March 2001 |
On Top ! |
Newsletter of South Central Ozarks EAA Chapter 1218 |
March 2001 |
On Top ! |
Newsletter of South Central Ozarks EAA Chapter 1218 |
| Address inquiries, information, suggestions, or criticisms to the editor, Fred Kalhoefer, Route 1, Box 71, Macomb, MO 65702; phone (417) 683-2870; e-mail redbaron@getgoin.net. | |||
| Ah, Spring! Greetings! Another month has gone by and March has arrived. The month's arrival has also brought two changes in the newsletter format. My publisher (Susan) changed our banner a little to show what it is really like "on top," and this month we also, for the first time, have some sponsors -- who by their advertising help defray the cost of publishing the newsletter. I hope you like what you see and will respond by adding your own advertisement. Your ad could be seen worldwide on the Web through the help of the various search engines. And, with March's arrival, the meetings at the White's hangar are also coming to an end. (Well, you knew it had to come sometime.) So, if you have not yet experienced "Breakfast at the White's," this will be your last chance. Once more here are the directions if you are driving in: Turn northeast at the stop sign in the center of town (Hwy 137) and then right at DD Highway. Just before you get to the airport, turn right again on Sunshine. Make a left on Bryan and go to the hangar. If you are flying in, the hangar is at the northwest side of the runway (17-35) on the Willow Springs airport. The breakfast, by the way, will consist of sausage, ham, biscuits, gravy and scrambled eggs. And all that for free. Maybe now is the time to thank Ron White for spending all those hours fixing the breakfasts, making his hangar available and making us all feel so welcome. Thanks, Ron. You can all show your appreciation by making a contribution to Ron's Aviation Youth Fund. Featured Guest at the March Meeting Our speaker this month will be Chuck Hiett, Lt. Cmdr., USMC (Ret). Chuck is a former member of the famous Blue Angels team and also served as an instructor at Patuxent NAS. He will teach us all about angle of attack indicators and why they are such useful instruments. Rumor has it that Chuck is going all out and wants to show us how he plans to "save his bacon" with the Bacon Saver in his newly acquired Gruman Traveller. February Meeting Wrap-Up Last month's guest speaker was Mike Swink of West Plains. He is the area representative for Destiny Powered Parachutes. His presentation was sometimes very funny when he spoke of what all things people have tried to do with powered 'chutes -- and also became very serious when he spoke of accidents that have happened when pilots didn't use their head and failed to use common safety practices. It taught me again that even the safest flying device is not safe when we get in a hurry or forget what we have learned in our primary training. I asked Mike what the three most important points are when he speaks about his 'chute, and these are the ones he gave me: "1. The powered parachute is classified as one of the safest air vehicles made. They are stall resistant. They are two-axis controlled. They can land and take off in short distances and on rough terrain. In case of engine failure you simply fly the powered parachute to the ground and flare for a good smooth landing. 2. Destiny Powered Parachutes, which is the brand I distribute, have individual seating, a 550-pound payload, 10-gallon fuel capacity, airspeed of 30-36 mph, take off in approximately 300 feet, and have extremely good handling capabilities. 3. The requirements to fly a two-place trainer are a minimum of 10 hours of training and a minimum of 25 to 40 hours of solo time (depending on the type of two-place ultralight trainer) before taking a BFI course. The BFI course will enable you to become a Basic Flight Instructor, and to instruct students." I have added some pictures of the Destiny in flight. One shows Mike participating in the World Championship Powered Chute Contest.
