Meeting: June 7, 2005 Tuesday 7:00 pm

Place: Airpark Terminal Building

Inside this Issue:

www.eaa.org

President’s Corner
Hello everyone. It's almost June and although the weather is warmer, it still seems like we're running a month behind.

Sorry about missing out on the last Chapter meeting hosted by fellow members Jon and Jennette Meriwether. My thanks go out again to Rick Ramsey for taking over for me. Many thanks to Jon for hosting the meeting at his home and work shop and his nice sign for the new Chapter Building. Don Green will be writing a story about the meeting later on in the newsletter.

As everyone knows, the price of gas has been coming down slowly, I only hope that Aviation Fuel will soon follow suit. While working down in the garage/shop on the Long-EZ, I normally have my aviation scanner on listen to Unicom for some chatter. It is amazing how quiet it has become. A couple of years ago you would hear pilots calling in from all over the area announcing their flight plans for many local airports. If I heard a small plane fly overhead, I would stop what I doing to see who or what it might be. We can only hope that the prices still keep coming down and the planes start going back up.

Over the last month or so, I've been getting a lot of requests for information on the Sport Pilot License. The EAA Chapter Web Site has some information and in the next couple of newsletters I hope to put together some more info for everyone. With a little luck and a little string pulling I’ll try to get in a guest speaker from EAA to talk a little more in depth on the subject at a future Chapter meeting.

Oshkosh is fast approaching and from what I been reading in the EAA Flyers and E-mails, it's going to be a another great show. We are still trying to put together a trip to attend this year's event. So far everything we have looked at for transportation is expensive. From bus to motor home to chartered plane, it isn’t cheap. Looks like a convoy might be in order. But we are still looking and planning, so if you're interested let me know.

We are planning another Young Eagle Flight and a Fly-in event for later on this summer. With the Chapter Building soon to be completed, we hope to include an open house for it.

We have an interesting meeting planned for June, so remember to bring along a guest and introduce them to the Chapter and Sport Aviation.

See you there.
Dave

May Chapter Meeting
What a great meeting it was! And not just because Jon had a good spread of pies which we are sure he slaved hours over a hot oven to make. We watched a powerpoint presentation on the history and details of his hugely successful business "Merco Marine". He then gave us an extensive insight into the building of his latest aircraft project, the Xenos motor glider (see the March issue for details) and had the kit engine parts all laid out for us to to get a good look at. Many parts were of high performance racing engine origin with matching anodized finish. A very interesting carburetor caught my eye.  It was probably less than an inch thick with a sliding plate in place of the normal butterfly valve.

We moved from his garage aircraft skunk works to his business facilities where teams of employees were assembling several docks. Danny showed us the Autocad 3D design software and demonstrated his impressive skills. The technology certainly amazed all of us. Next we looked over the plasma cutting table where a 2 inch thick steel plate of up to 10 ft x 4 ft can be cut by computer control. Danny had drawn our Chapter logo on the computer and fired up the plasma cutter and we very quickly had a 30 inch diameter logo cut out of 3/8ths steel.  Rick Ramsey was kind enough to volunteer to clean and paint it so we can apply it to the new hanger.

Thanks again, Jon, for all your help. - Don

EAA Sport Pilot Tour Begins in June at Marysville Fly-In
EAA’s first Sport Pilot Tour begins June 3-4 at the EAA Golden West Regional Fly-In, Marysville, California. From there stops include St. Louis, Missouri, June 10-11; Franklin, Pennsylvania, June 17-18; and capped by EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2005, July 25-31. EAA’s Sport Pilot Team will provide insights into transitioning, maintenance, medical considerations, and more, as people have the chance to see and fly sport pilot eligible light-sport aircraft. They’ll also receive tips on what to ask before buying an LSA.

June Meeting
This month we were able to get a hold of Rev. Jim Foglio of Toronto Airport. Jim is a pilot and owns a Tiger Cub. He will be flying down to our Chapter meeting to show it to us and to give a little talk. The Tiger Cub was built at Herron’s Airport by Bill Johnson. A few years back we had Bill come to talk about his business and the Tiger Cub. So come on out, kick back and enjoy.
Place: Jefferson County Airpark
Time: 7:00pm
Date: June 7

Wood, Glue, Rivets & Dreams
This month we are featuring Fellow member Dick Hazlip’s pride and joy, a Cessna 170A.  Dick has been flying it for about two years now. He flew it back from Florida and hangers it at the Toronto Airport, along with another C-170, owned by fellow member, George Evans. Not letting any grass growing up under his wheels, Dick is up and flying with the Toronto Air Force every Saturday. We'll look forward to seeing his plane at a future meeting.

