This newsletter is created in html. It should be viewed while connected to the internet.
If your email system does not support html, you see strange characters, or you do not see the photos, click here
To view in your browser, copy and paste the following link to your address line: http://www.leebottom.com/nordo/Archives/Feb2007.htm
Holding Aviation to a HIGHER STANDARD™
Feb 2007
ISSN: 1930-0131
| Advertising | About Us | Archives | Send to a Friend | Subscribe |
20th Anniversary Calendars
MOTTO: "Some days it's not worth chewing through the restraints"
A few weeks back, the highly anticipated limited edition calendars started arriving at the boxes of those on the list. Thanks to everyone who made it on the list for whatever reason you did and a GIANT thanks to all of you who chose to contribute to the airport. The float gauge on our website has started to move and as the donations come in for a new tractor and club house it will continue to move up the scale.
The photo on the calendar has already been seen by most of you in a previous NORDO News. It was taken during the fly-in at a point that captured parked aircraft, attendees, fly by aircraft, and a DC-3 taxiing for takeoff. As for the calendars themselves, after we started putting the them together we discovered an old one we had never seen that was tucked away in Fritz’s stuff. The newly found calendar is apparently from the actual first year run and therefore this year’s is actually the 20th Anniversary Calendar.
So, after thinking about this new found knowledge, we decided to make the calendars special by increasing the number printed and numbering them 1-1000. Additionally, we took some of Fritz’s old rubber stamps and a few other things we had around the house and placed them on the back of twelve of the calendars thus making them more limited. Each month, we will take one of those twelve things and give a free Lee Bottom shirt to whoever received it. Since the calendars were placed into envelopes and then addressed, we have no idea who got which ones but we did record which calendar number got what stamp.
The first calendar stamp to win is one that says “Fritz Hagemann.”
So if you have this month’s prize winning calendar, send us the number of your calendar, your T Shirt Size and your contact information and we will get the shirt right out to you. Send it to info@LeeBottom.com.
Magazines and Television Appearances
Lee Bottom and members of the Lee Bottom Family were recently fortunate enough to be featured in numerous publications and one widely distributed cable show that is piped into millions of homes (even China). If you have seen Air Classics, Warbirds International, or AOPA magazine over the past few months, then you have seen something from our corner of the world. Attendees of Lee Bottom Flying Field continue to end up in lights and we think it is because these people are good people and that’s how they get picked for stories.
Perhaps you’ve seen the articles about the Laird’s Swallow, Ed Escalon’s PT-26, Dan Gryder’s DC-3, or the L-5 that now belongs to Mark and Cindy Beam in Air Classics or Warbirds International. Furthermore The Tiger Boys of Guelph Canada, recently featured in Warbirds International, are also good friends of Lee Bottom. Then there’s the article recently published in AOPA by Julie Boatman that featured Lee Bottom and the Laird’s Swallow that many of you were excited to see at the fly-in. Inside the article, there were also many great photos of fly-in attendees taken by Jim Barrett. They all deserve a pat on the back. These people are all aviation nuts and we can’t thank them enough for being there for the sport.
Speaking of the sport; have you seen the newest Sport Pilot TV episode? That’s a trick question because it won’t be on your TV’s until March and having seen it ourselves, we asked the guys at Sport Pilot TV for permission to put the link in our newsletter. They said yes. Here it is: mms://70.85.182.98/airsidetv/6017.wmv. You may have to copy and paste it into your browser address window and then click enter. If you don’t have high speed, it may take some time to download as it's over 57MB in size. Be sure to let it all load completely before you start watching or it may skip. Three of the segments were filmed here at Lee Bottom.
Can you spot yourself in the video?
mms://70.85.182.98/airsidetv/6017.wmv
Results of the last survey
The results of the last surveys were quite interesting. Amazingly, over 40% of the aircraft belonging to those who took the survey were restored in the last ten years. But also interesting is that over 30% of planes belonging to people who took the survey were restored over 15 years ago. Whatever the case though, it appears our readers do a lot flying as right at 40% said they flew those planes over 50 hours per year, each year, since restoration. That's the way it should be. Keep up the flying. Check out the results.
My antique or classic aircraft (warbirds included) was last restored or rebuilt: | ||
0 - 9 years ago |
| 41% |
10 - 14 years ago |
| 21% |
15 - 19 years ago |
| 6% |
20 or more years ago |
| 24% |
I am a pilot but do not own an antique or classic aircraft |
| 5% |
I am not a pilot yet |
| 4% |
My antique or classic aircraft has been flown an average of _______ hours per year since restoration or rebuild | ||
0 - 10 hours |
| 1% |
11 - 20 hours |
| 9% |
21 - 30 hours |
| 13% |
31 - 50 hours |
| 29% |
Greater than 50 |
| 39% |
Not at all |  | 1% |
I am a pilot but do not own an antique or classic aircraft | | 4% |
I am not a pilot yet | | 4% |
THE BIGGEST THREAT IS?
