 |
EAA Chapter 983 Newsletter June 2001Mailing Address: EAA Chapter 983, P.O. Box 903, Granbury, TX. 76049 |
|
EAA Chapter 983 Newsletter June 2001Mailing Address: EAA Chapter 983, P.O. Box 903, Granbury, TX. 76049 |
Chapter 983 meets on the 2nd Saturday of each month at 10:00 A.M. in Ken Housemans hangar - the N.E. corner of Pecan Plantation Airport.
Carl Byam gave us a thorough rundown on the care and feeding of those "fans" up front. He stressed the preflight check of propeller blades and suggested using a fingernail to search for that nick that needs to be filed out. He also said that the nick should be dressed out to a total distance of 10 times the nick depth. It is important to also fair the dressed area to preserve some of the airfoil shape.
After filing out the nicks it is a good idea to spray a protective coating of paint. (Mask the leading edge off to make it look neat) Corrosion is a constant problem to be monitored. Hub cracks can destroy a propeller very fast and unfortunately the spinner that is on most of our birds covers most of the hub and dome. This makes it especially important to observe one of "Carl's Rules": The propeller should be overhauled every 5 years or 500 hours whichever comes first. Carl had some horror pictures of props where the owner ignored this rule. Carl said it is OK to push on the prop blades providing that the force is applied close to the hub.
A no-no is pushing on the spinner which has a comparatively weak sheet metal bulkhead/backing. Carl did not have nice things to say about Hartzell, much preferring McCauley. The McCauley is lighter and has better hub blade retention. Our meetings go smoothly thanks in good measure to the many who pitch in to set up tables, chairs and do all the behind-the-scenes work both before and after. Thanks fellas! |
June 16 was "Young Eagles" Day and a very successful one! We ended up taking some 50 young Eagles aloft. Dave Moore headed up the effort. Karen Tucker gave an initial orientation talk with assists from Bill Mainord and Max Odle. Lots of pilots took part; Bales, Siedschlags, T. Woodward, Keyts, Marty Sidener,& Sid Tucker. (and others I forgot because my computer failed me, see NOTAMS.) |
Jerry Knapp is closing in on getting his Lancair 360 ready for it's first flight. He will have the first Lancair 360 flying at Pecan. It should put nearly everyone in the shade in the speed Department ~ 200-220 Knots at 7000 Ft. Jerry will have it well instrumented from day one. Jerry's 360 will have an S-tec 2 axis A/P, and an Argus moving map display. I was interested in the hydraulic reservoir which used a transparent tube as a sight gage. Jerry uses an air-oil separator, but dumps the excess into a separate collection can rather than back into the engine. Nice touch, who needs that boiled off oil? The bird carries 42 Gallons in integral wing tanks. Since the wings are thin the tanks are l-o-o-ng. A standby 8 Amp alternator provides IFR peace of mind.
Jerry is a retired Airline Captain, who also grows Pecans in his own orchard. It has taken him some 8 years and 4000 hours to get the Lancair to this point. Nice going Jerry, looking forward to your first flight!
Dick Keyt is really burning the midnight oil trying to get the Polen ready for Oshkosh. He is planning on racing in the Kitty Hawk to OSH race and also try for a new 500 KM. record. (See Pg. 26 in the July Sport Aviation magazine.) You will note in the pictures taken 2 July that "Some Assembly is required." Don't push it too hard Dick, ~ this is your dad speakin' . |
The Fall of Troy, Act I by Damon
Berry
You remember the story. The Greeks laid siege to Troy for ten long years and were unable
to defeat the city. Until they thought up the Horse. The Trojans should have thought about
things just a little bit longer.
My Dad and I pulled a Trojan Horse into the hangar the other day and I fear all may be
lost.
