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        Holding Aviation to a HIGHER STANDARD™      

     Dec  2007

ISSN: 1930-0131

Merry Christmas
We continue to be amazed how many different aviation Christmas cards exist and we appreciate each and every one you sent. They are so interesting and varied that opening them is like tearing open gifts under the tree. Each one offers insights into the people they are from and each one holds a surprise. Some of them have a nice note inside crafted from heartfelt words, and some are actually drafted, designed, and printed by the sender.

One such card was a tree of airplane silhouettes in red and green topped with a helicopter star. Then there are the cards that were so telling you would know who they’re from even without names attached. Examples of these include a card of an old “Stringbag” under snowy sky. “Stringbag” is a nickname for one or our favorite British aircraft, the Swordfish, and a card like this is guaranteed to come from our friends Nick and Amanda at Aeroplane Magazine. The card with an idealic painting of a J-3 next to an old time snow covered hangar can only be from Sam and Mindy Lyons and these unique prints are always treasured. Then of course there are the myriad of cards that show Santa wrenching on some old Hisso so that it might get him around the world and back. These are the ones that people send us when they can’t find one of the elves tuning up an Allis Chalmers tractor, sharpening the blades on a batwing mowing deck, or hanging a new windsock.

Ultimately though each card, no matter what it is, radiates with the thought and goodwill that mailed it our way. We hope each and every one of you enjoyed the holidays!
 

This was sent to us and since we have so many cargo pilots from various companies on the list, we thought you would enjoy it.  Of course it was a UPS person that sent it to us stating that they had taken over Rudolph's spot.

Ace on Airway to Recovery
 

Last year Ace, our manager in charge of wildlife control, blew out one of his knees and had to have surgery at Thanksgiving time. Fortunately, he was fully recovered and back at work chasing deer off the runway by summer.

Then came this most recent Thanksgiving when Ace began to favor what had been his good leg. As it turns out, he had blown out his other knee while keeping deer off the runway so back to the doctor he went.  Now he is well on his way to recovery.

The only reason we tell you this is because so many people ask about Ace and Meatball, we figured we would just let you know up front why you aren’t seeing him when you fly in. Currently, Ace is taking it easy while his man servant picks up the slack and his manager negotiates a new contract. If all goes well, look for Ace to return to the playing field this summer…….sans steroids.
 

Lee Bottom Attracts Taildraggers of All Types

A while back we were inside the house when we felt the whole area begin to rumble. Apparently, we both realized this was something different as we nearly crashed into each other running through the door. Soon we were both at edge of the patio frantically looking around for thumps growing bigger and louder and there we stayed until out of the sky descended one of our military’s great weapons of death, destruction, and public relations. Settling on the grass directly in front of our house was an Apache helicopter.  And let me tell’ya, this machine offered up a real presence of power.

Ginger immediately said “Hey, it’s a taildragger” while I stood in awe of what I had missed all those times at airshows. Up to this point in my life, whenever I would see one of these things at an airshow, I would just look at it and move on but I'll never do that again. When you set one of these things down on the grass here at Lee Bottom, something about the environment puts everything into context and for the first time in my life, when this thing arrived, I was in awe of an Apache.

Did you ever realize these things are the size of a DC-3? I thought they looked so close in size that I looked it up and found that it is just a few feet shorter than a DC-3, is a few feet taller, and has 50% more power.

The most amazing thing of all though, to me, was the near hurricane force winds it put out while sitting at idle on the grass. Leaves flew everywhere, trees swayed on the hillside, cones tumbled in all directions, and Meatball was later found stuck in a tree two counties away. This led me to ponder what it must be like to operate one or a hundred of these things in the desert. We wish to thank the guys who brought this great piece of equipment to Lee Bottom and offer up an open invitation for others to do the same. Your service to our country cannot be repaid and we want you to know you will always be welcome here, Apache or not. By the way, are any of you flying A-10’s???
 

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE PHOTOS OF THE APACHE

USER FEES Still Possible
Please do not let up on the letters and phone calls to your Senators and Representatives. The user fees debate is not over and still looms with an upcoming vote. Politicians have figured out how to get around citizen complaints by putting off votes long enough for the short attention spans of Americans to have moved on to something else. Please do not let up on these people. They are not looking out after your best interest.
 

