Presidents Corner
by Richard Bartlett-May

Dear Fellow Members,

This month's general meeting (June 8th) is the Election of the Board of Directors for the year 2001. I hope as many of you as possible will attend. Those of you who will not be able to make it, please ensure that you return your proxy vote ASAP. As I mentioned last month, the current board members have all offered to run again and I would like to thank them for doing so. It was a pleasure to serve on this board. I am proud of its achievements during the last year, the website, the new and improved newsletter, and of course the purchase of our PA-28-236 Dakota. However this does not preclude anyone from putting their own name forward or nominating another member should they wish to do so.

Normally this month's meeting would be a clean-up day on Saturday the 10th of June. I would like to still keep this date as well as having the general meeting on the 8th of June. Any of you that have been flying lately will plainly see that all of the planes could do with a good wash and wax. A well-known aviation magazine this month published a feature article on cleaning one's aircraft and getting it ready for summer flying. Only one problem—a product the article recommended as safe for aviation use has been proven corrosive to aluminum by the U.S. Air Force and the U.S.Army. The product is Simple Green!

The workshop on the Apollo GPS was a great success mainly due to Vice President Darrel Cook for his time and effort to put a very comprehensive and understandable program together. I hope that later this summer we will be able to put on a similar workshop for those of you who where unable to attend or wish to attend again. On the subject of the GPS, we are still waiting for the software from Apollo to update the system. Shortly after that we will have the radio shop bring the system up to the required specs and also get the flight manual, IFR en-route, and terminal certification from FSDO. I hope that all will be completed by the middle of June or sooner.

I look forward to seeing you all at the General Meeting and at the Clean-up day.

Fly safe Fly often.

Richard

From The Old Timer
by Harry McCoy

A LOVE OF MY LIFE
Part 1--1930 to 1944

As of June 1 I will become an Octogenarian and of that time, I have been playing like a bird for 57 years and haven't tired yet!!! From the time I was ten and built my first model airplane purchased with 10 cents and a cereal box top that met an inglorious end when I wound up the rubber band powered propeller—and the tail met the nose!!! I struggled through a gas powered free flight model and then dizzying "U" control (Radio control unknown then!).I saved $5 and treated myself to an exciting 15-minute flight in a very tired, greasy, old biplane. I realized I couldn't afford flying (height of the Depression) so I decided to become an Aircraft Mechanic; at least I could be around airplanes. I managed one instruction flight in a J-3 65 hp Cub. This really fired me up to become a pilot! Companies were just starting to utilize airplanes and the Seven Up Bottling Co. had the most beautiful red Gull Wing Stinson Reliant. My friend and I washed it and got a ride!!! What a thrill!!! Rebuilt about 8 different airplanes in the school. Watched the Cleveland Air Race depart the old Glendale Airport.

I had to serve an apprenticeship of 1 year to take my mechanic’s license test so I spent my time with Vultee Aircraft splicing cables. It didn't do much for my mechanical ability, but it did satisfy the requirement.

Pearl Harbor arrived and I joined the Navy. Went to Seattle, Washington to a Navy Mechanics school and ended up teaching. I applied twice for Navy flight school and the second time they accepted me (they finally discovered you didn't have to be a College Graduate to fly an airplane—the airplane could care less!!!! AND they ran out of College Graduates!)

We sailors went through a 3-month refresher course and then began flying J-3 Cubs out of a dirt field in Louisiana.Our wives sat on the fence and watched. Then we flew some very old bi-planes the Navy had built called N3N’s. From this we moved to Memphis and started more complicated flying in Navy Stearman N2S’s. Then on to Pensacola and SNJ Texans. We doubled our horsepower from 220 to 550. Believe me it WAS noticeable!! We did everything here—acrobatics, gunnery, night flying, and qualifying aboard a carrier. (The biggest thrill of my Navy Career!!!) We also got a little time in the SBD Dauntless dive-bomber that had just been replaced in the fleet. I managed to give myself a thrill in this plane. We went to l5,000' and the instructor said to dive-bomb (no bomb—of course!) a train below. We hadn't had any briefing as to how fast we might go, but as I followed the leader with speed brakes out, I managed to look at my airspeed about half-way down—350 knots!!!! Scared the hell out of me; I had visions of the wings peeling off!! I made a very gentle, throttled back recovery from that dive!!!!

This was also where we got our commissions as Ensigns and our Wings in December of 1943.

To be continued...

Hypoxia
by Greg Boehm

Hello Coasties,

As we progress up to aircraft that go higher and faster than the ones we used to fly, small "things" that we would shrug as normal, often become quite significant. After a few hours in the air, have you ever been confused about the runway you are looking at or the runway you were actually assigned to land on? How about those headaches and just feeling beat after you land. It isn't stress folks, and it happens to all of us.

The Archers you are used to flying will fly well up to 10K feet and although they go higher, it can be a struggle. 15U has gone up to 14,800 ft with one pilot aboard, no oxygen and I still don't remember the airport where I landed in Idaho. Hypoxia is dangerous and it can sneak up on anybody.

The Dakota we now have has the capability to go high and for a significant period of time. This is the reason for this article. Believe me, I am no expert but I have had some exposure to Hypoxia and I hope I can help some of you to avoid doing the same.

