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Aluminum Overcast Resumes Road to Kitty Hawk tour

After an extended tour stop at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, the EAA Aviation Foundation's B-17 Bomber, Aluminum Overcast, heads back out on its Road to Kitty Hawk tour, beginning this weekend, Aug. 8-10, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Flights will be available at the Cincinnati Municipal Airport-Lunken Field (LUK). The following week (Aug. 12-13) the tour heads to North Philly, Pennsylvania, Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE), and August 15-17 visits the New York City area with a stop at Republic Airport (FRG) in Farmingdale.

For complete tour information, visit the B-17 website at www.b17.org.

Phillips 66 Honors Chuck McLean

Charles P. (Chuck) McLean, who introduced young people to aviation in New Mexico, Arizona and Texas, received the 2003 Phillips 66 Aviation Leadership Award on July 30 during a formal ceremony at EAA AirVenture. A decorated Army combat officer of two wars and a civilian pilot since 1948, McLean organized local efforts to give more than 2,400 youths in this sparsely populated area -- including hundreds of American Indians and Hispanics -- their first aviation experiences.

Membership Convention Drawing Winners Announced

Richard Thompson, Proctor, Minnesota, was this year’s winner of the John Deere Gator at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2003. The drawing, held at the EAA Membership Service Pavilion on Monday, August 4, was made by volunteer Duane Barnhart, Waipahu, Hawaii. Other EAA Member winners: John Violet, ICOM handheld receiver; and Greg Balestrieri, A-2 leather flight jacket.

Thanks to all EAA Members who visited the EAA Membership Service Pavilion during the week, and congratulations to the winners!

Q & A: Question of the Week
Question for EAA Aviation Information Services: I have a question on gross weight limits. Has the FAA left the gross weight at 1232 lbs. for light-sport aircraft? My gross weight is 1250, so all I need is 18 lbs. for my 11AC Chief.

Answer:
We do not yet know the exact details of the sport pilot final rule. While we expect that the FAA may adjust the maximum allowable gross weight for light-sport aircraft, they are not allowed to release any details of the final rule until it is published in the Federal Register. So we do not have a definite answer to your question at this time.

The FAA has moved the sport pilot rule to the DOT for their final approval. From there, it will go to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for their final approval. After clearing these two agencies, the rule will go back to the FAA for publishing in the Federal Register. It is at this point that we will finally be able to see the document.

Keep an eye on EAA's sport pilot website, www.sportpilot.org, for updates as the rule completes these final steps.

How can we help you?
To ask a question regarding government issues, e-mail govt@eaa.org. If you have a question about registration, airmen, aircraft and medical certification, safety records, performance, or any other matter, e-mail infoserv@eaa.org.

We are pleased to provide this info to EAA members as a membership benefit. To ensure that this service continues, renew your membership or join EAA today by calling 800/843-3612 or 920/426-5912.

Upcoming Workshops
August 23, 2003, Arlington, WA
Topic: Test Flying Your Project

August 23-24, 2003, Arlington, WA
Topics: Sheet Metal Basics, Composite Construction, Fabric Covering, Electrical Systems and Avionics and What's Involved in Kitbuilding?

August 2003
EAA Desktop Calendar

Jimmy Franklin thrilled the flight line faithful time and again at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh with his jet-powered Waco. You can put this dramatic shot on your desktop by downloading the image from the EAA website.

The Official Electronic Newsletter of EAA
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2004 July 27-August 2

August 8, 2003 Volume 3, Number 40

News You Can Use ---

What a Week It Was!
Stats Confirm: EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2003 Was Special
EAA President Tom Poberezny called EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2003 one of the best ever, and the figures released this week verify that sentiment. Estimated attendance was 770,000, up from about 750,000 a year ago. Aircraft on the ground, both at Oshkosh and surrounding airports, numbered approximately 11,000. That included a record 2,960 registered showplanes, 200 more than the previous record. “I’ve never seen so many (airplanes) parked at the airport,” Poberezny commented.
(read more)

- EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2003: Highlights -

Trying to pick out the high points of an EAA AirVenture like the one we've just been through is difficult: there were so many to choose from. But the following events and activities undeniably qualify as very special moments.

