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Vol. 3, No.
3 MARCH 2010
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| Welcome
to the March 2010
issue of Bits and Pieces.
In keeping with our
"passion for flight" theme, this month's issue
starts with the "Best Flight of My Life" as
written by a nonpilot, who obviously shares our love for
flight. Cliff Smith writes about an aerobatic flight in
Mike Bourget's aerobatic Nanchang.
Merv Friesen built a
beautiful Sonex. Merv describes how his aircraft flies,
how it handles, and his own flight parameters for C-FMNX.
In last month's Bits
and Pieces, we ran an article about the
"Harvard University" given by Vintage Wings
and the Canada Aviation Museum. This prompted Tony Swain
of Vancouver to mention our omission of additional
Harvard opportunities, specifically listing the Canadian
Harvard Aircraft Association of Tillsonburg, Ontario.
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Oops - Last month we
featured Chief Astronaut Julie Payette as our lead
story. Our reader Vic wrote to point out that Julie
couldn't possibly have received a bachelor of
engineering cum laude from McGill in 1896 if she in fact
received a master of applied science from the University
of Toronto in 1990. (Please make that 1986 instead of
1896, Ed., and thanks, Vic.)
Finally, from in honor of
the 100th anniversary of Canadian Naval Aviation we
present a feature about Canadian carrier operations
after WWII. Plus from Sport Aviation, April 1962, a
two-part look back at Charles Fauvel, who was one of the
few who had built and flown tailless aircraft.
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| BEST
FLIGHT OF MY LIFE |
| After
several weeks of having my feet back on solid ground, I
still get a silly grin on my face when I think of my
flight in a Nanchang CJ-6A. Thank you, Mike "Skidmk"
Bourget, for the greatest flying experience I've ever
had packed into a 30-minute ride.
The anticipation of an
opportunity to fly in a vintage radial engine-powered
aircraft and possibly even having my first experience
with some aerobatic maneuvers at the same time began
several weeks ago when a friend and fellow
radio-controlled (R/C) aircraft modeler offered to give
me a certificate he had won as a door prize at an R/C
fun-fly event. Read
more
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PILOT
FATIGUE IS NOT JUST FOR THE WORKING PROS
Pilot and controller fatigue has been making
aviation headlines in recent years, punctuated by the
February 2008 incident in which the crew of a regional
jet fell asleep at the controls on the way to Hilo,
Hawaii.
Although it's usually
airliner mishaps that make front-page news, general
aviation pilots are subject to the same fatigue-related
risks and potential for disaster. Read
more
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BITS
AND PIECES POLL
| Are
you an EAA member? |
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| Last
month's poll question asked: What
province would be your first choice to
visit by air?
Click
here for the results. |
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| FAA'S
ZODIAC 601/650 AIRCRAFT REPORT
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| Introduced
in 2001, the Zenith, Zodiac CH 601 XL first showed signs
of in-flight structural failures in 2006. A series of
six total in-flight structural failures of the Zodiac
Model CH 601 XL (occurring in the US) led the agency to
stop issuing airworthiness approvals to those Zodiac 601
and 650 models in late 2009. These accidents prompted
the FAA to conduct a thorough investigation. Pat Panzera,
editor of EAA Experimenter newsletter, took a closer
look at the resulting FAA report. Read Pat’s
analysis.
EAA
Radio Interview: Zenair VP Matt Heinz reacts to FAA
Report
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| REFLECTIONS
ON MY HOMEBUILT |
| Merv
Friesen enjoys flying the Sonex he built. For those of
you who haven't flown a Sonex before, Merv was happy to
file this flight report while he waits for the spring to
come once again. Read
more
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| CANADA
LOVES HARVARDS |
| Last
month's Bits and Pieces carried the following
paragraphs:
"There are two
places where you can become a Harvard graduate. One,
we've heard, is somewhere in Massachusetts. The other is
right here at the Canada Aviation Museum and the Vintage
Wings of Canada facility.
"...Vintage Wings
has teamed up with the Canada Aviation Museum to bring
three information-packed, two-day ground schools
dedicated to three of the most important aircraft of WW
II-the North American Harvard, the P-40N Kittyhawk, and
the FG-1D Corsair."
This brought Tony Swain
of Vancouver to reply. Read
more |
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| FROM THE ARCHIVES
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| Charles
Fauvel and his Flying Wings, Sport Aviation, April 1962
A two-part look back at Charles Fauvel, who was one of
the few who had built and flown tailless aircraft.
Part
1 | Part
2
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