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Holding Aviation to a HIGHER STANDARD™
Apr 2007
ISSN: 1930-0131
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lee Bottom Bird
That’s what it’s called and that’s the latest painting from Sam Lyons. A while back, Sam asked for suggestions for aircraft, settings, and other to put into future paintings and several people suggested Lee Bottom as a backdrop.
One letter in particular convinced Sam to take a long look at our website where he saw a few inspirational photographs. Soon after, we learned our small corner of the world would be part of Sam’s next painting.
Then to add to that, we were told the featured plane would be a Swift belonging to our friend Mike Foushee. Needless to say, we were excited, and before it could wear off we received this photo from Mindy (Sam’s wife, partner, and Chief Marketing Director for Lyons Studio) of Sam working on the painting. She swears it was not staged and that when she saw it she just had to get the camera. My guess is that Sam was wearing it to connect with the field as all his paintings seem to have a real connection with the soul of the subjects. In evidence of this, when Sam told me he had chosen the angle from which to paint Lee Bottom, he mentioned a specific photo he had seen; it was a grainy photo taken years ago and it also happens to have always been my favorite photo of the place.
If you have a few minutes, we hope you will go to the Lyons Studio website www.LyonsStudio.com and order a print for yourself. If you don’t own one of Sam’s paintings, you are surely in the minority. Take a look and see why so many people are hanging Sam’s work on their walls. We have five of them ourselves.
DC-3 FUN in the sun
Those of you who visited Sun-n-Fun may have seen our friend Dan Gryder doing a demonstration flight in his DC-3 but did you know another friend of ours was in the other seat? Phil Pecoulas stepped up to the plate and “sacrificed himself for the betterment of aviation.” For the greater part of a week Phil, traveled back and forth from several cities to help Dan out. All that while other slackers, such as myself, couldn’t get out of work, other responsibilities, or husbandly duties for even a day.
Dan Gryder's website: http://www.thedc-3network.com/
Results of the last survey
This goal of last month's survey was to find out what everyone really thinks about the future of antique and classic aviation. I think it is interesting to not that nearly a combined fifty percent of the people were worried about things that are or act as restrictions; User Fees and Airspace Restrictions. Basically put, people are worried about their freedoms.
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Is My Airport serving my needs?
April 2007 NORDO News Survey
This month’s survey poses a very simple question; is my airport serving my needs? By needs, I mean all the things you feel you need available when paying hundreds of dollars a month to keep an airplane there. Do they make you feel welcome, are they there to help or just collect money, and are you getting your money’s worth? Is aviation encouraged or is it just a necessary evil? Are you just the “little plane” that gets in the way of jet fuel sales, or does your board consist of a bunch of political appointees playing airport? We think know what we are getting at and shouldn’t have a problem answering the question but ask you to be very honest with yourself, think it over, and make sure your answer isn’t strictly based on emotions.
YOUR Donations Bought a tractor
Those of you who contributed to our fund raising efforts now have something new to show for your participation. As many of you know, last year we purchased a slightly used batwing finish mower that would speed things up around the airport. Then only a few weeks into the use of it, it killed our already tired all-purpose tractor. This left us mowing over 40 acres with only a single seven foot deck. Needless to say, this incident left us in a bind.
With plans for other improvements already in the works, acquiring a tractor became a real burden on our thoughts. Then our second somewhat organized fund-raising effort kicked in and many of you stepped up to contribute. This allowed us to focus our efforts on finding a good used tractor that would last us another ten years. After an exhaustive search with some really good input of knowledge from one of our readers (Lyman Dellinger), we settled on a tractor that had plenty of power to do everything we might need it to yet weighed less than a magic number that keeps it from damaging the runway and surrounding areas.
Once we got it home, it went straight to work and has already mowed the field several times over with an added benefit; less gas consumption than our previous tractor. We had planned to really “do it up” with some new paint and special touches when we got it but that will have to be put off until next winter. We are working on several fun paint schemes and may put them to a vote to see how you want it painted. Stay tuned….
