Newsletter Volume VI, April 2016
Missing Issues, Again?
In a word, Yes. No bones about it, I’m guilty. Let’s see, I used what excuse last time, back in January, “Busy”. I like it, going to stick with a winner. Okay, moving on…
603 Members
We had our 600th member join last night and today, the 6th of April, we have 603. Good job all on getting the word out.
Elbow Bending Event, May 13-15th
Details can be found on the event webpage here at: http://gpa.grumman-parts.com/events/midwest-wrench-and-elbow-bending-weekend/ Notice in the Update the extended time frame for those wanting to go to the Air Force Museum at Wright Pat AFB, less than an hour away.
Also at the bottom you will find the ‘Booking’ Section where you can reserve your place in the event and help us plan on final count. This also serves as a new functional test of the Booking Feature for Events, so we can be sure and work out any bugs. That way, we know what to expect when we open it for the National Gathering in July where money will be used to confirm the booking process.
National Gathering this July
This July from the 19th to the 24th we will be having our 3rd national Gathering, in Bowling Green, KY. Details for the event and tentative schedule are there and bookings for the event will be open just as soon as we nail down the final details on the tours, tickets prices, meals, etc. http://gpa.grumman-parts.com/events/2016-national-gathering/
Shop Monkey Tales
Well it is not only a new year for all of us, Welcome 2016, it is also the Chinese year of ‘The Fire Monkey!”
Shop Monkey was recently asked during his annual, where he keeps his spares, he replied, “Over in Roscoe’s Hangar!”
First and Last Cheetahs
We have two members that have the first Cheetah off the line AA5A-0001 and another member who has AA5A-0900, the last Cheetah produced and is the proud owner of a special placard the factory installed for this last cat.
Guru GA7 Help
Last week we received a help request through the website under ‘Guru Help’ The owner had a GA7 that had been damaged in wind. Message got forwarded to Ken, who reached out to the FAA Inspector and owner who were very happy to get the call since no one had been able to help them. David Fletcher had a spare rudder skin and other tooling to assist, so we’ll mark that down an another big win for the GPA.
Accident Reports
Actual Traffic Accident Reports
Many years ago, in a city far, far away, I worked for an insurance company, first in IT, then in sales, who published this list of an actual customer statement about an accident. It was picked up by a newspaper and published nationwide in the 1970’s. Yes, I am that old. Many false starts till I discovered airplanes.
“It Happened This Way”
“The other car collided with mine without giving warning of its intention.”
“I thought my window was down but found it was up when I put my hand through it.”
“A pedestrian hit me and went under my car.”
“The guy was all over the plane. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him.”
“I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law and headed over the embankment.”
“The accident occurred when I was attempting to bring my car out of a skid by steering it into the other vehicle.”
“I was driving my car out of the driveway in the usual manner, when it was struck by the other car in the same place it had been struck several times before.”
“I was on my way to the doctor’s with rear end trouble when my universal joint gave way causing me to have an accident”
“As I approached the intersection, a stop sign suddenly appeared in a place where no stop sign had ever appeared before. I was unable to stop in time to avoid the accident. ”
“The telephone pole was approaching fast. I was attempting to swerve out of its path when it struck my front end.”
“To avoid hitting the bumper of the car in front, I struck the pedestrian.”
“My car was legally parked as it backed into the other vehicle.”
“An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my vehicle, and vanished.”
“When I saw I could not avoid a collision, I stepped on the gas and crashed into the other car.”
“The pedestrian had no idea which direction to go, so I ran him over.”
“I saw the slow-moving, sad-faced old gentleman as he bounced off the hood of my car.”
“Coming home, I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I don’t have.”
“The indirect cause of the accident was a little guy in small car with a big mouth.”
The Most Stolen Hose
This particular hose is blue. It started life a few weeks ago as a lifetime teflon, steel braided 2000 psi fuel or oil hose to go on a customer’s Grumman. Part of scheduling for a one-plane shop is to have all needed parts on hand ahead of time, since hoses like this one, need a week or so lead time to be fabricated, then shipped from Herber, in California. To help our customer keeps their bills low, we ask that they pay for the hoses when they arrive. So a nice pile of 6 new hoses has been waiting for this Friday when the plane will come in and they can be put on. But one hose, AE1014035G0160, was not to remain with his siblings. Instead he was stolen out of the pile and out on a Traveler. So a replacement was ordered, and put in the pile. Then this newest hose (a 16 inch hose in the #6 (11/16 th wrench size) ) committed hari kari by installing itself on a needed Tiger. So another hose is ordered. Believe it or not, when it arrived it went right onto a Cheetah. But finally, the last replacement is in, and in the pile and the boys are bringing in their girl this Friday. Please don’t tell them about all of this.
