CENTRAL OREGON CHAPTER
Bud Fincham, President
2252 NW Fernie Court
Bend, Oregon 97701
MEETING NOTICE
**** POTLUCK ****
Date:
June 21, 2001, Thursday
Time:
6:00 PM gather to socialize; WEAR YOUR NAME TAG - A good time to meet other Central Oregon pilots.
6:30 PM start through the potluck line
7:00 PM meeting
Place:
Flight Services Building, Bend Airport
Speaker:
Carrie Novick, Redmond Airport Manager
Hangar Flying // by Joel Premselaar
Last month I implied that the accuracy of aircraft instruments leaves something to be desired. Most of them are - well, just what they are dubbed - indicators. Disregarding failures, are they safe to use? Absolutely! But, only if you understand how they work and the variables that impact them. Unless you enjoy littering the runway with engine components, have your tachometer checked. You're in for a surprise when you do. Consider an electronic digital tach. If you take pleasure in challenging the grim reaper, trust your fuel gauges, but if longevity appeals to you, think digital fuel management system. If nurturing the team of horses you have up front is important to you, an electronic engine analyzer is for you. Whether everything is working or not, one of the most important indicators you have in the cockpit is the one that tells you how swift your machine is compared to a free balloon. Let's take a look at that last one.
Just a reminder before we get into the airspeed indicator. Target airspeeds in your pilot's operating handbook are for maximum weight. Obviously, by using your handbook Vref for landing when you're lightly loaded, you'll convert your tricycle into a wheelbarrow. I touched on the impact of weight last month. The effects of c.g. upon target airspeeds are for another time.
In addition to the ASI's instrument errors, pitot/static source locations and installations, angle of attack, configuration variations; e.g., flaps, vortex generators, pants, externally hung whatevers, all bias what the ASI is telling you. When you put all of the above together, you have transitioned from indicated airspeed (IAS) to what is known as "calibrated airspeed (CAS)".
The airspeed indicator (ASI) measures the difference between the total pressure measured at the pitot tube and the static pressure taken from the static source and thereby hangs a tale (Bill Shakespeare). The pitot/static instrument design is predicated upon incompressible flow and we all know that air is compressible. The ASI as a system is physically designed for standard atmospheric sea-level conditions only and is useable up to Mach 0.3 (around 335 knots).
The fat lady hasn't started to sing yet. There is an airspeed known as 'equivalent airspeed (EAS)". It is obtained by including the compressibility factor to CAS to arrive at dynamic pressure (q). It is to this value that aeronautical engineers design flying machines. Today, a great many non-military aircraft operate in the flight regime of high speed and high altitude (over 200 kts and FL-200) where this is worthy of consideration.
Finally, we arrive at the familiar true airspeed (TAS) by including density altitude in our calculations. We slow and low-down (pun intended) characters skip EAS to arrive at TAS.
In conclusion, we cannot compensate for all of the above soooo, we do what we can by building our own airspeed calibration (IAS vs CAS) charts for your principal configurations, weights, and c.g. locations. I will suggest one more thing. Before making a non-emergency short field landing, check your IAS at stall (you do practice stalls, don't you) for your "as is" aircraft.
Here's a related side note. Did you ever wonder why you're taught to reduce your rate of climb/descent to 500 ft/minute or less before reaching your assigned altitude? It's so that you won't earn the wrath of environmentalists by cluttering some pristine mountain with scrap metal. When directed to dunk to a lower altitude, your air traffic controller wants you there in a hurry, but he hopes that you know that lag/hysteresis is inherent in the altimeter side of the subject instrument system.
Bend Airport Layout Plan // by Dale Evans
About 40 people, including two City Council members, showed up at the AirLife of Oregon hangar on the evening of May 30 for another review of the revised update of the Airport Layout Plan presented by the City and its consultant. This was a much subdued crowd compared to previous gatherings, and probably reflects a degree of satisfaction with changes at the airport not present at earlier meetings.
As before, questions focused on the need for runway length extension, weight bearing capacity of the new runway, source of funding for the improvements, changes in land zoning, and why Redmond Airport couldn't handle all the Bend traffic. David Miller, the City's consultant, gave responses that seemed to satisfy the inquires.
If all goes well within the City, adoption of the updated ALP should appear on the Council's agenda at its June 20 meeting. It would help the cause if OPA members were present at that meeting to show their support.
Bend Airport Open House - A Success // by Dale Evans
Thanks to Dean Cameron and his energetic organizing committee, the May 26th Bend Airport Open House met all our expectations! The AOPA guidelines for sponsoring this kind of event strongly recommended that planning begin at least a year in advance. We did it in nine weeks, and learned quite a bit about hurried planning!
This was another important step towards erasing the poor public image of the airport that has resulted from the opposition to improvements proposed at the airport.
All of the reports are not in, but here are some of the highlights. The EAA Central Oregon Chapter 617 from Prineville served their usual fine breakfast, and was doubtless a factor in drawing a good number of fly-ins from the Willamette Valley. Ken Sandine pulled lunch out of the fire (so to speak) when our initial vendor cancelled al the last minute.
