The Taledragger

The Taledragger

August 2004

The Monthly Newsletter of

Chapter 292 of the Experimental Aircraft Association

Serving the Willamette Valley at Independence State Airport, Oregon

Visit our website at http://www.eaa292.org. It is updated regularly by our webmaster, Karen Brown, and it’s your big chance to see all the photos in this issue in color!

The President’s Corner

How would you like to have been this fortunate Young Eagle? Dave Martin’s Spacewalker II was a popular draw—and Gustavo Alvarado Facundo was just one of Dave’s lucky passengers. Thanks everyone! Let’s do this again on September 11^th!

As always summer is here and activities are at a frenzied pace. Henry Bartels and I flew our Nieuports to the annual Arlington gathering and were met by many of your smiling faces. We ran into weather and set down at Auburn where we waited most of the day. At about 4:30 we set out on our last leg. We caught a tail wind and arrived at Arlington early. Believing the airport to be closed, we took in the local sites and looking for Orlando and Oscar’s field (owners of #14). When we found a field that fit the description and location we circled over head only to draw out an R/C model aircraft. Eager to get to Arlington and not wanting to harass the R/Cer too much, we turned back on course. As we neared Arlington we found traffic to be unusually busy for a closed airport.

To our surprise, the field had re-opened early so we followed the pattern in and landed. After a 4.5 hour flight (that took all day) we had arrived, tired but glad to be there. We also discovered that we are pretty good at formation taxiing as we passed the review booth to the replica war bird area. It was really cool to show off the four years work of The Noon Patrol, EAA Chapter 292, and all the volunteers who made it possible.

We departed Arlington early Sunday morning making our first stop at Pierce County (bladder management can be just as critical as fuel). We stopped again at Chehalis for fuel and butt rest, ate lunch, then flew to Independence. Total flight time was 4.1 hours.

Saturday afternoon, I received word my plane was to receive an award. Timing as it was, we could not stay for the awards presentation on Sunday, so I asked Ernie to accept the award for me (after all, he was the one who started this whole Nieuport thing anyway). Sunday afternoon, Ernie arrives at my home with Mike and Ron (loaded with cameras) to present me with the Champion Kit-built Award with the explanation that the judges erred in the category and realized after the fact that these were plans-built aircraft. It was really cool to be recognized by fellow EAAers.

Even though it was my plane was singled out for recognition, I feel this award belongs to all who participated in planning and construction of these aircraft. Great Job everybody.

Coming events for the Nieuports are Hillsboro on August 14^th and McMinnville on the 21^st. In addition, The Noon Patrol has been approached by a group from Medford to do a short documentary on our group. All in all some pretty good press for Chapter 292.

Because of the events in August, we are delaying the general meeting until August 28^th. Be sure to bring that special lady in your life for the plan is to put on a barbecue for them. This will be a time for us guys to recognize all that they do to support us in all that we do. Ernie, Mike and I are arranging for champagne for the group (you may want to think about a designated driver). I think flowers for our girls would also be appropriate. Again this is all us guys putting on this barbecue for that special lady in our life, so come join in the fun. If you have any questions please contact Jerry Medlock or Roger Vasend. Remember, 6 PM on August 28^th.

A special thanks to Dave Ruddiman for the fantastic job of painting our facility. Dave and his crew from Pacific Painting, stripped, caulked, scraped, nailed and painted the building in just a few days. They even got a few areas we missed the first time. We did go over budget on this project; however, it is a great investment in the longevity of our chapter house. Thank you Dave, Great Job!

There is resurgence in our group to do away with the rock on the west side of our chapter house. Some have expressed a desire to put in grass to beautify and help cool that side of the building. Some months ago this idea was defeated due to funds needed to see it to completion. Mike and Ernie are spearheading another drive to complete this idea using donated funds instead of chapter funds. If you are interested in this project contact Mike or Ernie and they will get you started.

