For Navigation Menu, Click anywhere on the Page with the LEFT Mouse Button!
|
|
||
|
For Navigation Menu, Click anywhere on the Page with the LEFT Mouse Button! |
||
Words From The Vice Presidentby Bart DaltonIt has been a busy spring and start to the summer. It has been so busy that I have missed writing an article in the last two newsletters. I have had the privilege of being able to inspect and issue paperwork on two projects from our chapter membership. Ron Dunn’s RV-8The first was Ron Dunn's RV-8. Ron did a beautiful job on the plane. His instrument panel was what impressed me the most I sure would like to have one finished out as nice as his. It was not what he had in his panel but the finish detail that made it so impressive. I have to be inspected by the FAA each year to maintain my DAR currency and I chose this one to have the FAA come out to watch. My FAA supervisor was also very impressed with Ron's attention to detail. It is very nice when you only find a couple of minor discrepancies. I also had the privilege of making the first test flight in it. With the 200H.P. engine and the constant speed propeller up front, the balance of the plane was right at the forward edge of the envelope which made the airplane a dream to land. The takeoff was so short I could hardly remember. As the plane climbed out I noticed all the temps were right where they were suppose to be. The RPM would only go to a max of 2600 and a little need for rudder trim was all that I noticed. I flew it for about 35 minutes circling the airport expanding the speed and handling envelope with a final high speed low pass at about 200 M.P.H. After this I felt that it was time for a landing. I made a decreasing airspeed approach to a short final speed of about 80 M.P.H. The airplane rounded out nicely and rolled itself on the mains just about hands off. I always enjoy first flights in great built aircraft and this was certainly an enjoyable experience. Ron, you have a great aircraft and thank you for allowing me the opportunity to fly you great plane.
Treasurer's ReportBy Craig LoomillerNew MembersHello again. In the last month we have added two additional members to our fold. With this addition, it takes our membership up to 134 members for the year. The two new memberships are for Craig & Michele Cooper and Ed Madoni. Both currently have homes on Gundy's airport and are active aviators. Craig and Michele own a 1946 Bellanca CruiseAir while Ed owns a Piper Tri-Pacer. If you see them around the airport or at the Chapter Hangar, stop and say hi. Project CompletionAl Medley finished his Tri-Q 200 aircraft last month and Bart Dalton signed off on it. Al then put the aircraft into storage at Muskogee Davis field without a single test flight. It turns out that the Medley's have decided to move to Oregon. Al plans on coming back here in the fall to fly off his time, and then fly it out to his new home. Al served as chapter treasurer before me, and was very helpful during the transition. I wish them all the luck out in Oregon. Who would want to leave Oklahoma? Pancake BreakfastsAt last month's pancake breakfast, we had a great turnout. We had several aircraft that flew in from around the area. We even had a hot air balloon drop in over the top of the hangar and land out in front. They must have heard how good our pancakes were. We ended up taking in $181.00 in donations. Everybody thought that amount might be close to a new record. I'll have to check it out. The pancake breakfasts each month provide the chapter with a relatively steady source of income, in addition to providing a good excuse to hang out at the airport on a Saturday. Some members have said that in some ways they enjoy the breakfasts more than the meetings. I know for a fact that there are more lies told at the Saturday gatherings than at the membership meetings. Come and see for yourself! Poker Run RedealSeveral people have asked; "When are we going to have another Poker Run?" With as much rain as we have received lately, I'm not sure it's a good idea to hold one right now. I'd feel really bad that if through my scheduling, I caused any flooding in the area. Ha! Ha! Seriously though, if you guys want to have one, I'll try to schedule one for August or September. I'll even schedule a rain day for the event, although the last time I did that, it rained that day also. Just let me know. Oshkosh is coming up at the end of the month. I don't think I'll ever be able to call it AirVenture; it just doesn't sound right. But, oh well. Several of us will be camping out at row 56 in the transient parking area again this year. Last year eight of us camped out there and had a blast doing it. If you make up there, be sure and come by and say hi. Even better; plan on camping with us. As they say "The more the merrier".
