CASCADE FLYER April 2005, Vol. 05, Issue 4 Website: http://co-opa.rellim.com/ PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE This month's speaker is Jim Hardie. Jim flew the North American Bronco (OV-10) in the Viet Nam War. I have heard Jim's talk is not to be missed. The plane was not familiar to me, so I looked it up on the web. The OV-10 is a twin turboprop STOL craft used for a number of different missions including Forward Air Control (FAC) and ground attack. The OV-10 looks a bit like the midget offspring of a P-31 and a Turbo Twin Commander. Here are two good web sites on the plane: http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/modern_flight/mf48.htm http://www.ov-10bronco.net/techspecs-ov10a.cfm Don Wilfong had some great movies and stories to share with us last month on his trips to Oshkosh. We need to thank Don for sharing these great experiences with us. After Don's talk we shared some other stories and had an update on the status of the MHCC program at the airport. The Bend branch of the MHCC turned a surplus, but when MHCC decided to cancel their entire Aviation program our branch also got the Axe. There is hope yet. COCC has realized what an asset they have and is looking to pick up the program for next year. Let's keep our fingers crossed for the fate of this program. Planning is progressing on the "Bend Municipal Airport Aviation Day". This year it is a joint effort between the EAA and the CO-OPA. Ross Morrison is co-chair with David Sailors for the event. Their efforts have landed Air Life, Oxford Suites and The Flight Shop as major sponsors for the event. The planning committee has been meeting at around 4pm on Tuesdays in the Pilots Lounge ... drop by if you have any ideas for this year. The team has done a great job lining up planes for the show. The popular USCG Dolphin helicopter will be back and this year a Huey will also be here. Mark June 11th on your calendar and tell all your friends to drop by. If you have any ideas for speakers, or presentation topics, please forward them to me. Calendar: 21 April - Monthly Meeting 23 April - Monthly Flyout 19 May - Monthly Meeting 21 May - Monthly Flyout 11 June - Flying Festival at Bend Airport 16 June - Monthly Meeting 18 June - Monthly Flyout 25 June - Medford Air Festival 21 July - Monthly Meeting 23 July - Monthly Flyout Web doings: As always, the CO-OPA website contains recent newsletters and other goodies. http://co-opa.rellim.com To access the members only areas the username is "S07" and the password is "123.0". New this month is a copy of the flyer for the upcoming Aviation Day. My Inbox: Several of our members alerted me to some very scary things happening in Salem. OR House Bill 3254 is something that should get all of us riled up enough to call our State Lawmakers and give them an earful. It already has 10 sponsors so there are plenty of legislators to complain to. This bill imposes a "luxury tax" on the sale of "Luxury Items". Those are defined as: all airplanes, all gliders, all kitplanes, all hang gliders, all sightseeing and recreational flights, all parachutes, and much, much, more. The exact amount of the tax is to be determined, but even if it is zero it is horrifying to think of things like parachutes and planes being defined as luxuries. If your blood pressure can handle it then check out a draft copy of the bill here: http://www.leg.state.or.us/05reg/measpdf/hb3200.dir/hb3254.intro.pdf Random Thoughts: I have been working on a GPS project and have been rudely educated in some details about altitude that never seemed important to me before. As pilots altitude can be very important, if only to prevent a scolding from center. When you look at your GPS altitude, do you know what type of altitude it is? As pilots, we are concerned with height above a mythical "Mean Sea Level" (MSL). That is the altitude that we be seeing on our charts and our altimeter. We'll skip the topic of altimeter error and stick with GPS issues. Your GPS does it's fancy math to find your position relative to the center of the earth. Then, using the calculated latitude and longitude it calculates the height of the theoretical Sea Level over the center of the earth. That is subtracted from the calculated distance to the center of the earth to give your altitude. The problem is that there are a large number of ways to calculate this "Sea Level". The method the FAA uses is called MSL. US Forest Service Maps use the "National American Datum of 1924" (NAD). The USGS uses 23 different datums. Many newer maps and GPS use "World Geodetic System 1984" (WGS84). The difference between two methods of calculating the height of the surface of the earth is called the "geoidal separation". In Bend the geoidal separation between MSL and WGS84 is 65 feet. Fullerton CA has a separation from MSL to WGS84 of 100 feet. In some places the separation between the NAD and WGS84 can be as much as 660 feet. The African ARC-50 can vary from WGS50 by 971 feet! 971 feet is clearly a significant error to a pilot. If you