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Words From The Presidentby Bart DaltonFlying weather is upon us and Sun-N-Fun is about a month away. I am ready to get back out to the hanger and start getting the planes ready to go. Many things are happening the aviation world. I noticed that Honda and Continental have been testing a Honda water-cooled engine. Lancair is back in production of its Columbia 300. I noticed that on March 6 that the FAA shot down the EAA's and AOPA's request for the requirement of just a valid drivers License to operate. The FAA still wants to use a medical certificate as the License. On February 21 fire destroyed the Poly-fiber company at Flabob Airport in Riverside, CA. Monthly ProgramLast month's meeting was greatly attended. Gerry Vaughn presented a great program on heat-treating. This month we will take that meeting one step further with a hands-on demonstration of metal working with master craftsman John Hudec. John has graciously agreed to bring his English wheel and some aluminum to demonstrate the art of hand forming metal. I believe he will be showing how to make wing root fairings. You definitely do not want to miss this month’s meeting. We were originally planning on seeing Jack Kearby’s project but he had a little set back with his engine and has not made it into the air yet, but I know that it will not be long before he flies. We are still accepting applications for the EAA Air Academy. You can go online or email one of the officers for info. Remember to check to see if your name falls on the list for snacks to bring this month. We are planning a special meeting next month to kick off the flying season so you will not want to miss out as it contains FOOD from OSHKOSH. Ask The DAROur question of the month asks; “How do I apply for an “N” number that I want to pick out?” The info for reserving an “N” can be found on the FAA's registration web site at http://registry.faa.gov/aircraft.asp Click on the link "Special Registration (N-Number) Request" found under the customer services heading. This will take you to the page that explains the process for reserving an "N" number. You can reserve the "N" number online or by mail.
Treasurer's ReportBy Jeff WedmanAs the treasurer I feel it is my duty to remind everyone that the unwelcome day of April 15th is coming up rapidly and we must all file our taxes with the IRS. But hey, what better way to spend your refund than by renewing your membership with EAA Chapter 10? If you are one of the unfortunates who owe Uncle Sam, please pay your dues before the IRS takes all your money. I believe you will receive more from your $20 renewal fee than if you checked the “yes box” for the Presidential Election Campaign donation line on your 1040. In fact, I can almost guarantee your return on your $20 with Chapter 10 will far exceed any expectations you’ve ever had for a Presidential Election Campaign. Unfortunately there are 54 people who have not renewed their dues for 2003. If you have not renewed by the time we mail out the April newsletter, you will be removed from the mailing list and Chapter roster. Please don’t let this happen. The Chapter is scheduling all kinds of activities for the flying season and you don’t want to miss out. Please send your dues (see last page for a handy form) to Jeff Wedman EAA Chapter 10 Treasurer 7435 N 145th E AVE Owasso, OK 74055 or you can catch me at the next meeting. Thanks for the Donation, GCUFOI would like to thank the Green Country Ultralight Flyers Organization for the $100 donation to Chapter 10. The donation is greatly appreciated and will be put to good use. See you at the meeting.
Spring Is About To Be Sprungby Jeff WedmanWe have all been waiting for spring. Well it is about here and with it comes the birds and the bees. I do mean the ones that fly around and make nests and mess in every little place they can find on and in your airplane. We need to do everything we can to keep these critters out of our airplanes as they can jeopardize the safety of flight. If You Leave It Open, They Will ComeIf your airplane is outside make sure every one of your cowling openings is plugged, including the outflow side. You see many airplanes with the inlet plugs in but very few people plug the bottom side. Birds will land on the ground below your cowling and fly up from the bottom and make nest in the accessory section of your engine. If you’re baffling does not have a good fit, these critters can squeeze through and still build their nest on the cylinders. Don’t forget to plug any areas on the fuselage and wings that birds and bugs can fit through, especially pitot tubes and fuel tank vents. My wife, Jana, and I operated an FBO in Kansas for several years and the one paying job we could count on every year was the pitot/fuel vent clean out season. It’s amazing how much mud a mud dobber can dob into a small area and in a short amount of time. These critters are not easily defeated. Just because you cleaned the mud out yesterday does not mean it is still clean today. When you install plugs and covers to your aircraft, make sure you add the removal of these items to your preflight check list. There have been many accidents from these plugs and covers not being removed before flight. Beware the Long Parked PlaneA few years ago a good friend of mine had purchased a Cessna 172 near Dallas Texas. He did not have his pilot’s license at the time, so he asked me to go down with him and fly it back to Gundy’s. Being one not to turn down free flying, I agreed. We arrived at DFW where he had a limo waiting for us. I thought I was special, a limo! We headed out east to the town of Seagoville Texas. The airport was really run down at that time but there was an elderly man there that pumped gas and kept the jack rabbits off the gravel strip. We pulled up to these old run down tee hangars and there it sat, fresh out of annual but sunk up to the axles in Texas grit. This airplane obviously had not moved in years, but the logbooks did have a fairly fresh annual sign off. I did a “walk around” and found every little opening crammed with grass or mud. We spent about two hours picking