Gone Flying in N118RDGone Flying in N118RDby Ron DunnThe two events were dovetailing nicely. The 40 hour local flight restriction on my new RV-8 was ending and my stepson needed a ride home from Wichita Falls, TX. And besides, I had just received and re-installed my newly repaired Garmin 250XL GPS/Comm, for the second time in three weeks. I needed a good trip to check it out, yet again. After some pre-flight planning, I called Brad to have him meet me at ‘Kickapoo’ airport, just South of downtown Wichita Falls. “No Ron, just pick me up at Sheppard”, he pleaded. He didn’t have a ride to Kickapoo and he assured me that private and commercial traffic landed there ‘all the time’. Since he is in the Air Force, works at Sheppard AFB, and should know the difference, I re-programmed ‘SPS’ into the GPS and blasted off. Neither I, nor my 8 are IFR current, so naturally the clouds were broken layer to broken layer to overcast, all in less than four thousand feet. And since I was blessed with strong headwinds from the ground up, the turbulence was befitting my five-point harness. I should be thankful I thought, because these headwinds are only about 35 knots, nowhere near the forecast 50 knots. After about 90 bouncy minutes I was getting close and stewing over the possible traffic and clearance nightmare. So I listened to ATIS; over and over. She said nothing about traffic or even what frequency to call Approach on. So I called Approach using the GPS database. Nothing, no radio traffic of any sort. I’m starting to get pretty close now. So I switched to Sheppard Tower. “I show an aircraft 25mi Northeast indicating 3500”, the young man answered. “That must be me”, I replied. He told me to call in a left base for 15R. He had replied to only one other aircraft (a Cessna) in the past several minutes. This AFB must be dead. On final I realize that this is a long runway. I touch down and keep my tail wheel up. I’m taxiing/flying at 40-50 mph and it is taking forever to get to the midfield taxiway. Finally, I’m off the runway and come to a ‘T’ in the taxiway. I slow and ask the tower guy for help to the FBO. Two T-33s taxi by and head north. I’m told to turn left and go south and to stay with him on the tower frequency. My canopy is slid back and the sweet smell of kerosene permeates the cockpit. This is really cool, so I stick my elbow into the breeze. I taxi and taxi and finally the tower anticipates my question and tells me that the FBO is at the extreme south end of the airport. Brad is waiting on the FBO’s ramp with his suitcase. After loading it aft we head into the office for refreshment and relief. A pop and pause later, we load up and taxi back out. I’m now behind the only other moving aircraft on the airport, a Cherokee. Brad is my first ever passenger in the 8. I tell him that this long taxi could damn near burn my engine up. After the tower replies that he “believes that” I realize that I had keyed the mike. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Finally we get to the mid-field takeoff point. The Cherokee must have a student with instructor because they are taking forever. I tell the tower that I’m ready and he asks if I can make it around the Cherokee. I assure him that I can and he clears me for takeoff. The takeoff was ugly. Let’s see, with a 200 lb passenger in back and 30 lb of luggage behind him the CG shifts aft somewhat. Let’s just say that the initial climb angle was….. excessive. The flight back was much smoother as I was able to climb to four thousand. The GPS said my ground speed was 170 knots, about 200 mph. After landing at Wagoner I filled her back up. Let’s see, using 21.2 gallons for 3.3 hours on the tach, that’s less than 7 gal/hr. That’s outstanding for the 200 hp Lyc running about 50 percent. But wait a minute, there was that 20 minutes of taxing on Sheppard. I looked it up; 15R at SPS is 13,100 feet long, over 2 ½ miles! The really good news is that neither my wheel bearings nor my GPS crapped out.
