February 2003 - American Bonanza Society

owned
professional staff
has decades of experI.ence in aviation insurance, and we
are uniquely qualified to provide ABS members a little
"plane talk" about theIr Individual Insurance requirements.
The ABS Program is one of the most comprehensive
insurance programs available in the industry today and
features expanded coverages, access to a variety of
underwriters and competitive rates. The professional
Falcon staff is dedicated to serving ABS members with an
insurance program that is setting the standard for the
industry. Call today for same day quotes and coverage.
/
Falcon Insurance Agency is the Insurance Program Manager for the
ABS INSURANCE PROGRAM
1-800-259-4ABS (4227)
www.fa Jco ninsurance.com
Fax: 512-891 -8483
P.O. Box 92409 • Austin, Texas 78735

JA411 0 & JA411 1
Hideki Kinugasa, MD
Tokyo, Japan
y 1990 A36 Bonanza, JA4110, has a
Mtwin-JA4111, that I also own.
These two planes, formerly registered
as N5674F and N56761, were
used as trainers for II years at the JAL
Flight Academy (lAFA), a flight crew
training center for Japan Airlines at
Omura, agasaki.
Because of changes in their training
schedules, JAFA decided to sell three of
their five A36s. I bought my first one
then and later purchased the other one.
In mid-2001 , JAFA dispersed itself and
was absorbed into Air Flight Japan, a
civil flight training school.
I previously owned a Piper Navajo.
Flying that twin was terribly noisy and
quite frightening. There seemed to be at
least one squawk every flight. So for
almost half a year, it stayed in the hangar.
It was more complex and a lot of trouble!
By contrast, the single-engine
Bonanzas have been trouble-free. Both
had been intensively and perfectly
maintained by JAL's A&P mechanics
and have no damage history so far.
Thanks to the 55-year traditional Beech
Bonanza quality airframes and highperfonnance
Continental 10-550-B
power plants, they are faster and more
comfortable than their competitors.
The paint and the interior still have
the original JAFA colors except for the
logo on the nose (visible in the cover
photo). The JAL logo with the red and
gray stripes was copyrighted, so they
forced me to remove it upon changing
registration. JAL explained that the red
and gray stripe represented the image of
a winning runner breaking the tape at
the fmish line. I applied my initials HK
on the nose of JA4110 instead and had
the Beechcraft logo applied to JA4111.
Most pilots think it is rare for the
landing gear to fail to extend during the
conlinlled on

}-\J.~ ~
MAGAZINE
PuhliWd by AMERICAN BONA!-o7..A SOCll;'fY
Or£iilnizcd January 1%7
~~
316-945-1700
ABS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
EDITOR L" CHIEF
Nancy Johnson
PUBLICATION OFFICE
1922 Midfield Road
P.O. Box 12888
Wichita, KS 67277
316-945-1700
Fax 316-945·1710
ABS ..... ebsite: hllp://\\'Ww.bonanza.org
ABS e-mail: bonanza2@bonanza.org
Send articles/letters to the
above address/lax/e-mail.
EDITOR
Betty Rowley
ART DIRECfOR
Jim Simpson
EDITORL~L CONSULTANT
Palrie Rowley
DISPLAY ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
John Shoemaker
2779 Aero Park Onve. PO. Box 968
Traverse City. MI 49684
1-800-773-7798, ext. 3317
PRINTER
Village Pre .. >;, TraveN City. Michigan
FEBRUARY 2003 - VOLUME 03 " NUMBER 2
COV E R
7859 BONANZAS OF THE MONTH
Hideki Kinugasa MO's pair of 1990 A36s are the Bonanzas of the Month. JA411 O.
shown inflight over downtown Tokyo. is the cover plane. JA4111 appears on page 7659.
FEATURES
7882 HOW TO AVOID ACCIDENTS
By Palll Gretsehel
7883 BEECHACRAFT PISTON MISHAPS - 2002
By Thomas P. Turner
7670 ABS EXPERIENCE: 2003
By Harold Bast
7874 PROSTATE CANCER
PROSTATE CANCER IN PILOTS
PROSTATE CANCER: A SURVIVOR'S STORY By Bob Goff
GETTING BACK IN THE AIR: AFTER CANCER By AI Parmet, MD.
76n NOMINATING COMMITIEE REPORT: ABS BOARD
By Harold Bast
7678 RUDDERVATOR OVERHAUL
By Steve Zeller
7881 A VISIT TO ATLANTIC AERO
By Charles Davidson, MD.
7886 NORTH TO LABRADOR
By Fred Scott, h:
7892 99TH YEAR CELEBRATION: WRIGHT BROTHERS FLIGHT
By John M. Miller
M pan ofthil publication n'I;l> be repnRled 1.11" duplicated
me ~Tiatft ~~ of !be Bdoor in cur
-,,-
Copy and p/Iotnsraph~ iubmHttd forpubho ll1Oft dI.1I
ThI' Socayaro I\IbIi:.m'ta¥JI au.p: ~ irk
0' ..uIC)' u k ..-n pr..J lnt:in or b tII'J opri:n
~cI ~ EdiIioYrxCO'llliNlcndonoll'ltO::li!la'\l tqR5I:I1Ilt1e
tmlilbe~.I'I.tiioM'~Ihe.bltJl!da!)' mIIInII-.
.1Ie PIOPfrt} of 1M SocICl}' and "'.11_ ~ retorned. Andli
sub,mued ... iIb pictw'e, nni~e publicwoo prefmnx.
A.1I;r.;UAL. OCES: L5--SSO.
Cwda &: \Ia.ico--.S5O (I:SI. fomp-~ (US )
Lift ~·-Sl . rro
Coolact ABS H/:'lII.Iqtqonen. fOfOelIIh.
POSTMASTER. Send ~ dlllnfC:' 10 ASS MAGA1J,\'F.,
P.O. Box 12888. Widuu.. KS 67m -2888
(I Copynght 2001
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
, Second and final Iem1
1",",_
.lACK tHIIIADGILL _ ("- 5) ' 2005
1602 Brook Hollow Drive. Ikyon. IX 77802
Phone 979-779-7155. fox 979-77&-7432
e-maU ftIreodgH)Ico.net
JOHN D. _ M.D. V.II (AfoIarQe) ' 2005
24OW. 18111 St.tl09. TuJso.OK 74 11~
Phone 918-747·751 7. fox 918-742-7947
e-mail hostlngs2O@msn.com
JAMES l. 10K. _ ,"- 1) 2004
9 Spruce Dr., PO Box 1895. lakeville. CT 06039
Phone 232-484{)696. fax ~114
&

President's Comments
BY JACK THREADGILL
My last three President 's Comments
columns were preny heavy. On a lighter
note this month, I'd like to tell you how
my love for the Bonanza came about. [t actually
began in grade school when I built a model of a
V-tail Bonanza. It came to a head when my Dad
traded his Piper Super Cruiser for a 1954 E35,
N3200C, in [958.
Dad was definitely an avid Bonanza fan. He
owned four of them before his death and, lucky
me, I got to !ly all of them. He gave me my first
airplane ride in [946 in a PT 17 Stearman while I
was strapped down in the back seat.
Dad's aviation career started in 1929 at age
17 when he left high school and took a 200-hour
commercial !lying course at Meacham Field in
Fort Worth, Texas. Training at that time was
accomplished in a biplane powered by the
famous 90-hp liquid-cooled OX-5 engine:
During this course, he had 20 engine failures,
averag ing a forced landing every 10 hours.
After receiving his Commercial
License, Dad took up ABS member John
Miller's profession of barnstorming.
Throughout Texas, he bamstonned in one
of Walter Beech's three-place Travel Air
Model 2000 biplanes powered by the OX-
5 engine. [n a future column I will share
some of his bamslOnning stories with you.
During World War II, Dad was an
instructor in the US Anny Air Corps
Civilian Instructor Pilot (CIP) program at
Curtis Field in Brady, Texas, where he
trained Air Corps cadets in the PT3, PT [ 7,
PTI 9 and BTI 3.
After the war, Dad had planned on
hanging up his !lying career, but my older
brother and I encouraged him to purchase
a Piper PA 1210 teach us how to !ly. It was
this plane that he traded for his first
Bonanza.
[ come from a famil y with a fl ying
heritage. My older brother followed in Dad's
footsteps by becoming a !light instructor in the
US Air Force. He instructed in the T38 trainer
during the Vietnam War, but lost his life in a
four-ship midair collision in 1965 at Laughlin
Air Force Base at Del Rio, Texas.
[ fell in love with the Beech Bonanza wh ile
!lying the Bonanzas that Dad owned throughout
my younger years. He traded the E model for a
K35, N9503R. His first new Bonanza was an
35, 1228Z. I have his original purchase order
for this factory-new N35. The list price was a
whopping $26,500. Its fully-equipped price tag
was $35,052. The Tactair T3 autopilot that ABS
Director Ron Davis wrote about in the January
2002 ABS Magazine added $3,040 10 the price.
Dad's model was traded for the last
Bonanza he owned, a new S35, N7963K. The S is
considered the fastest factory-equipped Bonanza.
My goal in my working career was to be
able to purchase my own Bonanza. This fmally
occurred on May 14, 198 1, when my wife
Sharon and I purchased N222M K a 1979 F33A.
Remember, safety first. ..
- Jack
You can find
ABS EXPERIENCE
Registration Forms
inserted in the
center ot this
magazine. For
further details
see page 7670.
-Jack Threadgill
"My Dad was delinitely an avid
Bonanza Ian. He owned lour ollllem
and, lucky me, I got to Ily all ollllem."
ABS Fe b ruary 2003
Page 7661