The board is considering the creation of an additional executive position. This position would be responsible for the supervision of the hanger rentals. In the past we have relied on the treasurer and the hanger manger to perform this duty; we believe this could be better served by a single individual. If you would like to help out please contact me.

Remember, Hillsboro Airshow on August 13, 14, and 15, McMinnville Airshow on August 20, 21, and 22, and most importantly our recognition BBQ on August 28^th at 6.00 pm.

Be safe and enjoy the summer. Al Cleveland

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

EVERY OTHER SUNDAY THE INDEPENDENCE FLYER BUILDERS GROUP CHAPTER HANGAR, AROUND NOON-ISH

AUGUST 7^TH EXECUTIVE BOARD CHAPTER HANGAR, 8:30 A.M.

AUGUST 14^TH HILLSBORO AIR SHOW HILLSBORO, OR

AUGUST 21^ST ANTIQUE FLY-IN MCMINNVILLE, OR

AUGUST 28^TH SUMMER BARBEQUE CHAPTER HANGAR, 6 P.M.

EAA Chapter 292 Purposes --Policies--Meetings--Dues

THE PURPOSE OF THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION (EAA) CHAPTER 292: To promote and encourage the sport and hobby of recreational aviation. To cooperate with and assist governmental agencies in the development of programs relating to aviation activities. To promote and encourage aviation safety in the design, construction, and operation of all types of aircraft. To encourage and engage in research for the improvement and better understanding of aviation and the science of aeronautics. To foster, promote, and engage in aviation education. To foster closer fellowship among its members through the exchange of ideas of mutual interest. Chapter 292 is a private, non-profit organization, and recognized as a 501 (c) (3) institution by the IRS. Contributions to the organization are fully tax-deductible as authorized by law.

CHAPTER 292 AND EAA NATIONAL MEMBERSHIP DUES: EAA National Membership is required for all Chapter 292 members (call 1-800-JOIN EAA). Chapter 292 dues are $48/year for 2004 and are prorated on a $4/month basis for those who join mid-year. For more information both on National and Chapter 292 memberships, please call the Chapter Secretary, Mike Pongracz at (503) 606-9767.

MEETINGS: The general membership meetings are held on the second Saturday of each month at 10 A.M. at the Chapter Hangar, 4803 Airport Road, at Independence State Airport. Oftentimes special events will supersede the normal schedule, please call the Chapter Secretary to confirm a date if in doubt.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS & OFFICERS: The executive board meets at the Chapter Hangar on the second Saturday of each month at 9 A.M. Board meetings are open, and anyone may attend.

NEWSLETTER: The Taledragger is published and mailed one week prior to the general membership meeting. Feature articles, stories relating to flying, technical reports, or classified listings should be made to the newsletter editor one week prior to publication. This is most easily accomplished by e-mail to the editor at pongracz@ashcreekwireless.com. EAA Chapter 292 is not responsible for any modification or maintenance items that appear in the newsletter or in any other correspondence. It is the responsibility of the reader to discuss and get approval for all such items from an appropriate A&P, the FAA or other government official.

Executive Committee Meeting

EAA Chapter 292: June 12, 2004

1. Attending: (7) McMichael, Cleveland, Anderson, Davidson, Finberg, Moreno, Gwynn.

2. Hanger Report: Medlock and Vasend were unavailable to report. Cleveland reported the purchase of a Craftsman combo tool box for the chapter and that Roger had picked up a tool kit from Costco, painted it, and it now resides in our new tool box. Ernie commented he was willing to purchase the extra aluminum tubing in storage over the compressor room. Board voted to keep the materials and asked the hanger manager to arrange for the construction of a tubing rack to store the materials for future projects. A completion date for this project was set for September 1.

