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ISSUE 12 DECEMBER 2011 |
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Celebrating
25 Issues
By
Dan Grunloh, Editor, Light
Plane World |
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A
little over two years ago, my life
was interrupted by a phone call from
Mary Jones at EAA headquarters
asking me to become editor of their
new online newsletter for
ultralights and light-sport
aircraft. It would be called Light
Plane World. I couldn’t come
up with a good reason to refuse, so
I agreed to the position without
thinking about it for very long.
That was probably for the best. Read
more
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| Bigger
and Better Than Ever - Sebring
U.S. Sport Aviation Expo Headed to
a Strong Event
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With the
holiday season now in full swing,
we're hearing more about the Sebring
U.S. Sport Aviation Expo. The
reorganized Sebring operation has
been sending more e-mail, running
more ads, and releasing more news.
That helps, but clearly the
midwinter event in the Sunshine
State has plenty of appeal. The
eighth running of the Sebring U.S.
Sport Aviation Expo is fast
approaching and with it a new year
of recreational flying. Read
more
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Mark
Stull Dies in Crash of New Design |
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We are
sad to announce that ultralight
experimenter Mark Stull died on the
afternoon of November 15, 2011, at
Ducote Air Park near San Angelo,
Texas, during the first test flight
of his newest ultralight
aircraft.
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A
witness said the plane had just
taken off for its first flight
when it stalled at about 50 feet
and impacted the ground near the
runway. Read
more |
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Clutton
FRED on the Web |
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Matthew
Long has announced the establishment
of a website to share and collect
information about the Flying
Runabout Experimental Design (FRED),
a pioneering British homebuilt light
plane of the 1960s designed and
built by Eric Clutton and E.W.
Sherry.
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In 1963
it first flew at Meir Aerodrome
Staffordshire, powered by a Triumph
motorcycle engine. About 30 to 40
examples have been built, many
powered with a converted Volkswagen
engine.
Read
more
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'Angry
Bird' Knocks Down Ultralight
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U.S. Air
Force Research Laboratory teams
recently tested devices intended to
nonlethally bring down ultralight
aircraft used for drug smuggling
along the U.S.-Mexico border. First
was the "Angry Bird," a
projectile weapon fired from an M4
rifle with a range of 1,000 feet
that deploys a net which entangles
the propeller. |
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Second,
a small remote-piloted vehicle,
guided with onboard cameras, rams
into the propeller, breaking it and
stopping the engine. Read
more |
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Former
Young Eagle Earns Sport Pilot
Certificate
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Former
Young Eagle James Power earned his
sport pilot certificate August 20 at
the age of 18. He has longed to fly
since he was 10 when his father
surprised him by taking him to a
Young Eagles Rally, where members of
the EAA were offering free airplane
rides to youth. James had his first
airplane ride that day and became
100 percent hooked on flying.
Encouraging his love of flight,
James' parents gave him a flying
lesson every year for his birthday. Read
more |
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| Report
on Southerland Freebird Fatal
First Flight |
| On
December 2, 2010, Larry
Southerland was cleared by the
Decatur Airport control tower in
Illinois for a high-speed taxi
test of his newly completed
amateur-built Freebird Litesport
Ultra registered as N415US.
According to the just released
NTSB factual report, what followed
was apparently an inadvertent
takeoff in an airplane that
couldn't be controlled in pitch,
leading to an in-flight breakup
consistent with structural
overload. The right wing separated
from the fuselage and was located
285 feet from the main wreckage,
and the pilot was found about 63
feet from the wreckage. Read
more |
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Flying
Light Planes and Ultralights on Skis
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In this
article, several ultralight and
light plane pilots share their
experiences flying their planes on
skis in winter. Read how they did it
and learn how to build your own
economical skis with included photos
and drawings.
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Also included are
sources for ready-to-fly skis and
retractable skis. Don't let the snow
on your runway reduce your enjoyment
of the clear smooth air of winter
flying. Read
more
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Henry
Mignet HM 360 Project
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What got
me started on building an HM 360 Pou
de Ciel (Flying Flea) goes back over
55 years to the mid to late '50s.