A 310 Restoration Journeyby Randy ReadMy first experience in 310 ownership (1988) was a 1955 serial # 20 that had previously been owned by Jimmy Hoffa. My next acquisition was a 320 (1990) from Chino, CA owned by John Travis. Although a well-used bird, he had it tweaked into near perfection. Then, came a 421 (1990) that I flew for 4 years and 500 hours. It was a fast, quiet, and quite the ego-machine. This in fact was the first airplane I ever flew into Gundy's back in 1992. I was here on business at the Ford Tulsa Glass Plant were I met Jim Galloway. His warm personality, coupled with his passion for aviation, made coming here on business a special treat. Especially when he invited me to park the airplane at his place. When I sold this airplane, my wife spotted an "R" model 310 and said, "WOW! That plane looks beautiful!" However, our path of aircraft ownership took us in another direction for a few years. We owned a turbo "T" tail Lance, a Casa Saeta HA/200, which is a twin-engine fighter jet. I know, there was no practical reason for owning one except that I was 40, getting older, and decided to look "Old Man Age" in the face and spit in his eye. We also bought a new Maule 180A Comet with two of my close friends. However, as 1999 unfolded, my business trips became more frequent and of longer duration, so my search went again to fast, long distance, weather capable steeds. As I researched the market, I began investigating pressurized Skymasters. They appeared to be a sleeper on the market when it came to price. They are fast, have fairly reliable engines and miserly fuel flows. Parts have always been readily available and there is a dedicated, albeit not large, support group. The only downside is that they are a little short on luggage room and it can be hard finding good mechanics that are knowledgeable on this type aircraft. I eventually found a couple of good ones. The first, is the owner of Island Aviation at the Chino airport while the other is, Glenn Phillips (918) 607-0829 in Tulsa, OK. We still own the Skymaster and find it to be like a Mazarattie sports car, fast, and quiet, with rock-solid handling qualities. However, last year when we ran into one of the not-so-good mechanics in Michigan, it appeared it would be down a few months for maintenance leaving us without a means to travel by air. The upside was that it was the perfect excuse to buy a second aircraft as a "back-up". That's when I ran into Ed at Emerald Aviation who was brokering some aircraft for Quest Diagnostics. They had several high-time 310-R's that they were getting ready to sell as they upgraded their fleet to big single-engine turbo-props. The first one was "N181A". The engines were run-out, and the boots were bad, but a pre-purchase inspection revealed good compressions, airframe, and radios. In my discussions with Ed, I asked how was it cosmetically? He said, "It looks like a pig! It is a high time freighter that has been used to do nothing but fly!" Planning on only owning the plane a few months and then selling it, perhaps for someone to use for training, I decided that it fit my needs perfectly. So we quickly arrived at a price, wired the funds, and completed the paperwork. I arranged to have the airplane delivered the next week sight-unseen. The week went by quickly as I was busy with a lot of work. However, Saturday morning found me at the airport anxiously waiting until I saw it taxi up on the ramp. I held my breath like someone who had just bought a grab bag at the county fair. Ed was right. It looked like a pig. It looked so much like a pig, it oinked! I even mentioned to my wife that I might get a decal for the nose and call her "Miss Piggy." But she said that would be degrading to the feminine gender. So, I forgot about the idea. It probably had not been washed in a year and the inside was typical ala' freighter. I flew the delivering pilot back to Redding, PA so he could check me out in the aircraft, and then back home. By the time the trip was over, I was truly in love. This plane was fast! Its normally aspirated I/O 520's smoothly pulled it through the 7500' air at a consistent 192 knots. It was roomy with wing locker storage, and "OH, OH, OH! Is there anything better than that long nose!" It looks fast just sitting on the ramp! And the room, I could easily put any of my family's potential bassoon-like luggage in there. The next week was an enjoyable time for me of cleaning and washing N181A with industrial soap. Then, touching up the paint and installing some old interior carpet, I even had time to wax and polish most of the plane. I worked diligently because we had a trip planned for Florida at the end of the week and I did not want my wife to see the plane until its week in the beauty salon was complete with a manicure (I even armoralled the tires). I well remember a flight I had planned a couple of years earlier when she needed to go to Cleveland, OH. Our plane was down for an annual inspection so I made arrangements at a local flight school to rent a Piper "Trama-Hawk" for the 90-mile flight. When we arrived in the early morning hours as the sun was rising over the airport taxiway, with a light coat of frost on the grass, she saw the plane and its disintegrating interior (admittedly pretty bad as it was a trainer). She then nervously began to plea that we drive the three hours around lake Erie, through Toledo, to Cleveland