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Holding Aviation to a HIGHER STANDARD™

     May 2008

ISSN: 1930-0131

We have been mowing grass two and three times a week since the first part of March.  The runway and grass are looking great, the Pepsi machine has been loaded, the public restroom facility cleaned, the cabin opened up and we are frantically trying to get the rest of the place into shape for this year's upcoming flying season. 

The grass mowing job is a 12 hour ordeal so you can see that this quickly consumes most of our time.  We have also been fighting minor illnesses and injuries all spring so we are doing our best to be sure you have a flying destination.  Therefore, we have been very, very slow at getting out this edition.  But, to compensate you'll find that this edition is a little longer than normal so that you can savor it over several days.

We hope that you enjoy your Memorial Day and have a great time at a picnic or fly-in, watching the Indianapolis 500, or spending time with your family.  But, also please take a few minutes to remember those that died in our country's service.

Historic Stearman Takes Flight

Larry Tobin and his C3B Stearman took to the air this past weekend for the aircrafts first flight after an extensive restoration.  In the process, Larry says the C3B became the oldest flying Stearman in existence.  Congratulation goes out to Larry and all those who helped in the restoration.  Spokane is also home to Addison Pemberton’s Boeing Model 40 which recently took flight to become the oldest flying Boeing.  This fall Larry, Addison, and Ben Scott will recreate a coast to coast air mail flight that is sure to attract crowds everywhere they land.  We’ll have more for you on that when it draws near.

The latest report from Addison Pemberton in Spokane:

"For the first time in 70 years the NC3440 call sign was used to launch SN 104 sky ward. The airplane flies like a dream with wonderful harmonized controls and pleasant stick forces. Ground roll is less than 10 seconds with a spirited 1100 FPM climb. The stability and ground handling of this great airplane are truly excellent. Larry Tobin and my son Ryan have done a notable job of restoration on this historic treasure. This is one of the most pleasant biplanes I have ever flown!!! Lloyd Stearman really had this figured out. During the test hop, my boys flying chase commented that the airplane appeared to be suspended by strings against the blue sky.  "
 

Larry’s C3B

Serial # 104

Constructed in 1927 in Venice California and returned to Kansas later that year in order to build many more airplanes.

Purchased from Skeeter Carlson, a Spokane area legend in 2006.

Painted in "Mamer Air Transport" livery germane to Spokane

Wood, Fabric, & Tailwheels Fly-In
 

This year’s fly-in is only five months away and our website is fully loaded with options for you to make your plans. Whether you want hotel rooms, shuttles, tickets, or whatever, you will find almost everything you could want on there.  Many of the hotels rooms are already sold so be sure to make your reservations soon for a fly-in that is shaping up to be a lot of fun.

We hope you will join us this year to laugh in the face of fuel prices and have one heck of time.

For now, take a look around the website and start making your plans. CLICK HERE

Denny Trone

Photo by Gilles Auliard

Antique Collector, restorer, and enthusiast extraordinaire Denny Trone was recently killed in his homebuilt replica Dormoy Bathtub.

Denny was the kind of aviation collector that aviation needed before we knew we did. He started chasing rare aircraft long before anyone thought they were worth saving. In fact, he started collecting when most people didn’t think they were even worth five minutes and a cup of gasoline to put them out of their misery with a bonfire.

I only met Denny one time but I’ll never forget it. The parts and projects he showed us and his willingness to share his stories provided the perfect end to an evening of antique flying.  Despite it being late, he took time to let us see much of what he had found and saved from pre-WWI through the early 30’s. All of which would surely have long disappeared if it weren’t for him.

Right now I know several people who are about to put one of a kind airplanes back into the air because Denny provided them with the one part they needed to make it happen. Denny was a person who believed planes should be flown and he never stopped adding flying machines to the air. This man deserves chapters, not articles, and I hope someone got all his stories down on paper. He will be missed.

Sinful Sundays
June 8th will bring the first Sinful Sunday of 2008. Those of you who have attended Sinful Sundays in the past know how much fun these events can be.

On the second Sunday of June, July, and August the two of us and an ever growing number of necessary volunteers make homemade milkshakes and sundaes for those looking for a different kind of aviation get together. If you want a good excuse to cheat on that diet, come see us.

Originally expected to draw ten, last year’s Sinful Sundays averaged around 60 aircraft each month.  With that kind of record, you might be surprised to find out we almost cancelled these events this year. The problem is they have become so successful that we cannot handle them without more volunteers.  Somehow though, Rich talked Ginger into one more year and then he's on his own for finding soda jerks. 

If you or perhaps your group could spend a couple hours helping us on the event day, please let us know by signing up.  CLICK HERE

A Sad Statement

What kind of a statement on the Warbird Community is it that letting people sit in the cockpit of a P-51 is so unheard of that the family who does this makes it into every magazine and group email known to aviation? 

Now don’t misunderstand me, I think what Bill and Scott Yoak are doing with their P-51, Quick Silver, is an absolutely wonderful thing and also well worthy of publication and praise.  Yet, the reason their story is so amazing is that it is so out of the ordinary.  This is what the magazine articles refuse to say but are trying to imply by rewarding them with all the press?

With that said you might be surprised to find that I think it is perfectly ok for owners to refuse visitors in their cockpits, with one condition.  Here it is; if owners of warbirds are only in it for the ego trip, what it does for their manhood, or because they really want and can afford a cool toy but don’t want to share it with anyone that’s fine.  Really it is.  Some people are just that way with their toys; everyone is different.  But what’s not ok is when that same guy recites the same old worn out, canned, sentimental story about how important it is to preserve these planes so that they can be shared with future generations…blah blah blah…the looks on veteran’s faces…blah blah blah…our country’s history yadda yadda yadda…while never having the time to talk to or let big kids, little kids, or teary eyed veterans sit in the plane.   If someone really believed this story, they would not park the plane in a roped off area, walk away, and only come back to fly it in the airshow to earn their free gas.  They would instead bring a chair, sit with the machine, and share the plane with all those interested. What do you think? 

A few years back I was at an antique type club event where those in attendance were lamenting the lack of a new generation of antique pilots with long winded speeches and discussion.  A friend stood up after he couldn't take it any more and said, “It’s no wonder; all your planes are parked and there’s still an hour of daylight and people all over the field who would love to go for a ride”.   ‘Nuff said….

