January 2017, Volume XIV

Happy New Year – 2017 – GPA

It is a new year and time to look forward.  Hope yours is a good one.

Membership

Well we closed out 2016 with 924 members.

Small World

When I first moved to Cincinnati back in the 90’s, I met a wide circle of pilots and friends. This last October while on vacation, imagine my surprise when I ran into one of them now living on Maui, Hawaii. It was nice to regain this contact. Truly a small world, but I would not want to paint it.

Website

We have recently added the Cleveland Brake manuals under the ‘Info’ tab. We have also added more of the Grumman airframe manuals as well. More to come.

There is also a new inspection ‘Annual.pdf’ in manuals.

Finally, Ned Thomas pointed out that the links to the Tiger Propeller TCDS(S) (Type Certificate Data Sheet) were bad. We have fixed this and added the TCDS for the MT propeller as well. Enjoy!

Grumman Channel

We heard last month from Freddie Kokaska, son of Fred Kokaska, who wrote and thanked us for the video of his father talking about his 6-cylinder Tiger project. He was able to see his dad in his element, entertaining a crowd. We are happy that he found this video in a web search.

Rigging Tools

The rigging tool project, our Critical Project 1, is now complete. Nothing like a leap of faith to throw 18,000 dollars of rigging tools into the mail hoping you will be paid. Luckily, we live in a small Grumman world.

We would like to thank all who helped by buying sets and support the fleet.

Our next project is to make the DE 5005-502 (AA1C only Elevator Rigging Tool) and the ST 1064 canopy track-sizing tool.   We figure 25 or so of those will be needed, rigging tool set owner will get first crack at them and we are making a few extras.

We are also making a few more of the bearing sizing tools and the aileron bullets.

Details will be coming, here and the Grumman Gang.

The ‘Pre-Purchase’

Now every one is different, but I just had one that will be memorable.

It involved an AA1C. This particular one has a O-320 (HC STC) and a Powerflow (STC). Even with a 64 inch pitched prop it was quite a performer!

When I was first contacted about this plane, I was directed to the Barnstormers ad which right above it had a big warning about this plane. Mainly the complaint was about lost logs and a lien on the plane.

As it happens, the logs of the early days were missing, but there is no time-limited part on a AA1C. All the logs from the new engine conversion and forward were there, including the aux fuel system.

The lien issue was a paperwork error and the wording a bit strange, but the lien letter in the records was actually a lien release.

On top of that, a GPA member who holds 4 maintenance ratings had owned it for a number of years. This plane was the cleanest I have ever seen.

After replacing all the fuel and oil hoses with lifetime ones, it was ready for it’s new home. So the new owner flew up, got checked out by a GPA instructor, signed off and flew the plane home over the next two days. Good to see the plane staying in the GPA.

Many folks are finding the GPA is a great way to find or sell your new plane.

Flight of ‘Fancy’

One of our members has discovered a new flying passion, Pilots and Paws. Joe Campbell of Roanoke, VA, has been getting a great deal of satisfaction using his Cheetah to move dogs about. Puts a smile on his face and many others. He recently took part in the return of a stolen dog, named Fancy. Details here in the local paper.

http://www.al.com/news/anniston-gadsden/index.ssf/2016/09/flight_of_fancy_heflin_dog_mak.html

Pilots and Paws is a tax-deductible service.

Minor Alteration

The advice from the Curt Cowly at PDX FSDO (as part of his seminar  “Maintaining
Your Antique Airplane”), is if you, the mechanic deem the alteration is minor
per Part 43, then log it as such, being sure to have that phrase “I have
determined that this is a minor alteration in accordance with
14CFR Part 43, Appendix A.” included.

Without the phrase, an inspector can see the change, and decide to make it an
administrative hell, requiring you to explain after the fact why the alteration
isn’t “major”. But with the phrase, the responsibility to prove that the
alteration isn’t minor falls to the inspector, and unless you’re claiming one of
the specified major alterations listed in part 43 as a minor alteration, they’re
going to leave well enough alone because they have better things to do.

Secret Rusted Nut Remover

It may sound funny, but a mix of ‘Acetone and ATF’ 50/50 will free up stuff that has been frozen for year. Give it a try!
Forum Post
<div class="wpmlposts"> <div class="wpmlpost"> <h3>Lycoming Dry Tappet Clearance</h3> <p><small>Posted on December 29, 2016 by Roscoe Rosché</small></p> <div class="wpmlpost_content">

Lycoming states in SI1193A that the dry tappet clearance of our engines is 0.028 to 0.080 inches.  Easy enough to measure. Lycoming makes 4 pushrods for the O-360-A4K as follows: Push Rod Part Number   Superseded P/N  Nominal Length 15F19957-34              73434     12.483 inches 15F19957-35              73435     12.510 inches 15F19957-36              73436     12.537 inches 15F19957-37              73437  …

</div> </div> <hr style="visibility:hidden; clear:both;" /> </div>

Humor

You Might Be A Redneck Pilot If …

Your stall warning plays Dixie.

Your cross-country flight plan uses Flea Markets as checkpoints.

You think sectional should show trailer parks.

You have mud flaps on your wheel pants.

You only fly out of the pattern to check where your buddies really out their deer stands.

Your toothpick keeps poling your mike.

You constantly confuse Beechcraft with Beechnut.

Just before impact you are heard saying, “Hey Ya’ll Watch This!”

You have a black airplane with a big #3 on the side.

You just taxied around drinking beer.

You use a Purina feed sack as a windsock.

You refer to formation flying as “We got ourselves a convoy.”

Your matching luggage set comes from Piggly Wiggley.

You wouldn’t be caught dead flying a Yankee.

You subscribe to Trade-A-Plane because of the soft paper.

 

The FLY-IN

1:00 am          Alarm clock rings.
2:00 am          EAA members arrive and drag you out of bed.
2:30 am          Throw everything except kitchen sink into pickup.
3:00am           Leave for airport.
3:15 am          Drive back home to get kitchen sink.
3:30 am          Drive like hell to get to airport before daylight.
4:00 am          Set up kitchen. Forgot the damn tarp.
4:30 am          Head for Port-A-Potty.
6:05 am          See eight planes coming in.
6:06 am          Run like hell to kitchen for radio/
6:07 am          Planes overfly field and go away.
6:08 am          Grab radio and take it to Port-A-Potty.
8:00 am          Head back to kitchen.
9:00 am          Still looking for parking area for cars.
10:00 am       Realize you don’t know where to park cars.
NOON             Call on your radio for parking help – eat lukewarm burger on stale bun.
12:15 pm       Run out of toilet paper – eight planes come back.
12:20 pm       Strange feeling in stomach.
12:30 pm       Realize you ate burger from late year.
12:45 pm       Parking help arrives.
12:55 pm       Rushed to hospital to have stomach pumped.
3:00 pm         Arrive back at airport.
4:00 pm         Return to kitchen for another radio battery.
4:01 pm         Check radio – head for taxiway
5:00 pm         Realize that now you are sunburned.
6:00 pm         Arrive at kitchen – see everyone drinking cold beer.
6:01 pm         Scream at everyone with beer.
6:02 pm         Curse Airport Manager.
6:03 pm         Turn to see Airport Manager behind you!
6:05 pm         Find out after scolding, no more cold beer.
6:06 pm         Repress desire to shoot EAA members.
6:07 pm         Lean against BBQ pit.
6:10 pm         Change clothes, throw burned ones in fire.
6:15 pm         Start swatting mosquitos.
6:30 pm         Start teardown.
8:30 pm         Teardown complete, look for beer.
9:30 pm         Promise yourself, Next year to Stay Home!