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Vol. 4, No.
5 OCTOBER 2011
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| INTRODUCING
THE NEW EDITOR
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By Ian Brown, Editor -
Bits and Pieces, EAA 657159
Jack Dueck has been at the helm of Bits and Pieces
since June of 2008. He has made a superb contribution to
Canadian aviation over the last three years. Jack
recently announced that he would like a break but he
will continue in his other responsibilities on the EAA
Canadian Council. I now have the privilege of
introducing myself as the new editor. It would be
impossible to fill Jack's shoes; I hope I can do a small
part to keep the EAA spirit alive and growing in
Canadian aviation.
Read
more
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| SIGNATURE
COUNT ON THE RISE AT CANADIAN AIR & SPACE MUSEUM
PETITION |
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A petition to save the
Canadian Air & Space Museum reached 1,091 signatures
over the Thanksgiving weekend. Simple mathematics would
tell us that if each supporter would convince four other
people to sign the petition, and they did so within a
couple of days, that the thousand-plus signatures would
become over four thousand in two days, sixteen thousand
in four days, and on and on. The museum and six other
tenants of Downsview Park at Toronto, Ontario, are still
on notice that they have to be out in six months, but
the volunteers at the museum still hope for a miracle.
Read
more
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EAA CANADIAN FLY-IN
GROWING STEADILY
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Traditions are only as old
as necessary to form a pleasing habit. The Gatineau EAA
tradition is now two years old and pleasing more people
all the time. Held this past September 15-18, with
fly-in capacity to spare and camping available for all,
it was the place to be for lovers of aviation. Difficult
weather prevented many Canadians from attending EAA
Canadian Fly-In 2011, but clear skies allowed an easy
path to the event. Read
more
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U.S. EXPERIMENTAL FATAL
ACCIDENTS EXCEED FAA NOT-TO-EXCEED LEVEL FOR 2011
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Final measurement of
experimental safety performance
The FAA set a not-to-exceed level of 70 fatal
experimental aircraft accidents for the fiscal year 2011
that ended on September 30. Unfortunately, that didn't
happen as the year ended with 73 fatal accidents, up
from 65 the year before. While these accidents involve
U.S. aircraft, EAA still strongly urges all current and
future amateur-built pilots to recognize the need for
safety, professionalism, and proficiency when
transitioning to experimental category aircraft. Read
more
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| DO
YOU PUMP YOUR OWN AVGAS?
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| Apparently
not all Canadian provinces are equal when it comes to
fuelling your aircraft. I found a delightful surprise at
Edenvale, Ontario (CNV8). This beautiful airport,
formerly of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan,
has recently been revitalised with a new runway surface,
new hangars, and a very nice restaurant. Not only do
they have mogas at the pumps, but you can pump your own,
using your regular credit card. Why aren't they all like
this?
Read
more |
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| E-GO
APPEALS TO THE INNER PILOT |
| If
Sigmund Freud were to build a fast, fun aircraft, he
might have called it the e-Go. In fact, the e-Go is the
first in a line of aircraft hoping to be produced by
e-Go Aeroplanes, a startup in Cambridge, England. In
2007 Gioto Castelli and Tony Bishop entered and won a
Light Aircraft Association design contest to produce
cheap, easy-to-build, and state-of-the-art aircraft that
fit into the United Kingdom's new Single Seat
De-regulated Rules (SSDR) category. E-Go went for
state-of-the-art and now its single-seat composite
canard pusher prototype, which also fits experimental,
LSA, and ELA standards, is nearing completion with an
expected first flight next spring. Read
more |
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| CLASSIC
J-3 CUB IS 2012 EAA AIRCRAFT SWEEPSTAKES GRAND PRIZE
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Giveaway
part of Cub's 75th anniversary celebration at EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh
The Piper J-3 Cub, one of the legendary aircraft in
aviation history, will take center stage for the next
nine months as the grand prize for the 2012 EAA
"Win The Cub" Aircraft Sweepstakes. The EAA
Sweepstakes, annually supports EAA's aviation education
programs. In a change from past years, entry forms will
be available beginning this week through EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh 2012, taking place July 23-29. All prizes will
be awarded to winners in random drawings at the EAA
AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh at 5 p.m. on September 10,
2012. Read
more |
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| BUILD
YOUR OWN AIRCRAFT - EAA SPORTAIR WORKSHOPS CAN SHOW YOU
HOW! |
| Take
hold of your dream of building your own aircraft! Learn
the skills and techniques required at EAA SportAir
Workshops. These two-day workshops take place all over
the U.S. and cover a variety of aircraft-building
topics. You could master the basics of aircraft sheet
metal, discover how to weld, figure out how to fabric
cover airplanes, gain confidence with composites, excel
in electrical systems - and more! You'll receive
hands-on training and guidance from the experts at EAA.
We provide the facility and all the tools and materials,
so the only thing you need to show up with is a desire
to learn! To find a workshop near you, or to register
for a workshop, click
here. |
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| FROM
THE ARCHIVES |
Sport
Aviation, March 1962
The "Spirit of Bathurst" In the early
1960s, in Bathurst, New Brunswick, there was a young man
who toiled in his a garage by the side of a country
road, about 130 miles from the nearest real airfield. In
spite of having limited education and being so far from
people who have aircraft knowledge in their heads,
Harold Hussey has built and flown an airplane of his own
design. Not only is it an excellent piece of
workmanship, but it also is something of an engineering
miracle because of the many interesting features and
details incorporated by the builder.
Read
more |
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| WORD
OF THE MONTH |
| In
this section we will spotlight an aviation word each
month. Don't hesitate to chip in. This month's word is boxer,
as in "boxer engine".
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| This word appeared twice
in an article by Marino Boric for Oshkosh Engine
Round-Up in the September 2011 issue of Sport
Aviation. It was new to me, so I thought I'd dig out
its origin and share it with you.
A boxer engine is one in
which the movement of the pistons is dynamically
balanced, where opposing pistons move out together or in
together. This includes many high-performance sports
cars, our flat aviation engines, and some motorcycles.
The name comes from the image of a boxer bumping his
gloves together, ready for a fight. According to
Wikipedia, only flat, six in line, or V12 engines can be
described as having natural dynamic balance. |
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| MULTIMEDIA |
Super-Sized
Super Chub
Brandon Jewett, EAA 499233, of Brighton, Colorado,
provides a tour of his custom-designed "Super
Chub" - a bigger-than-average Super Cub made for,
as he calls it, "a person of size." Watch
the video |
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WEBINARS
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The
Super 18 by Dakota Cub
The Super 18 is Dakota Cub's update and improvement of the Super
Cub. It is available as either a kit or ready-to-fly certified aircraft.
Both versions will be discussed, but the emphasis will be on the kit
version.
All webinars begin at 7 p.m. CDT unless
otherwise noted, and they require registration. 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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