[wpmlfield name=”email”]Newsletter Volume III, June 2015
Third Time is the Charm
We are still searching for our final format so we hope you enjoy these trial newsletters until we settle somewhere down the airway. As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.
Cody (Just 12 days)
Our second national gathering is rapidly approaching and is begin in under two weeks. The deadline for our block of rooms expired on May 25th. You can contact the hotel here: Click Here for Blair Hotels. A good alternative is the WigWam motel.
For those planning or thinking about attending here is the general schedule:
Wednesday: Arrival day, night party by the cabins.
Thursday: Lunch. Maintenance Seminars at the airport.
Friday: BBQ Lunch with Western Theme Costume Party that continues through the Night Rodeo. Cody Nite Rodeo adults $20 Child $10
Saturday: Afternoon Group Discussions. Hotel Dinner (http://gpa.grumman-parts.com/events/) $35 per person.
Sunday: Departures
We hope this has wet your appetite and that you will make plans to attend. The cost will be minimal for this event, just enough to cover the group meals and the rental van. Consider helping with your rental car for transport. Fees yet to be determined.
The Passing of Herb Hortman
Herb Hortman, 57, of Doylestown, an airplane pilot and president of Hortman Aviation Services Inc. in Northeast Philadelphia, died Sunday, May 17, of a heart ailment at Doylestown Hospital.
Mr. Hortman succeeded his father, Norman, in running one of the oldest flight schools in the region. The school has been in continuous existence for 35 years; it has been based at Northeast Philadelphia Airport since the 1980s.
Dozens of Mr. Hortman’s students have gone on to professional aviation careers, mimicking their teacher, who was an international airline pilot.
Born in Trenton, Mr. Hortman began working in the aviation business as a teenager and went on to earn private, commercial, instrument, flight instructor, and airline transport licenses.
When an aircraft dealership in Bucks County closed in the early 1980s, Mr. Hortman bought the business and moved it to Northeast Philadelphia Airport. He also ran a charter air taxi service there.
“His true love was flying, but he also loved training pilots of the future,” said his wife, Maggie. Of the hundreds of pilots he trained, many are now flight instructors, and corporate and airline pilots.
“Herb always put teaching first,” said Mr. Hortman’s friend John Morris. “At any time he would leave his desk to give a tip to a new student or to boost the confidence of a rookie instructor.”
One of Mr. Hortman’s students, Maggie Froman, became his wife. Besides his wife, he is survived by a daughter, Meghan; a son, Herbie Jr.; three brothers; a sister; and nieces and nephews.
Services were Friday, May 22.
Donations may be made to the Hortman Children’s Education Fund, Citizens Bank, 559 N. Main St., Doylestown, Pa. 18901.
Here is the History of Hortman Aviation in a nutshell:
Hortman and Hortmont Aviation Services Inc.
Here at Hortman, we have an excellent tradition of producing safe pilots with a well-rounded understanding of Aviation. Hortman Aviation was founded by the late Capt. Norman Hortman (TWA 1938 – 1972) in the early 1940’s. The Hortman family has a rich aviation back-ground starting with Norm, his wife Yvette (Flight Instructor, ATP), his brothers Herb (USAF Pilot), Robert (Flight Instructor, Crop Duster), and his sons Norman Jr. (Delta B737- retired), Herb (Captain Major US/International Air carrier B 757/767), Walter (Corporate pilot – G-V), his daughter Jeannine (corporate flight attendant) (student pilot) grandson Norman 3rd (Norman Jr. son) (Captain Major US / International Air carrier B737), granddaughter Paige (Walters daughter), (USAFR KC-10), and grandson Cameron (Walter’s son) Regional Airline F/O, and Maggie Hortman (Herb’s wife) (USAF C141 / TWA, Major US / International Air carrier B757/767 F/O).
Training at Philadelphia Northeast Airport provides us the opportunity to teach in a complex airspace system that gives our students the experience of working with Air Traffic Controllers without being over-whelmed. Many students don’t receive this in their training and as a result are apprehensive of using the many services and the added safety ATC provides. The school is a CFR Part 141 / 61, CDMS 796C, M-1 Visa School. We are approved for Veterans Educational Benefits. Offering an Associate Degree with Philadelphia Community College and a Bachelor Degree online with Utah Valley State College. Housing is available locally. Please contact us to discuss your housing needs.
