An` a one, an` a two…

EAA Chapter 983 Newsletter
APRIL 2006
PO Box 5191 Granbury, TX. 76049
Visit us at: www.eaa983.org
Chapter 983 meets every second Saturday at 10:00 am in The Houseman Hangar. N.E. corner of the runway
“An’ a one, an’ a two…”
We need Lawrence Welk to help Chapter 983 usher in the flock of
first flights this year. First George and Linda Shemo’s RV 7 and now
another first. Debbie Dewey and Jim Erskine unveil their fabulous RV
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10. 1.2 hours on March 6 marked another uneventful inaugural flight
for master builder Jim Erskine who made the flight. Jim says the ship
flew “hands off” and everything worked as advertised. Jim is an
experienced RV pilot and he reports that the RV 10 is stiffer in roll
than the 2 place RV line, however, it is much more stable and is
terrific as an IFR platform. One look inside the cockpit makes you
aware that this is an airplane built with high tech operations in mind.
Dual Chelton screens are the most obvious item in this glass cockpit
and the rest of the panel does not lag in front line technology.
Weather displays on the screens, satellite radio, traffic collision and
avoidance and a fully coupled autopilot make this a cockpit to rival
any exec jet around. More on Ana’ one… p.2
“An’ a three…”
Our Chapter is very lucky to have so
many skilled people. One of the most
generous and tireless is Tech Counselor
In This Issue
Martin Sutter. His hand has been in just
about every RV project in the Chapter for
the last six or seven years. This time it
Calendar…………6
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was his turn for Chapter 983’s 3 first
Classifieds……….4
flight.
Right Seat………..5
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It took place on Saturday the 25 when
Minutes…………..2
his and Claudia’s Beautiful RV 7 flew.
Notams…………...6
With Jim Freeman flying chase and Bill
Safety Note………2
and Debbie Scanlon flying photo, the flight
Sponsor Ads……..7
went off without a hitch. Martin reported
Tech Ops…………4
only one slight malfunction in the roll
control system but it was quickly handled
and didn’t appear to surface again. Glass
cockpits are the order of the day in the current aviation world and this RV is no different. Dual Grand Rapids screens with small
analog backups make the panel a modern work of art. An AerSport IO-360 with the new blended airfoil Hartzell C/S prop was their
choice and Martin said it was a very smooth running combo. (do you think Lycoming has any idea why people are not buying their
engines in the experimental world? Do they care?)
Vans claims about 1200 building hours are required for the RV 7 project and the Sutter log shows 1220 which took about a year.
However a master builder was on this one. Someone else’s time for the same job might use the same numbers but in a different
order, like 2201 hrs. As with the Erskine/Dewey RV10, Martin and Claudia are hoping to have it painted by Poplawski sometime
this year. Unlike Jim E, though, Martin says his building days are over for a while. This is his retirement airplane and probably his
last build. We’ll see, you just can’t keep a good man down.
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“An’ a one…” continued from p.1
Lancair systems built and wired the panel and the center console and it is a professional looking job (5 months late, but a
professional…). Jim also adapted an overhead console from a GMC pickup that normally displays heading and temperature and
has reading lights and storage areas. He’s still not decided what data he’ll have displayed. Performance is better than expected,
especially the acceleration rate and smoothness attributed to the Aero Composite prop. Top speed numbers will have to wait until
the engine is broken in but initial cruise numbers are encouraging. At 11,000” and power at 75% Jim reports a TAS of 175 kts. The
AeroSport IO-540 burns about 12 gph out of a total of 60 gal. with a conservative lean.
All that remains is an interior out of New Mexico and a Poplawski paint job to complete the picture. Then Jim can get to work on his
next project, another RV10 that he purchased from John Bunn. Work, work, work…
Martin readies for the flight
Granbury Dam has seen many first flights
General Meeting Minutes: March
Announcement of the passing of Barbara Staples. Moment of silence. Memorial service was March 25th.
Welcomed newcomers: Bob and Ann Moreau and John Goble.
