CASCADE FLYER April 2007, Vol. 07, Issue 4

Website: http://co-opa.com/


President's Message:

At times it seemed like our attempts to host a Wings
Seminar were cursed. Last month Mike Benedict was
sick, so rather than postpone again he authorized Lloyd
Swenson at the last moment to conduct the event. Many
thanks to Lloyd for doing a great job on no notice.

We watched some good videos, had some good
discussions, and earned the ground study certificate
portion of the Wings Program while having a good time.
There was also a special part of the program. Bill Witt
was awarded The Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award.
This award is given to pilots with 50 consecutive years
of safe flying. Congratulations Bill!

This month our meeting will return to its normal
schedule. Meet at the Flight Services building at 6pm for
some hanger flying, at 6:30pm our famous pot luck and
then our formal meeting at 7pm. Ed tells me there has
been a last minute shake-up in the program so details on
that will be emailed as soon as we have them.


Calendar:

19 April - Monthly Meeting
21 April - Monthly Flyout

17 May - Monthly Meeting
19 May - Monthly Flyout

16 June - Bend Municipal Airport Open House
21 June - Monthly Meeting
23 June - Monthly Flyout

19 July - Monthly Meeting
21 July - Monthly Flyout

16 August - Monthly Meeting
18 August - Monthly Flyout




Web doings:

You can find out more about The Wright Brothers
Award on the FAA website:

http://www.faa.gov/safety/awards/wright_bros/

That link is also in the links section of our website. The
CO-OPA website also contains recent newsletters and
other goodies.

http://co-opa.rellim.com

To access the members only areas the username is
"BDN" and the password is "123.0".


My Inbox:

This year's Bend Airport Open House, set for June 16th
this year, has hit a snag. Incredible Events was unable to
sign a lead sponsor for the event and has pulled out as
event manager. Having professional help would have
been great but we'll just have to soldier on without it.
Stay tuned for more information as we firm up the details
for this year.

Don Wilfong reports that he has been recently upgraded
with a bovine replacement heart valve. No word yet on
the sex of the organ donor. Don is back home and will be
back in the bullring in no time.


Random Thoughts:

Sometimes you just have to wing it.

Roger Vesely was my primary flight instructor when I
was working on my private pilot's license at Reed-
Hillview airport. At the start Roger had me plan out
everything in advance on flight planning sheets. All the
courses, radio frequencies, distance and times to
checkpoints, fuel consumption and more.

As I slowly built up my piloting skills it became a
comfort to know that I could successfully plan a flight
and then execute that flight exactly as planned. At least
when the winds were as forecast.

Then Roger slowly started to pull the rug out from under
me. Partway through a flight he would change plans,
breaking my stride and forcing me to fly the airplane and
recalculate the flight plan simultaneously.
That pushed flight training up another notch.

Near the end of my training Roger would not even bother
to tell me our route in advance but would instead spring
it on me during our climb out.

This taught me that while it is great to have a plan in
advance it is even better to know that you have the skills
to create a new plan on the fly when circumstances
require it.

Sometimes the weather is not as forecast, ATC reroutes
us, or any of a multitude of things requires a change in
plans in flight. Being flexible allows us to make a good
new plan as circumstances change.

Sometimes our plans on the ground go awry too. Our
recent Wings Seminar is a classic case. A few things
that had been well planned in advance just were not
working. The speaker became sick at the last minute and
the classroom was double scheduled. Luckily, Lloyd
Swensen was a confident and proficient pilot. He
adjusted his plans on the fly and the result was a fun and
productive Wings Seminar for all those that attended.

Thanks Lloyd for making it happen. Thanks also for
showing again that having a plan is good but being
flexible in achieving your goals is even better.

Gary E. Miller



March CO-OPA Group Fly-out

What a beautiful morning March 17th was for a group
fly-out! Pilots started drifting in before 8:30 AM and the
excitement and anticipation was building.

Three planes and 7 people launched for a great trip to
Klamath Falls for brunch at the second floor restaurant
with a wall of glass overlooking commercial, military,
and GA traffic.

We had most welcome guests from the 99s organization.
Scott and Stephanie Hartung with their beautiful Cessna
182, Skylane 3-tripple zero Quebec (great call sign).
Nancy Morris also of the 99s joined them for the trip.
This is a really great liaison of flyers that results in
sharing of experience and expertise!!!