HOW TO AVOID ACCIDENTS
BY PAUL GRETSCHEL. ATP/CFIIME. CORAM. NEW YORK
I:e law of primacy states that whatever is learned first
is learned best. This could not be more true than one of
the caveats that my first flight instructor taught me in
flight lesson number one.
During a preflight inspection on the Cessna 152, he
taught me how to visually check the fuel and the oil. His
caveat was: "If you do nothing else during a preflight,
always check the fuel and the
An ala11illg IUI1ber of gelleS'lIII oil." I have never forgotten
aVIation a:ddeilts have 0118 II' that important lesson.
I am not going to quote
statistics to you, because statistics
are boring and can be
~ VfR ilto fR COItdtiOIiS.
misconstrued. I will state
some facts, and the facts relating to general aviation accidents
are clear: An alarming number of general aviation
accidents have one or two causes-fuel exhaustion and continuing
VFR into IFR conditions.
There are the occasional accidents that don't fall into
these two categories. But if we eliminated all that do fall into
fuel and weather, the general aviation accident rate would
decrease dramatically.
To most pilots, this seems elementary. Stay out of bad
weather and never run out of fuel. How simple. But these
types of accidents still happen in large numbers.
Sometimes we miscalculate our fuel; sometimes we just
don't pay enough attention to fuel management. A rented
airplane might have different fuel capacity or a different
fuel bum than the airplane we are accustomed to flying
and we find ourselves running short. There are many
scenarios and most can be avoided.
The same is true for IFR encounters. A scud-running
pilot thinks he can make it over a mountain ridge or occasionally
finds himself stuck on top of an overcast. Either
way, it's a prescription for disaster.
Another issue is the single-versus multi-engine debate.
The facts are simple: There are more accidents in singles,
but more fatal accidents in twins.
If a single-engine airplane loses an engine at any time,
it must go down. The decisions are minimal. Usually it is
just a matter of where to put the it down.
A multi-engine airplane poses other considerations.
Should you attempt to continue fligh~ or just land the
airplane
If you lose an engine in a multi during cruise, you can
usually continue to a safe airport with a minimum of danger.
If you lose the engine during takeoff, it poses many
other questions. Can your airplane fly and climb on one
engine How heavy is your airplane What is the density
altitude of your departure field How much excess horsepower
is available for climb Is there sufficient runway
available to land
A sale multl-enylne pHot has a
after losing one
engine
plan lor an engine loss prior to
This is where
pilots can make
every lakeD" and lIIat plan wHI
Ii fe-threateni ng change based on grosa weight,
mistakes. These
decisions must be runway length, weather and
made before the other factors.
engine quits. Very
often a pilot who loses an engine on takeoff decides to
continue flying when either he/she or the airplane is incapable
of continuing safely.
A safe multi-engine pilot has a plan for an engine loss
prior to every takeoff and that plan will change based on
gross weight, runway length, weather and other factors.
There is also help for this situation: Multi-engine
pilots must take instruction on engine-out procedures in
their airplanes! They must remain current to remain safe.
I've personally met too many multi-engine airplane owners
who take dual instruction once every two years to satisfy
their flight review requirement with no other instruction in
the interim. If airline captains (who are professional pilots)
must requalify in their aircraft every six months, certainly all
general aviation pilots need at least the same amount of
training.
My suggestions here may sound over-simplified, but
they are not. Subscribe to an accident newsletter or go to the
NTSB website andstudy
the general aviation accidents. It's amazing how many
crashes could have been avoided.
If you will (I) schedule dual instruction with your
CFI, (2) always make sure you land with an hour's worth
of fuel and (3) stay clear of bad weather, you wi ll have an
excellent chance of living long enough to enjoy many
years of pleasurable flying.
--@-
Page 7662
ABS February 2003

PISTON BEECHCRAFT MISHAPS 2002
BY THOMAS P TURNER. CLEVELAND. TENNESSEE
There were 271 FAA mishap reports involving 273
Beech piston airplanes in 2002. Two incidents
involved two Beech planes each!
Incidents included everything from the spectacular,
media-grabbing fatal crashes to the benign-minor bird
strikes, precautionary landings because of "unusual
vibrations" that caused no damage and one instance of a
tied-down Beech being struck by a landing Beech.
Towering above all-in terms of sheer numberswere
the gear-up landings and landing gear collapses,
which accounted for nearly half the mishap reports.
In most cases, landing gear mishaps are specifically
excluded from NTSB reporting requirements-reflected in
the fact that only about 38 percent of all 2002 Beech
mishaps reported to the FAA have been reported by the
NTSB so far-even in preliminary form. That is why most
publications' accident reviews do not show the true mishap
record.
Let's take a quick look at the lessons to be learned
from the 2002 mishap record, with an eye toward avoiding
a repeat this year.
Common causes
By far, landing gear-related mishaps (LGRMs) were
the most common occurrences among Beech piston
airplanes. There were 113 cases of landing gear collapses
(5 1 total), classic "gear-up" wrecks (43 reports) and cases
where the pilot admitted pUlling the gear handle "up" on
the ground (eight cases).
Eleven additional LGRMs involved an actual system
failure that prevented gear extension; six of the reported
gear-ups or gear collapses followed an electrical failure in
flight, with an incomplete landing gear extension before
touchdow~r no attempt at all. (One pilot reportedly
didn't know the manual procedure existed; another could
not reach to extend the gear because of the physical
restrictions of recent surgery.) In all, LGRMs account for
about 46 percent of all reports involving the retractable-gear
Beech airplanes.
Engine failures
The next most frequent mishaps appearing in the
reports were engine failures. There were 40 total
reports-about a quarter of all accidents. Ten of these
were fuel exhaustion or starvation incidents. so "true"
engine failures accounted for about Il percent of aLI
Beech mishaps- a very good reason not to skimp on the
frequency and quality of engine inspections and upkeep.
Fatal mishaps
The most common identified
cause of fatal mishaps was
attempted visual maneuvering
in instrument meteorological
conditions (lMC~seven cases
of"VFR into !MC" and a pair of
"losses of control" during the
visual phase of a circling
approach in poor weather. There
were also numerous accidents
under "unknown circumstances"
that contributed to the roster of
2002 fatalities.
Lastly, there were three
cases of damage-causing
taiVairframe vibration in V-tail
Bonanzas reported in 2002, and
at least one additional in-flight
break-up where ruddervator
failure is hinted at, but not
specifically identified in the
preliminary accident report.
In 2002, there were 40
Beech mishaps that proved fatal
and II more left occupants seriously
injured. Thirty-nine
Beechcraft were destroyed and
an additional 85 were damaged
so badly that they may never fly
again-almost 125 airplanes!
Beside these tragedies,
however, tens of thousands of
Beech pilots and their
passengers enjoyed safe,
almost magical flights in these
PISTON BEECHCRAFT
MISHAPS, 2002
PRELIMINARY DATA
Model
Mishaps
17 0
18 7
19 2
23 21
24 16
33 21
35 87
36 32
45 5
50 2
55 24
56
58 29
60 4
65 o
76 16
77
95 5
Total 273
C2OO3THOMASP TURNER AEPRINTEO BVPERMISSION
fabulous flying machines. The mishap reports can teach
us volumes about flying Beech airplanes safely and
enjoyably. Expect a much more detailed report in a future
publication. And please be sure you fly safely in 2oo3!
--------- ------
ABS member Thomas P. Turner writes and lectures on aviation safety and
technique. specializing in Single pilot operations and instruction in the
Beech piston line. You can reach Tom af .
By far, landing gear-related mishaps were tile most common occurrences among Beech piston
rplanes.
ABS February 2003 Page 7663

Gust locks
Lee Elson
Tujunga, California
Q: Raytheon has released SB 27-3459
regarding gust locks. They say this is a
MandalOry Bulletin and that they've requested
an AD. As near as [ can tell , they want me to buy
one of their gust locks.
I currently have an Avibank Ball-Lok (MS
17985-550) with a yellow warning flag that
works just fine. Assuming that the AD (when
issued) will just refer to this SB, what are my
options Any idea how much the Beech gust
lock costs
A: For Pan 91 operations, a Mandatory
Service Bulletin is only mandatory if it becomes
an Airworthiness Directive. We successfully
fought the AD on this and it came out as an SAIB
instead, which is advisory only.
The Beech gust lock is expensive as it had
10 be designed to prevent takeoff due to owners
making the ultimate mistake. We felt this was a
training issue, not maintenance. Beech, of
course, needed something for protection, so they
issued the Service Bulletin.
We feel any effect ive gust lock with warning
flags should be ok. This does not include a
ground-down tractor bolt.
Local instructors
Rondal Wojciehoski
Stevens Point. Wisconsin
Q: Who do you recommend as a Bonanza
instructor in Wisconsin [ have three panners in
this plane and we would like training.
A: ABS Director Craig Bailey (847-646-
8866) is in nonhem lIIinois and would also
know other BPPP instructors in the area.
Tip tanks
Greg Porker
Cedar Rapids. Iowa
Q: I am looking for paperwork for the
original 12-ga\. flight extender tip tanks. I have
the Fornl 337, but Beryl D'Shannon says it can't
provide paperwork.
A: As you have a 337 for the original installation,
it should be evident that you aren't bootlegging
an installation but need data for continuing
maintenance. Therefore it's legal for anyone who
has what you need 10 provide copies to you.
D'Shannon will provide, for a mininlum fee,
copies of the early versions if they have it and if
you have proof of original installation. This is a
reasonable requirement.
Members: Can anyone help us out
Tip tank problems
Ray Phelan
Portland, Oregon
Q: I have Flight Extender RB4-1 00 tip tanks,
STC SA28EA. I am looking for the schematic
for the tank system, and Beryl D'Shannon does
not have it. Any suggestions
The question we are trying to resolve is that
the line feeding from the RH tank has a check
valve installed and two lines branching out to the
fuel selector. The LH tank goes straight into the
selector. Why Is this correct
The aircraft at one time had ferry tanks in it,
and [ wonder if this is left over from that. Can
the tip tanks just feed straight from the tank to
the fuel selector or should one or both tanks have
this check valve
A: I suspect that was from the ferry tanks. It
probably was not a factory installation, so there
wo uldn't be anything there. The problem is that
the systems evolved and one generation is a lot
different than later ones, although still legal,
except there's no data available.
Sometimes someone knows one variation
and thinks they were all that way and that any
other types are wrong. We have to be detectives
and son out how yours became what it is. Kind of
hard if records are lost or incomplete.
Members: Any feedback to help us out here
Wing bolt fittings
Bil/Hoglan
Georgetown. Texas
Q: I have a 1955 F35 and am having trouble
locating the part number for the clips that rivet to
the bathtub fitling wing bolt covers. I have
looked in the parts book, old magazines and
ABS CD-ROM. Can you help
A: The wing bolt cover ctip pan numbers are
35-105005-4 and 35-105005-6.
Broken aileron trim
Loren Bouman
Lewisville, North Carolina
Q: I own a 1975 V35B with center control
yoke on which the spring in the central aileron
ABS Fe b ruary 2003

