February 2010 Newsletter THOMPSON VALLEY SPORT AIRCRAFT CLUB (Member of Recreational Aircraft Association) Beautiful Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada

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Next meeting: Thursday, February 11, 2010, at 7:00pm.
Location: Clubhouse, Blair Field, Knutsford

No problem with the snow this time... Just watch for the mud!

Where is Willy Trinker?

He used to be a Club member, flying Challenger C-ISSN that was featured in our 2000 Calendar. I had been wondering just where he was, having had no news for a few years. But on Jan. 24 I received this e-mail:

Carolyn and I have just upgraded our shop and we have some 30’ trusses for sale. They are a 5/12 pitch and there is 7 regular ones and a gable truss. They came off our existing garage which was 18 x 30. I guess it would be okay for an RV, Short wing Piper, etc. type of hangar.  Asking is 750.- Best regards, Willy & Carolyn

PS> I have also renewed my UL-Instructors Licence and have TC Approval since September 09 for a Flight School here in 100 Mile House. Now we are working hard to get our BushCaddy R80 on line for the upcoming summer season. Our plans for the future are to run a full fledge UL School here in the Cariboo with Accommodations, Aircraft Rentals etc. Our Waterfront location is right across from the old Floatplane Base on Watson Lake, right between the 100 Mile House Airport and the 108 Mile Airport.  If you are looking for a fly out, the ice is solid these days!!! Coffee is on us, but call ahead!

Visit us at: www.mykitlog.com/bcbushcaddy

Those receiving the COPA flight magazine could also read a very interesting article by Willy in section B of the February issue.

Can't Call That Winter...

Absolutely not! Since I installed skis on the Beaver on January 2, I flew only for two hours, my last flight being on January 12. Then the snow melted! And the temperature has been above normal ever since. Even if the Beaver was on wheels, the strip is much too sloppy now.

I have been told that if I re-install the wheels now, we are sure to get a snow storm that same evening! What's a man to do? I did lots of hiking since, always carrying my camera, and even started a new web site on Shaw to show some of my pictures. I was hoping to continue with the same format as this Club's site, but I can't transfer a whole HTML page to Shaw... Too bad! Anyway, the address is http://villeneuve.shawwebspace.ca/

With so much idle time, I even re-started on the design for a new aircraft. This one will be a radio-controlled model, powered by an electric motor. I have been thinking about that special design for quite a while, and if it performs as expected it might be followed by a larger version , maybe called Proton 2!

Everything in the R/C field has changed so much since I started in 1977! Now they have electric systems that can compete with the old gas powered engines, and the radios are way more powerful too, and even quite affordable.

Food Court Meetings

If you happen to be at the Aberdeen Food Court by 3pm almost every day, you are bound to see a few of us sitting at a table by McBeans Coffee, and chewing the fat (or shooting the bull...). Normally eight people can sit around one of those round tables, but sometimes the circle expands considerably to more people that attend the meeting at the airstrip!

Anybody is welcome to join us and contribute to the story-telling!

Membership and Hangar Fees

All paid?

2011 Calendars

Again, for next year's calendar: Please take lots of photos, and at the highest resolution possible! This time I will get calendars done earlier, and get someone to help me pick the best pictures. And if we get enough airplane photos, we will be able to get 2 or 3 different editions.

NIDES

North Island Distance Education School http://www.nides.bc.ca/

Something to do when you are not flying... Dick Suttie told me about them, so I had a look and decided to register for Intro Spanish 11. I already know a few words ( Dos cervezas por favor!....)

It took only a few days after registration to receive my enrollment confirmation, my login name and password. I already activated th online Rosetta Stone Classroom, and am ready to go!

The whole thing is free!

Barry Meek...

is sending us his monthly contribution from sunny Arizona! Thanks Barry, and have fun!

And Dan Nelson...is also having fun in Yuma, flying R/C models!

FLY AND BUILD HOURS FREE 

By Barry Meek.

            Be prepared to pay the very real cost of your time, effort & commitment.

           At the local flight school, there is usually no shortage of optimism.  Enthusiastic students eagerly absorb the teachings of their instructors and methodically perform the checks and duties in the airplanes on training flights.  This is where the freedom of flight begins.  This is where careers are launched.  Private and professional pilots, all start here. 