are using a map of unknown datum to find the altitude of a ridge top or airport you can be WAY off. So be careful when using non-FAA charts, but the problem does not end with the chart datum. Pretty much all of us have a GPS or two. Some of them are intended for pilots and will provide altitude by default in MSL. Those GPS are likely giving you the altitude that you expect. Many of us also have the low cost consumer GPS. Those are likely giving you altitude in a different datum than MSL. Most of the inexpensive Garmin GPS allow you to select from over 100 different datums! They commonly default to WGS84 or NAD. To 'ground pounders' the current altitude is just a fun fact. To pilots it is much more important. If you are using your GPS for altitude then be sure it is giving you MSL and not some other datum. Regards, GARY March 2005... March was a fairly uneventful month as far as fly-outs were concerned. Plans were made to fly to Lewiston, Idaho. All arrangements were made for ground transportation to breakfast, an old B-17 airport, a museum and other things that time might have permitted.... My long time friends Fred & Wanda (he and I went through High School together) had their beautiful large motor home all ready to go to provide the transport for our group. Well the weather turned sour and we didn't fly anywhere, instead we met at the Black Bear Diner and enjoyed some "Hangar Flying" along with our breakfast... fun but it sure doesn't take the place of flying somewhere. One sunny day shortly thereafter (it was too nice to be ground bound) we called Bob and Nancy Lecklider and invited them to fly to Pacific City with us. We had a great time, a good breakfast, and got to look at a whole bunch of RVs that flew in while we were there. The entire parking area was full and over flowing. There were several models, some with tail wheels and some with training wheels (like our Skylane)....I still love tail wheel planes. As we headed back to Central Oregon the weather clobbered up a bit over the Cascades and they were reporting moderate to severe turbulence over the mountains...We flew quite a bit North of Mt. Jefferson where the hills dip down and proceeded at a reduced speed waiting for the turbulence .... well we encountered some turbulence as we approached the mountain crest but nothing of any severity at all....visibility was very good so we could have turned around easily if we had started to run into any really bumpy weather. We proceeded on to Prineville so Bob and Nancy could pick up their plane and then on home. The "Spur of the Moment Fly-outs" are always a lot of fun...partly because they are unscheduled and just happen because the weather is beautiful.... I always try to call some of you to go along and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't... Don Wilfong April 2005 FLYOUT... As I sit here at my keyboard while looking out the window at the snow coming down and about and inch of snow on the car parked outside..... I begin to wonder when will our flying weather get here so we can somewhat depend on it ????? Two days ago it was 74 degrees and sun shining and today we are getting winter snows again... It all makes one wonder if we will be able to complete a scheduled fly-out or not.... I need to make plans anyway and schedule something .... Fred says "Bring 'em on" he has their motor home all ready to go.....so weather permitting we will again plan to head for Lewiston, Idaho on our regular fly-out day (the first Sat. after our meeting/potluck which is on the 3rd Thurs. of the month). The fly-out date will be April 23. The place to meet will be at the Flight Shop and the time to meet will be e-mailed to everyone when it is decided .... It is about a 2 hour flight so we should try to get out of here before it is very late, if we want to have time to do anything on the other end. Don Wilfong dwnw@bendbroadband.com My first PIC flight By Ed Endsley As a newly anointed pilot in 1965 I loaded up a Cessna 150 with a student pilot friend and headed for the High Sierras. Just a few days before I had given the examiner a noteworthy ride and I think he signed my license just so he wouldn't have to ride with me again. He had several suggestions for my future operations that he thought might prolong the service life of the aircraft. So on this typical central valley morning we blasted off via special VFR and headed into the mountains, taking off and climbing on course until big rocks appeared in the windscreen. The entire Sierra slope west of Yosemite is a series of box canyons that morph into the next higher box canyon and so forth. I think I got the right canyon. The chart indicated a strip of some sort but all I saw was a ranch access road that was more or less straight if somewhat short and surrounded by 100' trees and granite. My passenger wasn't as sure. I wasn't worried about the length. I had landed in many farm fields that were too short to get out of gracefully. I had practiced some interesting circling departures and other unique techniques like