control knob is broken. I understand the
knob can be disassembled (left-hand
threads) but I can't fmd an order number
for the spring. Could you provide
that pan number If it is not available,
how can this be repaired
A: The unit was originally built by
Aircraftsmen in Oklahoma City, but
they are no longer in business. I have
heard that Woodland Aviation (530-
662-9631) could find parts or try
Crossroads Aviation (972-239-0263).
If you are doing it yourself, there is
an excellent anicle on the aileron trim
disassembly in the May 1991 ABS
Magazine, page 2785.
Trim tabs
Tom Henderson
Ventura, California
Q: We have a 1966 35-C33A. At
annual, our IA replaced the bushings at
the elevator trim tab horns (PIN
105740X-ZHOIl5). He also replaced
the retaining hardware with self-locking
nuts (i.e. nyloc), which he tightened up
very securely. The old hardware was the
original (AN bolts, nuts and cotter pins).
[ know ABS recommends that
those bolts be loose enough to spin with
your fingers on V-tail aircraft. Should
they be similarly loose on our
Debonair
A: The pans book calls for castellated
nuts and cotter keys. On the 35
models, they should be loose enough
that they don't flex the cable in the
swaged fitting end.
On the 33, with the fork tightened
on the bushing, they should be where
the bolt is tight to the fork but does its
fl ex between the bolt shank and the
bushing.
Broken trim switch
John Lyman
Mounf Kisco, New York
Q: I have a 1979 B55, TC-2210,
with a KFC-200 AP/FD. I managed to
break the trim switch on the yoke. Do
you know any source for these switches
other than King (which wants $850)
A: Try Elliott's Avionics (309-799-
3183), lenkins Air Service (775-33 1-
4905) and Crossroads (972-239-0263).
Elevator corrosion
Dory/Aaron
Houston. Texas
Q: [have a 1965 B55 in annual. The
mechanic says there is corrosion that
must be repaired on the elevators. He
says the repair options are: Repair it,
reskin it or replace them with aluminum
elevators.
[ know you have not seen the
amount of corrosion on the control
surface, but what would be your recommendation
to handle this problem properly
Who is the contact to get the
aluminum replacement parts
A: Talk to Glen Biggs in your area
(405-947-3361). Others are Crossroads
Aviation (972-239-0263), Stebbins (800-
852-8155) and Princeton (763-389-2 134).
Minor corrosion that can be mechanically
removed by Scotchbrite (not over
.(02) can then be treated and repainted.
More than that should be reskinned.
Many times corrosion returns
because the rinse after the treatment
with Magnadyne isn't dried enough and
moisture is trapped between the skin
and the primer.
Zinc chromate isn't good, as zinc
and magnesium react. Likewise,
methylchloride strippers must really be
neutralized, as it reacts.
Oxygen tank, panel
blanks
George Cotalano
Scottsdale. Arizona
Q: [ have a 1968 V35A-TC with
factory oxygen. The tank is located
directly in front of the front seats. I had
heard that a Kevlar tank was STC'd for
a rear bulkhead installation. Is this true
and do you know if the mounting is anything
special or panicularly difficult
I'm trying to get the leg room and
approach plate book area back in the
from seat area when I do a new interior.
Also, does anyone sell uncut panel
blanks for this model V-util
A: Check with Nelson Oxygen (800-
547-2558) and Air Mod Interiors (5 13-
732-6688). For dashboard panels, try
Arrell (805-604-0439).
Hail damage
Paul Prior
Pismo Beach. California
Q: I have a 1972 V35B that was
hailed on while tied down at CYS,
Cheyenne, Wyoming. I think it is going
to require reskinning from the forward
spar aft on the wings, ailerons and flaps.
The tail feathers are also going to
require some reskinning. The consensus
is that the damage is cosmetic and has
not affected airwonhiness.
I would appreciate any guidance
you can offer, as well as suggestions of
shops that can handle such repairs,
preferably in the central California area.
A: We agree that, unless the skin is
torn , it can be flown. Try Barber
Aviation in Madera (209-675-0183),
Woodland (530-662-963 1), or
Cheyenne Airrnotive (307-778-2000).
Spare POH
Haywood Schmidt
Winchester, Massachusetts
Q: Where is the best place to get a
POH to keep at the house for reference
A: Beech's tech material distribution
center (TMDC) (800-796-2665) is the
best source. Another is Essco (330-644-
7724). Give your serial number. Of
course, any supplements you have
added will not be there.
Manuals
PaulOdum
Oklahoma City. Oklahoma
Q: Where can I get a pans and maintenance
manual for a 1960 M Bonanza
Also, I am planning to do the 10-520BB
mod. Can [ get the parts and maintenance
manuals in hard copy and CD
A: Hard copy is available from
Beech TMDC (800-796-2665). A CD is
available from the ABS Company Store
ABS February 2003
Page 7665

(3 16-945-1700). The engine manuals can
be obtained from TCM (251438-3411).
Shoulder harnesses
John Weis
EI Centro, California
Q: What are the options for getting a
shoulder harness for my N35 I would
prefer inenia reel harnesses bm would
consider any possible assembly.
A: The factory kit is an option; BAS
has a nice STC (888-255-6566); and
Safety Ltd (630-584-9366) has a fieldapproval
one. Wag Aero (800-558-
6868) has one STC'd for early models
that would work on a field approval.
Baron radome
8if1 Lowen
Grand Rapids. Michigan
Q: I own a 1980 B55 that is a beautiful
airplane with great avionics except
it doesn't have radar. My local avionics
shop tells me the cost is prohibitive
because the plane needs a radome.
I love the plane and would like to
fmd a source for a reasonably priced
radome and radar installation. Do you
have any suggestions on sources for
models of used radar that I should consider
and a good shop for installation
A: If your nose is the solid plastic (i.e.
no taxi tight in the tip), it's suitable for
radar without going 10 an expensive honeycomb
radome. We checked all Beech's
plastic nose caps some years ago and,
while the purpose-built radome is cenain­
Iy betler, the factory plastic cap is OK.
If you have the light in the nose,
you will have to get the kit to relocate it
and find a factory solid nose or a radome.
Salvage yards are a possibility. Try White
(800-821-7733), Dodson (800-255-0034)
or Atlanta (800-237-8831 ).
Flaking nose
Dean Mann
Fort Scott Kansas
Q: I have a Radome nose with the
black circle on the tip flaking off. Is
there a paim or cover that is acceptable
to repair or repaint this tip
A: 3M makes a protective boot:
SJ866S - # depending on Nonon, honeycomb
or non-honeycomb. Your
mechanic can obtain them through
Aviall (8oo-284-2SSI ) or AAR Cooper
Distri bmion (877-227-6900).
Radome black coating is available
from RAPCO (414-367-2292).
West paint shops
Dove Austin
Los Vegas, Nevada
Q: I have an F33A that needs to be
reskinned due to hail damage. The
metal work will be done in Greeley,
Colorado, but I wi ll need a paint shop
somewhere west of Denver.
A: Try Cheyenne Airmotive (307-
778-2000) or Arizona Aeropainting
(S20-466-4336).
Attitude indicator
John Mariner
Houston. Texas
Q: I have a BS5 with an S-Tec 60-2
autopilot. I am intcrested in a backup
attitude indicator. What are my options
Low cost would be very appreciated
since this is a backup.
A: I believe they are from $1,300 to
$1,800 for an electric one. I think they are
a good safety item, but in a twin you could
pm in a vacuum backup AH cheaper and
still have good redundancy. Try Elliott's
Instrument Shop (309-799-3183).
Attitude indicator
Mike Hesketfl.Prichord
Houston. Texas
Q: Is the attirude indicator of my
1969 E33A driven by a vacu um system
or a pressure system I realize that for
the instrument to function there must be
a differential pressure across it. But
does the pump blow air through it or
suck air through it
A: The E33A had a pressure system.
Upper engine deck air is pumped
through the instruments and vented
through an exhaust into the nose wheel
well. I believe 1968 was the first year.
Odd throttle response
Bill Whitefield
Houston, Texas
Q: I have a 1979 BSSA with a problem
that has my mechanics scratChing
their heads. On takeoff, the plane develops
the correct rpm and 29+inch on the
manifold pressure gauge (sea level
airpon).
At about 1,500 feet AGL, I pull the
throttles back for a power reduction and
nothing happens for the first bit of travel.
After pulling funher back, the fuel flow
stans to fall from 21 gph, but the manifold
pressure stays in the 28- to 29-inch
range. If I continue to pull back on the
throttles, the manifold pressure will
stan to fall, but by that time the fuel
flow is too low in relation to the manifold
pressure.
This has resulted in having to pull
back the props to 2500 and then let
gains in altitude reduce the manifold
pressure, which is a pain since my home
airpon is under a 2,000-foot shelf in a
class B airspace.
One suggested solution is to overhaul
the mp gauge and clean out its
supply line as the vents in the gauge
could be panially blocked or the lines
clogged with oi l. Another idea is to
increase the unmetered fuel pressure. Any
suggestions you have would be greatly
appreciated.
A: It does sound like the manifold
pressure gauge. When you first stan 10
pull the throttles back, does it go up to
28/29 inches If so, then there is a leak
in the line to the gauge or in the intake
period. Just being sluggiSh suggests oil
in the line or gauge. Cenainly, fuel
pressures should be checked every couple
hundred hours.
Cracked step
JamesSheo
Sacramento. Califomia
Q: Our entry step is cracked at the
top of the step, left and right through the
original weld, at the point where it is
welded to the mount bracket. How do I
repair it
Page 7666
ABS February 2003

A: I would remove the step, grind out
the crack with a small rotary grinder and
reweld the ground out area.
Air duct assembly
David Moser
Golden. Colorado
Q: I have an air duct assembly (PIN
33-9100 II-I) on my P35 with wom alternate
air doors and pins. Raytheon doesn't
have any of the assemblies in stock and
I've been unable to determine if there are
separate pan numbers for the altemate air
doors and pins. Could you help me locate
a replacement assembly or the parts I need
to repair my existing assembly
A: Try Select Airparts (800-3 18-
(010) or Crossroads (972-239-0263).
Air vent
Richard Umbach
Lees Summit, Missouri
Q: I have a 1960 Debonair 979T
(CD-185). It is a great airplane and fun
to fly. It has one minor (major, if you
ask my wife) design flaw, as it doubles
as an efficient oven in the cabin during
the summer months. The only fresh air
to the cabin is through a small vent by
the pilot's left leg.
Are there any mods or kits that
would retrofit the older Deb with
overhead vents I am thinking of the
overhead scoops that are on some of the
V-tails.
A: D'Shannon (800-328-4629) has
an STC for the vent. It's probably easier
than field approvals.
Baron fuel fillers
Alastair Hamilton
Atlonto. Georgia
Q: I just acquired my first
Beechcraft, a 1981 58 Baron. It has 166
gal. fuel tanks. Is it possible to retrofit
the outboard fuel fillers to increase the
capacity to 194 gal per the factory
option How much paperwork is
involved Do you know anyone who
does this mod
A: It involves more than just moving
ASS February 2003
the filler necks. We have had an individual
do this and get a field approval
on it. I'm not aware of any shops doing
this except Colemill when it's part of his
conversion package. It was written up
on page 6278 of the June 2000 ABS
Magazine.
Fuel cell repair
Greg Juneau
Shreveport, Louisiana
Q: We have a 1961 35 with a small
cut in the fuel cell near the top access
panel. Is there any way we can fieldpatch
that
A: I don't believe so. CaII Eagle Fuel
Cells (800-437-8732) for good guidance.
We have a lot of confidence in them.
E225-8 fuel injection
Gary Bennett
Grass Valley. California
Q: I have a 1955 F35, and my E225-
8 needs a rebuild. I want to rebuild to
factory-new limits and Poplar Grove
Airmotive was one of two places suggested
by ABS. I would like to go from
my current pressure carburetor to fuel
injection if possible. Poplar Grove does
not do this. Have you any sugge tions
Is there an STC'd kit available
Any thoughts on fuel injection vs. the
pressure carburetor
A: There is an inactive STC for the
Bendix (Precision) fuel injection. I
would stay with the pressure carb as it's
easy to get support and because many of
the pans that were used in the Bendix
fuel injection STC are no longer available.
It now has to be a field approval -
it's not worth it!
Wobble pump
Greg Powell
Paso Robles, California
Q: It is time to rebuild the wobble
pump in my D35. Who should I contact
to do this work Are there any electric
pumps available to replace the wobble
pump altogether
A: To rebuild your pump, try
Crossroads (972-239-0263) or Cruisair
Aviation (619-789-8020).
There is no replacement for the
combination fuel selector and wobble
pump, but Warren James (9 18-786-
4506) has an STC for an electric auxi l­
iary fuel pump.
Balancing ruddervators
John Stoneking
Highland. California
Q: I have a 194735. Removing the
ruddervators is fairly straightforward,
noting the order of removal to facilitate
reinstallation. The logs indicated 18 and
18.5 in. lb. when last removed for painting,
so the one weighing 18.5 tail heavy
was removed for balancing.
As it turned out, using the counterbalance
method, it required 4.3 lb. @
4.5 in. to level the chordline. That works
out to 19.35 in. lb. instead of the logged
18.5. Disturbing!
It took 11.2 oz. weight added to the
44.8 oz. factory weight to reduce the
counterbalance weight to 3.8 lb. That,
multiplied by the 4.5 in. arm of the
balance hom, makes the tail heavy
weight 17.10 in. lb., within the new
limits. I understand the total weight in
the balance hom must be less than Sibs.
Reinstallation is a different matter'
Is there some sort of voodoo mechanic's
procedures, or maybe a new litany of
expletives to accomplish this process I'd
hate to reveal the time I've spent attaching
the outer and center pivot screws.
A: Installation works best with three
people and a pair of curved needle-nose
pliers with a dish ground in the tip to hold
a bolt shank. We believe there are many
out there that are not properly balanced
and may be entered wrong in the logs.
Fifth/sixth seats,
yaw damper
Roger Chamberlain
Warwick, United Kingdom
Q: I am considering a 1966 V35
with the fifth seat fitted. I understand
the attachments for the sixth seat are
there, too. What paperwork is required
for the ixth seat Are there any seat belts
Page 7667

