Presidents Corner
by Richard Bartlett-May

Dear Fellow Members,

With my feet planted firmly on dry American soil after 3 weeks in rain soaked England it was a joy and a pleasure to see everyone out on clean up day enjoying the warmth and sunshine that only San Diego can offer. All the members in attendance and their families supplied a tremendous spread of food. The Christmas potlucks get better every year. Steve Dari's BBQ'd bratwurst and Sauerkraut was a big hit. Another big hit again this year was Howard Hawkins arriving with his Sky Arrow. Howard offered rides to all of the members and a special flight was given to Harry McCoy who in his 80th year entered the Sky Arrow in his log book as the 60th type of aircraft he has flown in his 59 years in aviation.

15U is back in service and flying like a top. The next aircraft up for an engine overhaul is the Dakota, which we hope to have worked on during March. After the Dakota we will have all of the aircraft with new or relatively low time engines in them. Our next big expense will be to have 88E repainted, which will probably happen towards the end of this coming year.

We have had new covers made this year for 88E, 404 and 04K. These covers stop the UV from destroying the interior trim and upholstery, plus keep the windows from turning yellow and glazing over. Please make sure you use these covers when you fly away from SEE. One or two of ours planes have been spotted sans covers in Nevada.

After one or two comments (myself included) about pilots suffering from sore buttocks after a couple of hours in the cockpit, we are thinking about getting the pilot and co-pilots seat cushions in the Archers re upholstered. A little more padding in them should make those long cross-countries a little less uncomfortable.

May 2001 bring you all clear skies and strong tailwinds.

Fly safe Fly often.

Richard

And the winners are...
Jim Tulumello and Richard Bartlett-May. Their names were drawn for the $50 Flight Certificates given away on Wash Day. Thanks to everyone who came out to help clean up our airplanes and make our Wash Day/Potluck a success.

Congratulations to Harry McCoy
on flying his 60th different type of aircraft!

See more about Harry's flight

From The Old Timer
by Harry McCoy

A LOVE OF MY LIFE
Part 8--1945

My first project was to get my uniforms switched from an "Officer and a Gentleman" to a Chief Petty Officer. It wasn't too difficult. My wife unstitched the gold braid on the arms and sewed on my Chief's rating. My rate as a 1st class sailor was "AMM" ( Aviation Machinist Mate, meaning I was an aircraft mechanic) and this emblem was a propeller on a circle was supposed to go onto the Chiefs rating badge. However, since we were not working in our rates, and now since we were neither beast nor fowl, they decided to identify us by putting a pair of gold wings on our rating badge. It made a very neat chevron arrangement, and everyone knew we were "Pilots" This only lasted a few years but it was nice while it lasted!

I checked into FAETUPAC (Fleet Airborne Electronics Training Unit Pacific) at Ream Field. With that handle it explains why the military was so great on abbreviations. The purpose of the outfit was to teach sailors and Officers how to use the new "radar". The radars were mounted in TBM's and PB4Y-2's (the Navy version of the B-24 only Navy wouldn't buy the twin tail arrangement, so we only had one tall vertical fin and rudder.) The Navy called them Privateers, the Army version was the Liberator. They were used for fire fighting out of Ramona after the war, and one crashed right off the end of the runway 27.

Next was to find housing which was very scarce because there was practically no building allowed during the war except for military necessity. Here we were lucky. On the southwest corner of Brown Field there were about 20 Quonset huts that had been divided in half and made into 2 bedroom apartments. They just had ice-boxes and showers but we managed to get one. I believe we paid $25 a month, but don't quote me.

The tiny bedrooms were along one sloping side. You had to remember when you got up at night not to stand up too quick or you would cold cock yourself! We stayed here for 2 years. We soon got used to having the ice man come around every few days and we would save up our pieces and on week ends make home made ice cream!

Our aircraft were TBM's, SB2C Helldivers, SNB's (D-18's) R4D's (DC-3) and the PB4Y-2 Privateer. I was only qualified in the TBM so I started flying the SNB's. It's a great airplane, but a little tricky on take off and landing. I learned a trick from someone to lead with your left engine on takeoff and it was easier to handle. It worked great and I didn't have any trouble. I was walking back from one of these check flights when we were exposed to our first major catastrophe. An SB2C was coming in low to final and he got slow and poured the coal to the engine to recover. The sudden surge of power was too great for the airplane and it torque rolled onto its back and went straight in from about 100 feet. My friend and I ran to try to get him out. I reached in and grabbed his hand and pulled, but all I got was 4 fingers. He was already almost cooked. He had a green nylon flight suit on that melted all over him. The fuel that had spread during the crash now became a fireball, and we couldn't even get to the fellow. It was out in the field and the fire trucks were having trouble getting there. All we could do was stand back and watch it burn. Since I had just checked into the squadron, I didn't know the pilot, but I can tell you it took a while to get over that tragedy.

