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Vol. 2, No.
6 JULY 2009
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 Welcome
to Bits and Pieces,
EAA's e-newsletter and monthly information digest for
builders and fliers in Canada. We encourage you to
forward your copy to your aviation friends and invite
them to subscribe.
We' a little over a week
away from AirVenture Oshkosh, and plans are finalized
for the Oshkosh celebration of Canada's Centennial of
Flight. (Click
here for the details.) One disappointment: Russell
Air Group's Gerry Bettridge called to say the
Messerschmitt Bf 109E definitely cannot come to Oshkosh
this year because further maintenance issues with the
wing were found and repairs cannot be made in time. That
was the airplane that sustained damage last month after
impacting a flag pole near the end of the RAG runway.
I encourage all Canadians
attending this year to stop by the International
Visitors Tent, located right next to the new control
tower (the big yellow tent-you can't miss it!), to say
hello and visit. - Jack Dueck, Editor |
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PILOTS
COMMENT ON NEW BORDER CROSSING REGS
Some Tips for the Oshkosh-bound |
BITS
AND PIECES POLL
The new U.S. border
crossing regulations that recently went into
effect will lead me to:
- Fly into the
U.S. less often.
- Not fly into
the U.S. any more.
- Fly into the U.S. as much as I
always have.
- Fly into the
U.S. more often.
- I don't fly
into the U.S.
Last month's
poll results: More than 80 percent of those
participating in last month's poll said
"Throw the book at him!" regarding the
damage done to a historic airplane, Russell Air
Group's meticulously restored Messerschmitt Bf
109E.
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The numbers of Canadians who
flew to the Arlington Fly-In last week was down
significantly - by about 50 percent, according to
statistics from Arlington's temporary U.S. Customs and
Border Protection (CBP) facility on the field. Barb
Tolbert, fly-in executive director, said that decrease
was largely attributed to the new U.S. border crossing
regulations and the eAPIS system. There were plenty of
Canadian attendees as usual, but many chose to drive,
not fly, across the border.
"Customs officials
were very helpful and cooperative, but it certainly
appears that the new border crossing regulations in the
United States and the eAPIS system had a detrimental
effect on aircraft arrivals from north of the
border," she said. "The people I spoke with
who did fly down said that it was not as difficult as
some were making it out to be, but pilots seemed to deal
with the large changes in the procedures by not dealing
with them."
One Canadian who flew in
described it as "One more thing to do on top of
everything else," rating about a "3" on
the "hassle scale" of 1-10. Another said that
the people the new regulations are trying to keep out
would never comply with the new regulations. "So
what good is it?"
Read
more
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| FLIGHT
STUDENT INDICTED FOR STEALING C-172, FLYING INTO U.S. |
| A
Canadian man accused of stealing a single-engine plane
from a college in Thunder Bay, Ont., in April and
piloting it across three U.S. states was indicted by a
federal grand jury in St. Louis in June. Adam Dylan
Leon, 31, was charged with interstate transportation of
a stolen aircraft; importation of a stolen aircraft, and
illegal entry. He faces a maximum of 20 years and six
months in prison. He allegedly told officials that the
act was an attempt at suicide. The Cessna 172 flew
across Lake Superior and over Michigan, Wisconsin and
Illinois before landing in Missouri with about 30
minutes' worth of fuel left in the tank. Read
more |
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| REDFORD
HENRY MULOCK - CANADA'S FIRST ACE |
| Red'
Mulock may have been the second Canadian to join the
Royal Naval Air Service, (RNAS) but it was a notoriety
for 'firsts' that dominated his flying. He has
rightfully been called Canada's most versatile and
experienced airman of the Great War 1914-1918. (l)
Born in Winnipeg,
Manitoba, in 1885, Redford Henry Mulock graduated in
engineering from McGill University in Montreal. Like
many patriotic Canadians, he joined the colours in
August 1914. Although holding a Lieutenant's
commission in the Militia, Mulock enlisted in the First
Contingent of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) as
a Corporal in order to get overseas sooner. Following
training with the Canadian Field Artillery at Valcartier
he shipped out to England that October. Read
more
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| FIRST
FLIGHT OF THE SILVER DART REPLICA 5 |
| Found
hidden away in this month's Light Flight (The
Ultra Light Pilot's Association's) Newsletter, was this
newsworthy item. - Jack Dueck
With pilot Ed Lubitz at
the controls, the Silver Dart Replica 5 flew under its
own power for the first time early this morning June 13,
2009 at 07:46 from the grass runway at Lubitz field near
Kitchener, Ontario.
Ed writes: We were
conducting taxi test with a run at 15 mph followed by a
second run. During the second run, with the power at
approximately half-throttle, the air speed was increased
to 20 mph. The elevator was deflected down to see if
there was enough control authority to lift the nose
wheel clear of the runway. The nose wheel lifted clear
of the ground and the increased angle of attack allowed
the mains to follow. The aircraft rose into the air
about 3 feet and was airborne for approximately 500 ft. Read
more |
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WEBSITE ALL ABOUT 100 YEARS
OF POWERED FLIGHT IN CANADA
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As a part of the ongoing
celebrations for this year's flight centennial in our
country, Wings Magazine has created a fine website that
provides a comprehensive review of flight's first 100
years here. I encourage you to check
it out.
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THE BEAT GOES ON
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Sixty-five years after the end
of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, pilots are
still being trained at Portage La Prairie - the times have
changed, but not the camaraderie, hard work and the
shenanigans - reports 2nd Lieutenant Barry John Dickson, a
volunteer with Vintage Wings Canada. Click
here for the story on the Vintage Wings Canada
website.
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FROM THE ARCHIVES
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A Twenty-Year Dream
Takes to the Air
Fifty years ago, a story about a first-time
builder's persistence and patience appeared in the July
1959 issue of Sport Aviation. Stan Dizk's story, A
Twenty-Year Dream Takes to the Air, describes Don
Simmons, of Moncton, New Brunswick, and his long-held
dream to build his own airplane. That year was our 50th
anniversary of flight celebration, and Don used that as
inspiration to complete his Baby Ace, Zephyr. The airplane
flew for the first time on February
13, 1959 - 10 days to spare. Click
here to read the story.
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HOW-TO BOOK FOR SHEET METAL
BUILDING
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EAA’s continuing “how-to”
series of educational materials for building your own
aircraft now includes, Sheet Metal Building Basics,
written by longtime builder and SportAir instructor (and
your editor of Bits and Pieces) Jack
Dueck. Jack is a sheet metal construction expert and
serves on the EAA Homebuilt Council, the EAA Canadian
Council, and is an EAA Technical Counselor for his home
Chapter 1410 in High River, Alberta, Canada.
“I see a gap between the
dreamer - making the initial decision to build - and the
confident builder working along on his aircraft
project," said the author. “This book is my effort
to help bridge that gap for that novice builder.”
Read
more
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