March
2010 Newsletter
THOMPSON
VALLEY SPORT AIRCRAFT CLUB
(Member of
Recreational Aircraft Association)
Beautiful
Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
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Next meeting: Thursday, March
11, 2010, at 7:30pm.
Location: Clubhouse, Blair Field, Knutsford

Everything
changes...
Flying
over Tony's place on March 3, I was struck by the
void in his yard: his hangar is gone! Even the
cement pad has been removed, dirt has been spread
over the site, grass will grow, and in a few
years it will be hard to tell there ever was
anything there...
Nothing
lasts forever. Sometimes that's sad, but that's
the way life is!
Look
at the bright side: Tony flew till he was 93! We
should all be that lucky!
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 enjoy the comradery and the the
story-telling!

Easy Lite and Stuff
The following ad arrived on
March 4, and I also received a sample kit that we
will open at the next meeting.

We would like to have you
take a look at and recommend our Survival Kit
that is superior to anything we have seen out
there. Included in the three compartment kit are
4 Easy Lite Fire Starters along with some extra
wax chips to enhance the fire. The Fire Starters
are the core of the kit, manufactured in Canada
in a 3oz. Dixie Cup from paraffin wax, wood
chips, a pine cone with a wick (all
environmentally friendly). The Fire Starters will
burn for up to 30 minutes and guarantee a fire
without using kindling. Included in the kit is an
emergency survival blanket, one Scotty Survival
Whistle (Approved by the USA and Canadian Coast
Guards), one 4" folding lock back pocket
knife, one Bic lighter, one pack paper matches,
one signal mirror 3"x 3" and one large
heavy duty orange plastic bag to help keep the
person dry and use as an extra signal device.
Sincerely, Barry & Sheila Tel. 250-490-2820
Fax 250-492-0536 Website: www.easyliteandstuff.com Email: buy_ firestarter@yahoo.com

Cracked
muffler
It
must be the third time this happens to my muffler
on the Rotax 447.

A
stress crack also happening on the other side.
Apparently it is caused by the engine vibrations
being applied to the muffler. The exhaust system
was a 2-piece deal, with the manifold including a
built-in 90° elbow going directly into the
muffler. I finally located the short direct
manifold, and a special 90° elbow. That way
there are two separate joints that can dissipate
the vibrations.
I
have an old friend I worked with for nearly 30
years; Don Parked also who used to work as
part-time welding instructor at TRU; he did the
welding for me. Of course it turned out great!

After
cleaning and painting with high-temperature paint
the whole assembly was installed, and ready to
go! At the joints I used some silver anti-seize
compound, good for 2000°F. How long will it
last? I will keep you posted!
Now,
to my propeller problems!
I
had installed skis on the Beaver, and I went for
3 flights at the beginning of January. On my last
flight on January 15, the snow had been fast
disappearing from the strip; I went for a landing
on Edith Lake where I could see the snow had been
melting too, but not as much because of the
highter altitude. On my take-off run I went
through a patch of slush and heard some hit the
Warp Drive propeller. Not good! I had to take it
home to fix the leading edge damage combined with
the rock chips from our own airstrip. A pusher
prop seems to be more susceptible to all those...
I
did what looked like a great job of fixing it,
but I don't seem to be that good at
prop-balancing! With the Beaver back on wheels, I
went for a few flights and found there were
vibrations below 6000RPM. Not bad at 6500 RPM,
but I can't keep there all the time!... Removed
the prop again, back home and checking the blade
tips on a digital scale. Adding some weight to
the lighter one. Not as bad, but still not quite
good enough. Finally installed older wood prop.
Some vibrations, but not too bad. And I use only
2.8 gallons/hour....
Since
installing the welded muffler, I flew for five
hours. Everytime I land I check it, so far so
good.

Who's
Flying?
I
am not the only one, but don't have too much
company!
Bill
Davidson just flew up to Fraser Lake, and this
time he was using the Spot Tracker. I worked very
well for him; The map shows a nice straight line
to his destination. I think it missed only one
point. I wish it worked that well in the Beaver.
Maybe I should fly higher!