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A note from Ginger:  When flying one of the CAF's PT-26's to airshows in the Midwest area, I used to heave every kid into the bird that I could get into it.   Often there was a line that seemed to be a mile long just to sit in the plane.  Many times, other wing members would criticize me for doing so but the organization was formed as a "flying museum".  To me, this meant getting more people involved and interested - especially the younger kids.  While the kids were sitting in the plane, I attempted to tell them about the plane and what it was used for during WWII.  I was amazed at the number of kids that knew nothing about WWII . . . They had never even heard of it.  But I was determined that as long as I was there, when they got out of the plane they would know something of our American history.  Furthermore much of what I taught, I had learned a from those guys (and gals) that originally flew these planes. 

Negative News, High Fuel Prices, & Government Regulation

Getting You Down?

Don’t let it get you down.  Better yet, make a promise to yourself to turn off the TV and radio and go on with your life.   I think you’ll find everything seems a little better. 

Once you are out there cleaning the plane getting it ready for the warm Summer months and your mind starts to drift toward the subject of fuel prices, a few of you may choose to do the math to see that current fuel prices don’t make that big of a difference to the cost of flying; but I'm sure that’s not the majority. 

So for the rest of you try this instead; if fuel prices are tempting you to fly less, then choose to make the most of you time in the air.  By making the most of your time, I mean that there are hundreds or thousands of events being held around the country by hundreds of organizations in order to give you something to do with your plane.  These events are always a great way to reconnect with aviation and the pilots in your region and they do wonders for your spirits and outlook on the sport as a whole.   If you truly are restricted by fuel prices, then by planning your flights and using them to visit events, I think you will find the level of quality time with your plane increases along with your spirits.

Cirrus From EAA?
I have a question to ask; if EAA feels cheap flying is the number one obstacle to getting people into or keeping them in aviation, why are they giving away a Cirrus? And to follow up that question, why is the “Experimental” Aircraft Association giving away a certified aircraft?

I seriously doubt that the give away attracts enough new members, if any, or retains enough to warrant the high cost of such a machine. The only possibility is that it was a gift from someone who does not know how best to spend their money. Although I am a big fan of what Cirrus has done for aviation, the give away plane is no place for it. What needs to be on the give away list are twelve Fly Baby’s; one for each month.

This makes sense as these planes would be of use to the majority of members as I truly wonder how many members could afford to even keep the Cirrus (pay the taxes) if they won. Heck, for the price of one Cirrus, EAA could give away fifty Fly Babies. Now imagine them all painted with a beautiful crimson and ivory EAA paint scheme and you have fifty flying advertisements for EAA that are affordable and easy to maintain.
 

Photographers at Lee Bottom
Look around your magazines on the coffee table and you’ll see there’s lot of great aviation photographs floating around. Yet despite cramming into a photo ship, juggling equipment, contorting for good angles, and arranging subjects, pilots, and timing, the person behind the lens rarely gets more than a name placed at the beginning of an article. Having picked up on this, we have decided to occasionally feature a photographer that has been to Lee Bottom to capture some of those shots you see in the magazines. To these photographers we will send the same questions and then we will occasionally post them here. The names along with their answers will be drawn randomly for publication so there is no favoritism.

The first one out of the hat is Gilles Auliard.

Born when and where?  You currently live where?

Born 1958 in Chateauroux (France), living in Newington, CT

Do you do something else besides photography?  Is photography your primary or second job/business? - What is first or second if you have two?

Owner/operator of an environmental laboratory. Photography is my 3rd wife (the most expensive of them all).

What got you interested in aviation?

My mother had entrance to the old Chateauroux-Deols Air Base, the #1 depot of the USAFE at the end of the 50s/60s. There, I could see all the planes coming and going, until De Gaulle kicked the American out of France (pure Joan of Arc style).

What got you interested in photography?

Started taking pictures of these planes with a Russian camera, and got arrested for spying at age 15. Had crossed from the civilian side of the airport at Tours Air Base towards the military base, and was standing by the runway without any authorization. Had the film confiscated and spent the night in jail before being released. Learned my lesson, and always asked in advance form that point on.

Is there one shoot that stands out in your head as the most memorable and why? 

The best shoot is always the last one, and in this case, the Boeing 40.  Addsion was contacted by a bunch of magazines who wanted to come and take the first air-to-air, but he stuck by his gun, and I was numero uno, as he had promised many years prior.

What would you like to photograph that you haven't?

I pretty much have succeeded in taking pictures of anything I could think of.  I feel the need to do something, and it happens. Don't ask me how, I don't know. . .

What is the most difficult thing about being an aviation photographer?

The most difficult is dealing with other photographers whose egos are inadvertently proportional to their abilities.

What is your favorite aircraft?  If it's a P-51 also name your second most favorite aircraft.

My favorite airplane is the Waco 10, for God only knows what reason (Maybe because I will never fly one)

Within what magazines and or publications have your photos appeared or been featured?

Cannot really make a list, but it is about 50 in 10 different countries and in five languages.

Do you do other forms of media such as video?

No other format, difficult enough not to miss anything with cameras.

What equipment do you use?

All Canon, and for over 30 years. Never had any problem with it. My first Canon was offered to me by my mother for my high school graduation. As for the Russian camera, I bought it at 12 with my allowance, it was the only SLR I could afford at the time, it was a real tank, and a piss poor camera, but I did not know better at the time, and had nobody to ask questions to.

Do you have a website and what is it?

No time for a website, but Googling my name will bring hordes of pictures and excerpts of articles.

What did you like best about Lee Bottom?

I am a grass roots guy, I do not like big gatherings. I would rather sit my ass in a Cub with a buddy than watching the latest and greatest weapon passing by in a crowds of 100,000 -or 80 P-51s-. I think that what I loved the most at Lee Bottom. Just plain Joes flying their planes and enjoy a day in the sun without any rules but self imposed ones. 

What photograph, taken by yourself, is your favorite and can we print it with your answers?

My favorite is the Ryan STM over the cornfield at Brodhead. It is the closest I ever came to perfection. Everything is there, exposure, attitude, complementary colors. A good surprise knowing that it was a hit and run, as the plane was going home, and we tagged along for 15 minutes.

