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ISSUE 6 JUNE 2011 |
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Grandfathered
Trainers Are Golden
By
Dan Grunloh, Editor, Light
Plane World |
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The
new FAA guidance for issuing a
Letter of Deviation Authority (LODA)
for flight instruction has changed
the picture for some experimental
light-sport aircraft (E-LSA) that
were previously used for training
but had to stop almost a year and
half ago after the end of the
transition period. There are also
new provisions for training in
experimental gyroplanes and for
ultralight-only training in
experimental aircraft flying under
87 knots. Read
more
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Commercial
Trike Pilot Certificate Needed
By Paul Hamilton
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Now that
the sport pilot / light-sport
aircraft (LSA) has been around for a
while, we need a commercial pilot
certificate for the
weight-shift-control trike (or
weight-shift control certificate as
the FAA would call it) for
compensation and hire. This way we
could provide tours, inspect utility
lines, crop-dust, fly cargo to land
like helicopters in small areas,
search/rescue, farm, game count,
become part of law enforcement - the
list goes on. Use your imagination. Read
more
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Salute
to Quicksilver at AirVenture 2011 |
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A call
to all Quicksilver owners! You are
hereby invited to participate in a
gathering of fellow pilots and
owners down on the Farm at EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh 2011. This is the
year we plan to honor the
Quicksilver line of ultralight and
experimental aircraft that have
become so familiar with the aviation
industry. No offense to the owners
and operators of the many other fine
aircraft makes and models - you'll
get your turn! Read
more
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Sharon
Wescott Memorial Planned for
AirVenture Oshkosh 2011
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| Paul
Mather, president of M-Squared
Inc., has announced that an
engraved stainless-steel plaque in
honor of Sharon Wescott will be
dedicated at EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh in a brief ceremony at the
ultralight area. The plaque will
be attached to a bench in her
honor. He invites her many friends
to gather at Oshkosh and remember
the pilot, instructor, mechanic,
and tireless friend who would help
any pilot in need. She was taken
from us by cancer on April 16,
2010. Read
more |
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Popular
Rotorcraft Association Fly-In
Welcomes Powrachute Extravaganza
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The 49th
annual convention and fly-in of the
Popular Rotorcraft Association to be
held August 2 to 6 at the Mentone
Airport (C92), Mentone, Indiana,
will be joined with the Powrachute
Extravaganza, the largest and
longest running powered parachute
gathering in the United States. This
is a rare opportunity to see both
kinds of these unique flying
machines; talk to the pilots,
builders, and kit manufacturers; and
see these aircraft fly. Read
more
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Free
Electronic Book for Young Eagles |
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The book
You Can Afford to Be a Pilot
is now available free to EAA Young
Eagles participating in certain
events. Organizers of EAA Young
Eagles and other nonprofit programs
that promote the growth of aviation
by giving free rides to nonpilots
can request coupons that allow
participants to download a free
complete electronic version of the
book (normally priced at $8.99
U.S.). The process is simple and can
be completed entirely through
e-mail. Read
more
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| Voices
in Your Head - Aviation Podcasts |
| If
you just can’t get enough
airplane talk, there’s a new way
to program voices in your head and
fill some mindless drive time,
commercial flight time, or any
other time in your life. The
Aviation Media Network provides a
central directory of podcasts
covering a wide range of subjects
in aviation. You can listen
directly online or download the
podcasts to your computer or MP3
player. Read
more |
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| 'World's
Smallest' Air Show |
| The
big story at the 17th annual
"World's Smallest" Air
Show at Brian Ranch Airport May 28
to 29 was the big wind. By 7:30
a.m. on Saturday it was already
gusting in the mid-teens, and by
mid-morning it was varying between
high teens and mid-twenties. |
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| The
two-runway airport and U-pick
fruit orchard are owned by the
husband and wife team of Jack
Brian and Felice Apodaca who
staged the free event. Read
more |
| Dave
Sykes Crosses India on His Solo
Flight to Australia |
| Flying
across Europe and the
Mediterranean countries in an
open-cockpit P&M Aviation Quik
trike must have felt like a
vacation to Dave Sykes compared to
his later experiences in Egypt,
Saudi Arabia, and Oman. There
aren't many sandstorms in York,
England, where he began his
11,600-nautical-mile flight to
Sydney, Australia, on April 28.
After six weeks of flying, he has
crossed India, entered Myanmar
(Burma), and is more than halfway
to his goal. Read
more |
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LODA
Revision Opens Doors for Flight
Training
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A point
of emphasis raised at February's
EAA/FAA Recreational Aviation Summit
has brought results with re-opened
avenues for flight training in the
low-and-slow end of aviation. In
revised FAA Letter of Deviation
Authority (LODA) guidance, publicly
released this month, changes allow
for primary flight instruction in
rotorcraft gyroplanes, ultralight
vehicles, and sport pilot
certificates in previously exempted
experimental light-sport
aircraft. Read
more
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Former
Military Pilot Flying Again 40 Years
Later
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Members
of "The Greatest
Generation" are leaving us
daily, but at least one sees heaven
in lower altitudes. This is the
unique story of Victor Hernandez,
and it demonstrates a triumph of
human dedication and perseverance.