A BIG THANKS TO THOSE THAT HAVE DONATED! See the list CLICK HERE
With your donations, we have now topped the trees on the South end of the runway and purchased a good mowing tractor. Our next airport expenditures purchased with your donations will be fall overseeding, weed control, and fertilizer - approximately $3500. And, then we'd like to work toward a club house.
If you would like to donate to the airport operational expense fund CLICK HERE
2007 Wood, Fabric, & Tailwheels Fly-In September 29, 2007
You saw the article in AOPA Pilot Magazine and the program on Sport Pilot TV. We hope you have the 2007 Wood, Fabric, & Tailwheels Fly-In is on your calendar for Saturday, September 29, 2007 . Keeping watching for more information . . .
WAIT, WHAT ABOUT MY MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS???
One of our Lee Bottom Family Members recently dove headfirst into his first aircraft purchase. Along the way he found some of his “membership benefits” to be lacking and a great little company that came to his rescue. We were so taken by his positive reference to the later (www.AirLoan.com), we decided to share his a brief version of the story. This is his email:
***Yea you got it. And www.airloan.com takes you there as well.
AOPA aircraft financing through Bank of America gave me like a 13 or 14% interest rate and treated me like I was wasting their time. Both folks I talked to were quite rude when I told them the amount to be borrowed. I said, wait, I've been banking with BOA for at least 7 years, even before it became Bank of America. And on top of it, I'm an AOPA member! Can you lower the interest rate at all? Other banks have given me 9.5% on the high end.
They just said my amount was too low and I'm "lucky" they're giving me what they're giving me because it was rock bottom... Red River Bank (AirLoan.com) and particularly Perry and Gail go out of their way to help you out and Perry and I talked about the airplane for about 10 minutes. Apparently a couple of them are pilots as well. AOPA/BOA just isn't for taking out loans for the affordable classics. If you want a chief or a Luscombe or a Tcraft or a Clipper, there's no reason to go through them.
We were greatly disappointed to hear of an AOPA member being treated this way by a bank that was supposed to be on their side but are also equally glad to offer a reference to a good one. Is there anything you guys at AOPA benefits can do to slap these people around?.....or better yet, do what you can to add Red River Bank (AirLoan.com) to your list of companies that offer something to AOPA members. It would be free to both of you.
Boeing MOdel P40
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Not that long ago, we received an incredible DVD containing a video update on a plane that should have been rescued decades ago but the right person didn't come along until the late 90's. That person was Addison Pemberton and his efforts to bring a Boeing Model 40 back to life has Rich’s head spinning.
Anyone who has been around Rich very long has surely heard him mention, get excited about, and then quickly get “worked up” over a Model 40 hanging in the Chicago Science and Industry Museum. If you have, then “That plane should be flying”, “it’s just gathering dust and not even lit very well”, or “a city that elects a crooked sumbitch like that over and over and over doesn’t deserve a plane like that” are just a few of the things that may sound familiar to you (note: you could also exchange Stuka for Model 40 and the previous comments would still be accurate).
Years ago, Rich spent several hours of his life looking at that plane and wondering where another survivor might be and never seemed to get it out of his head. Then came the day when he learned Addison had found such a thing and was rebuilding it. Ever since, Rich has been anxiously waiting to see it fly and it appears that might soon be happen.
Addison, family, and friends have been working non-stop for many years and are able to see their efforts coming together for a flight this year. This photo was taken when they rolled it out to test fit all the pieces and to get “some cheesecake snapshots.” This comment gives you an insight to why this project has continued to move forward. These people don’t take themselves to seriously and fun takes the place of attitudes found around some other projects moving “slowly” elsewhere in the world.
Addison also included, with the photo, minute details about the test rigging but ultimately he did not loose sight of the best part; “man that thing looks great.” Myself having always been a person that insists the focus should be on the aircraft and not the owners, I have to agree on occasions such as this, we should all give the owner some special thanks. If it weren’t for them, we would not have the chance to see a Boeing Model 40 grace the skies. Plus, I have a feeling Addison won’t be one of those guys who flies his plane for a photo shoot and the typical Airshow Circuit to collect awards, only to shove it in a museum. This plane will fly as it should.