Do You Remember What It Is That You Love About Flying
Some good friends of ours dropped by the other day for the first time in months. The weather had been so bad for flying in our area over winter that many people nearly quit flying all together. These guys were no exception. Those of you who live on an airport will surely understand the general good feeling you get when you see friends entering the pattern. The feeling is an interesting combination of excitement to see old friends and relief to know they haven’t given up on flying. When these moments happen, you never think twice about dropping whatever it is you are doing to spend as much time as possible catching up. This was one of those times. As they taxied up, I took a look around. It was late in the evening, the hill was casting its silhouette over the bottom, the sky was crystal clear, and the air had the slightest nip of cool moving mysteriously about like a ghost throughout an otherwise warm day.

After talking aviation, the weather, health, and winches for launching sailplanes at Lee Bottom, our friends made their way back to their plane. Then just before climbing in, one of them took his own look around and said, “You know, flying in here, landing, and looking out over this wonderful grass makes you fall in love with flying all over again”. I’m not sure if they could see my grin but I must say that it’s moments like that that keep us going. To know that something you work so hard to provide is doing exactly what we hope it would do is a great feeling and we hope all of you enjoy it.

Understandably, it can be really tough in today’s aviation environment to stay excited about flying but perhaps we all need to step back from the aviation rat race and get back in touch with the reasons we got into this in the first place. I suspect that if many of you cleared your schedules for the evening, left work early one evening, and went for a leisurely flight to some out of the way place with a friend, you might find that the flying you once loved so much is still out there waiting to be rediscovered.

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A note from Ginger:  I'm pretty sure this article was written for me.  You see, due to a really bad case of aviation burnout, I've given up flying and dropped my membership to aviation clubs.  I will have to admit that Rich's attempt is better than most.  Some of the comments from others who have heard the story:  "Hope you get over it soon", "Maybe you're time to fly is over",  or the lack of a response all together.  I would recommend that the aviation groups work on ways to retain existing pilots and to keep them actively flying.  Can't say as though I've seen a Project Mentor or a Young Eagle's program to address what appears to be a huge problem in keeping the pilot population active and involved. 
 

Where have you seen

Lee Bottom Apparel?

Don Weber was recently spotted at the Western Wall of Prayer in Israel. 

Look closely and you'll see that is a Lee Bottom logo T Shirt that he is wearing.

Lee Bottom

"Where Old Planes Go To Fly™"
 

Marketing people have little things they get excited about that most people would never imagine. In much the same way Hollywood types say any publicity is good publicity, when you start seeing your trademarked slogan show up in different places, you know the word is getting out. This recently happened to us.

While skimming over the latest article about the Pemberton’s Model 40 in GA News, it was discussed where they planned to visit with it over the summer. Listed in the article was Oshkosh, Brodhead, and Blakesburg “Where Old Planes Go to Fly”. There it was. Did you see it? “Where Old Planes Go To Fly” is clearly our trademarked slogan being associated with Blakesburg.

Mistakes like this are a little too common in today’s professional publications but there is little you can do about it and often little you would want to do about it. We’ve spent years getting people to associate our airport with that slogan and that is why we trademarked it. Yet, we are not upset. We are used to these things happening and who could complain when your ideas are so easily placed next to Blakesburg, the home of The Antique Aircraft Association?
 

Economy woe: Real or Imagined

takes toll on aircraft values
As we go about our daily business, we end up seeing quite a few antique and classic aircraft pass through the market. In recent times we have often found ourselves chuckling, or was that choking, over some of the fantastic prices people were asking for aircraft. But now, it seems the antique market could be experiencing some familiar corrections.

Much like homes in Southern Florida, just because three people in a row paid a 30% premium for an aircraft, that doesn’t mean that it is or was ever worth what the last guy shelled out. Furthermore, just like the housing market, you should buy a plane you really want and plan to keep it and enjoy it as the value steadily goes up over time. Whenever people try to jump ahead of this curve or buy for investment purposes, they commonly get burned by tough corrections.

This can be seen in many places in the aircraft market. Two such recent examples are a recent Stearman restoration with new engine, overhauled prop, radio, transponder, electrical system, etc that when put up for sale on Ebay and stopped at $68,000 and a RNF Waco with an immaculate very recent restoration, newly restored engine, newly overhauled prop, new wood wings, etc that only made it to $51,000.

If you are being affected by such corrections, you should not be depressed. Instead, give yourself an honest gut check and try to determine if it is at all possible that you have experienced some wishful thinking in the past and tricked yourself into believing your plane to be worth more that what it truly is. If this is the case, and if you are the one person in one hundred willing to admit this, then you have two options; you can sell the plane for what it will bring to someone who will enjoy and fly it or you can keep it and get back to flying and enjoying it like you used to before you became so worried about scratching and thus reducing the value of that multi-million dollar J-3.

In other words, get back to enjoying the freedom of flight. I think you will find your plane brings many more smiles to you in the air than if buried in an investment portfolio.
 

EAA editorials

Some said the other day they couldn’t figure out if I hated EAA or loved it. I find that quite funny. Today, there’s no room for dissent in anything. “You’re either with us or against us” is a phrase that will live in infamy and go on to define the early years of this century. Unfortunately for those who don’t understand anything unless it is put in these terms, most anything in NORDO News will make no sense to them. For those who think things through, consider all options, and love playing devil’s advocate they might not agree but they certainly might see that all we are trying to do hold our industry to a higher standard. With that said, WHAT’S GOING ON WITH EAA? How many of you read the April issue of Sport Aviation? The editorials from Tom and David are quite interesting.

Back when the Sport Pilot rule was being rolled out, I was often scorned for daring to question the effect it would have on aviation. Today though, it is fairly common to read articles and editorials where someone is lamenting the same. More times than not, it’s buried inside some article about sport flying but it’s certainly out there. I was recently even amazed to see something written by a faithful EAA servant who has even served on one of EAA’s many boards that clearly said the affects of the Sport Pilot rule are questionable at best. I was vague with names there to keep them from being burned at the stake. But while more and more people are waking up to the blip on the radar screen that is Sport Pilot, EAA continues to roll out the editorials, articles, and e-newsletters trying to convince us Sport Pilot is king. Tom Poberezny’s latest editorial takes the cake.