PROJECTS:
Tom and Bonnie Lewis received their Aerosport engine for their RV-7 project. Steve and Barb Wilson are progressing on their Swift
project. Don Saint has installed a new engine in the Glasair and is continuing to break it in.
Announcements: by Chip Mull
99’s Pancake breakfast at Granbury Airport March 25.
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Sat. April 1 Waco Chapter 59 is hosting a Red Flag tune-up. See Roe Walker for info. They also meet the 1 Sat of the month at
McGregor Airport and would like to see visitors.
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SWRFI at Hondo 2 weekend in May. Newly refurbished hotels. Chapter 983 has been asked to provide a service. Maybe parking
help.
TXAA- Texas Aircraft Aviators Association, is sponsoring the Gulf Coast Wings fly in at Galveston. See their website at TXAA.org
Chapter 983 fly in to Branson, MO last week in June see Chip Mall for the sign up sheet.
The Safety Note
“Good pilots think like this on every flight and it
becomes second nature.” -Bruce Landsberg
“It’s what’s up front that counts” “We have developed and promoted runway
– safety training material…”
“Do the Right Thing: Decision Making for
Pilots.” “Low ceilings and restricted visibilities are aviation’s deadliest killers.” “…don’t hesitate to help out another pilot and make
a PiRep.” “I never changed my mind.” “- a good preflight that properly drains the fuel sumps easily takes care of this matter.”
“…we as pilots have a morbid curiosity about the mistakes of other pilots.” “The links in the chain started forming well before the
Cessna took off.” …any electronic device can fail…” “In the end, no one was in charge.” “The bad news is that the airplane has
poor brakes.” “…tumultuous turbulence of interesting intensity.” “Gaming the system, gambling, whatever you call it, most of the
time it works.” “Treat forecasts the same as a politicians campaign promise…” “Look for the clues that give the warnings.” “I’m
having the time of my life.”
“Good pilots think like this on every flight and it becomes second nature.”
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What’s Your Chapter Made Of?
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By Lee Clements
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One of the things I’ve always enjoyed about EAA Chapter 983 is the
programs. One can always count on the subject matter being varied
month to month and typically interesting to the majority of the
membership plus you might even learn something. The program offered
at the January meeting a few weeks ago was no different, albeit a little
unusual in format. The subject of that program was simply to listen to
others tell the group of their aviation experiences and interests. I know
Lee, Donna and GlaStar Clements
our chapter membership has a huge aviation experience base. I listened
to several speakers talk of piloting and wrenching every conceivable flying machine either for the military, airlines,
private owners, or any combination thereof, plus hearing of favorite exotic layover locales, etc. Well, having no military
experience myself, no airline experience forward of first class, and my only “exotic” layover spot is home base at
Spinks, well, I left the meeting feeling somewhat inadequate.
After replaying in my mind a few days later some of the aviation experiences I heard at the meeting, something made
me pick up the 2005 chapter roster booklet. I was just scanning names, where people lived, the airplanes they listed,
and began to be truly amazed at the uniqueness of Chapter 983. One thing led to another and the next I knew I had
Excel open and began cataloguing airplane types of the members (hey, it was raining outside for the first time in
months and I couldn’t fly, and I just couldn’t bring myself to firing up Turbo Tax…). So one curiosity led to another and
I now have a pretty good survey of Chapter 983 demographics. So for your perusal, here are a few gathered stats:
Members
Members (family & single) listed in 2005 Chapter roster – 117
Granbury addresses - 97
Pecan addresses - 89
Pecan Airpark addresses - 73
Aledo addresses – 4
Ft Worth addresses – 3
Weatherford & Dallas addresses – 2 each
Acton, Mineola, Purdon, Arlington, Cresson, Joshua addresses (where the heck is Purdon?)
Out of State addresses – 3 (Collinsville, OK, Cotter AR, Jupiter, FL)
Aircraft
Total number of aircraft listed in 2005 roster – 149 (That’s a lot of aircraft! However, I was not able t
to ascertain how many are flying vs. projects)
Certified types vs. Experimental types – 77/33 or 43% experimental
Members listing at least one aircraft - 98
Members listing two aircraft - 41
Members listing three aircraft - 9
Member listing four aircraft! – 1 (Sidney & Karen Tucker are the winners here!)