Flip a Coin: That will decide who will fly EAA's 1903 Wright Flyer authentic reproduction on December 17 (weather permitting). Both Kevin Kochersberger, and Terry Queijo were named "Pilots of the Century" and both will fly the aircraft, but the coin flip will determine who goes first, just like Orville and Wilbur did it 100 years ago. (read more)

Movin' on (Sport Pilot, that is): FAA Administrator announced Thursday that the sport pilot/light sport aircraft rule had finally left the building (FAA HQ,, that is) and that it has her full support and backing. Later in the week, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said, "It won’t take long once it gets to my office to get cleared." (read more)

Speaking of Administrator Blakey: EAA Government staff had a full agenda for the Administrator on her first Oshkosh visit. She saw or met with representatives from virtually all areas of general aviation, including Homebuilts, vintage, warbirds, certified, and ultralights/light planes. In fact, on Friday morning she took to the skies with Tom Peghiny in one of his Flightstars. Administrator Blakey, along with her staff, saw aviation as only Oshkosh could show it. She also unveiled a new pilot certificate at her Meet the Boss session Thursday.

World Class Lindbergh Exhibit: AirVenture visitors were treated to something very special: the Missouri Historical Society's Charles Lindbergh exhibit. Long lines throughout the week and wonderful comments from visitors attested that this was one of the year's top single attractions. (read more)

AV Cup Sets Record: EAA's AirVenture Cup, sponsored by Klein Tools, attracted more aircraft, 87, than ever before, which made for some interesting logistics when the weather soured on the second leg of the 1,000-mile journey (Dayton). Aircraft arrived to an enthusiastic crowd on Tuesday-opening day, rather than Monday.
(read more)

Historic "power generators": Two brothers from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, have made four Wright 1903 engines, including the one that will power EAA's authentic replica on December 17. The two will play an integral part in the first flight's re-creation at Kitty Hawk later this year. Meet Jim and Steve Hay, Countdown to Kitty Hawk's power generators.
(read more)

Revisiting her past: In 1927, Nellie Greiss was a hostess aboard a Ford Tri-Motor during the National Air Tour. At EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2003, she received an award sponsored by Ford Motor Company and took flight in a EAA’s 1929 Ford Tri-Motor. For Nellie, it was a fond trip down memory lane. (read more)

AirVenture on the Water: EAA's Seaplane welcomed 129 aircraft this year, second-most ever. Those who took time out to visit this year got a taste of why it's so popular down by the water. Let's just say they take life at a much more relaxed pace along Lake Winnebago. (read more)

Meigs Won't go Quietly: An story that actually occurred before AirVenture described how pilot Richard Randall, 63, Standish, Maine, made an emergency landing at the closed Meigs Field in Chicago while en route to Oshkosh. He eventually made it to Wittman Field and EAA got his story. (read more)

Exquisite reproduction: The Spirit of Wenatchee, Inc., an organization made up of EAA Chapter 424 members and others, spent 40,000 hours building a replica 1930 Bellanca Model J Miss Veedol to re-create a 1931 circumnavigation flight which marked the first nonstop flight across the Pacific Ocean. (read more)

On top of the world: British pilot Polly Vacher made a point to stop at Oshkosh on her second trip around the world, which is an attempt to become the first person to make a solo polar circumnavigation in her Piper Cherokee Dakota. She headed off for the rest of her trip three days after the convention. (read more)

Cleared for takeoff: EAA's authentic reproduction of the 1903 Wright Flyer was approved for its December 17, 2003 flight when FAA Administrator Blakey presented its airworthiness certificate Friday at a special ceremony held in the Countdown to Kitty Hawk pavilion. The Flyer may operate only within designated areas, it may not be operated over densely populated areas, and aerobatic maneuvers are forbidden. (read more)

SRO for Neil Armstrong: The first man to set foot on the moon attracted upwards of 5,000 people for his appearance at Theater in the Woods on Friday night. The Apollo 11 commander described the Wright brothers’ experiments of a hundred years ago that culminated in another famous first: the first powered flight in 1903. (read more)

Rutan shows how he'll do it: Burt Rutan held two AirVenture forums last week to outline his plans for private manned space flight. The three-person craft, SpaceShipOne, will be carried to about 50,000 feet by a twin-turbojet aircraft called White Knight then launched from there.
(read more)

Homebuilts to the Bahamas: For some time, EAA had worked on obtaining authorization from the Bahamian government for homebuilt/amateur-built aircraft to fly in Bahamas airspace. Late on Saturday, the announcement came through, offering homebuilders a new destination. (read more)

