Mogas for Tigers
From the ‘Grumman Gang’
As I mentioned in an earlier post, Todd Petersen has expressed some
interest in the “Kickstarter” approach to funding a mogas STC for Tigers
and will be meeting with me later this month at Oshkosh. In an attempt to
gauge interest in the STC, I’ve created a one question survey. If you’re at
all interested, please take a second to answer the survey question:
Thanks,
Steve Sokol
Tales From the Bent Side
by Garner Rice
Over the years in the Grumman business, one of the jobs I did was picking up the “not so successful” landed Grummans.
In 1987 we had purchased a 1977 AA5A (N26378) for our flight school. It was a pristine Cheetah with about 1000 hours TTSN. If memory serves me correctly, we had it for only a month.
One of our students had just recently acquired his private and had an opportunity for some free flight time. It was to be a flight from Houston to Dallas to pick up a tie down customer that was having his Comanche 400 repainted. The Comanche customer called that evening to inquire about his return flight as our pilot was over 3 hours late. Then we got the call. N26378 was down. Danny, the cheetah pilot was ok, but the plane was not. We don’t know why Danny was off course, but it seems that he was about 30-40 miles east of a direct course when the cheetah sucked a valve. ( Should have done the valve wobble test .) From the air the terrain appeared to be flat and there was a convenient east west road at the south end of Cedar Creek Lake. Well in the summer months, (April through October in Texas) the prevailing winds are out of the south.
The road at the end of the lake was on top of the earth dam. The south side of the dam was about 100 feet, sloping downward. As the pilot was dead sticking the cheetah on the dam road, the southerly winds were coming up the slope of the dam. As he was flaring the cheetah was pushed off the north side of the dam. On the south side was sloping grass and the north side was big bolder rocks. The cheetah cartwheeled right into the lake. As the cheetah began sinking the pilot thought he was trapped until he realized he still had his seatbelt on. A couple of fishermen saw the plane go in and hurried over to help him. They got some rope and tied the tail to one of the boulders to keep it from going all the way down under.
David and I mobilized the trailer for an early departure the next morning. Upon our arrival with the usual equipment, we realized the challenge. Getting the cheetah out of the water and up the boulder infested embankment was not something we had come across before. Dave and I thought for a while and came up with the idea of getting plywood to build a makeshift road, if you may, to drag the plane up the embankment. David said he would just run into town and buy some and I would stay with the plane.
It was time to go swimming. The plane was submerged at a 45 degree angle. From the back of the rear windows to the tail was all that was above water. I saw the front seat bottoms and the rear seat backs floating towards the hat shelf. “I’ll just go ahead and get started”. It was hot and I thought this would be a good way to cool off too. I made sure the plane was secure, as I didn’t want to ride the cheetah to the bottom of the lake. The canopy opened and slid pretty well under water. So I grabbed the floating seat cushions and heaved them towards shore.
Let me get the scene set up. I am 24 years old, about 140-150 pounds, long hair, in east Texas, by myself, in a known drug running area, pulling things out of a crashed aircraft, and throwing them to shore.
As I was going about my business getting all the “floatables” out of the plane, I hear a voice, ” Boy, get your hands where I can see them”. I turn around and am looking at the dangerous end of a Glock 9mm with a Texas State Trooper on the other side. He said, “Put your hands on your head and walk backwards toward me”. Crap, did I mention the boulders? I was thinking that if I tripped and tried to catch my fall,the trooper might think I am going for my weapon, then I’m a dead man. I told the trooper that I can’t see where I was stepping if I am walking backwards. I wasn’t trying to be a smartass, punk kid, I was just stating the obvious. I guess it is just a normal command for law enforcement. He let me walk forward up the bouldered path. I was ever so careful as to not make him squeeze any tighter on his grip.
Big misunderstanding. As the trooper became a little more at ease, he holstered his Glock and began his questioning. I explained politely that it was our company’s plane and we were just retrieving it. I was very nervous, having encounters with law enforcement in my youth, but that is a whole ‘nother’ story, so I don’t think I was convincing enough for him. I had no ID. It was in David’s truck and David was getting plywood. And taking his sweet time I was thinking.
Usually you don’t like having your boss around, but I was very happy to see David come back. I’m sure his adventure to the hardware store to buy plywood was very stressful and life threatening. The end result was we were able to pull the cheetah out of the lake and up the dam. The trooper even help us load the plane.
Well we got the plane back to Houston. David collected the insurance money. The trooper went back on patrol to stop the other bad guys. I made 7.00 an hour, but the experience was priceless.
There are multiple morals to this story:
- Have a valve wobble test.
