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ISSUE 9 AUGUST 2011 |
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Flying
Is Flying
By
Dan Grunloh, Editor, Light
Plane World |
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You
shouldn't tell a disabled person
that he can't do something, unless
you want him to go out and try to
prove you wrong. David Sykes flew
11,400 miles with his wheelchair
packed on his trike because a friend
in a pub wagered he wouldn't do it.
Vance Breese flipped his motorcycle
at 265 mph and overcame a traumatic
brain injury to become a pilot after
doctors said his life was over. Read
more
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The
Answer
By
Vance Breese, EAA 705840 |
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I fly an
open-cockpit tandem experimental
gyroplane that was designed and
built by Mark Givan who has no
engineering background. It's slow
and inefficient; when it rains we
get wet. He named it The Predator,
and it has the nose art from a
Desert Storm A-10 without the gun
sticking out of its mouth. I've
found it doesn't fit the ideal of
most fixed wing pilots.
Read
more
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David
Sykes' Epic Flight Completed |
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British
paraplegic pilot Dave Sykes has
completed an 11,714-nautical-mile
solo flight from York, England, to
Sydney, Australia, in an
open-cockpit, weight-shift-control
P&M Aviation Quik. The trip,
which began April 28, took four
months and crossed over more than 18
countries. Dave doesn't have the use
of his legs, so all takeoffs and
landings were flown with one hand
while the other hand was used to
control a modified ground steering
lever.
Read
more
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Polaris
Flying Boat Seen Doing Loops Before
Fatal Crash
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This
Polaris Polar Star inflatable flying
boat, a weight-shift-control trike
attached to an inflatable dingy, was
photographed by people on a tour
boat shortly before it crashed into
the water about 11 miles north of
Charleston, South Carolina, on July
20, 2011. Witnesses say it had
completed a loop and was attempting
another loop when at the top of the
loop, at about 1,000 feet, it
flipped over, the wings folded, and
it plummeted into shallow water.
Read
more
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Brazilian
Students Build Record-Breaking
Aircraft
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A
professor and students from the
Brazilian University UFMG (Universidade
Federal de Minas Gerais) joined
forces to design and build an
aircraft called the CEA 308 that
broke no less than four world
records!
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The
records have been recently ratified
by the FAI in the category of
aircraft with piston engine,
propeller, and total takeoff weight
of up to 300 kilograms. The record
flights were made in December 2010.
Read
more
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| Sonex
Available for Transition Training |
| Sonex
builder and CFI Scott Sheetz of
Hamilton, Illinois, displayed his
Jabaru-powered
smoke-and-flame-painted Sonex at
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2011. He
has obtained a LODA (Letter of
Deviation Authority) to allow for
compensated transition training in
his experimental aircraft. His is
the first FAA-approved transition
trainer for Sonex aircraft. |
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| The
highly customized aircraft is
polished inside and out. It
features a glass-panel cockpit,
autopilot, and electric flaps, and
is equipped for IFR flight.
Read
more |
| Joint
Popular Rotorcraft Association/Powrachute
Extravaganza Fly-In Successful |
| Two
influential individuals from two
completely different branches of
sport aviation cooperated to
organize and support a new kind of
fly-in that reflects a trend
toward more variety at fly-ins and
air shows. |
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Rotorcraft
and powered parachutes are about
as different in their operations
and requirements as it can get,
and yet they fly together, share
the same facilities, and support
each other at this joint fly-in.
It is their differences that help
make it possible.
Read
more |
| EAA
Ultralight Chapter Gives Free
T-Shirts to 88 Young Eagles |
EAA
Chapter UL30 (Illini Skyriders)
sponsored a fly-in on July 16,
2011, at the Paxton Airport (1C1)
in conjunction with EAA Chapter 29
members who provided Young Eagle
rides at the event. Both chapters
are located in the Champaign,
Illinois, area. Most UL30 members
fly ultralights or single-seat
light experimental aircraft not
suitable for Young Eagle rides, so
they instead donated a specially
made T-shirt to each of the kids
who took a ride.