available/suitable for these seats They
will be used only by small children.
On another matter, ! have had experience
with an S-Tee yaw damper in an
S35 and it seems very effective. How do
the Beryl O'Shannon and Air Skeg units
compare in performance Obviously,
they are much simpler and cheaper, but
are they beneficial Are there any
repons/tests/magazine articles about the
relative merits of each unit
A: If the seat attachments are there,
it's just a logbook entry. It sounds like
your current fifth seat doesn't have
belts. They must have them to be used.
As I recall, the belt attaches to the seat
and is available from the parts book.
The Air Skegs work and are less
expensive, but the S-Tec is more effective.
I don't know of any written reports
comparing the two.
E225-8 supercharger STC
Miriam Rorig
Lake Stevens. Washington
Q: I've been looking into the possibility
of putting a turbocharger on the
E225-8 in my 035. While searching for
STCs, I carne across SA359WE owned
by Air Research Aviation. Do you know
if this company still exists, and if not, do
you know who else might own that STC
TECH NOTES
A: Garrett (310-568-3700) bought
Air Research. Main Turbo (888-847-
8007) is a good source of information
and expertise.
Neil Fbbanz, ABS technical consultant, is a refired
U.S. Army civilian pifaf and maintenance manager.
Neil has been an A&P and IA for 45 years.
Glen "My' Fooft whose OOsiness ~ Delta SIruI. has
been ABS assistant technical consultant since 1986.
CORRECTION
In the January '03 Tech Tips a Q&A
regarding an STC for an auxiliary fuel
pump had an incorrect area code for
Warren James ' number. The correct
number is 918-786-4506.
For members who wonder why we repeat
information in this column, it is because
sometimes more and better information
turns up. And sometimes it's because we
see many cases of the same problems, so
we feel it's necessary to repeat it.
Water in fuel tanks and system
A problem we have encountered over and over. First,
drain the sumps, both tanks and belly drains into a clear
container so you can tell if you have water. Then rock the
airplane tail up and down and, if possible, rock the wings
a little. Wait a little bit and drain again. Repeat until you
don't see any water.
With the tanks down and looking through the filler
neck, you may be able to see water behind wrinkles in the
bladder. Sometimes the only way to get it out is to open
the tank top and wipe it out with a rag.
The danger of water being in the tank is that, in an
unusual attitude, it may suddenly be ingested and be
difficult to clear.
Water in elevator push rods
Even though the AD 97-06-11 was a one-time compliance
on putting anticorrosion in the tubes and sealing
the rod ends, we have had instances of water in them
again on Model 35s.
Alternator conversions on 10-520s
Delco to Prestolite is Beech SIO 184-241 Rev. I.
Miscellaneous items
• A reminder that static wicks being added or paint touchups
on ruddervators without rebalancing is a no-no.
• Interference between instruments and also the compass
can be solved by u e of "Mumetal" PIN AOMU80
from EOMO Distributors (800-235-3300). It comes in
4-inch-wide strips of any length.
• There have been problems with interpretation of both
V-tail AD notes. The clarification letter on AD 94-20-
04R I is still available from ABS headquarters (3 16-
945-1700). The letter may result in an Alert being
issued to help shops and owners understand the requirements
which, of course, may again be misunderstood.
• AD 2002-21-1 3 figure I, skin number 2-the arrow
does not go far enough. The skin referred to is under the
windows, not the window post. An Alert or Revision
will be issued. It is called out by the correct part number
on the next page, fig. 2.
• !f loose, the screw in the center of the vernier controls
can back out and cause you to be unable to move the
control except by turning. It's a good idea to check
those.
• We still hear about people who think that after a prop
strike that causes blade damage, a run-out check is sufficient.
It is not, and a teardown with both magnaflux
and ultrasound inspections should be accomplished.
• To remove the OAT gauge, use your hand to unscrew
the outer shield, which lets the temp sensor and gauge
pull out.
• Beech still has door lock assemblies and the tumblers
can be removed and replaced from those without changing
the whole assembly.
-@-
Page 7668
ABS February 2003

BONHNZHS OF THE MONTH, comililled from page 7659
1990 836 JRillO [HS44), JMlll [E-2S4Sj
JA4111 undergoing an airworthiness certification. Believe it or nol, we must get one every year in Japan!
last segment of a flight. Fortunately, I
have never experienced a gear failure.
But as a precaution against such a situation,
JAFA's A&P created an extension
handle that may be attached to the emergency
gear-down crank. Thanks to its
long arm, even a single pilot with one
hand on the yoke can still easily access
the handle and rachet its mechanism at
the middle of its body. That allows oneway
action to rotate the crank counterclockwise
only and allows extension of
the landing gear with less force.
JAFA provided these arms on all
their A36s and B58s. I think it provides
peace of mind for a single pilot.
Living in a small island counny,
some people say there is no reason to own
a private airplane at aU. But just like many
other ABS members, my passion makes
me keep on flying the Beech Bonanza.
ON THE COVER
The air·t(};]ir roter photo was token CNf!r
Tokyo at 2,000 feet as we flew CNf!r the cily severat
times. The comero ship was on Aerospatiate
AS350B, a turbine-powered helicopter.
I reduced power quite a lot because the max.
cruise of the comera Ship was 120 knots or so,
even though it hod a turbine engine. I was
afra id extending approach flops anellor leHing
gears down was not the proper way to reduce
speed during a photo session like this.-@-
King Avionics
VHF Comm transceiver
(No. 1 & No.2) - KY-196A
VHF Nov receiver
(No. 1 & No.2) - KN·53
Audio ponel intercom - KMA-24H
Ell - DM Ell 8.1
Directional gyro - KGl 02A
HIS - KI-525A
Marker receiver - KMR-675
ADF receiver - KDF-806
RMI - KI-229
VOR/ILS IND (NAV IND) - KI-204
VOR/LOC converter· KN-72
Flux valve - KMT-112
Slaving accessory - KA-51 B
M/B light - KA·35
ADF control - KFS·586
DME interrogator - KN·63
ATe transponder - KT·79
Air conditioning and on oxygen
system have been added.

Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina · We will begin by celebrating
the IOOth anniversary of the Wright Brothers inaugural flight at Kill
Devil Hill, North Carolina, with a 30·minute flight to First Flight
Airport (FFA), a tour of actual first flight area and the Wright
Brothers Museum.
Jamestown, Virginia . Then we will visit Jamestown, the first
permanent English settlement in America, established in May 1607.
This is where Pocahontas married John Rolfe in 1614. The original
church, built in the 16005, has been restored.
We will tour exact replicas of the three ships-Discovery,
Godspeed and Susall COllstalll-that brought the original senlers to
America in 1607. We will also visit a staffed replica of a fort used
by the early senlers as well as tour the large museum.
You will see a working glass furnace with glass-blowers at
work and learn why glassmaking was such an important part of the
early settlers' lives
Yorktown, Virginia . Our next stop will be Yorktown.
Although very close to Jamestown, it is imponant from a different
period in history. This is where Cornwallis surrendered to George
Washington on October 19, 1781, to end the Revolutionary War.
Here we will have the pleasure of visiting a staffed troop encamp·
ment, a working village and a museum.
Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia· Colonial Williamsburg, the
seat of government for the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1699, is
next on our agenda. A dramatic renaissance of the colonial capital
began in 1926 by John D. Rockefeller and continues today. Colonial
Williamsburg now encompasses 173 acres and 88 original 18th
century buildings have been restored. Williamsburg is the only one
of these three sites that is a current functioning city.
Other Places of Interest· You may also want to visit Busch
Gardens and the Budweiser Brewery in Williamsburg, the Air and
Space Museum at Langley Air Force Base, the Naval Museum and
the Maritime Museum.
The special features of this ABS Experience are a tour of ATC's
Kansas City Center to see what our flying world looks like from
the other side of the radar scope, and visits to Garmin International
and Bendix/King factories for tours and product·specific training.
You can learn more about the equipment you own or are looking to
buy. You will be able to see how your avionics are made and test·
ed to give you years of worry-free service. We will also visit.
It is highly unusual to be able to tour the Garmin International
factory. They seldom·to·never give factory tours. (Therefore, we
should not gloat to others!)
We will spend Friday morning at the Bendix/King plant,
followed by lunch in the Honeywell employee cafeteria before we
proceed across town for an afternoon at Garmin International.
Four seminars are on tap for Saturday morning at the Holiday
Inn, followed in the afternoon by a super treat as we tour Kansas
City Center-a short distance from Olathe.