Wood, Fabric, & Tailwheels Fly-In

September 27, 2008

Keep watching for more information as it becomes available

WHAT KIND OF EQUIPMENT DO YOU NEED FOR AN AIRPORT

When you are applying over 17 tons of fertilizer and nutrients, you need a few BIG pieces of equipment.   Because of the drought and the high level of traffic the runway had this year, we decided that the grass needed to get a good dose of food to help it survive through the winter and provide you with green grass for the next season.

Fortunately this year we finally managed to find the perfect time to overseed the runway and get fertilizer down. During the week after the fly-in, we spread thousands of pounds of triple crown fescue and bluegrass mix on the runway and had 17 tons of fertilizer and nutrients added to the entire airport property.

We did this on a Thursday, Rich worked on Friday, and when he got home Friday night we spread straw on some of the thinnest areas to hold the seed.  One hour later, around 11PM, it began to rain and within days the thin spots were filling in so fast it was amazing. If there is one thing we’ve learned, it’s that timing is critical to sewing and growing good grass and this year we timed it perfectly. This spring, a new crop of grass will be ready to handle the ongoing increase in aircraft operations.

AOPA Losing a GA Champion
Our friend Julie Boatman recently emailed to let us know she was leaving AOPA to join Cessna as Manager of the Cessna Pilot Centers. Although we are happy to know she has found something exciting enough to encourage her to leave AOPA, we hate to see here go as she was one of the few real champions of GA inside the organization. Many of you have come to know Julie through her stories of grass roots airports and old fashioned flying and we are sure you agree it is a shame to see her go. It might even be wise to send AOPA an email suggesting that whoever fills her shoes be just as GA friendly.
 

WASP Beacon Makes It Home
 

A big thanks goes out once again to Dan Dixon for watching over our beacon until we could find the time to retrieve it.  We recently drove down Dan’s way to pick up some Champ parts and while there, we met Dan and picked up the Beacon. Most of you have probably seen these beacons reach out to aircraft in the night without ever once thinking about the light itself. I know I didn’t. But, when we began looking for old airport equipment and were offered this one, we began to wonder how we would get it home. Having seen the light on the tower so many times, we were sure it would fit into Ginger’s SUV but after doing a little research and talking to Dan after he picked it up from the donating airport, we knew we were in for a long haul.

If you’ve never been near one of these things, you’ll be amazed how large it is. We are going to try to keep it displayed somewhere you can see it up close until we get the tower moved. We would love to display it inside but if we haven’t found another one by that time, we may consider putting this one on the tower. Feel free to drop in and take a look.
 

YOUR DONATIONS ARE FLYING IN

Last year, for the first time ever, we  broke down and included a donation letter with the calendars. This idea had been a common suggestion from regulars for some time so we gave in and as it turns out, it was a good choice. You see, our airport family more than tripled over the past 3 years which is great.  However, just like any family, as the number of members increase so do the associated costs. Therefore, the projected 2008 budget for airport operation and expenses is in excess of $72,000.

In 2007, your donations enabled us to buy a sorely needed mowing tractor, top trees that were closing in on the approach path to the South, fertilize and overseed the runway, and add some support for the fly-in. In 2008, in addition to help in offsetting the growing and expanding airport operation and fly-in expenses, we are hoping to get enough donations this year to put in the infrastructure and make plans for a building that will become a clubhouse and fly-in shower facility.

If you believe this airport is a valued part of the aviation community and would like to see it continue to strengthen and grow, then we hope you will contribute.  To donate to the airport operational expense fund  CLICK HERE

The fuel level will rise in the gauge as we strive to attain our 2008 fundraising goal of $35,000. 

A BIG THANKS TO THOSE THAT HAVE DONATED! 

See the list CLICK HERE

Where Have You Seen Lee Bottom Apparel?

