Evergreen Aviation Museum Jan 2011

>>> Bomber Beauty: Take an Air2Air Sentimental Journey
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sometimes serious. sometimes humorous. always unpredictable!

January, 2011
>>> Cover story
Aviations Coolest Learning Center

Inside Evergreen Wings & Waves Waterpark
>>> BUSINESS AVIATION
>>> VINTAGE AVIATION
A look at the HondaJet

The Three Joys of engineering quality
1929 Command-Aire
A master biplane artist and his friend
Dick Knapinski: Airventure Backstory | Destination: First Flight Airport Adam Fast: Shuttles External Fuel Tank | Joe Clark: ERAU Eagles Flight Team | click EU Airspace | Short Story: Through Eager your Vincent Lambercy: here to receive AIRPLANISTA free in Eyes inbox 1
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>>> From the Publisher
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You just know when something feels this right

As this fourth issue of Airplanista Magazine goes to virtual press, we begin 2011 on somewhat of a roll, and it feels great. Readership is up, people are sharing the magazine everywhere you look, and buzz is spreading. Who could ask for anything more? When I began this project, it was really nothing more than a replacement for my blog that I had been writing for six years. Producing each issue of Airplanista has allowed me to go back in time and re-connect with my journalism roots, without the X-acto knives, the glue machines, the smoke-filled offices and the line cameras. Yes, things are produced using all-digital magic now, but the job descriptions of Editor and Reporter have not changed one bit, despite the new media delivery method we employ. Our cover story on the Evergreen Wings & Waves Waterpark shows why I get so much gratification out of making this magazine. To earn full access to their completely fantastic new attraction took good old fashioned J-School tenacity. My work on this story has been textbook Jouralism 101 as I dove deeper into the facts, completed the interviews, and shot photographs to illustrate the piece. As a result, Airplanista gets to break this story to the aviation world before any other aviation magazine. In my line of work, we call this a scoop. As we launch into 2011, it appears Airplanista Magazine is starting to build a good reputation that will lead to longevity and growth. The time to edit, write and layout each issue is becoming staggering, and it can consume each moment of my life not spent working for my aviation ad agency. But as you can see by this issue, there are just so many good stories to include that despite the long hours, this project just feels right. I am one who believes that if I put positive energy out there, I will get positive energy in return in some form. We humans especially we aviators are all connected by something, and as each word goes down on a page, I feel a stronger connection to the aviation community. This entire project feels like it was meant to be, like something larger than humanity itself is pushing me harder to dig deeper and work later towards some yet-to-be-revealed goal or achievement. Whatever it is, whatever Airplanista becomes, I accept the challenge and welcome the reward. Throttles to the firewall...bring it on.
DanPimentel
on Twitter: @Airplanista
Dan is a 350-hour instrument rated private pilot who lives in Eugene, OR. He owns and flies a 1964 Piper Cherokee 235 named Katy. In his day job, he is President and Art Director of Celeste/Daniels Advertising and Design. Read Dans complete career overview here.
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>>> Features Stories and Commentary
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Evergreen Wings and Waves Waterpark .................. 6

Who ever said learning about aviation cant be fun? An in-depth look at a very cool aviation learning center. By Dan Pimentel
Destination Report ..............................................18

First Flight Airport is a required stop for any licensed pilot. Find out what this pilot found when he landed there. By Tony Seton
The Three Joys of Honda Quality ......................... 26

What would happen if a company known for building very high quality products built a clean-sheet light jet? By Dan Pimentel
Sexy Centerfold by Jim Koepnick ......................... 34

EAAs preeminent lensman captures Ron Fagens P38 Lightening Ruff Stuff at the 2008 Airventure Oshkosh.
Bomber Beauty ................................................. 38

Aviation photographer Jay Beckman follows Sentimental Journey around the Arizona Desert, and the images are incredible.
Friend Ship....................................................... 46
A Master biplane restoration artist, and his rare Command-Aire 5C3, the only airworthy example flying. By Dan Pimentel
Photo Moment: Capturing Classic Airplanes........... 54

Aviation photographer John Slemp makes beautiful art images of yesterdays airliners, using something called...film.
Through Eager Eyes ........................................... 56

In chapter four of this ongoing tale, the young girl at the heart of this short story finally experiences flight! By Dan Pimentel
January, 2011 Vol. 2/No. 1
>>> Monthly Columnists

Dan Pimentel: From the Publisher ....................................... 3
Sometimes, despite the long hours, a project just feels right
>>> On the Cover
Dick Knapinski: Airventure Backstory .................................16

Where does Airventure get all those fantastic air show acts anyway?
Joe Clark: The Eagles Report .......................................... 24 ERAUs elite Eagles Flight Team Adam Fast: NASA Report ................................................ 32 A detailed look at the Space Shuttles External fuel tank Vincent Lambercy: Flying, Across the Pond ........................ 44 Airspace and the way VFR traffic is handled is different over there Paul Tocknell: Ask a CFI .................................................. 52 Your questions about IFR or VFR flight training answered
This months cover shows the awesome scene that will greet visitors to the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum as they drive onto the grounds. It is far more dramatic in person. Photo by Dan Pimentel
>>> The Unpredictable Part

Letters to the Editor: editor@airplanista.com ...................... 60 Request for Content: Airplanistas Wish List .....................61 The Back Cover: What to do during the last week of July ..... 62
>>> Who we are

Editor/Publisher ............. Dan Pimentel editor@airplanista.com Advertising ......................... Julie Celeste julie@cdadad.com
Airplanista Magazine is published monthly by Celeste/Daniels Advertising and Design, Inc., (the agency) and any opinions expressed are not those of the Board of Directors or Officers of the agency. All opinions, facts, views or other material are that of the author only and contributors to the publication are responsible for their accuracy. All content of this publication is protected by worldwide copyrights, and all rights are reserved. Inquiries to the publisher should be made through email:
INTERACTIVE
Click any underlined text to drill down and learn more about articles or to find more material from our talented writers and contributors. You can also click any website address to visit an advertisers website.
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>>> Aviation Education
Inside reen Wings & Waves Everg
Waterpark
By Dan Pimentel, Airplanista Editor
Photos by the author Renderings courtesy Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum
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At the very heart of almost everything we aviators do is the passion to provide aviation education opportunities for kids. Anyone who has ever tugged on a stick
or stomped on a rudder knows that for aviation to survive as older pilots lose their medicals, we must constantly be pulling boys and girls, young men and women towards flying. Every pilot knows this is task No.1 to secure the future of aviation, and we must all do what we can to educate fertile young minds about how cool and rewarding it is to strap wings on and fly. There are many pilots in this country who work towards this end. They fly Young Eagles flights, conduct seminars to give girls wings, or speak eloquently at the local Rotary Club about how a private aircraft can give a business a competitive advantage. But there might not be anyone that puts his money and his heart into aviation education like Delford M. Smith, owner, and co-founder of the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. Smith and his late son, Captain Michael King Smith, opened their beautiful aviation museum campus in 2001, as a big, effective way to teach kids about flying airplanes. With the acquisition of a large number of aviation artifacts including their centerpiece, Howard Hughes HK-1 Spruce Goose, the museums mission statement to inspire and educate, to promote and preserve aviation and space history, and to honor the patriotic service of our veterans is well served. Aviation education is why the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum exists, but with two large museums (including the newer Space Museum added in 2008) and an IMAX Theater, funding to keep everything open while still acquiring additional artifacts has recently been more of a challenge. Smith is involved hands-on in every aspect of the museums daily operations, and now, at 81
Evergreen Executive Director Larry Wood, a former teacher, cant help but to smile when he talks about the many opportunites to teach kids about aviation at the new Wings & Waves Waterpark.
years of age, was described as being as sharp as ever by the Museums Executive Director, Larry Wood. But a few years ago, Smith was seeking a way to put some separation between his Evergreen Aviation family of companies and the museum. A means needed to be developed to make the museum financially sustainable on its own. Smith suggested they build a waterpark as an attraction to increase revenue, but it couldnt be just any waterpark. It had to be planned the Evergreen way, with something huge and fantastic to draw kids in. And, above all, it had to be centered squarely around aviation education. And the Evergreen Wings & Waves Waterpark was born. I remember the meeting well, says Rick Jenkins, Project Superintendent for Hoffman Construction, who is currently building the waterpark. It was suggested we put an airplane on the roof, really make people driving along the highway out front take notice. Then, Mr. Smith spoke up and said we should use one of Ever-
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(Above): The waterparks wave pool will have a giant TV screen as a main feature so park visitors can watch aviation-themed videos and Dive-in Movies. (Below): The wave pool now under construction.
greens retiring Boeing 747 cargo planes, as that would certainly get the waterpark some attention. As a contractor, I never thought my career could be topped after installing a real Titan II missile in the Space Museum. I didnt initially know how wed do it since this had never been attempted before. But it usually is a really good idea to never say no to Mr. Smith, who said it could be done. And, we did it. While the story of installing a real 747 on the roof of a large, public building will be told later in this story, it is important to know that the mission of aviation education is still the real hero of this facility. Wood, a former teacher himself, smiles
wide when he talks about the education opportunities awaiting kids - and adults too - when they visit the waterpark this summer. One of the most important facts about this waterpark is that it has plenty of educational opportunities built in, said Wood. Most waterparks are there strictly for enjoyment, including ours, but it is also a part of the Evergreen Museum campus. When Mr. Smith initially looked at the building design, he immediately said there was not enough education space. The original design was roughly 52,000 square feet, so now the entire back end has been opened up and weve added a full 3,500 square foot childrens aviation museum
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Yes, an airplane really is mounted on the roof: It took two 500,000 lb. cranes to pick the retired Evergreen 747 and walk it onto the mounting structure, which is independent of the building skeleton. With rigging and ballast, final lifted weight was 352,000 lbs. and it took 56 minutes to complete the pick. Inset: When the 747 was lowered onto the mounts, crews were happy to learn that every bolt hole lined up perfectly. Today, after being welded in place, the airplane installation is solid. With the help of an additional support under the tail, the airplane will be permanently affixed to the waterpark building. Opposite page, top: Hoffman Construction Project Superintendent Rick Jenkins explains the symmetry that is found in every building at the Evergreen museum campus.
to the second floor. In there will be things that you can touch and learn from, things to climb upon, hands-on lessons laid out in sort of an OMSI-like fashion. And the genius behind the Wings & Waves Waterpark is that the lessons about aviation, science and engineering are everywhere you look. Wood explains: There are things spread throughout the waterpark to draw a kids attention into the educational aspects of the facility. We know kids run around and eventually will bump into these things and ask what it is. So there will be plenty of new lessons for kids to discover, and learn what it is and why its working. There will be facts about how much water is being pumped, how pumps work, and of course, in the landing upstairs at the top of the slides will be plenty of facts about the airplane itself. The waterpark is themed to support the museum, so the lines will blur between the two from a kids viewpoint. That is by design, says Wood. For instance, between the two staircases leading up to the -47, there will be a 35-foot Space Shuttle model, with the staircases acting sort of
like gantries. There will be a large play structure in the front for the kids who are not tall enough to go on the slides, and this structure looks like trees. But above the trees is a real Evergreen Bell 212 helicopter with a firefighting water bucket hanging underneath it. There is a target on the ground that says how much water it takes to put out the fire in one tree, and to STAND HERE. The bucket is constantly being filled, and when it gets to a certain point, its balanced to dump the water through the trees and showered onto the kids below. The whole thing will teach kids how aerial firefighting is done, but it happens while they are splashing around in a water-themed play area. The ingenuity that has gone into this sure|
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to-be award-winning waterpark is beyond what most of us could conceive. When asked if the facility is geared only to young kids, Wood, has the answers. Weve got a giant TV screen at one end above the wave pool where we can continuously show educational aviation videos that can be viewed from just about anywhere in the waterpark. These are going to be quite popular, as anyone sitting around will enjoy seeing historical documentaries and other aviation films. But as a way to attract older kids and young adults, we also plan to use the giant wave pool screen for something we call Dive-in Movies, a night time event that we think will be really fun! Another educational element well use to reach older kids and teens is to teach them about the engineering that went into placing a 747 on top of the building. Engineering is big in the Oregon Public Schools, so there will be plenty of opportunities to learn lessons relating to how we did what we did. The main attraction of the waterpark will be the four long, exciting slides that begin in the
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fuselage of the 747 and end in dedicated landing pools over 60 feet below. Wood explained that since the waterpark business normally does not rate the excitement levels of slides, the projects engineers did that. We had Hoffman (Construction) rank the slides on a scale of one to five, with one being a little kiddie slide and five being hold on to your suspenders. If having a 747 on the roof isnt enough to get you planning a trip to visit McMinnville this summer, maybe these descriptions of the four slides will seal the deal: Nose Dive This is Wings & Waves signature ride. A high-energy two person inner tube ride, it combines a fast initial drop-in to a high rate bank turn that leads the riders in to a dark oscillation section before breaking out of the clouds and into the circular bowl below. The ride culminates with a smooth transition and dropout for a spectacular splash and water landing in the shutdown lane below. It has a wow factor of 5 on the Hoffman Construction 1-5 scale. Mach One This high-speed enclosed body
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Evergreen Wings & Waves waterpark by the numbers:

Building square feet: 71,350 Linear feet of water piping: 10,200 feet Total amount of concrete used for waterpark building : 6,553 cubic yards No. of basketballs that could fit into the building: 12,230,000 Water volume of Wave pool: 91,703 gallons Weight of the plane during the pick: 352,000 lbs. Cups of coffee required for the crew while building: 25,375 cups* Man/hours to complete 160,000* Pairs of work gloves used during construction: 4,000* Amount of bowls of soup you could heat in one hour with the pool heating system: 794,000 bowls (1,260,000 BTU/hr.)
(data provided by Evergreen Management) * (estimated)
slide begins dark before opening up into an amber transparent run right above the entry to the park. Visitors entering the park will be able to see the shape of riders blasting through the slide. This slide offers the thrill of enclosure, tight wrapping turns, switchbacks and drop sections that will leave the stomach in the air. A 13 percent slope that descends 60 vertical feet will provide a speedy ride through the twisting, turning waterslide path. Wow Factor: 4/5. Tail Spin This is a high-energy inner tube ride that features fast acceleration off the start and transitions into a tight series of figure eight highbanking curves. The ride is fully enclosed and provides a smooth yet thrilling level of energy. Wow Factor: 4/5. Sonic Boom This slide is the most gradual of the four slides and offers riders an opportunity to view the park with more of an outdoor water park feel. Above the roof, the top section of the slide is transparent to allow light in and glimpses of the shape of the plane and building. Inside the building, the slide has an open top. Starting from a slightly lower decision height offers gentler turns, drops and switchbacks, and is better suited for first-time or novice riders. Wow Factor: 3/5. When you look at the fantastic package of attractions and goodies being offered at the waterpark, none of it comes close to eclipsing the sheer awesomeness of having a real 747 on the roof. How rare is this installation? Very, according to Wood. This is the only 747 installed on top of a building in the world that we know of. There is one on pedestals in Germany. As far as I know, this is the only aviation-themed waterpark. It is very unusual to have a waterpark associated with a museum, they are usually associated with amusement parks. The actual feat of lifting a massive airliner and securing it safely on the roof of a large building is one part genius, three parts engineering excellence, and one part bravado. Jenkins explains that the planning that went into what was called the pick was complicated but thorough. It had to be...as you can imagine how many things could
The beautiful new Lodge at Evergreen will finish the campus and create a great destination for aviators
and their families. Even guests who might only have a passing interest in aviation will love the lodge, waterpark and museums, along with a number of fine restaurants in the McMinnville, Oregon area, which also happens to be located in the heart of Oregons renowned wine country.
have gone terribly wrong with this installation. After the 747 was landed on KMMVs 5,400 runway across the highway, Jenkins said, the four 12,000 pound engines were removed to save weight. We had one 500,000 pound crane with a massive amount of counterweight hoisting the majority of the load, and a second crane of the same size lifting the nose. We did lots of computer-aided modeling in the planning stages, since we couldnt tell with exact certainty what our boom clearances would be. Any time you use a crane, with the loads that the boom is under, the last thing you want to do is have your load touch the boom. If that happens, the boom can easily fail, and in this installation, you can imagine what the results would be. After modeling, we determined wed have a safe clearance of 10 feet between the airplane and boom. Jenkins tells this story with a gleam in his eye, proud of the job he and his crews did. The airplane, rigging and ballast as lifted weighs about 352,000 pounds. It was a delicate maneuver, very slow and very well-planned. The engineering parameters for the wind were 10 mph sustained with a 20 mph gust. Since nobody had
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ever done this before, we did a test pick and that revealed the 10/20 engineering parameters were far in excess of what we felt comfortable with. The rudder picks up any wind, and even with two 500,000 pound cranes holding on to the fuselage, it wasnt enough to prevent weathervaning. So we waited for calm winds and put ropes off the nose and tail that men could use to keep the airplane stable during the pick. Even with so much weight, one guy on one rope could pull the entire airplane into position. When Airplanista Magazine visited the job site in mid-December, the airplane was secure and work was progressing rapidly towards the opening day target date of June 6th, 2011. That day is significant because it will mark the 10th anniversary of the opening of the aviation museum. Once the waterpark is open and running smoothly, Evergreen will immediately be starting to build a beautiful lodge adjacent to the waterpark. Renderings show this will be a classic lodge style with multi-story lobby with a huge fireplace at one end, and, of course, an airplane will be suspended from the ceiling. Wood promised that the lodge plans include very nice amenities
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including a restaurant. And being an part of the Evergreen campus, it will have a strong aviation theme. When the same innovation, quality of construction and design as every other attraction at Evergreen goes into building this lodge, it will be easy to envision this project becoming one of
blow right through McMinnville along the highway where we are located. Now, they are starting to see the 747 on top of the building and take notice of what we are doing here. When the lodge is done, families will be able to come here, stay a few days, hit the waterpark and museums, and also enjoy the many nationally-acclaimed restaurants downtown. This is also the center of Oregons wine country so you can also add wine tasting to the whole destination appeal. Being literally right across the highway from the McMinnville Airport certainly will make the Evergreen museum campus a very popular fly-in destination. Wood said arrangements are being made now with the FBO at KMMV as well as local hotels so when someone flies in, visitors can be picked up. Complete details of future ground transportation are currently evolving, but the expected popularity of the waterpark and lodge will eventually demand that pilots and their families be able to park the Skyhawk, Baron or Citation on the ramp and enjoy a few days of wet, wild and truly educational fun. For aviation purists, the installation of the 747 on the roof is an awesome sight, and will make the waterpark stand alone among aviation-themed attractions. Once the lodge is built out, completing the fifth campus attraction, aviators from around the Evergreen Lodge - Lobby rendering world will surely view this fantastic complex of wonder, education, history and joy the most sought-after places for aviators to RON much like Airventure Oshkosh, which has be(remain overnight). come legendary for its ability to combine plenty The ultimate goal is to make the Evergreen of fun and excitement with learning opportunicampus a true tourism destination, not just for ties for kids and adults. predominately male aviation enthusiasts but for The beautiful 747 at the center of this story everyone, including mom and the kids. Wood has had a long, successful career hauling freight explains why the lodge will make so much sense around the globe. Now, instead of being to the future of the museum campus: As long grounded in retirement, FAA N481EV will as there have been automobiles, people have continue working every day making countbeen leaving Portland for the coast, and they just less kids happy.
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>>> Airventure Backstory
Air show planning: A yearlong loop