bird nests out of the cylinder fins. If you don’t get all of the grass out of those fins it can cause hot spots that lead to cylinder cracking. Next we checked the fuel. I drained some fuel into my nifty little fuel checker that I was so thoughtful in bringing and what I got was this syrup looking black stuff with some round balls of what I think was water. So we drained fuel tanks, strainer and pulled the plug from the bottom of the carburetor. We finally sloshed enough gas around and drained enough so that I was satisfied that we had a clean system. We tried to push the airplane out of the hangar but we were unable to do so. I got in the airplane with it in the hangar and started it up. I was amazed the battery was up. We had dug some of the dirt away from the tires to make a sort of ramp. While I powered up, my friend pushed on the strut and we were able to get the plane out of the footprints it had made over the years. We pulled up to the old gas pump and my friend started to fill the tanks as I visited with the resident airport bum. He told me the previous owner actually ran the engine every week and he thought the old bird was in good shape. When I did my walk around I noticed a wasp nest on the ADF sense antenna insulator. For those of the GPS generation, that is the wire that you see on them “old” airplanes that usually runs from the top of the cabin to the tail on Cessna’s if it has an ADF installed. While we were fueling, the airport bum picked up a broom and was swatting at the wasp nest. This was a very large wasp nest with a large number of wasps. I told him to stop, just leave the darn things alone. He stopped and the wasps settled down. Well, we went on our way. The old airplane actually flew really nice with no problems. We made good time back to Gundy’s. My friend had made arrangements to keep the airplane in the tee-hangars so we shut her down and went to push the airplane back. The next thing I know my friend is laughing his rear end off. He yelled at me and said “you’ve gotta come see this.” I walked back to the tail where he was and he pointed up. I could not believe what I was seeing. There was the wasp nest, still stuck to the sense antenna insulator, with wasps still clinging to the nest! I would not have believed it if I had not seen it with my own eyes. How did those critters hang on all the way from Seagoville? It just goes to show you, critters are capable of anything. Wasps in Cessna air vents have been known to cause accidents. They make a nest in the duct and when you are in the air and a little warm, you open the vent and it gets really warm when you fill the cabin with a bunch of stinging mad wasps. A couple of days later I was out at Gundy’s and my friend had the back end of the old 172 opened up and he had enough hay piled up to make a large round bale to feed the cows for a week. There had been a starling that had died in the tail and had corroded about 1 square foot of belly skin. Luckily he was able to remove the corrosion and treat with alodine. This spring make sure your old gal is free of the birds and bees for a safe flight.
Riveting Newsby Craig LoomillerHow's everyone doing? I've been sick the last couple of weeks, what with the bad weather and all, so I haven't gotten anything done in the Hangar. I have 2 aircraft in there right now and both of them are in pieces. But then, that's nothing new with me. When I get everything back together, I don't what I'll do. Then again, maybe I'll go flying. Wild Onions and Eggs Breakfast Fly-inThe chapter is planning a fly-out as a group to Tenkiller Wild Onions & Eggs breakfast. This popular event is held this year on Saturday, March 29th. It is held at Tenkiller Airpark each year. The local residents pitch in to cook up eggs, onions, potatoes, and sausage for everyone that flies in. We are planning to depart out of Gundy’s at 8:00 a.m. that Saturday. If your airplane is broken like mine is, you can probably talk somebody into giving you a ride. It should be a great time, so mark it down on your calendar. Upcoming Poker RunSpeaking of flying, Jeff Wedman asked me the other day about having a Poker Run. I've been kind of afraid since it seems like it either snows or rains every other day and I don't want to be blamed for any more bad weather. I have that good of a track record. But I don't care. I think he's right. It's time. March is usually still to wet, so I'll set it up for April. How does Saturday April 26th sound? This will be the same day as the monthly pancake breakfast, so watch your newsletter for further details. I haven't figured out where we're going yet. I'll let you know just as soon as I know. Sun-N-FunIs it me, or does it seem like John and Sue Kurt leave for Sun-N-Fun earlier and earlier each year? They left sometime in the middle of February. I think it was before the snows came or probably more likely just as the snows started to fall. The whole Chapter can be proud of John and Sue. In another couple of years they will probably run the place down there in Florida. I heard that Clarence and Barbara Larsen left about the same time. This will be their second year working as full time volunteers. Hey Clarence! If you're reading this, how about another article from the trenches? I liked the one you wrote last year. Chapter 10 Member DirectoryI've had several people come up to me at meetings and call me at home asking how to contact other members in the Chapter. I have always been able to help everyone out with this information. But then; I got to thinking; you know there is no reason why all of members can't have this same access. It was discussed and it was decided that we are going to put together a member's roster for Chapter 10. It will have everyone's name, address, phone number, and what they are currently flying or working on in it. It will be ready by the April meeting. We chose the April meeting because by that time everyone will have paid his or her dues and all the information will be current. So hurry and pay your dues if you want to be included in the roster. We will hand them out at the Membership meeting, but don't worry if you can't make it. If you don't pick