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Vol. 2, No.
2 FEBRUARY 2009
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| Welcome
to Bits and Pieces,
EAA's e-newsletter and monthly information digest for
builders and fliers
in Canada.
We encourage you to forward your copy to your
aviation friends and invite them to subscribe.
 What would be more
fitting than to re-tell the story of the flight of the
Silver Dart as the opening article in this February's
issue of Bits and Pieces? One hundred years ago
this month, Canada and the British Commonwealth entered
the world of powered flight. Celebrations are planned
throughout this year, but the activities of February
20-23 at Baddeck, Nova Scotia, will be the singular
highlight of the year. We plan to be there!
This article is followed
closely by "A Portrait of an Airman" that
answers in one fashion, our own question: Canadians, who
are we? We have a proud history of service and it is
very nice to have someone else recognize that. Other
February features:
- EAA Members, Chapters,
and their Role - recognizing our volunteers,
what we accomplish, and our need to be of service.
- Introduction to EAA
Chapter 245 at Carp (Ottawa) - check out their
website, visit their airport and see their
activities firsthand.
- Transport Canada
clarifies its position on the use of certified
aircraft and parts in amateur-built aircraft.
- Vintage Wings Hawk One
has its new feathers (a Golden Hawk paint scheme)
- EAA SportAir Workshops
in High River May 2-3
And if you have not yet
noticed, EAA has a brand new e-newsletter for
homebuilders, restorers, and craftsmen. And you will
recognize its title - Experimenter. Within 24
hours of its first publication it had already received
over 17,000 subscriptions (now well over 20,000!). Experimenter
is available to everyone, so if you have not already
done so, subscribe at www.eaa.org/Experimenter.
You don't want to miss it!
- Jack Dueck, Editor |
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| THE
FLIGHT OF THE SILVER DART, FEBRUARY 23, 1909 |
| It
could be said that first flight belonged to no
nationality; it was a gift waiting to be discovered by
anyone with 'a fire in their belly' and an incurable
longing to break free of the earth. If reports are
accurate, by the late 1800s and early 1900s many
individuals of different nationalities were inventing
and flying their machines of various designs. Canada's
contribution came quite late in this flurry of activity,
with the flight of the Silver Dart at Baddeck Bay, Nova
Scotia, on February 23, 1909. Read more |
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| PORTRAIT
OF AN AIRMAN |
| We
met Theodore Mitchel at a comfortable coffee house. Theo
is a bouncy, upbeat individual, with a smiling,
understated personality. He's 90 years young and enjoys
an active life. He recounts a life of hunting, birding,
hiking, and attributes his good health to
"Blueberries every day, Norwegian sardines at least
once a week, lots of walking, and the company of my good
wife, Catherine."
Theo enlisted to serve
our country’s Air Force in 1939, and remained on
active duty for the full 20 years. His wartime role
found him in Yorkshire, where he was primarily
associated with photography - both on land, in the air -
and then the “boring part” - processing the myriad
of films that came back from sorties, both fighters and
bombers. After the war, he served in surveying and
mapping of Canada’s vast north. Read more
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| EAA
MEMBERS, CHAPTERS, AND THEIR ROLE IN OUR AVIATION
COMMUNITY |
| Several
exciting items have come to my attention in the last few
weeks. These involve our community outreach to others
and the role of volunteers.
How does a small staff of dedicated EAA employees manage
the incredibly large amount of work that goes on
internationally? Thousands of unpaid volunteers help
carry the load, and these volunteers rely on EAA staff
to support and direct their efforts. Read more
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INTRODUCTION TO EAA CHAPTER
245, CARP, ON
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| It
is early morning, January, very dark and cold at 6 a.m.
It feels like another "OF" day with a clear
sky and stars shining as I head out to get the Ottawa
Citizen from the newspaper box at the end of the
driveway. When I get back into the house and check the
digital indoor/outdoor thermometer it sure enough is
another OF day. "OF" are the letters that
appear on the thermometer when the outside temperature
drops below -29.9 degrees Celsius. (We're not sure what
OF means but we can guess.) Hope it warms up a bit
before noon. Read more
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TRANSPORT CANADA CLARIFIES
USE OF TYPE-CERTIFIED AIRCRAFT PARTS IN AMATEUR-BUILT
AIRCRAFT
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Transport Canada's Staff
Instruction document, SI No. 549-001, has been issued to
stakeholders, including persons "who apply for a
special certificate of airworthiness in the amateur-built
classification."
Although discussions have
been ongoing for some time, this announcement clarifies
the delineation of the "type-certificated" from
the "amateur-built" classifications. Canadians
have been able to rebuild or restore previously certified
aircraft and re-classify them as amateur-built. Read more
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UPDATE ON VINTAGE WINGS
HAWK ONE
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In our December issue we
introduced Vintage Wings "Hawk One," the
restored F-86 Sabre that will highlight air shows and
performances across Canada this centennial year of powered
flight. Here is the latest update as reported by Don
MacNeil.
Number one on the list
would be Paul Kissman’s successful ferry flight of Hawk
One to Cold Lake AB for application of the Golden Hawk
paint scheme. Paul departed Gatineau on Friday, 21
November, and with a few minor technical glitches (odd
engine sounds and a transponder failure) arrived in Cold
Lake at 1530 hours local time.
Read more
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ATTEND EAA SPORTAIR
WORKSHOPS IN CANADA!
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| These
two-day structured workshops are designed to help you
build and maintain your amateur-built aircraft. You will
receive an incredible amount of knowledge and gain the
confidence to proceed with your project. Courses are
comprehensive, and course sizes are limited so that
students can receive individual instruction and help.
All course materials, tools, and workbooks are
included. Read more |
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