It began innocently enough. He called to say he bought an Aeronca Chief. It hadn't been
flown in three years, was disassembled but in pretty good shape. We could have it flying
in a few weeks. No sweat. I should have smelled the Falafel right then.
|
We took a trailer out to a grass field west of Shreveport and started loading up. The
first thing we noticed was something leaking and smelling bad. Next to a three-week-old
dead possum, there isn't much worse smelling than three-year-old dead gas. It's even worse
when it's dripping out of several undisclosed locations. We put the fuselage on the
trailer, then the wings. When we picked up the wings there was quite a rumble, rattle and
shake going on inside. Seems that mud daubers are prolific in Louisiana and quiet, dark
places make them feel real comfy. "How in the world do you get those mud piles out of
there" I thought. As it turns out, not a problem. (we'll talk about recovering the
wings later).
While we drove back home we talked with excitement about low and slow summer flying over
the Brazos River and green pastures. We knew there was work to do. Rebuild the carburetor
and mags. Look inside the cylinders and case. Comply with a recent A.D. to inspect the
spars. Clean. Reassemble. Fly. Not a big job and a perfect opportunity for some father and
son time. "Would you like a little Feta Cheese with your salad Sir?"
|
Let me tell you about my Dad. He's been around aviation for a long time. Started as a
mechanic with American, Chance Vought and others. Dusted and sprayed. Raced F- I's for 20
years. Retired as a 747 Captain. He's had several FBO, repair station, A/C sales and
salvage businesses and is still an active IA. He knows his stuff when it comes to
airplanes. Could he make a mistake when it comes to buying a used airplane? Could he have
ulterior motives? "Beware of Greeks bearing..........
Meanwhile, back at the ranch we were pulling the Chief off the trailer and arranging the
pieces around the hangar. It was pleasant work, but I felt strangely uneasy. I'm not a
superstitious person but I could have sworn I heard a thousand tiny voices crying out
"Stop. Go back. Lock the gates. It's a trick!"
The smell of Garlic was strong in the air.
I should have thought about things just a little bit longer.
~ Damon Berry
NOTAMS:
| 1. There will be a EAA 983 business meeting on the 11th of July (Wed.) At 7:00 PM at the Pecan clubhouse. all are welcome. |
| 2. The board wishes to thank all those who turned out for our pancake breakfast at Granbury airport. Marty Sidener, and Margaret Siedschlag were busy on the grill. Ed Brown, Gene Bell, Mike Bradley, Jerry Althouse, Dianna Gronemeyer, Gene Keyt and the Bales, (DR and Kathleen) pitched in on various tasks. John Holt and the airport crew make it very easy to prepare sumptuous breakfasts and they have an excellent kitchen. We plan to have a future Chapter meeting at Granbury. Three Canard Cozies made a formation flyby and stopped for pancakes. Two were 4 place and one 3 place. Any one get their names? |
| 3. The local FSDO has a list of web sites you might find of interest. National Aviation Accident Data - http://www.ntsb.gov/Aviation/Accident.htm Flight Safety Foundation - http://www.flightsafety.org Landings - http://www.landings.com/ |
| 4. Our last two outings have been just great. It is nice to have fun and make money doing it. The Spring fly-in netted $1400 and the pancake breakfast $150. |
| 5. This newsletter would have been in your hands sooner if my computer had not crashed. Whatever happened was catastrophic, wiped out all my capability to do anything. Rick Chapman tried to get me going and finally had to give up 'cause he was going on vacation. I am using his "loaner" computer to get this out. @#%&^!*$ computers! |
| 6. AWOS (Aviation Weather Observation System) is coming! The Granbury Airport is slated to get an AWOS soon. This will be a real boon, because Granbury is close enough to Pecan an Nassau Bay to give useful information on landing conditions before you make the approach. If the weather is stinko, it's off the Meacham. |
| 7. Sid Tucker's mother passed away, Our heartfelt sympathy Sid.. |
Here is some "filler" for you, gleaned from; (where else?) The Internet!
Schedule of Chapter 983 Events