hopping over fences with the help of flaps to continue the run on the other side, and diving under the wires when it became apparent that I wouldn't get over them. Oh, the confidence of youth. When I've told these stories to people they've used some other interesting descriptive words. So in we went. Definitely a one-way, one shot deal. I'd gone up the canyon kind of high and was very aware of those steep granite walls and how tight a turn I had to make to stay off them. I don't know why it didn't occur to me to go back down the canyon and turn back to the strip. I chose to spiral down in a 45_ bank and straighten out on short final just over the trees with full flaps and stall horn. My low time passenger was making weird whimpering noises and as we slid by the last trees I heard a gasp and breaking wind. The landing was a piece of cake although directional control was a little dicey on rollout given how deep the ruts were. I think I trimmed the grass pretty low on the hump in the middle. I've gotta say the 150 is a plucky machine. There didn't seem to be anyone around so after a short saunter about the surroundings it seemed like performing a short field departure was next. My passenger certainly wanted out of there ... wasn't sure flying was his preferred method of leaving ... but his choices were somewhat limited. The departure run was exciting. The first part of the run was more bouncing than bounding. It was hard to tell if we were accelerating or just turning up the agitation control. Finally one of those bounces resulted in something resembling airborne so we had a better view of the approaching trees. Best angle of climb seemed like it would be pretty close so a crosswind turn at about 50' gave us the time we needed to pull on out. While skimming along in the treetops I think I heard a sigh from the right seat. Next time I'll tell you about how I taught myself to spin AND recover in a Cessna 150. MAY 2005 FLYOUT May 21-22, 2005 Fly2Fun An Aviation Tourism Event Linn County Fair & Expo, Albany, Oregon (S12) Speakers: Rod Machado & Bill Lishman. Gwen Graham 503-381- 0997 Fly2FunEvent @aol.com. or http://www.fly2fun.org/ As you can see, this is a two day event...I will check out to see if there is overnight camping or what accommodations will be available should any of our group want to go for both days. This sounds like a fun event .... and we might learn about some neat places to fly in Oregon. You can learn more by going to their web site.... Don Wilfong dwnw@bendbroadband.com Dale Evans is at home, recovering from his surgery and expects to be as good as new. He is waiting for his doctor to tell him he can resume "normal activities" ... which will include flying JUNE OR JULY FLY-OUT.... A date has not been picked for the several day fly-out to Johnson Creek, Idaho (3U2) for camping with fly-outs to other of Idaho's great back country airports for breakfast. The camp-out will be for 3 or 4 nights with people being able to come and go as their time permits. We hope some are able to be there for the whole time but realize some will only be able to be there part of the time. The plan is to camp at Johnson Creek which has beautiful grass areas to pitch your tent right next to your plane, they also have picnic tables, restrooms, hot showers, courtesy cars (nominal fee), to go into Yellow Pine. Yellow Pine is an old mining town an has neat places to eat and other exciting things to do and see. We can even show you a neat place to go swimming, so be sure and bring your bathing suit...or.... you don't have to bring one...we promise to look the other way... These are all high altitude airports so extra care should be given to density altitude...it is always a good idea to be on the ground by noon when flying in the mountains. We are not going to pick any really challenging places to fly into. Some suggested places we might want to consider going are: Big Creek (U60), Sulphur Creek (ID74), Smiley Creek (U87) and Warren (3U1). I have been to all except Warren. These are all a short flight from McCall where you can get fuel so you don't have to go in with full tanks. We usually invite someone to go on fly-outs with us... but.... when going into the backcountry and we have our camping gear on board...we will not plan to take anyone with us.... I don't mean to imply that these are scary places to fly to ... but ... it is always better to consider everything your and your planes capabilities, your loading, density altitude, weather and more.... You still have time to order Galen Hanselman's "Fly Idaho" book it is "A guide to Adventure in the Idaho Backcountry" You will really enjoy having this book as it shows pictures and a lot of important info on Idaho's great backcountry airports. It is a very valuable tool if you plan to go into the backcountry at all. Contact me for info on how to order.... The picture off the web-cam shows that (at present) the snow is gone from the runway... but of course, like Bend, they may have more snow fall and change that.... We will make a