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 1970’s and 80’s 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. 

            It’s 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.  That’s 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 Denver’s 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 I’m 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 - 128^th.st. Surrey , BC .

(R 10/02/25)

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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