February 2007 NORDO News Survey
This goal of this month's survey is to find out what everyone is really thinking about the future of antique and classic aviation. We ask you to please take it and do your best to choose what you believe to be the biggest issue confronting the future of vintage flight.
Donations Greatly Appreciated
Being Used As Promised
We send our condolences to those of you who didn’t receive one of this year’s calendars but in retrospect, you also didn’t have to sit through our long drawn out “donation sheet.” It was admittedly much longer than we originally intended it to be but after starting it we realized there were a lot of people on the list who might want a little more information before donating. Those who managed to sit through it all were given the promise we would use the donations directly on the airport and that we would report back as we used the funds. Well for those who have donated so far, this is your first report. And for those who have considered donating, here is a great example of how we use the funds.
As promised, the over-qualified, multi-tiered, management hierarchy at Lee Bottom Flying Field has already put some of those funds to use. Thanks to your contributions, and a friendly neighbor, we have been able to get over twenty feet cut out of the top of the trees on the approach to runway 35. Any of you who know this approach know there were a lot of trees there and that it had to be a pricey item. In fact, we put it off over seven years because of the cost of such a project but we just couldn’t wait any longer. Your contributions made it possible. Please see the photo of the chainsaw equipped, tree topping specialists below.
WHAT’S NEXT? A new (used) tractor is next; one that has the power to drive our new 16’ batwing finish mower. Again, your donations will make it possible.
AFTER THAT? If we are able to pay for the tractor and runway turf management costs (overseeding, fertilizer, etc.) with donations, the next thing will be the club house we have always wanted for our Lee Bottom Family.
Please don’t forget our friendly neighbor. He understood the need to top the trees but also asked that everyone refrain from doing any of those terrible modern day, flight school, one degree, power on approaches as his house is right off the end of the runway. He happens to be a pilot, he knows what he is talking about, and we are lucky to have him as a neighbor.
A BIG THANKS TO THOSE THAT HAVE DONATED! See the list CLICK HERE
If you would like to donate to the airport operational expense fund CLICK HERE
Buyer Beware
When looking for an antique aircraft to purchase, people often find themselves emotionally swayed and therefore fail to find problems with the plane they are inspecting. This is all too common a problem. But what if you are smart enough to keep emotion at bay while looking at a plane you have never owned? Are you smart enough to catch the issue one NORDO News reader recently found when looking at the biplane of his dreams? Here is a picture taken inside one of the plane's wings; can you spot the flaw? The flaw led the potential purchaser to order the records for the plane where he found a related issue that made the plane unairworthy and thus regrettably, no longer the plane of his dreams. It was a real shame too as I saw photos of the entire plane and it was one of the nicest, most original specimens I have seen of this type aircraft; one that most potential purchasers would jump on and end up being burned by doing so.
The flaw is that there was no silver applied in the recover and painting of the aircraft. This would lead to pre-mature aging of the fabric and could cause you to question other work on the aircraft. Being smart enough to look into the wings with the plane outside during the daytime saved this guy a real headache. You can clearly see the sun coming through the paint. After ordering the records, he found that Nitrate Dope had been used on Ceconite. With this knowledge, he contacted the Ceconite folks who confirmed, without question, that Nitrate on Ceconite is not approved. This therefore also made the aircraft unairworthy. But there’s more.
One person said he knew why it had no silver and when the records were researched, his hunch turned out to hold weight. The plane was restored and recovered in a museum for display; another great example of the waste static museums create. Think of all the money spent by this museum and all the airworthy parts tied up in the plane so they could display it without flying it and yet because of this, they left out one step to save money. Then when times changed and they sold it, someone on the outside was unknowingly cheated and now owns an unairworthy airplane.
Indiana Aviation License Plate
Would you like your very own personal billboard supporting aviation in the state of Indiana? Imagine promoting aviation to the masses and proclaiming that Indiana deems aviation to be important every time you are stopped at a traffic signal, parked in a parking lot, or traveling across the United States. It could happen.
Years ago, Ginger and I came up with the idea of a State Aviation License Plate and found little interest and let it die. But recently, we were pegged to help lead the charge to create an aviation themed license plate for the state of Indiana to be sponsored by the Aviation Association of Indiana.
