June 1993 - American Bonanza Society

Transcription

June 1993 - American Bonanza Society
JUNE 1993
VOWME 93, NO.6
PAGE 3234
NEWSLEIIER
I
IN THIS ISSUE
I
COVER. Larry Van Dam of Riverside, CaUf. shows o ff his 1957 H-Model.
Bonanza of the Month on page 3246
AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
(ISSN 0003-1178)
published by
AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY
A New York Non·Profit Corporation
Organized January 1961
Publication Office
1922 Midfleld Road, Wichita, KS 67209
316/ 945-6913 • Fax 316/ 945-6990
Cliff R. Sones, Executive Director
Vickie Russell, Administrative Assistant
Patrie Rowley, Newsletter Editor
Betty Rowley, Associate Newsletter Editor
Vickie Russell, Newsletter Coord inator
lavina Kaufman, AdvertisIng Coordinator
PRESIDENT'S COMMENTS . .
3236
A LEG TOO FAR. By Dr. Daniel N . O 'Brien ..
3238
COLVIN'S CORNER. Nonn Colvin answers letters from members.
3239
CURRENTS. Why you should share you r solutions. By Lew Gage..
3243
RECURRENT PILOT TRAINING. By Bob Ericksen.
3244
MEDFACTS. Wa lte r E. Reiss looks at aviation fatality figures for 1992.
3245
ABS FORUM. Ideas and infonnation from ABS members.
3247
OUTlOOK. ABS H eadquarters report by Cliff Sones, Executive Director.
3252
If)
CALENDAR OF EVENTS; SEMINAR AND SERVICE CLINIC SCHEDULES. . .... 3253
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Term eJ,pires
Warren E. Hoffner, President ..... .
..
943 Laflte Court.
Town & Country. MO 63017
Ray l. Leadabrand. Vice President ........
80 Joaquin Road
Portola Valley, CA 94025
Bonn ie J. Whitman. Secretary
.....
P.O. Box 739
Pauma Vaney, CA 92061
John H. Kilbourne, Treasurer
444 E. 75th. 8-F
1995
1993
1995
1995
New Yo~. NY 10021
William H. Bush
....•.•..... 1993
8710 Prichett Drive
Houston, TX 77096
James C. Cassell, III
.... 1993
3121 Carolwood lane
Torrance. CA 90505
Barrie C. Hiem . Sr. .........•••.•..... 1994
108 Sunset Court
Carrollton. GA 30117
Perry C. McCollom ........... .
.1995
10207 Afton Road
louisville, KY 40223
C. Roger Murray ............ , ........ 1994
4225 longknife Road
Reno, NV 89509
PAST PRESIDENTS
BJ. McClanahan, MD. ABSHl1 .
. ....
Frank G. Ross, ABSHL386.
. .....•....
Russell W. Rink. AB5HL4 ....•.•••••••••.
Hypolite T. Landry. Jr., MD. ABSHL1449. • •.
Calvin B. E8r1y. MD, PhD. AB5HU797 •....•
Capt. Jesse F. Adams, USN{RET). ABSHL772 ..
David P. Barton, ABSHL534
•.
Alden C. BalliOs, ABSHl3326.. • ••••••••.
Fred A. Driscoll. Jr., ABSHl2976 .
. •••••
E.M. Anderson , Jr.. ABSHL33. • ••••••••••
Dooald L. Monday. ABSHL9904
..•••.•.•
Hany G. Hadler. ABSHL1487 •••••••••••••
John E. Pixtoo. ABSHl2819
Charies R. Gibbs, A8SHL6317
••
Joseph McClain. III. ABSHL860.
. •••..
Lee Larson, A8SHL1325 •
•
William H. BUSh. ASSHL381D .•.••••••••••
Ray L Leadabland. ABSL4722 .
• •••
James C. Cassell. Ill, ABSHL 7741 .......•.
1967-1971
1971-1973
1973-1975
1975-1976
1976-1977
1977-197B
1978-1979
1979-1980
1980-1981
1981-1983
1983-1984
1984- 1985
1985-1986
1986-1987
1987-1988
1988-19B9
1989-1990
1990-1991
1991- 1992
The American Bonanza Society Newsletter Is published
monthly by the American Bonanza Society at the WIChita MidContinent Airport. 1922 Midfield Road, Wichita. KS 67209.
The price of a yearly subscription is Included In the annual dues
($35) of Society members. Second-(Iass postage paid at
Wichita, KS.
The Society and Publisher cannot accept responsibility tor
the correctness or accuracy of the matters printed herein or for
any opinions e_pressed. Opinions of the Edltororcontributors
do not necessarily represent the position of the Society.
Publisher reserves the right to reject any material submitted tor
publication. Copy submitted for publication shall become the
property of the Society and shall not be relUmed. ArtlcIes
submitted with accompanying piCtures receive publICation
preference. Pictures will be returned whenever possible.
ANNUAL DUES: U$--$35
Canada &< Mellico-S35 (US)
Foreign-$65
POSTMASTER: Send change of addreu fomI .3579 to:
AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY
P.O. Box 12888
Wichita, KS 67277
CCoP)'l1&ht 1993
AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY, JUNE 1993
J
NEW ABS LIFE MEMBERS
I
Todd Dobben, Jackson, Mich., L28307
Phil Hardberger, San Antonio, Texas, L28487
Dr. Cary R. Motz, St. Louis, Mo., L29813
Art Wynne, Jr., Bernardsville, N.J., L21068
II") ,
Ocean flying information
Because of the increasing number of inquiries that ABS
Headquarters continues to ,-eceive regarding flying to Europe,
we want to call your attention to tbe followil1g:
Over the last 15 years, Bill Cox Ca senior editor for Plane &
Pilot magazine) has flown the AtlantiC approximately 70 times
as a part-time international delivery pilot.
In the April 1993 edition of Plane & Pilot, he asked readers
who were interested in flying their airplanes to Europe to get
in touch.
TI,e First Annual Arctic Tour, as he calls it, is planned to leave
Bangor, Maine, during the second week in August and jaunt
across tlle North Atlantic to Glasgow, Scotland. After a week of air
touring Europe, he will lead the group back to Bangor.
ABS members interested can get the details by writing:
Bill Cox
Bear Air, Inc.
Box 4344
lakewood, CA 90711-4344
PAGE 3235
PRESIDENT'S COMMENTS
EUGIBIUTY FOR NATIONAL
INSURANCE ADVERTISING
PROBLEMS OBTAINING
COMPETmVE QUOTATIONS
The putpose of this month S column is to
provide jactual injol711ation in response to
concerns e);.pressed by some members rega rding these two aspects of aviCllion insllrance. 1 believe Ibis in/onna/ion willnol 'Only
address Clnd provide needed answers, but will
be informative and helpful to our membe1s.
Insurance Advertising
Original decision, At the laS! ABS Board o f Directors
meeting in November. the Newsletter Commirree made a
recommendation to the board that the ABS accept insurance advertising in th e ABS News/elter o nl y fro m Rollins
Hudig Hall (RHH; fo rmerl y RBH).
For many years, the ABS has worked closely with RHH,
the broker of choice, to help keep rates competitive and
service levels high and to keep O UI" membership infonned
on aviation insurdnce issues.
For ABS administra ti ve and clerical expenses, RHH is lega lly permitled to pay the ABS 1.5 percent of the premium
dollars of the policies written to ABS members. Jn othe r
words. if t.here were a $] ,000 premiurn for your insurance
coverage for the year. $15 would be paid to the ABS.
Important (0 note is that this amount is nOl an additional
am ount "racked on" to you r premium. It cornes out of the
profits of RHH . Your premium is not 1,015. It costs you
nothing in addition to your $1,000 premium.
We have today 2,300 ABS members dOing business with
RHH. With 10,000 A BS membe rs, if this were eliminated, it
would subtract approxima tely 550.000 from ABS programs
or add 55.00 per year to the dues of each membe r.
Fo llowi ng careful cons ideration of all the issues, it was
the unanimollsdecision ofrhe board to follow the Newslette r Corruniuee's reconunenciarion.
Som e members have contacted the ABS questioning
this decision. Even tho ugh these questions came frorn
on ly a small percentage of the membership, the board
nevertheless wis hes to respond to [his val uable membership input as follows:
Facts. On behalf of ule hard-working, dedicated memlX!rs of the ABS Board of Directors, I believe it is important
to set forth certain facts:
a) No RHH e mployee has ever served as a member of [he
ABS Board of Directors.
b) No pressure, o r evcn suggestio n, was eXCited by RHH
to make the decisio n not to accept ad v(.!I1ising by other aircraft insu rance brokers.
c) No board member receives a '·kick back,·' lower insurance rates, o r anything of value o r monetary consideration
from RHH.
d) :"J"o board member has any fmancial interest in RHH .
e) ABS Board of Directors' decisions are achieved by
AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY, JUNE 1993
consensus of the nine-member board in response to, and fo llowing careful review of,
existing information and comrnittce recommendation.
Highly regulated industry - stiff fines. The
ABS Newsteller is distributed into all 50
s[ates. The insurance indusuy- wh ich, as
you know, is highly regulated-is suhject to
complex licensing laws which vary fro m
slale ( 0 state . Each Slate has its own laws,
regulatio ns and restrictions for non-residem
brokers/ agen ts.
Complex licensing requirements. RHH has
demonstrated comprehensive capability and successful effons in assuring compliance wi th all applicable legal requi rements. In fact , RHH has a department responsible for
monitoring and assu ring compliance and currency of all lice nsing and other require me nts for each individual state,
accom plished at great expense.
Healthy competition. The board shares the concern expressed by some members about the im jX>ltaI1CC of preserving the "American \Vay" and free enterprise whjch. based o n
th is shared concern , w ill no doubt cominue .
Characteristic o f the ABS Insurance Program is healthy
competition, with poliCies of o nl y 23 perce nt of our membership written through RI IH and the poliCies o f a majority
of our membership being written by local brokers. Also, it
has been estimated that there are lens of thousands of insurance agents or brokers frolll w ho m members ca n obtain
aviatio n insurance quotations. NfoSl of these, however, with
no guarantee of "':riting a sufficient number o f policies, do
not want to incllr the necessary increased time and expense
in orde r to legall y ma rket on a national basis.
\'V'ishjng (0 encourage, not stifle , healthy competition, the
ASS has decided to a llow o nce again national advertising
from any ca rri er, agent o r broker, hut under certain conditions which \vill be explained below.
New decision has requirement. Based o n the concerns expressed by some members, the board has decided to accept
and to welcome o nce again any agent, broker o r natio nal
insurance company wishing to adveltise nationally in the
ABS Newstettel~ provided the ABS receives celtification of
compliance with a ll lice nsing laws, regulatio ns and restrictions of c~lch sWle.
Evidence of compliance also includes detailed documentation by each state of procedures in place ro meet regulalOry requirements. This w ill enable all aviation insurance
adveltisers in o ur newslener to be playing on a '·level playing field. "
ABS endorsement limited to insurance. Concen) has been
e..xprcsscd [hat the ABS may start endorsing other services,
e .g. , engine rebuild shops or other types of services that can
be performed o n ou r Bonanzas.
This has never been done, nor is there any intention of
(Conti"ued 011 jollowing page)
PAGE 3236
doing so. However, there may be times when you have
problems with your Bonanza or Baron and call ABS Headqual1ers to seek assistance from Nann Colvin.