decision as to when the Johnson Creek Fly-out can be scheduled....It may or may not correspond with our regular fly-out dates....We want to wait until we feel we can depend on the weather and for it to be warm enough to camp comfortably.... Watch for more to come on when the fly-out to Idaho's Backcountry will be.... BUSH PILOT You are a South African bush pilot. You fly in some critical medical supplies, enjoy a quick lunch at the hospital. It's a stifling 100 degrees in the shade and you're eager to get back up to the cool, high blue yonder. On the way back to your plane, you discover that the only bit of shade within 10 miles has become very popular. You start calculating the distance to the plane door... and wonder.... [Gotta see the photo!] "Do I feel lucky today?" CO-OPA SAFETY CORNER: By Joel Premselaar This is a modified COOPA "Hangar Flying" piece from way back in time. For you "new comers" in COOPA, it may be new. However, it's worth repeating for you forgetful "old timers" (admit it, some of you are really getting old {the writer is an exception; I'm in my second childhood!}). Spring is here. O.K., don't believe me. Will you believe the calendar? Ah well, I don't blame you; after all, this is Central Oregon. With winter's passing, the urge to fly is overwhelming. "Haste makes waste." I don't know who said that first and I don't care. The words are "right on." Before attempting to defy gravity, preflight your flying machine as though your life depends upon it 'cause it does. All sorts of critters seek shelter during the winter. Your aircraft may have become a hotel with running water and ice cubes for them. Make like a hotel detective and open everything. Clean out all of the undesirable tenants. Hint: I keep a box of tissues handy for the furry tenants. When I see shredded tissues, I transform into a terminator. I do not use traps arbitrarily ... the bait only invites them aboard. The second mouse gets the cheese and then raises a family that nestles in upholstery, whose urine consumes aluminum, then dines on electrical insulation and many other forbidden fruits. A galvanized metal shield surrounds each wheel to discourage field mice from entering the plane via the landing gear. My $20.00 electronic ultrasonic sound generator with frequency agility is very effective in keeping all kinds of critters, rodents, birds, and insects out of my aerial steed. Tires go soft. Foreign matter finds its way into openings. All surfaces are hidden beneath a coating of nasty nasties. The engine compartment houses detritus, home building material brought in by our friendly fine-feathered flyers and their excretions. Some unprotected areas display evidence of the ravages of weather. Bearings of movable parts scream for the want of an anointment to celebrate the Sacred Rite of Spring. As a consequence of winter, your battery may have lost a significant part or all of its charge. "No big deal, I'm a take-charge guy," (pun intended) you say. "I'll just hand prop the eager bird and we'll be in the air in no time." As an aside, never turn a prop opposite to its normal direction of rotation 'cause that action will break off the sharp edges of carbon brushes against any commutators on board; also, on some engines, notably the Continental TSIO-360, you can damage its starter adapter. Besides, impulse coupling will not "click" if the prop is turned opposite to its normal rotation. Even if you dare to hand prop, you have to know whether you can start it with a dead battery. So, when you turn the prop you must hear the impulse coupling go "click." No click, no impulse coupling, no start. No impulse coupling means the engine is equipped with a shower of sparks ignition system and with a dead battery, no sparks, no start. Ignore this and you'll have hernias up with which to deal (forgive my plagiarism Winston!). As spring progresses, the birds and the bees do a lot more than what your parents told you about when you reached puberty. They, I mean the birds and the bees, have a mandate that translates into: - "fill all cavities with nesting materials." Protect your aerial steed against the invaders! Anyone who has seen my Bonanza parked will testify that it appears to be held together with a red ribbon. What they really saw was a machine with its critical holes covered, especially if one of them is for a relief tube! The covers are linked with red ribbons because I might experience a senior moment and forget to remove one. Even the engine is protected. Birds like engines; mud dabbers prefer fuel vents. Fuel tanks denied access to air in flight gives cause for Mother Earth to rise up and smite thee heartily. You already knew that... Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a person on the ground incapable of understanding or doing anything about it Also... Try to stay in the middle of the air. Do not go near the edges of it. The edges of the air can be recognized by the appearance of ground, buildings, sea, trees and interstellar space. It is much more difficult to fly there.