This group that has been around for over thirty years is focused on issues important to aviation in Indiana. The goal of this plate is to promote the importance of aviation in Indiana. Already knowing it was a great idea, we set out to get the plate designed to be something everyone would want. Here is what we ended up with. Rich made the basic sketch and a friend of ours, who we'll mention in the next installment, took it and turned it into something great.
If you live in Indiana, please go to our website http://www.leebottom.com/license plate info.htm download the petition and sign up for this plate and ask your aviation friends to sign up. We need 500 signatures by March 15 to have a chance at winning one of two slots created each year for special plates.
Please note that signatures need to be original and therefore no email, fax, or copies of the petition can count toward to the cause.
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.
Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
This quote was recently sent to us and it fit well so well with a conversation I had only a few weeks back, I wanted to share it with you. The conversation was with a state lobbyist (from what state I won’t say) and it was about getting a politician’s attention when you don’t have the millions of dollars it takes to do business with the government. The state in question was proposing a much stronger helmet law for motorcycle owners and of course the owners were against it. Those that were for it were armed with no knowledge of riding and the confidence they knew what was best for the citizens of the state. Early on in the debate, and despite a rally against it by motorcyle lobbying groups, it seemed the law would pass. Yet when the vote was taken it failed to get the required votes. What happened?
Well this lobbyist, who works with these politicians on a daily basis, said several of them got rocks through their home windows the night before the vote. When told of this, I nearly cheered with laughter and immediately noticed a look of shock on the person’s face. I didn’t stop laughing but my desire was to say “Well maybe the motorcycle owners were confident they knew how best to use the rocks in the owners' yards.”
Unfortunately, until individuals are willing to stand up and complain, aviation will continue to be the unarmed lamb.
Rare Duesenburg to go on Display
in Waterloo, Iowa Greyhound Bus Station
Actually we made that up to make a point. Can you imagine anyone with any knowledge of vintage cars, thinking a Greyhound Bus Terminal would be a good place for which to donate a Duesenburg for display??
No, it’s simply ridiculous when put into terms that don’t skew people’s thoughts (anything other than aviation). Yet for some strange reason, people with rare antique aircraft continue to do just that with commercial airport terminals. It seems odd in print but if you think about it, this is possibly the worst possible place for the aircraft.
Years ago when I was based in St. Louis, I had a game I played with anyone willing to bet me a dollar. The bet was how many people would stop to look at the one of a kind Monocoupe built for Charles Lindbergh hanging from the ceiling. It is additionally more significant because it is said to be the plane in which he taught Anne Morrow Lindbergh to fly. Somebody either donated, or bought it and placed it in the care of the Missouri Historical Society that is no doubt made up of non-aviation people. They in turn hung it in the busiest part of St. Louis International Mega Airport ( Motto: Miles of Runway, Inches of People ) and it is there where I would collect dollars at a nearly scheduled pace.
Thousands of people had to walk directly under that airplane and WAIT in line for security each day. And yet, my bet was always that “nobody will even look at it.” And you know what, I only lost once and that was because another pilot who had once paid me a dollar walked into the line.
People, nobody in the “real world” gives a rat’s butt about an old airplane hanging in an airport terminal and I beg you to start talking sense into any friends or organizations that may be trying to secure a place for just such a thing. These people are usually motivated by good heartedness, the need to feel important, or a tax write off. The good hearted folk can be swayed by logic and a better option, the “need to feel important types” would probably sell it to you for cheap if you agreed to write their name on the side of the plane, and the tax write off guys are usually greedy opportunist so your only hope there is to convince them a different organization would offer them more financial benefit. Either way, please try to educate them otherwise. Here are a few pictures from Halls of Shame across the Nation; if you have a photo of one, send it to us.
Cindy and Mark Beam purchased John Davidson's L-5 last year and found themselves so excited they showed their Christmas spirit by baking a gingerbread L-5 and hangar to house it. Unfortunately, their creation was almost immediately struck down with a one-two punch from hurricane hunger and sweet-tooth. Mark and Cindy are resilient types and swear they will rebuild.
Back in November, we were up in the Cub tooling around "in the pattern" when we saw a pretty little homebuilt slide underneath us and turn to land. When we noticed he had pulled off the runway to stop, we landed to say hello and were treated to the sight of a newly finished Pietenpol. The owner was obviously proud of it and rightfully so. He started it over fifteen or twenty years ago and moved it around with him from place to place until he finally settled somewhere long enough to finish it. Fortunately for our flying community, it was in our area. As you can see, it is eye catching.
Late last year, we decided it was time to redo the Lee Bottom website and I was tasked with drawing up the new concept. After thousands of seconds of thinking, I came up with a design that said something about the airport.