Greg
Peterson went up in his Yarrow Arrow, but he told
me he had to come right back down as the
turbulence was some of the worst he ever
encountered.
Friday
March 5th was a perfect day, and I flew to Cache
Creek. Hardly any bumps, and I used some slope
thermals to have fun. When I went by the feed lot
east of Cache Creek, the smell was still
overpowering at 300 meters, and I bet it did
slightly increase the engine RPM! At least it
cleared my sinuses! They should capture the stuff
for alternate energy....
I
refuelled at the airport. Dan Berwin's car was
there, his airplane was gone. I flew down into
the valley on the way to Ashcroft and found some
headwind. I had planned on landing at my friend's
place, Tony Winwood where I landed the Beaver
back in 2004. This time there was no room: Tony
built a new house at the top of the field, and
installed the kids playground at the bottom....

On
the way back I flew by Jim Farmer's ranch, up on
the hill south of Savona. I did not see anyone,
but took some pictures. (Note to self: be careful
when putting glove back on after taking
pictures... Glove might slip and get whacked by
the prop!)

6-Mile
Lake is wide open, free of ice! Hard to believe
for March 3rd!
The
east end of Kamloops Lake, seen from 6-Mile Lake.

Posting
My Photos.
I
have been posting pictures on TheWeatherNetwork
for a while; on March 3, four of the five photos
on that page were mine. I did not mean to be a
pig about it, but hardly anyone else had posted
for a while! The link is http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/CABC0146
I
also have started a site on space provided by
Shaw, my Internet provider. I sometimes use it to
post pictures taken while I go on hikes. The last
ones were from a trip with Bill Huxley and Larry
L'Heureux to the Watching Creek area. http://villeneuve.shawwebspace.ca/

Old
Bold Pilot
Bill
Ross had lent me that book Old Bold Pilot, but I
has only started it when Dave Hayward invited me
to go to Sicamous and visit the pilot himself,
Jack McCallum. Dave was especially looking
forward to meeting Jack, as he had been flying in
the same area years ago.
Jack
and his wife Flo are getting older, and their
grand daughter Charlene moved up from the Gulf
Islands to give them a hand. She received us like
we were long-lost cousins, and we had to stay for
lunch. Jack and Dave exchanged stories about the
Yukon and Northern BC, and it turned out that
they had known many of the same people and same
airplanes. Jack played us a video taken when he
was 93, when Charlene took him skydiving for his
birthday (she jumped too!).
Jack
is now 96; his face still lights up when he talks
about flying! And all of us flyers can understand
why! (Even me with my flying lawn chair!...)

THE
DAY THE MUSIC DIED
By Barry Meek.
Anyone who lived through the 1970s and
80s knows the name John Denver. One
of the most popular singers, song writers,
musicians and actors of those times, Denver
recorded over three hundred songs, and
entertained in his concerts all over the world.
He performed with opera singers, country and
western stars, even for children as a long-time
guest on the Muppets television series. It
would be difficult to find anyone over 30 who has
not heard of him.
John Denver was also a pilot. With close to
3,000 flying hours in his log book, he had a
private license, endorsed for multi-engines and
IFR, gliders and even a Lear Jet rating. Sadly,
it was an airplane that killed him. Media
reports of the day were, as usual, full of
inconsistencies, half truths, and basically
uneducated conclusions, written by people who
knew absolutely nothing about aviation. Much
of what was reported at the time drew a black
cloud over his career and reputation.

