The Taledragger
September
2004
The Monthly Newsletter of
Chapter 292 of the Experimental Aircraft
Association
Serving the
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
This is truly a sad month for our chapter for we have lost two very dear members to cancer in just the last two weeks. Bryce Gordon and Ed Rouleau were both long time members of the EAA and clearly loved every minute of it.
Bryce spent his last few years
working under the guidance of
Ed Rouleau has been a long time member of this chapter and a friend to many of us over the years. As Treasurer Ed made sure the chapter got full measure from every dollar the treasury held. On many occasions I would find Ed working on something for the chapter in the hanger while Marge worked the kitchen cleaning or cooking. They always shared a warm smile with everyone and by now most of the old timers probably have one of Ed’s Christmas tree stands in their collection.
We can all take lessons from these families as all of us became in many ways their extended families. The camaraderie and good times with Bryce and Ed will remain with us and nurture future such relationships with others who share the passion of flight.
They both will be sorely missed.
(Continued on
page 6)
CALENDAR OF EVENTS | ||
| EVERY OTHER SUNDAY | THE INDEPENDENCE FLYER BUILDERS GROUP | CHAPTER HANGAR, AROUND NOON-ISH |
| SEPTEMBER 4TH | EXECUTIVE BOARD | CHAPTER HANGAR, 8:30 A.M |
| SEPTEMBER 11TH | YOUNG EAGLES DAY | CHAPTER HANGAR, 8:30 A.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,
BOARD OF DIRECTORS &
OFFICERS: The executive board meets at
the Chapter Hangar on the second Saturday of each month at
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.
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: | Mike Pongracz | Pongracz at ashcreekwireless dot com | (503) 606-9767 |
| 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 |
Taps for Ed
Rouleau
Ed Rouleau passed away August
20th, Friday morning, at
The
above photograph was taken by Ed Rouleau’s wingman,
Last
October we ran a feature on Ed, and new members are encouraged to view it in The Taledragger archives on the website.
Oshkosh 2004
I was very pleased to see two new engines at the show this year. Well, they aren’t actually new, but they’ve both matured to the point where all the serious issues have been put to bed and you’d be happy to see your grandmother fly behind one of them.
Both engines are four-stroke and air-cooled. Both engines are the epitome of simplicity in design and operation. Both engines are direct drive. Both engines have a long track record and are flying in very successful airframes. No complicated plumbing, no fancy re-drives, no nothing: just no-nonsense basic, highly efficient power plants.
The
first one is the perfect 100 hp engine for the new Light Sport Aircraft (LSA)
category, and it is a derivative of the old Corvair. William Wynne has developed this motor for
use in the newly redesigned Zenair 601XL.
Chris Heinz, Zodiac’s patriarch, enthusiastically endorses this
application. It is simple, smooth, and
economical. There is no reason why you
couldn’t put one of these “as good as new” engines in an LSA for less than
$5,000. William’s philosophy is to
encourage the homebuilder to do his own engine.
He’s developed a cottage industry supplying the parts many of us
wouldn’t be able to make on our own, but he’s equally happy to provide you the
drawings to make these parts yourself and develop skills in the process. He’s a homebuilder’s homebuilder!
“While the
Corvair motor has been flying for 43 years, most of the people involved today
have been brought into the movement by our unending efforts in the past 10
years to bring the engine back to mainstream acceptance, evolve it into a more
efficient and user friendly engine, and teach as many people as possible how to
build their own motor. This issue of CONTACT! Magazine highlights the
craftsmanship and efforts of many different people. Contrast this with the story of any
factory-built aircraft engine. That
aircraft engine story would be all about the people who manufactured it. The people who flew it would essentially only
be consumers. However, with the Corvair,
builders are given an opportunity to learn, develop skills, have the pride of
building it themselves, and experience the core of aviation that has been
around since the Wright Brothers.”
William
Wynne, the Corvair Authority. CONTACT! Issue 75, page 2.
The
second engine is Scott Cassler’s
Cut-Case Half VW rated at 45 hp. He
offers this engine complete and off the shelf for $4,200. It only weighs 79 pounds and is the dream
engine for a true ultralight. A single
Slick Magneto, a very cool induction heating/oil cooling system, and an
extremely low profile make this a handsome package. One secret ingredient is the Nikasil
Cylinders that run $600 each but do an incomparable job of cooling compared to
the stock cast iron jugs—they are also 3 pounds lighter each! Scott has figured out how to manage the
pumping pressures inside the case, and his rear adaptor plate is a thing of
beauty! Here again the homebuilder can
purchase parts from Scott and enjoy the process of not only building your own
airframe but building your own engine too.
