WV FUNFLYERS
July 2006
Editor: Gretchen.Watson@wvfunflyers.com
Leon Stuff
July 1st
Steve and Mickey were in the lead headed for Jackson County where breakfast was waiting. Gretchen was quickly closing in as they headed out over the hills of Leon. Raine had just lifted off with Ken bringing up the rear. Then came the words over the radio from the Mini Max that no one ever wants to hear - "I'm going down." The two trikes and the Tbird all made a left bank to see what was happening. The next words came from Ken, "There is stuff falling off of Raine's Plane." Raine replied, "I've lost a prop." Then he said, "I'm down....in the field before Doc's." Finally someone realized that we were talking on a frequency that had too many people listening. We quickly switched to what we call "Leon Air." As Mickey headed back he said that he was going to land at Curtis' to help out. Steve did the same. Gretchen and Ken landed at the airport and drove to Curtis' house.
Curtis, who was outside at the time of the prop failure heard a loud pop, sort of like a back fire from an engine. He then saw a yet unidentified Mini Max landing in the field. Thinking that it was Kevin conducting another experiment, he was really not that concerned and took his time getting on the ATV and heading out into the field. However, the closer he got to the scene he realized that it was Raine. They hitched up the Mini Max to the ATV and towed it back to the house where the others were waiting - and of course taking pictures. Then, the investigation was on. They combed the fields for hours that day and found most of the missing parts. The LAA (Leon Aviation Administration) hasn't released an official report as of the date of this article.
Upon the prop separation from the Mini Max to the time of touch down, Raine kept his cool. After realizing what had happened, he stabilized his plane by bringing the nose down to achieve the optimum glide slope. He then assessed his landing options. Thankfully, he was over some fairly large fields that, although somewhat wavy, were very good landing areas under the circumstances. He made a very nice three point landing to a safe stop. Good Job Raine!
As far as the rest of the day went, the food at the dinner was hot dogs, hamburgers and many other dishes supplied by the WVFF. We had several visitors fly in as well as drive in. A gentleman flew his Cub down from the Tiger Cub Company to make some minor modifications to Captain's plane. He then test flew it. It sounded and performed great. He then climbed in his Cub for his return trip. The afternoon was a little windy and flying did not resume until evening. Several camped at the airfield for the entire weekend.
On Sunday the wind began blowing very early in the morning and it was getting hot. Ken brought down his Kayak and went on a solo trip Saturday on 13 Mile Creek. On Sunday, Ken, Steve, Mickey and Gretchen all went on a nearly 4 hour trip down 13 Mile Creek to the Kanawha River. They didn't really realize how far the trip was going to be when they started but there was no turning back once it begun. It was long but it was a really fun and relaxing trip. Under that canopy of trees it was much cooler than if we had stayed at the airport that afternoon. I'm sure that won't be our last kayaking trip.
July 4th - 2006 Buffalo Parade
Kevin volunteered his Mini Max to ride on the trailer. Little Jessica rode in the cockpit during the parade. Several WVFF rode on the float which they had decorated with signs and flags. We tossed candy to young and old as we rode through Buffalo. After the parade we all went to the Pack's for dinner and swimming in their pool.
July 24th-30th
Several of the WVFF made their way to Oshkosh, Wisconsin to attend EAA’s AirVenture 2006. Club members that attended were Curtis/Kathy Pack and family, Gretchen & Mickey Watson, Glen Beckett, Josh & Danielle Shirley, Ron & Marge Rife. On the way to Oshkosh, Curtis, Mickey/Gretchen, and Steve Doll all met up at a trike fly-in in Newark, Illinois. Steve took his Sport Pilot Practical Exam while there and passed with flying colors. He is now the fourth person at the airfield to have his Sport Pilot license. Others are: Glen Beckett, Gretchen and Mickey Watson. Steve then made his way back to West Virginia while the others continued on to Oshkosh.
AirVenture 2006 was very exciting with air shows everyday beginning at the ultralight field in the mornings from 7:00 a.m. through 1:00 p.m. and with the large airplanes beginning around 2:00 p.m. through 6:00 p.m. In the evenings the ultralight field would again be buzzing with aircraft. Later toward nightfall the “Theater in the Woods” had many interesting speakers that came to tell their flying and war stories. This year AirVenture introduced a new outdoor walk-in theater that showed many movies throughout the week. Attendees brought their chairs and Ford Motor Company provided the popcorn.
Curtis’ balloon building seminar went very well with very good attendance. Mickey wheeled and dealed all week with the Australians (Airborne dealer) regarding a new wing for his trike.
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Silent Wings: After an illness, Andy Hudnall passed away this past weekend. Our prayers are with Andy’s family in this time of their loss.
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August Meeting
Our next meeting will be on August 5th, 2006. Our annual “Ace of the Base” flying competition will be held that evening. Last year’s winner was Mickey Watson.
Attending that meeting will be a man from the West Virginia Tourism Magazine who will be writing an article about the club. He may camp out there this weekend. It would be especially nice to have a good turn out for that meeting and possible club pictures for the magazine. I would also like to take a new picture for our WVFunflyers.com web site with as many members as possible. The one that is being used is from the mid 1990’s - pre-current editor’s as well as many other’s memberships.
Sport Pilot News
Sport Aviation was, of course, a hot topic of conversation at Oshkosh this year. One of the things I heard the most was “Don’t miss the January 2007 deadline” where existing pilots can still use their previous flying experience in their favor. After that deadline passes, all of those hours of flying that you have accumulated will do you no good.
Also, the next deadline after that will be January 2008. All existing planes must be “N” numbered and inspected by a DAR before that date. If that deadline passes without doing so, your airplane can never, ever be made legal. You won’t be able to take it apart and rebuild it, rename it or any do any other trick to make it legal. What’s more, you probably will never be able to sell it because the new owners will not be able to make it legal either. This is a little scary in that many members have relatively new and/or very expensive airplanes that will be useless after that date if not properly certificated. The FAA is currently sending out letters to each airport stating that fact.
Both of the above deadlines go hand in hand. Many members may put off getting their Sport Pilots license but putting off getting their planes legal would be costly. We all believe that if we quit flying we will be able to sell our planes to someone. However, in 18 months, selling your illegal, never can be legal airplane would be impossible and, like I said, costly. Of course, we all know that once it is “N” numbered the pilot also needs to be a legal pilot. So, in effect, the FAA is definitely forcing the issue and going to get their way.
Basically, it’s get yourself legal if you want to continue flying and get your plane legal if you don’t want own a several thousand dollar useless lawn ornament after 18 months from now. Don’t let your options run out. If you need help, ask another club member for assistance or advice. If you need help with testing materials or content, we may be able to set up a test prep class. But don’t wait until it’s crunch time and then expect anyone to help. All of the paper work needed and the instructions for taking the written/practical examinations as well as airplane inspections was included in a past newsletter. If anyone is in need of it again, let us know at the August meeting.