At 53 years old, Denver had recently purchased a
Rutan-designed Long EZ aircraft for his personal
flying. The plane had been around for a few
years, owned by two other pilots. As with
most homebuilts and experimental airplanes, this
Long EZ had a few, seemingly minor variations
from the original plans. One of them was
the relocation of the fuel shut-off and tank
selector valve. The builder had chosen to
move it from in front of the pilot to a spot
behind his left shoulder. The modification
was done with the good intention of keeping all
fuel lines out of the cockpit. However, it
required the pilot to be somewhat of a
contortionist to reach it. To change tanks
or shut off the fuel required him to let go of
the right side-mounted stick, then twist his body
to reach back with the right arm over the left
shoulder. Further, on this
particular application, the valve was not
oriented toward the tank it was drawing fuel
from.
Its easy to see how a problem could develop
with a system like this. There were many
strikes against Denver as the new owner of the
aircraft. His time on-type was reportedly
under one hour. Although he had plenty of
time in his own log book, and was checked out
with a pilot experienced on the Long EZ, he still
needed to locate the valve and get into a
twisted, unfamiliar position in order to
select the right tank at a critical moment in
flight. That moment came at a very
low altitude over the water south of San
Francisco. With a questionable quantity of
fuel on board, Denver had departed from his local
airport for circuits. Things were going
well, so he decided to take a short, local flight
along the coast. Thats when the
selected tank ran dry. The procedure which
had been used by previous owners, was to engage
the auto pilot first, so that he could release
the stick and free up the right hand to switch
tanks. Then he was required to feel around
to find the valve over his shoulder, and switch
it to the full tank. Keep in mind, the
valve was not labeled, it had an odd orientation,
and was situated behind the pilot. Denver
had never performed the whole procedure in a
critical situation.
Inevitably, control was lost, aided by the
natural tendency of the pilot to press down with
the right leg on the rudder as he twists to his
left. Witnesses to the crash stated the
aircraft struck the water in a nose-down attitude
from a fairly low altitude.
The facts stated in the investigation all point
to the mechanical reasons associated with the
position and function of the valve and fuel
quantities remaining in the tanks. No drugs
or alcohol were found in Denvers blood.
It was a sad day for aviation, and worse for John
Denver fans. He had his troubles with
alcohol-related driving infractions, but was
reportedly a careful and well qualified pilot
with no incidents or accidents on the record.
As any new owner of an airplane would do, he was
practicing and familiarizing himself with its
performance. But with so little time built
up flying that particular plane, it was at best,
unfamiliar to him. The Long EZ is not as
forgiving as a Cessna 150. It would require
a fair bit of experience, and certainly full
attention and preparedness on the part of a
pilot. The learning curve was a bit too
steep for Denver.
And so on that October afternoon in 1997, the
world lost not just another pilot, but a
humanitarian, a singer, performer and actor.
His character reflected the conscience of a
concerned citizen, a man working for the
improvement in the life of all peoples, socially,
environmentally and politically. He joined
the ranks of other singer/musicians, Ricky
Nelson, Otis Redding, Patsy Cline, Jim Croce,
Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly, to name just a
few who lost their lives in aviation accidents.
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
Murphy
Renegade Spirit Biplane Ultralight Quick Build
Kit $15000.


Current price for the same
Kit from Murphy is $24800 (plus a long time
waiting...). For $10000 less you get the kit plus
Fuselage, Tail Assembly and Lower Wings/Ailerons
completed (except for the covering).
The kit includes everything
to complete the airplane: Plans, hardware
(rivets, bolts, etc), fabric covering, engine
cowling, elevator trim option, wheels, all parts,
etc. The kit does not include the engine, engine
mount, electrical, instruments, paint, wheels
pants, wingtips.
I'm the original owner. I
don't have time to work on it and I would like to
move to something bigger. Please check Murphy's
page for more info, photos and specs: http://www.pattersonaerosales.com/Aircraft/Renegade/Renegade.html
Please contact me for more
details and questions. email: javier.santoro@efirehose.net
Tel: 403-901-2369
(10/03/04)

Titan Tornado kit $11,000.
Reduced to $10,000.
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 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
am moving in the near future and cannot afford to
take the airplanes with me any longer. So
Im prepared to sell both airplanes for $
10,000.00.
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 Bob McAllen
5894
- 128th.st.
Surrey , BC .
(R 10/02/25)

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