3. Projects Report: Moreno reported the Indy Flyer will soon be ready for covering, perhaps in September. It was agreed that it might be appropriate to cover the Hornet wing at that time as well. Al and Ernie reported the Hornet muffler was shipped out for upgrades and new parts were on order for the Hirth engine. Al will develop a list of additional parts needed and order them as well. The fate of the Luscombe project was discussed. A proposal to recommend to the general membership to sell the project was voted on and passed. Mike will solicit opinion and vote from the general membership by e-mail. Al will contact those who do not have e-mail. Votes will be tallied and a plan developed on how best to proceed based on results of the membership vote. McMichael proposed to the committee he bring in his RV project allowing members who wish to participate to assist in building the kit. Discussion was limited due to time limits. Topic will be on next executive agenda.

Respectfully submitted,

Al Cleveland, Acting Secretary

Executive Committee Meeting

EAA Chapter 292: July 24, 2004

1. Attending: (7) Cleveland, McMichael, Finberg, Moreno, Vasend, Medlock, Pongracz.

2. Treasurer’s Report: Current checkbook balance is $1,660 as of this date, with $750 outstanding on the painting bill from Pacific Painting. The board really thanks Dave Ruddiman for the excellent job—the place looks fabulous!!! Ernie recommended that we encourage the Sustaining Members for the Building Fund to redeem their pledges early. We used operating funds to pay off the mortgage early, and we’re a little thin right now. We’re fine, and it sure feels good to be debt free!

3. Hangar Maintenance: Al and Roger reported on the tool and tool box acquisitions. There are now two complete sets of basic hand tools available for work within the hangar—let’s all please respect that asset and make certain that tools are properly returned after use. The labeler that was put to such good use for The Noon Patrol is now also part of the collection. Dale will work with Bob to remove the bottom shelf in the welding room to make this space available for docking the portable tools—sander, chop saw, band saw. Please alert a hangar manager if we need more spare blades or sanding belts and so on—this is a shop we want our members to use! And, as always, if you break it, please fix it. This system depends on us all behaving like gentlemen.

4. Project Reports: Indy Flyer is fine-tuning wings and rigging, with fabric work anticipated in September. The parts are collected for the reassembly of the Hornet engine, and Al hopes to join in the party with the Indy Flyer Group and cover the second Hornet wing along side of them. All of the structural repairs have been completed on the wing. The vote to sell the Luscombe Project was 45-1. The Luscombe Ad that appears in our Classified Ads recently appeared in the GAN and there have been several inquiries. This is also listed in Antiques and Classics in Barnstormers, and Mike is posting ads at Oshkosh. Members, please spread the word about the opportunity to acquire this certified restoration project. It does meet the requirements for the Light Sport Aircraft too!

5. Next General Meeting: August 28, 2004 Barbeque and Mortgage Burning Ceremony! The Hillsboro Air Show and the Antique Fly-in in McMinnville forced our hand on the schedule and we’re the fourth Saturday instead of the second this month. Roger and Jerry will be in charge of the Brats and Corn Feed. This is a 6 p.m. event and set-up is 10 a.m. that morning. As always, we’d appreciate some help.

6. Mowing Schedule: We’ll have another cycle here soon. Please see the discussion on mowing elsewhere in this issue. The board certainly wants to see the chapter maintain this income stream and keep our client—the state and all the users of 7S5—happy!

7. Hangar Policies: These will be formally reviewed at the next meeting. A model lease was distributed to the board via email.

8. Fall Building Projects: Bill wants to bring in his RV-8 Project (Quick Build) for members to help with and to learn on. If you’re leaning in the direction of doing a basically $80,000 project, this will be a great opportunity to examine the process hands on with several experts on the field who have been down this road before. Announcements regarding building sessions will follow. Feel free to contact Bill McMichael and express your interest in joining this group.

9. Mini-Park: The area outside the west doors is just plain dangerous and uncomfortable. Ernie and Mike and Roger are hoping to plant this in grass and put a couple of tables out there. No chapter funds are required, but donations from other chapter members are gladly accepted. Look for an announcement in the September Taledragger for when we’ll try to make this happen. Roger is donating his tractor and we’ll scoop out the round rock and bring in some top soil and sprinkle around some seeds—you know the routine!