          This information was valid in the summer of 2008, when there was an acute shortage of instructors.  However, even today if you browse the aviation newsletters and periodicals, you’ll see ads running regularly for schools seeking all classes of instructors.  Some even offer sign-up bonuses.  A class 4 rated fellow has choices of where he’d like to work.  Any class 1 instructors can pretty much dictate the terms of employment.  It would seem that the shortage has been caused by many aviation operators hiring instructors away from the schools, offering the so-called ‘step up the ladder’ in their careers.  The person who stays on as a career instructor is rare. 

          It’s a fact that many instructors hold their ratings for the primary reason of building time.  Once they hit some magic number of hours, they’re gone from the schools , absorbed by the current pilot shortage in commercial aviation. 

          Make no mistake, there’s a huge commitment in time and money for the person who decides to go the instructor route, regardless of motives.  In many ways, the instructor is technically a better pilot than one who scores a bush flying job and then has no further guidance outside experience. 

           For those pilots at the crossroads, wondering what to do with their new commercial license and 250 or 300 hours in their logbooks, there are alternatives to instructing when it comes to free time-building.  When I say free, it doesn’t mean there aren’t some sacrifices.  These are just not the financial sacrifices.  They’re time, effort and commitment.

           Start with glider towing.  First off, a commercial license isn’t a requirement in most schools and clubs.  You may need to buy a membership, pay dues and take the mandatory training course with the organization you fly for.  The clubs generally rely on members who hold private pilot ratings to take turns in the tow plane.  But they’re quite often happy to embrace the pilots who have no interest in gliding, but just want to build time towing.  The commercial glider schools do have some minimum requirements, but with the shortage of help these days, some may be willing to train pilots at their own expense on their tow planes.   A good summer of this type of work can result in a couple of hundred hours in your log book.

            Parachute centers and schools also quite often come up short in the pilot department.  This type of flying may not appeal to everyone.  It’s up and down, never takes you more than a few miles from the airport, but it’s good time building.  Flying a jump plane is not without risk, but once again, most of the training is done by the school or operator, and at their expense.  You’ll need to learn the workings of the operators’ procedures and safety precautions.  In other words, just as in the glider schools, there is a commitment on the part of pilots to ensure all the rules and regulations are understood and followed. 

            Taking friends or other passengers along in your rental aircraft can keep costs down.  Depending how much these passengers are willing to pay, you may be able to fly free.  The regulations state you cannot legally charge for flights, but if your friends are just along for the ride, they can offer to assist with the costs.  

             If you can’t find some way to fly for free, another option is owning an aircraft in partnership with other pilots.  The more partners you have, naturally the lower the cost will be.  In a well-run group, the costs can be less than half of renting from a school.  An advantage to ownership is that you will learn a lot about the problems, responsibilities, maintenance, and hassles of aviation.  Consider it the cost of experience.  Besides, being an aircraft owner can look good on a resume when you start applying for work.  An employer is looking for people who understand what he’s up against in maintaining his aircraft. 

           The commercial pilots first job is sometimes a ramp position.  It can be hard work, but the advantages are huge.  You’ll be working around airplanes, learning all the while.  Be prepared with other skills like carpentry, mechanics, computers, local knowledge, anything that could be helpful around the company you’ll be working for.  Probably the most important thing a young pilot can bring to the operation is his attitude.  Combined with good people-skills, he will go far with the company if he is eager, ready and willing to do the job.  It won’t be long before the flying starts.

            Insurance requirements for small (and large) aviation employers usually dictate the minimum times their pilots require.  It’s the job of the low-time pilot to somehow build that time in their log books.  Pilots with parents who have deep pockets may have an advantage.  Some, like budding actors, work at other jobs to pay for their flying.  Still others get lucky right out of commercial pilot school and find work flying supplies, doing aerial photography, power-line patrol, camp checks, or whatever.  Some invest more time and cash for the instructor rating.  There are many ways to build time at little or no cost.  Just be prepared to endure the very real price of your time, your effort and your commitment.  You’ll be flying before you know it.

bcflyer@propilots.net

To read all of Barry's previous articles, go to http://www.ocis.net/tvsac/BMLetters.html

New in the Buy&Sell

Lycoming O-290D, and Sensenich Prop.