Our fearless, faithful fellow flyer, and President, Gary
Miller, was accompanied by Gary Meier in Pres. Millers'
forever faithful flivver, Centurion 57 Romeo, another
great call sign, especially when annunciated in Gary's
mellifluous professional ATC style. I understand that
Gary's poodle pilot Paige was heard barking in the
background; so much for Active Noise Attenuation
Headsets.


Terry Pickering joined us with his sleek Cardinal,
N20174, Now, there's a Sudoku puzzle call sign.
I, Ed Endsley, flew with Terry as PIC so Terry could be
airborne during the medical wars. It was a good thing he
was along since HE had a handheld radio; more about
that later.

Saturday morning was gorgeous. So smooth and clear
that it seemed like Hawaii was a short hop away.
Somehow the Hartungs and Nancy Morris got away fast
and led the group. After Terry and Gary got fuel we all
set off in hot pursuit. We took pictures of each other but
never saw the speedy stealthy triple zero Q until we
arrived late at the party in Klamath Falls. Oh well, as the
rest of us know, the 99s are very fast women and are
known for racing.

Our arrival at Kingsley Field was interesting in
interfacing with a P3 Orion from Whidbey Island that
was shooting touch and goes; a big lumbering
contraption that occupies a lot of airspace. We
speculated on the cost of each circuit and how many
landings they get out of each set of tires. It provided
entertainment throughout lunch as we conjectured about
performance parameters. Perched pilots pontificating.
ie. hangar flying.

Lunch added copiously to our gross weight and provided
interesting weight and balance considerations for the
return flight. It was great! We all recommend the
destination. However remember the gate code off the
GA ramp. With the added weight it would be a little
tough to climb over the barbed wire and it might alarm
the local law enforcement.

The trip back started with the 99s off the ground and
disappearing into the distance again before the rest of us
were through looking at the classic planes for sale. Terry
and I were next out with information Yankee and ground
clearance to 14 with westbound departure. Ready to
launch, the Tower couldn't hear us. We could hear the
Tower, the P3 Orion, and ground traffic behind us
including Gary Miller but we were incommunicado.
Rather disappointing since the Cardinal was just out of
the avionics shop. We kept trying and trying with all
comms, but every attempt at transmission was useless.
The Tower knew where we wanted to go so they finally
got tired of saying "unreadable" and cleared us off and
on course. We jumped sky high at the opportunity.
The communications failure somewhat dampened the
camaraderie on the return but we could hear everyone
else. Terry's handheld provided the critical
communications. Back to the shop again! Of course
back at Bend, everything was working just fine again.


The return over Crater Lake was spectacular as usual.
It's one of my favorite aerial views and is
always astonishingly beautiful. We are so lucky.
I'm also really happy the volcano didn't erupt again.

We all look forward to our next fly-out and it would be
great if you were there too, bring your friends. Put
Thursday 4-19 on your calendar for the potluck meeting
and Saturday 4-21 for the fly-out!!!

Ed Endsley



Piloting the Peril

The incessant ringing slowly started to sound less like a
trolley car and more like an alarm clock. Once I'd made
that connection I remembered it was 3 AM and it was
time to go meet the helicopter. For a sixteen year old
teenager getting up at three was a much larger trick than
going to bed at three. After I marshaled the brainpower
to get my pants on the right way around and chewed
some breakfast I had at least awakened enough to find
my car keys.

This wasn't the most auspicious way to accomplish this
task but there was no turning back now. Herb expected
me to be there so I hopped in my Triumph convertible
sports car and went tearing off across the Willamette
Valley farm country to meet Herb Henderson of
Henderson Aviation for a morning of helicopter aerial
application.

Nineteen sixty-three and I was about to have my first real
work experience. I had taken this job in trade for flying
lessons. I was about to find out why Herb would hire
someone as green as I was. I was inexperienced and
didn't know what was coming. As I found out, being a
dust boy and loader for an aerial applicator was almost as
dangerous as flying the helicopter.

The first order of business was to find a farm airstrip
somewhere near Halsey and pick up a 1937 war surplus
Chevy tank truck full of water and drive it to the
rendezvous.
Herbs directions were from an aerial point of view, it
was dark, and I'd never been there before. After creeping
around in a haphazard way I found a building that
resembled Herbs description. Sliding the hangar door
open I found myself staring at a dilapidated old faded
yellow wreak crouching in the corner. This must be the
right place. I parked my new shiny convertible next to
the truck and found the comparison startling. There were
no lights so between my headlights and a flashlight I'd
serendipitously brought along, I did a preflight of sorts.
There was air in the tires although they looked as old as
the truck. Starting this contraption was as unique as the
vehicle itself. Turning on the park lights activated the
ignition. It was a good thing I'd paid more than my usual
amount of attention to Herbs briefing. Operating the
starter was that old system of stretching your leg way
over there to hit the Bendix gear button sort of like an
organist reaching for the low C pedal. My low note just
wasn't as melodious while the starter was grinding away.
There was a choke lever and by a judicious jockeying of
throttle I actually got it to fire and keep running before
the six-volt battery gave out. I hoped it would warm up
enough to move without dying before I died of fumes in
the hangar. The headlights actually worked and there
was a stoplight. Herb was an A&P mechanic after all.