Respectfully submitted,

Mike Pongracz, Chapter Secretary/Treasurer

2004 Chapter Officers

PRESIDENT:	Al Cleveland	amcleveland at msn dot com	(503) 838-9929
VICE-PRESIDENT:	Bill McMichael	n116bm at yahoo dot com	(503) 364-8898
SECRETARY/ TREASURER:	Mike Pongracz	Pongracz at ashcreekwireless dot com	(503) 606-9767
WEBMASTER:	Karen Brown	eaa292 at ashcreekwireless.com	(503) 838-4146
NEWSLETTER EDITOR:	Dave Martin
HANGAR MANAGER:	Roger Vasend	rvasend at outdrs dot net	(503) 743-4327
ASSISTANT HANGAR MANAGER:	Jerry Medlock	medlockj at teleport dot com	(503) 838-2902
TECHNICAL COUNSELOR & FLIGHT ADVISOR:	Ernie Moreno	ewmoreno at worldnet dot att dot net	(503) 838-6878
TECHNICAL COUNSELOR (Metal):	George Genevro	georgegenevro at cs dot com	(503)363-5032
YOUNG EAGLES COORDINATOR:	Carole Gabel	gabelair at qwest dot net	(503) 838-3844

Mow, Mow, Mow the Place

The first cycle back in May was almost a one-man show, with Dale Finberg logging all of the tractor time that cycle. Bob Schwarzler, Mike Pongracz, and Al Cleveland scurried around on their riding lawn mowers doing the smaller plots and the edge trimming. Dan Evey, the Department of Aviation maintenance supervisor, was very happy with what he saw and the place looked pretty sharp for the Memorial Day festivities. The area down to Hoffman Road was filled with guests, and this brings me to a rather delicate subject.

I’d like to make a special request of the dog owners in the airpark. These common areas are for all of us, and they are not a public toilet for Fido or Sparky or Lulu. Dogs have to do their business, but it is the responsibility of their owners to clean up after them so that the rest of us don’t have to step in it. I think that most airpark dog owners are very responsible people—in fact the malefactors are probably not even residents here--but would you please remind your fellow pet owners who maybe aren’t so responsible that they are making life very difficult for all of you when they aren’t responsible. There are few experiences that are more disagreeable than volunteering to cut the commons and driving into fresh dog poop and having to smell that for the next several minutes while it wears off the tires of the mower. More and more often we are inviting our neighbors to come into our “back yard”—for Memorial Day, for the Pancake Breakfast, and for other fly-ins—and it would be nicer if our guests didn’t have to dodge these little land mines.

We’ve now completed the second cycle this season and we’re trying to set a new standard here at 7S5. Many of the basins hadn’t been trimmed for quite some time, but Mike Pongracz has tried to clean these areas up a bit. We’re trying to make the area between the North/South Taxiway and the hangars look especially sharp. Denny Jackson, Frank Kummerfeldt, and Bill Esther are to be commended for way they try to maintain their areas along the taxiway, and it would be great if we could get other chapter members to adopt some of these areas as their own and maintain them to the highest standards. We need to have an “Adopt a Lower 40 Program.” Not many of us have a lower 40 acres to go plow for our after dinner entertainment any longer. If you have a riding lawn mower, a good string trimmer, and live here at 7S5, we have several sections of ground that could use your TLC. I’d like to see little signs of recognition stating:

“This Lower 40 Adopted by

Ivan Lovinthisplace.”

If it works for highways, why not here at 7S5? So, if you’d like to show a little pride in an area along the North/South Taxiway, and can regularly help the EAA with the mowing contract, please let Bob Schwarzler or Mike Pongracz know.

One last special Thank You! to Don Woodley: Mike Pongracz had worn away the left hand rolled edge on the mower deck he has used to trim around the ramp these past five years, and Don did a beautiful job of welding on a new hoop that should extend the life of that deck for a hundred years—or one trip around the block, whichever comes first.

