December
2008 Newsletter.
Next meeting: Saturday, December
6, 2008, at 5:30pm.
Location: ABC Restaurant, Kamloops (By Aberdeen
Mall, Esso station)
This
site hosted by OCIS, On Call Internet Services.
376-3858 Check their Website
here: http://www.ocis.net/
Due
to the limited space available on the server, the
archives will not contain anything older than one
year. For members only: If you need to look at a
specific newsletter from previous years, please
let me know, I will e-mail you the file. villeneuve@shaw.ca
Christmas
Dinner
The dinner will be at the
ABC Restaurant again, at 5:30pm on Dec.
6th. They will be serving a turkey dinner to us;
no buffet. Don't forget the
gift exchange!
Thanks,
Ken!
We
publish ads in out Buy&Sell section for
free... Ken Hemmerling had an ad for his aircraft
for a few months, and when it sold he was so
happy that he sent us a cheque to express his
thanks... You are very welcome, Ken! So we are
doing it again, this time for a 3
Blade Warp Drive Prop $900. at 250-587-6219 or
email kenhemmerling@hotmail.com
See the ad at http://www.ocis.net/tvsac/buyandsell.html
Editor's
Notes
Remember that pretty soon
will be time to pay for the membership and
airstrip fees...
At the last meeting, we had a
small change in the executive; Wally Walcer was railroaded into taking the
position of President! Hail to The Chief!
Everyone else stays in place....
Pre
flight checks...
They are very useful, and can
save my bacon, or at least prevent wrecking my
landing gear again! On November 29, I spotted a
loose bolt holding the diagonal drag strut for
the right landing gear. The 7/16 nut and washer
were still on the fiberglass shell under the
Beaver's seat....
That nut should have been inside
the front part of the boom tube, on the end of
the bolt going through the Pilot Support Tube
(part 603) ... Helluva place to install a nut and
washer, especially with the fiberglass shell and
front wheel installed. But you should never leave
home without it!
The bolt is right under Stn#2
The trick is to tape a 7/16
wrench to a piece of tubing and tape the nut to
it. Then you have to reach in some 12 inches, and
using a flashlight and mirror you learn how to
work in reverse... It was very awkward, I'm
telling you! Fortunately the temperature at the
strip was 5 above, otherwise the job might have
had to wait til Spring!
Airstrip
Webcam
The weather this last month has
not been the best for flying, to say the least.
With all the wind we had, I'm surprised my hangar
is still there... Because I live only five
minutes from the strip, I have been driving there
quite often to check the conditions, and many
times had to come back home without flying.
At the October meeting, I brought
forward a motion about buying a webcam that we
could install at Gerald's place and use on a
computer supplied by Bill Huxley. The plan was to
aim it at the airstrip and enable anyone to
access it on the Internet and zoom in on the
windsock or anything else to see if it was flying
time. I mentionned a price of $170. and the
motion was passed. Then I later found out that
the webcam I had thought would do the trick had
only a digital zoom, which is near useless unless
the camera is high resolution.
There are some good cameras out
there, but they are quite pricey. So for now
Gerald is keeping an eye on e-Bay, we might find
a deal there.
Before heading up to the strip I
always check the Lac LeJeune webcam at http://www.laclejeune.ca/webcam.html it shows me what the weather is
like up the hills. Also, if you click on HOME
(below the picture) you can check his weather
station for wind speed and temperature. That's
the kind of system we should get for Knutsford.
Another good spot is http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/bchighwaycam/index.aspx?cam=61 to check the conditions at
Walloper Lake.
We used to be able to check the
view from the Kamloops Airport, but that one has
been taken off line.
You can check the Merritt Airport
at http://merrittflyingclub.ca/
To see webcams from all over Bc
and the Yukon, try this: http://members.shaw.ca/ruping/webcams/pyrwebcams.html
Another webcam located somewhere
east of Pritchard is the Thompson River webcam at
http://www.mascon.bc.ca/webcams/duck.jpg
So.... I am still doing the
Newsletter... And again I would like to ask for
your help with pictures or stories, or
suggestions on what you would like to see here. I
don't have a good enough imagination, and I am
frankly running out of ideas...
Not
too many people flying...
According to my logbook, in the
last month I have flown for over 4 hours, and
landed at 17 spots other than the airstrip and
where only my Beaver could land! On November 27,
I was up again at 2pm, and by Coal Hill I hit
some slope updraft that made me gain 500 feet in
no time flat! Coming back down was a different
story, with the almost-scary turbulence and
downdrafts! But as usual my great skills saved
the day! :-)
Back at the strip, there was
almost no wind, and I hated having to land! I had
to go to the Mall join the guys for the afternoon
meeting! But I bought some more fuel and mixing
oil, and will be back up at the next opportunity!
November 10. With Bill Huxley, I
finally made it to that cave on Savona Mountain!
Most of the hike was a cake walk, except for the
last part, as Bill could testify:
The opening is at least 7 feet
high at the front.
It goes in for 10 feet, then
turns sharply left for another 5. The floor
slopes up to the back, as it has been home to
pack rats and I-don't-know-what-else for hundreds
of years. Any guess what the black stuff is? The
smell gave us a hint!