Every afternoon at Oshkosh, it happens. Thousands line up to watch. Ive never counted the number of still and video cameras going full-tilt at that time, but the battery manufacturers love us. It is the daily afternoon air show at EAA AirVenture. Many non-pilot types throughout the country call the entire event the Oshkosh air show. Those of you who have been here know the air show is just one little slice of the bigger daily activities that make the event, well, Oshkosh. For those who have just a passing interest in the thing that is the fiber of our very existence, however, this is their introduction to the world of flight and an opportunity for all of us to share the entire story. For air show performers, flying at Oshkosh is a career stepping stone. One first-time performer told me, Youve got to have Oshkosh on your resum if youre going to be big time in the air show business. The top performers are here, creating an all-star lineup. The crowds are primarily aviators or very in-tune with flying, and other air show organizers come to AirVenture to see what acts they might want to sign for their local events. I mention this in the midst of a cold January day here in Wisconsin because much of the work to create Julys daily air show schedule is done in December. Thats when EAA and everyone else in the air show world heads to Las Vegas for the annual International Council of Air Shows convention. AirVentures air show organizers plan in a general sense as many as three years in advance. Theyre always on the search for exciting new acts who are eager to put KOSH in their log books. At the ICAS convention, theres the opportunity to see whats new, connect with longtime Oshkosh favorites, and get recommendations from our friends throughout the business. As you can imagine, the EAA reps are pretty popular people at ICAS. They come back with a boxful of business cards, promo DVDs, and Please call me notes from people who want a chance to show their stuff above Wittman Regional Airport in late July. Theres a system of checks and balances, though, to make sure that new acts are ready to fly at Oshkosh. After getting recommendations, EAA staff will likely go watch potential acts fly in an air show or two, and also get input on how they handle themselves
DickKnapinski
on Twitter: @EAAupdate
Dick is a private pilot who flies a 1967 Piper Cherokee 140. He currently is Communications Director for EAA, a position reached after a long, winding road through broadcast and print journalism, not to mention a passion for gluing airplane model parts to his parents kitchen table as a boy.
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The night air show that was so popular at the 2010 EAA Airventure Oshkosh will be back this summer. As this image by photographer Brady Lane shows, the night is full of color, light and excitement. If you come to KOSH during the last week of summer (you ARE coming, right?), make sure to check the website schedule pages to be on the grounds during this special air show event.
with the public, sponsors and air show officials. If everything looks good, EAA will invite the performer to fly at AirVenture. The rookie orientation isnt complete, though. At Oshkosh, every first-time performer is teamed on the grounds with an air show veteran who has flown here before. They give the straight scoop on the aerobatic box, the crowds, and little details such as where to park the airplanes and how to get fuel. The veteran also watches to make sure the rookie is ready its happened that first-year performers suddenly develop a case of Oshkosh Nerve Freeze when they realize theyre about to fly into the box between the amazing acts of Sean D. Tucker and Kirby Chambliss. Everyone who watches the air show has a favorite act or type of aircraft. We know that, because we hear from hundreds of fans each year. Some people love wingwalkers, others are passionate about military jets, and the World War II warbirds are always a big favorite. Part of the challenge is finding a balance to make the daily show as diverse as possible, yet welcome back those performers who have been annually popular. A question we get every year is why the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels have not flown their full shows at AirVenture. We would love to have them here and they would love to fly at the big one. The biggest hurdle is the size of the aerobatic
box. While the two lengthy, non-crossing runways at Oshkosh are great for welcoming and parking thousands of airplanes, it makes for a long, narrow aerobatic box. The military teams need roughly a one mile-by-one mile sterile area over which to fly a full show. Thats why many of their performances are at military bases, over water, or above airports that have long, crossing runways. At Oshkosh, we can give them a full mile north/south, but not that amount east/west. Were still talking with them and were all trying to find a good solution. There are a couple of highlights, though, that you simply cant miss at AirVenture this coming summer. One is a salute to legendary performer Bob Hoover. One of my favorite air show memories is watching Bob fly his Shrike Commander in resource management mode that is, deadsticking maneuvers and a one-wheel landing. Bob is a classy guy and a role model for so many that we want to honor all hes done for aviation. His special day will be Tuesday, July 26 at Oshkosh. And the night air show will be back in 2011! Last year, it was wicked cool, as one pilot friend described it to me. Our guys say theyre going to make it even better this year. So watch for the details coming soon. And keep the frozen faith summer will be here before you know it!
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>>> Destination Report
A cherished flight into the most important strip
On the Wright Path
of aviation real estate in the world.

By Tony Seton
Photos by the author
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There are some 600,000 pilots in the United States and most every one of them has got to have entertained, at least briefly, the notion of flying into First Flight Airport, especially in 2003, the hundredth anniversary of the first powered, sustained, controlled flight in a heavier-than-air machine. KFFA lies next to the Wright Brothers Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Some pilots flew in there on December
17th of the centenary year, but the weather wasnt very nice. Not only are the winter winds considerable -- in the range of 30 knots -- but the temperature often hovers around freezing, as it did the day of the first flight. To give you an idea how strong those winds are down there, from the time the Wright brothers were flying until Congress built a monument to them a quarter-century later, Big Kill Devil Hill was blown 450 feet to the southwest. Before the monument could even be erected, the sand dune had to be secured with grass and other plantings.
It was indeed a desolate spot on the Outer Banks where Orville and Wilbur Wright did their flight experimenting from 1900 to 1903, deliberately chosen for the constancy of the winds. And the journey each year was a challenge in itself. They traveled by train from their home in Dayton, Ohio, to Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and then by boat, across an often rowdy Currituck Sound to the Kill Devil Hills, where several sand dunes rose from the otherwise flat sands and marshland. The Wrights erected two small buildings when they arrived; one was a hangar of sorts, and the other was their living space. Their comforts were minimal. When parts broke, they had to be shipped back by boat and train to Dayton for repair. When they needed to send a telegram, it
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meant a four-mile walk. They had to transport most of what they needed, including the various aircraft they had designed and built. The aircraft were disassembled for transport, shipped in large barrels, and reassembled at their site. For the first three years, they flew gliders. Abetted by gravity, with a man running along on each side keeping the wings level, they would race along a rail down Big Kill Devil Hill until they reached the speed necessary to gain lift and then they would climb into the sky. The Wrights took turns flying. In 1903, with a perfected plane and a redesigned motor, they went to the Outer Banks with a more exalted purpose, powered flight, and after months of struggle and frustration, they found success on December 17th. There were four flights that historic day, ranging from the first, a twelve-second jaunt spanning 120 feet by Orville, to the fourth, an 852-foot journey by brother Wilbur that lasted 59 seconds. Stone markers show where the
Wright brothers, I found new meaning in their story, and what it meant to fly. I was humbled and proud, marveling at the extraordinary accomplishments of these two men, from the design and building of the planes and learning how to fly them, to the design and construction of the engine that carried their plane aloft. Learning about the Wrights inspired me with a need to fly into First Flight Airport. What set the date was an airline ticket that was about to expire. First Flight Airport is a 3,000-by-60-foot strip of asphalt that runs parallel to the Wright brothers course and a couple of hundred yards to the west. The southern end of runway 2/20 starts in line with the monument on top of The Hill; the northern end stretches almost as far as the stone marking the longest flight that historic day. The airstrip was cut out of a thick tangle of trees, and though theres plenty of room on either sde, some pilots experience a churning
The Wright Brothers truly earned the plaudits on the monument atop Big Kill Devil Hill; it reads:
In Commemoration of the Conquest of the Air by the Brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright. Conceived by Genius, Achieved by Dauntless Resolution and Unconquerable Faith.
flights started and ended, and there is a path along which visitors can walk. Its a short walk, but it must have been a wonderfully long flight. My family first vacationed on the Outer Banks in 1961, and we returned virtually every summer for forty years. In that time, I visited the Wright Brothers Memorial a few times, enjoying the full-size replica of the original Kitty Hawk Flyer, and taking in the story-boards and photographs. Years later, after I earned my private pilots license and did some deeper reading about the wind-tunnel effect, especially when landing to the southwest. I learned that from experience. I had chosen to fly commercially into Norfolk and to rent a plane for the short, final leg. I made arrangements with Horizon Aviation at Chesapeake (CPK) to rent one of their Skyhawks. The Horizon plane I flew had 69.8 hours. I was used to renting planes built 30 years earlier, so this one felt like an old wife in a new body. The weather had been iffy for the first two days of my window, and I was scheduled to fly
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back to California late the third day. Luckily the day dawned only partly cloudy, and my plans became reality. At Horizon, I decided that rather than getting checked out in the plane and then fly solo, I could fly my check ride to FFA. And who doesnt appreciate the company of someone familiar with both the aircraft and the local area sitting in the right seat. Also, because their CFI, Robert, was present, it meant I could pay less attention to the actual flying and more to the ride. I set out on a heading of 150, climbing to only 2,500 MSL to stay comfortably a thousand feet below the many small-ish cumulus clouds that dotted the skies in scattered fashion. The land in eastern Virginia and North Carolina is flat and flatter. The elevation at CPK is 20 feet, and that must be at the thickest part of the asphalt. The shoreline was quickly in sight, and we flew an intersecting diagonal to the southeast.
Shortly after we switched one of the radios to the destination CTAF we heard a pilot claiming an approach to two-zero. So much for the consistent nor-easter winds. Before we saw the runway, we saw the monument, a 60-foot granite sculpture sitting on a star-shaped based at the top of a green hill gracefully carved with intersecting pathways. Stretching from the base of the hill toward our route of flight was a long meadow where the first powered flight paths were marked with stones. We overflew the area to check the windsock on a hill to the west of the center of the strip, and then u-turned to enter a forty-five and a right downwind for two-zero. Since there was no other traffic, I stretched out the downwind so wed have a long final with extra sightseeing. The approach was fine until we were a couple of hundred feet from the tarmac and twenty above the ground. Thats where the winds got squirrelly.
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If you are interested in flying into FFA, here are some practical considerations from pilot Tony Seton: You can do as I did and fly into Norfolk, which is accessible by numerous commercial airlines, and rent a plane from Horizon Aviation. They have a good selection of aircraft. Contact them at 757-421-9000 or go on line to horizonflightcenter.com. Or, you can rent a Skyhawk at Barrier Island Aviation at the Dare County Regional Airport in Manteo (MQI), which is only 3 minutes by air from FFA.. They are at 252-473-4AIR and BarrierIslandAviation.com. If you are flying yourself in and youve read the airport directory information, you already know that you cant overnight at FFA. If you want to stay close, it would be in Manteo. An alternative is the Elizabeth City Regional Airport (ECG) where you might contact Flight Line Aviation at 252-338-5347 or at flightlineair.com. Elizabeth City is 28 miles and 15 minutes from FFA by air, and a bit over an hour by car from the Outer Banks. However you travel to Kill Devil Hills, make sure that you leave yourself several hours to enjoy the Wright Brothers Memorial. Its not something you want to rush.
Its nice insurance to have an experienced flight instructor sitting next to you when the winds start blowing every which way, especially if you are a humble, 325-hour pilot. But it didnt get so dicey that I felt an urge to give up the controls. I didnt plan this trip to be flown in by someone else. I rode the plane down and executed one of the toughest landings in my short career. Not one of my smoothest, but certainly not one to cause embarrassment. Robert and I might have turned around and flown out again -- we hadnt discussed it -- but the lure of the monument atop the hill with the morning sun rising behind it was irresistible. Even though Id climbed The Hill two days earlier, it called to be climbed again. So we taxied onto the apron, and locked up the plane. Robert and I climbed the hill and walked around the monument. Then we descended to the meadow, and walked along the path the Wright brothers had flown only a few generations earlier. You can feel the history in those stone markers, and sense the courage and exhilaration that supported these brilliant pioneers on that raw December morning in 1903. To walk with them now was how it must feel to visit Edisons laboratory or stand in Twains wheelhouse. To my great delight the wind had shifted, and we were to take off on runway two, in the same direction as had been those historic flights. Also gracing our departure was the fact that the
breeze was strong and steady...the very reason the Wright brothers had chosen this spot for their pioneering work. As we rose over the upside-down 20 at the end of the runway, Robert observed how quickly we had covered several times the distance Wilbur Wright had and in half the time. Returning on a reverse heading of 330 to CPK, I was feeling pleased to have accomplished this goal. It reflected my overall approach to being a pilot: you make a plan, fly the route and close it at the end, being flexible where needed. When we arrived at CPK, I taxied to the same spot in front of the terminal where Id found and pre-flighted the Skyhawk. It was a magenta patch of tarmac amidst a black field; like a winners circle. I have a deep sense of honor to be an American and a pilot; to be following in my own small way the path made by the Wright brothers a hundred years ago. With deliberation and bright minds, they focused on the challenges of flight and pioneered new directions that changed civilization forever. Both their efforts and their success say a lot about our country, just as they hold us to higher standards for where we might go. Tony Seton is an award-winning journalist and 450-hour instrument-rated pilot who flies out of Monterey Bay Aviation at KMRY. His body of work can be found at tonyseton.com.
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Pride of ERAU: The Eagles Flight Team