Visit their website to see some historical photos www.pembertonandsons.com. The plane was built in 1928 and crashed the same year while carrying one passenger and a load of diamonds. It then stayed on the mountain for another 72 years before it was retrieved for restoration. When finished, it will be the oldest flying Boeing aircraft and the only airworthy Model 40.
Fly-in sponsors
Are you interested in sponsoring one of aviations great old fashioned fly-ins? If so, then give us a call. Each year, we add a few additional sponsors and with the growing number of early fly-in inquiries, it looks as though a few more sponsors would help us handle the crowd. If we were to suggest something specific for you sponsor, it would be this year's fly-in shirt that will be handed out to all pilots flying in. On the front will be the Lee Bottom logo along with fly-in wording and on the back, will be the sponsor's logos. It's a great way to contribute to the event.
“No choice aircraft” is a phrase I came up with to describe an ever growing category of vintage aircraft. These machines are usually among the most unique, least desirable (by number of people interested), and most fun categories of vintage aircraft. They have great lines, great lineage, a huge fun factor rating, and also the most ridiculous prices attached to them; but not for the reason you think. These planes always belong to one of two groups of people and both lead to a life of limbo for the aircraft. The first group of these planes is in category #1 of “owner with lost medicals.” This is the group that causes the most heartache. The other group belongs to group #2 that bought the plane because it was small and cheap and therefore it was the plane for them. This was until they flew it and realized it would be a lot of work to keep this plane, in which they just sunk 60G’s, flying. This is the group of planes that ends up on barnstormers with price tags three times the market value. But what commonality is it that makes these planes “No Choice Aircraft”? It’s the engine.
Think about it. Basically anything powered with a sub 1820 Wright engine, any radial with less than 200 cubic inches, or anything built prior to 1936 really leaves the owner with “no choice” but to have a spare engine at a cost of $10,000-$30,000 extra. This is the definition of a no choice aircraft and by that definition, any airplane that falls within it are more and more likely to end up in limbo.
The limbo I speak of goes back to the two groups above. The first one is the guy or gal who has owned this plane “forever” who for the longest time watched the value of their machine grow and grow. Each year that the value grew, the idea the plane’s value would continue to grow became more and more ingrained in the owners mind until that dreadful day the medical was lost. Then, as most people would do, the plane was put up for sale with a 30% price increase over what is was worth the last time they cared to look; most likely 1998. Unfortunately though, the reason the plane is for sale is also the reason the plane is now likely only worth what it was in 1998 or less. This is due to the antique aviation version of the perfect storm and it all starts with the owners. The people who knew and loved these planes are all dying off(800,000 pilots). The newer generation doesn’t want anything that goes slow and doesn’t have glass(40,000). The few members of this newer generation that do want these planes now find themselves in jobs making half of what they were a few years ago, with pensions lost, and benefits disappearing. Therefore, of the few people of this generation that do want these planes, few can afford them(5,000). And of the few that do want them and could afford them, few have the skills to fly or keep them flying(500). Those that have the desire, money, and skills, rarely have a vintage friendly airport with a grass runway on which to keep it(100). Then of course there is the issue of the spouse (10)….kids (3). If you follow what’s happening to vintage aviation, you realize that supply and demand are taking aim at the market. This brings us back to the owners of group #1. Every person these owners knew could easily afford these planes back when they were giving them away, they had the ability to fly and keep the planes flying, wanted to fly them, and had plenty of friendly airports. You see, in their world, “who wouldn’t want this plane” makes perfect sense and they put their planes up for sale. Joe airline pilot looks at it, sees an engine that he’s never heard of before, talks to his best friend who scares the hell out of him, at which point he does research and discovers this Porterfield priced at $38,000 has an engine with a 300-500 hour suggested overhaul cycle, which sounds really low to him. Realizing he’s going to need a spare engine if he is to keep it long term, he moves forward undaunted only to discover parts are very hard to find and complete engines are unheard of. Suddenly, it occurs to him that although it looks a lot like any other small aircraft, this plane would have to be priced at $20,000 tops for it not to be financial suicide and rightly so runs screaming from his computer to buy a Harley for $32,000.