Victor, a native of Puerto Rico, is
an 89-year-old World War II
P-47/P-51 pilot who had the dream
late in life to fly again.
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He
realized that dream on April 27,
2011, the date he earned his sport
pilot certificate. It is an amazing
story of purpose, perseverance,
determination, energy, and a dream
that wouldn't die. Read
more
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Flying
With Ethanol
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There
has been a lot of discussion going
around the light-sport and
ultralight community about alcohol
in the fuel. Can we use it? Is it a
good idea? What is legal? It's
probably one of the questions I'm
most asked. Let me start by
addressing this question from a
legal point of view, and then I'll
work to the practical side. If
you're flying a special light-sport
aircraft (S-LSA), then you must use
the fuel specified by the aircraft
(not engine) manufacturer. Read
more
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Taxi
Practices and Safety
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The
airplane's natural environment is in
the air. In that element it is
graceful and maneuverable - a thing
of beauty. On the ground it is
ungainly, difficult to maneuver, and
has a propensity for coming to rest
against other objects, thereby
becoming ugly and loved only by an
insurance adjuster. As a result,
most primary flight instructors
teach some basic taxi rules. Read
more
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From
the EAA Light Plane Community
Here are the latest
discussions from our online
communities:
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| Videos
from the light plane world |
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"Trikecombing"
in Thailand
Enjoy a flight around town and along
the beach from Nongprue Airfield at
Pattaya, Thailand, in a P&M
Aviation Quik.
Watch the video
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'World's
Smallest' Ultralight Show
Scenes from the monthly ultralight
precision flying contest at Brian
Ranch Airport looks as if it could
have been filmed 20 years ago but
proves ultralights are still fun
today.
Watch
the video
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| Submit
light plane videos that you just
had to watch again; and probably
forwarded to your friends. Send
them to LightPlaneWorld@EAA.org. |
| Featured
Photo Gallery |
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World's
Smallest Air Show 2011
Brian Ranch Airport, Llano,
California
Step right up and see the
World's Smallest Air Show. That's
right folks, see the flybys, the
carrier landing competition, and
the World's Smallest Flightline
due to high winds. But there were
lots of sun and smiles. Photos and
captions by Dick O'Reilly, EAA
661656. View
the gallery
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Engines
Q. Should my plane
have a fuel mixture control?
A. Carburetors
are normally calibrated at
sea-level pressure, where the
correct fuel-to-air mixture ratio
is established with the mixture
control set in the full rich
position. However, as altitude
increases, the density of air
entering the carburetor decreases,
while the density of the fuel
remains the same. This creates a
progressively richer mixture,
which can result in engine
roughness and an appreciable loss
of power. Read
more
Powered
Parachute
Q. Why does my powered
parachute seem to have a longer
ground run in a crosswind?
A.
As the nose wheel is being
raised off the runway, the
steering control for the powered
parachute is transferred fully to
the wing flight controls. If a
significant crosswind exists, it
will take longer for the powered
parachute to take off because the
steering control adds drag to the
wing. Read
more
Weight
Shift Trikes
Q. What are some advantages
of weight shift trikes?
A. Simplicity
in the control system,
interchangeable wings, easy to
transport and store, short takeoff
and landing performance, and broad
speed range. Trikes offer the most
birdlike flight; when holding the
control bar the pilot is in fact
holding the wing. This offers an
element of connection to the air
that any other aircraft can't
duplicate. Trike wings offer
exceptional stability; many trikes
can be operated safely without the
need for an airspeed indicator.
Fixed-Wing
Airplane
Q. How should power be set
during approach to landing?
A.
Power can be used effectively
during the approach and roundout
to compensate for errors in
judgment. Power can be added to
accelerate the airplane to
increase lift without increasing
the angle of attack; thus, the
descent can be slowed to an
acceptable rate. Read
more
Rotorcraft
Q. What is a gyroplane
prerotator? A. Prior
to takeoff, the gyroplane rotor
must first achieve a rotor speed
sufficient to create the necessary
lift. This is accomplished on very
basic gyroplanes by initially
spinning the blades by hand. The
aircraft is then taxied with the
rotor disc tilted aft, allowing
airflow through the system to
accelerate it to flight rpm. Read
more |
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Odyssey
- Shoulder Room in a Compact Frame
Experimenter, July 1995
 Mark
Beierle flew a new version of the
two-place Thunder Gull from Santa
Margarita, California, to
Lakeland, Florida, for Sun 'n Fun
Fly-In 1995. The side-by-side
seats of the Odyssey are staggered
8 inches for more shoulder and hip
room. The engine is a Rotax 503
with altitude-compensating
carburetors and an adjustable Ivo
prop.
Read
the article
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Fly
Into the Hornets' Nest for an
AeroVee Turbo Update
Get the latest information on
the Sonex Hornets' Nest R&D
Turbo AeroVee Project. The turbo
unit they have been flying is
installed in the original factory
Waiex N12YX and has been flying
since August 2010. This update
will include some flight and
engine performance data and a bit
more on our approach to an
exciting opportunity to get even
more power out of a stock AeroVee
engine installation.
All
webinars begin at 7 p.m. CDT
unless otherwise noted. 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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| Q. What
single factor most limits your
personal flying time?
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