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WELCOME!
 People
are Flying!
At event after event in the aviation
community this year, the attendance has been
strong. Record-setting in some cases! It’s
quite evident that people have made a conscious
decision to exercise their privilege to fly for
fun. I can’t count the number of times I’ve
been approached by event organizers, sponsors,
vendors as well as participants who have
indicated that the events they’ve attended
were at least as strong if not stronger than
past years. This is a great thing for the sport
aviation community in general, and for
homebuilders in particular, because this type of
participation is what will drive development for
products and designs in the future as well as
protect our “turf” in the greater aviation
community. Read
more
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Paul's
Pick
 On
September 14 I entered my 88th year. One doesn't
realize how fast a birthday arrives, but as
children, they couldn't come fast enough as
there was always a present or gift coming. I can
get my driver's license and hopefully a new car
or at least an old one. Read
more
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'Encouraging'
ARC report now available; Still waiting for the
policy
The FAA on Wednesday, September 16, published
the comprehensive findings of its Aviation
Rulemaking Committee (ARC) on amateur-built
aircraft in the Federal Register. But it's not
the comprehensive final policy that we expected
to see by now. The FAA will deal that out in
piecemeal fashion in the coming weeks. In the
mean time, you can read
the ARC report, which EAA's Earl Lawrence
says would "uphold the major principles
that EAA and the aviation community have sought
to defend" if adopted. FAA's final policy
positions often mirror ARC recommendations, so
everyone's pretty optimistic. Read
more
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Paul
Lipps' Lancair 235
 We’ve
already read about Paul’s revolutionary
propeller in the pages of the February
issue of Experimenter, so now we’d
like to showcase the balance of his plane. He
started with the wings and left almost no area
of the plane untouched; making some very
interesting and thoughtful modifications. Read
more
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The
Sherwood Ranger
 The
Sherwood Ranger was designed by Russ Light
during the late 1980s and early 1990s and was
the second aircraft design from his pen.
Unfortunately Russ did not see the fruits of his
labor as he passed away soon after his
demonstrator first flew. Following Russ’
passing, the business changed hands but met with
little success. Two years ago (2007) The Light
Aircraft Company Ltd. (TLAC), based at Little
Snoring Airfield in North Norfolk, United
Kingdom, took ownership and completely
overhauled the drawings, converting them into a
usable computer aided design format while
revising the part numbering system. Read more
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What
Our Members are Building
 Nicholas
Wood is a sport pilot who proudly carries the
moniker, "The Seven Day Wonder." The
title was given to him by his instructors Bud
Cushing and Andrew Kellogg, just after he
completed a challenge to go from zero to sport
pilot in seven days. But long before he earned
that distinction, he bought into a fractional
ownership of a RANS S-10 Sakota; and embarked on
an aircraft restoration that would eventually
lead to marriage? Read more
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How
To ...
One-Wire
Alternator Conversion
 The
voltage regulator is essential for providing
consistent and safe power to the aircraft
electrical system. If your aircraft has an
internal regulator and it fails, there is no way
of isolating a likely overvoltage condition
without turning off the battery, too. In this
month's How To, we look at how to convert
your internally regulated alternator to an
externally regulated system that has protections
you can control. Read
more
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From
the Editor
Patrick
Panzera, EAA 555743
ppanzera@eaa.org
 As
Joe Norris said in his welcome column, people
are in fact flying - and there's more flying
still to do! Two of my favorite fly-in events
are just around the corner; the first is only
days away from the release of this newsletter, EAA
Chapter 1's open house. This one-day event
takes place on Saturday, September 26, and is
located at the historical Flabob Airport (RIR)
in Riverside, California (or Rubidoux if you
prefer). There is no fee to attend, plenty to do
and see, and lots of parking space. Although
it's located in what some would consider the
greater Los Angles area, it's easy to fly in and
out without a transponder or talking to anyone.
The
other fly-in event, about a month away, is
considered to be the fourth largest fly-in in
the United States and goes by the simple name COPPERSTATE.
But it's just as low-keyed and friendly as
Flabob. Located just south of Phoenix and a bit
north of Tucson, this time of year the weather
can be very nice for an arid desert. Last year
organizers tried something new: no air show.
This means that there is no airport closure -
you can come and go as you please, and you can
actually hear the forums presenters. Casa Grande
Municipal Airport (CGZ), Casa Grande, Arizona,
is a nontowered field, but from Thursday,
October 22, to Saturday, October 24, airspace
within 4 nautical miles, up to and including
2,500 feet above ground level, will be
controlled by a temporary FAA control tower.
Another first for the event is not having a
Sunday show. Saturday evening ends with the
awards dinner, and then it's over until next
year.
If
you are attending either of these events, look
me up! - Pat
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Q&A