The other group of no choice aircraft are those that belong to people who own these planes because they were a cheap entry into vintage. This person saw a very unique aircraft that would be “the only” of its type at whatever fly-in he attended for under $40,000 and dove in head first. Then he wanted to have his engine rebuilt by “the expert” of said engine (a friend’s suggestion), a new interior, a brake conversion, pretty (attractive) new instruments, new wing struts, and new wing spars. Then when his wife starts wanting a hot tub and complaining about the amount of money spent on the aircraft, he puts it up for sale for its obvious value; initial purchase price plus whatever else he has spent on it. Then along comes some kid, who just has to have a plane like that, who because these planes never have a published asking price calls to inquire and finds out this guy is on crack. “And besides that,” the kid thinks to himself, “you’d have no choice but to have a spare engine.” He then goes and buys a Cub with an A-65 hanging on the nose.
Sadly, both categories of No Choice Aircraft are quickly finding themselves shoved in corners to rot or be forgotten until someone dies or gets divorced. And since the owner refused to sell it for less than he thought it was worth when he was alive or still had his manhood, it is held for sale by the family or angry ex-spouse for over a year until they get furious at the fact everyone keeps offering less that what their husband or ex-spouse said it was worth and they sell it for scrap or literally break it up and throw it in a dumpster. All that due to having no choice but to have a spare engine.
One of the biggest issues causing problems with today’s antique aircraft pilots is a strange myth that, to most, defines a good landing. Do you know what it is? It’s something you’ve heard repeated so many times by so many people that you don’t even hear it anymore. But despite its place in the background noise of aviation, it has become one of the biggest reasons for ground loops and off airport landings. This thing that drives me insane, is the idea that a good landing is a greaser and thus a greaser is a good landing. This belief couldn’t be more wrong but more often than not, that is what defines a good landing to today’s pilots.
This ridiculous idea has led to things like 747 patterns by 172s, the slowing down of airport operations by using every bit of a runway to land, and unnecessary ground loops and accidents. All these come from a byproduct of the greaser; landing too fast.
The truth is, anyone can make a greaser if he approaches at a ½ degree approach, half power, at double the proper landing speed, and wheel lands. But hey, since the definition of a good landing is a “greaser,” then all those other things required by most to accomplish it must also be good…….right? Well that seems to be what it has come to. But I’m here to say it is wrong.
Although a pilot who knows her aircraft well can easily grease a Stearman on in three point fashion, most have to rely on the poor technique of high speed wheel landings. But, since a greaser is a good landing, then wheel landing must be correct….right? It goes on and on and on. I see it every day. One guy flew in here in a New Waco a few years back and told us he’d probably not be back as this field was a little short for his shiny, over instrumented, modified version of an old Waco. But hey, he gave us one heck of a “greaser” when he landed.
At work, 141 graduates routinely blush after making a perfect landing on speed and in the landing zone. They do so because as they say, “that sucked.” But it didn’t. Yet they are sure it did because you could feel a little thump when the wheels touched. Granted, if you can do all that and grease it, then that is a good landing. But the opposite simply isn’t true; greasing it on fast and too far down the runway is the sign of a pilot who lacks control and command of his craft. Unfortunately I believe many people who would be quite capable of doing it right and well, are doing just that in an effort to chase a mythical beast.
The Hanger gets a face lift
We finally added the name of the airport to the end of the hangar. Maybe in the next ten years we will get the Standard Oil sign up there also.
BOOK YOUR ROOMS NOW
Again, please book your rooms now for the 2007 fly-in as you can always cancel later. Because we are on the same weekend as the Chautauqua Arts Festival, rooms will be hard to find and this is the only location where we have reserved rooms. While you are at the fly-in, your significant other might enjoy the arts festival or perusing the shops in downtown Madison or you could spend an extra day and explore the town together.
