Newsletter August 1997 Volume 17, Number 8 Chapter 724, Experimental Aircraft Association Merritt Island, Florida Mailing address: P. O. Box 320923, Cocoa Beach, FL 32931 Internet Web Site: http://www.BeginAt.com/EAA724 Officers Technical Counselors President: John Murphy 783-1515 Ted Yon 783-7966 Vice President: Eric Kennard 631-3264 John Murphy 783-1515 Secretary/Treasurer: John Soukup 783-7128 Young Eagle Coordinator Newsletter Editor: Fred Mahan 452-5797 Tony Yacono 459-0080 The next meeting will be the second Wednesday of August August 13, 1997, 7:30 P. M. Big Merritt Island Air Service Hangar, South Side of Runway Second Floor, Southwest Corner Meeting Room ______________________________________________________________________________ EAA Chapter 724 P. O. Box 320923 Cocoa Beach, FL 32931 Calendar of Upcoming Events Sep 20 Titusville, FL, EAA Chapter 866 Annual Fly-In, 407-267-4488. Sep 27-28 12 Oaks Air Estates, Hernando, FL, Southern Hospitality Pietenpol Fly-In, 352-726- 5216. Oct 10-12 Evergreen, AL, SE Regional Fly-In, 334-765-9109. Oct 11-12 Plant City, EAA Chapter 1178 Annual Strawberry Aircraft & Auto Show, 1-800-760-2315. Nov 8-9 Griffin, GA, Alexander Sportair/EAA/ Aircraft Spruce Workshop, 1-800-967-5746. Apr 19-25, 1998 Sun 'n Fun. Regularly Scheduled EAA Fly-Ins Across Florida Every First Saturday, Cannon Creek Airpark, Lake City, Fly-In Breakfast, 904-755-4760 Every Second Saturday, Charlotte County Airport, Punta Gorda, EAA Chapter 565 Pancake Breakfast, 813-627-6461. Every Third Saturday, Sebring Airport, EAA Chapter 803 Pancake Breakfast, 941-465-6996. Every First Sunday, Ft. Myers Airport, Chapter 66 Pancake Breakfast, 941-945-7000. Every Second Sunday, Naples Airport, EAA Chapter 1067 Fly-In Breakfast, 941-261-5701. Every Third Sunday, Kissimmee Municipal Airport, west side of the field, 9 am on. Every Fourth Sunday, Bob Lee Airport, De Land, EAA Chapter 635 Fly-In Picnic, 904-734-1032. Every Last Sunday, Quincy, FL, EAA Chapter 445 Pancake Breakfast, 904-421-4335. __________________________________________ Guest Speaker at September Meeting Secretary/Treasurer John Soukup has arranged for Kevin Kimball to be a guest speaker at out September chapter meeting. Kevin and Jim Kimball operate Jim Kimball Enterprises, Inc., in Zellwood, which constructs aircraft replicas. Kevin is going to bring a construction slide presentation of a Gee Bee Model Z that they constructed, and perhaps information on other projects they are working on and have completed. Should be quite interesting! Thank you, John, for setting this up for us! __________________________________________ Valkaria Airport Mark Cannon reports that the Brevard County Commission, at their July 16 meeting, decided in a 4-1 vote that they did not have the technical knowledge to make a decision on the closing of Vankaria's runway 09/27. They elected to ask the Melbourne International Airport to make a proposal within 30 days to take over management of Valkaria. However, the Melbourne International Airport Authority, headed by Jim Johnson, apparently is not interested in managing Valkaria without having Valkaria's deed transferred to the Authority. For the latest information, contact Mark Cannon at 724-8671 or 255-4945. _________________________________________ Tom's Travelling Woes Chapter member Tom Teek recently suffered some bad luck on his way back from Oshkosh and Toronto. His Long-EZ had a brake fire after runup at Lexington, KY. The gear strut was deformed by the fire. With the help of local EAAers, he disassembled the aircraft and loaded it into a rental truck. He and his brother Bob returned the stricken craft to Merritt Island. Drop by Tom's hangar at Merritt Island and offer him your condolences, or a hand in the repairs he is starting. _________________________________________ Chapter Internet Site Did you know that Chapter 724 has an Internet Web Site, set up by chapter member and on-line impresario Ron Cadby? And an E-mail address (which forwards your note to your newsletter editor -- me)? The site has an archive of past Chapter 724 newsletters going back to January 1996, and free classified ads for chapter members. The address