Top 5 most popular aircraft types (all models) –
RV – 31 (no surprise)
Cessna – 26
Bonanza – 11
Piper - 12
T-18 – 6
Most famous one-of-a-kind aircraft – Polen Special (my opinion)
Best looking type: GlaStar (hey, it’s my research!)
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What’s your favorite?
Most curious entry in the directory –
Don Saint is shown owning a GlaStar (can you imagine Don without his Glasair?)
Maybe you folks living at Pecan knew all of this, but for someone that lives outside Pecan looking in, this little
excursion just reinforces that 983 is an outstanding EAA chapter and group of aviation enthusiasts! I tried to get some
chapter numbers from national for comparison, but ran out of time (Damon runs a tight schedule for the newspaper!).
In any case, I’ve concluded that Chapter 983 is bound to have one of the larger, more active, and diverse chapters
around. Sure, the residences at the airpark are a calling card, but that doesn’t erase the fact that people from all
around (18% from outside of Granbury) come to be a part of this successful group. That’s something for the Chapter
to be proud of! -Lee Clements (click here to see spreadsheet www.eaa983.org/newsletters/rosterinfo.xls )
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ADS-B
Tech Ops
Do you remember the last federally mandated piece of equipment in your aircraft? In the 1980’s, after a tragic midair
collision between an airliner and a light aircraft in the Los Angeles area, Congress demanded that a mode C
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transponder be used for access to certain classes of airspace. Since that time we have voluntarily moved into the 21
Century with GPS, high quality avionics, lightning detection devices and weather data link.
Another mandate is on the horizon-and the potential benefits are tangible- with a technology called ADS-B (automatic
dependant surveillance broadcast).
Today’s transponder is based on pretty archaic technology and its uses are limited. It also requires expensive and
maintenance intensive ground based equipment to operate.
With GPS and data link capabilities, how about the airplane giving ground stations its precise location and altitude and
at the same time identifying itself to other aircraft? As well as accessing real-time weather.
In the U.S. the FAA is working on a detailed 10 year plan to replace radar with ADS-B. This means that by the end of
the next decade, if you fly IFR or VFR in certain classes of airspace you may have to purchase an ADS-B transceiver
for your aircraft.
If you’re like me, your first thought was: “Great, what will it cost?” Current prices run about $8000, however the goal of
many in the industry is a price less than that. With large numbers required and the competition that we see in the field
today, one can confidently assume it will be a great deal less.
We may see the advantages of ADS-B in our cockpits 10 years from now at no greater cost than today’s Mode C
transponder, with weather and traffic displays as added bonuses.
-Plagiarized and paraphrased freely with no approval from Phil Boyer and AOPA Magazine, January 2006.
CLASSIFIEDS
RV 6 parts for a song maybe less than a song– Empennage, one finished set of wings, one set of wings under
construction w/jig. Phlogiston spars. Located Hot Springs Airport. Tom McConnell 501 623-8239 Dave Jett 501 3211639 Dave says: “Get ‘em out of my hangar!”