This is one of the principal reasons for the ASS coming
into existence, to have a broad-based, reliable source of
Bonanza/Baron-specific technical infomlalion available to
the membership.
\X1ithout consideration of who is advertising in the ABS
Newsletter, or any financial benefit. Nann certainly will make
recommendations as to people he thinks can not only do the
work, but can do it more economicall y and close to your
home base.
I think this is what you expect from the ABS, and it is
often a helpful recommendation in response to a member's
urgent need.
Obtaining competitive quotations
In most types of sales, the ultimate selling siruation~
when quoting a product or service to a customer-is when
you are last to make your presentation. You clearly have the
last opportunity to be able to do what it takes to get the
order without your competition having the chance to
counter against you.
\VhiJe this concept holds in regard to an agent's or
broker's presentation to you, the client, there is an important
potential negative aspect of the process about which you
should be aware.
The fi rst agent or broker you call no nnall y will contact on
your behalf a variety of insurance companies (markets)
kno\vn to be competitive. In response to the contact or "submission,n the insurance company will clear or "'reserve" their
facilities, Le., acknowledge their obligation to provide a
quotation on your behalf.
This process is one which is customary to aviation lines
of insurance. Its disadvantage is that only the fll~t broker
you contact will be able to obtain a quote from this company. If you desire to use more than one broker, the latecomer to the scene will be denied access to markets previously obligated. In other words, the hapless second broker
ends up "a day late and a dollar short."
While this is what happens, we don't think it is right. It is
our feeling that tllis aspect of the insurance industry is unfair
and ought to be changed.
Some of you have reported that you did not receive the
"lowest priced" or "most competitive" quolation from RHH.
Typically, in most of these circumstances, it was detennined
that RHH was contacted late in the process and had a res/deled range of markets with which to deal.
You actually have more control of this effort, however,
than is generally known.
First, the selection of a quality broker to represem you is
paramount [0 seculing the best value--nor necessarily the
lowest price--for your pmticular circumstances.
Second, inquire of the broker the market he or she wishes
to approach on your behalf.
' nird, if you wish more than one broker to represent you,
and after getting a clear representation from each as to which
market they wish to access, assign.each broker specific markers. OtherWise, be certain that the broker witll whom you
prefer to do business is the fll~t broker you contact.
AMERICAN BONANZA
SOCtETY, JUNE 1993
ASS ready to assist members with insurance concems. The
level of service and clainlS experience of ABS members continues to be of concern to the ABS, regardless of our members' personal broker or agent choices. The ABS, as it has
historically, stands ready to assist our members and welcomes all inquiries and input from them.
Part of the relationship between the ABS and RH H is the
understanding that the ABS exists to seIVe its members and
RHH will help members with service and claims problems,
regardless of the broker with whom their policies are placed.
Accordingly, RHH, which has a staff of e ight assigned to
exclusively handle insui.mce needs of ABS members, welcomes and regularly accepts calls, assisting RHH and nonRHH ABS members alike with insurance questions, concerns and problems.
These mutual efforts on behalf of the membership, even
if their policies are not placed with RHH, serve to fulfill the
insurance program mandate given to our founding fathers
by the ABS membership.
Coverage enhancement, ABS and RHH interact regularly
to assure that available coverage expansion opportunities
are made available to [he members. For instance, in discussing the benefit of the BPPP in the overall aviation "risk management" process, we found that a major underwriter is
willing to offer at least a 10 to 12 percent discount on Liability and Hull, NTL CO") deductibles for not-in-motion and inmotion claims, and $250,000 per passenger Volu ntary Settlement for pilots completing Annua] Recurrency Training in
the Bonanza/ Baron Pilot Proficiency Programs.
Completion of the BPPP also renects favorably in determination of premiums by other underwriters. TIle percentage will vary by company, but in any case, it is signifit'ltnt.
Conclusion. We would hope that if we are playing on
that "level playing field," w ith all things conSidered, and
RHH can give you a good policy at a competitive idte, that
you would seriously consider placing your business
through your own Society so that we can pay it back in
services to you.
As you should already know, the dues that you pay do
not begin to pay for the services you receive through your
membership. However, regardless of your personal choice
of broker, the ABS Board of Directors and the staff of the
ADS and RHH wiJl continue to welcome your inqui ri es and
the opportunity to assist you in any possible way.
I hope you have found the foregoing to be infornlative
and beneficial. Your ASS Board of Directors welcomes, and
endC'".d.vors to be responsive to, all member input, and appreci.'tes hearing from you about this and any other matters
concerning the American Bonanza Society and your own
Bonanza or Baron. After ail, it is shared infonnation and
opinions which make the ABS so great.
Until next month. , Safe Flying,
WARREN E. HOFFNER
PAGE 3237
A
LEG
TOO
FAR
By Dr. Dalliel N. O'Brien
ABS 10269
Foul we~ther
hampering
AP) _ A search
plane search
MISSOULA, M~~~\ missing single
has been launche apparently went
.
;""Iane that
d Spokane,
engme auy
Missoula an
down between
said Monday.
1H:E HEADliNE STARTLED ME, bringing to mind the events
of the past weekend. Although I was nor the one they were
looking for, I could have been.
It was still October. The fIrst signs of approaching winter
were beginning to appear in the Pacific Northwest. I had
made arrangements to pick up a Beech V35B aircraft in Fort
Wayne, Ind., the previous weekend and I looked forward to
piloting it back to Seattle. The conullercial flight east was
extremely pleasant with fIne autumn clarity to the air, good
weather and a colorful landscape below.
My new V35B was a 1977 model. The former owner, an
exacting physician, had cared fo r it lovingly until he decided to retire from medical pmctice and from fl ying, toO.
After the buyer's inspection, my excitement grew umil I
was fully delighted with the prospect of taking it aloft. I
reviewed my VFR flight pla n for the return to Seattle. The
next day's wea ther would be good, but the following day
was more uncertain due to a low pressure area building
out over the Pacifi c.
Unfortunately, my departure the next morning was delayed due to dense fog at Smith Airport. Although instrument rated , I was reluctant to depart TFR from an uncon-
trolled fIeld . I may have been current widl the new aircraft
in type, but there hadn't been time enough to familiarize
myself widl everything yet.
The fog was lifting by 10,30 a. m. and the weather to
Sioux Falls, Iowa, was reported to be good VFR, with a 15
knot head wind at 6,000 feet. Anxious to get going, I was
rewa rded with a smooth takeoff and a comfortable climb
through friendly cumulus clouds. This was a perfect opportun ity to get acquainted with this Bonanza's new systems
AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY, JUNE 1993
and instruments. I was certainly pleased.
On the next leg to Billi ngs, M o nt. , the well-mannered
fall weather gave way to early elements of a wintry stann.
The jet stream was positioning itself fu rther sou th from
Canada, propelling an ominous from down from Alaska 's
Bering Sea. No rea l cause for alarm, but my Beechcraft
struggled a bit now.
Pus hing across the great spaces of Montana , I d<xlged a
series of small . dark moisture cells. Listening
[0
Flight
Watch, I learned more stonn activity was in the forecast. By
Lhe time I arrived in Billings, Mont., at 6:00 p.m., darkness
was deepening. The passage across the Rocky Mountains
would be delayed until the next day.
TIle National \"'eather Service forecast increased moisture
activity and high winds at the upper altitudes for dle following day. The result would be stiff head wi nds across the
Rocky Mountains. If this strengthened front arrived before I
could complete the mountainous leg of the trip. I would
have to retum
[0
SeatLle by commercial flight.
I fIled a VFR flight plan d,at extended past Butte, intending to cross the mountains before the main moisture and
stonn activity blocked the route. In addition, I v..ras warned
by local Flight Service staff about occasional severe turbulence rolling o nto the plains from over dle ridges of the vast
Rockies. An early start might avoid this turbulence. As I re-
laxed into a welcome hotel bed that night, an inkling of a
real challenge ahead new around in the back of my mind,
but it didn't interfere with much-needed sleep. If I had to
make a mad dash to beat an oncoming starnl , all right then,
I was up for it. In any case, the Beech cenainly was--so far
(continl/ed on fX'ge 215 I)
PAGE 3238
IQ I
COLVIN'S CORNER
Fuel check valve. I have a
1955 F35. The check valves
nO( recall ever having made a truly
hard landing and never one with nose
from each of the auxilialY
wheel fIrst.
fuel tanks have the fuel gas-
Your comments regarding this will
ket (wh ich seals the valve to prevem
be greatly appreciatccJ. -F. Stan Davis,
ABS 19082, NOlth Reading, Mass.
gasoline returning to the tank) missing.
I assume through the years these gaskets have completely disintegnlted.
A
~
The cause of this rod end
failure was exces~ive nose
gear up tension. I talk about
this condition in my book,
Colvin's Clinic, page 51. In most cases
the rod end at the idler ann fails. However, both the idler arm rod end and
Gasoline is seeping fr0111 the left auxil-
iary tank into the right auxiliary tank.
The hangar fl oor slants about one inch
so the left tank is about one inch higher
than the right, but I am told that this
much elevation should n OI ca use the
problem.
the rod end at the gear box end are
Beech wants $770 for each valve.
The valves which I have are not dam-
subjected to the same stress.
Here is what happened. Due to
excessive loads imposed on the rod
end, the outer portion of the rod end
stretched. This allowed the inner
bearing to float inside the outer
housing. This stretching occurred
over a period of time , so you had a
aged but the donut-shaped gasket is
missing on each va lve. Do you know a
source for these gaskets?
It would not be difficult for a mechanic to install the gaskets, I under-
J. N orm an Colvin, retired Beech
Project Engineer on Bonanzas
and Barons, American Bonanza
Society's Technical Consul ta nt
and Service Clinic Inspector and
autho r of Colvin 5 Clin ic.
stand that this has not been a problem
with many planes but with time it may become more of a
time bomb ticking.
problem. -Mmvinjones, ABS 24096, Dallas, Texas
Now 1 why was the rod tension lOO high? For some reason, the Beech maintenance manual ca lled up tension , as I
This parucular valve is not hard to disassemble.
The hardest part is draining the fllel tank. Th e
check valves are in each wheel well. Once
removed, unscrew the enci that has the word
"hinge" embossed in the hex nut. Once rell10ved , the flapper valve is exposed. Clear any corrosion from the hinge to
free up the flapper valve. The rubber seal on the valve is
O-ring AN6227-03. This O-ring is available from Arrell Aviation, phone 805/295-8777; ask for Ray le&herwood. I have
talked to Ray, who thinks he ca n repair the valve unless the
rubber is deteriorated .
The sticking hinge is most likel y the SOurce of your
trouble. \'(then YOll rc-instaU the valve, be sure that the 'Irrow--embossed in the body of the valvt."-points toward
the center of the fuselage and the word "hinge" is on the tOp
side of the valve.
Q
~
Nose gear part failure. A nose gear pan failed
during a recent annual of the aircraft while it was
on jacks and the gear retraction tests were being
perfonned. The shop has infomled me that this
failed part would have resulted in the inability of the nose
wheel to extend during flight. .. most likely on my very next
flight.
\Ve borb. know the extensive damage this would have
c..'aused to my aircraft in addition to the depreciated effect on
its ultimate value.
I have owned 44LE for 10 y",,,rs and most recently had
two factory remans and the props at the 1700 hour mark.
Aircraft and cngines had total time of 1700 at engine replacement. Present time o n the airplane is approximately
1850 hours. There is also no damage history to this aircraft.