Rooms are being held for 09/28/07 and 09/29/07
Book online using our code of 0928LB at:
http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/properties/inn_clifty.html
or call toll free 1-877-925-4389
If you do book a room and have to cancel, please let us know before canceling. We might have a list of people waiting for a room that it can be reassigned too. Otherwise it goes back into the general pool and anyone can get the room.
LAST TIME, WE DISCUSSED
Last time, we discussed the issues of planes covered and painted without the use of a silver coat. During this discussion, I went on to discuss a specific Ceconite example that had also been painted (top coat) with Nitrate dope and I said it was not approved. This was followed immediately by several people writing in to say “incorrect.” Having no recent experience with Ceconite, I suspected the truth was somewhere in between and I set out to find it.
Here is what I came up with. There was a slight mis-communication that involves the difference between “approved” and “it would be stupid for you to do this.” Nitrate dope is approved and must be applied as the first coat to insure adhesion of further coats. This coat should be non-tautening Nitrate. Furthermore, it should then have two more sprayed coats of Nitrate with all remaining coats being of butyrate dope. The butyrate, although somewhat flammable, is nothing compared to the highly flammable “blow torch” description of a “full nitrate job.” Nitrate paint (top coat) is therefore HIGHLY DISCOURAGED by the factory as it is not fun to have your plane burn up around you in the sky, inside your hangar, or even on the ramp.
Yet, as with everything else, if you are sure you’ve figured out a better way to use this stuff than the factory with all their years of experience, knock yourself out. But, and this is a big one, do not leave out the silver coat. It is obvious that there are many people out there trying to justify the lack of a silver coat by suggesting most aircraft today sit in hangars and this simply doesn’t cut it. But again, if you are sure you have figured out a better way of doing things than all those before you, knock yourself out. Just be sure to tell all potential new owners when you go to sell it as “professionally restored.”
winning a war against user fees
May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't.
- General George Patton Jr
I love that quote. This man knew how to win wars and wasted no words on those who didn’t. He admitted to fear but stood in its face, knew retreat for what it was, and understood what it took to win. Fortunately for us, he also knew how to use the few words he expensed.
While perusing some of his better known quotes, I was reminded of the lack of a cohesive strategy among all aviation groups. This does not surprise me; we run into this problem with pretty much everything we try to accomplish. It seems everyone is more concerned with who gets the credit, money, or time in the spotlight than what happens for the greater good of the community. Even worse, the only strategies we have seen are weak and suffer from the same flaws all aviation campaigns have had for the last thirty or so years. This is not good when you are at war.
To win a war that is extreme in size one almost always needs to employ the use of allies. Allies are usually drawn from outside groups that have either mostly the same ideals as you or the understanding that if you loose they will be affected negatively or that they will be next in the sights of the enemy. If they don’t fall into either of these groups, then they fall into the category of those that could only benefit by you winning. Are you with me?
Next to win a war, all the citizens or people of the group must be behind it. There is no such thing as “War Light,” and thus everyone must be willing to contribute and be inconvenienced if they are to have a decisive win. This does not mean going about your perfect life with no changes and no direct contribution to the war effort. Ask your parents or grandparents what life at home was like during WWII and then you will have an idea what it takes to win a war.
Once you have your like supporters and your believers, then you must secure a rally cry. “Remember the Maine” is one that all of you who graduated before 1970 were taught in school and it is the perfect example of a perfect rally cry. It evokes the memory of a surprise attack that killed many people, it was an attack on a symbol of our way of life (please don’t write to tell me some story about the Maine blowing itself up), and it came from somebody we wanted to go to war with anyway. The destruction of the USS Maine came at an opportune time and offered up one of the best known rally cries of all time.