BPPP
You will have an
opportunity to get a
taste of BPPP without
signing up for the regular
full-weekend program.
You can get
personal training from
an official BPPP
instructor, in the air and on the ground, just like you do at the
full-weekend training program. The cost for this mini-BPPP
training is only $250.
A BPPP instructor will also conduct two one-hour seminars
from the regular BPPP weekend program.
There is no charge for the sem inars and all attendees are invited
to attend.
Service Clinic
We will have a three-day
Service Clinic which will provide
you with an opportunity to have
your airplane inspected by an ABS
Bonanza/Baron expert inspector.
,\~~
r ; .
".".' ' ir ~
~l7eclt
'
.. " '•.', .
:.
_ _'
'. L . . \ - ", handle
'
brakmg
DynamiC: 1 4-' [I
Id have
shou play.
turn tree
The cost of these inspections will
be the regular price of Barons $200, Bonanzas $160, and for
Sierras, Musketeers, Sundowners and Skippers $150 for
retractable gear and $125 for fixed gear.
Observation groups of up to three people will be sched uled.
You can watch and listen as the inspector talks his way through the
inspection, pointing out deficiencies and squawks. You will be
amazed at the problems discovered. There is no charge to be an
observer. Observers sign up upon arrival.
Aeromedical Seminar
The aeromedical seminar will focus on how
to keep your FAA medical certificate longer and
how to possibly avoid defennents. In Olathe the
presenter will be Dr. John Hastings, ABS Vice
President, FAA Medical Examiner, head of the
ABS Aero Medical Panel, and a Medical
Consultant to the FAA.
At the orfolk ABS EXPERIENCE, the
presenter will be Dr. Charles Davidson, ABS
member, FAA Medical Examiner. (He perfonns
over 100 FAA flight physicals each year.) He
also assists with the ABS Aero Medical Panel.
Dr ..lOOn Hastings
t
WE HAVE ADDED A FUN GAME
TO THE ABS EXPERIENCE!
8aaGU1
I AVI, A" TI~N, POKE~
We will place playing cards in individual envelopes at
four FBOs in close proximity to Piedmont Hawthorne
(Norfolk Experience) and Advanced Aviation (Olathe
Experience).
"Poker players" will visit four FBOs in addition to the
host FBO to pick up one envelope (with a playing card
sealed inside).
At the Saturday night dinner, everyone will open their
five sealed envelopes and retrieve their "poker hand." We
wi ll then play the game of "draw poker." A number of dealers
will be available to deal your replacement cards.
The winner of the poker hand at both Norfolk and
Olathe will win a complimentary four-night stay for two
people in a dell/xe sl/ite at Treasure Cay Hotel Resort and
Marina on Abaco in the Bahamas!
In addition. you and a guest will also receive three
rounds of golf and a shared golf cart at the resort 's magnificent
golf club. Also included
is airfare from Miami,
Rorida, to Treasure Cay on
Continental Gulfstream
Airlines. The value of each
prize is in excess of $2,000
(depending on season of
travel).
Aircraft Maintenance
Dr. Chanes Davidson
Our fourth seminar will deal with aircraft maintenance. The
specific subject and speakers for this seminar are being finned up.

Sport Pilot Certificate
BY JOHN D. HASTINGS. M.D.
The FAA proposal for the Sport Pilot
Certificate appears to be coming closer to
reality, and the only medical requirement
for the certificate may be a valid state driver's
license.
This proposal has caused some concern
among aviation medical examiners. There is a
wide variability of medical and other requirements
for a state driver's license, so uniform
application of standards will be problematic.
Some feel that this
requirement will not
adequately assure that
the holder does not have
a medical condition that
would affect flight safety.
These and other
potential problems have
been debated strongly
by those who support
and those who oppose
the FAA proposal.
[ just received an e­
mail from an AME
friend and colleague
who expressed concern
that the proposal would
lead to more aviation
occurrence
accidents. He cited a
case in which a man had a fatal aircraft accident.
The individual was flying wi th known heart disease
that had been treated; he held a valid special-issuance
medical certificate from the FAA.
The night before the accident the man had
not slept well due to a viral upper respiratory
infection, and he had taken some over-thecounter
decongestants. He had been asked by a
friend to Oy the friend's airplane to a nearby airport,
some IS miles away.
The pilot crashed shortly after takeoff the
next morning, and the gust lock was found in
place. My AME friend felt that medical factors
may have played a role and cautioned about the
relaxed medical requirements for the Sport Pilot
Certi ficate.
Whether or not medical factors contributed
to the accident can be debated. I landed at
Houston Hobby a couple of years ago two hours
Medical factors are involved
in only about 7 percent of all
aviation accidents. Is that
because we AMEs are doing
a good job Or is it because
pi/ot error in the healthy aviator
is a far more common
after a 6,SOO-hour highly accomplished pilot
took off with five passengers in a Baron, gust
lock in place. All were kil led when the plane
stalled and spun near a crossing runway.
Subsequent review disclosed that there were no
medical factors known.
Medical factors are involved in only about I
percent of all aviation accidents. [s that because
we AMEs are doing a good job Or is it because
pilot error in the healthy aviator is
a far more common
occurrence
No matter what class
of medical certificate
one holds and whether
or not there is special
issuance, each one of us
must "self-certify" each
time we fly. FAR 61.S3
states we should not fly
if we know of a condition
that might make
us unsafe. How about
stress How about hurry
How about get-homeiris
The United Kingdom
has just issued its first
dozen or so pilot licenses
in which a personal driver's license (or a
commercial license for a higher level of privileges)
is the only medical requirement. Their
experience will be watched closely by the FAA.
If and when the U.S. Sport Pilot Certificate
comes to pass, you can bet accident data will be
closely monitored. The sport pilot will have to
act responsibly despite the relaxed medical
requirement. Apparently the FAA has sufficient
confidence that this wi ll be the case.
So long until next month.
John Hastings, MD., holds board certification in neurology and
aerospace medicine. He has been on aviation medicol
examiner since 1976 and serves as a senior AME. He holds 0
commercial pilot license with multiengine and instrument
ratings. He is chairman of the fAA Aeromedical Advisory
Council, past president of the Civil Aviation Medical Association
and on the council of the Aerospace Medical Association. He is
an ABS Director and heads the SOCiety's Aeromedical
Committee.
ABS February 2003

Q: I had a mole on my abdomen that
began to grow and look irregular. [ saw
a demlatologist, who removed the mole
and an area of skin around it. He called
and said the mole was "precancerous: '
He went on to say that all the edges
were clear and that no additional treatment
was necessary other than watching
for new or changing moles. My flight
physical is coming up in two months.
Will this cause a problem
A: No, it should not. The important
point was that the mole had cells that
could tum into cancer cells but had not
yet done so. Additionally, all the
margins (edges) around the mole were
clear of abnormal cells, implying the
mole had been totally removed.
You just have to obtain the dermatologist's
records, including the pathology
report, and a statement following
removal that you are clear and no
further treatment is necessary. Your
AME will be able 10 issue the certificate
with this documentation, which he will
send on to the medical certification
division to become part of your record.
Q: I had an episode of amnesia that
the neurologist called Transient Global
Amnesia. I had been digging post holes
in the hot sun on a hillside for about tive
hours and was physically exhausted. I
had been to an election watch party the
night before. My candidate won and we
were up very late.
My last reca ll was digging the third
or fourth post hole. I began to get a
headache that reminded me of a
migraine I had in younger life. I next
became aware of things when I was in
the hospital emergency room six hours
later. My wife said she came home and
found me in the yard, having dug eight
post holes. Over and over, I kept asking
her what day it was.
All my tests were normal, including
MRl brain scan. EEG, etc. There
was no treatment, and my doctor said I
will be OK. What implications does this
have for my flying
qUESTIONS Of THE MONTH
A: Transient global amnesia (TGA)
is a rather fascinating condition, since
the sufferer can perform complex acts
during the episode. I am aware of one
former world aerobatic champion who
moved up from third to second place in
competition during an episode of TGA.
Though it can occur spontaneously,
TGA is often triggered by factors such
as fatigue, physical exhaustion, coldwater
immersion, intense competition
and other factors.
It was once thought to be related to
stroke, but that has been disproven. It is
more likely a blood-flow change and
electrical suppression in the brain that is
similar to what occurs in certain patients
with migraine.
Though the condition is benign,
there is a chance of recurrence. The FAA
will want an observation period of one
year to see if there is a recurrence, after
which they will give reconsideration.
Q: Is the FAA ever going to allow
pilots to fly while using some of the
new antidepressants that have very few
side effects I was placed on ZoloFt
after a friend was killed in an aircraft
accident, and it really helped. I was told
I had to stop it to fly, which I did . 1 don't
feel as well and some of the depression
came back. I think I would be safer
flying on the medication. Why won't
the FAA consider this
A: It is true that new generation
antidepressants, such as Zoloft, Celexa,
Prozac, Paxil and others have a much
lower side effect profile than older
generation antidepressants. Yet the FAA
has not allowed them because they can
have central nervous system side
effects, such as mind alteration, dizziness,
etc. I fully agree that many
patients have no significant side effects.
This subject has been hotly debated
in aviation medicine circles, and there
are aviation medicine specialists who
strongly support allowing their use in
certain well-evaluated individual pilots.
The matter is under study, and there
may be some relaxation of this position
in the next year or two.
Canada has allowed the use of
Prozac in a few highly selected individuals.
In a recent article in an aviation
medical journal, a Canadian team
studied persons taking Welbutrin, an
antidepressant that is also sometimes
used to help quit smoking. On detailed
mental testing, they found no evidence
of impairment and felt that its use in
pilots might not compromise aviation
safety. So I think there is some evidence
being gathered that might allow a
softening of the current firm position.
Q: [s the FAA going to allow airline
pilots to fly after age 60
A: [ don't know. There are strong
voices within aviation medicine that
feel the age 60 rule is not justified on
medical grounds. Advances in medical
technology allow the monitoring of the
health and fitness of pilots beyond age 60.
Other countries have age limitations for
air transport pilots beyond age 60 (63-65).
There have been efforts in behalf of
pilots to have the rule rescinded. The issue
has been debated by government bodies.
[ suspect we will see a change one day.
CORRECTIII\I!
READER COMMENT: M ostute reader noted on
error in my column (NaJembef 2002 issue of the
ABS Magazine). The reader wrote: "Dr. Hastings
incorrect~ states' ... the FAA will not allow solo
before the 16th birthday .. . '
While this is true for powered aircraft, he
should hove also noted that solo at age 14 is
permitted in gliders and balloons (Port 61.83
{b)).
"Also. while no medical certificate is
required for glider or balloon solo flight. the flier
must possess a student pilot certificate which
con be obtained without medicol examination
from on AME or from on FSOO or on examiner."
AUTHOR COMMENT: Oops! Thank you for the
correction. Additionally. non pilot air traffic
cantrollers hold second closs airman medical
certificates.
ABS Fe b rua ry 2003
Page 7673