Tom it seems doesn’t understand that it’s ok to admit Sport Pilot is not the panacea it was claimed to be. Actually, it doesn’t even register on the “bringing new pilots into aviation for less” meter. Yet, the April Presidents Editorial rolls out every effort to convince the many people who doubt its effects on the world.

Tom starts with the 2080 sport pilot certificates that have been issued since the rule went into affect. Did you feel the Earth move? Yeah, neither did I. The number is thrown out there with the only qualifier being that they are not from pilots who elected to scale down from pilot to hyphenated pilot but in the very next sentence he says there’s no accurate way of tracking those numbers. Strange indeed. So we have to wonder, how many of those were becoming pilots and stopped half way at Sport Pilot and how many pilots did we loose in the same amount of time; in other words what was the net gain of pilots due to SP? I ask because Phil Boyer recently put out the call for any and all ideas to stem the loss of pilots so either AOPA hasn’t received the message about SP or we are just looking at the spinning of numbers from a stalled rule.

Next, Tom moves on to explain how the Sport Pilot rules allow people the chance to own a new plane at more affordable prices. He also acknowledges that they are not as inexpensive as they had hoped but that the high prices have nothing to do with the rule; it’s the value of the dollar, production run numbers, and foreign producers. OK, so did Tom just say that there isn't enough interest in these planes to generate larger production numbers or did he say that if an American aircraft manufacturer built a plane in a US factory under the Sport Pilot rules, it would be cheap? Hold on, I’ll be right back. OK, an American Champion “New” Champ is $88,900 with nothing on or in it but paint. Now stick with me. Look at this.

1946 AERONCA CHAMP • $24,900 • FOR SALE • Engine: Continental C85-8 (688 Hrs), Slick Mags, Metal Prop. Aircraft Restoration in 2006, including: Airframe cleaned, Inspected and Powder Coated Fuselage with new wood formers, floorboards, head liner and fabric side panels. New Sitka Spruce spars and wing tip bows. Recovered with Stits Polyfiber system (Stits STC) in Polytone Juneau White with red and black trim. Sport plane qualified.

Let me remind you that planes like this are a dime a dozen so let me ask you this; if people are trying to get into aviation cheaply, why would they pay $88,900 for a new one when they could get one almost as good as new for less than a third the price? Well, I can tell you. The people who buy the new ones are not the people who need something to be cheap to get into it. But Tom has heard it all so he tries to cover this base also.

With an almost unbelievably straight faced tone to his writing, Tom actually says that the way this works is flight schools buy fleets of planes (Skycatcher and Cirrus SR), beat the hell out of them and then sell them to us cheaply fifteen years down the road. OK, he didn’t say beat the hell out of them but there are so many things about this weak attempt to once again sell Sport Pilot as a gift from God that I just had to make some light of it. Remember that Champ that was $24,900? We already have barns full of planes like this and would have had many more if Sport Pilot hadn’t placed the weight restrictions on Sport Pilot aircraft to the point that kept old Cessna’s out of the running.  When they did this, they claimed they were using European Rules on weight to streamline production; rules that conveniently rules out the largest safest group of cheap aircraft out there.   Yet recently a story was released saying Europe is looking into implementing Sport Pilot rules like ours.  Wait, I thought we used their rules?  Very strange indeed.

If we really wanted or needed new pilots and cheap aircraft, wouldn’t we have fought hard to have those included? Let’s see, cheap planes that actually exist right now vs. hypothetical aircraft that will be bought in hypothetical numbers, by hypothetical flight schools, and then sold at ridiculously cheap hypothetical prices fifteen years down the road? COME ON…GIVE ME A BREAK!

And while I’m at it, how many of you know what it takes to repair damage to a composite aircraft? I’m not talking scratches, I’m talking holes, cuts, whatever. There are very few people or places that can do this properly so that the original strength of the design is retained. On the other hand, nearly every home builder in the world could patch up a Cessna 150 or Aeronca Champ properly and inexpensively. Am I missing something?

Tom then goes into the three stages of this process…….nope, I can’t take it any more. I have to stop here as my head is hurting. But before I move on to happier thoughts, let me say this. I wish to thank EAA for the chance to use Sport Pilot sometime down the road. If all goes well I will hopefully have a doctor who secretly diagnoses an illness so that it doesn’t take my medical and I can start flying under Sport Pilot rules. If not, maybe I will have made the correct decision early enough to go ahead and let it expire before I got sick so that I could fly under Sport Pilot rules. At that point, if I haven’t failed the vision test for my driver’s license or if it hasn’t been taken away, I hope to buy one of those beat up, patched up, glued together machines with the bent landing gear so that I can fly around on virtual avgas.

Tom would be much better off to just say, “Well, we gave it our best shot and came up short. Yet in the end, we were able to secure possible extensions to many a pilot’s days in the air and spurred development of new aircraft. Now though we take this small addition to the world of aviation and what it has taught us and move forward in our attempts to secure yet another step for the future of aviation” and move on. IF he did this, nobody would think any less of him. BUT, if he keeps trying to shove this blip down everyone’s throats when there are many more dragons to slay, his motives and methods will certainly come into question. Personally, I think he should move on to the next dragon. At this point, SP will either leave the nest and fly on its own or die.
 

Oh man, I forgot about Dave’s editorial. OK here’s what I’m going to do. I’ll cut it down to one relatively small paragraph.
 

Dave says he tired of listening to people complain about the divisions at EAA.  This is sad and I think he needs correction to his direction. EAA is a little too much like our government these days and seems to believe the members are there to serve it and not the other way around. If he meant that he is tired of all the divisiveness and wish everyone would come together on their commonalities, I agree but stress that he should look only inward. EAA as an organization is for all practical purposes, like most groups, nothing more than a magazine and a fly-in (how many members are members for the magazine?). The chapters on the other hand are where all the life is. These small pockets of aviators and builders are much if not most of the life of aviation in the US. They need more from EAA and not the other way around. Furthermore, if Dave wants to see divisions, how about those caused by continuing to keep Sport Aviation, IAC, Warbirds, Vintage, and NAFI separate. More often than not, important things are happening to one or more of these groups that the members of the others are not aware of because they are kept separate to boost revenue from membership and advertising fees. Take a look around Oshkosh some time. The Warbirds are here, Vintage there, Ultralight over yonder, and each day of the event brings yet another sub-event put together for members of yet even smaller groups. Heck it’s quite easy to go to Oshkosh and never see or talk to anyone but the same people you see or talk to when home. Divisiveness breeds divisiveness.  One last thing; if members are complaining - listen.  Don't complain that you are having to deal with all these people.  Perhaps the people that pay your salary feel they need to complain.