In the background you can see blue sky, the dark green hillside, the lush green runway, and on some settings, even the blue river at the bottom. On each side of the page you can see two large yellow columns that frame the page with something akin to the old BENDIX racing pylons, and in the middle a picture window into our world here at Lee Bottom.
Once the new design made it to this point in the process, Ginger took over and began doing the real (hard, tedious, time-consuming) work of creating the website online and making it all work. She spent many hours working on it in a place I used to call "the sweatshop" until I realized it was too small and lacked enough room for someone to sweat so now I just call it her office. It is a wonder of efficiency and so is she so I had to include this photo of her doing the work.
Check out the new changes www.LeeBottom.com
THANKS AGAIN TO ALL WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE AIRPORT
Start making your plans for the 11th annual Wood, Fabric, & Tailwheels Fly-In. This year it coincides with the Chautauqua Arts Festival in Madison and everyone who needs a motel room should start booking them now (see information below). After seeing all the magazine articles and that Sport Pilot TV clip floating around, people started calling with plans to visit the fly-in weeks ago. It looks to be shaping up like a great one.
WOOD, FABRIC, & TAILWHEELS FLY-IN is SEPTEMBER 29th, 2007
BOOK YOUR ROOMS NOW
If you have even the slightest intention of attending the 2007 Wood, Fabric & Tailwheels Fly-In and need a place to stay, we beg you to sign up NOW. We have been very, very lucky to get a block of rooms at the Clifty Inn Lodge again this year but they cannot hold them for us forever without bookings.
What you need to know: Everyone that has stayed here has thoroughly enjoyed their visit. Our rooms are reserved in a newly renovated area that overlooks the river. The rooms are decorated in a rustic lodge theme, there is also a swimming pool, dining facility, and plenty of spaces to sit within the lodge to play games or gaze at the fire roaring in the fire place. So, bring your family and enjoy the entire weekend. Many people who stay here get rental cars and others take the transportation we arrange for our visitors.
Again, please book your rooms now 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.
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.
Finished with your AOPA Pilot Magazine?
If you are done with your February AOPA Pilot Magazine and have no further plans for it, we would love to have it. Since we often use magazine articles to promote the airport in our local community and elsewhere, we would love to have your copy if you have a way of getting it to us. Again, the issue we would like to collect is the February 2007 AOPA Pilot with the Beechcraft Premier on the cover.
Having Been Witness to the Best and Worst
Having been witness to the best and worst of the aircraft restoration business, I decided several months ago to start taking on the many issues plaguing this business. These issues involve everything from the owners and many restorers, to suppliers and manufacturers of parts. Some people fall prey to ignorance, some to emotion, and others to either unscrupulous owners or likewise restorers.
In the end, it seems everyone comes away with one of three experiences; 1) thinking they were kissed when really they were screwed, 2) thinking they were screwed without so much as getting a kiss, or 3) very happy with little knowledge to back up their happiness other than the fact the plane is shiny and they received the finished product on time.
During my early research, I came across an article in a well known automotive magazine about the auto restoration business and was amazed how well it paralleled with the aircraft restoration business yet also clearly shed light on its problems. During the next year, I will share some things from this article and others I have found that relate to the aircraft restoration business. Along the way, I will share stories about aircraft I have seen or flown that came from different restoration shops, and I will attempt to describe what a reputable shop is like.
I also intend to lay out methods for avoiding the pitfalls of a restoration and spotting a deal that will likely go South. Then to top it all off, I will show you the one thing that ALWAYS causes you, the customer, to end up in trouble.
If you have a story to tell, from either side of the restoration business, we would like to hear it.
LEE BOTTOM ONLINE STORE
We had such an interest in Lee Bottom apparel before the holidays that we had to put in a special order. Therefore, we have more of the "Winged T Shirts" available 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.
WHERE HAVE YOU WORN YOUR LEE BOTTOM APPAREL?
Don Macaulay resides in Fredricton, New Brunswick (Canada) but could be seen in the Gulf of Papagayo , NW Costa Rica in Jan 2007 sporting his Lee Bottom logo T Shirt.
Do you have a photo of yourself wearing your Lee Bottom apparel? We'd like to see it. email it to info@LeeBottom.com
DON'T FORGET OUR SPONSORS
These are the companies who help make this publication possible.
Be sure and thank them with your business.
Let NORDO News help you advertise your business for $25 per issue or 5 issues for $100
email info@LeeBottom.com
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".
Sign up for our FREE e-Pub, click here
NORDO News is published by:
Lee Bottom Flying Field Identifier: 64I 7296 S. River Bottom Rd. Hanover, IN 47243 812-866-3211
Contact Us: info@LeeBottom.com
|
|