One thing about working 75 are NIFA affiliates. Each year, the in the College of Aviation at schools come together in competiEmbry Riddle Aeronautical tion to determine a national chamUniversity in Daytona Beach, FL pion. Of the 75 teams, only 30 will is the opportunity to work with win invitations to the nationals. a fantastic group of students. The member schools refer to the As if that were not enough, one national competitions as SAFECONs, step better is associating with the in an effort to place emphasis on the Eagles Flight Team. NIFA mission: aviation safety. The The Eagles Flight Team is a main reason behind the SAFECON group of students who are arguJoeClark event is to reward the safety habits ably the best pilots in the school. and cultivate a culture of safety with They are not the best simply website: the member schools and individual because of their stick and rudder bluewaterpress.com competitors. The national events take skills; they rank high because place at locations where facilities can of their mental attitudes, their support as many as 300 students and regard for safety, and most importantly, their over 100 aircraft. At the conclusion of the weekenthusiasm for aviation. All of this is quantifiable long competition, an awards banquet features by the Eagles Flight Team placing first in their the winners along with nationally recognized regional competition for the last 25 years. aviation speakers from throughout industry. The Were pretty sure this is our 25th year, said banquets typically draw more than 1,000 atLes Westbrooks, faculty adviser and coach for tendees. the team. He admits the records are incomplete, There are three areas in which students but he is confident the team has taken first place compete, including ground events, flight events, for the last quarter century. and simulator events. Cosler and Hunt said the This years team co-captains are Andrew ground events included aircraft recognition Cosler of Wilmington, OH and Elizabeth Hunt (REC), simulated aircraft comprehensive navigaof Fort Myers, FL. The two explained how the tion (SCAN), and computer accuracy (COMteam competes in the National Intercollegiate PACC). They excitedly talked of each event with Flying Association (NIFA) regional events. Degreat enthusiasm; they touched on the difficulty pending on the size of the region, the top two of the competition as well as the satisfaction or three competitors in each region will compete team members gained from placing high. in the national event in May. Embry-Riddle is In the flying events there is remarkable coma part of Region Nine, consisting of the states, petition between schools in the areas of powerFlorida, Alabama, and Georgia. on and power-off spot landings, navigation, and One hundred five schools throughout the a message drop. Each competitor must fly safely, United States have aviation programs. Of those, control the aircraft accurately, and follow all
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The 2010-2011 Daytona Beach Embry-Riddle Eagles Flight Team

safety guidelines in the execution of the maneuver. For the landing competitions, volunteer judges evaluate each leg of the traffic pattern while others measure the actual touchdown point of the aircraft from the target line. The judges award points for being off, so the pilot acquiring the least points is the winner. Team member Jeffrey Marques of Lincoln, RI explained the landings competition. He said for power-on landings, a pilot could reduce power, but once retarded, the pilot could not increase power again. The landing has to be in the full stall attitude as close as possible to the zero line. You have to fly basically a perfect pattern, said Kevin Scooter Porter, who is a resident of Gorham, MA and serves the team as the REC coach and treasurer. Coach Westbrooks explained that over the past years, the competitive pilots in landings had typical scores in the range of 20. ERAUs Sherman Carl took the top spot with a score of five. When asked how he became a member of the Eagles Flight Team, Carl said he heard about the mass briefing when he first came to the school and the importance of becoming involved in activities. I just somehow got hooked and I am really glad I did, he said. Members of the Eagles Flight Team truly are diverse and international in composition. Cur|
rently, four women and 28 men compete on the team also including members who do not hold pilot certificates. Coach Westbrooks explains team membership is open to every college at the university. Some of the events, such as aircraft recognition, is a good way for the aeronautical engineering students to study and compare different designs. We also have ten different countries represented on our team, the coach said. These include Croatia, England, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. There is much that goes into pulling off a successful SAFECON from the competitors and their schools, the maintenance crews, the judges, and the communities supporting each. The judges, for instance, are all volunteers giving of their own time and resources to mentor and work with the young pilots who make up the member teams of NIFA. For the Eagles Flight Team, support of the community comes in many forms, including the folks down at the Massey Ranch Airpark, a private fly-in community in Edgewater, FL. They allow the team to practice on their runway every Saturday morning. The team members are a fantastic group of young people. If their enthusiasm, drive, and infectious humor are any indication, the aviation industry is safe for another generation.
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>>> Turbine Series: HondaJet
What if a company known for quality were to
From the very beginning of Honda, their brand name has been synonymous with products that are engineered for perfection and built to last. The Three Joys philosophy that Soichiro Honda implemented in 1951 is the foundation of the manufacturing philosophies that allow Honda to build such dependable cars, motorcycles and even lawn mowers. So what if those same principles, engineering and quality controls were used to build a new, clean sheet light jet?
Build a Jet?
There was a time not that many years ago when brand recognition was built atop a sense of trust for the quality of a product, of a brands reputation. Companies retained a loyal customer base by staying deeply involved in all aspects of design and manufacturing, and the end result was repeat sales and happy buyers. But with only a few exceptions, those days are long gone. Theyve been replaced by unnamed, faceless manufacturing plants on faraway shores that crank out identical goods and slap different logos on the side, selling it all at ridiculously cheap prices in the big box store at the edge of your town. One of the most notable exceptions to this rule though is Honda, or to be more precise, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Since the very early 1950s, Honda has been committed to building products that are as close to bulletproof as one can get. If youve ever owned a Honda CT90, a.k.a Trail 90 , you know they like most everything Honda builds are indestructible. I owned one for years, and the vision of it crashing violently down an embankment near Dinkey Creek in the High Sierras is still vivid
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By Dan Pimentel, Airplanista Editor Photos courtesy Honda Media
to me. I bailed in time to watch my Trail 90 bounce and careen off logs and rocks before coming to a stop lodged against a tree. Normal motorcycles would have been buried right there on the spot after meeting their early demise. But we just wrestled my dusty, scratched-up bike back to the logging road that I had previously exited, restarted it, and continued on our way. That old trail bike served me well for many years after the wreck. My fondness for Honda products continues today. After owning a long list of cheap, almost disposable lawn mowers, I finally splurged a few years ago for an authentic Honda mower. Sure, the buy-in was steep, but the product is so far superior to anything else I have used in my life, it is phenomenal. The mower is like a little tank, and starts as designed, on the first pull, and runs flawlessly. It cuts the grass to golf course perfection without much effort from the operator. So what if a company that prides itself on building rock solid products were to take that knowledge of quality control and build a light jet? The result of that clean sheet project is the HondaJet, one of the most anticipated turbine flying machines on the market today. To fully understand the internal philosophies of Honda that has led to their longevity and reputation for quality, one must first look to the beginnings of the company and the man who started it all. In October 1946, Soichiro Honda established the Honda Technical Research Institute in Hamamatsu, Japan, to develop and produce small 2-cycle motorbike engines. Not long after that, on December 1, 1951, he published The Three Joys in Hondas Monthly Newsletter No. 4. These are, specifically, the joy of producing, the joy of selling, and the joy of buying. It is
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this Three Joys concept that Hondas quality has been developed upon. Soichiro Honda wrote the following: The first of these, the joy of producing, is a joy known only to the engineer. Just as the Creator used an abundant will to create in making all the things that exist in the natural universe, so the engineer uses his own ideas to create products and contribute to society. This is a happiness that can hardly be compared to anything else. Furthermore, when that product is of superior quality so that society welcomes it, the engineers joy is absolutely not to be surpassed. As an engineer myself, I am constantly working in the hope of making this kind of product. The second joy belongs to the person who sells the product. Our company is a manufacturer. The products made by our company pass into the possession of the various people who have a
demand for them through the cooperation and efforts of all our agents and dealers. In this situation, when the product is of high quality, its performance is superior, and its price is reasonable, then it goes without saying that the people who engage in selling it will experience joy. Good, inexpensive items will always find a welcome. What sells well generates profits, as well as pride and happiness in handling those items. A manufacturer of products that do not bring this joy to people who sell those products is disqualified from being a manufacturer worthy of the name. The third joy is the joy of the person who buys the product, is the fairest determiner of the products value. It is neither the manufacturer nor the dealer that best knows the value of the product and passes final judgment on it. Rather, it is none other than the purchaser who uses the product in his daily life. There is happiness in thinking,
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Oh, Im so glad I bought this. This joy is the garland that is placed upon the products value. I am quietly confident that the value of our companys products is well advertised by those products themselves. This is because I believe that they give joy to the people who buy them. The Three Joys philosophy that Soichiro Honda spoke of in 1951 was further clarified two years later in the March 1953 issue of Honda Monthly when the slogan of 120% Quality was presented for the first time. In that newsletter, Honda wrote, we have to aim for 120% product quality because when human beings aim for 100%, they will always miss by about 1%. If 99% of the products we make are perfect, that would seem like a pretty good record. However, the customers who become the owners of the remaining 1% will surely consider their products 100% defective. It is unacceptable that even one customer in
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a thousandeven one customer in ten thousand should receive a defective product. Thats why we have to aim for 120%. So from a tiny Japanese company devoted to over-engineering everything they build, a progression from the ground to the air is underway. The development of the HondaJet is pushing towards certification, and when that happens, it will be the culmination of work that dates back to the 1980s. Honda Aviation began research in Japan on both small aircraft and jet engines as far back as 1986, which led to development of the composite body MH-02 airplane from 1993 through 1996. In the mid-90s, Honda was deep into high altitude testing on their first generation turbofan engine, the HFX-01 and by 1999, they were testing the HF-118 turbofan jet engine in the 1,000 3,500-pound thrust class that featured a compact, lightweight, and fuel efficient design.
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In 2000, the company went all in towards development of a light jet when Honda R&D Americas was formed and a research facility at the Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, NC was built for researching, fabricating and flight testing of HondaJet. Three years later, on December 3, 2003, HondaJet as the project was now being called, took its first test flight. It wasnt until two years later at EAAs 2005 AirVenture Oshkosh that HondaJet made its first public debut. One year later, at that same venue, Honda announced that it will commercialize HondaJet and began taking orders. At the 2010 NBAA show in Atlanta, the company reported orders for well over 100 of their $4.5 million jets, and that first customer deliveries would begin in the third quarter of 2012. Also reported was news that the HondaJet proof-of-concept airplane has accumulated more than 500 flight test hours and attained both a top speed of 420 knots (483 mph) and a maximum altitude of 43,000 ft. in flight testing. And in December, 2010, the first FAA conforming Honda Aircraft HA-420 made its maiden flight, which was also the first flight of the GE Honda Aero HF120 engine. In pure Honda form, the HondaJet delivers features that are nothing short of aeronautical genius. A unique over-the-wing engine-mount configuration is designed to improve airplane performance and fuel efficiency by significantly reducing aerodynamic drag in flight. The engine placement also allows for a more spacious cabin and greater cargo capacity. The production HondaJet flight deck features a Honda-customized Garmin G3000 nextgeneration all-glass avionics system incorporating a class-leading layout with three 14-inch landscape-format displays and dual touch-screen controllers for overall avionics control and flight plan entries. Honda claims the HondaJet Avionics Suite is the most advanced glass flight deck available in any light business jet and provides state-of-the-art integrated avionics functionality
featuring split screen MFD capability, satellite weather, graphical synoptics, digital audio, and optional Synthetic Vision. The cabin is engineered to be both functionally efficient as well as beautiful and comfortable. I remember seeing the HondaJet in operation for the first time a few years ago as it was preparing to depart Oshkosh. Once the Honda engineering team tugged the ship to the taxiway at show center, it was immediately surrounded by at least 15 busy engineers all hovering, measuring, checking, re-checking as if this was their first test flight ever. It was quite a spectacle, as if they were telling the world yes, we DO take engineering this airplane very seriously. Once the two GEs over the wings fired up, it was blissful magic to watch this quiet, efficient airplane depart. It accelerated more like a rocket than a luxury jet, and attacked the air by commanding enough lift to yank the ship off runway 18/36 with a dramatic short field takeoff designed to make the crowd gasp. They succeeded at that, times ten. Yes, the engineering team and Hondas test pilot were putting on a show, and yes, they made their point very well! This airplane performs the way you would expect a jet to perform should one of the worlds most brilliant engineering teams spend years in a quest to design the perfect private jet. Soon their world headquarters, R&D center and production facility in Greensboro will be producing HondaJets for customer delivery, and these sophisticated machines will certainly live up to the quality reputation Honda enjoys while delivering a spectacular pilot and passenger experience. And, if the final product is anything like all of the other things Honda builds, you can expect to soon see these completely sexy airplanes become glistening eye candy on ramps around the world. Their gorgeous good looks will only be surpassed by fit and finish that is without compromise, and operational efficiency that should become the benchmark for the light jet market.
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>>> NASA Report
Dissecting the Shuttle Stack: The External Tank