Lee Shafer, a Taylorcraft L Bird driver from the Indianapolis Indiana area, sent us photos of his "Lee Bottom Apparel" making its way around the world; first at Willow Run in Michigan and then overseas in Italy where he said he wore his hat everyday for 2 weeks straight. 

As a former officer in the Merchant Marines, Lee is just as much at home in the water as he is in the air.  He and his wife Dorris spend the winter touring around in their 1976 Trawler and we love living their adventures through emails that they send to us.  Occasionally, we also get a note like the following; "I was in a marina and a gust of wind blew my favorite Lee Bottom cap into the water where it was not retrievable.  I'll fly down this spring to get another one.".

NOTE:  We plan to have a resupply of caps and T Shirts available for the first Sinful Sunday of 2008 which will be Sunday June 8th.  See you then!

 Where Have All the Flashers Gone?
 

Alone and flying East to West through a crystal clear sky is where I unexpectedly found myself the other night. As if it hadn't already been a long day, I was flying a leg into the Northeast Corridor with a First Officer who had just revealed his plans to vote for Hillary Clinton.  Then just about the time he realized everything would be better if he just did his  job and polished his nails quietly, I noticed a friend heading my way.

Emerging from a background of stars was “a Southwest seven three, a thousand feet above you at twelve o’clock” approaching rapidly.  Knowing Southwest pilots are the most likely to reach out to another pilot, next to a TWA pilot flying under American livery (its an industry thing and there's one for every airline), I reached up and flashed the landing lights to say hello. Then in my zeal to watch the plane go blasting by, it was gone before the realization set in; not a single flash was returned and I was still alone. All I could do was sink deeper into my side of the cockpit and farther away from the smell of perfumes wafting from the Cosmo magazine in the First Officers bag. Sitting there in my corner shivering, (I was kind enough to let the FO control the temperature because he was going through menopause or something) all I could think about was how I ended up in this place.

Only a few years ago, during the most miserable of nights, you could always count on other pilots to flash a hello but today, nothing. Of course back then I was flying with pilots who not only walked to school uphill in the snow but ended up with jobs loading their own freight uphill in the snow in DC-3’s. Back then flying and meeting another craft of the midnight sky almost always rewarded you with a “wave” of the lights.  In fact, flashing your landing lights was so common that those who didn’t were singled out as future _______ Airlines pilots.

Being pure-bred Cargo Canines, we would always follow a brush off with wild suppositions about the non-flashers wearing their finely pressed suits through the terminal, tipping that hat they all cherish so much to people passing by, while insisting everyone call them Captain and pushing their ridiculous ideas about flying onto the next generation of soulless worker bees. Then we would laugh for a while and flash our lights back at the Sabre DC-3 that always said hello enroute to the BMW plant with a load of bumper assemblies.

You know, thinking back on it, it’s funny because most of us were trying to get to the airlines but I think we all fooled ourselves into thinking there were enough of us out there to dilute the airlines into a fun place to work; the unreturned “flash of lights” reminds me that just wasn’t the case. So what’s changed?

As much as it saddens me to say it, I believe the disappearance of the flashing lights “wave” is gone for the same reason people no longer flash their lights to warn you about a cop around a bend in the road. People used to care about other people so much they would even help strangers in any way they could. Yes there was a day when people actually took time to think how their actions might impact others and did what they could to help the next person in line. Today though, an alarming percentage of our population wouldn't think twice about screwing someone over, stepping on necks, stealing, lying, cheating, or anything else. All that matters in the world is that two inch bubble around them. Ultimately, and this may seem like a big leap in another direction, this is the reason Ginger and I still live in the middle of nowhere on a small grass strip.

Here our neighbors call us when they haven’t seen us in a while just to make sure we are ok and we do the same. When I am walking through the terminal and I say hello to another pilot who looks like he is on his way to yell at someone or to flog himself with a chain, I am still able make it through the day with a smile on my face as I know when I get home, in will fly someone who just wanted to say howdy or who might be bringing something they found in the back of some old hangar that we might be able use here at the airport. These are the people who make up what is left of General Aviation.