Also this month we have some interesting information on the 51% Rule. More info can be found on the EAA Web page. If you are up and around the airpark during the weekdays you might catch a new homebuilt in the first stages of flight testing. It is a Sonerai, built and own by Ken Crowley of Toronto. Ken has done a very nice job on getting it ready for flight testing. Ken is looking for a Flight Technical Counselor in our local area.  If you know of one, let him know at kencrow@1st.net.

Question of the Month
I am contemplating purchasing a completed or nearly completed experimental amateur built airplane. I think I am pretty familiar with the maintenance, inspections, etc. I’d be allowed to do on an airplane that I built (51%), but I am still unable to figure out what maintenance & inspections I could do on airplane built mostly or entirely by someone else. Could you help me on this? Thanks for taking the time to provide this service.

Answer:
A word of caution about buying an amateur-built airplane before it is certificated: Make sure you receive the builder’s log so that you can establish/document that it was indeed amateur built. Also, if it was built from a kit, you will need a bill of sale for every link in the chain of ownership. An invoice does not suffice.

That said, inspections can be performed by any licensed A&P mechanic, an FAA-approved Repair Station, or by the builder of the airplane provided the builder obtains a “Repairman’s Certificate” from the FAA. Note that unlike an annual for a type certificated aircraft, the A&P does NOT have to have his/her “Inspection Authorization”.

Regarding maintenance, FAR Part 43 specifically states that the rules of that part do not apply to amateur-built airplanes. Therefore, any maintenance on an experimental airplane can be performed by virtually anyone regardless of credentials. (This does not apply to the condition inspection previously discussed). Let common sense be your guide as to what maintenance you conduct yourself.

Chapter Building
The main frame is up but last week we ran into a little alignment problem with the hanger door. Tom Cucarese has been on top of it, calling in the Factory Rep to look over the problem. As of this week, they are going to bring in their crew to correct the problem on two of the columns and support beams which were incorrectly fabricated. Hopefully by time you read this newsletter we will have the okay to start putting up the metal side and roof panels.

We have had several work parties putting up the beams and wood purloins. Many thanks to those who answered the email calls to help out. We try to notify as many members who don’t have email access as we can. As soon as we get the okay to start, we will send out a flyer to everyone for a Saturday work party and cook out. You can also always give Tom C. a call for a work party update. His phone number is 740-266-9305.

We have another donation to the building coming from Art and Norine Lerczak. They have donated 12 white patio chairs for the Clubhouse. Many thanks to them. These will be added to the many items already donated for the inside of the building.

As you all know, this project has been many years in the making. Everyone in the Chapter has worked very hard to make this a reality, but this is only the beginning. We have some very good and different ideas on putting heat and electricity in the building. Remember, this is everyone’s building and what and how we make it even better is up to us. So come on out and get involved, shared your ideas and have fun doing it.

Engine Beat - Aileron Tabs Improve Stability
Engineers at Lehigh University have come up with a relatively simple device that allows pilots to custom-tailor the lateral stability of their aircraft in flight. According to PhysOrg.com, Prof. Joachim Grenestedt designed "canted tabs" that attach to ailerons. The tabs rotate around an aluminum tube inserted in the aileron. The pilot can adjust them as much as 30 degrees in flight and the effect on lateral stability is significant. The tabs were installed on an Aermacchi AM-3 Bosbok and rendered it laterally stable. "We took an unstable aircraft, fitted it with the canted tabs and made it stable. When the plane started to side slip, the tabs applied force to the ailerons, causing the plane to bank, or roll, and regain lateral stability," Grenestedt said. The innovation could help aircraft designers solve an important aerodynamic problem in creating marketable aircraft. According to Grenestedt, civilian aircraft must be able to be rolled upright using rudder alone in case the aileron controls fail. The AM-3 doesn't have that ability and therefore can't be sold commercially. However, with the tabs installed, test pilots at the National Test Pilot School in Mojave were able to roll the plane with rudder alone. "The canted tabs actually made the plane handle properly," said test pilot Russ Stewart. Grenestedt said the tabs could be an easy fix for existing airplanes with stability problems. "The largest benefit of the canted tabs may be to serve as a cure for lateral stability deficiencies in existing aircraft, reducing the need for extensive airframe modifications," he said.