One of the most important calculations of most any flights preparation is for fuel. But what if you had to calculate for 3.72 million gallons per hour? The good news is you only need enough for 250 miles or under 9 minutes, but thats still a factor of 5.35 TIMES more than the fuel capacity in any other flying machine out there (the AN-225 being the largest I can find record of). The Space Shuttles External Tank (ET) has seen three generations, each becoming lighter than the last as metallurgical and manufacturing advances have been made. Its signature orange color comes not from paint but from the exterior insulating foam. It was painted white for the first two launches, but NASA quickly decided that the vanity of a matching fuel tank didnt justify the loss of 600 lbs of payload (crew, science experiments, or additional supplies). Fully assembled and fueled, the Shuttle stack (Orbiter, solid rocket boosters, external tank) weighs approximately 4.5 million pounds. An aluminum/lithium alloy developed for strength and light weight is used to construct most of the 481,450 parts that make up a completed external tank. In most places, it is only 0.25 inches thick. Two comparisons stick out -- a standard pickup truck weight-to-cargo ratio is 3:1 (three pounds of structure holds one pound of load), and the ET ranks at 1:27 (one pound of structure holds 27 pounds of load). If you proportionally scaled a 12-ounce soda can to the size of the ET, their structure would be approximately the same in thickness but the aluminum-only wouldnt hold nearly the load. The ET consists of two separate tanks: one of 390,139 gallons for liquid Hydrogen, the other for 145,138 gallons of liquid Oxygen. Hydrogen is stored on the bottom and Oxygen in the top when the tank is upright and in a launch orientation. The two tanks are attached via stringers, long metal reinforcers that run between the tanks. The latest round of delays in Discoverys STS-133 Launch is due to cracking of a couple of these stringers; she will now launch no earlier than Feb. 3, 2011. NASA crews can fuel these two tanks very quickly -- about 3 hours for a full load.
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AdamFast
on Twitter: @adamcanfly
Adam Fast is a private pilot living in Lawrence, KS. A geek in the truest sense of the word, he writes web software to pay for flight hours and in his free time experiments with software projects, amateur radio and covering topics of geekiness on Regularly Scheduled Geekery, found at adamfast.com. He flies a Piper Archer II and Cherokee 180 with The Joplin Flyers, Inc. based at KJLN. You can follow him on Twitter: @adamcanfly.
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The 17-inch feedline to the orbiter is capable of emptying them in 8.5 minutes. The foam surrounding the tank also has a reputation. The liquid Hydrogen and Oxygen at -423 deg. F and -297 deg. F leads to ice forming, and the resulting cracking (and impact at high speed) was a major contributing factor in our loss of Columbia in 2003. No manufacturing defects in the tank were found by the investigation board; it was simply a case of bad circumstances aligning. Crews are now trained to inspect the Shuttles thermal protection system tiles after entering orbit to detect tile damage and ensure such an incident does not happen again. It also serves the critical role of connecting the Orbiter to the twin solid rocket boosters which provide 83% of the total thrust used to exit the Earths atmosphere. After arriving in orbit, the newly-emptied tank is jettisoned and left to disintegrate as it hits the atmosphere. It is the only major component of the stack which is new for every single flight. The tanks are being manufactured at NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana by Lockheed-Martin and then travel by barge to Kennedy Space Center, riding up the Banana River and taken into the Vehicle Assembly Building to be stacked. No matter how you look at it, the shuttles external tank is an amazing piece of engineering -- strength/ weight and manufacturing techniques that are practically unheard of. But at a cost of $172,940,000 each, they dont come cheap.
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Space Shuttle External Tank (ET) Cost: $172,940,000 No. of parts: 481,450 Endurance: 8.5 minutes Liquid Hydrogen/gals: 390,139 Liquid Oxygen/gals: 145,138 Weight-to-cargo ratio: 1:27
illustration/NASA
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>>> Sexy* Centerfold
* if you dont agree airplanes can be sexy, maybe this is the wrong magazine for you!
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>>> Photo by EAAs Jim Koepnick

Jim has been a professional photographer for 31 years and with EAA as Chief Photographer for 26. He lives in Oshkosh, WI. When not shooting airplanes, Jim shoots local sporting events. koepnickphotography.com One of my highlights of AirVenture 2008 was shooting my first P38. After the Warbird show, we met up with Ron Fagens P38 Lightening Ruff Stuff west of Oshkosh. Our photo platform was a Seneca flown by Brian Scott Norris. This image jumped out at me for its simplicity. The plain background of the water allowing the lines of the aircraft to be showcased. - Jim Koepnick
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EAA is more than an organization

Its reconnecting with old friends and sharing stories at your local airport Its an EAA chapter pancake breakfast on a crisp fall morning Its taking a child on their first airplane ride and changing them forever Its camping under the wing of your airplane at AirVenture in Oshkosh Its forging friendships with aviation enthusiasts around the world Its the excitement in your childs eyes as you introduce them to airplanes Its the satisfaction you feel after an exhilarating day of volunteering for an EAA event Its putting the final touches on your homebuilt before you fly to Oshkosh to show it off Its honing your restoring skills at one of EAAs hands-on workshops Its continuing the legacy of the advancement of aviation Its belonging to a group of people just like you
EAA is sharing The Spirit of Aviation