Henney Boys Lawn Service: Regular cuts or one time vacation jobs, we’ll mow, edge, blow, and weed eat; Small
lawns$20, Large $50 Vacant lot contracts also available. 817 573-4301
RV4 0-320, C/S, 909 SMOH, Garmin 430, A/P. $50,000 or offer. [email protected] 210 275-7780
C-195 0 SMOH, Garmin 300XL, A/P, Many extra’s, $105,000/ offer [email protected] 210 275-7780
Complete vacuum system and instruments- Vacuum pump core, Sigma-Tek attitude indicator, ANS DG, vacuum
pressure gauge, regulator, filter, firewall fittings and T’s. $450. Contact Damon at [email protected] or 817 5733444
Three oil analysis kits (Aviation Laboratories), two CH48108 oil filters, $ 10.00 each, Advanced Aircraft Electronics
antenna Model VHF-5T(Com, Nav, ELT), no ground plane needed, $ 75.00. [email protected] or 817-579-0737
Small Sailboat – Grumman “Teenee” aluminum 9 Ft. Sail Boat and trailer. Includes sails and 1.2 HP engine-$950
OBO, Contact Jean Houseman at 817-579-1913
Exxon Elite Aircraft Oil. I am now a distributor. It sells for $48.00 per 12 quart case. It has the best ratings for both
wear protection and corrosion prevention. I am donating the profits from sales to the Dennis N. Polen educational
foundation. Contact Dick Keyt 817-279-7590 [email protected]
“Better not take a dog on the space shuttle, because if he sticks his head out
when you'
re coming home his face might burn up.” – Jack Handy
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From The Right Seat: Chip Mull
For those of you that may have missed it, we had an excellent
presentation by Allan Barrett on Barrett Precision Engines
www.bpaengines.com. That’s BPA, Inc. Engines, 2870-B North Sheridan Road Tulsa, OK 74115 PH-918-8351089. He flew in with a friend in the first production RV-10.
The IO-390 is the flagship of the company, it’s 389 C.I and 210 HP. He had information available on more models
of the IO-360 than I could have imagined. Must be a different model number if it’s manufactured on a Tuesday. He
had a slide presentation of new and failed parts with details on how and why they failed. This was a good
introduction for our new projector. It works great by the way!
One of our members was happy to learn that “New main bearings can be installed either direction”, WHEW! Not
true if you disassemble an engine and reassemble it.
Mark Cook is running a 4 part article in “Kit Planes” on the IO-390 so keep an eye out for it.
There was lots of discussion on “P” mags & “E” mags VS Lightspeed Magnetos. We also learned Millennium
cylinders are better than Continental stock. No big surprise there.
BRANSON MISSOURI
One of our airpark residents, Carroll Myer, has graciously offered to host a Chapter 983 Fly-in to Branson, MO. We
will be able to block rooms in one of “Branson’s Award Winning Hotels” at a discounted rate. We can have a
Hospitality Suite and reservations made on site for any of the shows. We still have a couple of the Branson
Vacation planners left which list the shows, attractions, maps, and etc. There is a museum type collection of
airplanes and cars which we will have a personal tour. We are planning for the last full weekend of June (23rd ,24th
,25th ). Please, please let me know if you are interested! We are hoping to have enough planes and people to
make it worthwhile for all to have a great time. Please let me know as soon as possible at 817-573-8828 or
[email protected] and I will be the contact person. We need to make reservations and block rooms as it is just prior to
the “High Season”. This is a very gracious offer and an opportunity to have a fun filled weekend with your flying
buddies.
WWW.TXAA.ORG
I would highly recommend this organization as it represents Texas General Aviation, fosters favorable legislation,
and publicizes and promotes general aviation to the public. Here is a quote from their web site from the 2004 Gulf
Coast Wings Weekend.
“The GCWW committee had a problem. Since they were federal employees, taking money from vendors was
considered a no-no. They asked TXAA to take over the event. A unanimous vote from the TXAA Board of
Directors was given to accept the proposal. TXAA then sponsored the second annual Gulf Coast Wings Weekend
event held in June of 2004. It was a huge success! Over 600 pilots and enthusiasts attended two days of safety
seminars, general sessions, tours of the Lone Star Flight Museum, and a gourmet BBQ banquet featuring special
guest speaker, Captain Al Haynes, hero of United Flight 232. Everyone enjoyed the setting held at the beautiful
Moody Gardens Hotel. The best part was that almost everything was free! Go to http://www.gulfwings.org/ and
view the details of the event.”
This years GCWW is April 29, 30. “Wings Weekend” is a great place to renew your instructors certificate or get a
Pinch Hitter course.
www.swrfi.org
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The Southwest Regional Fly In is around the corner May 12th, 13th and 14 . They need lots more volunteers from
driving the shuttles from venue to venue, to parking aircraft. This is OUR fly-in as it is our regional fly-in for the
EAA. Each chapter should take on a task and make this the premier fly-in.