instead of flying. Never underestimate the impact force of a "Bad Book Cover". Therefore, when the day arrived for our first flight in N181A, I held my breath as my wife and kids saw her for the first time on the ramp in the crisp, March, morning air. She was all cleaned up, touched up, waxed up, slicked up, and filled up. There was also a flight plan on file for Disney World Orlando! I knew N181A had made a good impression when my wife smiled and said, "Oh, it looks much better then I imagined!" I think she may have been comparing it to her memory of the "Piper Trama-Hawk". With that, we climbed aboard our new chariot and flew to Orlando, FL, Sarasota, FL, Tulsa, OK, and then to Detroit, MI. Despite it's still well worn appearance, and threadbare interior, by the end of the trip my wife and children declared it a great plane with wonderful creature features. I then continued to use the plane for the next 4 months flying it 160 hours with no failures. However, by then our Skymaster was returned to service and I felt that the engines, now well over TBO, should be overhauled. Furthermore, over these 4 months, my family had fallen in love with this airplane! They liked it more then any airplane we had ever owned and I must admit, my assessment is that by the time Cessna got around to the R-model design, they had refined the 310 to perfection. It has speed, full de-ice, copious luggage room, comfortable 6-place interior, great engines, and long range tanks. However, it became time to "fish or cut bait". I had to decide if we were going to keep the plane, or sell it for what would probably be a salvage price, something that rubs my love for airplanes the wrong way. Seeing a perfectly good flying airplane scrapped for parts because it is worth more in pieces then flying. Therefore, we decided to resurrect it! Just like Jimmy Stewart in the movie, "Flight of the Phoenix". I scheduled a slot with Aircraft Refinishers of South Texas to do the engines and a complete strip and repaint. I researched carefully the quality of their engine shop as I was considering factory remanufactured engines rather than overhauled. However, with the downturn in the economy and the fact that the current factory remans were running perfect, about a quart of oil every 9 hours, I decided to overhaul. I then went on, flying my other plane, waiting for the 3 months to slowly pass until N181A would be ready. I also used this time to design the new paint scheme, and color selection. This is where my wife's expertise came in handy. She has an undergrad in fine arts and attended the Detroit Center for Creative studies on an art scholarship for 4 years. She can pick colors combinations better then any I have ever seen. We ultimately decided on a Ram-like scheme with burgundy on the bottom, white cream on the top and gold laser stripes. I also investigated changing the "N" number to a personal one. This only cost $10.00 and a little help from the FAA if the number you want is available. I was able to get, "N310RR" which compliments our Skymaster "N337RR, the 150 we use to own "N150RR, and the Turbo Lance "N132RR". As you can see, we may someday corner the market on the "RR" "N" numbers. The 3 months slowly passed by and although the plane was ready early, my schedule didn't allow me to pick it up for a couple weeks. However, on a sunny, late fall, Thursday morning, I finally boarded a 7:00am, one-way, Southwest flight to San Antonio, TX. On the other end the plane, now known as "N310RR", was waiting. I was very pleased with Bruce's engine work. The details revealed a high-level of craftsmanship. With witness paint on all of the bolts, clean tight fittings on all connections, freshly detailed engine valve covers (even the "Continental" embossing was repainted in a crisp red color), the engines were ready to start. With a 3-second prime and 3 quick flips of the prop, each engine roared to life. I was a little anxious on the test flight as I had not flown the plane in 3 months and have never flown a plane with two fresh engines. As a consultant in "Risk Analysis" (FMEA) for automotive companies, I nervously began considering the probability of Failure, the Effects of the failure and what Causes or Recommended Actions might be appropriate. However, the test flight went flawlessly and the engines ran perfectly. They now have about 90 hours on them and are still running strong with only about 1 quart of oil consumption every 12 hours and absolutely no leaks. Now it was time for the new interior, so my flight went from Devine, Texas to O38, Tulsa, OK the home of Speedcraft Interiors. John Fischer, and his daughter Suzanne, are true "Craftsmen" and what I consider to be the "best kept secret" in Oklahoma when it comes to aircraft interior refurbishment. They took the old freighter interior and transformed it into a plush, burgundy, leather, with monogrammed headrests and a cream ultra-suede headliner. All of the seats were stripped, the frames painted, repairs done where needed and new foam cut, shaped, and installed. We also decided to put new glass in the plane and new seat belts and buckles. When John and Suzanne finished their handy work, the results were stunning. The first time I slid into the new interior, with the aroma of new leather, wool carpet, and paint, I said to myself, "This plane wasn't this nice when it left Wichita." Next, the plane went back into