In the area, you can see many of
those rock formations called "hoodoos".
The view might not be as good as
flying, but it was still very enjoyable.
I have been flying in the Coal
Hill area looking for deer. Last time, I counted
sixteen! This picture was taken on November 10th,
at the cost of frozen fingers!
November 17 saw me over the old
Afton mine, now New Gold. By the size of that
building, they seem to be serious about opening a
new mine.
On November 19, I was back into
the Drewdrop Range area to check on my geocache,
SkyHigh#6. Another chunk of agate set into the
cliffs. Quite a few of those, if you know where
to look. Or if you're lucky!
Volcanic rocks of all size and
shapes.
November 24, hiking with Bill
Huxley on top of the bluff south-east of Paul
Lake, to check on another geocache of mine,
SkyHigh#7. Here looking towards Pinantan Lake.
On the way up, I found this neat
chunk of fossil coral.
At the bottom of the same bluff
was this cave; the opening is easily 30 feet
wide.
ORGANIZING
THE COCKPIT
By Barry Meek
There’s always something to learn about
flying, whether in your student pilot days or
sitting there with several thousand hours in the
log book. At this point in time, I’m
somewhere between the student and the guy with
all the hours, and probably half way to knowing
enough about flying to keep me safe.
Every flight is still a learning experience.
Flying the right seat with much more experienced
pilots can be a great learning tool, if I keep my
mind open to it. Some guys will point out
little tricks they’ve learned over the years
while others go about the business of flying the
plane. From those fellows, I learn about
their hobbies, investments, medical problems,
girlfriends, holidays, and fishing vests.
I mention fishing vests, because early on in my
career when keeping the airplane on track, right
side up close to the altitude I was supposed to
be at, took a lot of concentration. Throw
in other things that tested my organizational
skills and the workload went way off the scale. My
home, office and my car are usually tidy. But
in the airplane, it was a constant battle for me
to store tools and items where they were easily
accessible and always there. As a pilot,
you have to know what I’m talking about. Pens,
sunglasses, notepads, calculators, and whatever
else you’ve collected as mandatory items
never seem to have a place all their own. Pens
fall off the panel, or roll up against the
windshield out of reach. Glasses get
crushed by the seatbelt while tucked in a shirt
pocket. The camera, cell phone and snacks
end up under a seat. Spare batteries,
because they roll around can only be found when
you land. Anything in pockets in your jeans
is unavailable anyway, given the problems of
moving out of the seat in a small airplane.
That’s where the fishing vest comes in.
A pilot I was flying with once, a fellow with
several thousand hours who could simultaneously
fly and talk about other things, told me about
them. They’re full of pockets, compartments
and little spaces that can handle anything a
pilot stuffs in. Mine has been modified a
bit for personal requirements and yours can be
too.
The vest works well when you fly any airplane,
but their true value shines in an open-cockpit
biplane and in ultralights. Everything is
safely and neatly stored, yet easily accessible.
It’s
really such a simple solution to a universal
problem, I don’t know why it hasn’t
been used by more pilots. In a quick
internet search I was unable to find a pilots
vest, however fishing and photography outlets
sell them.
As a working pilot, my vest is the answer to my
clutter in the cockpit. Check out this list
and see if there’s a better answer. Cell
phone, digital camera, two pens, a pencil,
glasses, sun glasses, notebook, calculator, a
couple of work-related checklists, glass cleaner
cloth, aspirins, lip chapstick, several spare AA
batteries (for GPS, AFF transmitter & digital
camera), granola bars and a trash pocket. There
was even room for a sandwich. This was all
stuff I used daily on every flight. Another
advantage of using a vest is that everything
stays in one place when you’re finished for
the day and is right there when required in the
morning. Just put the vest back on.
Most pilots have a system that works for them to
keep things organized in the cockpit. But
it doesn’t hurt to be open to new ideas.
A fishing vest will cost anywhere from $40 to
$100. Similar vests are available for
photographers, and I’ve seen much higher
prices. I’d suggest you assemble
everything you utilize while flying your
aircraft, lay it all out, then shop for an
appropriate vest. You could also put it on
your Christmas or birthday wish list.
bcflyer@propilots.net
New
in the Buy&Sell
3 Blade Warp Drive Prop $900.
2
hrs. TT. Hub has bolt pattern for
both Lycoming and Rotax 912/914 hubs. Nickel
Leading Edges, Constant Speed Platform, White
Blade Tips. Includes 10 in. diameter
Spinner and Protractor for adjusting blades. Ph.
Ken Hemmerling, Clearwater BC at 250-587-6219 or
email kenhemmerling@hotmail.com
There are a few new aircrafts for
sale, and some others have been sold. Have a
look!
http://www.ocis.net/tvsac/buyandsell.html
We
welcome your feedback. Do you have any
contributions for the newsletter? Photos would be
great! So would flying stories, project updates
or tall tales... Contact me: Newsletter Editor:
Camille Villeneuve 1-250-374-4181 villeneuve@shaw.ca
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