Chapter Dues
Membership form

SHORT FINAL...
... after the passengers demanded a free drink.

AvWeb
Overheard on the radio: Pilot: Unknown airport with Cessna 150 circling overhead ... Identify yourself!

FLYING DESTINATIONS THIS WEEKEND:
Cincinnati, Ohio. B-25 Rides and a USO Show takes place May 28 and 29 at Cincinnati Municipal Airport Lunken Field (LUK). Warbird rides in the B-25H Barbie III and a World War II-style swing dance and USO show to honor veterans Memorial Day weekend. Contact Jim Stitt, 513/241-1661, or visit the Web site.

Zanesville, Ohio. A Fly-in/Drive-in Pancake Breakfast takes place May 28 at Riverside (OH36) from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch will be served beginning at 11 a.m. Contact Chuck Bruckelmeyer, 740/454-7487.

New Philadelphia, Ohio. A Pancake Breakfast and Lunch Fly-in takes place May 29 at Harry Clever Field (PHD) from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sponsored by EAA Chapter 1077. Contact Alan Sickinger, 330/339-7213.

Smoketown, Pennsylvania. The Twenty-third Annual Fly-in Breakfast takes place May 29 at Smoketown (S37). Featuring ham, eggs, and pancakes starting at 8 a.m. Classic car and model airplane display and Young Eagle flights. Sponsored by EAA Chapter 540. Rain date: May 30. Contact Jack Henderson, 717/872-5297.

Batavia, Ohio. Sporty's holds a Hot Dog Fly-in every Saturday at Clermont County (I69). Free hot dogs from noon to 2 p.m. Contact Mike Lack, 513/735-9100 ext. 303.

NEXT WEEKEND:
Reading, Pennyslvania. The Fifteenth Annual World War II Weekend takes place June 3 through 5 at Reading Regional/Carl A. Spaatz Field (RDG). The Mid-Atlantic Air Museum will host an event with more than 80 military aircraft, 200 restored military vehicles, and more that 1,100 living history re-enactors and performers. Visit the Web site.

Hammonton, New Jersey. An Open House/Young Eagles Day takes place June 4 at Hammonton Municipal (N81). Jared Aicher, of Eagle Flight, will arrive at 9 a.m. Young Eagle flights from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lunch served from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free raffle. Contact John J. Fortis, 609/567-0623, or visit the Web site.

Akron, Ohio. A Pancake Breakfast takes place June 5 at Akron Fulton International (AKR). Join the fun. Have EAA 853’s famous pancakes from 8 a.m. to noon at Airspace Place on the airport. Contact Dave Calgos, 330/701-3533.

Columbia Station, Ohio. An EAA Chapter 1252 Breakfast Fly-in and Young Eagles Day takes place June 5 at Columbia (4G8) from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cost: $5 for pancake and sausage breakfast. Contact Paul Koziol, 440/236-6594, or visit the Web site.

Limerick, Pennsylvania. A Breakfast Fly-in takes place June 5 at Pottstown Limerick (PTW) from 8 a.m. until noon. The seventh annual breakfast fly-in is hosted by EAA Chapter 1250. Contact Howard Whyte, 610/948-2874, or visit the Web site.

Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania. The Skyhaven Pilot's Association Fly-in Breakfast and Craft Show takes place June 5 at Skyhaven (76N). Serving pancakes, eggs, sausage, and ham. Breakfast: $5 adults, $3 children. Antique and homebuilt aircraft. Contact Charlie Gay, 570/836-4800.

PROP BUSTERS CLUB
If you are interested in some real affordable flying, contact Dick Hawkins (Prop Buster President)
or Tom Cucarese (Treasurer) 740 266-9305 for details on becoming a Prop Buster Member.
The airplane is a Cessna 150 and is based at the Jefferson County Airpark.
What does it cost to belong:
Initiation Fee $250.00
Dues: $200.00 a year
Aircraft Flying Rate: Per Hour $40.00 wet.
Your Flying Insurance is included in with your membership to the Flying Club.
So if you’re looking for very affordable flying, this is the group for you.