AND I THOUGHT WE KNEW EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT WINGS!

CONGRATULATIONS

BOB ESCH

FOR BUILDING

THE GRAND CHAMPION ULTRALIGHT

ARLINGTON 2004!

Young Eagles Update

A very special THANK YOU to a couple of contributors who help keep this program going. Harry Malette, our new FBO, generously contributed $100 to the Young Eagles Fuel Fund this month, and Kevin Davidson and Denny Jackson once again sent back their fuel checks to help keep the Fuel Fund afloat. Thank You, gentlemen! As you know, the chapter helps pilots off-set their fuel costs by contributing $5/YE flown. This helps soften the financial burden to the individual pilots and let’s all the members of the chapter contribute a little to this endeavor. If you’d like to contribute to this particular fund simply send a check in any amount earmarked “Young Eagles Fuel Fund.” We’ll be flying kids again soon—see you there on September 11^th!

Confessions of an Ultralight Pilot

The Current Situation: Earlier this year I watched the digits on the Hobbes meter go past 1,000 hours on my Hurricane 103 with a Rotax 447. I don’t think too many other ultralight pilots have done that—especially not in less than six years. The only time the Hurricane was out of the Willamette Valley was the one trip up to Arlington, Washington two years ago with Dave Ruddiman. After all, I don’t really use a plane to go anywhere; I just use it to pretend I’m a bird for an hour or two a day. I soar above the fields like the hawks and hope to see something unusual or edifying, or at least learn a little about what the farmers are up to today.

The Hurricane is a joy to fly. In 1,032 hours I’ve only had to land off-field once. People who question the reliability of 2 stroke engines are misinformed. I burn exactly 3 gph of regular unleaded fuel. I used to be able to say that was basically $5/hour in operating costs, but with the fluctuating gas prices the way they’ve been a definite figure is hard to come by today.

I love the open cockpit, the wind in my face, and the smell of the fields. (I also love the generous windscreen in front of me that deflects most of that wind!) It’s chilly flying around here most of the time, but I’ve figured out a way to stay comfortable with a snowmobile suit and fleece underneath. I’ve got a great ICOM radio that keeps me entertained and in touch with the world if I want to be. The Garmin GPS keeps me oriented and let’s me know precisely what the winds are doing by allowing me to continuously compare air speed to ground speed.

Time for a Change: So I’m having a blast, everyone recognizes me as “Blue and Yellow Ultralight”, and it seems like incredibly affordable flying! Why would anyone want to mess around with that equation? Well, that’s a very good question. I do think that we often don’t know just how good we’ve got it. But I can think of three quick reasons: even better fuel economy, cleaner emissions, and the ability to share the joy of ultralight flying with others.

Fuel Economy: I’ll admit that I am chasing an ideal of efficiency. I don’t want to use any more fuel that I NEED to. I know, that’s totally un-American and I should be worshipping cubic inches and thunderous performance, but that just doesn’t get me excited. When I started investigating the currently available options in super efficient low and slow aviation I found two aircraft that use the HKS power plant—rave about it in fact--and weigh only about 420 to 460 pounds empty. One is the Flightstar IISC and the other is the Earthstar Odyssey. I’ve been a big fan of the HKS Company ever since their first year in operation. I was very impressed that when their initial deliveries developed cooling concerns in the field the factory made good on the problem immediately. They recalled all the delivered units and gave everyone a new replacement unit on the spot. That’s my kind of company! My cross country trip from Des Moines, Iowa to Independence, Oregon in the Flightstar IISC I recently purchased saw an average fuel burn of 2.8 gph (more later). Just flying locally since then, and at reduced power settings (5,000 rpm), I’ve been right at 2 gph.