for the Chapter 724 Web Site is: http://www.BeginAt.com/EAA724 Go have a look. Suggestions for other information to post on the site are welcome. You can contact Ron at his E-mail address at: rcadby@BeginAt.com _________________________________________ >From Craig Garrett, EAA Chapter 145 Just something to remember about oily aircraft bellies. The greatest problem you will ever have with your transponder will be keeping the belly grime off the antennas. Not only does the grime look bad but it is comprised of almost pure carbon particles in oil, both fairly good conductors. If a transponder pulse, say, comes down the cable to a grimy antenna, it will be reflected down the coax line and arrive back at the transponder output stage just in time to heat up the output tube. Given a few thousand pulses over a few minutes time, this can heat up the output stage to the point of destroying the output devices. _________________________________________ Merritt Island Air Service, from "Tico Flyer," June 1977 The FBO for Merritt Island Airport is Merritt Island Air Service. Recently taken over my Bob Gleue and Grant Russell, they employ seven full-time and seven part time employees. Both Bob and Grant are from Wisconsin. Looking for "warmer weather," they purchased Merritt Island Air Service a year and a half ago. "I like the camaraderie and congeniality or the pilots, as well as the local area," says Bob. Both he and Grant now reside in Merritt Island. Merritt Island Air Service offers the usual FBO services -- aircraft rental, fuel, maintenance, instruction and a new large pilot shop. They are now offering a FAA Testing Center and have reinstated a 135 Charter Service. They currently have one plane in this service but will be adding two more to offer a single engine and two multi-engine airplanes for charters. The facility itself has been remodeled and they are striving to improve all services offered. Bob also hopes to build up the flight school by attracting the European market. Working with John Murphy, M. I. Air Service has donated an area, which the local EAA Chapter has painted and air-conditioned. This is used by the Chapter as well as Brevard Aviation Association, the 99's and Air Service Ministries. It will be made available to any aviation oriented non- profit association. Merritt Island Air Service is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. - 8 p.m., except for winter months when they close at 7 p.m. _________________________________________ >From the EAA Chapter 635 "Windsocker" The crew of a trawler which sank in the Sea of Japan claimed the ship went down after being struck by a cow which fell out of the clear blue sky and went straight through the hull. No one believed their tale until, a few weeks later, confirmation came from Russia that the crew of one of its military cargo jets had stolen a cow they found wandering on a Siberian airfield and loaded it aboard for the flight home. While the airplane was cruising at 30,000 feet, the terrified, unrestrained beast ran amok, so the crew lowered the cargo ramp and it jumped out. _________________________________________ Classified Ads >From Jerry Rooks's "Contact" 1943 L2 Warbird, 65 Continental. 15 min. on last annual. This is a real airplane, not an ultralight, at less than the cost of some two place ultralights. Own a piece of history w/documentation. Arcadia Airport, Florida. $17,500. TT 3,000 hours, 300 hr on engine. Bud 941-995-3435, Glen 941-793-3365. Pietenpol Air Camper, A-65 Continental w/new Sensenich propeller. Less than 100 hours on airframe. Less than 600 hrs. since major overhaul on engine. Award winner at '94 Sun 'n Fun. Very well build, always hangared. $17,500. Liberty Aero, 941-776-3620, Rick Berstling, P. O. Box 315, Parish, FL 34219. >From EAA Chapter 635 "Contact" 1946 Taylorcraft N96175, Serial # 8475, BC12D. Restored completely, Continental A65-12 with electrical system. TT 1676, engine TT 1666, ETSMOH 1111, tach time 1439. Call Joyce Phillips, 904-822-9347. 1962 Cessna 150B, straight tail, 3660 total time, 1640 since chrome major overhaul, $13,000. Call Art Eiffe, 904-673-6888. _________________________________________ 2 3