Passion for flying is like no other. EAA is made up of some of the most passionate aviation enthusiasts from around the world. As an EAA member, you receive the tools and resources to get the most from your passion for aviation! We send out monthly magazines, e-newsletters, and give you access to EAAs member-only website and EAA experts. Youll also have the opportunity to participate in more than 10,000 local and regional events each year. As a member, you have benefits that make participation easier and more affordable, including aircraft insurance, financing, sport pilot opportunities, and much more! Whether you are just beginning your aviation journey, or you have been a longstanding EAA member you can share the spirit of aviation on any level. Join more than 160,000 members worldwide in sharing the spirit of aviation with fellow members, enthusiasts, and the next generation of aviators.
JOIN TODAY!
If we sound like your kind of aviation enthusiasts, check us out online at www.eaa.org, or give us a call at 1-800-JOIN-EAA.
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Sentimental Journey
In the sky with
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>>> Air-to-Air Masterpieces
Jay Beckman
www.crosswindimages.com
>>> Photography by
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>>> Air-to-Air Masterpieces
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Jay Beckman
OWN
WORDS
IN HIS
Jay Beckman is a native Michigander who migrated to the warmth of Arizona in 1997. He began working full-time as a photographer after a 20-year career as an Emmy-winning television production technician. Ive enjoyed photography at a serious amateur level for many years but the advent of digital imaging really accelerated the development of my skills for one simple (but probably surprising) reason: Many of the adjustments that we made to video footage in broadcasting are identical to what you can do with digital images. Jay holds a Private Pilot certificate and, like many other pilots these days, just wishes he could fly a lot more. To see more of Jays work, purchase aviation or other fine-art images or contact Jay regarding a project you may have, please visit the Crosswind Images website:
BIO
Contact: www.crosswindimages.com
Photographing Sentimental Journey was an amazing experience. When the rear door of our Shorts Sky Van photo ship went up, it was all I could do to not just sit and watch the ghost behind us glide through the Arizona skies. I had to make myself pick up the camera and start shooting. Documenting history is important and as an aviation photographer, Im fortunate to be able to help maintain the trail from Kitty Hawk to today. Bare aluminum skin is both incredibly striking and extremely challenging to shoot because of the reflected highlights (and deep shadows) you sometimes encounter. However, nearly every degree of heading change in our aerial orbits yielded a different feel or look. Cloudless skies, warm early-afternoon light and the typical reddish-orange desert below brought out all the texture and character that youd expect to see on a nearly 70-year old airframe. As I examined the shots from this project, I felt more like I had been out doing a landscape photography project where aircraft flew through the frame and less like Id been out shooting aircraft over just any old background. I think our mountains and red rocks make fantastic backgrounds. Pilots Russ Gilmore, Reid MacCosham and Spike McLane flew SJ with near surgical precision. Left, right, up, down, forward, back...whatever we asked of them, they were able to do it first time, every time. - Jay Beckman #1 - Thunder On The Mountain Sentimental Journey passes over Red Mountain outside Mesa, Arizona with escort provided by Mustangs and a Spitfire. #2 - Truly A Fortress A head-on look at Sentimental Journey shows the potential defensive fire power that could be brought to bear by the G-model Flying Fortress. Combining the top turret, the cheek guns, the chin turret and the ball turret, eight .50 caliber machine guns could fully cover the front quarter negating what, in earlier models, was a soft spot often exploited by enemy fighter pilots. #3 - Betty Grable in one of the most iconic Pin Up images from WWII is the nose art on both sides of Sentimental Journey. Im sure Ms. Grable would be proud to know that she graces this magnificent aircraft. #4 - Little Friends Casey Odegaard in Cripes A Mighty and Bob Odegaard in Stang fly close escort for Sentimental Journey. Being able to capture this kind of living history and meeting the men and women who keep em flying is one of the most gratifying aspects of being involved in aviation photography.
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>>> Flying, Across the Pond
Airspace, funding and freedom