Prostate Cancer in pilots
Annual
testing, early detection and
a new surgical technique have turned
the tables on this deadly disease.
lIeprinted with permission from Twin & Turbine magazine.
I
e readers of this magazine have two things in common
besides their love of airplanes and fl ying: The majority
are males and they are largely over 40 years of age,
which means they face the threat, as do virtually all
middle-aged men, of developing prostate cancer.
Each year, prostate cancer kills more men over the age of
55 than any other form of this dreaded disease, and the odds of
getting prostate cancer increase with age. That's the bad news.
The good news is that with early detection, the cure rate
is excellent. More cancers are caught early and new treatments
are making it possible for men to live long and healthy lives
following their diagnosis.
Through early detection, men diagnosed with prostate
cancer can take charge of their lives and overcome much of the
fear and anxiety that accompanies a cancer diagnosis.
Dr. Michael J. Harris, MD, of the Nonhem Institute of
Urology, PC, in Traverse City, Michigan, is one of the pioneers
of a less-invasive surgical technique and has performed more
than 600 prostatectomies. Dr. Harris shared his views on this
disease and the options open to men who develop it.
What is the function of the prostate gland
The prostate gland is a solid organ just beneath the bladder
through which the urethra passes to bring urine out of the body.
The seminal vesicals and vas deferens come together to form the
ejaculatory duct in the back of the prostate. The prostate
produces the seminal fluid, which is ejaculated with sperm and a
gelatinous material, produced in the seminal vesicals.
Why is the incidence of detection of prostate
cancer on the increase
When the PSA blood test became widely used to assist in
the detection of prostate cancer, many "old" cancers were
detected. The incidence of prostate cancer peaked in 1992.
Neurovascular bundle
The surgeon rebuilds the uri nary tract pulling
the bladder down to bridge the space connecting
the urethra and urethral sphincter
Spared nerve bundle
SOURCE, WALl. STReET JOURNAL I JUNE 2, 20002 PAGE 01
Since then, the annual detection has leveled off at an incidence
seen before the PSA era. In recent years, the stage of prostate
cancer at the time of diagnosis is earlier, thus improving the
chance for successful treatment.
What is a PSA test
Prostate Spec ific Antigen (PSA) is a protein enzyme
produced in the prostate gland ce lls and secreted into the
seminal fluid . Men with a healthy prostate have very little PSA
detectable in the blood stream. When there is a disruption of
the normal tissue architecture of the prostate, more PSA is
absorbed by the lymph and blood systems, thereby increasing
the blood concentration .
Prostate cancer, prostate infection, inflammation, infarction
and hypenrophy can increase the amount of PSA detected
in the blood. It is possible to have prostate cancer and still
have a normal PSA blood test.
Recently, medical findings indicated that men
with a PSA of

What are the various options available to men
diagnosed with prostate cancer
Men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer have many
factors to consider. If the cancer is clinically localized and the
patient would otherwise expect to live for eight or more years,
then definitive therapy is usually recommended. Definitive
therapies are intended to cure the patient of his cancer.
Cancers that have not spread can be cured if successfully
removed or if radiated and all of the prostate gland cells
destroyed. Radical prostatectomy is generally more successful
at eradicating prostate cancer. Radical prostatectomy is the
complete removal of the prostate, seminal vesicals, and
surrounding tissues.
Prostate Cancer: A survivor's story
BY BOB GOFF, TRAVERSE CITY. MICHIGAN
Reprinted with permission from Twin & Turbine magazine.
Editor's Note: Prostate cancer is offen called the silent scourge. Not only does it
strike quieffy. it can develop undetected for years. This year alone. an estimated
198. 100 cases of prostate cancer wj{f be diagnosed in the United States and
31.500 men wj{f die of it.
Prostate concer is the leading cause of concer death in men over 55 years
of age. If detected in the early stages. cure rates are as high as 98 percent.
ABS member Bob Goff is one such success story. At 56. he was diagnosed
with early-stage prostate cancer Luckily. Bob's was treatable and a cancer-free
future looks extremely likely.
Not every cancer story has a happy ending, but Bob's experience demonstrates
the importance of early detection and a well-researched, carefully considered
treatment plan.
In June, 2002 I went in for my annual
check-up at my local fami ly doctor 's
office. All went well except my
Prostate Specific Antigen or PSA (a
simple blood test) value number jumped
from 2.9 to 5.3 - normal is below 4.0.
My family doctor said I should see a
urologist as soon as possible.
T went to see Dr. Michael Harris, a
Traverse City urologist. As you might
expect, I was very concerned and the
thought of having cancer gave me many
sleepless nights.
Dr. Harris did a digital exam and an
ultrasound and said all looked normal ,
but the only way to know for sure was
to do a biopsy of the prostate. He did the
biopsy several days later.
About four days later I got the bad
news that cancer was present. However,
Dr. Harris felt it was contained within the
prostate and was very small. Thankfully,
we had caught it early due to the PSA test.
After surgery. what is the normal percentage
of permanent impotence incidence
As with all outcome parameters relating to radical prostatectomy,
success is generally unique to each surgeon. If a man
is impotent before surgery, he will remain so after surgery. If
one nerve bundle is spared, the success is not as good as if both
nerve bundles are spared.
In experienced and capable hands, potent men with both
nerve bundles spared have a 40-80 percent chance of recovering
erections adequate for intercourse without additional therapy.
For more information, visit I'IWW: cancerresearch.org/prosfatebook.hfml
I spent the next few days trying to
leam as much as I could about treatment
options (external radiation, radium
seeds, open or closed surgery). I talked
to many people who had gone through
prostate cancer and talked with urologists
from some of the leading prostate
cancer centers around the country. In
the end, I concluded that my best option
was to have the prostate gland removed.
I wanted the cancer gone now!
I live in Traverse City, a small
reson town in nonhern Michigan with a
well-respected medical center and many
fine doctors. I felt comfortable with Dr.
Harris performing the surgery since he
has a worldwide reputation and a surgical
technique that involves removing
the prostate through the perineum (the
area between the scrotum and anus).
My fust thought was what a bad
place to be cut! Dr. Harris explained
that the prostate is only about one-anda-half
inches from the surface of the
perineum, that this technique is far less
invasive and that I would recover much
faster than going in through the stomach
area. Besides, Dr. Harris had done more
than 600 perineal prostatectomies and
had the statistics to back up his work.
I had the surgery on May 13. It
lasted about two hours and a one-night
stay in the hospital. The next day I was
home for lunch, and four days later Dr.
Harris removed the catheter. By the fifth
day, I was back at work on a limited
basis. T was flying again in less than two
weeks. The first couple of times, I had a
safety pilot in the right seat.
Many people have bladder control
problems the first few weeks, but I
found a small pad in the right spot takes
care of it. After about three weeks, the
bladder problem ended.
Now for the big question - a nonnal
love life. In my case they were able to
spare the nerves on both sides. So given
time (three to six months), normal sexual
activity would return.
Today I am feeling great. I don't
take any medications and I am back
doing my normal physical activities. I
had my first PSA test since surgery and it
was "O"-just the way it should be.
Looking back at all my options,
removing the prostate cancer was the
right choice for me. Dr. Harris ' perineal
surgical technique was less invasive and
got me back to work, back in the cockpit
and into a normal life again.
ASS February 2003
Page 7675

Gening back in the air
AFTER CANCER
BY DR. A.J. PARMET, MD, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI
Reprinted with permission from Twin & Turbine magazine.
Cancer is one of the most feared of all illnesses. Caught
early, most cancers are curable. All cancers are due to
mutations in the genes inside a cell. For a cell to become
cancerous, at least two mutations must take place. One
mutation affects the gene that controls growth, which then
causes unregulated growth and multiplication of the cells. The
other is in the quality control gene which then permits the
unregulated growth.
Cancers can develop in any organ of the body. Most
commonly they develop in the epithelium-the rapidly
growing cells of the skin and body linings of the lungs and
digestive tract. Less common are cancers of internal organs
with one exception: the prostate.
The prostate gland functions as part of the male reproductive
system. Other than providing most of the carrier fluid for
semen, it seems to be problematic. Cancers are common and
the incidence increases with age. [n fact, 80 percent of prostate
cancer occurs in men over the age of 65. With early detection
and treatment, the five-year survival rate is over 90 percent.
Current guidelines from the American Cancer Society
recommend that at age 40, a man should have a digital rectal
examination every other year and annually after age 50. As a
side benefit, direct finger examination can reveal 50 percent of
all colon cancers. The 95 percent of the remaining half are
detected by examination of the feces for traces of blood, which
is performed at the same time.
I often add a blood test, PSA, to the flight physical if the pilot
requests it, but not before age 40. The rectal ultrasound technique
really is not a screening device and should only be used if either
the PSA is elevated or the digital exam is suspicious.
Returning to Flight
Mr. Goff's story is the pilot 's best outcome, but the FAA
has a full range of options. The basic philosophy in returning
a pilot to night after any medical problem is simple: Does the
medical problem or its treatment lead to compromise of flight
safety Would this pilot be a threat to the health of himself or
the safety of others if permitted to return to flying This is a
difficult question to answer and the AME is responsible for
proving the case to the FAA.
The FAA has the obligation to protect the public, not just the
pilot. [ cannot tell you how many times [ have had to deny a pilot,
despite the pilot being willing to accept the risk. People with
seizures, severe dizziness and psychotic problems all have told me
they don't mind risking their own lives. Doing so in an airplane
flying over homes, schools and cities is entirely something else.
Prostate cancer can be treated by surgery, radiation,
chemotherapy and hormones. TransUrethral Resection of the
Prostate (TURP), is sort of a rota-rooter reaming procedure. It
is commonly used to treat benign enlargement of the prostate
that is blocking the bladder. (We commonly use two drugs,
Hydrin or Proscar, to reduce the size of benign prostat ic hypertrophy
and either drug requires FAA notification and
approval.) During TURP surgery, it is common to find that
there was a small, unrecognized cancer that is now cured.
If the tumor is too large to completely remove surgically,
shrinking the tumor with radiation is often the next step.
Radiation can be applied externally by a computer-directed
beam, coming from many directions with the beams intersecting
and applying the major dose at the internal target area, or
small seeds of radioactive material can be implanted to deliver
the dose to the surrounding tissues.
Finally, there is chemotherapy. Since the prostate is sensitive
to male hormones (androgens), drugs are given to block the
effect of testosterone and other male hormones. Female
hormones (estrogens) can also be given, sometimes together
with male hormone blocking drugs. These are generally considered
to be "palliative," that is, they greatly slow the growth of the
remaining tumor, but are not expected to stop it completely.
Androgenic steroids for "body building" are definitely out.
As for flying after prostate cancer, the FAA protocols state
that if the disease is treated surgically or medically and there
is no metastasis (separate spreading growths of the tumor),
then the pilot can be certified as soon as he has recovered from
the initial treatment. So two weeks is not out of the question.
Fallaw-up is required for two years with annual reports. If
there is no metastasis after two years, follow-ups are usually
not required. If the original tumor had grown outside of the
capsule surrounding the prostate at the time of original
surgery, then follow-ups will be required for five years.
If the tumor had spread locally outside of the prostate and
to local lymph nodes, usually surgery is followed by or
replaced with radiation or chemotherapy. After such treatment,
if the pilot is symptom-free, one-year, time-limited certificates
are issued. This includes those on continuing palliative
hormones. Annual fo llow-ups are required indefinitely.
Many other cancers are also treatable and the pilot can be
returned to flight status with similar evaluations and constraints.
One of my earliest patients is still flying some 24
years after his tumor was removed. It didn't make him a beller
or worse pilot, but at least he stopped smoking.
A. J. Pormet. M.D., is a senior aviation medical examiner for the Federal Aviation
Administration.A graduate of the US Air Force Academy, he has served as a USAF
flight surgeon and completed a fellowship at NASA's Johnson Space Cenler in
Houston. He is also a former member of the U.S. Air Force astronaut nomination
panel. Currentfy, Or, Pormef is the past president of the American Association of
Aerospace Medicine Specialists and is the associate editor of the medical journal.
Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine. An active pilot, he practices
medicine in Kansas City. Missouri. Or. Parmet may be reached 01
.
Page 7676
ABS February 2003

