CASCADE FLYER September 2007, Vol. 07, Issue 9 Website: http://co-opa.com/ President's Message: Many thanks to Walter Klemperer, of the High Desert Soaring Club (HDSC), for being our speaker last month. Walter had some great stories to tell of his 50 years flying gliders and of his father being an aviation pioneer before him. Presently Walter is the Chief Instructor (CFIG) for the HDSC and it was good to hear that they are doing well. We all share the same field so learning a bit about the glider operations will help us share it safely and with a minimum hassle. This month our meeting will be on the normal schedule. Ed Endsley will provide the details about this month's speaker. 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. Calendar: 20 September- Monthly Meeting 22 September- Monthly Flyout 18 October- Monthly Meeting 20 October- Monthly Flyout 15 November- Monthly Meeting 17 November- Monthly Flyout 20 December- Monthly Meeting - XMAS Party 22 December- Monthly Flyout Web doings: For chapter news and pointers to other aviation goodies check out our chapter website: http://co-opa.rellim.com/ To access the members only areas, the username is "BDN" and the password is "123.0". My Inbox: Things have been moving fast, but not necessarily in a straight line, on the new runway construction project. My inbox, and probably yours, has been full of last minute closure notices for the Bend Airport. The last I heard the new runway is still on schedule to open by the end of October. Keep your fingers crossed and a close eye on the NOTAMs until then. The new Bend Airport manager, Sue Palmeri, is due to arrive 16 Sept. Let's keep an eye out for her and give her a warm welcome. Sue comes to us from Florida and with luck our winter will not scare her off. Random Thoughts: Sometimes you just don't know what it is... Surely every pilot has been following the news of the disappearance of multiple world record holding pilot Steve Fossett in the Nevada desert near Reno. At press time there was still no news on his whereabouts. I am a bit reluctant to speculate on the accident since the facts may yet prove my conjectures to be totally off base. Still, I'll dive right in (since my deadline looms). The facts we do have are pretty minimal. Steve took off from the Flying-M Ranch, near Reno NV, in the ranch's Blue and White Decathlon. He had five hours of fuel and was going to scout the area to find a dry lake-bed suitable for setting a new land speed record. He never returned. The press has been afraid to say it, but it seems to me that Steve must have perished in whatever sort of accident he had. His borrowed aircraft surely had a working ELT and Steve would have known to set it off if he was able after the accident. Even if the airplane's ELT failed he had an ELT equipped watch that could have been triggered to alert rescuers. If he was unconscious then surviving two weeks in the desert is very unlikely. There is a fatal GA crash in the US about once a day. So what makes this event so newsworthy is not the presumed crash, but the pilot and his mission. The unstated irony is that one of the world's great aviation pioneers, a man that has publicly cheated death repeatedly, should perish on such a mundane mission. Often pilots are done in by unfamiliar territory. The terrain near Reno, with its rugged terrain and world class mountain waves, is full of hazards for the unwary. Since Steve was looking for dry lake beds he had no reason to be loitering near dangerous mountainous or forested territory. As holder of 9 of the 21 Glider Open records this theory holds no water. Health may have been an issue. In spite of, or because of, rigorous flight medicals the incidence of accidents caused by health problems is miniscule and most likely not an issue here. The aerobatic capable Decathlon is a rugged little craft so airframe failure is unlikely. Engine failure is a possibility but should have been no problem for a pilot with Steve's glider skills. I rate equipment problems a possible cause but not likely. I'm going to go a bit out on a limb here. My speculation is that in spite of Steve's renowned aviation prowess that he was not familiar, or truly current, in his borrowed Decathlon. Many an excellent pilot has been undone trying to pilot on unfamiliar aircraft. John Denver comes to mind but there are many others. Everyone has a story of a high time airline pilot that could not handle a new puddle jumper around the patch. Experienced pilots feel they can fly anything, but the failure to have a recent and thorough checkout in an unfamiliar craft has contributed to many accidents. My guess is that something unexpected about the Decathlon's operating characteristics was Steve's undoing. Regardless of the root causes, and the eventual outcome, of this accident there is at least one solid take home message here. Bad