We still have work to do as we have to build an army of soldiers willing to fall on the sword for that which you, and preferably they, believe. This means rounding up all the strongest, fastest, and sharpest people who have what it takes to go into battle. These people must be willing and able to work as a team, shoot straight and often, and accomplish goals. They must be able to carry out the plans of senior officers and willing to be vicious attackers. Yet during all this, they must maintain their sanity and be strong enough to not cut and run; a tall order I agree. With everything else in place and these people rounded up, you are ready to go to war with a honest estimate of success.
Now let’s see what aviation is up to in the War Against User Fees.
Allies – Here’s some of the allies our two biggest groups have chosen.
This comes from EAA’s e-newsletter
AIRLINES OFFER EAA AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH DISCOUNTS
For those people not flying into Wittman Regional Airport or who live too far to drive to the World's Greatest Aviation Celebration, several airlines are offering airfare discounts during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007. The discounted fares are available courtesy of the participating airlines, which include American, Midwest, and Northwest. Discounts are subject to individual airline restrictions. For more information, visit the EAA AirVenture website.
This is what I think.
For those of you who have no reason to know anything about marketing, companies routinely offer menial discounts to groups like EAA because they know they get promotions and advertising out of it when the groups advertise the discounts. If you are prone to missing the obvious, EAA is promoting airlines when they should have run an article that said something like this: The airlines that want to tax and fee you right out of the air now want you to give them business on your way to the single greatest aviation event in the world. Just like bonuses for executives that ran business into the ground while taking pensions and insisting on employee pay cuts, they are now trying to get more money from you while doing their best to remove your freedom of flight. Please do whatever you can to avoid flying on any airline on your way to Oshkosh. Especially the one’s that had the balls to attempt to get us to advertise for them. Tom, I am going to take the high road and assume an intern did this and that it wasn’t EAA selling out for sponsorship dollars. So, if you refuse to make it easier for members to vote on board members, at least you could hire people who would catch things like this. It is inexcusable.
Who’s Your Friends???
Here is a piece of an e-newsletter recently sent out by AOPA. It was titled NEW CONGRESS, NEW LEADERSHIP, OLD FRIENDS and the following is only a small piece of it.
“Supported by the seasoned leadership of AOPA's government and legislative affairs offices, this is all part of AOPA's campaign against user fees. And AOPA has good contacts in high places on the congressional committees that will be key in the user fee battle……… AOPA also has a long relationship with aviation subcommittee chairman Sen. John D. "Jay" Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), another AIR-21 supporter. He has strongly supported general aviation industries in his state.”
The very next day, this was in Aero-News Network (which by the way is a great daily aviation news site):
“In what may prove an ominous precursor for general aviation (GA), Senator Jay Rockefeller told TSA chief Kip Hawley in front of a congressional committee small private planes should undergo the same security checks as commercial airliners.”
What I think.
Wholy Cow! What is going on!?! This is what you get when you play with the devil. Buddy up to these politicians all you want but be careful because in the end, they would sell their mothers to get a vote; even the ones that claim to be on your side. Just like EAA and their great relationship with the FAA that led to EAA being blindsided by the harmful wording contained in a new regulation on rides, you should expect to get blindsided by these people and not expect support. And these are our allies?!?!?!?! Come on people, if you need my help, I will gladly knock some heads if you aren’t capable of doing it yourself. Please forward a contract, $100,000, a private jet, and a baseball bat to 7296 S. River Bot......
Good/real allies would be people like motorcycle riders, boat operators, off road vehicle operators, and gun owners. When it boils down to it, we are all in the same boat, yet none of us are working together.
Now for everyone being for the war.
How many of your have hand written a letter or made a personal phone call to you representatives both local and national?
If neither of these, what have you done to educate aviators and non-aviators alike on the efforts of airlines to buy politicians and your freedom?
If you are honest with yourself and the answer is nothing, then please get involved and get with it. Some of you have kids that may never know your freedoms, and others may just be giving away the freedoms of future generations if you don’t get out there and let people know what’s going on. If you’ve never stood up for anything, now is the time. Stand for something, or fall for anything.
Are you scared yet?
We need a rally cry; how about one of these?
