close by that could give us a lift. No such luck as a couple of squad cars raced down the highway, their lights flashing. They probably never even saw us.

Then I spotted a sign. “All things are possible.” There was that verse that I had seen on my fuel slip earlier in the day. Just then a white vehicle came out from the Harley Davidson Test facility. I flagged the car down, hoping to ask the driver if he knew of a place to eat. Ted was a test engineer for Harley-Davidson on temporary assignment who said he’d give us a ride since he was looking for a place to eat as well.

The next morning we were up with the sunrise and quickly fueled the aircraft and skipped breakfast to get in the air and on our way to Florida. Once on our way southward as I was checking something inside the aircraft, my aircraft was turning ninety degrees to the right, heading out toward the Gulf of Mexico. Soon Scotty was calling out over the radio asking where I was heading. How similar to our life’s journey. Sometimes we drift off course - so subtle that we hardly notice. Before you know it you are way off course and lost.

Later on this leg of the journey, I was looking for a good refueling spot. Then Scotty calls over the radio about an airfield about one hundred miles ahead that might be good. I asked him how he found it and he replied that he had a look-ahead feature on his GPS. Boy, I like that GPS.

After refueling at Perry, Florida we headed out on the last leg of our journey to Sun ‘n Fun at Lakeland. After landing, it was a long taxi to the antique aircraft parking area, but we had arrived! Once we parked our aircraft we met Lou, a pilot from Fed-Ex who had a modified Piper Super Cub. Lou suggested we camp in a wooded area near our aircraft. It would be a welcome relief from the sun, wind and dust during the next few days.

The Journey Continues

I had a great time at Sun ‘n Fun meeting new friends, looking at all the aircraft and watching the air show every afternoon. I missed my Dad; he would have loved the time there. After several days it was time to think about the journey back home. Scotty would be flying back to Cincinnati, Ohio. I was planning to visit some friends along the way.

But first I felt I needed to find a place that would be by the ocean where I could relax for a day or two. I asked for God’s help in finding some spot. When I looked on my aeronautical chart it seemed to pop out from the map - Cedar Key, Florida. It was about one hundred miles northwest, an easy one-hour flight. Some friends had recommended this as a nice place to get away. The approach into Cedar Key confirmed it ­ this would be the perfect get-away.

After tying down my aircraft the Checker taxi showed up to give me a ride into town. Checking into my motel room, I then walked into town to get some lunch, relax, and check out the town. I walked around town and even rented a bike to explore more of the key. As the afternoon rolled on the wind began to increase and I figured it was typical sea breezes. Towards evening I started to get lonely. I was missing all my new friends and the evenings when we would get together for a social hour.

I called several friends and relatives that I might possibly visit on the way back and it sounded like some of them would be around. I also called my wife’s friend, Claire, from Tallahassee, Florida who had visited us several years back. Her son, James had been very interested in aircraft and they had taken a look at my aircraft when it was being restored in our garage. She has home and James was still very interested in aircraft and he would love to fly in my aircraft. It was set; I would leave Cedar Key in the morning for Tallahassee.

Now you need to know that I’m the kind of person who needs all my ducks in order. I want to know the plan ahead of time. I struggle sometimes with being spontaneous like calling one of my wife Pam’s friends out of the blue. But Claire said it was a God thing, her calendar, which is usually full, was empty for Friday. As evening approached though, the wind did not die down. I checked the weather channel and there was a tropical storm brewing off in the Atlantic and the winds were forecast to remain strong all day Friday, too strong to fly such a small aircraft as mine. I was getting nervous. James would be very disappointed if I could not make it; people were depending on me. But I prayed that God would calm the winds and give me courage and wisdom on whether to fly the next day.

The next morning I woke up early, the winds had died down and when I checked with the Flight Service Station the wind was supposed to pick up around 11 and blow until about 3. That would be ok to fly in the morning to Tallahassee and then take James, Claire and Emily up after school. It was a beautiful flight up to Tallahassee, but the field I had picked looked rather short with trees on both ends. After checking with the airport people they said just look out for the trees and power lines at the approach end of the runway.