Nominating Committee Report
To: Ron Davis. ABS Secretary
As Chairman of [he ABS N '. .
also includes William C C omJna~m~ Commmee, which
Hoerner (Massachuse[ts) i a art~r (MIchIgan) and Michael
jng candidates for nom' '. m P eased to provide the follow_
matlon [0 [he ABS Board f D'
The vacancies to be filled
0 . u:eclors.
afe due to (eml eXplfatlOns in
September 2003 ~or [he d'
"ec[ors of Area 3 6 d 8 .
serve rhree-year lenns and ' an . DlreCtors
securive terms. All three of ~ay not ~rve more than fWo Conese
nommees are for firsr terms:
Area.3: Dr. Charles Davidson. Kill Devil .
Caro~na. Representing AI b Hills. North
Carolina, South Carolina Ii a ama, Florida, Georgia, Nonh
, ennessee and Virginia.
Area 6: William T (Bill) S[ov I
Represen[ing Arizona Col orad al~~ Evergreen, Colorado.
Nevada North Dako[~ M 0, 0, Kansas, Nebraska,
W yornmg. .' , ontana, South Dako[a • Utah an d
Are.a 8:. Arthur W. (Art) Brock, Rancho P
California. Represeming H' " . ales Verdes.
coumies of Sama Barbara a~alJ and (he Southern California
Los Angeles, Orange. Riv~rsi~:ru~:, K;m. SaSn Luis Obispo.
and lmperial. . n lego, an Bernardino
In addition [0 [he abo .
ble members may be sub ~e ~o~mees, names of OIher eIigi-
[ion in accordance with A~:~t~ rr Y(l)enrethral membership pe[io
e ABS Bylaws.
Respecrjlllly submilled.
Harold Bosl. Chairmall
CHARLES S. DAVIDSON, M.D .• has put 600 hours in his
1977 A36. N27HB. since buying it in 1996, including
monthly trips between practices in aviation medical
examination in North Carolina and Kentucky. Since
attaining his private pilot SEL in 1977 (MEL, 1984.
instrument rated). he also owned a B55 and several
Mooneys. In [he early ·80s. he racked up 300-400 hours
annually as a regional medical director for a national
emergency medical physician staffmg company.
Charles and Pani 's two sons have flown since
infancy. and both young men are currently working on
their private license. The Davidsons live two miles from
the site of [he first powered flight in Kill Devil Hills.
In addition to being an FAAdesignated
senior medical examiner
since 1979, Charles is a member of
the Medical Advisory Boards for ABS
and EAA, and is an AOPA Airport
Support Network Volunteer. He graduated
in 1974 from the University of
Kentucky College of Medicine, and is
in family practice.
WILLIAM T. STOVALL
grad uated from Vanderbilt
University in 1962, was a US
Navy pilot until 1967. then
spent 33 years with United
Airlines. Much of his last
eight years with the airline
were as an instructor and
check airman. flying out of
Washington Dulles 10 European capitals. He also
lived in Hong Kong and flew between there and
ew Delhi, India.
Bill's more than 25,000 hours includes jumbo
jets to Piper Cubs, and he has owned a Bonanza
since 1986. He also owned and operated real estate
offices in far southwestem suburbs of Chicago, and
served three terms as a director on the McHenry
County lIlinois Board of Realtors.
Bill has been president of the Rocky Mountain
Bonanza Society since 2000 and, along with his fellow
officers. has built it back to a very active and
grow ing regional.
He and his wife Phyllis-who also is a Bonanza
pilot-currently fly a B36TC. 6929B.
ARTHUR W. BROCK has
been fl ying since 1964 and
has over 2.800 hours. In
addition 10 Commercial.
Multiengine and Instrument
ratings, he has been a CFI
since 1987 and an A&P since
1998. Art has owned two
Bonanzas since 1982
presentl y a 1983 F33A,
N40AB. During its refurbishment, he lived in Mena.
Arkansas, for 12 weeks and participated actively in
the project. He also served on the board of a flying
club of about 70 members operating three Bonanzas
and two Cessnas.
An is retired from Northrop Grumman where
his career spanned 32 years. He held management
positions in finance and administration and was
chief financial officer of Northrop's data processing
division. He also was a vice president for a property
management company, a staff auditor at Haskin
and Sells and a college instructor in accounting.
Art has a BS and MBA from [he University of
Ca li forn ia a[ Los Angeles. and is a retired California
CPA. He and his wife Gwendolyn have one son.
n
o
~
~
H
--f
--f
m
m
;:0
m
-0
o
;:0
--f
ABS February 2003

OVERHAUL
BY STEVE ZELLER
ALPHARETIA, GEORGIA
IflY a G35 for business and family
travel throughout the Southeastern
Uniled Slates. Havi ng previously
owned and restored a Citabria and 1940
Luscombe, I found that I just couldn't
keep my hands off my Bonanza. In the
seven years I have owned N4584D, I
have rebuilt the panel complete with
new radios and instrumenls and overhauled
the engine and propeller. We
wrote about the E225 field engine overhaul
last year.
Us ing this 10+ years of supervised
aircraft mechanic experience, I recently
qualified, passed exams and received
my Airframe & Powerplant (A&P)
license. Nexi on the " 10 do" list is a
first-class painl job for N4584D.
While still airworthy, my ruddcrvators
are beginning to show signs of
surface corrosion. I found and bought a
"core" ruddervator, so I could study and
begin the reskinning process at my
leisure, ahead of the paint job.
I see from Ihe NTS B reports that,
while infrequent, Bonanzas are sti ll
experiencing tail plane flutter problems.
This problem has been investigated
over many years by Raytheon, FAA and
ABS technical personnel far more expe-
rienced than I, and Ihe general consensus
remains that an aircrafl wi th properly
rigged and balanced flighl control
surfaces, flown within the limitations set
forth in the Pilot Operaling Handbook
will never have any problems.
ABS Service Clinic inspectors are
sti ll fi nding aircraft with rigging
problems, so owners and operators are
reminded to get a copy of the aircraft
maintenance manual (with all necessary
notes and revisions), and make sure it is
followed by all service personnel who
touch your aircraft. Your life may
depend on it!
Fabricate a fixture
The first step in reskinning any
control surface is to fabricale a fixture
to hold Ihe part in a position that will
make it easy 10 work on. The ideal
fi xture should be buill using a good part
so thai alignment of the spar and all necessary
fittings is properly maintained.
I built a simple and inexpensive
fixture using an exisling heavy duty
work bench and .125 Ihick 606I-T6
aluminum angle. Brackets were fabricated
thai attach to the hinge points in
the ruddervator spar using the existing
10-32 nut plates. This fixture holds the
ruddervalor upright, while supporting
the spar perfectly straight.
Rivet work
With myoid "core" ruddervalor
properly installed in the work fixture, il
was lime 10 start drilling oul rivets. I
had drilled, shot and squeezed Ihousands
of rivets during my Luscombe
resloration project, but the ruddervator
job turned out to be a real experience.
Since the skins and some internal parts
are magnesium, ruddervalors (and some
other Beech control surfaces) are
assembled using B rivels. B rivets are
made from a 5056 aluminum-magnesium
alloy to prevent (or al least slow
down) dissimilar metal (galvanic)
corrosion in Ihe completed part.
B rivets are a liltle softer than Ihe
usual AD or DD rivets, so they drill oul
fairly easil y. You will be scrapping the
skins, but wi ll probably want to retain
and reuse as many of Ihe internal parts
as possible. Because of this, you must
be extremely careful to drill the centerline
of each rivet and nol damage or
enlarge the hole.
It is permissible 10 drill holes oversize,
if you don't violate edge distance
(ED) requirements. However, ruddervalors
are weight critical and 100 many
oversize rivets could affect balance.
I ended up purchasing a new
Raytheon skin, center rib, trailing edge
filler and control arm. I elected 10
comply with Service Bullelin SB2242
and install the aluminum control arm.
While recurrent inspection of the old
style magnesium control arm is nol
mandated by AD, failure of this part
could really "ruin your day."
I also had to buy a supply of
MS20470B rivets. 01 everyone stocks
B rivels. I bought my replacement
Old and new center rib and trailing edge filler. These
parts were both heavily damaged by corrosion.
Primed spar is shown installed in the assembly jig
to the left.
Ruddervalor installed in assembly jig, cleca'd
together with new skin, center rib and trailing edge
filler.
Each river hole was coaled with 0 little unthinned
epoxy primer, prior 10 installing the rivet.
Page 7678
ABS Fe b ruary 2003

Raytheon parts from Tulsair 918-835-
7651 and my rivets from B&B Aircraft
Supply 913-884-6533.
I had read many times in "Colvin 's
Clinic" that Beech tooling was excellent.
orm Colvin wasn't exaggerating
when he wrote this. Every hole in the
existing spar and aLI the new parts lined
up perfectly with holes predrilled in the
new skins. This greatly simplified the
jigging and assembly process.
With the ruddervator cleco'd
together in the assembly jig, it was time
to get out the rivet gun and squeezer. I
chose to squeeze and shoot all my rivets
"wet." This means that each hole is
coated with an epoxy primer prior to
inserting and installing the rivet.
Wet riveting takes longer and is
messier, but it helps seal water out
of the junctions between dissimilar
metals such as steel, aluminum and
magnesium. This procedure helps
prevent galvanic corrosion cells from
forming and is mandatory on all military
aircraft.
If you wipe excess primer off after
the rivet is set, wet riveting adds almost
zero measurable weight to the finished
part. Standard riveting tools are used in
the assembly, but I did have to modify
(grind) the yoke of my rivet squeezer to
fit into the trim hinge and trim hinge
doubler.
This was one of the most difficult
aircraft sheet metal projects I have
attempted to date. Readers will note that
I have omitted part numbers and
Wet riveting takes longer and is messier; but it helps seal
water out of the junctions between dissimilar metals
such as steel, aluminum and magnesium. This procedure
helps prevent galvanic corrosion cells from forming and
is mandatory on all military aircraft.
Sorah (5) ond Mary (8) Zeller hold the finished ruddervotor. Both gins like to go 'up and down' in the G35.
sleep turns and wingovers.
balance data from this article. The
reason is that they vary by aircraft
model and serial number, and you mllst
follow the maintenance instructions and
parts data appropriate for your aircraft.
Parts prices
Cost of the new parts was significant
(ouch), but they went together so
easily it saved me a huge amount of
labor. All new Raytheon parts also come
primed, which also saves time.
Selecting vendors
If you are considering having similar
work done on your aircraft, contact
the ABS technical staff for a list of
experienced and reliable vendors.
Ruddervator reskinning is quite expensive
from both a parts and labor standpoint
and you want to be sure the work
is done correctl y. As with many repair
operations, full internal inspection can
be difficult to impossible to accom~sh
after the part is assembled.
DATE
Mar. 20-23
Apr. 3-6
May 1-4
2003 SERVICE CLINIC SCHEDULE
LOCATION
Lantana. Florida
Sparks. Nevada
Spring, Texas
FBO
Windward Aviation
Aviation Classics
Hook's
ASS Service Clinics run Thursday thru Sunday
AIRPORT
LNA
4SD
DWH
Can ASS Headquarters (316-945-1 700) to make arrangements to attend.
or sign up via the ABS website . Cost of these excellent one-hour
visual inspections is S160 for Bonanzas and $200 for Barons and Travel Airs.
Time slots are limited to 28 dunng each four-day cliniC
Grinding the yoke of the rivet squeezer allows it to
reach rivets inside the trim hinge and hinge
doubler.
Reminder: Make sure ABS headquarters has your current
address, phone, fax and e-mail,
ABS February 2003
Page 7679

