What Did You Do To Save General Aviation Today?

[Bigshu]

I wish non ethanol Car gas was available at WHP or even at the car stations. Adding that would really help cut the argument that we are seeding Pacoima with lead... Far more lead seeding going on with guns around here....

It's available at some grocery store gas stations here. Premium mostly, but some places have ethanol free regular too, but not many.

 

[smokyray]

Long ago in a galaxy far away I was flying F16s stationed in Northern Japan, a veritable GA desert. Or so I thought. During my first year there I had never seen another aircraft flying in Japanese airspace other than my own wingmen, airlines and military. However, while driving in the country with the kids on a Saturday I stopped to admire a hillside farmhouse with large mountain backdrop for a photo. While standing there I heard what sounded like a 2 stroke engine but not on the ground, overhead! Sure enough a Ultralight (Clipper) was tooling around the hills enjoying the scenery. I gave chase and easily found the landing field. I was immediately overwhelmed with new friends and numerous ultralight aircraft. What I had discovered was one of a handful of UL flying clubs in Japan, a stalwart group of diehards who loved flying despite the government and operating costs to snuff them out. In my broken Japanese and their broken English we immediately gelled and before I knew it was flying several different aircraft with club members. On the wall of their Quonset hut clubhouse/hangar was a large 1:250 map of the local area with a large red circle depicting their approved flight area, about 5NM around their small strip. As I stood there enjoying snacks and aviation camaraderie I thought, could this be the future for the US GA as well...
I hope not but it's appearing that way....
V/R
Smokey

PS: I ran my RV4 and RV6?on a mix of 75/25 non ethanol MoGas to 100LL for years. Helped lower my costs a bit. Here's a website to find NEMG in your area.

Pure-gas.org - ethanol-free gasoline in the U.S. and Canada

Pure-gas.org is the definitive web site listing stations that sell pure gasoline in the U.S. and Canada.

www.pure-gas.org

 

[Bill-Higdon]

Vince & myself spent a good part of my weekend helping with this Teen Aviation Weekends | eaa292

 

[Toobuilder]

Spent 1.5 flying an Airvan GA-8 today flying test cards for my NTPS curriculum. Cool flying a new type, but the test area was quite literally within glide distance of my home strip. In fact, the school shows my strip as an emergency landing option in the syllabus. So new machine; very, very familliar terrain.

 

[Victor Bravo]

Spent 1.5 flying an Airvan GA-8 today

'bout time you got into something on the sexy end of the spectrum!

 

[TFF]

Got done doing an annual on a helicopter. Got to fly around a minute to check it out.

 

[Toobuilder]

'bout time you got into something on the sexy end of the spectrum!

Yeah... For some strange reason the 540 in my Rocket seems a bit more spritely than the 540 in the Airvan. Maybe by the end of the class I'll understand why.

 

[Toobuilder]

Purchased the most expensive fuel of my flying career ($7.69) and flew home from a hot weekend in the PHX area this morning. My cruise TAS is a touch higher with my augmentor tube fairing and I got a slight tailwind early in the trip. The math said I averaged 199.4 knots inclusive of the climb segment at departure and the pattern work at home. Not a bad way to travel.

 

[Pops]

Purchased the most expensive fuel of my flying career ($7.69) and flew home from a hot weekend in the PHX area this morning. My cruise TAS is a touch higher with my augmentor tube fairing and I got a slight tailwind early in the trip. The math said I averaged 199.4 knots inclusive of the climb segment at departure and the pattern work at home. Not a bad way to travel.

Trade you my SSSC for it That is getting to speeds where is seems like a time machine. My neighbor's son used to have a Lancair IV with twin turbo C-550. Would take his father on a long trip and the father would say he had Jet lag when he came home.

 

[challenger_II]

My Longster is a Time Machine! Time to think. Time to relax. Time to chase rabbits...

 

[Tiger Tim]

Amid the chaos elsewhere in life I took a bunch of kids flying. One at a time, of course.

 

[robertl]

Washed my 150 for the flight to Clinton, Iowa in about 11 days for the annual 150/152 flyin.
Bob

 

[challenger_II]

Amid the chaos elsewhere in life I took a bunch of kids flying. One at a time, of course.
View attachment 127396

What? It ain't winter-time in your neck of the woods! Why the hood?

 

[Tom DM]

The hood saves on maps.

 

[Tiger Tim]

What? It ain't winter-time in your neck of the woods! Why the hood?

I thought about pulling it, it’s just two pins, but without a rear windscreen you have to really want it. That and open cockpits can freak out first-timers.

Besides, the intercom works better with the canopy in place and without that it’s awful hard to give these kids some stick time!

 

[cblink.007]

What did I do to save General Aviation Today?

Last night, we started an "Innovation Club" within the local EAA chapter, in the same manner the VMC/IMC clubs exist. The purpose of the Innovation Club is not necessarily to build more Vans RV's, but to engineer, build & test bespoke E-AB aircraft, as well as to be a go-to source for homebuilder help. I brought along seven fellow engineers/test pilots along who want to create aircraft...not do Young Eagles (our chapter's main focus), to help make the case. The board unanimously voted yes, and all seven signed up for EAA & chapter memberships on the spot.

Stuff that in your pipe & smoke it, EAA!

 

[ColonelRaymond]

I had another lesson in the 152 at Old Buckenham, UK. It went really well but I do have a great instructor. I should get to commence building my Fisher Skeeter next week.

 

[Victor Bravo]

What did I do to save General Aviation Today?

Last night, we started an "Innovation Club"
to engineer, build & test bespoke E-AB aircraft, as well as to be a go-to source for homebuilder help. I brought along seven fellow engineers/test pilots along who want to create aircraft....

You are required to bring all of that back to Southern California, post haste.

Stuff that in your pipe & smoke it, EAA!

Well, no pipe, but I may still have one last rolled up $100 bill somewhere in the 'been there done that' keepsake box from the late 1970's ... does that count?

(you don't really want to hear stories about the punk rock era at the Whisky on Sunset...)

 

[cblink.007]

You are required to bring all of that back to Southern California, post haste.

Well, no pipe, but I may still have one last rolled up $100 bill somewhere in the 'been there done that' keepsake box from the late 1970's ... does that count?

(you don't really want to hear stories about the punk rock era at the Whisky on Sunset...)

The Innovation Club idea started two fold:

First, there was a suggestion by a colleague and longtime EAA member to "create a faction within the chapter", and second, I overheard a couple other colleagues, younger types, asking if there was an organization that represented "aircraft scratchbuilders". I ended up going over, telling about what EAA used to be, asking a rhetorical question: "Could I create a niche in the chapter?". They said they were all about it.

So the club will start with a meeting revolving around training a pilot for FAA Phase 1 testing, then slowly start going into the weeds.

At this point, do we really have anything to lose? Who knows? I may steer the chapter from being a Young Eagles only organization!

Of this group...I am the only guy to come from the left coast...

 

[Victor Bravo]

Wow. Never mind the request for coming back to LA... our chapter just elected you President.

For f***'s sake, my chapter is within a couple of hours' drive from facilities of Brand B, Brand L, Brand N, Edwards AFFTC, China Lake, Palmdale, Scaled/Mojave... we ought to have plenty of interest in some sort of local or regional Aero Innovation group.