Now I was proposing to drive this thing through Albany,
across the Willamette River, and find some farmers field
where I would meet Herb. It became apparent right off
that this was to be a slow trip. With the load of water,
this thing was heavy. Getting it moving in low gear went
OK but trying to double clutch up a gear was a decidedly
archaic affair. Certainly not like grabbing second and
laying rubber in the Triumph. I'd heard about double
clutching a square cut gear crash box without
synchronizers but this was on the job training. It was
sort of like standing up and stamping on the clutch pedal
a couple of times while reaching over to the other side of
the cockpit and at the appropriate moment, dancing with
the gearshift lever; oh, and remember to steer. It was
sort of like doing the Lindy Hop or the Twist with a
recalcitrant partner. I'm sure I looked like a bad
Vaudeville act. So with all deliberate haste I made my
way to Albany where I could cross the river. There was
no windshield in the truck and it was cold, at least at this
speed the windblast (if I can use that word) wasn't very
much. The little bit of traffic at that hour easily passed
me but the incredulous looks were interesting. There's a
traffic signal at the bridge in Albany and it was red. This
bridge is one of those old arched spans that angle up at a
startling angle and then drop down the other side and
they're not very wide. I started out and got a run at it in
first gear, revving until I thought the old engine had had
enough and foolishly went for second gear. Well let's
just say that the top end of first gear wasn't a speed that
resulted in much uphill coasting while I sorted out the
double clutch to second. Everything lurched to a stop
whereupon the water in the tank came surging forward
and gushed out the filler hole. The filler hole was about
ten inches in diameter and had no lid so a tremendous
amount of water came cascading through the missing
windshield and soaked everything in the cab including
me. There I sat stuck on the uphill side of the bridge
contemplating my newly baptized condition and
wondering if I should just get out and walk away.
Maybe, I could just drive it over the edge and drown,
better than dying of embarrassment. First I had to get the
engine started again and then I had to get it moving up
that incline, there was traffic behind me now. There
were quite a few ways this situation could rapidly
deteriorate even further. Miraculously, we (the truck and
I) started making a herky-jerky headway in the desired
direction and I stayed in first gear for a long time.

It was actually looking like I might complete this mission
if I could just find my destination. I was lost and cold
and wet. I saw some kids up ahead waiting for the
school bus so I pulled over and asked if they knew where
the so and so place was. Needless to say they weren't
sure whether they should talk to this weird bedraggled
apparition. One brave soul finally pointed down the road
and indicated the turn to the place. It was behind me.
With a boldness unsubstantiated by the circumstances, I
motored off into the distance. Low and behold I found
the farmer out by the road waving me down and
directing me to a suitable staging place. He'd done this
before and probably knew I hadn't. Nice guy, he even
enquired about why I was all wet.

Herb soon came helio whacketing in and almost looked
surprised that I was there, maybe he was just amazed at
my personal appearance. Thus commenced another type
of hard labor. Every time Herb landed I'd heft a fifty-
pound bag of pesticide to dump in the hopper, then fill
'er up with water and race to get ready for the next cycle.
This went on until I could hardly move and when Herb
was finally finished, he flew away and I herded the
yellow bucket of bolts back to the hangar.

I became a pretty good pilot of the yellow peril but I
wouldn't say we ever became friends. Piloting it
reminded me of the early Russian multiengine aircraft,
you remember, with the promenade decks and cockpits
that looked more like the bridge of a ship. The steering
wheel (and I use the term loosely) must have been four
feet across to give you enough leverage to have some
power in steering. To operate it effectively required
getting out of the permanent divot in the seat and
winding it like a windlass and then anticipate when to
quit and madly move to the other side of the "cockpit"
and start winding it back the other way. But at about
thirty miles an hour there was a certain stately
progression to the procession. It does remind me of
some of the airplanes I've "driven."

To be continued,

Ed Endsley


MARK YOUR CALENDAR!!!!