Lyc.O-290D 500 Hrs. Incl: Redy to fly: Excl Exhaust Price: Can;$ 7500.- OBO Also Prop Sensenich 66 Pitch Price:Can. $1600._ Half Price. Engine still running in RV 9A. Like to upgrade to 160 HP Call Roman (250 260 5787) Or e-mail: husky-cleaners@shaw.ca   Roman Rotach 7320 Ogata Way Vernon V1H 1C2

(10/02/06)

ZENAIR 601 UL TD ROTAX 912 • $23,000 • FOR IMMEDIATE SALE •

Fast plane, fast sale, less than 850 h TT.airframe and engine, Basic VFR instruments incl: panel mount, Icom A200, intercom, transponder mode C .ELT Rotax 912 uses 87 octane gas, cruise 110mph at +/-3.5 gal/h, new 2 blade warpdrive prop, leading edge protection, constant speed platform, taildragger professionally built in 1992, has large wing lockers, forward tilting canopy, hydr. brakes, wheelen strobes. This plane is NOT PART OF THE FAA AND FACTORY RECALL!! (because it is a completely diff. design, thicker and shorter wings SAFE +6, -6G.) Registered Canadian advanced ultralight located in Abbotsford B.C.Canada CYXX •  Email me R.Smit Owner - located Mission, BC Canada • Telephone: 604-751-3747 . 604-755-7786

(10/01/29)

CGS Hawk Arrow Reduced to $9500.

CGS Hawk Arrow 2 place built 2004. This is CGS Hawk Arrow 2 seat that flies just wonderfully.  I am tired of it and want to move onto something else. So I am asking only about 1/4 of the new price, and it is a 2004 with 100 hours on the airframe and only 10 hours on the 447 Rotax . Stits covering, stall 30mph solo full flaps, cruise 60mph ias, top speed straight and level 80mph. All the details and many photos are on the web page www.hwk.bravehost.com Please contact Robin email robin.sims99@gmail.com or phone 250 492 3293

(R 10/01/24)

Titan Tornado kit $11,000.

Includes: Fuselage kit ( all steel parts have been powder coated sky blue) Wing kit (upgraded to speed wing' 150 mph. VNE.) Finish kit ( with many extra features like hardwood veneer instrument panel , sound insulation to dampen engine and propeller noise, push/pull rod flight controls, easy nose cone removal and refit, etc.) Options: electric flap controls - long range fuel tank. Airframe is about 75 % complete, with all control components finished and tested. Fuselage skins are all pre-drilled and deburred. It is a tandem seated aircraft, with complete flight controls at both front and back positions.

I sadly must sell, as I no longer have a shop area to build her, storage costs are killing me, and my recently reduced income dictates that I cannot afford to finish her. I am now asking $11,000.00 , but I will negotiate a bit with the right buyer.

I also have a Mini Max (plans built) that is almost at the Stits covering stage and have adapted the fuselage to accept a longer legged pilot and a 50 hp. Hirth engine. The engine and tuned exhaust are fitted to the frame, and flight controls are 95 % complete. The engine will require an overhaul before flight tests, as I have no information as to total hrs. I’ll let this little woodie, go for $2,200.00, complete with engine, exhaust system, and all the other parts I have accumulated for it.

I have both aircraft stored in a rented garage in Surrey, BC . I can be contacted on my mobile; 604 787 8591,   my home; 604 507 2412 , or by e-mail  bob3bird@hotmail.com   I have many ideas and advice, which I will happily share to aid in the completion of these beautiful airplanes. Bob McAllen             5894 - 128^th.st. Surrey , BC .

(R 10/01/21)

This site hosted by OCIS, On Call Internet Services. 250-376-3858 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. I welcome your feedback. Do you have any contributions for the newsletter? Photos would be great! (At least 600 pixels wide) So would flying stories, project updates or tall tales... Contact me: Newsletter Editor: Cam Villeneuve 1-250-374-4181 villeneuve@shaw.ca