I am a 12,000 hr. ATP and fly the aircrdft about 100 hours
annually and participate in the Baron training courses. 1 do
AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY, JUNE 1993
remember, of 40 Ibs. for the Baron Series and 18-25 Ibs. for
the Bonanza Series. \'<Ie never had rod end fa ilures on Bonanzas but they did occur on the Barons. After a consider~
able period of time, the Baron up tension figure was
reduced to that of the Bonanza , 18-25 Ibs.
This up-lock tension check is accomplished by connecting a scale to the nose stnil axJe while the st!ut is in the fully
retract position. A pull-down force is applied to the axle and
a reading of 18-25 Ibs. should be required to pull the strut
downward from its up-stop position. ll1ese are the figures
that should apply to tlle airplane.
Since excessive tension loads have been endured by the
rod end at the idler ann, I would suggest d,at this rod end
also be replaced. Rod ends look alike but heat treat varies,
so replace the rod ends from Beech factory stock.
I would also suggest that you pur an extra dollar in next
Sunday's church collection, because the Lord was truly looking after you .
Q
~
Stiff aileron controls. I purchased a 1960 M-Model
Bonanza last July. The aileron control was tighter
than normal when I was flying the airplane before
the purchase.
\Vle f"dn a very extensive annual inspection o n the airplane. The imerior and seats were taken out. I cleaned and
inspected the fuselage, checked and oiled all the cables and
roll ers and a mechanic checked the tension on the cables.
TIle yoke was taken off, cleaned, checked and it opemted
freely.
When pushing up and down on the aileron, I hear a
thumping noise in the nose gear \vell. \'(fhen I lX >lIght the
airplane, J really thought it was just in the wheel only. BU(
after the extensive check, I still have the same problem. I am
puzzled by this.
PAGE 3239
I don't have access to another yoke at this time. -Lilldy
Shepherd, ABS 28435, Lighthouse POint, Fla.
A
~
TI,ere is a bellcr'dnk inside the wing that seldom
gelS lubricated. It wouldn't hurt to check the hinge
boh, (00. Chain tension inside the conlrol ann will
contribute to aileron stiffness. Lubricate the aileron torque shaft inside the control column, especially at
the forward firewall e nd . This is the end that has the
sprocket. Be sure to lubricate this end.
Since ailerons interconnect {O rudder controls, the interconnect spring tension could contribute to aileron stiffness.
The noise that YOLI hear in the wheel well when you
move the aileron is probably caused by a worn nose steering idler arm since it is pan of the system.
Check for frayed aileron cables at d,e pulleys below the
floorboards and just aft of the firewall. I would suspect the
chain tension inside the (amral ann is the most likely spot.
Q
~
Alcohol anti-Ice system. I have a 1964 B55 Baron,
SI N TC570, equipped w ith an alcoho l anti-ice system for the windscreen and props. The manual
says I should get 120 minutes when spraying alcohol on the props only and 28 minutes if spmying both prop
and windshield before the alcohol nills out.
On my Baron, when spraying the props only, the alcohol
is being pushed out so faSllhat I'm only getting 20 minutes.
I checked to make sure I wasn't spmying both props and
windshield. Also, I checked for leaks and found none.
I looked at both dle aircraft and the shop manuals but
haven't been able to find any flow metering devices. Calls to
several maintenance shops have shed no light. Are there
needle valves or jets or some other way to adjust the rate of
flow so that I get the 120 minutes on a tank of alcohol'
-David Wright, ABS 21678, VictOria, British Columbia
A
~
TIlere should be a very small reslrictor in the propeller alcohol tube. This restrictor is bonded to the
tube bLU may have fallen out. This is right at the
propeller.
If the restrictors are in place, then you probably have a
leak in one of dle lines so they are pumping the fluid overboard.
Bonanza maintenance. I am the new owner of an
o ld 1950 Bo nanza, SIN 2591, which I purchased
in April of this year. It has a 185/ 205 HP engine
with the hydraulic prop conversion.
I o rdered and received your book, Colvin 's CliniC, th e
same month I acquired the aircraft. It reall y is helpful in
solving some of my problems.
I do have some general questions that maybe you or your
staff can answer.
I live in Borger, Texas, which is located about 50 !lilies
northeast of Arnarillo. The local shop I use is not as experienced in selvicing Bonanzas as I would like it to be and down
time has been a little much. Is there someone in the area
who ca n help this old bird and gives good reliable service?
Since I purchased the plane, I have had wing tip tanks
and aux. fuel selector valve leaks. The Lanks were manufacAMERtCAN BONANZA SOCIETY, JUNE 1993
tured by Flight E>.~enders, Inc. of Stanford, Conn. The fuel
seems to be seeping through d,e fiberglass tanks and comes
arou nd the selector valve rod when depressed while changing the valve position. Any suggestions on who or ho~v to
fLx these old tanks and valve. I have been told that d,e company that manufactured them is out of business.
My next problem is that I seem to be getting a lot of oil
from the propeller, which is spraying dle windshield. I notice the heaviest concentration when landing and not the
same amount o n all landings. Am I working the prop w rong
or do you think there is a problem in the hydraulic prop'
The prop was overhauled about 300 hours ago.
My last question is about the climb and the cruise rpm
setling for this 205 HP engine. The handbook that came
widl th e airplane only addresses the 185 HP engine and
the e lectric prop. What are the proper settings for this
particular engine?
In closing. let me say that I plan La artend a clinic in the
near futu re, in hopes of getting a re'dl clleckout for dle aircraft.
I enjoy your articles and the entire newslener very
much. Keep up the good work. -E.G. McEluy, ABS 28321 ,
Borger, Texas
A
~
There are two good maintenance shops in your
area, Abilene AERO, Rl. 2 Box 50B, Abilene, TX
79601 , phone 915/677-2601 , and Hutcherson Air
Service, P.O. Box 940, Plainview, TX, 806/293-1307.
If the tip tanks are made of fiberglass , they can be easily
repaired. Take them to a boat repair shop. If they are metal,
they can be welded. &"<5 Aircraft, phone 316/364-2397 can
most likely repair the selector valve. They are in \Vichita.
Ask for Ed Bolan.
I think there is a problem with the hydraulic propeller.
TI,e problem is mOst likely an O-ring seal, but it might be a
cracked hub, so the prop should be looked at. You might
call Hutcllerson Air Service. The prop has nothing to do with
what rpm you use for takeoff and climb. Takeoff should be
2600 rpm and climb could be 2400 squared. You should
cruise using 65 percent power.
IQ I
Baron questions. I rece ndy purchased a 1978 B55
Baron, N401 B, SI TC-2164. I have several queslions aooul this plane:
I. What is the fuel consumption of the gas
heater?
2. The engine controls are tiff and difficult to move, even
with the friction knob backed way off. How can I lubricate
or loosen the cables?
3. TIle left main gea r tire is wearing off the tread on the
inside. Is there an adjusITIlent to handle this?
My major concern is the fllel flow indicator. TIle fuel flow
on the left engine reads about 1.5 gph low through most of
dle range. The plane has a Hoskins fuel flow indicator (With
a new transducer o n lhe lert engine). I have had the fuel
flow indicator overhauled and calibrated and there is no
improvement. Both engines peak on d,e (new) EGT at the
same fuel flow indication on the Hoskins whkh would in·
dicate that the Beech fuel flow indicator is reading wrong.
\'(ihat do I do to COrrect this' -Douglasjallles, ABS L23534,
Edina, Minn.
PAGE 3240
A
~
TIle Janitrol heater in YOUT Baron bums approxi-
mately two to three gallons of fuel per ho ur.
Slili engme controls can be freed up by disconnecting the control at the engine, then connecting
a heavy wall Tygon o r rubber rube, about a fOOl long, over
the end of the control. Fill the rube with light o il , then inst.111
a valve stem in the tube and apply air pressure. This will
fo rce the o il up the control.
There is no way to adjust the wheel for tire wear. You
might try switching torque knees. But I doubt if this would
cure the problem.
As to the fuel flow difference, the problem is most likely
in the manifold valve on top of the engine. There is a collar
on the stem inside the valve that can be moved slig htly to
c hange pressure reading. Moving the collar down increases
pressure r~ldings, moving it up decreases gauge reading.
IQ I
Creeping throttle and prop controls. I own a 1977
A36, SI N 1094. My problem is that the friction
nuts on my Vernier-type mixture and propeller
controls no longer work. \Xlith the friction nuts
(hey were installed?
The F35 also had an optional e lectric fuel pump. Do you
have any infonnalion as to make, model and installation?
I fC'dd your book and watched your video. I have subjected my F35 to your field clinic inspections and am more
secure knowing I pass both the annual and field clinic
checks. -Rob Brei/1x1/1h, ABS 272%, Estacada, Orc.
A
~
This harness anchored on the floor back of the
pilot and copilot scat. The harness came over lx)th
shoulders and held the pilot secure ly in the seat.
Jack Hooker has a similar sho uld er harness that
anchors to the rear seat belt.;; and extends over both shoul~
ders. This is an effective harness. Jack's pho ne number is
815/233-5475. Unti l something better comes along, this i>
the best way to go.
I do not have infonnation on the auxil iary boost pump.
I think it L1sed the \Veldon Pump.
If it should need repair, you might call Aero Elecuic,
phone 316/ 942-3271. Should you need a new pump, call
Warren James at 619/ 438-9590; he offers a boost pump kit.
tightened with pliers, the controls w ill creep up to higher
seuings.
My mechanic says that he knows of no FAA approved fix.
Ca n you help' - Richard H. Love, ABS 24712, Norfolk, Va.
IA'"I the nut on th e backside of the instrument panel
The fix for your problem is s imple. Just unscrew
two o r three turns and tighten the knurled nut
on the front side of the panel. This should correct the problem. However, if it s hou ld not, make up a
new leather washer that is inside the friction nut and that
wi ll do the job. I really don 't think that this will be necessary, but just in case, I talk about this in my book,
·'Colvin 's CliniC, ,. page 104.
Grimes strobe light, We have a 1977 V35B, SIN
D10003, and o ur Grimes strobe light power unit,
PIN 60-1750- 1, is inoper-dtive. The capaCitors appear to be leaking. Since Grimes is out of production of these units, is there anyone repairing them or does
Whelen or some other manufacturer make a replacement fo r
this power supply unit. -David A/kimon, ABS 22602,
Tulsa, Okla.
[QJ
Q
Ple'dse call Aero Electric in \X/ichita. Their phone is
316/ 943-6100. I have checked and they can fIX the
power unit
[QJ
Q
F35 restoration. I have enjoyed talking w ith you
ove r the past yea r w hile restoring my F35. YOUI'
he lp and advice have saved me much time and
grief. I was also able to find a nearly ne\"\' set of
Beech 215 b lades with your help through Aero Propeller
in California, who overhauled my electric prop. Good
people to work with.
The F35 had opti ona l shoulder harnesses when new,
yet r can find no information o n the installatio n. Is any in~
fOlmation available on what they looked like and how
AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY, JUNE 1993
[QJ
Q
Auxiliary fuel tank, I recently bought a G35. This
plane has 20 gal. mains and 10 gal. aux. in each
wing. At this time I would like to put in a 20 gal.
aux. in the baggage compartment
Could you please direct me to someone who can help
me with this project. -TimSulliwn, ABS 2471 , Tequesta, Fla.