To be continued...

Safety Corner
by Carey Peterson

One of the more terrifying thoughts pilots must face in aviation besides taking a checkride is that of being subjected to an FAA ramp check. Most pilots are familiar with the FAA's inspection authority, but many are unaware of their own rights and limitations during the check.

A ramp check is nothing more than an arbitrary on-the-spot inspection conducted by the FAA to ensure compliance with applicable regulations. Historically, pilots have been fearful of ramp checks due to the FAA's occasional over-abusive use of power in an attempt to discover and persue violations during the check.

The two main ingredients of a typical ramp check are: pilot compliance and aircraft compliance. The lucky pilot chosen for participation must present his/her pilot and medical certificates to the inspector. It's important to remember pilots (other than students) are not required to carry their logbooks with them, so a determination of BFR, day, night, IFR currency cannot be made unless volunteered or requested at a later date by the inspector.

Aircraft compliance includes the airworthiness certificate, aircraft registration, operating limitations (POH), and weight and balance information. The check can also include an inspection of the exterior of the aircraft. According to AOPA's ramp check seminar, the FAA does not have the legal authority to board/inspect the interior of a plane being operated under Part 91. They also do not have the authority to suspend or revoke a pilot or medical certificate immediately following the check.

Since the aircraft logs are not kept in the planes, determination of required inspections and compliance with applicable Airworthiness Directives must be done at a later date if requested by the inspector.

The PIC is responsible for determining the airworthiness of the aircraft prior to flight. Legally, this would have to include an inspection of the aircraft logs prior to flight. While this is not practical in a club situation, we are all fortunate to belong to a club which insists on the highest degree of airworthiness and compliance possible, both legally and cosmetically.

The few pilots I've talked with who have been ramp-checked said it was not as bad as it seems. The inspector reviewed the paper work, asked some questions about their currency and requested a quick weight and balance problem. That was it. Approaching the check with a cooperative attitude and showing the inspector you have nothing to hide helps to ease the pain during the check.

Fly Safely.

Operations Report
by Bob Finnin

46404: 404 is in good condition and has performed well during the last month. The tail strobe was repaired and the landing light was replaced. All other systems are working well. A new Magneto key was cut and installed. You will need a new key to fly this aircraft. Please give Don Davis (463-6207) or myself (579-2287) a call and we will make arrangements to get you a new key. In the near future all aircraft will be re-keyed for the new key.

8788E: 88E has been working well and continues to provide excellent service. Few if any complaints have been received. The new cover is being made as I write this report and should be on the aircraft within the week.

3015U: 15U has been running well. The rebuilt engine has about 20 hours on it and is working very well. A new clock has been installed and all other systems have been working well.

2904K: 04K is in the shop at present for several items and will be back on line soon. New horizontal stabilizer bushings are being installed as well as a new trim jackscrew.

Thanks for the help and fly safe!

Board Meeting Summary
by Don Davis

December 7, 2000

The Board added the following policy to the Standard Operating Procedures. Page (5) Aircraft Operations number 7.

The policy was developed to provide clear guidelines for the return of Club aircraft to Gillespie Field when aircraft are disabled during a flight and require maintenance at an airport other than Gillespie Field.

New member applications from Jeff Damschen and Buddy Johnson were reviewed and approved.

Fly often, fly safe.

Treasure's Report
by Terry Paik

December 2000

November's Net was $-2,049; YTD Net was $19,752. As December 1 we had $39,074 in the bank. Current A/R is $7,813 and we flew 122 hours. In 2000 we averaged 133.5 hours per month, a new record! Congratulations!

We are still at full membership 65 Full and 5 Associates (including 5 Gold Flyers Members who receive a 5% discount on all flights. If anyone is interested in the Gold Flyers program to receive this discount, just let me know.)

The Club is in excellent financial shape. Look for the Annual Financial report next month. 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!