I
will mention one last engine that, as they say, is “in development.” Certain members will appreciate this
application more than others. I give you
Hog Air!
For those of you who are dreaming and maybe think you don’t have the funds to do a project because a Rotax 912S is about $17,000 firewall forward, and the Jabiru 3300 is every bit as much, these new offerings are the real deal.
It was a great year for engines! If LSA is to succeed we need to bring the price down on this big ticket item, and mass production has always worked wonders in the past!
There could be an air-cooled engine in your future that someone has made a bazillion of! William says there were 1.7 million Corvairs out there at one time, and VW cases are everywhere. (Notice that the Hog needs a re-drive though.) All three offerings here have extensive websites that Google will be happy to direct you to. www.flycorvair.com is my personal favorite!
Happy Building!
Good Bye, Bryce
Gordon
We are a fortunate chapter
indeed.
Bryce
and Ruth Gordon donated their beautiful yellow-winged example of Leonard
Milholland’s Legal Eagle ultralight to our chapter. Bryce has been a life-long member of the EAA
and is EAA# 12678. He spent many years
in Portland Chapter 105, and much of the Legal Eagle was actually built in the
Aloha area. Al Lambert from
Our own
Ernie says that it is actually a legal ultralight! At least it was until Bryce was given the task to bring a 12- volt battery to power the ignition system. Instead of the lightest-weight motorcycle battery he could find, according to Ernie, Bryce brought over “The biggest, baddest battery he could find from a Detroit Diesel!” As Ernie is fond of saying: “We can fix this!”
Ernie
still wants to re-do the control horns on the ailerons because the geometry
just isn’t quite right. He got the OK
from Leonard Milholland at
Bryce has been struggling with mesothelioma the past two years. He suspects that he contracted the disease working on Liberty Ships during World War II. As he said this he also noted that he has no regrets: “I’ve had a rich full life!”
As he approached the end of his life his mind was sharp and his eyes were clear and we should all hope we pass with such dignity and generosity of spirit.
Bryce passed away last
night. Services will be up in
Thank you Bryce and Ruth,
President’s Corner (continued from the first page)
Henry
and I braved the elements and hurdled our Nieuports aloft again and again for
the
Young
Eagles is coming up on September 11th. Carol tells me she is planning the usual 60
kids again, so please come on down and have some fun putting wonderful smiles
on children’s faces. There you will find they are contagious as you too will
have your very own smile to take home with you.
Whether you can fly or support from the ground, there is plenty of fun
to go around.
In addition, I have learned there is a fly-in scheduled for the same weekend open to all bi-planes. I have talked with the coordinator and though he was not aware of our event he has assured me his event will be there in support of our Young Eagles. So the summer events continue to happen--what a deal!
Our normal meetings will resume in October when Bill McMichael has informed me he will have his RV project in the hanger for us to work on. This will be a good opportunity to gain some sheet metal skills we have talked about. If this is something you are interested in doing, get in touch with Bill.
I hope everyone has had as enjoyable a summer as I have, and are ready to dig into a weekend project. With the RV on Saturdays and the Indy Flyer on Sundays and the Hornet on Monday evenings there will be plenty for all to do. Come on down and roll up your sleeves, it’s time to get down and dirty and have some fun.
Our first picture is of
(left to right) Henry and Paul working on the wing trailing edge. Dennis is
supervising!
"All work and no play
makes Jack a dull boy." Our crew has taken a break from the trailing edge
to look at Henry's HyperLight. Yes, the paint job of his plane matches his
jacket!
We spend as much time
planning as working. Here Ernie (on the right) explains our "next
move" to Dale, Paul (W.), Paul (G.) and Henry. The next project looks like
a wooden replica of the English Electric Wren. The Wren won one of the Lympne
(pronounced "Lime") competitions in
The Independence Flyer
builder's group will continue meeting throughout the rest of 2004. Meetings
will shift around EAA Oshkosh and other great air shows.
Submitted by Percy G. Wood, EAA 266889