Low Cost Flying

In the last issue of NORDO News, we questioned why EAA doesn’t promote all the really cheap and fun to fly airplanes on the market such as Pietenpohls and Fly Babies. Not long after that, we got the EAA E-News that had a section about a new feature at this year’s Airventure; a low cost flying pavilion.

We’re glad they are listening but strangely, every plane they mentioned that was to be on display was a certified airplane. It seems that someone at EAA has decided to move quietly away from experimental aircraft, or at least those that don’t pay advertising. Van’s provides pages of advertising but Pietenpohls built from scratch? Yet as mentioned earlier, EAA claims to believe cost is the number one reason keeping people out of aviation.

Ten thousand dollar aircraft that are fun, inexpensive to operate, and experimental are everywhere but when low cost flying comes to mind for EAA, they immediately think, “What’s cheap that is certified?” Again, we’re glad you are listening but please don’t screw this up. Ask around and fill that area with Experimental Aircraft with signs that say “Purchased for $9500”, “Bought last month for $8900”, “Under $50 per hour to operate”, “Small enough to share hangar space”, “In the air for $10,000”; I think you get the picture.

IF you can’t find the very airplane you can put small print under it that says “Reflects recent purchase price of similar aircraft”.  Then to top it all off, park a See Doo next to one of them with a sign that says “Airplane $9500, See Doo $9500 – five years later same Airplane value $9500,  same See Doo value $3000.  Or how about, “This plane cheaper than all these” and next to it place a Harley, See Doo, some brand of new small boat, a set of new titanium golf clubs and a years worth of Golf Course and Membership Fees, and a zero radius mower. 

See, this is how marketing works.  There will be, according to EAA, half the population of planet Earth at Airventure and no doubt some of them will be trying to convince themselves or their spouses to let them get a plane.   Combine an interested somewhat captive market with actual marketing and you might be amazed.  We won’t even charge you for the ideas…until September.

Oshkosh Costs Soooo Much

The other day I was talking to someone who was planning to bring several new people to our fly-in event in September when he said “It’s amazing how quickly your event has grown.  Before long you’ll be larger than (several fly-in’s names here)”.  This statement was made at the beginning of a conversation that eventually led to the same old complaints about Oshkosh and high prices and it carried with it a tremendous amount of dread for me.  This ever present complaint is something I’ve always considered one of the greatest examples of how humans, and even more specifically pilots, think.  Sadly and admittedly I’m one of them.  

People always get excited to go to large events.  Large events are considered more credible, useful, and worthwhile to the pilot community.  Large events bring a wider range of people together, more aircraft, and the more potential.  Yet as soon as an event gets “large”, attendees start complaining about prices.  This is what brought the dread into my life.   Build them up, tear them down.

One of my strongest and longest held beliefs is “Grow or Die”.  Basically, there two directions available to anything and everything on the planet be it object, creature, or process.  These are grow (forward) or die (backward).  That is why we continue to move forward with our event despite the continuous stream of obstacles that get in the way.  This is also why we question so many status quo ideas because standing still counts as dying or moving backward.  Do you see where the dread is?  Well, our dread is that as the event continues to grow, our point on the bell curve will change and people will begin to complain about it being big because that’s what you do when an event gets big.   Do you see where I am going with this?  No?  Let me explain.

For several years in a row now, I have visited Oshkosh and in the process witnessed one of the most amazing spectacles of organization and choreography on the planet.   You would be hard pressed to find bigger events, with more people crammed together, and more movements of machinery in one week while simultaneously providing sanitation, food, entertainment, and the most spotless grounds anywhere in the world.  It truly is amazing.  This is why I don’t understand the complaints.  

All my life I have understood that if you want to go to the biggest party, you’re going to spend the biggest bucks.  That’s how it works.  So why do aviation people not get it?  The irony here is that the human desire to go to the biggest party is what makes it so expensive.  So what’s the option?  Well, you could quit going and it would stop moving forward and would die.  OR you could keep going and pay the price because you want to go to the biggest party and thus allow the event to move forward.  Now don’t get me wrong.  I understand the dollars spent can add up quickly.  But your only options are to look for the bloating (see note below labeled 40%) and inefficiencies that creep into organizations over time and insist they be corrected to insure the best is being made of your money spent. 

So in case you missed it, here’s the synopsis; having put on our fly-in during the past 11 years, I have come to understand the amazing amount of money, planning, and money it takes to do so.  My understanding of what it takes to make everything happen the way it should and safely has grown immensely since Ginger arrived and started making it happen here.  There is so much required to make The Wood, Fabric, & Tailwheels Fly-In happen that I cannot imagine how much goes into Oshkosh….sorry, Airventure. 

So next time you are drinking that multi-dollar ice cold Coke, remember that it had to arrive via extra shipments coordinated weeks or months in advance, had to be purchased by vendors who pay a percentage to your organization, then sold by a surge of part time employees, from a stand driven in and set up for the week, connected to provided power, hooked to phone lines, likely checked by the health department and fire marshal, and dispensed into cups that came from extra shipments, with ice that was accumulated for weeks made far away and driven in, and when consumed it is thrown into one of the thousands of trash receptacles provided that are dumped several times a day and driven miles away to a landfill.  Eventually you need to eliminate this liquid which goes into a port-a-pot that was trucked in and cleaned as frequently as possible to keep the stench minimized.  And that’s just your Coke.

Note referenced above:  While visiting a local EAA chapter the other night, one of our friends told us the story of applying to Airventure to sell one of his books there.  Someone had suggested it to him, he had filled out the paperwork, and received a letter stating that he was accepted and would be allowed to sell his book. I believe in the EAA shop.  Yet although he has some great stories and books that everyone should read, he has decided to not take EAA up on their offer.  Why?  Well they wanted 40% of his net!!!   FORTY PERCENT OF HIS NET!!!  These are the kind of things that people are tired of and quite honestly find truly offensive. 