one up in person, one will be mailed to you. If you'd like to update your information before then, contact the Chapter Secretary Jerry Vaughan and he will see it gets done. Sorry Jerry. EAA National Paying AttentionFor the last several months, I have taken part in a series of surveys and focus groups concerning the direction our EAA National is heading. The surveys have ranged from rating several EAA National programs, what I personally like and dislike about the EAA, and to questions concerning the Museum and Pioneer Airport operations. I have even taken part in a conference call with several other chapter leaders from around the country concerning Chapter education. I find that this whole process is very refreshing. It is encouraging that the National organization is trying to reach out to us at the grass roots level again. I think that for a period of time, the National Organization focused more on the commercial side of aviation than on where the action is really happening, which is down here in the trenches. I think that this is where the heart of sport aviation truly lies. I am glad that somebody up there in Oshkosh is listening to us again. I'll get off my soapbox now. This joke was sent me the other day: Three old pilots were standing around when one said, “It's pretty windy.” His buddy replied “It's not Wednesday, it's Thursday.” And then the third Pilot remarked “I'm kind of thirsty too, let's go get a beer.” Happy Skies until next month! On Planning Cross Country Flightsby Lorin WilkinsonOn the 1st of February I decided to fly the Hatz over to Ponca City for their monthly fly-in breakfast. It was 30 degrees at 0800 but I was dressed for a cold flight in the open cockpit. I took off into a 5 mph southerly breeze, did a left 270 to waggle a good bye to Mary and took up a heading of 280 degrees for Ponca City. I soon detected a bit of right drift and corrected the heading to 270 degrees. I also noted that I wasn’t moving as fast as usual. I was indicating 85 knots at 2000’ msl and a check of the GPS indicated a ground speed of 45 knots! I had a 40 knot headwind. It was going to be a long flight. I was not uncomfortable in spite of the cool air but I was getting tired of staring at the same real estate. After more than 30 minutes of plugging away the GPS indicated 1:10 to go to Ponca City…the flight usually takes me 55 minutes. I begin hearing talk on the radio of choppy air up ahead. It is still smooth at my present position but I keep remembering the forecast for “strong winds in the afternoon.” Stronger than 40 knots? I am beginning to lose enthusiasm for a stack of pancakes in Ponca City and I decide to bag it. After a lazy 180 degree turn my ground speed jumped up to 125 knots. Looking over the side of the cockpit, my moving map is really moving. I am now romping across the real estate and I am back over SkyHaven Airpark in less than ten minutes. The whole adventure took 48 minutes and validates what I used to teach my primary students: always plan the first leg of a cross country into the wind, it makes the trip home so much quicker. I will try again next month. Mary fixed me a nice breakfast.
Message From The Editorby Bob Minich Membership DuesIf you haven’t renewed your membership yet, correct that problem now and mail a check along with the handy form (later in the newsletter) to Jeff Wedman. Or, if you prefer, you can also pay up at the next meeting. We’ll be publishing a member directory soon, so if you aren’t current you won’t be in it. Additionally, you may want to make sure your contact information is correct. Story ContributionsThanks to the contributors this month. After an initial stumble where I thought we might have the most plain mailing ever, they came through in flying colors to make this another great issue. I owe some folks a drink of their choice at the next meeting. As spring starts peeking through our wonderful winter weather, I’m sure you’ll come across an adventure or two whether major or minor. Take some time and write yours down for everyone to share. If your writing stinks but the story is OK, send it in anyway and I promise to polish it up enough to make my grade school teachers stop snickering. I guarantee a combined effort will be better than anything I make up (or is that remember) myself. The best way to submit an article is sending email to me at: You can also phone me if you’d like. As always, I’ll publish just about anything you send, so take a moment and write up a story on your aviation adventures. Web NewsletterLast month’s web newsletter had some delays before it was posted. We’re trying to fix that to make sure everyone gets their issue in a timely manner. If you would like to get the newsletter on the chapter website (www.eaa10.org) every month, this saves us on mailing and printing, helping to keep your dues low. Just send Jeff Wedman or myself an email and we’ll stop the paper version and send you a monthly email when the newsletter is posted online. . Mowing ScheduleHere’s the list everyone has been waiting for. Believe it or not, it will soon be Spring and that means the grass will start to grow and grow and grow some more.
This schedule is set up for Friday or Saturday mowing for the each week. If your name appears on this list and you don’t want to help call Lynn Coltharp @ 272-7255 If your name is not on the list and you would like to help, Call Lynn Coltharp @ 272-7255 If you have a schedule conflict, please call one of the other mowers and make a trade of dates. 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. Saturday after 3rd Monday - each month Pancake Breakfast - Gundy's
Airport
March 17 – Chapter 10 meeting, Gundy’s Hanger March 22 – EAA10 Pancake Breakfast 7:30-9:00 March 29 – Wild Onions & Eggs Breakfast Fly-in, Tenkiller Airpark 8:00-11:00 April 2-8 – EAA Sun ‘n’ Fun Fly-in, Lakeland FL April 5 – Ponca City Breakfast Fly-in May 3 – EAA 10 Young Eagles Day @ Gundy’s May 17 – alternate Young Eagles Day for weather May 16-18 – SW Regional Fly-In, New Braunfels
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: Bart Dalton
planenutty@juno.com
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