A
~
The ABS office has drawings for installing the
tank, so give them a call at 316/ 945-6913. You
would have to obtain you r own FAA approval. 1
am not very enthused about doing this since it will
severely restrict your CG. Then there is the fact that you
have fuel in the cabin with you. [n rn y opinion, tip tanks
wou ld be a wiser choice. Tip tanks can give you an increase
in gross weight, they stabilize the airplane directionally and
don't detr.:lCt from perfonnance.
Bulb bum out
The solution to upper landing light burn out for our 10
me mber fl yi ng club's P35 Bonanza (1963 vintage) was
provided by two tips from an owner's seminar at an AOPA
Convention a year or two ago. If the lights are like ours,
General Electric ~4509s, the first thing we did was return
them to G.E. The address was on the containe r th e lig hts
came in. G .E. gmciously replaced every one, at no cost to
us. Additionally, they sent us (again without charge)
samples of their model G.E. :4595 light that has a much
longer rated life.
The second tip was to apply a strip of % inch wide 3M
Exterior Foam Weather Strip (adheSive-backed) around the
ci rcumference of the light before installation in the upper
landing light assembly. This took up the looseness of the
light in the assembly and apparently reduced the vibrmion
reaching the light filament.
We had originally replaced three =4509 lamps during 90
hours of aircraft operation over a five month pericx:l. Since
we began using the longer life .:r4595 lamp, in conjunction
with the 3M weather strip, we have yet to replace a burned
PAGE 3241
out lamp in 380 hours of aircraft operation over a 19-month
period. Needless to say, we are very pleased with the outcome and hope the above infonnation is of use to other
owners. -Allen C. Rydman, ABS 18778, Ogden, Utah
Landing light tip
Like many, if not all, Bonanza owners, I have experi-
enced repeated, premature filament breakage in the landing light bulb of my 1973 V35B (SI N D-9438, 25633) Bonanza. I have tri ed both of your recommendations (turn
the bulb 90 degrees, mount the bulb in silicone nlbbe r)
without obtaining more than 20 hours fliament life.I tried
both the General Electric 4509, with thin filament support
wires, and the GE 4595 with thick support wires and glass
bead. I then decided to replace the 100 watt bulbs with a
250 watt bulb (GE 4313) w hich, of course, has a thicker or
shorter (and presumably therefore stronger) filament. Eureka! Immediate success!
The 250 watt bulb (GE 4313) has now lasted for almost
300 hours mounted in the Original (i.e., filament horizomal)
position. The extra current draw (J 3 amps) is well within ule
70 amp alternator capacity. -John C. Mallinson, ABS 23206,
Carlsbad, Calif.
Member follow-up
In the January 1993 issue of the ASS Newsletter, Mr. Hal
Kempthorne, ABS 26934, sought help on several maintenance problems. I may be able to help on two of them.
After a complete interior overhaul on my 535, I too had
trouble reconnecting the wire to th e mechanical landing
gear indicator. I found that purring the plane on jacks and
recycling the gear caused the wire link to extend to its
most protracted position, making the reconneclion pos-
sible. Please note that the reconnection was very difficult,
even with the three-sided housing, and the fl oorboards
and the seats removed. It may be nearly impossible to
reconnect the linkage w ithout removing these items.
The retrofit of a three-light landing gear warning system is not available to my knowledge. Several months ago
I did some checking and was advised by the local Beech
folks, avionics shop and FBO that such a system was nonexistem. I had neither the time nor the resources to develop
the necessary STC to make this happen. Consequently, I
opted to duplicate the existing two-light system by installing
(and placarding) another red lig ht, green light horizontal
array over the altimeter. The "old" lights remain in place and
operdtional. The additional IighLS merely augment the existing system, thus not stepping on any certification toes. I find,
after many hours of use, that I tend to use the new semi-
eyelevel landing lights as my primary check and the mechanical indicator as the backup.
I hope this helps Mr. Kempthorne and other like inter-
ested members. -Stephen E. Brown, ABS 22973, Eagle
Rock, Calif.
Some helpful maintena nce tips
1. To fix a leaking Juel tank selector switch I turned switch
to off. This stopped the leak. Stra iner screws had backed
off, notwithstanding being safety tied at annual. (Previous
tightened screws and resafety tied and changed the place
where I do my annual.
2. AntennCl was installed without backing plates on upper
fuselage. The cap antenna broke adjacent skin. Il was
removed and skin repaired. Backing applied to second
antenna stabilized blade type that would vibrate seriously
when iced up. Changed place where comm work is done.
3. Ashtrays are just extra weight if you do not allow smoking and they collect chewing gum wrappers. Remove and
cover hole w ith insulation and painted aluminum strip.
4. A 520 battery powered kitchen
time~
Remove clip on
back and attach on mSlIument panel with Velcro. Use one
for fuel timing and another for trip legs.
5. Paste light signal code inside glove box door. Also, put
new lost comm code on the placard.
6. Wrap headset cords with telephone cord plastic to help
keep headset cords out of Ule seat hinge guillotine.
7. Color code rear bulkhead screws and screw holes to aid
in reassembly.
8. Replace 12 Phillips head seat stop '%2 bolts with button
he~ld Allen wre nch bolts and maybe your mechanic will
replace stops he removes at annual. Otherwise, pa y KRN
S10 per set for new stops. Bolts are extra.
9. Heat stuck door seal may be loosened by po unding
around door ff'dme with your fIst. Spray with silicone and it
won 't stick
10. Loose batshe!f insulation will fall into control cables. Remove and replace with rigid approved insulation on top of
hatshelf. I think ulere is a Service Bulletin on this.
11. Repair gust lock pin sepamtion from red s hield with
16 penny common nail . Cut off excess length after bending
90 degrees to hold pieces together. - Richard A . Vall
Hoomissen, AB5 27184, Portland, Ore.
Note from Norm
Instrument mounting screw device. Changing an inSlrument in the early model Bonanzas can be a challenge because the mounting screws must be installed
from the backside where you must feel only to fmd
the mounting holes.
Arnold Hills, P.O. Box 565, Orland, CA 95%3, has
bonded Tygon tubing to the rnounting screw so that
you have something to hold on to as you guide the
screw into position.
If you need help, drop Mr. Hills a line. He is a good
guy who can help you.
Please send your questions and/or tips and
techniques to: American Bonanza Society, Attn: Norm
Colvin, P.O. Box 12888, WicWta, KS 67277
year uley skipped the safety tie and the screws heldO I
AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY, JUNE 1993
PAGE 3242
CURRENTS
Why you should share
your solutions
rion gasoline is one of rhe main ingre-
dients of this buildup. When the engine warms up, the va lve Jllay begin
to operate , but the engine will rlln
rough for some few seconds to few
minutes after start.
Plugged carbw-etor drain line
and rough engine after
staltup problems solved by
use of members' networking
system.
I
joe Ma ynard had a very rough engine after startup on severa l cold
days. He checked the engine compression to find a stuck va lve, removed the rocker covers to see the
valve action and, in general, did w hat
any good mechanic wou ld do.
In looking the airplane over thoroughly, he found the carburetor air
n the Febru31Y 1989 newsletter I
had a shon article entitled ··Obligations." It dealt with what I feel is
our duty as members of the ABS with
regard to sharing useful infonnation. In
addition to chastising those who are
lax abow contributing to this "experience pool ," I also managed to sneak in
a few actua l maintenance and operdtional problems so the anicle wouldn't
be a SemlQn only.
I recently had occasion to benefit
from a sharing of infonnation in the
Classic Bonanza Associalion Newsletter. The CBA is a Texas-based group
which has several fly-ins each yea r and
an owners' support group type cama-
raderie. I've not been able to altend
their fly-ins because of the distance,
but in talking to members who have
attended, they sound like great fun.
CBA president is Gary Hammock, 2141
227-4741.
Several times in the newsletter I've
warned about the need to be certain
that on PSSC equipped engines the
carburetor air inlet elbow drain hose
and tube be installed and in good condition. This systern drains excess fuel
delivered by the PS5C equipped engines the ca rburetor air inlet elbow
drain hose and tube be installed and in
good condition.
This system drains excess fuel delivered by the PS5C carb overboard
during starting . If the connecting hose
and one-fourth-inch tube which exits
the cowl on the lower right side is not
intact, exces~ primer fuel would spill
inside the cowl onto the lOp of the
keel beam. An y tendency of the engine to backfire through the induction system while starting the engine
would ignite this pooled fuel and
could cause an exciting event,
namely a large uncontained fire inside the cowl under the engine.
The component of this VCIY simple
system which usually causes problems
is the short piece of one-fourth-i nch
A.MERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY, JUNE 1993
inlet elbow fue l drain tube plugged
Lewis C. Gage, AS:' 13 129, AT!'
with mud daubers rnud. Th e excess
multi-cngine land with Boeing
707-20,747 A-310 ratings .
Commercial single engine bnd;
flight instructor MElJ~EL airplanes and instruments; ground
in~ructo r :tdvanced and inslrument; fli ght navigator; fl ight
engineer; mechanic-a irplane
and engine; and fAA parLs
manufactu ri ng a uthori za ti on.
fuel sprayed by the carb during the
stan process had pooled up in the air
Flight time: 15,OOO-plus hours.
inlet elbow causing an excessively
rich mixture and the rough engine.
After a short lime, the engine wou ld
ingest this pool of fuel and run properly; ho\vever, the symptoms were
exactly those which a sti cking valve
wou ld cause.
I had been having the same problem on my G35. I was certain it was
nO( a valve problem since the cylin-
rubber ho~e which connects 'he tube
welded into the air inlet elbow and the
ders had less than 100 hours since
major overhaul. Although I wou ld
one-fourth-inch outside diameter aluminum tube which nll1s through the
lower right front area of the cowl skin
. preheat the engine whenever the
overboard. The rubber hose gets ha rd
and dry, losing its elasticity and the
movement of the engine in the Lord
mounts unplugs the hose letting the
excess fuel drain inside the cowl.
J've rnacle sure that the drain on
my airplane is always intact and the
hose is in good condition, hut there is
also the need to make ~u re the tube is
unplugged so excess fuel will drain
overboard.
The last CBA Newsletter contained
an article by joe Maynard , CBA tech
consultant, rega rding a rough running
engine after staJ1up during cold
weather. One sou rce of a rough runni.ng, cold engine is the possibility o f
stuck va lves , usually th e exhau st
valves.
Stuck valves are the result of a
buildup o f solids contained in the exhaust gas and oxidized lube oil accumulating between the valve stem and
guide causing the va lve to bind in the
guide, especially when the engine is
cold. The high lead content of avia-
temperature was below 40 F, I still
had that rough engine for about 15 lO
30 seconds after startup. I passed it
off as cold oll tside air temperatures.
I read j oe Maynard's article and
could hardly wait to get to the airpon
to see il· I had the same problem. I
couldn't blow by mouth through the
drain tube. It was plugged solid. After
removing th e one-folllth inch alumi-
num tube, a big gob of bug stuff blew
out of it when air pressure was applied. This cured the engine roughness I'd been experiencing after start
and fixed an abnorrnal situation .
n,e point is: If Mr. Maynard hadn't
taken the lime to w rite up his discovel)', I mighl never have found the answer to my problem.
For ulOse of you who have the February 1989 ABS News!etlel; reread that
"Obligations" anicle. I don't give very
many sennons, but that was one of the
bener ones.