We all require different amounts of oxygen, age, smokers, weight, all figure in. At sea level my oxygen content is 94%, at 7500 it drops to 89% and that "funny feeling" starts. At 9500 it drops down to 84%. There have been studies done where pilots at 18K feet were deprived of oxygen for 60 seconds and their oxygen levels dropped to 86% and they started missing calls.

According to an article in Aviation Safety Magazine, 90% is the lowest we should accept and expect to still remain sharp. There are devices available to measure the oxygen level in your blood. Nonin Medical Products makes a small unit that is very reliable and costs around $400.00. A pulse oxymeter is an annunciator for the most important computer on board.

Oxygen systems for 2 people start in the $400.00 range. The cost of filling the bottle varies from free to $30.00 locally. Parson's requires you to have a prescription before they can fill a bottle for you. I have chosen to keep my own large bottle and refill myself. Over time the cost will be recovered.

The other "thing" that affects the amount of oxygen in your blood is the amount of fluid in your system. Dehydration is much faster at higher elevations. Drink a lot of water when you fly. To solve the "pee thing", zip a disposable diaper in a 1 gallon zip lock freezer bag, zip it up and throw it in the trash when you land.

Don't risk Hypoxia or dehydration, the risks are too great and solving them makes those long cross-countries quite a pleasure.

Safety Corner
by Carey Peterson

The EGT (exhaust gas temperature) gauge provides the most accurate method of properly leaning a reciprocating engine, however many pilots never reach a complete understanding of how to use it. Most basic training aircraft do not have an EGT gauge installed, so pilots are taught to lean by using the tachometer and listening for engine roughness. While this works fine in a pinch, the EGT gauge provides a more precise method for leaning. The basic EGT gauge consists of a single needle and several graduated markings whereby each mark represents 25^o F.

As the pilot leans the mixture, the combustion temperatures in the cylinders increase. The variation in temperatures can be directly measured from the dispelling exhaust gases. The proper technique for leaning with a single-probe EGT is applicable to aircraft equipped with either fixed or constant speed props. Beginning at full rich, the pilot should slowly lean the mixture while watching the EGT gauge. As the mixture becomes leaner, EGT increases until the needle peaks and then reverses. At that point, the pilot should enrich the mixture until it again peaks, stopping 100^o F. on the rich side.

In carburetor-equipped engines, fuel distribution differs between cylinders and the actual cylinder experiencing the leanest mixture can vary with conditions and altitude. Because an excessively lean mixture is very harmful and the pilot has no way of knowing if the cylinder with the EGT probe is really the leanest, a safety margin must be used to prevent inadvertent over-leaning. This is why many manufacturers recommend operating at "best power" which is achieved by enriching the mixture until the EGT is about 75^o to 100^o F. cooler than peak EGT. Once properly understood, the EGT gauge can help pilots achieve maximum efficiency with their aircraft.

Fly Safely.

Operations Report
by Bob Finnin

8788E-88E has been performing very well during this last month with no problems. The oil was changed on 5/18/00 and the aircraft is again on line.

46404-The reported nose wheel shimmy is under study and has not been reported again. This aircraft is providing steady service with few if any problems.

3015U-15U is in excellent condition and has been flown quite frequently this last month.

2904K-The radio master switch has been added. (located under the right hand yoke) and the oil temperature gauge has been recalibrated and appears to be working well. New seat struts have been installed and the seats are now fully adjustable.

Please remember to call Royal Jet on 123.0 to have the airplanes refueled if you land before 4:30 P.M. If you land after 4:45 P.M., please refuel at the Aviation Fuel pumps.

Also please remember to write any problems you may have on the comment sheet and then give me a call.

Thanks for the help and fly safe!

Annual Meeting
by Don Davis

As most of you are aware our Annual Meeting will be held at 19:30 on June 8, 2000, in the Gillespie Field Administration Building.The Annual Meeting will include the election of the Board of Directors for 2000/2001. As in any organization it is very important that all members take an active role in selecting the people who will lead the Club for the coming year.By now all of our members should have received the Notification of Annual Meeting memo and the Proxy information. If you will be unable to attend the Annual Meeting be sure and send in your proxy so that your interests will be properly represented.

This year all of the incumbents on the Board have agreed to run for reelection and will be on the ballot. Members wishing to nominate additional persons may do so from the floor at the meeting. Before nominating someone from the floor, be sure the member to be nominated has agreed to serve on the Board if elected.

Either prior to the meeting or during the meeting our President Richard Bartlett-May will appoint three members as Inspectors of Election. The three Inspectors will be responsible for insuring that the election is carried out as outlined in the Bylaws. They will determine if a Quorum exists, count ballots and proxies, and settle any questions concerning eligibility to vote. Their overall responsibility will be to conduct the election with fairness to all members.

The new Board of Directors will begin its term in September allowing time for new members to participate in Board meetings and to have an orientation period before assuming their duties.

Hope to see you at the Annual Meeting. Your participation is important to us all. By attending you will have the opportunity to influence the direction our Club takes in the coming year.

Treasure's Report
by Terry Paik

April's P/L Net was -$646 and YTD Net was $12,396. Total in bank as of May 1, $35,208. May Receivables are $8,817 and we flew a total of 133 hours.

We did fly almost 33 hours on 04K, however with the addition of the fourth aircraft, we only flew 5 hours more than last month! Let's get those new members and keep flying.

If you have any questions, leave them at the Club Phone, 619-441-2610 or email me (tpdvm@home.com).

Remember, the more we fly, the cheaper we fly!