Several local visitors commented they were surprised to find a municipal airport on Powell Butte Highway, perhaps due in part to the old practice of referring to Roberts Field as the Bend-Redmond Airport. And many were surprised at the extent of new construction on the airport grounds.
About 100 airplanes were on the ramp and north tie down area, providing a good indicator of the level of activity at the airport. The Lancair factory tours arranged by Mike Schrader were popular, and enjoyed by about 550 visitors. AirLife Director Vern Bartley made their large hangar available for several displays, and the Lancair "lass cockpit" mockup received a lot of attention, and surprised many that this level of advanced technology was being incorporated in general aviation aircraft. The AirLife PC-12s on display, and their helicopter, fit in that category also, and attracted much favorable comment.
About 120 people took advantage of the Flight Shop aerial tours, and the High Desert Souring Club also introduced a number of visitors to that grand sport. The level of aircraft activity was just about right for our purpose of showing the community what general aviation is about.
The raffle, spear-headed by Don Wilfong and Nancy Lecklider, she representing the Ninety Nines in this venture, raised funds to help bring the B-17 and HE-111 to Bend June 27-28. A modest surplus was accumulated, due to the carnival barking of Gary Miller, who also produced the posters that covered the town.
Deschutes County Sheriff Reserve Deputies did an excellent job managing traffic and directing parking, with the able assistance of several Civil Air Patrol Cadets from the High Desert Composite Squadron. EAA also helped manage the airplane traffic on the ramp and north tie downs.
Many others, including City Staff, pitched in to make the Open House a success. And perhaps with heightened public awareness of this valuable community asset, we can have an "Airport Appreciation Day" next time.
Past and Up-coming Activities // by Dean Cameron
For those of you who missed last months meeting, you missed on of the better ones. Brian Walker, who is commonly known as the "Rocket Guy", was our guest speaker. Brian has had some interesting experiences lately and is planning several more. He recently returned from Russia where he has been flying in some of their most sophisticated aircraft. Brian is in training for his own planned space mission. By this time next summer he hopes to fly in his own rocket into space. After listening to him for an hour you actually begin to believe that it is possible. He is thinking of the Alvord Desert as a possible launch site, which would be great to go see. We'll plan a fly-out to join him if he does. Thanks to Brian for sharing his experiences, passion, and goals with us!
JUNE MEETING - JUNE 21st: Thursday night. Our speaker this month will be Carrie Novick, manager of the Redmond Airport. Carrie has big development plans for Redmond for the next three years. Carrie knows more about the FAA, financing an airport, and what is likely to happen in Central Oregon with regard to radar, airline connections, etc. than anyone. She is a strong advocate for aviation, so come out and learn something new at this meeting! This meeting will be at the Flight Services building in Bend. Social will start at 6:00 with the traditional great Potluck at 6:30 and meeting at 7:00. This month we will vote on the most exotic main dish and the winner will win a prize. There is always something new and exciting at our meetings.
FLY-OUT: SATURDAY, JUNE 23rd.- Spruce Goose Museum in McMinnville. This month we will fly to McMinnville to visit the new museum which just opened. They have the Spruce Goose and 24 other historic aircraft on display. Should be quite a show. We will leave the Flight Service building in Bend at 9:00. We'll tour the museum, catch some lunch there and probably be home by 2:00. If weather is a problem, I have a secret alternate destination on this side of the mountains. Don't sit home or fly alone; be part of the "in crowd" and go flying!
For more information about up-coming events, please call Dean Cameron (541) 389-8285 or dcameron@empnet.com
Internet - (A repeat of last month's listing in case you missed it or tossed the newsletter by mistake.)
Check out the state OPA website at http://www.oregonpilot.org. It has not only our chapter newsletter but all other OPA information. Here are some additional URLs that appear on the OPA Links page: http://www.oregonpilot.org/main/links.htm.
Or. Dept. of Aviation: http://www.aviation.state.or.us
AOPA: http://www.aopa.org.
Flight Surgeon information: http://flightphysical.com
Oregon ASOS: http://www.faa.gov/asos/map/or.cfm
Washington ASOS: http://www.faa.gov/asos/map/wa.cfm
McMinnville FSS: http://www.faa.gov/ats/mmvafss
Pendleton National Weather Station: http://www.faa.gov/ats/mmvafss
NOAA Weather National Site: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/wrhq/nwspage.html
FAA Portland FSDO: http://www.nw.faa.gov/fltstds/pdxfsdo/homepage.htm
NASA Safety Reporting Program: http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/main.htm
Oregon Legislative Information: Please go to http://www.oregonpilot.org/legis/Legis.Home.htm
.Member Notes
NEWSLETTER IDEAS? Do you have any ideas for the newsletter? Upcoming events you want published. Trips you would like to plan with other pilots? Something useful you would like to sell? We would like your input on the newsletter. Please feel free to write a short article about an adventure or experience you would like to share. Also we'll set up some space for a classified section if you have some aviation item you would like to sell.
Contribution can be sent to: Cheresse Howard, P O Box 40, Sisters, OR 97759-0040 or Fax 541-549-1179 or e-mail to: cheressehoward@cs.com. Please submit July contributions by June 30thst.