These people, even though they know they are welcome and that this is a public use airport, they always thank us for letting them use it and they almost always ask us to let them know if we ever need help with anything. I know you’ve probably heard this all before but when you’re flying along at 36,000 feet, working in an industry that pounds on you daily, and one of your group, a very small group, doesn’t even have the time to acknowledge you with so much as a smile, it’s nice to know there are still people somewhere in the world who given the chance to do the job, would flash a hello to every plane that passed.
*********
Tossed about by waves on airborne ocean, engines and screws rumble their push forward toward darkness and isolation. Alone from the world by choice, stars descend to arms length while streaks of flame weave the night sky. Glowing trails ahead indicate course and comfort like footprints in the desert.  Great battles fought by Gods are witnessed as fire thrown from heaven and beside you a silent mate. Knowledge is comfort, experience your pillow, and that light on the horizon your friend.
           

Grumpier Old Men
The mandatory retirement age for 121 pilots was recently changed from 60 to 65.

What? Awe come on, it’s funny.
 

License plates

Those great aviation themed Indiana license plates that were being proposed have been shot down by the bureaucrat in charge of the plate division.   Although the rules are clearly spelled out as to who can apply, the person in charge had his own opinions as to who should be allowed to have one.   

When we mentioned awareness, he said that awareness wasn’t good enough for a plate yet Indiana has this breast cancer plate.   Then he said it would be promoting privately owned businesses and that that was not allowed.  But Indiana has this Colts license plate as well as one for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.   Then he said the real problem was groups applying without enough signatures so we handed him a stack of signatures.   You can see where this is going.  This guy who was not voted into office wanted nothing to do with it and despite the wishes of Indiana citizens, the plate was rejected.  

Thanks go out to Craig Heavener who took our idea and used his talents to turn it into a stunning plate.   We have placed the design into the vault and hopefully will try again in the future.

"Pretty Pipers"

"Pretty Pipers" is the name of a painting our friends Glenn and Kristin Frith recently commissioned Sam Lyons to paint.  The couple met Sam and Mindy Lyons while here attending the Wood, Fabric, & Tailwheels Fly-In and before leaving, a deal had been struck.  Glenn and Kristin asked Sam to paint something that included their favorite things and a favorite place.  Their daughter, Piper, was an obvious choice as the best thing in their life and the other things asked for included the family dog, the family Super Cub, Lee Bottom, and Ron Alexander's C3B Stearman.  The first three things are obvious but the last two deserve an explanation.  Glenn and Kristin have visited with us several times and have always enjoyed the peacefulness of the place.  The Stearman is in there because Glenn took a ride in it here at Lee Bottom and now swears he will have one some day.  An interesting note about the painting is the shirt Piper is wearing.  Unless she wore it out and is onto her 3rd or 4th one, the pink "Fly Girl" shirt she has on was bought for her by Ginger at Oshkosh because the Friths were having a hard time finding children's aviation clothing for girls.

Sam took these requests home after the fly-in and in an surprisingly short time came up with what you see here.  If you think you would like a print, please call Sam or Mindy at 800-544-4992 or email mindy@lyonsstudio.com to let them know.  They are currently trying to decide if there is enough market for the print.

     Do This, Don’t Do That

SAVE THE RED BARONS!   That’s what an email said that I received this morning.  I find it great that someone cares enough to want to save the Red Barons and we all hate to loose them.  I know I do.  Unfortunately, the method of saving the Reds suggested was to sign a petition and I believe it is this type of thinking that is partly responsible for aviation being where it is.

Aviation and aviators in general seem to have a lack understanding when it comes to reality and what makes things work.  The Red Barons came about as a way to sell pizzas, not aviation.   When they first were created, frozen pizzas were part of a rapidly expanding market and the group led to increased sales.   Unfortunately, today they are not translating into sales.  This is why they are being cut.   Petitioning the pizza company to keep this group for the sake of aviation is a laughable and futile method.  

Why does the aviation community believe everyone should be celebrating aviation for the sake of aviation.   How about Aviation doing its part??  

But, since I also insist on offering suggestions instead of only pointing out problems, here are my SAVE THE RED BARONS “do this, don’t do that” suggestions.   Don’t Do This:  sign this petition as it is worthless unless it is accompanied with something of value to the company.