F&M will be there and we will have a sign-in roster if the chapter is interested in keeping up with each other. Please
stop by and leave your hotel name or cell number for your friends to catch up for the evening. Friday will be a BarB-Que and Saturday will be Fajitas with strolling Mariachis. Check out their web site and Come On Down!
The April program is Harris Composites from right here in Granbury, at least I hope. The phone number in the book
is wrong. I called for a month with no answer… DUH. Anyway, I am waiting for confirmation. If Harris doesn’t show,
it will be about composites composed on the fly. We will show you interior repairs, composite build-ups, fillers,
primers and other fun stuff.
Till then,
Let’s launch, first one up takes lead and we’ll brief on Guard.
Chip Mull
Instinctively he tightened his grasp on the controls. Something he did not understand was
on its way and he tautened his muscles, like a beast about to spring. Yet, as far as the eye
could see, all was at peace. –Antoine de Saint-Exupery
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Notices to Airmen
The Llano Crab Festival is coming.
Reference the ADS-B article. If I remember correctly, about 10 years ago the FAA announced
that all NDB’s would be decommissioned by 2007 and all VOR’s by 2014. Anyone taking any
bets?
Light Sport Aircraft spec’s: 1,232# max GW, 1-2 seats, single (non turbine) engine, stall speed 39 kts w/lift
enhancing devices, 45 kts w/out, max speed 115 kts, fixed gear.
From Steve Wilson:” I know it'
s early, but I wanted to let everyone know that June 10, 2006 is the
International Young Eagles Day."
Steve Part II: Reminder… Flights conducted for the Young Eagles Program are tax deductible.
The Internal Revenue Service ruled that volunteer Young Eagle Pilots can deduct out of pocket
expenses actually incurred that are in direct connection with and solely attributed to the EAA
Young Eagles Program. The guidelines are available at:
http://www.eaa.org/youngeagles/yefaq.html
Thanks to Charlie Adams for taking the meeting minutes for this months newsletter.
Thanks to the Alexis Park Inn and Roe Walker for this great library of aviation (mostly crash)
videos. http://www.alexisparkinn.com/aviation_videos.htm#MILITARY. Be ready to spend
and hour at your computer, it’s hard to stop watching.
Ray Nasypany is in possession of a top quality metal RV wing jig. Suitable for assembling all RV
wings except for the 10. It has made the rounds in the Chapter for years and is ready to move on.
Contact Ray 817 579-5513 [email protected]
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EAA Chapter 59 (Waco) is having an Air Derby on April 1 , after their pancake breakfast at the
McGregor Airport (PWG). Try and make it. It’s a fun and fund raising day and they have always
supported our fly-ins. Info on their website: www.waco-tx-eaa.org March issue.
Another site with aviation clips and “Oops” www.micom.net/oops/
Thanks to my bride Donna, who proof-reads the newsletter each month and keeps me from making stupid
mistakes, both spelling and social.
From Lee Clements: “The spreadsheet I used for this article (What’s your Chapter…) will be
posted on the Chapter website. Use it for your own purposes if you like. However, be aware that I
made some educated guesses. You’ll probably find some errors.” -Lee
(click below)
www.eaa983.org/newsletters/rosterinfo.xls
Calendar of Events
April
May
June
July
August
1
4-10
8
8
21 &22
6
12-14
20
20
23-25
24-30
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Chap 59 Air Derby
Sun ‘N Fun
Chapter Meeting
CAF Airshow
Llano Crab Festival
CHAPTER FLY-IN
SW Regional Fly-In
Rain Date, Fly-in
Majors Field Appr.Day
Chapter Branson Trip
Airventure 2006
Big Country Airfest
McGregor Airport (PWG)
Lakeland, Fla. (LAL)
Housemans Hangar
Burnet Muni (BMQ)
Llano, Tx (AQO) Don’t miss this !
Pecan Plantation Airpark (0TX1)
Hondo, Tx (HDO)
Pecan
Greenville Muni (GVT)
Branson Mo.
Whitman Field (OSH)
Abilene, Tx (ABI)
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