Read
more |
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| Paul
Sommers Wins Quicksilver Prize |
| Quicksilver
builder Paul Sommers of Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, was the winner of the
$500 cash drawing which was the
culmination of the “Salute to
Quicksilvers” down on the Farm
in the ultralight area at EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh 2011.
Quicksilver Manufacturing offered
the cash drawing and gave away a
free flight jacket each day to
Quicksilver pilots who brought
their aircraft to AirVenture for
the tribute. |
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| Paul
built his Quicksilver MXL
experimental light-sport aircraft
basically from parts.
Read
more |
| Rod
Machado’s Sport Pilot Handbook
Announced |
| A
new book is now available from Rod
Machado, one of the nation’s top
aviation educators and humorists.
Three years in the making, Rod
Machado’s Sport Pilot Handbook
is a serious text written in his
characteristic fun and witty
style. The 582-page book contains
more than 1,000 original color
illustrations and photos and is
intended to help pilots update
their knowledge and prepare for
FAA sport pilot exams and biennial
flight reviews.
Read
more |
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| Sport
Pilot Instruction Petition
Available for Public Comment |
The
FAA has officially published the
petition for rulemaking from the
EAA, AOPA, NAFI, and GAMA that
would allow sport pilot
instruction hours to count toward
higher certificates and ratings,
and the public comment period is
now open. In an interview
September 6 with Roy Beisswenger
on Powered Sport Flying Radio,
EAA's Government & Advocacy
Specialist David Oord said he
believes the long delay was due to
a technical oversight, and he
explained why the change is
important.
Read
more |
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A
Very Special Eipper GT400
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If you
saw Rick Pierson's Eipper GT400
Special at a fly-in somewhere, you
might think it's merely a very
beautiful version of this well-known
design. Calling it a
"Special" is an
understatement once you begin to
explore the extensive changes and
improvements in the airplane. He
worked very hard to reduce drag and
to save weight to the point of using
thin washers and thin stop nuts
wherever feasible. The resulting
performance of the aircraft is
indeed extra special.
Read
more
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VFR
Corner - Very Fine Reading
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I found Howard
Hughes, Aviator by George J.
Marrett a fascinating book to read.
It offers us a glimpse into the mind
of Hughes who aspired to be the
world's greatest film producer, the
best aviator, and the richest man.
Hughes earned his pilot certificate
at age 21, six months after Charles
Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic. The
author depicts the man as addicted
to speed and risk taking. However,
Hughes attention to detail was
meticulous. He would have joined the
EAA.
Read
more
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Timeless
Voices: Leonard Milholland
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Leonard
Milholland was born in Kansas City
in 1924. As a boy, he was fascinated
with airplanes. He spent his time
building, flying, and crashing stick
and tissue airplane models, and
sneaking off to visit the hangars at
Richards Field.
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When
World War II came along, Leonard
enlisted in the Army Air Force,
where he was eventually trained as
an aircraft mechanic and gunner. He
served the bulk of his time during
the war based in Panama with a B-24
group stationed in the Canal Zone.
After the war, he moved to Texas and
worked for Shell Oil for
thirty-three years. In 1970, Leonard
began coming to the annual EAA
convention in Oshkosh and has been a
member ever since. He completed his
first homebuilt, a Junior Ace, in
1974. Over the years he has built a
number of airplanes, but Leonard is
perhaps best known in the aviation
world as the designer of the Legal
Eagle ultralight. Today, Leonard
sells plans for three original
designs: the Legal Eagle, Double
Eagle, and Legal Eagle XL, and is in
the process of developing the LSA
eligible Cabin Eagle.
