March 1999  EAA Chapter 108   PO Box 1141     Shalimar, FL  32579-5141   http://members.xoom.com/eaa108/

On Saturday,  March 6, the Chapter will be flying teachers at the open house of the Alabama Aviation & Technical College (www.wallace.edu/aatcpages) at Blackwell Field in Ozark, Alabama.  If you want ot help out (air or ground) contact Gerry Poltorak at 862-0652.  A decision on weather will be made by 0800 and planes should be in Ozark by 1000.

Flying in Panama Topic for March Meeting

The next chapter meeting is scheduled for March 16, 1999.  Ed Armbruster will discuss the experience of flying in Panama.

Also get a double dose of Aviation Trivia!  There wasn't time at the February meeting to take the trivia tests, so the March meeting will feature the tests from February and March.  Remember, the highest score an the end of the year gets a prize.

Eglin Open House

The Eglin AFB open house is set for March 27-28.  The festivities include several aerobatic acts including the USAF Thunderbirds.  Volunteers are needed to help staff the EAA booth and answer questions about the chapter and its planes.  Volunteers can sign up at the March meeting.

Eglin has restricted aircraft attendance to 13 planes because of limited hangar space.  As soon as he finishes working the administrative details, Bob Sutherland will be contacting those aircraft that were selected by Eglin to attend.

Son Tay Raid Explained

At the February meeting, Retired MGen Leroy Manor presented a detailed discussion of the Son Tay Raid to rescue prisoners of war in Vietnam.  To read Gen Manor's description of the raid, visit the Son Tay Raiders Association web page at  http://www.sontayraider.com/history.htm

Miscellaneous

New Members

Welcome Chapter 108's newest members:  Carl Pivarsky and John White.  Carl plans to begin building an RV-6 this summer and John is thinking about building a Pietenpol sometime soon.

Treasurer's Report - In January, the chapter had an account balance of $887.31.

Logo Contest

The logo contest is still accepting entries, but won't be for much longer.  Get your entry in today.  Don't worry about fancy artwork; just sketch your design and give it to any chapter officer.

Empty Seats Wanted

Ever wanted to attend a fly-in, but weren't sure who had an empty seat?  The chapter is looking for ways to match passengers with empty seats.  Bring your ideas to the next chapter meeting for discussion.

Sun-N-Fun Arrival Procedures Published

Check out the Sun-n-Fun Arrival procedures for 1999 at the Sun-n-Fun web site (www.sun-n-fun.org).  Look for more information in next month's newsletter.

SERFI Update

Planning continues for the 1999 edition of SERFI.  Interesting items include:

• "Roscoe," the announcer from Sun-n-Fun, will be the banquet speaker.
• The new Selma Chapter will be helping out
• SERFI will advertise hotel rooms in Monroeville in addition to Evergreen
• Arrival procedures similar to those used at Oshkosh are being developed
• 100LL will be delivered to aircraft on the field.

If you're hungry and looking for something to do with your plane, then join Ray Hamorski and friends for lunch on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month.  The Catfish Flight assembles at 12:00 and 300 ft over the Crestview Airport and flies in formation to the chosen restaurant/airport.  Some of the frequent destinations include Monroeville, Destin, Greenville, Opp and Gulf Shores.  Contact Ray Hamorski at 862-4039 for more information.
 

Some of the Greatest Lies in Aviation:

1. I'm from the FAA and I'm here to help you.
2. This kit can be built in only 100 hours.
3. Me? I've never busted minimums.
4. Don't worry; we'll be on time, maybe even early.
5. The turbulence spoiled my landing.
6. Don't worry about the weight and balance -- it'll fly.
7. We shipped the part yesterday.
8. This plane outperforms the book by 20 percent.
9. I've got the field in sight.
10. I've got the traffic in sight.
11. Of course I know where we are.
 

In October, 1997 folk singer John Denver was killed in the crash of a Long Eze that he had recently purchased.  The crash generated much publicity and speculation about Denver and his "experimental" plane.  What follows is the accident summary from the NTSB internet site (www.ntsb.gov).  (This site contains reports on most aviation accidents since 1983.)

It should be noted that much was made of the fact that Mr Denver was flying with a suspended medical because of a history of alcoholism.  However, the NTSB did not find this to be a factor in the accident.  The accident was simply the result of a series of minor errors that combined to caused a fatal crash.
 