Do This: either buy any and every pizza you want from Red Barons Pizza (too late you should have been doing that all along if they meant so much to you) or get them to agree to giving you three months to sell one million SAVE THE RED BARONS Pizzas at which point if you do, they will continue on a year to year basis.

If you think this is mean, I am sorry.   I do not mean it that way.   But let’s face it; aviation has to make money to make sense.   Especially if you are a food company spending millions to promote aviation.  While I’m at it, I am going to offer up the greatest aviation promotional airshow stunt you will never see.  Here it is; Cirrus takes an old trade in and uses it in a live demo parachute deployment during Oshkosh.  Now that would sell aircraft and aviation.

Over the past few years, the small camping cabin at Lee Bottom has become a favorite of many weary travelers and a destination stop for others.  Due to this popularity and to make it easier for you to find dates that are available, we now have an on-line availability calendar and an online form to request the dates that you would like for us to reserve with your name. 

You may find it interesting to note that the furniture in the cabin has special significance.  The bed and dresser belonged to Ginger's Great Grandmother and originally found their way to Indiana on a covered wagon.  The small table and chairs were a treasure from Ginger's Grandparents and the chair was Fritz's favorite recliner. And, when you combine 2 aviation nuts into one family, you end up with a lot of aviation art and collectibles - some of ours you'll see decorating the walls.

www.LeeBottom.com/cabin_rental.htm

A while back, we suggested that all of the aviation groups were missing an important marketing segment . . . women.  It was "poo pooed" by some and we received some angry letters from others.  But, you know what. . . the other day I got a call from a marketing company - AOPA was creating a marketing program to target women and wanted some input.  I wish I would have been home to get the call because by the time I called them back - they had already found their quota of volunteers.  I'm anxious to see what this looks like . . .  

The impact of  wind

Over the past several months, we’ve heard of many incidents/accidents caused by pilots making downwind landings or take-offs.  As a general rule, we are told that we shouldn’t do them and only a few people are lucky enough to have an instructor who actually demonstrates them.  But we are never really shown what you could call true tailwind take offs and landings.  So, if we happen to experience them for the first time – usually accidentally  – we can be very surprised by the impact a little wind can have.  It can be even worse if the runway is short.

In FAA AC 61-84B, it indicates that there is a rule of thumb that applies to most aircraft.  

A headwind which is 10 percent of the takeoff airspeed,

will reduce the no-wind takeoff distance by 19 percent.

 

A tailwind which is 10 percent of the takeoff airspeed,

will increase the no-wind takeoff distance by about 21 percent.

Let’s say you have an airplane with a take-off speed of 45mph and a take-off  ground roll distance (no wind) of 400’.  If you have a headwind of 5 mph (that’s roughly 10% of the take-off speed), then your take-off ground roll is reduced to 324’.  But, if you read the windsock incorrectly (or decided to take off with a tailwind to avoid going toward some trees at the end of a 4100’ runway, or followed the person that took off in front of you who never looks at the windsock, or didn’t make the decision yourself and let the controller tell you which runway was convenient for them) and took off with a tailwind, you now have a take-off ground roll of  484’  So, you went from needing 324’ to now needing 484’.  The difference, or increase of 160’, is almost 50% more than what you actually needed.  And, that's assuming that you were in perfect form that day and made a textbook takeoff.  Wow!  Add in tall grass (similar to soft field) and obstructions on a hot and humid day and even in a Champ you can quickly find yourself in trouble if you routinely go into shorter strips.  Why people continue to take off or land with tailwinds is beyond us but I think you would agree that adding 50% to your takeoff length, by choice, is rather ridiculous.

Why don’t you do the calculations for your own plane using 5, 10, and 15mph and see what quickly happens?  And, remember - the same thing happens on landing!