Freedom Is In The Air
User Fees Hurt The Poor (It seems to work for everything else)
User Fees hurt Minorities (It seems to work for everything else)
User Fees – they’ve been bought to buy us out
User Fees – taking advantage of the ignorant to get rid of the educated
Isn’t it time someone kicked the _ _ _t out of a politician? No really, isn’t it??
If politicians want user fees, make them ride on airlines and pay for their tickets.
Flying is Freedom
Ground Us and We'll Ground You
The problem with the last one is that everyone has to be willing to follow through and file 5000 IFR flight plans to Chicago Ohare, Dulles, JFK, Dallas, and LAX on a single day and then actually take off and fly there. But, we all know what our country has come to. Once there were people who said, “Give me liberty or give me death” and now all we hear is give me a danger free, hassle free life and an IPod and TV or I’ll just die
Next, there is the part of putting together an army. After reading my very own paragraph on this subject, I have decided to sell all my planes before they’re worthless.
Where’s Patton or Churchill when you need’em?
are conservatives the downfall of aviation?
I have been thinking this one over for a very long time and although it may sound shocking, there are years of thinking behind it. Even though most of you who think you know me would immediately peg me as a Republican you couldn’t be farther from the truth. Yes there was a time when I would quickly check the Republican box on voting day, but no more. There was also a time when I could never consider checking any box that associated with me a liberal. Today, the reasons I checked that Republican box no longer exist in Washington and I still would never consider checking a box that associated me with a liberal. But that’s for another day.
Any of you who have been in aviation for any amount of time would likely guess 80% of the pilot group to be conservative and I believe you would be correct. Although I know of no aviation group that has ever asked this question of their members, I am sure the results would be wildly skewed toward the conservative side if they did. This makes perfect sense to me. Conservatives believe in Freedom for everyone, conservatives believe in God, conservatives believe in the ability to control your own life, and for the most part, conservatives are the ones who have the drive and beliefs that push them toward monetary success. Aviation is a perfect fit with these people. There is no freedom like flight, one cannot see the Earth from above and not believe in God, when at the controls of a plane you are the true master of your destiny, and working tirelessly to build a business or investment portfolio enables a person to own and fly aircraft. This is why there are so many conservatives in flying. Unfortunately, these same traits I fear are quickly leading to the downfall of aviation.
I’ll start with the following “if then statement.” If only Hippies/liberals protest, Then Conservatives hate protests. I couldn’t agree more but unfortunately, it is killing our country. While the God fearing, freedom loving, hard working people are out there doing just that, the liberals are out there being the squeaky wheel protesting in the streets against anything other than partial birth abortion. Meanwhile, conservatives keep working believing that God will see them through, our citizens are intelligent enough not to fall for BS, or that eventually the liberals will have to go to work. Unfortunately none of these are true.
So by having such distaste for all things hippie, the good people of this country are ultimately the ones giving away our freedoms by not standing up and being a screaming kicking wheel. Heck, I bet most of you would bend over in convulsions if someone asked you to go to a protest or rally over user fees. It’s that word, protest, that’s killing us. It has been so ingrained in our minds as liberal that the mere mention of it turns us off. Try this: have someone ask you if you would like to go to a protest and then think of what you see in your mind…….go ahead and do it……………………………………………….OK, did you see daisies in gun barrels, tie-dyed shirts, and worthless dope smoking hippies stepping on the flag, bible, core family values, and anything tied to being an American? Sorry, I tried my own experiment and it got out of hand. But do you see what I am getting at? And when the last time you tried to get a conservative to work together with you in a group?
Conservatives are, by nature, independent. This is another big problem with aviation. Not one group or person seems willing to work together. They are either too busy working toward their own goals or too concerned someone might get a leg up on them to take time off to work with a group.
I could go on about this subject for hours but choose to cut it off here to let you stew on it.