We have a wide selection of aircraft models from Piper, Tiger, Grumman and Cessna. We have our own Maintenance Department to take care of the school, charter , and private aircraft. The list goes on and on. Our sister company, Hortmont Aviation Services, Inc., is an on-demand charter company servicing the continental United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. Hortmont Aviation Services operates the Citation V, Citation CJ3, Cheyenne III and Navajo Chieftain. We would be happy to provide a charter quote. To sum things up, you have chosen an excellent path to fulfill your dreams of aviation. Should you have any questions or concerns please stop by my office or contact me.
Sincerely,
Herb & Maggie Hortman
Shop Monkey Tales
Our first tale will be, how we got the name ‘Shop Monkey’. There is usually one in every shop. Heck, they even have their own jokes!
The Shop Monkey
A man was in a pet shop in Winchester looking at animals when a Chief Petty Officer from the local Naval Air Station entered and told the shopkeeper,
“I want a Shop Monkey, please.”
The clerk nodded, went back to a cage and returned with a monkey. “That’ll be $1,000, Chief.” The Chief paid and left.
The surprised man asked the shopkeeper, “That was a lot of money. Why was that monkey so expensive?” The shopkeeper answered, “Because a Shop Monkey can park, fuel, and service naval aircraft, conduct required ground ops testing, rig aircraft flight controls, and is trained in carrier flight deck ops. He’s worth it.”
Now interested, he spotted another monkey with a $10,000 price tag. “What? A ten grand monkey? What can it do?”
“That’s a Maintenance Supervisor monkey. It teaches aircraft maintenance, supervises corrective and preventive maintenance programs, supervises crews of maintainers, and do all the paperwork. A very useful monkey, indeed!”
The guy found a third monkey with a price tag of $50,000. “Holy cow! What’s a fifty grand monkey do?”
The shopkeeper sighed. “Actually, I’ve never seen him do anything except drink beer and play with his pecker, but his papers say he’s a pilot!”
Okay you get the idea, can’t swing a dead cat,….
Some of you have met Matt Wing at Hogan Field, he is the ‘original’ Shop Monkey.
Some time back last year while Matt was working in the shop learning about the various systems in a Grumman, his wife asked what did you call a mechanic while he was learning his trade. It really depends on the shop, so I told her where I learned under Jon Maestre, you were a goon. Here, I’ll get one of my goon to do that. Lynn was not happy with the term ‘goon’. Over in the corner of the hangar were some yellow scaffolds used during hangar modifications and Matt was climbing up them to see the progress. “I suppose we could call him a ‘Shop Monkey’!” Thus was born the shop monkey. A logo was shortly thereafter stolen from some image library on the web, and the rest is history. Enjoy this brief piece of it.
Membership
As of the end of May, we stand at 368 members. Not bad for a group not yet hitting the one-year mark! Although it is hard to beat a free membership, we do new things things to attract and reach new members.
Maintenance tip – Tiger Lord Mounts
Question: What is the procedure for placing the spacers between the engine mounts and the engine on a AA5-B?
Answer: The aluminum spacers (that seat into the dynafocal ring cups) are unique for the Tiger and Cougar. The top ones mount on the aft side of the cup and the lowers go in front. The AA-5 series Maintenance Manual shows them this way for BOTH the Tiger and Cheetah (also Traveler) but they are entirely different and all four go forward of the mount rings.
This is just one of the very confusing things that are out-right mistakes in our manuals. This is another reason for making sure your mechanic (or shop) is really familiar with the aircraft. Those of us that are know about these goofy problems and work around them.