No, Mike did not
run over the guy lying on the ground. The guy had
evidently just lain down because he was tired. |
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| Featured Member of the Month | |
| Our bio comes to us from John Zook this month. It is a bittersweet story and reminds me that I am not the only person that has to overcome hurdles. In fact, John teaches us all something about overcoming hurdles. | |
| John
Zook, Chapter Secretary  |
"While
following a team of horses behind a plow or harrow in the
fields of central Pennsylvania, my desire for wings took
shape. I was 10 or 11 at the time. I would hear (I could
hear then) those seemingly BIG airplanes at the time,
come fly by over head and disappear over the mountain. I
took my first lesson in a Cub, 35 hours, skid under the
tail and no brakes. After 3 hours I was advised to get my
physical. "The doctor took one look at me and asked how old I was. He advised that I would need my father's signature. I was confronted with my first of many hurdles. My father was unhappy with me as I sprouted wings and went on my own before he thought that I should. I kept logging a little time as money was very scarce. We're talking about the mid 30s. "World War II came on the scene and, upon turning 21, I enlisted in the Air Force. I was assigned to Atlantic City for basic training and wound up being chosen to be a drill instructor. During the next four months, every day, civilian planes would fly over and head out over the ocean searching for subs. Oh!, the sound of those planes was so sweet. I took my physical for the cadet program with flying colors. Then came the written exam for this eighth-grade educated guy from a one room school house -- failed. Hurdle #2 was now behind me. "I enrolled in the aerial gunnery program and was transferred to Fort Myers, Florida. After completing the school I was assigned to be an instructor at the school. Between there and Yuma, Arizona, the war came to an end and I was transferred to Lincoln, Nebraska, for discharge from the service. "While there, the Air Force was recruiting personnel to join a B-29 squadron to serve in Germany. Since I had not been overseas, I enrolled. After a three-month furlough I reported to Fort Worth, Texas. The third day there I was called into a Capt. Seaman's office and informed that I would be joining him along with others to start a gunnery school in Salina, Kansas, for the 15th Air Force. "Shortly after arriving there, I laid eyes on the lady that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Thus entered hurdle #3. As she had no use for wings and knowing (then) that I wanted her more than wings, I ignored the GI bill and quit flying. "After moving to St. Joe, MO, and two fine daughters later, very little cash was available for flying. I purchased a half interest in a J3 Cub for $600.00 and finally soloed, did my XC work, and proceeded to flunk the written. Sold the J3 and quit flying. "The next turn of events arrived shortly after moving to Theodosia, Missouri. I went to a fly-in up by Sparta and simply went berserk. I bummed five rides and announced that I was going home and buying an airplane. "I soon thereafter purchased my first Taylorcraft, had my own strip and everything was fine except my lady still hated flying and didn't like living in the country. Thus entered hurdle #4. "We moved to town and for 10 years everything was fine (not really), until I met Ray Fine and his C-140 in Ava and flew to a fly-in. I knew, as soon as we started down the runway what was going to happen. You guessed it. I started looking for a 1940 Taylorcraft as it qualifies for the new Sport Pilot's ticket that is about to come on line. I found my songbird in Toccoa, Georgia. It's not for sale at any price and when I am called to make that final flight "west," my ashes are to be spread over McVey Bald overlooking the strip that I enjoyed so much. "It's been a wonderful journey and to be able to own a T-craft, enjoy good health at age 80, AND JUST FLY FOR THE FUN OF IT, 'WELL, IT JUST DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER.'" John is very hard of hearing -- another big hurdle -- yet he volunteered to be chapter secretary and is doing a very good job in this capacity. Way to go, John. |
| Oh, Those Wonderful Techie-Toys! In the gadget corner I would like to tell you about some opportunities on eBay. If you would like to upgrade your navigation equipment, you can now buy some of the best Loran receivers for a fraction of their original cost. These receivers were priced at six to seven thousand dollars just a few years ago but can now be had for four to five hundred dollars. They have huge aviation databases, have all the bells and whistles of GPS receivers, and work with the very reliable Loran system instead of satellites. The only drawback is that Loran only works on the North American continent, but that's still a lot of area to cover. |
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| March Meeting Announcement | |
| Again, our meeting
is on Saturday, March 10th at the White's hangar, on
Willow Springs Airport at 9:00 AM sharp. Well, that's it for this month. See you at the meeting! |
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Please Visit Our Newsletter Sponsors |
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| Get Away From It All! |
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|
Lost
Mine Residential Airpark (MO56) has homesites available for active aviators. Visit us at www.airparks.com/mo56 to arrange a visit in person. |
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| Disclaimer: The content of this Newsletter is to provide information, schedules, and biographies of chapter members, and information of interest to aviation enthusiasts in the south-central Ozarks. No technical information or direction is offered or implied. If, by some strange coincidence, a personal opinion or observation be found, such does not necessarily reflect the position of EAA Chapter #1218 or Experimental Aircraft Association. | |||
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