Where were you at 40?
A while back, Rich was moving the Avipro Bearhawk demonstrator to Sun-N-Fun when he came up against some crummy weather. Considering the trip would only cover 800 miles, and would be done in the 150 MPH Bearhawk, he fully expected to leave Austin in the morning and hit Kissimmee that evening.

Unfortunately, the weather that plagued the fly-in also took its toll on him. Four days later, and many short flights later, Rich pulled up to Jim Clevenger’s hangar for some lunch and a tour of the airport. Along the way he met Ray Coker who helped him out in Conroe, Texas, spent his 40th birthday in a hotel room in Gulf Shores eating junk food from a nearby gas station, watched the next day pass while waiting out the weather with a great couple from Wisconsin and a guy in a Ercoupe trying to get to Lakeland, and spent the last night a short hop from Kissimmee having made it all the way to Ocala thanks to the wonders of a 496 Garmin.

Then after all that, when he finally made it to his destination, he had only enough time for a quick tour of the adjacent hangars before making a mad dash for home. Oh well, here are some photos from his interesting 40th birthday trip. By the way, he still says the Bearhawk never disappoints and recommends it to anyone interested in such a machine.  www.BearhawkAircraft.com

Where Are We Heading?
 

I think everyone would agree that our current President’s administration is pushing many ridiculous proposals down the throats of U S Citizens. No matter what you think of the President, good or bad, I’m pretty sure it is safe to say that there is something he is or has pushed that you find utterly ridiculous or unbelievable.

Far away, ninety miles or so, in another country, a longtime leader recently stepped down to allow his brother to take over the helm. When Fidel Castro’s brother took over command of Cuba, one of the first things he did was to say to the people he wanted to hear their concerns. This led to a mass outpouring of anger, rage, and complaints about many things wrong in their country. One of them was the Health Care system which means nothing here but I just wanted to point out that the people who live there know it stinks. THE ISSUE of relevance here is TRAVEL.

The other day, I logged onto MSN to find a story about the most common complaints being expressed by Cuban Citizens. Among the paragraphs I found the following:

“They said they wanted an end to Cuba's exit-visa requirement, where a person can't legally travel outside the country without prior government approval.”

I found this very interesting as it falls right in line with everything I was ever taught about totalitarian leaders and communist countries. This is quite amusing to me. If you missed it, here it is again, “They said they wanted an end to Cuba's exit-visa requirement, where a person can't legally travel outside the country without prior government approval.” Wow, isn’t that interesting. One of the U S Government’s most vilified countries and leaders will not let people travel or leave the country without an exit visa. How interesting! Let’s see what I can find over on AOPA’s website…..ok, oh yes, here it is….the very first thing that pops up on Google under “US proposes requirement for citizens traveling outside”. Read it all the way to the end.

CBP (Customs and Border Protection) wants to require pilots to submit arrival/departure notification and passenger lists (manifest) over the Internet before leaving or returning to the United States. In addition, CBP would mandate the use of its electronic Advance Passenger Information System (eAPIS)—similar to what's already used by charter companies—to screen general aviation passengers against terrorist watch lists. Under CBP's proposal, you'd log onto a Web site at least one hour before departing to fly across the U.S. border, provide information about you, your aircraft and your passengers', and then get an approval to fly.”
 

WOW, isn’t that interesting?!?!?! Let me make sure I got that right…yep, that’s right. For a minute there I thought I may have mistakenly copied the line from Cuban complaints about Cuba but this is right and it does come from our US Government. And to think we elected these people….
 

Right now I’m having some difficulty getting new springs made for the oleo struts to put on a KR-21.  I have a drawing, but can’t find anyone to manufacture them.  I heard the WACO guys use die springs but I haven’t found any that are 1.75” dia., which is what I need, and I have some reservations about using them as they will most certainly be significantly different from the original design. 

If you can help this person out, CLICK HERE to let us know and we'll pass the word along.

The Bad Side of Good

A while back I was given the opportunity to see an incredible collection of aircraft stuff that had been scrounged together over many years.  Apparently I saw just a small part of it but I have to say that what I laid eyes on was quite interesting.  Yet, once again I came away disappointed and unimpressed.  I hadn’t been at this place long, maybe two minutes, when I knew everything I needed to know.  You see, this collection of stuff belonged to a member of one of the best and worst types of aviation nuts; the “I have it and you don’t” type. 

The “I have it and you don’t” type has long been a figure of great confusion to me.   The people in this category are always the same.  Years ago before anyone thought anything in aviation might have value, they started scrounging Waco air vents, Aeronca brake pucks, and nearly every rare old plane they could buy from some guy for a buck fifty; that’s one dollar and fifty scents.   If they found something hidden in a barn that couldn’t be purchased from the owner while practically getting everything else for free, they made a mental note of it and never told anyone else where it was.  Today the inevitable community of buildings and hangars these types own are filled with all that stuff they “purchased” and NEVER USED OR EVER WILL. 

As if to rub it in, these people always tell everyone about those projects they were unable to acquire minus one important point; where it was.  They also always claim that “they would like to give things to a museum” until a museum steps forward to inquire and then it is back to “I have it and you don’t”. 

No matter how hard I try, I will never understand these people.   It’s obvious they get some sense of power out of knowing where something is and letting you know about it without telling you where it is yet these people usually have no reason or need to feel power as they usually have it somewhere else.  Perhaps they are holding on to a dream or their youth but without fail they always hold on to these things or that one important piece of information until it is too late and the projects have lost the value or last fraction of structural integrity.  Whatever the case, these items are already as good as gone with the only trace of its existence locked up in someone’s mind.  This is why I have no time for these people. 

If you follow the logic, they are no friend of aviation nor are they saviors of aircraft.  They are merely packrats that happened to collect old planes and parts.  There was never any intention of saving the planes, restoring them, or even selling them, just merely some strange wiring in their head that makes them feel important buy keeping something from those that would.  If you think I am being too hard on these people, then so be it but I can assure you that at least as many old planes have been lost to these types as were ever saved by them. 