- Don’t crash your plane
- Cheetahs don’t float
- Don’t do drugs
- Don’t look like a drug runner
- And, don’t get shot retrieving a plane
All the best,
Garner
(Retired plane retriever and target)
Sarah Sciple – Gone West
Sarah Sciple departed for her last flight on June 19, 2015. She was a grand lady, a very direct lady, who shall be missed. Sparklers were burned in her honor in Cody.
Sarah S. Sciple – Gone West
Sarah S. Sciple – Gone West
Jim Bede – Gone West
Jim Bede departed this morning for his last flight, July 9, 2015. Jim played a key role in the design and other aspects of this line that we love so much.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Bede
Cody – Second National Gathering
So what did you miss in Cody? Lots!
First arrivals were Mark and Kelly Matthews on Sunday, June 21st. A group of us were weathered in in the Cincinnati, OH area waiting for Hurricane Bill to blow on out.
Monday saw the arrival of several planes right at sunset and we got them to the hotel just in time for Ken and Jan to arrive with their trip report in the van. So a group of 12 or so made it to the restaurant at the Holiday Inn to have Prime Rib and catch up on gossip.
Tuesday morning started early with all the things you need to do to get ready for an event. Beer run, drinks and water, ice chests, grills, off to the court house for a license, out to the airport to finalize meeting space, menus for the two airport meals, and someone to perform a marriage at the Airport Friday. Busy day with folks making it in and getting them settled and finally it was sunset under the trees at the cabins and some good conversation.
Wednesday, which was the original arrival day saw activity early. A dress to be made, rings to buy, folks coming to the flyin, checking out the minor problems or issues on our planes.
That night we had a big BBQ out in the common area and enjoyed the company and food. We went over the schedule of activities so all would be in the loop.
Thursday morning off to the airport for the seminar by Ken. This was followed by lunch catered by Stewart’s. After lunch folks went out shopping or to see the museum as well. One group was getting ready for the trail ride in Shoshone National Forest.
The trail ride lasted so long that the girls got back too late for a night of bachelorette bowling while the guys hung out at the cabins and cooked and told lies.
Friday was a packed day. Breakfast in the hotel, off to the airport for the wedding Flyers Wed and lunch. Afternoon free time until the rodeo that night. The rodeo was great as always even for those a bit sore from the saddle. A short beer in the courtyard by the cabins and most were off to bed early.
Saturday started early with fixing a shimmy in a nose gear (big surprise!) and then off to the range (prairie) to shoot black powder pistols, rifles, carbines, and the big Sharps buffalo rifle.
After shooting the pool served as refreshing dip for many, that or a nap! Saturday night one final dinner out on the town and we were ready to start for home in the am. Weather forced a few early departures and most of saw weather issues coming home, but all in all it was a great trip.
History
The idea for this group has it roots back in 2004 and 2005. It was talked about and ideas were tossed around, but no real traction. In 2014 we lost Bob Steward. During the effort to get planes out of the hangar and to their owners, it came to be that to get the group off the ground would be a great Tribute to Bob. And so it came to pass. Many hands placed a part in its creation. Ask any ‘FOUNDER’.
The question has come up, who is a founder? Well we had 100 of the patches made up, and if you have one or order one, you are then a founder. That’s about as simple as it gets.
GPA provides information and connections all in the interest of safety, economy of flight, better aircraft condition, and fun. Participation is its own reward.
The name ‘Grumman Pilots Association’ came from a group of grumman drivers in Ohio who were giving the RV Pilots a run for their money with the number of planes on the field. As one Grumman said, “We can buy them faster than you can build them!” This group gladly gave their name to the national movement and that is why there is a ‘Shop Monkey’ on the shirt. This concludes the History portion of our program.
The GPA is and always will be your organization. It will be what the folks who use it make it. Share your time and your vision.