Watch the video
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From
the EAA Forums
Here are the latest
discussions from the EAA Forums:
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| Videos
from the light plane world |
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Gyroplane
Flight Over Rheine, Germany
A German gyroplane pilot
demonstrates camera-on-pole
technique that might also be useful
for other aircraft, but be careful
where you stick that thing.
Watch
the video
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Dragonflying
Join soaring pilot Charlie
Porter for some hazy afternoon
flying in a Dragonfly ultralight
trike with retractable landing gear
for better soaring
performance.
Watch
the video
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| Submit
light plane videos that you just
had to watch again; and probably
forwarded to your friends. Send
them to LightPlaneWorld@EAA.org. |
| Featured
Photo Galleries |
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2011
Popular Rotorcraft Association
Fly-In and Powrachute Extravaganza
at Mentone
There was plenty of fun with
rotors and chutes over the Mentone
Airport in Indiana from August 2
to 6, along with a wide sampling
of other types of aircraft. You
will find a link to hundreds more
photos from the event on the
Popular Rotorcraft Association
Facebook page. View
the gallery
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Engines
Q. How does the
propeller develop thrust?
A. The
propeller is a rotating airfoil,
subject to induced drag, stalls,
and other aerodynamic principles
that apply to any airfoil. It
provides the necessary thrust to
pull, or in some cases push, the
aircraft through the air. The
engine power is used to rotate the
propeller, which in turn generates
thrust very similar to the manner
in which a wing produces lift.
Read
more
Powered
Parachute
Q. What makes the powered
parachute unique compared to other
aircraft?
A.
The powered parachute is a
category of aircraft that flies in
a manner unique among light-sport
aircraft. Three significant
differences separate the PPC from
other types of light-sport
aircraft (LSA). Read
more
Weight
Shift Trikes
Q. How would you define a
weight shift trike?
A. Weight-shift
control (WSC) aircraft means a
powered aircraft with a framed
pivoting wing and a fuselage
controllable only in pitch and
roll by the pilot's ability to
change the aircraft's center of
gravity (CG) with respect to the
wing. Flight control of the
aircraft depends on the wing's
ability to deform flexibly rather
than on the use of control
surfaces.
Fixed-Wing
Airplane
Q. What effect does CG
location have on performance?
A. The
effect of the position of the CG
on the load imposed on an
aircraft's wing in flight is
significant to climb and cruising
performance. An aircraft with
forward loading is
"heavier" and,
consequently, slower than the same
aircraft with the CG further aft. Read
more
Rotorcraft
Q. What do the rudder pedals
control on a gyroplane? A. The
rudder is operated by foot pedals
in the cockpit and provides a
means to control yaw movement of
the aircraft. On a gyroplane, this
control is achieved in a manner
more similar to the rudder of an
airplane than to the antitorque
pedals of a helicopter. Read
more |
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Fixed
Wing Pilot to Gyro Pilot -
Experimenter, September 2002
 A
fixed wing pilot with 25 years of
experience explains some of the
differences he encountered when
transitioning to gyroplanes. He
says the controls seem familiar,
but they work differently and that
it's not like riding a bicycle.
Even though the article is only 9
years old, gyroplane technology
has changed rapidly, and some of
the newest machines could be quite
different. Read
the article
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All About Cylinders
Maintenance expert and EAA Sport Aviation columnist Mike
Busch, A&P/IA, presents an informational webinar about cylinders -
construction, failure modes (head cracks and separations, exhaust valve
failure, barrel wear), maintenance-induced failures, factors affecting
longevity, repair, replacement, top overhauls, and more.
All
webinars begin at 7 p.m. CDT
unless otherwise noted. To
find out more about upcoming EAA webinars and to register, visit
the webinars
page.
EAA
gratefully acknowledges the
support of Aircraft
Spruce and Specialty Co. for
its generous sponsorship of the
webinar programs.
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| Q. Have
you ever flown, or would you fly,
an unconventional aircraft such as
a trike, powered parachute, or
gyroplane?
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