Lew Gage may be contacted at
Sunn'se Fillers, Inc. 2255 Sunn'se
Reno, lW 89509 7021826-7184
PAGE 3243
I
never tire of Aying. From cubs to jets, tJle planes have
been great. After thousands of hours of fl ying cross-coun-
try, I find God's earth to be more beautiful than I can
possibly describe. And airplane people: Wow!
As I fly high over the snow covered Rockies, I try to focus my thoughts on a meeting J am going to a{tend tomorrow. Jim Erickson at Nation Air lnsurdnce has invited me to
stop by to share my thoughts on Recurrent Pilot Training
with him and Dick Coffey, the editor of t 0e Minl1esota Flyer.
I lIy to fom"} a mental image of wha t I think they w ill
want to talk about. Tangibles, I suppose, slich as a BFR or
ICC. What else'
Beaver. I love it! All kinds of airplanes and airplane people.
Then a wisp and our contrail begins to paint a brilliant
trail on the clouds below. I muse ... BFR .. .ICC' Naw ... 1don 't
want to talk about that stuff!
As we descend, Moum Hood and Mount Ranier punch
up through the cloud deck wea ring brilliant wh ite robes.
Spectacular!
As we are handed off to Vancouver approach conlrOl, we
are between layers. A glance side~\'ays revea ls snow covered
mountains rising out of the lower deck and disappearing
into the upper deck. Dick Sturm and I agree that we will be
on our best behavior in regard
landing checklist is complete. The marine channel to our
right is alive w ith seaplanes. The freeway is choked w ith
morning Lrdffic.
As we rapidly ~pproach touchdown, we wonder if tht:
tower has forgotten us. Then we see the traffic. A single
engine O tter rolls across our runway and struggles into
the air.
"Cleared to land. " Touchdown is so smooth we can
hardly discern the transi tion due to hydroplaning. As we
sink to the rum.vay, up come the reversers.
Aftt:r clearing customs, we park between an F18 and a
[Q
naVigation this mOining.
Down we go.
As the localizer rteedle comes alive, the gear goes down
with a rumble. I pitch to the glideslope and target V",r (1.3
Vso) with 70 percent power.
\Vle break out over an oceangoing tug with a barge in
tow . The runway ahead glistens with warer. On speed now,
AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY, JUNE 1993
\Vow!
No pretensions! Recurrent training should be about real
fl ying and a BFR o r TCC should simpl y fall out of such training. Hmmm ... makes sense.
The FAA has set minimum standards. Pilots who reall y
love Aying should exceed those min.imu.m standards by a
counlly mile.
1 now know whatl want to talk about with Jim Erickson
and Dick Coffey. I am prepared in my heart to talk about
Aymg as I know it-be it cubs or jets!
Our rneering is fun as we address Recurrent Pilot Training and Companion Training (aimed at helping our families
enjoy flying, too.)
As we wrap up our agenda , it's clear to me that some of
the love of flying has missed the mark and 1 say, "Coffey.
let's you and I go fl ying, now! We' lI brief for a half-hour and
(co ntinued Oil ne..\1 page)
PAGE 3244
I
1992 aviation fatalities
Deaths drop for COOUl1uter
and conunercial airlines; rise
for general aviation.
MED-FACTS
I
since 1986, when five people died in
that category.
There we re 74 accidents and 66 fatalities invo lving U.S. air taxis in 1992,
compared to 88 accidents and 73 fatalities the year be fore, according to the
NTSB. The 74 accidents are the fewest
total of95 1 people d ied in 2,105
aVlat.lOn aCCidents Ifl the United
States or involving U.S. regis-
A
gan compiling air taxi records in 1975.
tered civil aircraft last yea r, according
fatal accidents in the United States and
to preliln inary figures from the Na-
nine deaths, while unregistered aircraft
tional Tra nsportation Safety Board.
Most of 1992's fatalities occurred in
generdl aviation with 40B fatal accidents resulting in B12 deaths.
In 1991, there were 414 fatal general aviation accidents and 746
deaths. There was a tota l of 1,956
in the United Stares had seven fatal
accidents with 10 deaths.
According to figures supplied to the
NTSB by the FAA, U.S. air carriers flew
a record 4.74 billion scheduled miles
general aviation accidem s last year,
th e lowest numbe r since the NTSB
began compiling aviation records in
1967. Last yea r, there were seven fatal commuter avia tion accidents, compared to e ight in 199 1, the NTS B re-
ports. The number of fatalities aboard
commuter airplanes dropped to 21 in
1992 from 77 a yea r earlie r.
Large commercial sched uled carriers registered four fatal accidents and
33 fatalities in 1992, compared to the
same number of accide nts and 49
deaths the year before. The 33 fatalities
represent the lowest number of d"'dths
involving air taxis since the board beForeign-registered aircraft had six
last year, an increase o f more than 173
million miles fro m 1991.
The FAA reports that there were
approximately 7.6 million sched uled
departures by air carriers in 1992, a
slight increase of about one percent
over 1991 departures, and a record
11.6 millio n hours flown .
Commuter air carriers flew an esti-
mated 408 million miles and had approximately 2.9 millio n departures in
1992, up from 3Bl million miles flown
and a little more than 2.7 million departures in 1991.
Aircraft flying in the United States
logged approximately 43.B million
hours in 1992, the FAA reported.
Old you know? early one-third of
Ame ricans don't drink alcoho lic beverages. Tho ugh some no n-drinkers abstain
for
religious
reasons,
many
choose nor to drink for health reasons
say health experts.
'
Others are reJuc.tant to be under the
influence of so powerful a drug. Some
simply don 't like alcohol's effects. Recovering alcoholics also completely
avoid drinking alco holic beverages.
About 10 percent of all drinkers
are alcoholics. Alcoholism is a disease
w hose main symptom is uncontrolled
d rinking. Alcoholics are actuall y addi cted to alcohol and depend o n it to
function. Alcoholics cannot choose
whether or not to drink, how much to
drink o r w he n to drink-they drink
compulsively regardless of th e consequences.
Alcoholic drinking, unlike heavy
drinking, is progressive. It usually gets
worse and worse. \'(fhat dis tin~i s hes
alcoholics is that drinking causes a
continuing problem in some area of
their lives.
While no "cure" for alcoholism exists, some 65-85 percent of alcoholics
who enter tre'd.lInent programs recover
to lead lives witho ut alcohol. - Walter
E. Reiss, ABS 1510, Aviatio n Medical
Examiner
then we will, together, make your airplane talk. "
Coffey is pretty laid back .. .and
thinks of himself (like most of us) as a
pretty good pilot. And he is. But I say
to him, "You can be even better by
and ro ll into a 30 deg ree bank o n altitude; nor bad. Increase to 45 degrees;
nor bad. Increase to 60 degrees; good.
Coffey has his head down as I ro ll
the airplane into a fast descending spiral. Recovery is marginal. Let's do that
again because if we do that wrong coming out of vertigo, we'll fold the wings.
poHshing your skilJs w ith an instructor
aboard ."
T he second recovery is much safer.
Pitch down, accelerate and execute
and giggling at the same time? Let's
debrief and sign off YOllr BFR!"
PILOT TRAINING
(cmltinuedjrom previous page)
So off we go! Checkl ist. (He is
a smooth lazy e ight. Fun, fun , fun.
ranled w ith the right seal being occu-
Power reduction fo r an emergency
pied.) Engine start. Engine shutdown .
landing; p ull out the prop to reduce
drag. No questio n we will make the
field of choice.
Missed approach. full power and
climb at v y.
Call approach control ; get a vector
for an ILS. Localize r track O.K.
Glideslope capture lousy. Pitch, pitch
to glideslope ... airspeed be damned.
Approach minimums; slow to Vrer (1.3
Vso). Pitch, pitch to airspeed. Fly tight
into ground effect, i.e., ground rush.
Remove chocks. Engine start, taxi and
takeoff.
As we climb out of the panern, I
increase drag to simulate icing conditions. Coffey wo rks hard to remain at
his ice penetration speed . Not bad.
Then transition to slow flight at plus
and minus 20 feet of altitude. Stall,
minimum pitch change and full power
recovery with almost no altitude loss.
Then accelerate to maneuvering speed
AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY, JUNE 1993
Kill off the descent rate, power full off
and don't let it touch . Mains roll o n
and the tail unloads.
Coffey maintains attitude and then,
with pOSitive contro l, he places the
nose wheel on the runway. We are so
slow we could wa lk alo ngside the airplane. Taxi in and shut down.
"Hey, Coffey, w hy are you sweating
Bob Ericksen (J 1,000 fligbt bours) is
chief pilot for First Bank System and
airport manager at Shell Lake, Wis.
ClT!dentiais include FAA ATP, Typed.·
Citation, Falcon and Vlestwind. Rated.·
Gliders, Helicopters and SMEIISES; FAA
Accident Prevention Counselor, FAA
Flight Instructor (Gold Seal) AlGI
5MEUSES; FAA Ground Instn/ctor, Advanced and fnslnanent . Bob is also a
BPPP instructor pilot fo r the American
Bonanza Society.
PAGE 3245
1957
~odel
sports
1983 V-Tail paint job
Owner Larry Van Dam still
dll·illed when novices d1ink
it's a new airplane.
T
hey say a Bonanza owner can't
leave the airpon without turning
for that "o ne last look" at the ai rplane. After some 12 years of those
looks. I think I know how [ got this
pennanent kink in my neck.
Our H-Model N5478 Delta (D-4985)
was built in February 1957, exactly one
mo nth before I married my wife, Mary.
H owever, it was 24 years later before
78 Delta came into Ollr lives as a "ghost
Panel of [Arry Van Dam 's 1957 H -Model Bonanza, N547B.
frameless pilot's wi ndow alternator,
a vacation trip to Lake Powell. The
Cleveland brakes, oil filter, card style
compass and D.G . and digital OAT.
same
ship" as I heard he r zoom over Flabob
Airpon on a typically smoggy Southern
O perational ma intenance dicta ted a
California afternoon. A few moment.,
repair, rebuilt mags with new harnesses and sever.al sets of plugs.
later, Captain Bryce McCormick
(American Airlines-Ret.), turned back,
found the strip and made a I ypically
smooth Bonanza landing. \X'ilh a p re-
purchase inspection and Lest flight accomplished, Btyce took his booty, got
a final V-Tail ride back to his 36 Model
at Torrance and 78 Delta and I joined
the family of "Flabob Flyers."
At that time the original appea rance of the airplane had been modifi ed with the Baron third window, M style lips and a stinger tail cone.
Mechanical mods included fuel injection, six cylinder EGT, and an air/ oi l
separator. The exterior fmish was
light blue bottom and a white top
accented with a gold stripe, plated
spinner and polis hed prop.
The interior was finished in a com-
brutally expensive fuel pump, fuel cell
Other than tllOse relatively few
interior
colors
of off-white
naugahyde and metallic gold fabric
were used and a dark gold carpet fmished the iob. The color matches with
the exteri or were almost pelfecl and
the workmanship was exceptional.
(Mark has since done two Glasair
items, the Continental 0-470 ha s re-
projects in ieauler and both drew raves
quired little work and has been a solid
cross-country performer producing
cmise speeds up to 185 mph on as
litde as 11.3 gph (so the 11.3 only happened once). Anyhow, most of the
from the owners.)
So with the exception of a rapidly
approaching TBO and the same old
funds have gone into fl yi ng and upgrades, as contrasted to repairs.