Members Search
We have some initial functionality in a members search. If you go to: http://gpa.grumman-parts.com/members/ You can search members in a number of ways.
More functions to come as they are suggested. FYI
The $400 Muffin
Today I got to eat a beautifully baked, homemade blueberry muffin, flown 388 nm, a ‘pearl’ of a muffin. Baked in Maryland, eaten in Ohio, and all part of getting a new Grumman owner, his first plane.
When you buy a plane remotely these days you have two basic options: Go and fly it home, or have it delivered. With insurance requirements, weather, timing, instructors available, it usually pays to take the second option.
Jonathan Pearl, who introduced himself, last week on the gang, took delivery of his first plane today, the personal Tiger of John Sjaardema of Excel Air Services. It all came together at the last minute and was executed successfully. Jon basically got his plane delivered for fuel in his new plane and the chase plane to return the pilot to his home field. Basically the Grumman family stepped up and helped a new family member.
For this solution there were two scenarios. First, a pilot local to Ohio, chases to Maryland, grabs the pilot and brings him back. The other option is to have a plane waiting at the delivery point, to bring the pilot home and then dead head back (for fuel of course). The weather window figures into this as well as available pilots. In option 1, chase plane and delivery plane set out, delivery, and return in this case, 5 hours. If option 2 had been executed, then it would have been 6 plus the 3 return. Also choice of aircraft had to be weighed. Tiger preferred, but we ended up using a RV8 (due to wind) since the 6-cylinder Tiger was not available. 30 knots of winds can play with a taildragger on landing at home. Plus the delivery pilot has a say in who he has to ride with.
We had a few twins offer help, and one jet jock. I realize that the offer to pay for about 7 hours of flight fuel is a big plus in the world today. Folks away from the area also offered if we would pay their airfare to us and home, plus since they were CFI’s, would have to be paid per hour to fly. One gentleman wanted first class airfare. Remember our mission was to help a new Grumman family member get his plane at the least cost. Heck, if I am going to pay someone to fly a customer’s plane, then it is going to be me. The truth is that I usually do not get to this often.
My personal thanks to Scott (retired corporate pilot) for chasing Matt (Shop Monkey) and getting bounced around to help Jon get his new plane. And let me not forget Mrs. Pearl for the muffin!
So how much did it cost in fuel you ask? Read the title.
Editor?
Want the ultimate power in the universe? Okay, who doesn’t, care to be editor? Details within.
Hot Forum Topics
Recent great additions are:
<div class="wpmlposts"> <div class="wpmlpost"> <h3>Future Tiger Owner</h3> <p><small>Posted on April 6, 2016 by Bryan Turner</small></p> <div class="wpmlpost_content">
Hey, New Guy here. Thought I would stop by here first and introduce myself. I got my Private in 2013 and have about 350 hours mostly in Cirrus SR22. Prior to that I was in a Socata TB9 and I started in a 172. I have gone through just about every possible plane and the…
</div> </div> <hr style="visibility:hidden; clear:both;" /> </div><div class="wpmlposts"> <div class="wpmlpost"> <h3>Big-Engine 2-Seater Tale</h3> <p><small>Posted on April 3, 2016 by Jeff Johnson</small></p> <div class="wpmlpost_content">
Today, while checking all the paperwork on a new customer's 160 HP 2-Seater, I found a problem with the installation of the SA2477SW STC. Seems item number 6 (of the mandatory changes that goes with the STC, not just the bigger engine, but the oil cooler, relays, etc) was not done. This is the installation…
</div> </div> <hr style="visibility:hidden; clear:both;" /> </div><div class="wpmlposts"> <div class="wpmlpost"> <h3>Go Button Not Working</h3> <p><small>Posted on April 2, 2016 by Barry</small></p> <div class="wpmlpost_content">
Hi Gang: Sometimes even bad happens to A&P types. Wednesday I had a short flight, went to Lincoln Park Airport, NJ (N07). Flight totally uneventful, landed, uneventful, had lunch eventful - Very Good Crumpled Blue Cheese Hamburger. Went back to the plane and when I pushed the GO Button - Totally Uneventful! No spinning of…
</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 Update
Garner and Minnie are spending a lot of their days together, working, helping others, and enjoying life. They send their love to friends and extended family.
Wisdomism
This shop can fix almost anything, but it cannot fix STUPID!
Just my thoughts for the day……
Roscoe
Yankee Aviation