Every thing went fine on the approach into Tallahassee Commercial airport. The little terminal building looked as it probably did back in the 50’s when a little airline flew out of there. Claire picked me up for lunch and later we picked the kids up from school before heading back out to the airport. The winds blew, but not so much that we could not go flying for little while.

To be continued next month…

by Craig Nelson

from On Final July 2005Well, it’s past time for what is turning out to be my yearly update on my Kitfox Series 6/7 project. I continue to fit building time into a busy family (4 kids now) and work life. Progress has been slow but steady. As the weather warmed up in the spring of ‘04 I got back into fabric related activities. Up went the spray booth in the garage and there it stayed through the summer and fall. The first task at hand was to finish spraying the wings. They had been storedfor the winter with two coats of silver on them. After sanding, I sprayed what should have been the final coat of silver prior to applying the color coats, but alas, I found my spraying skills were a bit rusty. I applied the silver coat too heavy which resulted in an orange peel texture. Sooo…sand and spray again. This time I got it right. After one coat of white, the yellow top coats (2) followed with a blue accent wrap on the leading edge which finished the job. Next came the tail feathers. These components had been covered but they still needed to have the tapes applied. This went well but I found applying the leading edge tape on the horizontal stabilizer to be quite a challenge. Getting the tape to stay down in the scalloped “valleys” between the ribs took quite a bit of trial and error as well as patience. But I got it and before long they were being sprayed with silver and the needed color coats. The fuselage then went back into the booth. It had been covered and sprayed through the base color coats the previous fall. Now it was time to add the blue accent striping down the side. After a lot of masking the stripes went on with great results. I enjoyed doing this accent work and seeing the results. At this point the only fabric work that remained was covering and painting the butt ribs. This required that some end plates be made out of aluminum sheet first. The builder’s instructions were not very clear for making these or how to cover the butt ribs in general. This posed a bit of a road block for awhile until I finally realized that I just had to get started and I would figure it out as I went. I have experienced this several times during the project. I like to be able to visualize how a particular process is going to go but sometimes it just isn’t meant to be that way. So, I have learned that I need to dive in and it will come together as I go. Anyway, with some careful work the butt ribs were done and again I’m happy with the results. The fuselage was then moved into the basement. By now it’s running into late fall and I still needed to paint some non-fabric items including the flaperons (aluminum skinned), their mounting brackets, and the spring landing gear. I wanted these to be painted with Polytone to match the fabric. Polytone does not adhere well to metal and fiberglass unless you spray it into a semi-wet coat of epoxy primer. This process dragged out because of the curing time (4 days) needed between coats when using epoxy primer. I stuck with it and got these items painted. In December I finally took the booth down for the winter. Sally and I were happy to be able to park in the garage again. In the colder weather months of winter I have been popping around working on different areas. I have installed the instrument panel and it’s associated instruments and avionics. Wiring of these components is nearly complete. I have fit the firewall and cowl bonnet to the fuselage. This spring I did some fiberglass lay-ups so that I could add NACA vents to the bonnet. These will be connected to eyeball vents in the instrument panel for a fresh air source in the cockpit. I’ve also modified the fiberglass wing tips to create a mounting pad for the nav/strobe lights. Earlier in the spring I finally received my Rotax 912S (100 HP) engine after about a 7 month wait. I started the engine installation process and found that my engine mount interfered with the back of the starter. It turns out between the time I got the engine mount and the engine, Rotax switched to a more powerful starter which made it longerÅ hence the interference. I sent the mount back to Skystar. They modified it to fit the new starter and had it re-powdercoated. Over Memorial Day weekend my son and I did a preliminary engine mounting to check fit. It sure is fun to see it hanging off the front of the fuselage. It’s starting to look like an airplane! This summer I will continue with the firewall forward installation, the final wiring details, and the mounting of the windscreen. Late in the summer I expect to be back in the paint booth painting the cowlings and doors. Well, that’s about it for this update. I have kind of given up forecasting a completion date but it’s very possible that my next update a year from now will find me with a finished aircraft. Now that’s a n exciting thought!