The old "turbo-Bonanza " automo-
tive paint job d ied in 1983, so after researching Southern California paint
shops, 78 Delta went back to Torr-.nce
to visit Ted Fleck (recently deceased, [
understand) at Barons. A few weeks
la ter, Ted and Doug rolled out what
appeared to be a facrory new 1983 VTail (yeah, [ know d,e V's went out of
production in '82) w ith a combination
Beech painl scheme (36 fuse!age/ 35
tips) featuring a "moondust" base coat
paneVavionics, 78 Delta continues [0
please and perform as a useful business tool and a fabu lo us RV.
The best things about Bonanza
ownership? Owning a quality built
American product that looks and perfanTIS as well wday as when it was
designed and manufactured; continuing factory interest and support of its
product line (example, the tail mod
fix); our own society of owners with its
vol unteers and professio nal staff and
people like Nann Colvin, our maintenance and support "main man," to
help with mose occasio nal and un-
plimentary gold/ w hite scheme with
several styles of carpel. The panel was
slightly modified facrory original wilh
good, if not spectacular, Narco Mark
16's w/ Glideslope, Three ught Marker
trinlmed in "blood " red and "bright"
never have as many grateful friends or
gold with white landing gear.
The plane was promptly nown
Beacon and a Lear AD F (now a salt
(he Denver ABS Convention w here
water depth tester).
Even back then, Bryce had Mode C.
guess he knew the FAA would require this stuff later.) 78 Delta had
o
over by fellow members and the staff
of the host FBO for no nexistent naws.
Ted's now decade old Imron paint
been fearurcd in a very earl y newsletter as a "highly modified" Bonanza ancl
job still attracts admiring viewers o n
ra mps everywhere.
fans as Norm of ABS.) And, of course,
there is the recurrent guilty thrill of letting novices think my 35-year-old bird
is a new airplane.
My Bonanza dreams? A "Victor"' 300
horsepower blueprinted engine (as
Tim Allen says, "more power'), tip
tanks (as I say, "more fuer) , updating
back then she p robably was. In the
The old interior still matched the
10
she was closely inspected over and
90's she would have been considered
new paint and lasted umil (wo years
sligbtly modified.
ago whe n fa mil y pals Mark and Jan
Manasco (Manasco Upholstery-Riverside, Calif.) replaced the interior from
carpet to headliner in a baner deal for
However, the mods continued as
the budget allowed, so 78 Delta now
SPO lts a Speedslope
Windshield,
AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY, JUNE 1993
usual problems. (Nom, of Cheers will
the
paneVavionics, more
lrips
{Q
Oshkosh and much longer trips (like
the overseas nights some of my fellow
members take) than I've taken so far.
[s there more' Probably, but I'd bener
check with Mary. -£any E. Van Dam,
ABS 13757, Riverside , Calif.
PAGE 3246
I
835 rudder flutter. As tile proud owner
of a B35 Bonanza which recently developed a tail fluner problem, 1 feel
ABSFORUM
An idea and information
resource for all ABS members.
compelled to share infom13tion about
the prohlem and the fix Witil ABS
members. My Bona nza (which was
just w here I had set them a few years
earlier, although they were bot11 ne'dr
featured in the ABS Newsletter Bonanza
the tail heavy limits allowed by Beech;
of the Month in December of 1989)
developed this problem soon after ti1<:
installation of a new Hartzell hydraulic
cable tension was w ith in specs and I
could 11m find any stmcturdl defects.
prop conversion kit.
The problem first surfaced moments
after starting a gende descent at an in-
dicated airspeed of 170 mph, 2300
rpm , w ith about 21 inches MAP, just as
T encountered a mild evening themlal.
The resulting ';bump / ' even though it
was minor in nanlr(!, started the rudder
pedals vibrating wildly and a loud
"bu zz" emanated from the rcar of the
aircraft.
At the same time, the instrument
I put all the parts back in place, rechecked fifth control rigging, travel
limits, and tightened all the cables to
the upper limit allowed by dle Service
Manual and prepared the airplane for
another flight to see if I had solved ule
fl uttc r problem. UnfcJltunately, me
problem persisted so I made one more
ancing of the propeller.
Wid, this news I called the owner of
our local propeller sho p and arrdnged
ro have him check out the dynamic
balance of my newly installed propeller. Sure e nough, the brand new prop
was
60 grarns
out of balance.
With a sigh of relief, after a lot of
hOllrs spent reworking the wi! of this
old Bonanza, and fU1ally a good feeling mat I had finally found someuling
r.uher tensed up bUl sa fe approach
that could have caused nldcler flutter. I
and landing.
At this time 1 thought I had bener
call the Beech technical staff for help.
donned my parachute, stuffed myself
behind the yoke, and took off into ule
wild blue yonder to see if I had solved
the problem. Since I had chosen a nice
~nl ey
were all very eager and willing to
panel vibmted so badly I could hardly
help in any way possible and they pro-
read the instrument'). The frequency
and the amplinlcie of (he vibration increased almost instantaneously to a
point w here r thought thal the aircf::lft
was going to come apalt.
Instinctively, I planted my feel
vided me with lots of advice-from
what to look for to how to make any
needed repai rs.
I followed dleir advice and dislllantJ ed the ta il one more time. This
time I checked and double checked
finnl y o n the rudder pedals, and
pulled back on d,e ulfOrtle and the el-
each individual part number (to make
sure that someone or myself had nOl
eva tor in an attempt to get the airplane
slowed down immediately. Fortunately
for me, the vibration ceased as soon as
J accomplished the speed reduction at
insta lled an improper part), replaced
all of me hinge bearings (which is a
complete story in itself) then checked
and o r replaced all rod e nd bearings.
Everything was put back in like new
an indic-ated airspeed of 150 mph.
Since I am a military pilot by tf'dde
(F4-G Wild Weasel) and have had lots
sce if he had heard of anyone else
having similar fl uuer problems. As luck
would have it, he had; the Ha!1zell
propeller had encountered similar
symptoms and one of these Bonanzas
had been cured through dynarnic bal-
condition.
day with no turbulence, the only way
I could test for rudder flutter was to try
and induce nldder flutter which I did
by kicking the rudder pedals, then releasing pressure on the controls, from
150 mph indicated to redline in !O
mph incremcms. The flight controls
responded just as they should have, by
damping all induced motion w ithin a
second or so.
What a good feeling it was to finall y
have d,is o ld bird flyi ng as smooth and
steady as it has always been. Unfol1u-
nate/y, 1 couldn't tell tilat the engine!
tary aircraft flight control theory, de-
terweight (PIN 35-660040.{)7), which is
prop combination was any smoother
after the balancing, it has always been
very smooth, bur the airframe definitely noticed the change because bal-
sign and malfuncti ons an d ha ve ex-
about one pound heavier than the
ancing the prop had eliminated the
perie nced
control
original, is available for 35 through
problems over the years , I kn ew I
had a big problern w ith the Bonanza
and I needed ro get on the ground
quickl y and with minimum maneuveri ng. Fortunately, for me, my desti-
G35 Bonanzas and that installation of
the ne\V weight would move the
nlClcleJvato r balance closer to [he cen-
vibration that was causing the harmonic and or resonal1l frequency
w hich was exciting the n1ddervators.
Obviously, moving the CG of the
ruddervators had some effect also, just
how much I am not sure because I am
not an Aeronautical Engineer, only an
A&P. but in any case, the combination
of prop and fuclde lvator balancing
of training and experience with mili-
many
flight
nation also happened to be the closest airport so I made a rather tense
but uneventful landing.
A postflight inspection of the airplane revealed no damage but I knew
that, after encountering flutter of the
magnirude that I had just experi enced,
especiall y since there were no visible
defects, I wou ld have to do a very detail ed inspection on the tail of the airplane to food the problem.
First, I removed the ruddervators
and checked the balance. I found both
AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY, JUNE 1993
At dlis time the Beech teelmical staff
advised me dlat a new elevator coun-
ter of tile allowable CG mnge.
This sounded like a good idea to
me since I didn't feel comfortable with
the ruddervator balance at or near the
edge of the allowable limit anyway, so
I ordered a pair and installed them.
This change brought the ruddervator
balance in at 18. 1 inches/ pounds tail
heavy, right in the middle of the allow-
solved my problem.
Ma ny ulanks to all the people on
the Beech technical staff who hel ped
ab le CG range, 06.8-19.8 inches/
pounds tail heavy).
and for all of the technical data that
they supplied and special thanks to
After I had all the new parts installed, 1 checked the Jigging one fllore
time and was about to fl y dle airplane
w hen 1 decided to call Lew Gage to
Lew Gage for his tinle and effort in
solving this frustrating problem.
me w ith tracking down pan numbers
It's really nice to know mat my 43yea r-old Beechcmft is still as supportPAGE 3247
was any damage on the tail and eleva-
able and maintaina ble as a 1993
model. Thanks Beech. -Ross D. Co/lins, ABS 13287, Operations Officer,
189th, "Wild Weaser Training Sqdn,
Boise. Idaho
tor surfaces. From where I was sitting,
I cou ld not see any damage.
Firmly ho ping that the two so far
unaccounted fo r strikes were o n the
nose cowl, I took the p lane off autopi\m and started to gently maneuver to
the left and right. slowly increaSing the
maneuvers as I gained confidence that
the aircraft's strucnmll integrity re-
Bird strike damage. One of you r fe llow board members, Bonnie \Vhiunan ~
urged me to write about my recent
bird strike expe ri e nce. She th ought
that me incident might be worth s haring with the AOS membership. The
story follo\vs:
mained intact. The aircrart handling
appeared unaffected. Be lieving that
the remaining rwo strikes were indeed
Two weeks before Christmas, 1
made an afternoon flight in my A36
from Oakland, Ca lif. up to Arcata , Calif., approximately 230 miles north. It
\vas a crystal clear winter's evening
v.lith a bright \vhite sky. The surro unding terrain was dark in comparison . Due ro exceptionall y strong
head winds, I was cruiSing at a lower
dlan normal altitude of 4,500 MSL on
autopilot.
1 was over a valley, just nOlth o f
Willits (some 50 nllies south of my
destination), looking out of the
w indscreen, w hen a Oock of ducks
suddenl y popped out of the dark
background directly in [rom of me.
The closure nile was so fast I only had
time to get my hand half-way from my
lap to the yoke be fore dle ducks were
d'lUdding into my aircraft. At the last
minute 1 closed my eyes and ducked.
When [ reopened my eyes the first
dling I saw was a broke n leading edge
with an indentation the size of a football right next [ 0 me at the root of the
left wing. Alanned by dle magnitude of
on the nose , I checked that e ng ine
temperatures remained nOnllal , and
then made the decision to proceed to
my destination which offered an airline-length runway in the event that
either of the unseen strikes had fou led
the nose gea r doors. Fortunatel y, the
landing was uneventful.
A post-shutdown inspection revealed a substantially disfigured no se
cowl and a li be ra l coating of duck puree on fuse lage, wings and rail surfaces. WOrdl noting is that two of dle
ducks had passed through the propelle r a rc intact and then stnlck the \ving
root and nose cowl. I considered myself extremely fortunate no t to have ex
perie nced a \vindshield strike (despite
the damage on the wing, T quickl y
started scanning the visible surfaces for
add itional damage. Replaying the impact sounds in my head, I was sure
dlat the plane had suffered at least four
strikes. I located a second strike outboa rd of the fuel filler cap on d,e right
wing. I twisted to try and see if there
I
L.· _
.....
AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY, JUNE 1993
~.-
having insta lled the thicker half-inch
windshield for th is very reason three
yea rs prior).
Repair of the aircraft required the
replacement of both wing leading
edges forward of the main spar, replacement of the nose cowl, and the
straightening of a not inconsequential
amount of supporting structure. The
bill was £20,000, fortunately covered
by insu rance. Apparendy, bird strikes
are not an uncommon experience. My
insurance agent indicated that my
claim was the third he had received
within one week. - lV Colin Lind, ABS
22897, San Fra ncisco , Calif.
Correction. In reference to your article
in your Ma rch 1993 issue about should er harness safety by George
Wilhelmsen, we would like to thank
you for mentioning that we cany seat
helts and shoulder harnesses. However, your article contained several errors which have caused numerous
phone calls from your readers to us
aski ng about ou r belts.
We do sell seat belts, shoulder harnesses, inertial reels, and four and five
point buckles. However, ax! do 110/ sell
kits with mounts and hardware, nordo
we bcwe STC's.
Field ~lpprovals a re req uired with
ou r belrs and we do have an approved
exa mple of a 337 fo rm w i[h brackeL
diagram for a shoulder hames."i installation . W/e have solei several belt systems
to Beechcraft owners who have had
them inswlled using the FAA Fonn 337
process with no problems, and who
have been very happy w ith the quality
of our belts and the huge savings in
cost over the Beechcraft products.
Our lap belts sell for 528.95 ea. , the
lap and sho ulde r set is 549.95, and the
lap belt with inertial reel for the shoulder is 5219.95. The webbing is two
inches wide and 2,500 pounel rated
(1 ,500 lb. is standa rd) and comes in
navy blue , royal blue, black , brown,
gold, maroon and red.
-RobeJ1 Cllsick, Generdl Manager,
Chief Aircraft, Inc., Grants Pass, O re.
Facts about roller rocker arms. Since
the introduction of Pelfonllance
Engineering's roller rocker ::lnllS, several ::lIticlcs have been written expressing opinions abollt their wonh, Because the indi viduals addressing this
PAGE 3248
subject are generally considered
knowledgeable about engines, their
influence is substantial. Fo r that reason, it is no longer possible for me to
conceal my amazement at what has
been published on this subjecl.
First, Mr. Webster has an interesting
comparison between the two words,
opinion and fact. Opinion, he says is
"belief not based on absolute cenainty
or positive knowledge. " Fact is "a thing
Ulat has actually happened"
With confidence, I feel that with
Terry Capehan's 27 years as an engine
rebuilder and founder of several suc-
there must be side pressures exerted
upon the valve stem. The toe of the
rocker nibs against the end of the
wear increases, stress points develop,
oil passes into the combustion cham-
bers and loss of power results. "Swal-
valve stem which prevents the possi-
lowed" valves frequently result in cata-
bility of straight-line pressures. No
strophic engine failure when that
matter how good alignment or how
happens. Under those circumstances ,
carefully the mechanic assembles your
engine, laws of physics will prevail.
Opinio ns supponed by irrefutable
the cost is mighty!
If the above facts haven't gotten
logic, facts and actual experiences
Capehart has gathered enough experience with roller tipped rocker affilS to
should leave no room for dispute. Applying some factS to bolster this position , consider that the coefficient of
friction of steel is a near constant of .2.
your attention,
then consider that
know that valve guide wear is virtuall y
eliminated. One of his customers in
Canada overhauled his engine at 2400
hours and was absolutely ecstatic over
cessful overhaul companies, his personal experience exceeds that of the
If you multiply this figure by the 700
pounds of pressure required to open a
valve, you have a tangential side force
published "experts" expressing nega-
of 140 pounds. Such forces are e limi-
were in near perfect condition.
The engine in my Bonanza was
tive opinions about the value of roller
rocker anns.
nated, however, when you replace the
overhauled last year after 1825 hours
flat toe of the rocker arm with a roller
because there is no side loading.
Now, conside r this side force taking
place 1200 times a minute if your are
with roller rocker and the intake
guides were at new limits, exhaust
cmising at 2400 rpm. These destructive
said, "If your roller rocker arms pre-
side pressures happen 20 times per
vent me from having to replace one
cylinder, they are a bargain. "
He did not embark upon an extremely costly, five-year development
program because he fell that roller
rocker anns would be beneficial.
Capehart drew upon the vast experience in the automotive industry to
[ann the "opinion" thaI roller rocker
arms were not only beneficial to air-
craft engines but absolutely needed.
His opinion about what was needed
was based upon sound engineering
principles well proven in the automotive industry.
In addition, Capehart's concept is
second or 72 ,000 times an
hOUL
Should these facts leave any doubt in
yo ur mind as to w hat is happening
inside your engine, I suggest you visit
an engine shop and see the valve
guides that are removed from cylinders
undergoing premature top overhauls.
The guide bores stan out round but
end up oblong.
supponed by one of the leading aviation industry expens, George Altgelt, a
former consultant to both Continental
and Lycoming. Altgelt is a DER,
founder of Chrome Plate (now known
as ECI) and a pioneer in the develop-
I was amazed to read an article in
another publication in which the au-
ment and certification of chroming,
this individual knew that the tip of the
thor apparenlly thought that roller
rocker arms only addressed the area of
the rocker shaft bushing. There was no
indication from what was written that
welding and repair of aircraft cylinders.
rocker arm was rollerized instead of
Altgelt also W~IS the first to obtain an
JUSt replacing the bushing with needle
bearings.
Not all engines need the needle
bearings instead of bushings but Continental 10-470, 520 and 550 engines
do. These e ngines have angle valves,
STC for Ule complete repair by welding and machining of crankcases.
Hopefully, the above credentials
should be sufficient to eliminate any
question of credibility regarding this
subject. Weigh the following and determine for yourself whether or not
you believe ro ller lipped rocker anns
are of value.
First of all, if you study the geometry of how the rocker aml moves,
then you will know that the tip of the
rocker is rorating around a central axis
which means it must move in an arc. If
it is moving in an arc while doing the
job of opening and closing a valve
which moves in a straight line, then
AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY, JUNE 1993
therefore, the pressures applied to
the central bore are off center. The
bus hings wear rapidly and generate
metal contaminants which are then
circulated throughout the engine in
the fact that the guides and valves
worn slighuy over one and one-half
thousandths. As one of his customers
If you would like to have more information , call Terry Capehan at
800/ 364-0298. -Jim Van Gilder, ABS
10712, Dallas, Texas
Ir'\
Weight and balance calculations.
I have always had a little difficulty
in fully understanding how best to
calculate weight and balance fo r
my airplane. After spending a little
time trying to simplify it by using a
soict1y visual or graphic approach,
I prepared a chan with son of a
flow-through set of blocks to fill
out. With the aid of a small
handheld calculator, I find it qu ite
easy to use.
While this chan applies only to
my V35 Bonanza with its own
value for weight, etc., it can easily
be modified to fit almost any Bonanza. Perhaps other Bonanza
owners might be interested in using this approach.
-Paul A . Carisledt, ABS 27224,
Seanle, Wash.
the oil. By using needle bearings instead of bushings, this problem is
eliminated.
Most premature top overhauls are
necessary because of valve train problems. Once guides start to wear, a
chain reaction takes place. Rate of
If you have learned something important from your flying experience, this is
your chance to share it. Just mail your
contributions to ABS Newsletter, P.O.
Box 12888, Wichita, KS 67277.
PAGE 3249
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.,...
AFfC . G. LIM IT
."
Lv_
~_,_V_
~_A_&
__V_~_B_t_h_ru_~
__9~
__7_____________________
TOTAL
WEIGHT T.W.
by,
Paul A. Carlstedt
206-367-4199
L--_......JI+L.....r..-l = 0
C.G.
TOTAL
MOMENTS
T.M .
12545 3rd Ave . NW
ABS 27224
Seattle, WA
98177
A LEG TOO FAR
ra in r:adio contact with someone during the night west
Ten minutes laler, 1 was in the air. The ",,reamer had imit had proven itself to be solid, Lough and uncomplaining.
proved. just as the briefer had predicted. I found that the
A<; T climbed out at 0800 the next morning, a sober
pass area, fonnerly blocked this morning by snow showers,
thought we ighed on m y mind-it might be necessaJY to
was now open. I was able to proceed northwest, past the
return to Billings if conditions deteriorated during my pensmall town of DlUmmond. making good progress. However.
etration of the Rockies. 1 was committed to make this nll1
the Onal hurdle in this stretch awaited at Bonner Pass, just
u10ugh, not out of recklessness but for the purely practic,d
before Missoula. There the valley narrows abmptl y and pireason of wanting to see this thing through, as far as it could
lots are obliged to make a sharp left turn prior to landing at
safely go.
Missoula.
Maintaining a modest 4.500 feet above ground level, r
This na rrow defile turned o ur [Q be the most anxious
was handed ofT fro m Billings radar, told to remain VFR and
moment of the leg. It was envelo ped in marginal visibility,
squawk 1200 for the flight west. Due to my low altitude.
and until I caught a welcome glin1pse of Missoula th rough
there co uld be no radar ass istance from Salt Lake Center.
the gray barrier, r expected to return once aga in [Q Butte.
The updated fo ree.'"st called for moderate turbulence and up
My brief sense of triumph in reaching Missoula quickly
to 60 knot head winds at the higher alt itudes. To keep in
eva porated as I contacted Misso ula Flight Selvice: "Further
close touch with my options, I planned to follo\\' Highway
flight VFR west is not recommended. " Conditions to the
10. As added insurance, during flight planning I located
west were qu ickly deteriorating.
every harel-surfaced airfield th rough the mountains en route
As I brought the Beech to a standstill in the Missoula tm nto Spokan e.
sient parking area, I felt a sense of confidence in my deciEntering the fIrst of the mou ntain passes near Livingston,
sion to tenninate the night. Two hou rs later, my commercial
the autumn beauty of the red cottonwood leaves and IUshmetro liner lifted westbound from Missoula and faced t.he
menacing front , the anti-icing systems and [uriJine power
ing waterfalls was an impres.."ive sight-a pictOrial sedative
for a somewhat anxious pilot. Through the pass to
hand li ng wea ther my V-Tail never could. It was a strong
winte r stann, and even though we rocked th rough it for a
Bozeman, the highway rose in elevation until I was only BOO
time, I felf neither humiliation nor flUstration~nly relief.
feet AGL. Passing Butte 30 minutes later, I still had nOl en111at evening. 1 looked into the happy faces of my wife
countered any significant turi)lIlence. \'Vould this sequence
;md young family and felt com pletely fulfilled in my decision
be a piece of cake afte r all?
to leave the aircraft at Missoul a. Needless to say, they were
However, 2; miles west o f Bune the overcast sky descended to the highway in the form of snov". nllrries and
gJ:ld I did.