our hanger where Chris Johnson and his capable father installed the new de-ice boots. Boy, are those things pricey. I shopped, and shopped, and shopped, and couldn't find a deal on them anywhere. So, I finally caved in and ordered a set from a place in Virginia putting them on my charge card. At least that way I still had 30 days before I really had to pay for them. With the new boots on, we busily prepared for our first flight over the holidays of Christmas and New Years in the "Better Than New 310". We traveled back to Michigan to visit family with a stop in Mt. Carmel, IL to attend a convention with friends. The plane flew flawlessly and we received admiring comments everywhere we landed. There was however, one small thing that yet cried softly for attention. Then, louder and louder. It was the instrument panel! Although 310RR had great radios thanks to an upgrade about 8 years ago, the panel still sported the original paint. It was scratched, discolored, and wearing the indignity of careless freighter pilots routinely baptizing it with coffee. The stains presented a pattern as if sprinkled in its infancy at St. Gertrude's. I tried to live with it but you know how it is. You're up there in the air, flying this beautiful airplane that looks better than new and the whole time you are staring at this "Narley" instrument panel. At first, I tried to ignore it. Then, carefully I tried to clean it, but to no avail. I even thought I could just touch it up. However, with the intricacy of knobs, gauges, dials, and inscriptions, I realized this was also not going to be an option. So alas, there remained only one reasonable alternative; remove it, strip it, and repaint it. At the same time I knew my wife always liked having her own set of flight instruments on her side of the cockpit. She got used to this on our 421 and had always missed them. So I decided I would add a few goodies to her side, reface any old, worn, aged-looking instruments, and install a new sub-panel that would change the layout to 2-pilot IFR. This is where Glenn Phillips came to the rescue. Together we began removing stuff, cleaning and tagging it. Then, one day shortly after we started, Glenn walked in the hanger with a piece of flat aluminum panel announcing, "Here is your new panel". He began cutting, drilling and drinking a lot of coffee. Then, more cutting, more drilling, and more coffee drinking; by the end of the day he had a new one fabricated. I did the detailing and lettering while Glenn did all the re-routing of the necessary lines and wiring. At the same time he fabricated custom harnesses for all of the post-lights installing quick disconnects so that they now come out as sub-panel units. Of course what would a new panel be without a PM3000 6-place stereo intercom with all new jacks for each seat position. With this, I declared the aircraft resurrection completed and aptly named it; the "Phoenix". We now look forward to many happy years flying a great 310. I have enclosed some photos of the airplane, its interior, and panel. Message From The Editorby Bob Minich Thanks this month to Ron Dunn and Randy Read for their articles. If you’ve been holding on to a story, tell everyone by sending me an article. Your contribution is what makes the newsletter interesting. As always, you can visit the chapter website www.eaa10.org) for online copies of this and previous newsletters. Fly Young Eagles, Get Some GasDan Kloker wrote to me with a wonderful deal for all of you flying Young Eagles: I have been helping Charlie Freeland with the Young Eagles program. Recently Roger Wieden, (the airport owner) told me he would help support the program by giving a $10.00 gift certificate for gas to any one who helps fly kids. I think this is great that Roger is supporting the program and I was wondering if you could give him a thank you in our next newsletter. I do have the certificates so next time we fly kids I wiill be able to give them out. Thanks to Roger for supporting this worthy cause Poker Run Flyer
WHO BRINGS SNACKS????Below is a list of who brings snacks for each meeting. I am sure the A-C's will set the standard for the new year's snacks. January A-C CALENDAR1st Monday Each month Board Meeting at the chapter hangar at Gundy's 7:00pm 2nd Monday each month Newsletter Folding at the hangar - Gundy's Airport 7:00pm 3rd Monday each month Chapter 10 EAA meeting at the hangar - Gundy's Airport 1st Saturday each month Ponca City Aviation Booster club Breakfast Fly-In. 1st Saturday after 3rd Monday - each month Pancake Breakfast - Gundy's
Airport July 15 –Chapter Meeting 7:30 July 20 – Pancake Breakfast 7:30-9:00 July 23-29 – AirVenture Oshkosh
WEB PAGE NEWSLETTER (note the URL) Our web page address is: Mark will email a notice to each member who chooses to use the WEB version of the newsletter a note stating that the newsletter is ready and on line. Of course those who do not opt for the WEB version will continue to get a hard copy. The chapter encourages everyone to opt for the WEB version rather than the hard copy. Please send me an email to minich@ionet.net stating that you want to use the WEB version of the newsletter if you opt for it. One advantage of the web page based newsletter is that we can finally have good quality color pictures of airplanes and activities. Contact our chapter officers by e-mail President: Bhrent Waddell bwaddell@tulsa.oklahoma.com
|
||||