Emissions: The emissions problem with two strokes has reached “we’re shutting you down” proportions in California—in watercraft that is. Running all these ubiquitous little two-stroke watercraft on California lakes that were also the drinking water supply was the equivalent of dumping barrels of oil into the middle of the lake. This prohibition of two-stroke watercraft actually happened some years ago, and didn’t directly affect aircraft. At that time studies in academia and in industry found that fuel injection could reduce most two-stroke emissions by 95%, but they also add 33% to 50% to the cost of a typical two-stroke motor. And isn’t this always the dilemma we face? We won’t buy the more expensive version even if we know that it’s better for us unless we are forced to. We say we don’t want the government to bully us into doing the right thing. We try to keep aviation affordable but we also want to keep the air breathable. There is a constant tension in the equation, and I keep hoping we can learn to afford to do the right thing.

Noise: We have a problem with another kind of pollution as well: noise pollution. The European noise abatement standards are now driving the equation of the majority of offerings in the Light Sport Aircraft market. I applaud this move, and I think it is in the right direction. It sets a performance standard, and says that if you can stay under so many decibels then you are acceptable. If you can’t—clean up your act!

And so my new little HKS power plant has a proper muffler. The exhaust stacks point straight up and this helps to dissipate the ambient sounds. When I taxi by the neighbors stay happy and are moved to comment about how civilized this motor sounds. I embrace the higher performance standard and work to establish a new paradigm.

Des Moines, Iowa to Independence, Oregon: I’ve learned that the ultralight maxim to “fly the first thing in the morning or the last thing at night” (when the winds are typically at their lightest) is true for the GA traffic on the Plains too. The down slope winds from the Rockies will get you after about noon if the thermals haven’t already. The C-172s launched at dawn and were parked by noon just like I was with the Flightstar, and we all considered that good progress for the day.

Between flight service and the weather channel there just shouldn’t be any surprises about what to expect each day. I didn’t know exactly how far I’d make it each day, because circumstances would dictate how long I could fly, how fatigued I might become, and I had to be very honest with myself about my personal limits. When I arrived at Billings, Montana, the AWOS warned of Cumulous-Nimbus overhead, and I loitered east of town for some time before devising a strategy for getting to Laurel, Montana, my planned fuel stop, and only a couple of miles from Billings. I rather nonchalantly landed on a farm road and watched the storm cell pass and then took off about twenty minutes later and continued on to my destination. It’s easy to do that in a Flightstar or a Hurricane, but I don’t think it’s a recommended procedure in a C-172. I could have loitered for that period, but I would have consumed another gallon of fuel, and compromised my safety margins—and I felt very comfortable with my decision.

The HKS doesn’t seem to know the difference between 100LL and 92 octane, and it just hums along on either one. This makes it great for cross country trips when 100LL is more convenient even if it is $1 more per gallon. In Wall, South Dakota and Plains, Montana I walked across each town with a couple of gas cans to fill up the plane. I sadly report that in the one mile walk in each town not one person stopped to offer this aviator a ride! I hope that when someone writes a story about his travails in Independence, Oregon he can proudly proclaim that he was treated to door-to-door assistance by the good neighbors here! In Wall the BP station attendant at least trusted me with his loaner cans. I needed a walk anyway and I’d been sitting on my fanny long enough.

When people heard that I just flew my new Flightstar 1,904 miles in five days, many actually groaned. I really shouldn’t have left them with that impression. What I had done was a series of fourteen 2-hours flights across this marvelous country of ours at 67.5 mph, which was slow enough for me to appreciate a great deal of it. I even got to fly right over Devil’s Tower! (It didn’t look nearly as big as it did on the movie screen in Close Encounters of the Third Kind!) I stayed at about 2,000 feet AGL almost the entire trip, particularly at the passes. I was tossed around like a rag doll in Missoula, Montana and I simply shouldn’t have been flying there at 2 pm in the afternoon. Next time I’ll plan better! I promise. What an adventure, and what an opportunity.

You can see from the pictures that the Flightstar has strong beak-like features and qualities, and I am thinking of naming her “White Bird.”

Happy Flying! Mike Pongracz