ANOTHER FERRY FLIGHT
My last ferry flight report was about a Tiger Moth found in a barn in Canada. If you remember, it was somewhat of an adventure. But there’s actually more to the tale. Sitting behind that Tiger in the barn was a Fleet 16B and as it turns out, I was also asked to fly it home. Since I had to work, someone else flew the Fleet out of the farm strip and when I arrived to fly it home, it was already prepped and waiting for me to start the journey. But, since it was to be a long flight home and I was told it was a little on the low powered side, I decided I would take it around the pattern a few times before leaving. Rolling down the runway for the first time, I remember thinking it felt the way those old films looked. You know the ones; those with the planes running down the field bouncing once or twice on the turf before finally breaking free and struggling slowly out of ground effect. Well that’s what this thing was doing and as far as I knew it was normal and I flew it all the way home like that.
Along the way, I made several stops; some unplanned and others without question. One of the unplanned stops came about when the plane seemed to loose all oil pressure. Drastically searching for a perch, a private strip was found and it was discovered oil pressure existed in the engine but not in the gauge and the trip was continued. One more stop was made to check everything over and then I headed out across Lake Erie. Casting off at Point Pelee, I flew island to island looking down upon each of them as they passed while looking forward to the next. Approaching Sandusky from a conservative lake crossing altitude of four thousand feet, I discovered that although slow to climb, this wonderful little biplane did not want to come down. Searching for a quick solution, I chose to do a few “maneuvers” that would rapidly bleed off altitude without testing Vne and went on in to land in the grass beside the wind indicator. Fortunately, the rest of this repositioning flight went well enough to secure the Fleet a top five listing of all the planes I have ever flown. But that’s not what makes this story worth telling.
While the new owner was showing the plane off to some of his neighbors, somebody walked by the tail, grabbing one of the brace wires with a casual tug and pulled it completely free of the airframe! This was then repeated on the other side and quickly followed by an unbelievable discovery. The old man who rebuilt the plane made dozens of fittings, attach points, turnbuckles, and even rudder and brake pedals by casting them himself with cheap metal and poor processes. The parts were then machined or “shaped” so that you could not tell these things had been hand made until they broke, at which point it became readily apparent. Needless to say, the plane was given a good once over and all the junk parts replaced. Then by chance, the plane began making its way from owner to owner until it ended up with a good one back in Canada within a short flight of where it was found in the barn.
LEE BOTTOM ONLINE STORE
We had such an interest in "The Bottom Line" apparel before the holidays that we had to put in a special order. Therefore, we have more of the "Winged T Shirts" including the ever popular "I Did It In the Grass" T Shirt.
Winged T Shirt - Half Fast Aircraft Asylum™
Winged T Shirt - Where Old Planes Go To Fly™
Winged T Shirt - I Did It In The Grass™
Note: Shipping is calculated on a per item basis and valid for United States shipments ONLY. Multiple item shipping discounts available - contact us info@LeeBottom.com.
Find your future airport home
Lorraine Morris, who many of you might recognize from the Cessna 120/140 Type Club, contacted us recently about her new venture. You see, she is in the process of selling her house and realized that there needed to be an inexpensive yet viable means of getting airpark homes on the market. Therefore, she has created a website to do just that. If you are selling your fly-in community home or looking to buy one, you must visit her new website. www.FlyInHomes.com
EBAY STORE PROVIDES LINK TO AVIATION PAST
Tom Kuehne is a Time Piece’s cub owner in St. Louis, Missouri who has a passion for aviation and flying. He supplied this photo of his family surrounding the cub and states that he even considers the cub part of his family.
Tom started flying at age 14 and has always enjoyed the history of aviation. Seven years ago, he founded an Ebay store that specializes in old vintage aviation magazines and publications as a way to share and preserve the flying past. All of the ads that he sells, are originals and are suitable for framing for placement in your office or den. This is a great inexpensive way to collect a small piece of aviation history from a time gone by.
Visit his store . . . CLICK HERE
DON'T FORGET OUR SPONSORS
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Be sure and thank them with your business.
The Flying Machines Company (an ebay store)
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NORDO News is published by:
Lee Bottom Flying Field Identifier: 64I 7296 S. River Bottom Rd. Hanover, IN 47243 812-866-3211
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