The next day, while routinel y scanning rhe paper, I saw
poor visibility. The mo untain peaks were cast in their first
a headline that made me freeze. It was the kind of moment
covering of sno\v. In the ominous cairn which now perwhen you think of the power of close calls, of wrong decimeated the air, I \vas allowed time in which to consider
sions, of what might have been.
my alternatives. I performed a 20 minute holding pattern,
r co uld hardl y believe what r read. The Piper Cherokee
1,000 feet above the highway within view o f a small paved
1'd seen at Butte. the lone plane lhat passed up the last
a irstrip near Deer Lodge, Mont. , waiting for vL'iibility ahead
0ppoltu nity to make a safe
1O improve.
landing in Missoula, was missIt didn 't take mu ch lo nger to
ing-p robably downed. Aga in
persuade me to return to Butte,
next day, while routinely
and again, I read the words
w here I resumed my analysis of
_Mig the paper. J saw
"single engine airplane that apthe situatio n over lunch. I was
parently ,vent down betwee n
reduced now to an either/ or deci~r.Idltnethat made meJreeze.
Missoula
and Spokane ..
sion. Should I continue, or cancel
the kind oj moment
r tho ught of the ugly stOIl11
the trip and return home comraging outc.; ide the metroliner's
mercially' r decided to consult the
_
.. J~- think oj the power
window. It almost seemed as if
Flight Service just once rnore. TIle
I had just read something about
seasoned flight briefer was more
myself. Then, in the sobering
encouraging this time, and supnwnbness of the moment, I
plied a report of the weau1er furhad a strange but natural sensather west Current reports sugtion, profound empathy for the family of the young man
gested there would be a window of opportunity in the next
who was the pilot. lost in the Morn1.
two hours, allowing fo r VFR west over Missou la, then
(The pilot of the ill-fated PA 28 Cherokee, who was in his
Mullan Pass, and on 10 Spokane. r decided to seize the
twe nties, was found the following summer by a hiker. The
opportunity and prepared to take off.
deadly crash occurred unwitnessed , just west of Missoula,
While taxiing out, r noticed a single PA 28 Cherokee
-®duri ng the first winter sto m1 of 19<){).)
passing low across the Oeld, following Highway 10 \Vestobvio usly headed in the same direction that I was. J C'Jlled
Butte Flight Service to ask if they W(;!re in touch with the
Dr. Dan O 'Brien is a pediatric dentist with 1500 hours ll 'ho
holds a private/instrument rating and bas Ix"en an ABS
pilot. They seemed surprised and professed no knowledge
of the lone aircraft. r was disappointed, as I hoped to mainmember since 1977. He resides in Seattle, \Vasb .
(colili /wed from page 3238)
AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY, JUNE 1993
PAGE 3251
OUTLOOK
GRAND PRIZE
SECOND CHANCES
One of the opportunities I gain from the
We're always looking for new ABS mem-
space given this column each month is to
bers. One of the ideas put in motion to promote membership in the Society offers one
thoLlsand dollars (a grand) to the Society
member who recruits the most new mem-
introduce new programs, producL') and services made available through the Society.
\Xlhen the first inlroduction does not result in sufficienr patronage to cominue the
program , product or service, I follow it up at
a later date in order to provide members a
second chance. In many cases, these second
chance announcements are made to describe changes in the original offer.
One such announccmem in this column
concerns all the new things (0 iex>k for in the
revised edition of Colvin's Clinic. r don't
know how he does it, but Nann Colvin has again managed
to make his great reference book even more til11eiy and
more comprehensive than it was.
Here are some of the things you will find in the new and
expanded book , Colvin s Clillic.
I. A more complete (and easier to find) Topical Index.
2. Engine overhaul and new break-in procedure.
3. Synthetic oils.
4. More and more on Barons
• Vent and heat systems widl two more schemmics.
• Baron throttle and mixtures conlrol.
• Baron induction air systems.
5. More about engine starter and E Series engine fuel
pump.
6. More about alternators.
7. More about air coolers.
8. More about high oil consllmption and cylinders.
9. More about pressure pumps, fuel pUlllpS and fuel
nozzles.
10. Reducing We'dr on cowl flap hinge bushings.
11. More on fuel vem systems and repair of vent tube.
12. How to comply with Beech Service Bulletin :51-2109
on fuel tanks and fuel systems.
13. More on fuel tanks, tip tanks and alLwia/)' tanks,
slimp dra ins and fuel fumes.
14. More on landing gear box and landing gears.
15. Nose strut light and schematic.
16. All about wing bolt and wing boh failures.
17. More about rubber fairings.
18. Visual inspection procedure for swel spars in fuselage.
19. More about elevators, ailerons and ruddervators.
20. More about noise ~Iround the cabin door.
21. More odcb and end, and Notes/10m my Little Black Book.
22. Updated to 1992 changes in all models of Bonanzas.
Debonairs, Barons and Travel Airs.
23. Comparison charts on Bonanz,,"ls, Debonairs, Barons
and Travel Airs.
24. ADs on Bonanzas, Debonairs, Barons and Travel Airs.
25. Other additions and changes \vithin the book too
small to mention bUl of benefit to all members.
AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY, JUNE 1993
bers by August 31, 1993 (the prize winner to
be mmounced at d,e ABS Convention in Reno).
Additional prizes of free ABS dues for
one year are also [ 0 be awarded to all contestants who recruit four or more new
members. And everyone who brings in
one new member gelS official recognition
for their efforts. Basically, everyone wins
who parricipates.
The big payoff, of course, will be a large number of new
members. This will add strength to the Society and make it
possible to offer even more benefits for eve!), ABS member.
\'(:re're counling on you to help. Ple:lse give it your best
drOIt. You may well be dle one who picks up one thousand
dollars in cash and the gratitude of the entire Society.
Here's a basic reminder of a basic sa les talk lhat might be
given to prospects for ABS membership.
Tcll those who Oy or own a Beechcnlft Bonanza, Baron
or Travcl Air to sign up now to become an ABS member.
For only 535 a year, they will get d,e best package of member selvices that they can find anywhere, including the following:
./ A momhly newsletter filled with helpful maimenance
articles
./ Activities of eight regional groups
./ Opportunity (0 swap airplane stories at the annual
national conventions
./ National Service Clinics
./ lational Pilot Proficiency Programs
./ Technical assistance from the best Bonanza-specific
experts in the world
./ Eligibility for a group aircraft insurance program
./ Accessibility [0 a comprehensive technical IibralY
./ Pans lcx.:ation assisrance
Then, tell d1em how much your ABS membership means
to you.
As board member and chaim1an of dle membership committee Roger Murray says: "Happy hunting."
~£:::,,""'
For those who want to take advantage of the special convention discounts by Delta Air Lines and Budget (car rental),
here are the toll free telephone numbers and codes:
Delta: 1-800-241-8760. Code E1076
Budget: 1-800-772-3773. Code VAR 2A MBS
PAGE 3252
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
JUNE
16-19 - ASS Service Clinic . Fresno, Calif.
COntact: ASS Headquarters, 316/945<;913.
11-12 • Baron Pilot Proficiency Program
(Mountain Flying). Colorado Springs. Colo.
Cut-off date: 5-28. Contact: ASS Headquarters,
316/945<;913.
16-19 - ASS Service Clinic. Westfield, Mass.
Contact: ASS Headquarters, 316/945<;913.
2~August
11·1.2 • Bonanza Pilot Proficiency Program
{Mountain Flying} , Colorado Springs, Colo.
Cut-off date: 5-28. Contact: ASS Headquarters,
316/945<;913.
1 - Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association
Meeting. Olympia Village. Oconomowoc. Wis.
COntact: David E. Prewitt, 215/56M300.
OCTOBER
14 - ASS Service Clinic. Albany. N.Y.
Contact: ASS Headquarters, 316/945<;913.
~10 - Bonanza Pilot Proficiency Program.
Concord. N.H. Cut-off date: 9-22. Contact:
ASS Headquarters, 316/945<;913.
8-10 - Midwest Bonanza Society Ay-ln.
Myrtle Beach Hilton. North Myrtle Beach.
S.C. Contact: Joe Salyer. 614/882-0763.
AUGUST
2~22 - Midwest Bonanza Society Ay·ln.
Sugarloaf Resort. Sugar Loaf Mountain. Mich.
Contact: Joe Salyer, 614/882.0763.
15-18 - ASS Service Clinic. Arcola, Texas .
COntact: ASS Headquarters, 316/945<;913.
26-21- Potomac '93-EAA Chapter 36,
16th Annual Fly-In/ Drlve-In. Potomac
Airpark, Berkley Springs, W. Va. Contact:
Dean Truax, 717/294-3221 or June Green.
301/7390074.
2~29 - EAA Chapter 36 Second Ay-In.
Hagerstown. Md. Contact: June Green. 301/
73!HlO74.
22-24 - Baron Pilot Proficiency Program.
Wichita. Kan. Cut-off date: 106. Contact:
ASS Headquarters, 316/945<;913.
27 - Macomb Airport Authority Annual FlyIn/ Orive-in Breakfast. Macomb Airport.
Macomb, III. COntact: Macomb Airport
Authority,309/833-3324.
12-16 - ABS Convention. Reno, Nev. Contact
ASS Headquarters, 316/9456913.
19 - Falmouth Airpark Fly-In . Falmouth,
Cape Cod, Mass. Contact: Betsy McCusker 1-
8Q().7!J3.9017 0< 508/548-9017,
JULY
7-11- T-6 Fly-In and Formation Clinic .
Greenwood, Miss. Contact: Vernon Ricks,
601/453-5646; Peny Smith, 800/748-
SEPTEMBER
NOVEMBER
18-19 - North Central EAA Ay-In. Whiteside
County Airport. Rock Falls. III. Contact: Gregg
Erikson, 708/513-0642.
24-26 - Bonanza Pilot Proficiency Program.
Fresno. Calif. Cut-off date: 9-8. Contact: ASS
Headquarters, 316/945<;913.
9064 .
1993 BONANZA PILOT PROFICIENCY
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
Date
22-24 - Bonanza Pilot Proficiency
Program. Wichita, Kan . Cut-off date: 106.
Contact: A8S Headquarters, 316/945<;913.
Location, Phase and Reservation
5-7 - Bonanza Pilot Proficiency Program.
Winston-Salem, N.C. Cut-off date: 10-20.
Contact: ASS Headquarters, 316/945<;913.
19--21- ASS/ ASF Right Instructor
Refresher Course. Charlotte. N.C. Contact:
ASS Headquarters, 316/945<;913.
1993 BARON PILOT PROFICIENCY
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
(Initial or Recurrent)
Cut~ff
location and Reservation Cut-off
Sept. 24-26 ............. . ... Fresno, Calif. (Initial)
Date
Oct. 8-10 ...... • _ .• • . ...... Concord. N.H. (Initial)
Oct. 22-24 ....................... Wichita , Kan.
Oct. 22·24
..•.. .. ... Wichita, Kan. (Recurrent)
Nov. 5-7 . . . ..
. ....... Winston-Salem. N.C. (I nitial) 10/20
10/6
Aying Companion Course available at all BPPP locations except
Mountain Aying Course.
Application form on page 3243T.
Rying Companion Course available at all BPPP locations except
Mountain Rying Course.
Application form on page 3243T.
Date
Location
FDO
June 25-28
Smithfield. N.C.
Mobile Aircraft/Sparkchaser
Aircraft Service
Ju ly 16-19
Fresno, Calif.
Beechcraft West
July 16-19
Westfield , Mass.
Charis Air Corporation
Aug. 6-9
Houghton Lake. Mich.
Blodgett Aviation
Aug. 27·30
Woodland. Calif.
Woodland Aviation. Inc.
Oct. 1-4
Albany. N.Y.
Signature Right Support
Oct. 15-18
Arcola. Texas
Avionics Wing
AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY, JUNE 1993
1•
PAGE 3253