European countries and the States use the same airspace classes. From the No-VFR class A to the Do it yourself classes E, F and G. This sounds like old, boring classroom stuff, right? But if you come over to fly in Europe, a brief refresh of the rules is a must. There are some slight differences in the rules and the European airspace is structured in a different way. There is nothing like a class B, C or D airport in Europe and the airspace around airports is not organized like upsidedown wedding cakes. A class D area called Control Zone, or CTR in short, surrounds the airport where I learned to fly. CTRs always start on ground and are a few thousand feet high. At this airport, the CTR goes from the ground to 3,500 feet and is shaped like a rectangle lined up with the main runways direction. The tower is responsible for controlling traffic in the CTR. There is often a mixture of VFR and IFR traffic in the CTR and this is why it is classified as class D. In this class, ATC provides separation between IFR flights and must provide traffic information about VFR flights. There is no separation between IFR and VFR. It is easier to mix VFR and IFR when it is not required to maintain separation between the two types of flights. The Terminal Maneuvering Area, or TMA, starts on top of the CTR and goes up to the airways, typically at FL100 or above. TMAs are usually classified as airspace C and controlled by Approach and Departure ATC units. In airspace C, ATC must provide separation between IFR and VFR traffic and provide traffic information about VFR. The requirement for separation between VFR and IFR creates extra workload on ATC when VFR flights enter C airspace. It is always possible to request a clearance to enter D or C airspace but you should have a plan B. In Europe, it is very common to be denied access to a major TMA when flying VFR. When leaving Genevas CTR, the typical radio message from Tower is Frequency change approved, remain below airspace Charlie of Geneva TMA. Some of the biggest airports like London Heathrow or Paris Charles de Gaulle are surrounded by some class A airspace. The message is clear: no VFR here. A similar situation exists
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VincentLambercy
on Twitter: @PlasticPilot
Vincent Lambercy is a Swiss private pilot now living in Germany. He holds a private pilot certificate with single-engine, multi-engine and instrument ratings and has logged more than 430 hours of flight. He blogs about general aviation on plasticpilot.net and is the founder of connectingpilots.com, a website helping pilots to find more aviation connections online.
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The VFR Transition
over the top of Los Angeles International Airport allows VFR traffic to move through busy airspace without the help of ATC. This, says Lambercy, would not happen in the E.U.
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in Northern Italy. Large blocks of airspace are classified as class A. Flying across the Alps and descending towards Milano can be very challenging. This might seem strange to U.S. pilots. It was a surprise for me to see how easy it is get a clearance through any class B airspace. And it took me a couple of minutes to realize how cool the VFR corridor over LAX is...4,000 feet over a major airport, without radio contact. This was really a blast. Where does the difference come from? Its hard to say, but I think it has to do with the funding model. The FAA is funded by tax dollars to provide a public service. The administration creates as many control sectors as required to handle the load. When I flew VFR into Houston, the number of different frequencies we contacted surprised me. A larger number of sectors reduce the number of aircraft per controller. This also makes it possible to handle a larger number of VFR flights. Remember that VFR traffic is hard to forecast because no flight plan is required. In Europe, the aviation system is funded via various fees. IFR flights must pay for en-route and approach fees. All flights, IFR and VFR must only pay for landing fees, which mostly fund airports. This means that VFR flights do not pay for ATC services. From the ATC side, this means that VFR flights create workload, which is not paid for.
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With the privatization and liberalization process running in the air traffic control sector in Europe, the air traffic service providers are under pressure. For sure, no country can afford to let its ATC organization go bankrupt. But all countries also want their ATC services to be financially balanced. In this context, commercial airspace users like the airlines put the ATC service providers under pressure. Airlines want lower ATC fees to keep their own costs as low as possible. The context of free services for VFR is not exactly compatible with lower fees for commercial, IFR users. In my humble opinion, this is why European air traffic control services can not afford to offer the same service level that the FAA provides to VFR pilots. However, even with this funding model, safety remains ATCs first priority in Europe. If a VFR pilot has to enter any airspace for safety reasons like maintaining VMC, no air traffic controller will ever deny a clearance. Under such circumstances all air traffic controllers in the world act the same: they provide as much help as they can, whatever the funding model. But expect some paperwork after your safe landing. As complicated and restrictive as this might sound for a US pilot, this system is working quite well. The level of freedom for pilots is slightly lower in Europe but it is possible to fly light aircraft around and this is a lot of fun.
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>>> Vintage Aviation
Friend Ship:
A strong bond forms when a pilot builds a vintage airplane with his bare hands.
Bob Lock flies the only airworthy Command-Aire 5C3 in the world on the 2006 American Barnstormers Tour with his brother Steve in the front cockpit. | click here to receive AIRPLANIST free Photo by Gilles Auliard. A in your inbox 46
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Bob Lock and his immaculate 1929 Command-Aire are aviation rarities. Lock is one of a handful of master builders who restores antique airplanes back to the glorious splendor they deserve. Vintage airplane restoration is as much an art as it is a technical craft, and the people who breathe life back into these wonderful old ships should be considered artists who use the sky as their canvas and paint with spruce, gasoline, fabric, and wire.
By Dan Pimentel, Airplanista Editor We see vintage biplanes at air shows across the land each year, and marvel at their beauty. They are majestic, uncomplicated flying machines that remain true to the principles of stick and rudder aviating. With decades of history riding atop their fabric wings, these flying works of aviation art tell tales we must keep alive forever. This exquisite aviation lore speaks of weathered aviators in goggles and scarves carving their legends in the sky, spending their days barnstorming, carrying the mail, or introducing a farm boy in Nebraska to the clouds. The legacy of the remaining vintage biplanes is fully intact today only because of the work of a few master craftsmen who have devoted their life to preserving the history of these flying museum pieces. With only scraps of rusted airplane and ancient written information to guide them, these builders use their hands, heart and minds to restore what was once forgotten, to make whole what was once a basket of parts and pieces.
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artists like Bob Lock from the rest of us. Some of these Command-Aire parts were stored in a shed in Los Angeles, while others were literally buried in weeds in an adjacent pasture.
The vision required to see a beautiful classic show plane in this trailer full of rusted parts is what separates biplane
One such biplane artist is Bob Lock of Lakeland, Florida. Lock is well known around the vintage restoration community as one of the few remaining builders who is keeping the craft alive. While he has built a long list of restored airplanes, it is one particular project that has dominated his soul for 45 years, one special airplane that is this master craftsmans signature ship: Command-Aire nine-nine-seven echo. It wasnt long after Lock was born that he began being pulled towards a life and career in aviation. As far as finding that one special airplane, it wasnt a matter of if, it was more of a given, if youve ever had the privilege of knowing this particular pilot. When I was very young, Lock explains, I knew someday there would be a rare old airplane waiting for me to discover in a barn and I would restore it back to its original glory. I found that rare airplane in 1965 a 1929 Command-Aire 5C3, NR997E.
I stored the pieces for 13 years, researched its history and the companys history, located the original designer, restored every piece of the airplane with my own hands, assembled and rigged and test flew the airplane. The Command-Aire is 81 years old and I am now 71 years young. It still is the only model 5C3 current airworthy in the world. Think about that for a moment. To sit alone in a craft you built by hand, knowing it is the only remaining example of that model left on the planet. You will read later what flying such a rare machine is like, but it will help to learn how a trailer full of parts ended up at an air show near you. Lock found the Command-Aire by chance in a building in the Newhall/Saugus area of the Los Angeles basin. But long before that, he developed a relationship with its owner. When in the Army and stationed at Ft. Hood, Texas,
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we traveled to Parker, Arizona on the desert to play some war games, said Lock. I saw a lone Stearman fly over at a rather high altitude, heading west one day. It turned out that airplane belonged to Don Williams, who was an American Air Lines Boeing 707 flight engineer. We eventually met and became friends. He told me he had pieces of three Command-Aires stored inside a large shop building behind his house. When I went to acquire my airplane from him, he sent me into the field next to a horse pasture to dig out the wings from the weeds. The sheer aeronautical knowledge one must possess to take a collection of old parts dug out of the weeds and produce a better-thannew airplane is staggering. Lock is a master at his craft and has developed his technique over many hard days and long nights in the shop. But when his mastery is analyzed, it is one part effort and three parts logic. Ive always approached every restoration as a challenge, Lock said. All the skills needed today were widely used when the airplane was constructed, particularly in the late 1920s. As in gas welding, I always view the skill by saying that if some guy back in 1929 could weld chromoly tube into a structure, so can I. All I have to do is practice and have good equipment. When I begin a restoration, looking at the entire project seems a bit overwhelming, so I always break the project into smaller portions. Like the wood work, the steel tube structure, the landing gear, the engine installation, the cockpit installation, etc. Ive never used a computer on any restoration; they were done with my eye on those who came before me and originally did this magnificent work. A clear example of how a logical approach to airplane building saves time in a restoration was found when Lock was in the final stages of building the Command-Aire. Restoration requires a chain of thought with attention paid to the next step, he said. For instance, when getting close to finishing the 5C3, I assembled
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(top) Command-Aire designer Albert Vollmecke and Lock at the Federal Records Storage Center in Suitland, Maryland in 1982 searching for Vollmeckes first copy drawings. (bottom) Nothing has changed during the 81 years since Locks Command-Aire entered service. One of its primary missions and certainly one of the most enjoyable to Lock is taking kids on their first airplane ride.
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the airplane with the fuselage uncovered, put it up on scales and weighed it. Then I calculated its weight and balance and needed to adjust the empty weight center of gravity, so I located the battery in the aft part of the fuselage. But before deciding on a final location of the battery mount I had to consider rudder and elevator controls that would route through the area. Like a gigantic flying puzzle, A leads to B which leads to C if you are lucky and smart. There was much of the original structure of the Command-Aire present, so these parts could be used as patterns. The fuselage frame, tail surfaces, ailerons and struts are all
data that is still not accessible. But that is a completely different discussion, says Lock. Things can sail along quite nicely, but this being after all an airplane, there are hoops that any restoration artist most inevitably jump through before the FAA signs off on the project. The most difficult part of Locks Command-Aire restoration was the engine change, and it was this facet of the project that generated the most paperwork from Oklahoma City. I decided to install a Wright R-760-8 radial engine in the Command-Aire to replace the original Wright R-600 Challenger engine because I wanted reliability for future long cross-country flights, Lock explains. It
If there had been a classified ad for
Locks gorgeous biplane shown at left just as he found it that ad might have read something like this:
FOR SALE:
Used 1929 Command-Aire 5C3, flew great when new, was a real head-turner on the ramp. A sweet and dependable plane, this biplane is capable of operating from tiny grass patches for barnstorming, mail contract fulfillment, or aerial circus acts. Some important parts may be missing. Needs work.
original, but Lock built new wings, landing gear, engine mount, and metal cowlings. As he worked, he enlisted the one man in all of aviation who could help him complete this vintage restoration. In 1982, Lock met up with the CommandAires original designer, Albert Vollmecke, and the two builders assaulted the FAA in Washington, D.C, looking for Vollmeckes original type design data in the way of drawings. We never found the drawings, but what I found stored was a treasure trove of random aviation
seemed like an impossibility due to the FAA. There would be no field approval for the engine change, rather a lengthy and complicated Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) process had to be undertaken. It was a horrible experience and took four and a half years of my life to finally complete. It was a battle with the FAA, but I won! Through an entire career as a builder, Lock has preferred to work mostly alone, finding help from those who know specific things along the way. While he might have worked
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tirelessly in the shop for thousands of hours, his wife Sandy has always been there to offer the kind of spousal support any builder of vintage biplanes must have to be successful. Airplanes have always been a large part of my life. When I first met Sandy, I was only a student pilot about 25 or 30 hours in a Cessna 120 at the time, Lock said. She knew quickly that she had to share me with my airplane, and so it has been over the past 47 years. One of the highlights of my flying career was to fly a New Standard on the 2003 National Air Tour organized by Greg Herrick. Except for a couple weather days, I flew every day. Sandy drove a rental van carrying all the tents and equipment we needed and, after flying for up to six hours from point A to point B, there was the tent all set-up with long lines of people waiting for their ride. She traveled over 5,000 miles during the 18-day excursion. There is one aspect of being a biplane artist that is inescapable. Once you have crafted the machine from scrap to a work of aviation art, it still has to be flown. When this nervewracking time came in Locks project, it was a joyous event. After 11 years of restoration work on the Command-Aire, Lock said, the time was getting close to flying it. When the airplane was ready for the first flight at Lakeland, Florida, I did not have any recent biplane time. So I met up with my friend Alan Geringer at the Selma (California) Aerodrome and logged about an hour-and-a-half to two hours of dual in his stock Stearman PT-17. I wanted to do a little air work, some slow flight and takeoffs and landings. That was all the recent biplane time I had on July 11, 1989 when my Command-Aire took to the sky from runway 23 at the Lakeland Airport. When the flight was over I swore that I had flown the airplane in another life. The feeling was so strong it was eerie! Now, when the airplane is displayed, it is still pleasing when people tell me what a
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beauty it is after 21 years. While Lock has logged many wonderful hours in the Command-Aire treating you and I to its beauty and graceful ways in the air, there was one flight in particular that could have ended very badly. Says Lock: The airplane was recently disassembled for some fuselage and lower wing work at a restoration shop. When I traveled down to help assemble the ship, I wanted to put more stagger in the upper wings, and so we did. However, not having a single rigging instruction other than what I recorded when initially rigging the ship, we simply moved the upper wings forward. But when altering the stagger, the angle of incidence was decreased and I didnt compensate for that. So on the test flight the airplane flew terrible and I didnt know if I could get it around the pattern and back on the ground safely. After landing, we began to check the decalage (the difference between angle of incidence of upper and lower wings on a biplane) and found the angle of the upper wings had gone from three degrees to 1 degree. That is what caused the lousy flying airplane. Corrected, it flew just like it always did. From a trailer of parts and wings buried in weeds, Lock has spent many loving hours working on his beloved Command-Aire. You see the joy this airplane brings to him when he is around it, and as he climbs in and fires up, you know this partnership between airplane and pilot was meant to be. The CommandAire and I have been friends for the past 45 years, Lock states proudly, and the joy of flying it has not diminished. In the field of aviation and from the perspective of a pilot/ mechanic, what more could anybody want! And when you think about this from the perspective of the airplane, being up there with Lock on stick and rudder entertaining us sure beats pushing up Daisies in some pasture any day of the year.
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>>> Ask a CFI
Flight training Q & A

Here are some of the questions recently submitted to my website, askacfi.com. One of the nice things about askacfi.com is the fact that your answers dont come from one instructor but from a TEAM of instructors! Some of these answers were provided by other instructors. Do you have a flight training question? Ask a Flight Instructor! Find us on the web at: http://www.askacfi.com Its definitely that time of year again when the weather turns frigid, and we recently had a user named Kennedy ask several questions related to aircraft icing. In order to keep this organized, Ill break the questions down and answer them individually. To begin, I recommend you download and read the following PDF resources about aircraft icing: AC 91-74 Flight in Icing Conditions AC 135-17 Pilot Guide: Small Aircraft Ground Deicing AC 20-117 Hazards Following Ground Deicing and Ground Operations in Conditions Conductive to Aircraft Icing AC 91-51A Effect of Icing on Aircraft Control and Airplane Deice and Anti-Ice Systems Now for the questions: Kennedy asks: What is the technical difference between aircraft icing and frost? Ask a CFI: Frost is a form of ice. They are both considered frozen contaminants. Frost are ice crystals formed on surfaces (like aircraft skin) when the surface temperature is at or below the dew point and the surface temperature is at or below freezing. Ice, as you know, is simply solid water. Conditions conducive to aircraft icing can be encountered in the air or on the ground. Frost can be considered a form of aircraft icing that occurs on the ground. Kennedy asks: In order for aircraft icing to occur, there needs to be visible moisture present, but what about temperatures? Do temperatures HAVE to be at or below freezing for icing to occur? What OTHER conditions are necessary for ice to occur?
PaulTocknell
on Twitter: @askacfi website: askacfi.com
Paul Tocknell is a flight instructor and corporate pilot from Dayton, Ohio. Paul has been an active flight instructor for over 10 years and holds numerous jet type ratings on his ATP certificate. Paul enjoys helping pilots answer their flight training related questions on his website at askacfi.com.
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Do you have a question for Paul?