After reading this through, I felt I should cover one other possibility; one that I have personally witnessed many times.  There actually are a few people out there that fit all the above but want the planes to survive with a good home.  Unfortunately, they know most of the people in that long line at the door are only there to kiss up in hopes of a steal or that the future widow will allow them to “handle” the disposition of assets.  I guess there will always be predators out there but sometimes aviation seems to have a few too many.  This makes it nearly impossible for someone looking to place these aircraft artifacts a good home to make a decision. 

How many people do you know like this or are you one of them?  I’d like to hear from both categories.  If you are one of them, perhaps you could tell us why you continue to hold on to these things or perhaps a story about the endless line of people at your door.  Please help me understand.  

A friend once said someone needs to point out to these people that there is no power in gold under ground, oil in someone else's tank, and aircraft in someone's mind rusting away in another country.

Note:  Aeroplane Monthly Magazine recently reported that four Stearman-Hammond Y-1S Safety Planes arrived in Lelystad, Holldand after being purchased from someone who had them in a barn in Buffalo, New York.   This is exactly what I am talking about above. These were planes Lloyd Stearman helped design and build after leaving Stearman Aircraft.  Numerous people through the years have expressed desire to find one of these and before anyone could (most people thought all but one were gone) some body came in from overseas and took them away.  CLICK HERE to see what we lost. 

A few years back Air Classics reported that the RAF museum received a donation from a previous NASM Curator; the one of a kind Miles Aircraft custom built for Charles Lindbergh for his time in England.  It was believed by most to have long been destroyed but it had been in the states for nearly 30 years.  The RAF Museum plans to let it hang in storage.  What's interesting about this is nobody seemed to know it existed and when it arrived at the museum it was announced it was announced it came from a donor in the U.S.  Do you see a pattern here?   CLICK HERE to see what we lost.

Pilatus Intercepted by F-16
Many of you may have heard about the recent incident where a Pilatus driver, while passing through and MOA was intercepted by an F-16 that he claimed was 20’ from his wingtip, and therefore he filed complaints that turned this into a big debate in many circles. To me I see several things I have talked about before in this occurrence. First, the guy in the Pilates MAY be right and the F-16 was only 20’ from him but I suspect the person is overreacting because he crapped his pants when he first realized it was there. Or should I say he is crying because they never told him at the academy that big mean planes like that could sneak up on him when he was flying along fat, dumb, and happy in a MOA. Shortly thereafter, he then broke out in a sweat in fear that he had broken a TFR, and then shortly after that got upset that he even had to think about TFR’s or military aircraft.

As for the TFR’s I couldn’t agree more but military aircraft in a MOA is something he should have been looking for. As I’ve said before, I go right through MOA's but I also know to keep my eyes on the lookout for rapidly growing specs on the horizon and away from altitudes they will most likely inhabit. I also dream of “attempted” intercepts but like the lottery, they never happen to anyone willing to have fun with them. Yet, there are bigger problems here.

Military pilots and civilian pilots are being divided just like commercial, civilian, medical, business, sport, experimental, and vintage pilots are. This is a bad situation. I have recently spoken with several military pilots, and read online the comments from military pilots who think “little planes” should get out of their way. These comments were said in a manner that implied military planes are primary and civilian secondary. Yet, the reason for having military planes is to protect the rights and freedoms of the “little planes (U.S.citizens)”.

So I have to ask, who is instilling this attitude in our military pilots? Do I think small planes should look out for and possibly give way to military aircraft when prudent, absolutely. But do I think the military should come first and the small planes second, no. I think they should hold the same status and work together. If civilian and military pilots were using their heads to think like a group, they would realize there are pilots in each aircraft, people who value freedom, people who love this country, and people who may just be looking to have a little fun.

I also think it’s time everyone got on the same page. This country was created for and by the people; not for and by the government. When established, our country was to have a military to protect the rights and freedoms of the people, not to serve the wishes of the government. Period…end of discussion. Yet, as our military has decreased in size, the amount of airspace it claims has grown, TFR’s have come on the scene for anything run by someone with political connections, and we have to worry about drones flying around by someone in a dark room hundreds of miles away. Meanwhile, we are being made to feel like second class citizens and told we are unpatriotic.

Here is what needs to happen on the military side; if military pilots are going to intercept small aircraft, for practice or for tactical reason, they need to be trained to understand that average citizen now fears its own government as much as anything else. This may sound outlandish but if you think about it, people worry about being audited by the IRS, a visit from the ATF, being pulled over on a drive to work for any number of reasons, politicians selling the country down the road for short term votes, homeland security searches and wiretaps, the TSA, and busting the impossible to keep up with ever changing maze of airspace. So military pilots need to understand that any pilot being intercepted is going to go through a series of emotions and they are not going to see it as fun in any way unless they are well prepared for it. Therefore any thoughts of no communication intercepts should be rethought.

Lastly, if you are flying through an MOA and realize there is a F-16 flying off your wing, try calling him or her on 121.50 to see if they are listening and if so take time for one of the following; ask them where they are from, ask them if they have a camera and can take a picture to send you, thank them for finally recognizing your tax contribution by giving you your own personal fighter escort, or ask them if they are up for some real maneuvering…not that woozy stuff (a technical phrase designed to elicit animal instincts) they get by flying against other computer controlled gee-whiz machines. Whatever you do, stay calm and don’t go crying to the nearest authority to complain without thinking it through.
 

How come we have to choose from just 2 persons for president, and 50 for Miss America?

author unknown

A Pilot Looks at Forty
 

Turning 40 has long been noted as a turning point in the lives of most people. Personally I never gave it much thought but when I sat down to write about it, I realized there were many emotions, some opposing, trickling to the surface about my birthday. After reading them through, I decided to include two of them.

With April approaching rapidly, my thoughts have recently turned to an upcoming event that will be the only birthday I’ve had in ten years; my 40th. Birthdays have never meant much to me and for this reason I’ve never done anything to celebrate them. In fact when I think about it, only one birthday comes to mind, my 30th. Back then I was having a grand old time and looking for an occupation.

In 1998, I was hoping rides in an old biplane offering “trips back in time” to tourists. This to me was an obvious step that anyone looking for a job as a pilot would take. You see, when I say a job as a pilot, I mean a job as a Pilot, with a capital P. The world is a big place and back then I was sure there had to be a few jobs left that fit under that occupational category. Somewhere deep inside me, I was sure that if I built time in some old biplane, and moved on to hauling freight in DC-3’s or C-46’s, someone looking for a Pilot would seek me out and offer me the job. After all, how many young (relatively) people could say they did most everything up through their ATP in a tailwheel and most all of it behind radials?