August 25, OPA Convention in Albany, chaired by
President-elect Joe Smith,

Here are a few facts to entice early commitments to
attend: Held in the middle of the three-day Albany Art &
Air Fair, the OPA convention will cost members very
little. A package for the full day, Saturday August 25,
will include breakfast, lunch and the evening banquet
with a guest speaker. The package for members will be
$40, and banquet-only cost will be $30. Advance
registration will be required for the banquet. Tent
camping with an aircraft will be free, along with free
admission to all events including OPA forums, free
entertainment, and free transportation around the airport
and to the adjoining fairgrounds.
Mark your calendars now for a great event on August 25:
the first OPA convention since 1992.

Dave Martin, President, OPA

Ed Note: This also the Madras Airshow weekend,
which, incidentally, was 'in conflict' with a new,
proposed Eugene event ? don't know how Eugene and
Albany resolved that ?.


A B-52 Incident

January 10, 1964, started out as a typical day for the
flight test group at Boeing's Wichita plant. Pilot Chuck
Fisher took off in a B-52H with a three-man Boeing
crew, flying a low-level profile to obtain structural data.

Over Colorado, cruising 500 feet above the mountainous
terrain, the B-52 encountered some turbulence. Fisher
climbed to 14,300 feet looking for smoother air. At this
point the typical day ended. The bomber flew into clear-
air turbulence. It felt as if the plane had been placed in a
giant high-speed elevator, shoved up and down, and hit
by a heavy blow on its right side.

Fisher told the crew to prepare to abandon the plane. He
slowed the aircraft and dropped to about 5,000 feet to
make it easier to bail out.
But then Fisher regained some control. He climbed
slowly to 16,000 feet to put some safety room between
the plane and the ground. He informed Wichita about
what was happening. Although control was difficult,
Fisher said he believed he could get the plane back in
one piece.

Response to the situation at Wichita, and elsewhere, was
immediate. An emergency control center was set up in
the office of Wichita's director of flight test. Key Boeing
engineers and other specialists were summoned to
provide their expertise. Federal Aviation Administration
air traffic control centers at Denver and Kansas City
cleared the air around the troubled plane. A Strategic Air
Command B-52 in the area maintained radio contact with
the crew of the Wichita B-52.

As Fisher got closer to Wichita, a Boeing chase plane
flew up to meet him and to visually report the damage.
When Dale Felix, flying an F-100 fighter, came
alongside Fisher's B-52, he couldn't believe what he saw:
The B-52's vertical tail was gone.

Felix broke the news to Fisher and those gathered in the
control center. There was no panic. Everyone on the
plane and in the control center knew they could be called
upon at any time for just such a situation. In the
emergency control center, the engineers began making
calculations and suggesting the best way to get the plane
down safely. The Air Force was also lending assistance.
A B-52, just taking off for a routine flight, was used to
test the various flight configurations suggested by the
specialists before Fisher had to try them.

As high gusty winds rolled into Wichita, the decision
was made to divert the B-52 to Blytheville Air Force
Base in Northeastern Arkansas.
Boeing specialists from the emergency control center
took off in a KC-135 and accompanied Fisher to
Blytheville, serving as an airborne control center.

Six hours after the incident first occurred, Fisher and his
crew brought in the damaged B-52 for a safe landing.
"I'm very proud of this crew and this airplane," Fisher
said. "Also we had a lot people helping us, and we're
very thankful for that."

The B-52, Fisher said, "Is the finest airplane I ever flew."


Ultimate put-down #2 ---

"I didn't attend the funeral, but I
sent a nice letter saying I approved
of it." Mark Twain

---------------------------------------------------------------
COOPA officer contact info:

President
Gary E. Miller
20340 Empire Blvd., E-3
Bend, OR 97701
541-382-8588
gem@rellim.com

Vice President
Nancy Lecklider
3054 NW Clubhouse Dr
Bend, OR 97701
541 330-1853
leckone@bendcable.com

Secretary/Treasurer
Don Wilfong
210 SE Cessna Dr
Bend, OR 97702
541 389-1456
dwnw@bendbroadband.com





Temp Flyout Chair
Don Wilfong
210 SE Cessna Dr
Bend, OR 97702
541 389-1456
dwnw@bendbroadband.com

Program Chair
Ed Endsley
63505 Bridle Ln
Bend, OR 97701
541 382-6414
ed@edendsley.com

And finally, send Newsletter inputs to
Mike Bond
22052 Banff Drive
Bend, OR 97702
541 317-8443
mvbond@myexcel.com