things can happen to the best of pilots even on the simplest flights. Stay on your toes, all the time, and be safe out there. Gary Nestled in the Hood River valley along the Columbia River you will find the opportunity to step back in time and see life as it was in the era of early flight and transportation. The Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum (WAAAM) is a living museum dedicated to preserving transportation's golden past. WAAAM honors the memory of early aviators from the first and second war, barnstormers, airmail and early transportation. The Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum is one of the nations largest collections of flying Antique Aero planes or Airplanes and operating antique Automobiles. Our flying fleet of aircraft include a 1917 Curtiss Jenny JN4D, along with aircraft from many manufactures of the early days of flying including Waco, Davis, Curtiss Wright, Travel Air, Piper, Taylorcraft, Spartan, Buhl, Ryan, American Eagle, Lincoln, Arrow, and many more. Our antique cars vary from a 1914 Ford Model T Depot Hack to Model A's, early Dodge, Mercury, and Studebaker vehicles. WAAAM also has a large display of military Jeeps, Weapons, and other Tools of War. The Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum opened it's doors to the public September 7th 2007. Please visit our website events page for further details. Special appointments can be made for private tours. Madras Airshow 2007 … was attended by several COOPA members, some of whom drove, instead of flying in … …. More later … Sometimes it's the smoke, again ____ Not the experience Gary described last month, but our recent flight from Bend to the San Carlos, in the SF Bay Area, was not quite what we expected …. We started to experience dense smoke around Red Bluff. Fortunately, the temperature inversion caused the smoke top to be around 10500', our cruise altitude, so it was like being in the top of an overcast (undercast?) with the only visibility being straight down. Because there were several TFRs for firefighting along our route, and we were interested how far the smoke extended, we called up Flight Service for an update. We were told the smoke covered the entire Central Valley, beyond Fresno to the south, but it lessened toward the southwest, the way we were headed. We hoped, by keeping to the west side of I-5, we could avoid the worst of it What we didn't know was the smoke was from a new fire east of Mt Lassen (the Moonlight Fire) and the winds aloft had unexpectedly shifted from the east, driving the smoke directly into the Valley. Around the time we needed to start our descent into the Bay Area, the smoke was not thinning as predicted, but we knew we had 2 to 3000' terrain clearance, and still had the ground visible (directly below) so estimated we had the required 3 miles to maintain legal VFR conditions. The conundrum was, how did you know you could see 3 miles ahead when there was nothing to see?! Since we had Flight Following we figured we would have the necessary traffic warnings. Around Napa County Airport, there were several other GA pilots in the smoke searching for the airport, but none close enough for a traffic alert. By this time I was flying solely by instruments since the smoke was in banks that were tilted from the horizontal and very disorienting .. I was thankful for both GPS and VOR directional help and for doing biweekly instrument practice! By the time we had to descend below the outer tier of the SFO Class B airspace, 6000', the ground contact was improving … by the Oakland Hills we had to be below 4000', then visual to the Oakland Coliseum and cross the RWY29 numbers at Oakland International at 2500' before crossing the Bay at 1500', under the SFO flight path … then the radios started to fade …. not a good place to have an electrical failure! Fortunately the alternator breaker reset OK after we turned off the landing and taxi lights and we joined the pattern at San Carlos, followed by a request from the tower for a short base and final. Oh yes, there were numerous frequency changes as we traveled through each ATC jurisdiction … from Oakland Center to Travis Approach back to Oakland then to Norcal Approach then Oakland Tower to Oakland South, then finally San Carlos Tower …. fortunately there wasn't much fog around that day …… Ann & Mike Bond Type rating? The rice paper and buhydrate dope covering is getting a little brittle 45 years after I built it but it still hangs on my office ceiling as a reminder of all thing aviation... Ed Endsley Talking about smoke; this was not a good day to fly into Johnson Creek, ID, or pretty much anywhere in central Idaho … thanks to Don Wilfong for keeping an eye on their webcam. An outstanding photo of the Friday night show at Madras Airshow (thanks to Ed Endsley) BFR Preparation "Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared." Eddie Rickenbacker, aviator I have a BFR coming and wanted to go do the maneuvers in preparation so I could exhibit some sort of proficiency. You know, like stalls, steep turns, slow flight, the PTS standards that we all practice every two years or when an emergency arises and we have to be instant experts Oh, yeah, and demonstrate three takeoffs and landings that leave the airplane reusable. I like to invite friends along to share the experience, now my therapist and I may have to discuss why I'd want witnesses but it seems a shame to waste a seat with time in the air being the premium it is now. So it came to pass that I started asking my remaining friends if they'd like to go fly. I felt obliged to explain that I was a low time pilot although I was current by FAA standards if not by more sensible standards. One friend said, "well if you're current by the FAA then it's OK with me." Now that's a trusting and confident friend. Another friend, (Yes, I have more than one) Joel Premselaar once said he would fly with me if the airplane had dual controls and a fire extinguisher That way he could hit me over the head with the fire extinguisher and fly the plane. I admire his pluck and skill but we have yet to make that flight. I saw Don Wilfong at the Madras Airshow and since he has offered me a seat on many flights I reciprocated the offer to him. He actually said yes and most amazing, he actually showed up at the appointed time. I won't speculate on what went on in his mind to make that decision. Now I don't like BFRs. It still seems like a test. I dread the critique. I know that I can always benefit from input and I value the opportunity to fly with an expert but I find it stressful. So Don fit this qualification to a "T". He's a very smooth expert in the cockpit, and other places too of course, but I must admit I was nervous. I didn't want to embarrass myself too badly We waited for the airport to open for operation and then boarded the aircraft. I was trying to look so nonchalant as I climbed into the left seat but I couldn't get the seat belt to work. I mean how much confidence is this going to create if I can't even buckle in? I finally decided I wasn't the problem and radioed for a mechanic who was also slightly buffaloed. We finally got this sorted out and decided to launch. I admired Don's patience and confidence Did I mention that I hadn't flown in two months and I hadn't flown this particular aircraft in a couple of years, although I was current in type. I just wanted you to know how green I was feeling. I wanted to get some touch and goes out of the way first and then get creative. My first landing resulted in several touch and goes and Don sagely observed that I'd completed the currency requirements of three landings. We were obviously very forward CG and a little more control authority would be appropriate next time. We at least had full fuel and the explosions would be spectacular. I got better with subsequent tries but decided it might be wise to go out and do some maneuvers and such while safely at altitude; besides I wasn't sure Don was having fun yet. As I climbed out over the badlands, Don mentioned that it looked real different from the right seat and a person could look around without having to be a pilot and see different stuff. Frankly, I think he just wanted to make sure the ground wasn't rushing up to greet us. Eventually we got up to an altitude that I deemed reasonable to try some steep turns and stalls. I may not have performed to commercial standards but I didn't spin it and I held altitudes pretty well. Don didn't even raise his voice once. Can you imagine Don screaming in a falsetto? No, I didn't think so; he's a pretty unflappable guy. As we approached the field on the 45 there was conflicting traffic all over. Some I could see and some on nonstandard pattern that I couldn't. I always wonder about the ones you can't see. Actually, my last landing was pretty good and I decided I'd fulfilled the requirements and had best stop while I was ahead. We decided to have breakfast at the airport restaurant, what a great idea, especially since Don bought. Thank you Don for your generosity! Café 3456 is the best thing that's happened to the Bend airport in a long time. I bring friends out for lunch and out of towners to experience a very special place. Give Dave and Sarah the business, they and their crew deserve our loyalty for their extraordinary efforts. Thank you!!! http://www.cafe3456.com (541) 318-8989 Restaurant upstairs at the Bend Airport Terminal, Special Event Catering, and Receptions. Excellent!!! I'll have to let you know how the BFR goes, but I'm ready and raring to go fly and come back for a celebratory lunch!!! Ed Endsley Don Moberly on final at Madras (not Ed during BFR) 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