I assume this answers your question but another thing to mention is the ridges on the outside of one of the two pads, in the Lord Shock Mount Kits, are installed on the aft side of the top mounts and the lower sides of the bottom ones. The reason for this, and the positioning of the spacers, is the engine is pulling forward on the top mounts and pressing backward on the lowers. (The J-9613-59 kits have the three ridges where the -49s only have one diameter step down on this pressure pad. The other pad, for both, has no ridges or step. The -59 is a better vibration isolator than the -49 and is called out for 1977 and later Tigers (AG’s included). Though the ’75 & ’76 specify the -49, I suggest stepping up to the -59s even though they are more expensive.
Yet another tip to mention is there must be at least one alignment washer between the shock mount and the engine. The manual says “A/R” (as required), and you will usually have to add a second washer to a couple of the positions to get the spinner correctly aligned with the nose cowl. This is a “trial and error” operation so expect it. We start with the washers reinstalled just as they were on the previous installation but new mounts may make it different. (That is unless they were really done wrong.) BE SURE to make notes of where these washers are positioned before the engine is removed.
Ken Blackman – Guru
Hot Forum Topics
Recent great additions are:
<div class="wpmlposts"> <div class="wpmlpost"> <h3>Fuel Tank O-Ring Replacement</h3> <p><small>Posted on April 28, 2015 by Jeff Johnson</small></p> <div class="wpmlpost_content">
The American Aviation 2-seat variations have a very robust fuel tank setup. The fuel is actually carried in the aluminum spar (very safe place for it) so crash ruptures are quite rare. That with the visual sight fuel gauges make for a nice system with no electrical problems. However, I digress. Take the tank itself,…
</div> </div> <hr style="visibility:hidden; clear:both;" /> </div> <div class="wpmlposts"> <div class="wpmlpost"> <h3>Main Landing Gear Refurbish</h3> <p><small>Posted on April 18, 2015 by Jeff Johnson</small></p> <div class="wpmlpost_content">
It is not often that there is time or the will to completely reburbish the main landing gear down by the tires. First you have to take it all apart, remove the steel plates, remove the big bolts, drop the shims, remove the attach plate for the main fairing float plate, remove the spindle. Then…
</div> </div> <hr style="visibility:hidden; clear:both;" /> </div> <div class="wpmlposts"> <div class="wpmlpost"> <h3>Getting a Good Fuel Sample when Sumping</h3> <p><small>Posted on April 17, 2015 by Jeff Johnson</small></p> <div class="wpmlpost_content">
A Cheetah with the normally horse powered engine came in and he was running Mogas in one tank and 100LL in the other. This is since we are near the time when winter fuel is in the tanks of the gas stations and we have a few warm days (it was 75 F here today),…
</div> </div> <hr style="visibility:hidden; clear:both;" /> </div>Again just a few tidbits to tease you to come on in and replay or post your own. Let us know if we can help make this happen.
Garner Tales
For over 25 years I have talked to Garner about parts. So have many of you. An age has passed in our small world. With such a following I told Garner to write me an article about his retirement adventures. If he did not send one I would make something up!
Hello all,
I hope that everyone is having a good time flying. Over half my life I have been involved with the Grummans and those that live and breath avgas. It was quite a transition starting phase two of my life. My official first day of retirement was February 2. Waking up at the habitual time was a habit I really wanted to break. Then it started to hit me. I dont have to be anywhere at any time. Stress played its hand in my mental attitude as well. I did retire with a plan and mission. The second week of February I left home headed for my parents outside of Houston. I loaded food, tools, supplies and my Bible, to start my mission. I spent two weeks, working 10-12 aday and back home I went. Recouping for a week, I went back for another couple weeks of physical and mental strain. My plan was to do this as long as I could afford to and spend time with my ageing parents. Well plans change. Someone once told me that if you want to see God frown, then sin. If you want to see God smile, then obey His commandments. And if you want to see God laugh, then make plans of your own.
After a little over month, my wife’s health to a turn to the side that we had not planned for. I was in my best interest to stay close to home and keep a close watch on her. I tend to get on Minnie’s nerves from time to time, so she suggested that I find something to do. Togetherness can be overrated and being exiled from the kitchen was inevitable. The kitchen is where she keeps the knives anyway.
