CENTRAL OREGON CHAPTER

President: Nancy Lecklider

3054 NW Clubhouse Dr

Bend OR 97701

541 330-1853

MEETING NOTICE

**** POTLUCK ****

Date: October 18, 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: Dwight Coker, Air Traffic Manger, Redmond tower. Good time to learn about tower operations, and how September 11^th has impacted airspace and airport security.

Hangar Flying // by Joel Premselaar

Last month, during a post flight inspection, I found that I took a bad hit on my prop. The nick was quite deep and I didn't want to fly with a stress riser like that on the prop and on me. Filing out nicks is strictly a mechanic's job, but Sisters International Hub had no AIs available. So, just to get to "The Flight Shop", I filed it down to remove all evidence of the nick and included what I thought was a reasonable radius. I flew my machine to Bend at minimum power and low RPM so that Jack's gang could do the fix both legally and right.

Props are usually given short shrift on preflight inspections. I can't think of anything that is subject to more stress from start to shutdown than a prop. Torque bends it along its plane of rotation, centrifugal force wants to tear it from its hub, thrust bends it forward, and the moment (read force) between its aerodynamic center of pressure and its axis tends to twist the blade. All of the aforementioned cold works the metal to its fatigue point (what happens when you bend a copper wire back and forth many times?). Foreign object damage can produce devastating stress risers that can ultimately break off a section of the blade. When I shot off chunks of my Corsair's prop, I thought I'd shaken the fillings from my teeth as well as the engine from the aircraft. In fact, a Brazil feeder aircraft did just that, shucked the engine when a section of blade broke off. What does one do when something drastic happens to the prop? Answer - reduce power, RPM, vocalize "Our Father who art in heaven?.," assume best glide speed, and aim the pointy end of the aircraft toward the smoothest terrain you can see.

Is your prop due for an overhaul? Is the "track" of the blades within specifications as defined by the manufacturer? Does your pitch control move easily? Have you ever had the prop balanced? Have you checked for cracks on the spinner? While on the subject of spinners, does your spinner have holes drilled in the juncture of the spinner and its flange to let water drain? Are the holes free of dirt? Winter is coming and if, for some reason your plane is exposed to the elements and there is a freeze after a rain, you just might find a block of ice in the bottom of the spinner, this is not conducive to smooth performance or your longevity. I place my blade in a position where the hole accommodating the blade is down to allow water to pass through. This also provides a perch for only one bird. How accurate is your tachometer? Do you push or pull your aircraft with that handy handle called a propeller? That's a bit NO NO! Oh, I know you've seen mechanics do it, but it's still a NO NO. Paint applied to the back of the blades must be uniform; it's surprising how little will affect its balance.

Good information on props may be found on the net. Try www.hartzellprop.com. Find your way to "Highlights", click on the prop hub photo then click on "Preflight Considerations".

Past and Up-coming Activities // by Dean Cameron

Last month's meeting was really great. Roy Panter with the Oregon State Police was our guest speaker. Roy flies almost every day of the week and has built up more hours than many of us combined. He shared many of his experiences, gave us tips on flying, and provided insight into his work. It was a pleasure to have Roy there and we look forward to seeing him in the skies and hearing from him again.

Our fly-out for September was to Prospect, Oregon. The weather was absolutely beautiful! After landing we walked into town and checked out the Prospect Hotel, the restaurant and lounge, and the arboretum. We learned how to identify many of Oregon's trees and shrubs. Fortunately we had Dale Evans and Bob Lecklider with us. Both men have spent a lot of time in the woods during their lives, know most of the species, and made great guides for the walk. Don Wilfong went into the lounge at the restaurant and reports that it has some great wildlife mounts (cougars, deer, etc) which are well worth seeing. After working up an appetite during the walk we had a great picnic at the airport. They have a nice table under the trees and we barbecued hand made hamburgers, Polish sausage and chicken. I sure ate more than I needed. It was a very relaxing time and I enjoyed the companionship of the group. Thanks to everyone who made the trip! It was great!

OCTOBER MEETING - OCTOBER 18th: Thursday night. This month we will have Dwight Coker, the air traffic manager, at the Redmond tower as our guest. Dwight is going to provide insight into the operation of the tower, ideas on how we as pilots can work with the tower controllers, report on how current events may be changing airspace and security, and answer any questions you may have. I've always gotten along really well with the guys at Redmond and look forward to meeting Dwight in person. Come and spend an evening with your fellow pilots and learn something new in the process. Social starts at 6:00, Potluck at 6:30 and meeting at 7:00.

FLY-OUT - OCTOBER 21^ST - It is just about time for another fly out.....On Sunday Oct. 21, the Sweet Home Elks Club is putting on a breakfast.....ham, eggs, hot cakes, biscuits, gravy, juice & coffee......Just $3.00 a person and they will provide transportation to and from the airport.....I think we should plan to meet at the Flight Shop at 8:30 A. M. as they quit serving at 11:00. If weather is a problem we can pick a spot on this side of the mountains.....Chiloquin is always good and the walk to food is just cross the highway from parking.

Internet

Membership roster is online at: http://co-opa.rellim.com/members/members.html

Web site is: http://co-opa.rellim.com

Aviation weather address: http://adds.awc-kc.noaa.gov/

For more information about up-coming events, please call Dean Cameron or Don Wilfong

.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.