Forums
Forums are now available to all members on all the pages. This last week we had the following great additions:
<div class="wpmlposts"> <div class="wpmlpost"> <h3>Checklists/POH for Traveler</h3> <p><small>Posted on July 7, 2015 by Andy Chen</small></p> <div class="wpmlpost_content">Anyone have an electronic copy of checklists and/or the POH for a Traveler? I just got checked out today in my FBO's 1974 Traveler that they have on leaseback, but the airspeed indicator and all the V-speeds are in MPH...was hoping to do some more studying before I take it out again on Saturday. If…
</div> </div> <hr style="visibility:hidden; clear:both;" /> </div> <div class="wpmlposts"> <div class="wpmlpost"> <h3>Canopy Sticking?</h3> <p><small>Posted on March 23, 2015 by Jeff Johnson</small></p> <div class="wpmlpost_content">
Does your canopy stick a bit (or a lot) on opening or closing? Sometimes in cold weather it takes 2 hands to do the job? If you answered yes to either of these, then your canopy rails and tracks need some love. Many folks spray these tracks with WD40 and they work great for a…
</div> </div> <hr style="visibility:hidden; clear:both;" /> </div> <div class="wpmlposts"> <div class="wpmlpost"> <h3>AA5 nose strut length?</h3> <p><small>Posted on July 2, 2015 by John Popio</small></p> <div class="wpmlpost_content">Ny pre SN 640 AA5 had a nose strut replacement some 40 years ago. The new strut provides greater prop to ground clearance when taxiing, but cause the nose to sit slightly higher. Does anyone know if the fiberglass gear legs are the same length for all the AA5 series, or if the nose fork…
</div> </div> <hr style="visibility:hidden; clear:both;" /> </div>This small sampling is just to tease you. Log in and come on in and read and post your issues, or help others with theirs. This is what community is all about.
Cody Happenings
Cody Membership Meeting Topics
Membership Report
At the end of June we are now 1 year old. We close out this year with 380 members. We are averaging about a person a day. At the time of the writing of this newsletter, we stand at 391. Great job, and keep spreading the word. Remember we have organizational cards that you can request to hand out to other Grumman lovers.
Website Report
The website continues to gain folks who want to use it. We offer the information on the site or via links as we redo the overall layout.
We do take security serious as you post some of your information there. To date, we have not had one bogus person get access.
We use a honeypot to catch the bots. Spammers who attempt to create an account either get caught at the first hurdle and if they make it to registration, then we usually can spot them since a real admin has to approve every account. We are sorry for the activation link ruse, but it keeps out the riff raff.
Newsletter Report
This is our fourth newsletter. As always we need articles, flyins to write about, topic contributions, pictures, and updates.
Garner has agreed to write a monthly article, ‘Tales From the Bent Side’, telling us about one event at a time from his years of bringing home bent airplanes. The first one is in this newsletter. Thank you Garner.
Financial Report
During our first year we had several folks step up and part with real money for the cause. This paid for our first year of servers until we found a member who could host us, thank you Eric! Another person paid for the non-profit paperwork and paid the IRS to issue a EIN for the group which allowed us to have a bank account. Finally one of the ladies stepped up and donated the first deposit into the bank account. Thank you Elle!
Fund Raising Idea
Thanks to Ken Blackman for getting from a Cherokee group, Send us your excess Grumman spares (don’t worry about part numbers, I plan on asking Garner, so he does not forget) , so we can put them on eBay and raise money for the organization. Our needs are small but we do have to pay for DNS, some web hosting fees, postage, etc.
Currently we are running on donations and the sale of patches and t-shirts.
Art Work and Decals/Letters
Beth Hendrickson does graphics, shirts and letters and graphics for race cars. Vinyl stick on , she can do airplane things too
HD Graphics anyone can either call my cell 609-306-3566 or email me at HD Graphics. My address is: 120 cold soil road
lawrenceville, nj 08648
Choice Aviation
The folks at Choice in Cody, were wonderful. They were helpful with the aircraft, helped with the rental cars, told us of wonderful local places. Thank you Choice for the great service. Choice Aviation Website
Stewart’s Restaurant
Stewart’s did a great job hosting us for Lunch after the seminars, and for the Lunch on Friday on the patio. Highly recommend you stop by for a meal if you are anywhere near. Janet and Shannon will take good care of you. Thank you! Stewart’s Website
Supporter and Advertisers
AirmodsNW
Ken Blackman does a great job in supporting the fleet and has for nearly 40 years. Ken gives freely of his advice and manages to sell a few parts as well. A full service maintenance shop for the Grumman Fleet. Ken offers also a full teaching shop, so if you are interested in learning the intricacies of your Grumman, Ken, is the Guru. Rags and Roscoe and other notables have spent time under Ken’s tutelage. AirModsNW
Yankee Aviation
Yankee Aviation is proud to support both the Grumman fleet and the GPA. We are a fully trained Grumman Shop and can help with any of your needs. Like Ken’s shop, we give freely of our time helping you sort out your maintenance issues, buying and selling off-the-market planes, and helping folks discover the joys of flying and owning Grummans. Yankee Aviation
‘Final Beg’ of the letter
Let me just beg each of you to try and have some local event. Holler if you need the names of folks close to you. We can get your flyin info on the website as an event or you can create the booking that runs an event. Happy to help.