Back then, we kids were called ramp
rats, and we were always welcome
because we would do any kind of work
for a little flying time, or better
yet, some flight instruction.
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One
day I saw a picture of an HM 14 on
the front page of a magazine in the
airport office, and I said to my
friend John, "If I live to be
an old man, by gosh, I'm going to
build me one of those planes." Read
more
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Sirocket
Twin-Jet Ultralight
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It's
called the Sirocket and it looks and
flies like the name implies. Called
a single-seat deregulated (SSDR)
aircraft in the UK, the modified
Sirocco microlight features two twin
Jetcat P200SX large scale model
turbines, each producing 52 pounds
of thrust.
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Builder Dave Stephens has
almost eliminated the wing dihedral
and shortened them by 8 feet. Its
first flight reached nearly 60
knots, but aileron flex prevented an
attempt at the max speed of 80.
Watch
the video
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Lazair
Designer Dale Kramer
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Dale
Kramer comes from a flying family,
quickly earning his private pilot
certificate at 17. He became
fascinated with soaring and spent
the next few years focused on
building glider time while studying
aeronautical engineering. Taking
inspiration from the Superfloater
design, Dale built from scratch what
was to become one of the most
successful ultralight designs in its
era - the Lazair. He brought the
completed machine to Oshkosh for
AirVenture 2011, delighting crowds
with his amazing yet practical
electric-powered aircraft.
Watch the video
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Webinars
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How
to Bail Out and Survive!
This webinar explores all aspects of a bailout including
mental attitude, preflight preparation, getting out of
your aircraft, deploying your parachute, and landing
safely back on earth. You'll also learn other steps you
can take to increase your chances of surviving a bailout
and even how to choose the right parachute for you.
All
webinars begin at 7 p.m. CST
unless otherwise noted. To
find out more about upcoming EAA webinars and to register, visit
the webinars
page.
EAA
gratefully acknowledges the
support of Aircraft
Spruce and Specialty Co. for
its generous sponsorship of the
webinar programs.
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Engines
Q. Do engine temperature
gauges read high or low in the
winter?
A. It
depends on the gauges and the
application but most round analog
gauges do not compensate for
ambient temperature. They measure
the difference between the probe
and a reference connection built
into the instrument typically
assumed to be at 59 degree F. If
it is colder than 59, the
instrument will display a reading
higher than actual temperature at
the probe location. Your gauges
may read high in winter. Read
more engine questions and answers
Fixed Wing - Skis
Q. What requirements are
there for an ultralight or light
plane to be modified with skis?
A. Ultralight
vehicles operated under FAR 103
can be modified with skis provided
they don't increase the empty
weight above the 254-pound limit.
There's no extra weight allowance
for skis. No vehicle or pilot
authorization is required. Read
more
Q.
Is there a reference for technical
information about installing skis?
A.
Yes, the FAA publishes Advisory
Circular 43.13-2B. Chapter 5 in
this AC provides details of ski
installations. A copy of the AC
can be downloaded from the
Internet by clicking
here.
Q.
Is there a reference for technical
information on the operation of
ski-equipped aircraft?
A.
Yes, the FAA publishes a Skiplane
and Seaplane flying handbook,
FAA-H-8083-23. Chapter
7, in this handbook provides
operational details of skiplanes.
A copy of this handbook can be
downloaded from the Internet by clicking
here. |
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| Supercat
Super Champ Experimenter,
November 1994  Steve
Carruthers was a national champion
in American Model Association's
(AMA) Pattern Precision Aerobatic
contest when he was building his
Supercat. Designer Bobby Baker
used wood and foam for his
plans-built Bobcat and the
Supercat designs. Steve liked his
father's Supercat but wanted to
make one even better. His
significant changes made it really
super. Read
the article
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From
the EAA Light Plane Community
Here are the latest discussions
from our online communities:
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| Q. Which
statement best describes your
experience with rejected takeoffs
(more commonly known as aborted
takeoffs)?
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