Comfort Texas is a small town with a large percentage of the population in the golden years. I have for quite a while helped some the the widows in our community doing chores that they just are not capable of doing. Minnie would sit and visit, while I would do yard work or handyman stuff for them. Still, being on a very tight budget, I thought getting a part time job would help the negative cash flow be not so negative so fast. So I set my parameters. Must be close by. Must be fun for me. And must be part time. After waiting for three weeks for that close, fun, part time, job, I believed I hit the jackpot.
Now this is where the “Garner is a Bandido” rumor started. On the downwind leg to Boerne Stage airport is a Harley dealership. I responded to an ad for a part time porter position and they called me within 15 minutes. I explained that I do like to ride and do have some spare time. I also let them know that I did ride a Honda. (thank you Roscoe) There was a pause and the guy said that’s ok because Hondas are a stepping stone to a Harley. He said that eventually I would buy a Harley. I just told him he didn’t know my wife. 30k for a motorcycle! Boom boom, out go the lights!
The interview went well, except they wanted me full time. I told them that it was going to be part time or no time. That evening, I was talking with Minnie and I knew I was well qualified to wash, detail, and ride motorcycles, but I didn’t think that I would fit in with the Harley crowd. I had short hair, no piercings, and no tattoos, I just wasn’t sure if this Baptist deacon could blend in very well.(Disclaimer: Some of the tattoos, multiple piercings were tastefully done and extremely attractive. But I still aint going to punch extra holes in myself!)
Well they hired me despite all my deficiencies. Unloading brand new Harleys and doing the first test drive was a real buzz. After the first company meeting where I introduced myself and a little history, I was approached by one of the managers about moving into a full time sales position. Again I had to explain about the difference in part time and full time. Why would I want to sell overpriced parts to an unnecessary means of transportation. (Again)
By the first months end, I had ridden over 250 different motorcycles. New and used. Beaters and beauties. If they started, I rode them. Once the bike went through service, it would come to my area for cleaning. It was common to have a Bandido Harley come through.
LET ME MAKE THIS VERY CLEAR!
It was NOT me that scratched in the gas tank of the Bandido Streetglide “Jesus loves the Bandidos, but loves the Cossacks more” I don’t know how that got there. And that is not why my Harley career ended.
My part time was encroaching dangerously into full time and I was not having the needed time to help some of the people in the community that I wanted to. So I let Harley know that I would have to leave, but if they got into a pinch, they could call me and I would be more than happy to to come in and help out. I was just not able to commit to a set schedule at this point in my life.
Before my two weeks notice was up, Minnie was hospitalized, so the free time was well spent with her. She is recovering, but is scheduled for surgery later this month. I am keeping extremely busy in my so called retirement. I am on call for several of the finest people I have ever met. The youngest is 75 years and the oldest is 96 years young. The 96 year old is sharp as a tack and she will watch me work. “Garner, you missed that Hackberry” She is all together, but when it comes to pulling weeds in her flowerbed, I’m her guy.
I still get call from some of you, and occasionally they are not aware that I don’t do airplanes anymore, but enjoy them nonetheless. I try as best I can with their technical questions, but as far as sell them parts, well you know the story. As I pull weeds, clean a gutter, or am driving Miss Nita, I get distracted when I see or hear a horizontally opposed bopping in the sky and wonder who they are and how they are doing.
Every day is a new day and I take it with gratitude.
Garner
Wisdomism
I heard a pilot remark the other day, “I am proud that I have never violated a FAR in 30 years of flying!” As he walked away, under his breath you could hear, “As the FARs stood in 1912.”
Just my thoughts for the day…… Roscoe
Yankee Aviation
Malone Air
Malone Air recently bought a Grumman Cougar and also many spare parts. This was from a gentleman in Florida who was sticking parts trying to get the Cougar line back in production. So, if you need Cougar Parts, or know of a Cougar for Sale, contact: s
Malone AirCharter, Inc.
Sterling Flight Training
904-425-0325 (p)
904-642-0994 (f)
mbartle@maloneaircharter.com
Next Month Teaser
Reviews of Cody, Editor’s report, Membership report, Website Report, and much more.