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| A
Note From the Editor |
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| Welcome
back to Warbirds Briefing, and Happy New Year to all!
As I write this it's Christmas Eve. When I signed up for
this gig, no one explained publication lead time! Here's
hoping that all in our Warbird community had a wonderful
holiday season, and let's look forward to another great year
of "Keep 'Em Flying." |
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| Things
are hectic around here; I'm preparing for a
day-after-Christmas trip to New Zealand. That begs the
question, "Why?" Well, shortly after college
graduation my oldest informed me that her plans included a
year off to live in New Zealand. I raved about the people,
geography, culture, and what a generally good idea that was.
I got one of those "Who are you and what did you do
with Dad?" looks, until I asked how she proposed to pay
for this little adventure. That was met with "Welcome
back, Dad." To my great surprise and pride she did it
all on her own, and now it's time for a trek around the
world for a Christmas visit. Why do children of interesting
people (like Warbird enthusiasts) have to be so darn
interesting themselves? I don't think that I've ever dreaded
getting in any aircraft, but 17 hours in an airline seat?
On the
upside, there are Warbirds in New Zealand (www.warbirdsoverwanaka.com),
and I intend to find them and report back! In any case this
should make the trek from Kentucky to San Diego for the
National Warbird Operator Conference (NWOC) seem like a
stroll. Hope to see you at NWOC, and remember, the days are
getting longer. There's hope of spring and the flying it
brings!
Harold
Cannon
Editor, EAA Warbirds Briefing
h.cannon@eaa.org |
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| Safety
News and Issues |
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| Flying
the Overhead Pattern |
| I
was asked by a couple of folks to write an article about
flying a safe overhead pattern after I did a presentation at
the FAST board of directors meeting at the past National
Warbird Operator Conference in D.C. We had two RedStar
Pilots Association (RPA) members in the lead aircraft (a
Nanchang CJ-6) killed after bringing a three-ship back to
the local traffic pattern in January 2009 in Texas. We know
the airplane stalled and entered a spin late in the base
turn with a strong overshooting wind present that day. We
may never know the rest of the story, but let's talk a
little about how best to fly a military overhead pattern. Read
more |
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| Six
Rules for Safe Warbird Operation |
| "Organization
is the key to success." This phrase should be placarded
in every cockpit. The modern avionics and cockpit design
philosophy that many take for granted today are sorely
missing from yesterday's designs. Switches, gauges, and
instruments seem to be placed haphazardly with little
thought and could be in different places in aircraft just a
few serial numbers apart. Warbirds are especially prone to
this phenomenon. This places an even higher workload on a
pilot whose time in type and proficiency may not be that
high. Read
more |
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| Updates
on Government Issues and Advocacy |
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| Certain
Electronic Flight Display Failures Now Reportable to NTSB |
| The
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) this month
issued a final rule document in the Federal
Register that modified when a pilot must report an
accident or incident. The changes include most electronic
flight display types such as Electronic Flight Instrument
System (EFIS) displays, Engine Indication And Crew Alerting
System (EICAS) displays, Electronic Centralized Aircraft
Monitor (ECAM) displays, Primary Flight Display (PFD), and
Primary Navigation Display (PND). The NTSB requires these
changes if more than 50 percent of the cockpit displays
experience a complete loss of information. The reportable
criteria does not include flickering. Read
more |
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| January’s
Featured Stories |
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| Duel With Maverick in Your Own Su-27 'Flanker' |
| Let’s
say you’re filming the next Top Gun, and you need an
aircraft to represent the frontline fighters currently in
use by potential adversaries. Or maybe you’re joining the
space tourism industry, and you need a chase aircraft for
your space vehicle test flights. |
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| In
either application you’ll need an aircraft that has
exceptional maneuverability and speed as well as records for
rate of climb and altitude. You need a Sukhoi Su-27, and
there are two for sale. Read
more |
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| Squadron
One Elects 2010 Board Members |
| Warbirds
Squadron One selected an uncharacteristically dressy venue
for its winter meeting. Using the annual induction ceremony
of the Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame banquet as a backdrop
and in the words of the church social secretary, "A
good time was had by all." Read
more |
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| Connecticut's
Official State Aircraft |
| Connecticut
Corsair is a volunteer organization dedicated to the
promotion of education and local business in the state of
Connecticut. It's also an aircraft restoration project aimed
at restoring to flight the Official State Aircraft of
Connecticut, the Chance |
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| Vought
F4U Corsair. Through the restoration of one of the most
advanced fighter aircraft of the Second World War, the
organization provides a medium by which current and future
students can be educated in the areas of math, science, and
engineering. One person behind the project is Craig McBurney,