Ask a CFI: Wesley Beard, a resident Askacfi. com instructor, correctly pointed out that temperatures do not have to be below zero for icing to form. The Aeronautical Information Manual states in 7-2-21 that icing is most prevalent in temperature ranges from +2deg C to -10deg C. In most corporate jet manuals, the manufacturer considers icing conditions exist when visible moisture is present and the temperature is between +10deg C and -40deg C. Even frost can occur when temperatures are above freezing. When an aircraft sits overnight it radiates heat which cools the skin of the airplane. If the skin cools sufficiently, frost can occur even if the ambient air temperature is above 0C. Kennedy asks: Best method to de-ice (de-frost) a wing? During a preflight inspection, if I find a small amount of frost on the wing of my airplane what is the best way to de-ice (remove frost) from the wing? Ask a CFI: It sounds like you might already know it, but you should never take off with any frost on your wings. Recent studies have shown that even light amounts of frost can have serious detrimental effects on lift. The FAA firmly believes in the clean wing concept. The absolute best and easiest way to de-ice your wing from frost is to warm it up in a hangar if one is available. Once the frost starts melting, make sure to wipe down the wing with a towel or chamois so it doesnt re-freeze in critical areas once you take it out of the hangar. You can also arrange with your FBO to apply de-icing chemicals (Type I, II) but that can be cost prohibitive for a smaller airplane.
Submit your questions and read more flight instruction Q & A at askacfi.com.
A Robert C. Osborn illustration that appeared in FAA Aviation News circa 1970s. Used with permission.
of the temperature. You never know where you might pick up icing. Ive picked up serious rime ice on the edge of a summer thunderstorm once. Many airplanes have been lost (I know one personally) because the pilot simply forgot to turn the pitot heat on. Most large airplanes make the pitot heat a yellow item on the annunciaKennedy asks: When is it appropriate to use pitot tor panel which means it is required to be on for heat? When visible moisture is present? If you find every flight. frost on your aircrafts wings during preflight, If I find frost on my wing during preflight, should you turn on the pitot heat during taxi? then yes, I would use pitot heat during the taxi When flying into a cloud, would you always want out to make sure the pitot tubes were clear. Takto turn on the pitot heat or does it depend on the ing off with a frozen pitot tube will happen at temperature? Ask a CFI: As a general rule, I use Pitot heat any least once to you during your flying careerjust time Im in any kind of visible moisture regardless hope its not into solid IFR!
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>>> Photo Moment Photographer: John Slemp The scene: Classic Delta Airlines DC-3 Equipment used: Zone VI field camera, Kodak Tri-X film
Photographers comments: These images were shot with a Zone VI field camera, which is made out of Honduran Mahogany. The camera was made in 1989, basically on the same style as vintage cameras, but with a few modern improvements. The Tri-X negatives were developed in my home darkroom, and then scanned on a Imacon Flextight II scanner, creating 400mb, 16-bit files. I use modern Schneider lenses ranging in size from 210mm to a 90mm. Since I use the Zone System of exposure and development of my negs, they rarely need anything more than basic cleanup of dust spots in Photoshop. The images you have seen were as envisioned, when I shot them. They have not been significantly altered in Photoshop. John Slemp, Aerographs.com www.aerographs.com
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Through Eager Eyes

A short story by Dan Pimentel
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Full of wonder and innocence, a young girl romances the sky

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>>> Short Story
Authors note: This six-part short story was originally published this summer on my former blog. Because of the tremendous bump in traffic the story generated, I am repeating the series again here. A new chapter of this story will run each month in future issues of Airplanista. - Av8rdan this big road-like strip of tarmac. We line up in the center of the big numbers, and things start happening extremely fast. The anticipation inside Wheels up! me is about to reach explosive levels as I know Throughout my young life, I have been wait- we are about to...fly. I am fixated on the capable hands of the pilot ing for this moment to arrive. The sensation of flying in a small airplane is one I shall feel today, in the left seat directly in front of me, his hands a sense of freedom, of soaring not unlike Eagles. moving everywhere now. But his right hand settles on that white knob, and he gingerly starts It will be grand. But the path here has been torture. For what rotating it, screwing it in with a gentle, calcuseemed like forever today, my DooDah, Mommy lated touch. As he does, Katys engine begins to and Daddy have been driving around the airport come alive, and we lurch forward swiftly. As the in Katy, with everyone waiting for me to scream white knob continues moving towards the panel, Let me out! But I did not. They have tried to the engines roar gets louder and louder, and we see if anything about flight scares me, they tried pick up speed quickly. As the white knob reaches the full-in position, Katy is racing forward, and to remove me from my comfort zone, and they as the speed increases, I can clearly feel somehave failed miserably. thing changing under the plane. It is the wheels, As I sit here about to take off on the most protesting as if they do not want to leave the exciting adventure I have ever encountered, it seems so natural, this concept of flight. Some of ground. We seem to be stuck momentarily in a my earliest memories are of watching birds hover metamorphosis between rolling and flying. In a very short time, I see Katys nose rise, and the in our bird feeder, their tiny wings moving in a blur as they hover to a stall before landing grace- angle of the plane changes dramatically, pushing me solidly back into the seat. Underneath the fully on the minuscule edge of the tray holding plane, the rolling sensation I have been experitheir bird seed lunch. Im mesmerized as they encing soon vanishes, and as if lifted by the hand then depart in an effortless ballet of movement, and catch the wind to glide off into the distance. of God himself, Katys big wings grab the air with enough force to lift us skyward and as we Each time I see another small creature soar climb, I am amazed at how fast the ground falls through our yard, I become hypnotized in the away. We are finally...flying. familiarity of it all. Yes, I have flown in big jets, but the sensaDooDah has just said those words I have tion was one of a flying living room, boring and been waiting to hear, and we are cleared for without any real adventure. But as Katy takes us takeoff. He again twists the very important white knob before him and Katy begins a tip-toe upwards, away from the tarmac, I am stunned at how cool this feels, how fantastic this adventowards the large number one-six painted on -- 4 --
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ture has just become. Inside the big airliners, I am usually fast asleep before the plane leaves the ground, but on this glorious ride through the sky, I am awake, alive, and feel privileged to be one of the lucky few humans on this day to be able to enjoy the freedoms that come from flying your very own airplane. This freedom is something I treasure as each second of this flight takes place. Like the birds outside my window at home, we are now gliding through perfectly blue sky, no tethers of any kind keeping us from chasing this days dream. I let my mind race on what a person could achieve with the freedom of flight, of the accomplishments that could be completed with such a magical flying machine at your disposal. The houses below are getting smaller, the cars look like toys as they slip slowly beneath Katys wings, which look to be shaped a bit like a Hershey Bar, square in design but sturdy in build. Down below, I see parks full of kids playing, and can only imagine that like me so many times before, they are looking up as Katy slips through the sky, wishing they could fly like I am today. I might be the luckiest girl in the world at this very moment, those kids are stuck on the ground while I get to dance elegantly through the sky like a feather. This flying stuff is something I could get very used too. For some reason, I seem to be
attached to it in some strong way, linked to aviation in what feels like a perfect relationship. As we move across the sky, my mind races at what I could do with my life if I too had a freedom machine like Katy at my disposal. There would be wonderful trips with friends to discover the best airports with the tastiest airport food. For some reason, it sounds splendid to enjoy a hamburger at a cafe overlooking a runway. There might be important trips to do environmental work on behalf of my community, getting there quicker so I can have the opportunity to do more good on the ground. In times of need, I could use my airplane to fly supplies to those suffering through a disaster, or maybe take some kids up they would be like young Eagles looking to be set free as I have been today. But that is tomorrow, and this is today. Now, I am smothered in glory and immersed in sweet emotions as the four of us are taken through the air inside a craft that seems content with providing a supple ride on invisible rails. As the city slips by below, all is right in my world. What troubles there are in the streets below are not welcome here inside Katy, she is my shield from the harsh realities of life, if only for the few moments that we are airborne. Up here, there is abundant joy because we are flying, and angels have my back, this I know.
Coming next month in chapter five: Fantasy Has No Restricted Airspace
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>>> A reminder from Av8rdan:
Q: Where will you be July 25-31, 2011?
A: you have to ask? Brats, good friends, and airplanes for miles. Its the center of our aviation universe.
ere is simply Oshkosh, th it. nothing like rg airventure.o

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Evergreen Aviation Museum Jan 2011

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Evergreen Aviation Museum Jan 2011

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>>> Bomber Beauty: Take an Air2Air Sentimental Journey

sometimes serious. sometimes humorous. always unpredictable!

>>> Cover story

Aviations Coolest Learning Center

>>> BUSINESS AVIATION

>>> VINTAGE AVIATION

A look at the HondaJet

A master biplane artist and his friend

EFFICIENCY, MEET PERFORMANCE.

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>>> From the Publisher

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You just know when something feels this right

>>> Features Stories and Commentary

Evergreen Wings and Waves Waterpark .................. 6

Destination Report ..............................................18

The Three Joys of Honda Quality ......................... 26

Sexy Centerfold by Jim Koepnick ......................... 34

Bomber Beauty ................................................. 38

Photo Moment: Capturing Classic Airplanes........... 54

Through Eager Eyes ........................................... 56

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sometimes serious. sometimes humorous. always unpredictable!

January, 2011 Vol. 2/No. 1

>>> Monthly Columnists

>>> On the Cover

Dick Knapinski: Airventure Backstory .................................16

>>> The Unpredictable Part

>>> Who we are

MAKE YOUR AIRPLANISTA EXPERIENCE

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Who Ever Said lear

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rning Cant be Fun?

>>> Aviation Education

Inside reen Wings & Waves Everg

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Evergreen Wings & Waves waterpark by the numbers:

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>>> Airventure Backstory

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Air show planning: A yearlong loop

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>>> Destination Report

A cherished flight into the most important strip

On the Wright Path

of aviation real estate in the world.

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Pride of ERAU: The Eagles Flight Team

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