Seattle team wins WBW title: The competition was very close, but in the end, the Civil Air Patrol team sponsored by the Seattle Museum of Flight emerged as champions of the EAA Wild Blue Wonder competition, held Friday at the EAA AirVenture Museum. (read more)

Oshkosh view from space captured: NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu, EAA 500374, provided quite a treat for fellow EAAers on the ground when he e-mailed several images of Oshkosh from the International Space Station this week. Serving with the Expedition 7 crew on the International Space Station, he was able to look down about 5 p.m. on Saturday, August 2, and take a few pictures. (read more)

On a very sad note...
On closing day of AirVenture, Jim Wright was flying his beautiful Hughes H-1 replica home to Oregon. Nobody knows exactly what happened as he was flying over Yellowstone National Park, but something went terribly awry causing a fatal crash just north of the Old Faithful geyser. EAA joins the rest of aviation in mourning Jim's loss, and sends sincere condolences to his wife, Betty, his team members, and all those who knew him. (read more)

AirVenture Today reporter James Wynbrandt, whose story on Jim and his airplane appeared in the Wednesday, July 30 issue, expresses his thoughts about the tragic crash.

On The Flight Line ---

DeltaHawk Delivers Beta Test Engines, Demonstrates Flight Engine
Building on successful first flight and current flight testing of its 160-hp DH160V4 diesel aircraft engine, DeltaHawk will make a limited number of beta test engines available to application development partners following AirVenture 2003. Included in the beta program are the Upright and Inverted DH160 and DH200 series engines. These engines will meet homebuilders needs for both tractor and pusher type aircraft. Beta engine deliveries have already begun and will continue at an accelerated pace through the end of 2003. The DeltaHawk powered Velocity test bed aircraft will be making demonstration appearances at the Copperstate EAA Regional Fly-in, October 9-12, and at the centennial celebration at Kitty Hawk in December. Other appearances will be made at local and regional shows on an as available basis. For more information, visit www.deltahawkengines.com.

PreciseFlow Oxygen Converter Launched at EAA AirVenture
Precise Flight Inc. introduced PreciseFlow, an oxygen conserver designed to deliver oxygen in the pulsed manner to meet FAA requirements for demand flow that adapts to individual physiological needs, as opposed to the more conventional continuous-flow systems. This “intelligence,” coupled with the fact that it is not battery- or software-dependent, allows PreciseFlow to be the only certifiable pulsed cannula device on the market. The company says the system's conservation rate, versus continuous systems on the market, is roughly triple at the 16,000- to 18,000-feet range and, at lower altitudes, at least double. To learn more, visit www.preciseflight.com.

700 and Counting for RotorWay Exec 162F
RotorWay International announced at the start of EAA AirVenture that the company had sold its 700th Exec162F helicopter kit, to an Australian customer. The Exec 162F has sold in 50 countries and is used for cattle ranching, forestry work, agricultural spraying, police surveillance as well as recreation. For more on RotorWay, visit www.rotorway.com.

Fina-CAF AIRSHO set for September 27-28
The Canadian Snowbirds will headline the Fina-Confederate Air Force AIRSHO at the Midland International Airport. Aircraft expected to appear include the world's only flying B-29 Superfortress; He 111 Heinkel Bomber; SB2C Helldiver; P-39 Airacobra; P-63 King Cobra; A-26 Invader; P-51C Mustang; B-24/LB30 Liberator; B-17 Flying Fortress; TBM Avenger; SBD Dauntless; F6F Hellcat; F8F Bearcat; C-46 Commando; and many more. For more information, visit www.airsho.org.

Extra Aircraft Ready for Take-Off
Extra Aircraft made its U.S. debut at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, and the newly formed company is here to stay, said Ken Weaver, president of the company that is the U.S. sales and marketing arm of Extra Flugzeugbau, the German aircraft manufacturer. The company has a long and well-known reputation in the aerobatic aircraft segment, launching the business/touring class of aircraft in more recent years. Extra displayed the Extra 400 along with the airplane’s creator (and company founder), Walter Extra. The company also debuted the EA-500 turboprop. For more information, visit www.ExtraAircraft.com.

Correction: New Glastar takeoff roll
Last week's item about the new Glastar Sportsman 2 + 2 contained a typographical error in reference to the takeoff roll. In fact, the aircraft has a 300-ft takeoff roll, not 3001 feet as indicated previously. For more information, visit www.newglasair.com, email info@newglasair.com, or call 360/435-8533, ext. 232.

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