The pilot had recently purchased the experimental, amateur-built Long-EZ airplane, which had a fuel system that differed from the designer's plans. The original builder had modified the fuel system by relocating the fuel selector handle from a position between the front pilot's legs to a position behind & above his (or her) left shoulder. There were no markings for the operating positions of the fuel selector handle, which were up (for off), down (for the right tank), and to the right (for the left tank). This deviation from the original design plans did not require FAA approval, nor did it require a placard to indicate such change from the original design. On 10/11/97 at Santa Maria, CA, the pilot received a 1/2-hour flight and ground checkout in the airplane by another Long-EZ pilot. The checkout pilot reported that the pilot needed a seatback cushion to be in position to reach the rudder pedals, and that he had difficulty reaching the fuel selector handle while seated with the cushion added. The pilot then departed on a 1-hour flight to his home base at Monterey with an estimated 12.5 gallons of fuel in the right tank & 6.5 gallons in the left tank. The checkout pilot estimated about 9 gallons of fuel were needed for the flight, and he noted the fuel selector was positioned to the right tank before departure. On 10/12/97 (the next day), a maintenance technician assisted the pilot in preparing for another flight. During preflight, the pilot was not observed to visually check the fuel. The technician noted that when the pilot was seated in the airplane, he had difficulty reaching the fuel selector handle. Also, he gave the pilot a mirror to look over his shoulder to see the unmarked, non-linear, fuel sight gauges, which were located in the rear cockpit. The technician estimated the available fuel and advised the pilot that the left tank indicated less than 1/4 full and that the right tank indicated less than 1/2 full. He said his estimate was based on the assumption that the gauges were accurate and linear (they were nonlinear). The pilot declined an offer for additional fuel, saying he would only be airborne about 1 hour and did not need fuel. The technician observed that before the engine was started, the fuel selector handle was in a vertical position; however, he did not note whether it was up (off) or down (right tank). As the technician went to the hangar, he heard the engine start & run for a short time, then quit. He saw the pilot turn in the seat toward the fuel selector handle, then the pilot motioned with his hand that things were all right. The technician did not observe whether the pilot had repositioned the fuel selector. The pilot restarted the engine, taxied, took off, and performed three touch-and-go landings in a span of about 26 minutes, followed by a straight-out departure to the west. Ground witnesses saw the airplane in straight and level flight about 350 to 500 feet over a residential area, then they heard a reduction of engine noise. The airplane was seen to pitch slightly nose up; then it banked sharply to the right & descended nose first into the ocean. The major structural components of the airframe were found fragmented on the ocean floor near the engine, but no preimpact part failure was found. The fuel selector valve was found in an intermediate position, about 1/3 open between the engine feed line and the right tank, and about 2-4% open to the left tank. Tests using another engine showed that the engine could be operated at full power with the selector in the as-found position; however, when the cap was removed from the left port (simulating the effect of an empty left tank), fuel pressure dropped to less than 1/2; & within a few seconds, the engine lost power. Conditions were simulated using another Long-EZ to evaluate the maneuver required to switch tanks from the front seat. The simulation revealed that 4 actions were required to change the fuel selector in flight: 1) Remove pilot's hand from the control stick; 2) Loosen shoulder harness; 3) Rotate upper body to the extreme left to reach the fuel selector handle; & 4) Rotate the handle to a non-marked (not logically oriented) position. During the evaluation, investigators noted a natural reaction for the pilot's right foot to depress the right rudder pedal when turning in the seat to reach the fuel selector handle. With the right rudder depressed in flight, the airplane would pitch up slightly & bank to the right.

Probable Cause

The pilot's diversion of attention from the operation of the airplane and his inadvertent application of right rudder that resulted in the loss of airplane control while attempting to manipulate the fuel selector handle. Also, the Board determined that the pilot's inadequate preflight planning and preparation, specifically his failure to refuel the airplane, was causal. The Board determined that the builder's decision to locate the unmarked fuel selector handle in a hard-to-access position, unmarked fuel quantity sight gauges, inadequate transition training by the pilot, and his lack of total experience in this type of airplane were factors in the accident.

(The NTSB's full report is available at  http://www.ntsb.gov/Aviation/LAX/98A008.htm)
 

Richard Sohn has enjoyed building and flying rotorcraft since he held a job in the German helicopter industry in the 1950s.  Richard built his first autogyro in 1956 and flew it until he crashed the autogyro in 1958.  Following the crash, Richard flew gliders until 1978 when he began high altitude hang gliding in the Alps.  Richard moved to the United States in 1979 and his glider flying was put on hold.

In 1987, Richard made his first trip to Oshkosh and subsequently decided to build another autogyro.   Richard soon began work on his Unicorn autogyro and has been working on it ever since.  The design goal of the Unicorn project was to develop a legal ultralight with features normally found only on heavier aircraft. Landing gear suspension, brakes, and a prerotator were just three of such features. The Unicorn is currently flying with a Kawasaki 440 snowmobile engine, but Richard is working on a single cylinder wankel (rotary) engine for the future.

The landing gear suspension is simply a fiber glass strut that flexes as a load is applied to it.  The braking system of the Unicorn consists of caliper brakes on the front wheel.  These brakes are used for taxi only.

 

 

 

Goodyear 6.00-6 (Cessna 140?) wheel deal:  2 wheels with tires, tubes and bearings mounted.  Brake parts.  2 more wheels.  All are used except new tubes.  $45 for all.
 

April 11-17, 1999 - Sun 'n Fun Fly-in at Lakeland-Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, FL
April 20, 1999 - Monthly Chapter Meeting