RESTORATION QUIZ

We promised something about restoration and here it is. This is more of a lesson or quiz than it is a story. The following is an ad for a Fleet that has been for sale for some time. The owner contacted a friend of ours who is in the market for a fleet a while back and tried to sell it to him. Strangley though, at the time he would not send any photos and was kind of standoffish when it came to giving up much information. Our friend then called someone he knew who lived near the a fleet with minor damage and found out the Fleet had been balled up. Needless to say, he didn't buy it.  Now the same airplane is for sale again with a different angle; Buy it as is for one price or fly it away for a little more.   Here is the ad.

1930 FLEET PROJECT FOR SALE Model 7 Fuselage repaired. Lower wings need rear spars. Upper wing needs both spars. New spars included. Engine: R-55 300hrsTT out of box. New speed ring, no prop. Most all parts to put airplane back together. Many extras. $25K as is. $50K rebuilt, new fabric & paint, airworthy, ready to fly home.
 

Here is what can be pulled from the ad:

1. Top wing is one piece so entire top wing must be fully rebuilt with front and rear spars
2. Bottom wings must be rebuilt with new rear spars
3. Fuselage was banged up and has been REPAIRED by SOMEONE?
4. Hit nose and killed prop, need prop
5. Was engine damaged?
6. MOST (not all) parts there

7. This person claims he can restore or rebuild four wings (top one equals two), buy a prop, buy parts not there, buy all materials and hardware for restoration including cover, paint, bolts, etc, and then do all the work putting it together to AIRWORTHY status for $25,000.  And we haven't even mentioned the low information engine.

Here is the multiple choice quiz:

A. This person is off their rocker and should not be dealt with
B. This person is a crook and should not be dealt with
C. This person is fishing and will soak you if you take him up on fly away price (see B)
D. This person is off their rocker and you will never get your plane if you take the fly-away deal
E. As a project, this deal is only worth15 G’s at best and I should not pay $25
F. Either one of A-D plus E
 

SOUTH TAKES FLIGHT

DVD AVAILABLE

The Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame and several supporters around the state recently put together their resources to have a DVD made about the history of flight in the same.  We watched a copy of it and were amazed how far back some of the key player in Georgia aviation go.  If you would like a copy, "The South Takes Flight" DVD is now available for purchase.  Our friends at Peach State Aerodrome are among the features in this DVD that was aired on Georgia Public TV and we think you will enjoy it. Call 770-467-9490 or email ronalexander@mindspring.com for your copy.  Price is $24.95 plus $3 for shipping.
 

Magazine Coverage

If you read any of the publications mentioned below, may have noticed they recently ran coverage of our fly-in.  Thanks goes out to each of them for thinking enough of our event to place it in their pages.  When a publication considers what to run in each issue, you may or may not be surprised to find out that good photos usually top the list.  Americans (humans for that matter) are pretty simple creatures and a good article, no matter how good, just won't sell without kick butt photos.  Then there's the cover photo; it really sells the magazine.  This is why you always see a P-51 or B-17 on American magazine covers and Spitfires or Lancasters on British magazine covers.

People are so simple that all a magazine has to do to get you to buy it so that you will go on to read the good stuff inside is put one of these on the cover.   For people like us who love all types of aviation it really gets old but that's the market magazines are forced to work with.  This in turn makes us feel very lucky to have made it into any magazine between the fly-in and Oshkosh.  Why?  Well, if you haven't noticed only one thing sells more than a Mustang and that's a Mustang Gathering; especially one claimed to be the last.   Yet, despite being held on the same day as that event, several photographers and publications thought enough of our "gathering" to include it in their pages.   A huge thanks goes out to them for giving our large family of everyday aviators the coverage they deserve.

Atlantic Flyer

Air Classics

Aeroplane

Fly Past

Pacific Flyer

And, recently we were featured in a local regional publication called RoundAbout.  We want to thank them for noticing that our fly-in event is an economic boon to the local economy and therefore an important part of the community.  You can read this article at the following link:

http://www.roundaboutmadison.com/Inside Pages/Archived Articles/2008/01_08LeeBottom.htm

We are guessing that each of you know at least one other pilot that would like to see aviation continue for future generations to enjoy.  If you do, NORDO News asks would like you to forward this newsletter to a friend and ask them to Sign-Up.  Let's grow our group that is focused on

"Holding Aviation to a Higher Standard".

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