Well, the answer to that questions is a few more than you would think with each of those pilots having an asterisk by their names *Willing to kiss ass to get ahead. But to me, this deepened my confidence that that one job would seek me out as everyone knows that just like “there’s no crying in baseball”, “no real Pilot kisses ass”. So, I kept moving forward knowing that some day, someone would walk up to me and say “I’ve been looking for you”. Yet, the convergence of preparation and opportunity I had hoped for never happened.

Today, looking back on it I am not surprised that job never arrived. The clouds have long since been licensed and the air stripped of its dignity. The last frontier has been corrupted by mantras of safety and the loss of freedom. Far from the smog and security lights, even eagles fear that they too will soon be restricted to airways and altitudes as humans march blindly toward self enslavement and incorporation of the Earth. What happened to my dream of being a Pilot will soon surely be suffered by less glorious occupations and the knowledge of that day’s coming weighs heavy on my soul. Knowing the only happiness I will ever be able to pull from this will be the chance to say “I told you so”, only serves to infuriate my senses and stir my insides with the images of those so willing to give it all away. I am a man without a country; a Pilot without occupation, but this was not always the case…

Having dreamed of sail cloth covered wings and flying wires, I ached to be amongst the clouds. To me, the sky was a wondrous ocean of possibilities filled with sights witnessed only by currents invisible to men.

Through the years, I watched the sky and those that dared test it. In the process I also learned of fortunes suspended about those molecules. Most of these turned out to be dreams.

As it happens, I am a pilot that was born six decades too late. Today engines don’t thunder and there’s no longer wonder at the daring young men in their crates. It seems that I was set adrift on the winds of time and arrived too late; essentially an over forty victim of fate

Looking back on the years with great consternation, I have found the single biggest hazard to a pilot, a pilot like me, is that that occupation can no longer be found.

…..thanks Jimmy.  Your song, A Pirate looks at 40, is relevant in so many ways.

With April approaching rapidly, my thoughts have recently turned to an upcoming event that will be the only birthday I’ve had in ten years; my 40th. Birthdays have never meant much to me and for this reason I’ve never done anything to celebrate them. In fact when I think about it, only one birthday comes to mind; oddly enough, it was my 30th. Back then I was at the peak of a high that was pulling rapidly away from a miserable life left behind. Having been tested by my own innocence, ignorance, and an inability to stay focused on something for more than six months, my life at the time was a testament to persistence and the good people that still existed in the world. It was also an example of arriving too late.

As March 1998 drew to a close, I was forced to make plans for a migration that would have “Old Bess” and myself following tourists north. “Old Bess”, my faithful Stearman steed never let me down. She was one of the last Barnstorming Biplanes that actually gave rides to keep flying as there were no trust funds or fortunes propping her up. Because of this, I occasionally felt it necessary to let go of the reins and let her stretch her legs with a flight to wherever she wanted to go. With my departure imminent and my 30th approaching, two of my friends suggested we fly “Old Bess” and their BT-13 to Key West on my birthday. Thankfully, for whatever reason, I thought it was a great idea as it was only 50 or so miles from Marathon Florida where we were based. A plan was made and as the days approached, we were all secretly surprised that neither one of us backed out. When the day arrived, we all showed up.

Flying through warm air over sapphire emerald waters with your own high-cover is something everyone should experience. To do it on your birthday with friends seals it. Somewhere in the back of a shoebox lie photos of that day. When things are really crummy, they always seem to work their way out and warm things up.

So many things stick out about that day. Typical day time Key West tourists abounded as we worked our way through the streets and assortment of shops selling trinket something's to anyone. Stopping to eat, talk to souvenir shop owners, and admire the Seabee hanging up in “The Last Flight Out”, we managed to kill most of a day having left all other things behind.

With a thumbs up from the BT’s canopy, I hit the starter and flipped the mags to shock Old Bess to life. As she settled into a rhythm, smoke belched beside us as another round engine coughed and snorted itself awake. Behind it, mangroves swayed in the propwash and beyond that a sailboat sliced through the water. Overhead, fighters streaked toward the nearby Naval Station, and on final a time worn Convair approached. Easing the throttle forward, the day eased toward sunset but we were not about to let it go without one more bout of childish exuberance.

Saying so long to the Key West tower and departing their airspace, the three of us aimed for a tour. The back country or remote Western Keys are for the most part uninhabited and wildly sprinkled about. Some of them have abandoned homes, others the remains of shore bound skiffs, and several others offer clearings cut into mangroves by drug runners. Wildlife too abounds in the back country and our goal was to see it all up close.

Being that I was in the slower plane, we fell in trail with myself and Old Bess in the lead. Weaving in and about the outcroppings of natural flora, the sights to be seen clicked by like a National Geographic film. I had always wondered how they got those amazing videos and now I knew. They blow through these places at eye level filming away so that they can sell advertising time and global warming fears under the guise of wildlife protection. Strangely though, the most interesting part is that their film ships don’t count as disturbances so I decided that’s what we were doing; scout work for a future documentary. Amazingly enough, it worked.

Sometimes lifting leaves from the mangroves and one time facing down a Bald Eagle, I was stunned by the level of protection offered a Nat Geo scout crew. No matter how many times spray hit the tires, birds blew by, or we touched Earth on one of those abandoned strips, the view only got better and Old Bess only more willing to run. Behind me, the sound of a hungry 985 could occasionally be heard as it closed to nip at our tail. Looking around I could see it was being flown by a set of faces dominated by smiles and laughter. Meanwhile my teeth ached from the dryness wrought by the same. Later over Marathon, with the sun well below the horizon, two streaks of blue flame approached, circled overhead, and flickered to orange as the sound of two excited radials ran their cool down lap with throttles almost closed. Feeling our way to the hangar like teenagers sneaking in after midnight, I remember thinking, “Every birthday should end like this.” Ten years to the day, another birthday ended in much the same way. It wasn’t as easy as 30 but it sure reminded me of all the great people I have come to call friend and the lifetime of memories aviation has delivered.
 

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