who was profiled by Aero-News.net
about his 20-year involvement with the aircraft restoration. |
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| Steve
Hinton Named AirShowBuzz POY |
| AirShowBuzz
(ASB), a media company that delivers a multitude of
offerings to aviation enthusiasts including live video
coverage of the International Council of Air Shows awards
banquet, has selected Steve Hinton as the recipient of the
ASB Person of the Year Award. |
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| The
prestigious and highly coveted award is given each year to
an air show icon that captures the passion of flight, and
this past year Hinton was no exception after becoming the
youngest pilot to win the top prize at the Reno National
Championship Air Races and Air Show, Reno, Nevada, in
September. Read
more |
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| CAF
Establishes Member Hall of Fame
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| The
Commemorative Air Force (CAF) has announced the
establishment of the CAF Member Hall of Fame. In 2010,
the CAF will begin the process of recognizing the men and
women who have dedicated themselves to honoring American
military aviation by working to secure the future of the
organization. Read
more
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| "Save
the Stories" Program and "Bomber Town" Coming
to KAM
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| Kissimmee
Air Museum, located at he Kissimmee Gateway Airport, is
launching their new "Save the Stories" program on
January 30, 2010, from 1-4 p.m. Oral history interviewer Tom
Mazzoli will be collecting and recording the
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| memories
of those who made history in WWII. "Save the
Stories" wants to preserve the stories of not only
those on the front lines but also those on the home front
during the war who, by their sacrifices and contributions,
made a difference. Read
more
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| National
Warbird Operators Conference Next Month |
| The
Warbird community will gather next month in San Diego,
California for the National Warbird Operators Conference (NWOC)
February 18-21. The conference brings together warbird
owners, operators, and museum directors to address
particular events facing warbird owners and to discuss
common goals related to the ever-changing economics,
operations and regulations pertaining to flying ex-military
aircraft. Visit warbirdconference.com
for more information and to register. |
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| From
the EAA Warbirds Community
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|
The Warbird Island message forum at Oshkosh365 is as active
as ever. Have a look at the list below and follow the links
to read the actual questions and discussion topics.
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Issue 3,
January 2010 |
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| VIDEO |
|
Duxford
- Flying Legend Airshow 2009
The German side...
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Enjoy
a slideshow and video presentation from the famous Duxford
(England) air show in 2009. Included are shots of rare WWII
German fighters that are still flying. One is the Fw 190,
and the other is the Me 109, more properly known as the Bf
109. |
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Watch the
video
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PHOTO GALLERY |
| First
Civilian
Sukhoi Su-27 'Flanker' |
| The
Sukhoi Su-27 "Flanker," still in service in 11
countries, is now available for purchase by civilians. Two
are for sale including N131SU, seen below, by Pride
Aircraft, Inc. |
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View the gallery
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EAA RADIO |
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Restoring
the P-61 Black Widow
Mid-Atlantic Air Museum (MAAM) President Russ Strine
talks with EAA Radio's Fast Eddie about the MAAM's
restoration of a Northrop P-61B Black Widow. The museum
recovered it from a mountain in Indonesia in 1991.
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Listen
to the interview
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View
the photo gallery
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MONTHLY
- Chino, CA - EAA Warbirds Squadron 16 Meetings are held
every month on the 1st and 3rd Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Planes of Fame Air Museum (Briefing Room, 7000 Merrill Ave,
Chino, CA) Info: Enrico Bottieri, Commander, 714-964-4864
Email: thebeechboys@socal.rr.com
Web: www.warbirdsusa.org
JAN
23-24 - Punta Gorda, FL - EAA Warbird Sq. 24 Presents
"Warbird Weekend" with 40+ warbird aircraft
(flying and static), re-enactors, dinner dance on Saturday
night with era music.
Info: 941-639-6187
E-mail: WarbirdLady@aol.com
Web: www.floridawarbirds.org
FEB
18-21, 2010 - 16th National Warbird Operator Conference,
San Diego, CA. Visit www.warbirdconference.com.
APR
13-18, 2010 - Sun 'n Fun Fly-In, Lakeland, FL. Visit www.sun-n-fun.org.
JUL
26-AUG 1, 2010 - EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI.
Visit www.AirVenture.org. |
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Are you
planning to attend EAA AirVenture 2010? Are you bringing a
Warbird?
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Yes,
I will attend with a warbird. |
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Yes,
I will attend, but without a warbird. |
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No,
I will not attend. |
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I
will be attending to my flowers. |
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Your
insights help us provide a better newsletter to you. Please
review and rate this issue of Warbirds Briefing. |
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