Some pitfalls of LLCs
BY JOHN ALLEN. FALCON INSURANCE
In recent years we have seen a significant increase in
the use of holding companies, especially Limited
Liability Corporations, for the purpose of aircraft
ownership. We at Falcon get a lot of questions on this
issue. Questions like, "Does it work to limit my liability"
or "Does it affect my insurance premium"
We thought it might be of value to discuss this issue in
this column, but we must point out ihis is /lOf legal advice.
In this discussion, I' ll refer to holding companies as
LLCs for purposes of brevity, with the understanding that
there are other forms of corporations used in this fashion ,
and those other forms may cause other consideration s. To
get a legal interpretation of hawaII this works from a liability
standpoint, you need to talk to an attorney who is
licensed to practice in your jurisdiction.
The popular understanding of LLCs is that liability is
limited to assets of the company and therefore it is a good
device to protect the aircraft owner from personalliability,
and that the use of an LLC may also have some tax
advantages. We can't speak at all abo ut the tax situation,
but the effectiveness of an LLC in limiting personal
liability may not be very great in some jurisdictions and
depends a lot on the exact circumstances of the loss.
An attorney friend of mine from California tells me that
it's not much use there at all, and that buying higher limits
of liability insurance is really the best way to protect yourself.
Even if the aircraft is owned in an LLC, you could still
have liability for your own actions, depending on the local
2003 BPPP SCHEDULE
Bonanzas/Barons/Travel Airs at all locations. Subject to change.
DATE LOCATION AIRPORT
Feb. 7-9 Melbourne. Florida MLB
Mar. 14-16 San Antonio. Texas SAT
Mar. 28-30 Greensboro. N. Carolina GSO
Apr. 11-13 Fresno. California FAT
Apr. 25-2~ Columbus, Ohio CHM
June 20-22 * Colorado Springs. Colorado COS
Sept. 19-21 Milwaukee, Wisconsin MWC
Sept. 26-28 Little Rock. Arkansas LIT
Oct. 17-19 Fresno, California FAT
Oct. 24-26 Manchester, New Hampshire MHT
Nov. 7-9 Norfolk. VirQinia ORF
* MOUNTAIN FLYING CUNIC ONLY
Cockpit Companion course available everywhere ~ceQt CoIorQQQ SQ:[iDgS
CALL THE BPf'P REGISTRATION OFFICE
to make arrangements: 970-377-1877 or fox 970-337-1512.
statutes and the circumstances surrounding the accident.
We can say without reservation, however, that an LLC
does nothing good for your insurance policy or the company
issuing it. The creation of a new legal entity to own your
aircraft at best just creates an additional target for plaintiff's
attorneys to shoot at. At the worst, it may create a situation
where your insurance carrier wou ld have a liability that
would not have existed if the LLC was not involved.
All liability insurance policies exclude coverage for
employees or coworkers for injuries incurred in the course
and scope of employment. This is because it is the statutory
intent, in most jurisdictions, that the sale remedy for injury
on the job is Workers' Compensation. The use of an LLC can
considerably convol ute this issue and might even compromise
the standard basic wording used in policies today.
Most companies recognize this issue, but they don't
all react the same to it. Some of them increase the cost
because of the holding company (particularly excess liability
carriers); some attach exclusions to the policy which
eliminates cross liability for related entities; and some just
ignore the whole thing and treat the LLC- from an
underwriting/pricing standpoint-as if it didn't exist.
One of the things that most people overlook is that
virtually all companies extend coverage for their policyholder
who is one individual (or one individual and spouse)
to the use of nonowned aircraft, whether or not your insured
aircraft is withdrawn from service due to maintenance or
repair. Using an LLC to own the aircraft always eliminates
this beneficial coverage from your policy.
Another area that needs to be looked at is the method
of allocating costs from the holding company or LLC to
the true owner of the aircraft. The FAA is changing its
regulations in this area, and depending on how things are
structured, you could create an "operation for which a
charge is made to others."' You might even create an
unknown and/or unwanted nonownership exposure to the
parent corporation . Be sure to tell your agent exactly how
charges are made for use of the aircraft so they can properly
structure your policy.
It is our opinion that- as we see more and more
claims for injury which occur in aircraft owned in
LLCs-the increase in expense and claims cost, because
of the LLC , will cause insurance companies to view this
type of ownership wi th less and less favor.
We pose the question: "[s the additional cost and
paperwork worth the effort in setting up an LLC that may
have only limited effectiveness" You might be better off
spending your money on more coverage.
Falcon Insurance is the agency for the official ABS insurance program. John
AUen may be reached al 1.IJ1JO.259·4ABS (4227). Faicon's websile is
.
'-
•
Page 7680
ABS Fe bruary 2003

A visit to
Atlantic Aero
BY CHARLES DAVIDSON. M.D.
KILL DEVIL HILLS. NORTH CAROLINA
"Mr. Ackerman led us back to a very large. immaculate
hangar. All windows were covered with plastic sheets. 01/
pointy objects such as wingtips or other protuberances
were covered with patiding or foam. 'You could eat off
the floor: to use an old cliche: -Charles Davidson
Several weeks ago my teenage son
and I were planning to depart from
our home on the Outer Banks of
North Carolina to Greensboro, North
Carolina, to scout out some co lleges for
his future education.
I was browsing through an ABS
Magazille that morning and noted an
ad for tuned exhaust manifolds for the
Bonanza sold by Atlantic Aero in
Greensboro. A phone call connected
me with John Ackerman who, despite
our proposed arrival at 4 pm on a
Friday, promised to show me the manifolds "in a box
and on a plane!"
Upon landing at Piedmont Triad Airport, we taxied
past a disappointed lineman waving at us from a rival
FBO. Around the comer, we found Atlantic Aero.
At ftrst sight, all we saw were the sides of some
large hangars. It was not until we saw several biz jets
and other upscale aircraft in front of the place that we
realized there are some extra things happening here.
Mr. Ackerman, a rapid-talking, rapid-walking vice
president of technical services, met us in the lobby.
With another 83 owner in tow, he led us back to a very
large, immaculate hangar.
There were no Bonanzas in sight. Instead, bright
lights revealed a Learjet wi th a strange bubble window
on the aft fuselage, a Citation with a missing engine, a
King Air and some other turbine models with uniformed
serious-looking maintenance types moving
around them. All windows were covered with plastic
sheets, all pointy objects such as wingtips or other protuberances
were covered with padding or foam. To use
an old cliche, "You could eat off the floor. "
We moved to another section of the hangar housing
some lesser birds-piston twins. In a back comer
was a somewhat humble-looking A36. This little Beech
is the test bed for not only the exhaust manifolds but
much more. In fact, we did not even talk about the
manifolds for the next hour.
Bolted on the front of this Bonanza was a familiarsized
but foreign-looking Continental product. It had
serpentine-appearing induction tubing running over the
top of the cylinders. A carbon fiber nose bowl was on
the fl oor with a HartzeU Scimitar three-bladed prop.
Mr. Ackerman was busy telling us what fun he had
been having driving this 1976 vintage Beech around for
the past 200 hours at 185+ knots.
Atlantic Aero, I found out, is a sort of 21 st Century
skunkworks. Many will remember the famous
aeronautical engineering think tank at Lockheed in past
years that Kelly Johnson labeled his "skunkworks."
Lots of things are being engineered in this place. They
employ 18 engineers, and the little Bonanza in the
comer seems to be the least of many large projects. It is
however, a labor of love.
According to Mr. Ackerman, the principles at
Atlantic Aero are lovers of speed and hotrodders at heart.
CEO Godwin met me in the company offices
above the hangar. He is a tall, casual man who speaks
easily about airplanes and his company. Serious work
goes on here, but Mr. Godwin still has homebuilt prototype
Venture # I and was planning on flying it to
Florida the next week. As testimony to the engine, he
related that the engine in the original Venture was still
running fine at 1500 hours and had not received any
major replacements of components, despite being
flown in a very rigorous fashion.
The Venture was the extremely fast, metal homebuilt
labeled "The Fiying Egg." The Venture project led
to a co llaboration with Continental Engines to develop
an engine for the speedy homebuilt. In fact, a former
Continental engineer, Bobby Minnis, joined the project
to help specify the engine.
They specified the cylinders from the GTS 10-520
engine mated to a permold case and added a tuned
ABS Feb rua ry 2003
Page 7681

Venture #1, known as "The Flying Egg." is still running
fine with 7 500 hours on it. It has not received
any major component replacements despite
being flown in very rigorous fashion.
induction system. This induction system was placed
atop the cylinders because the little homebuilt had a
retractable nose gear. A Venture subsequently flew the
circuit at Reno at an average of 335 knots.
Mr. Minnis conceived the idea of STCing the
engine into other applications. Even though the Venture
homebuilt project eventually ended, the Atlantic Aero
folks thought the engine would make a great conversion
product for production singles. About four years ago,
they obtained an STC for the Cessna 210.
About an hour after arriving, I got to see the
exhaust manifolds. They were as advertised, stainless
steel and curved to reduce back pressure as compared to
the stock versions. They are already STC'd for
Bonanzas. But I couldn't get too excited over exhausts
after seeing the major changes being wrought on the
little A36 sitting among the Citations and Lears.
We went about our business that weekend, but I
really wanted another look at that prototype A36. My
John Ackerman. vice president of technical services of Allantic Aero, with
the BonanzQ testbed airplane.
excuse came when some friends wanted a ride to
Greensboro to pick up some Christmas puppies. My
spouse really gave me a hard time about using a puppy
delivery as an excuse to fly somewhere. But I had my
hidden motive: I wanted to see that modification again.
I revisited Atlantic Aero on a rainy, overcast day in
December to see the completed cowls on the test
airplane. After I shot an lLS through an approaching
warm front, Mr. Ackerman again escorted me to the
Bonanza, sitting outside with new cowl and nose fitted,
but not painted. The workmanship seems excellent.
They knew that Bonanza owners value the ability
to open our double cowls and view the engine for
preflight, so they fashioned carbon fiber upper doors
similar to the stock A36. They even used the same
convenient fasteners.
To clear the tuned induction system, the spine for
cowl door hinges that runs lengthwise from firewall to
nose bowl is raised slightly higher than the stock version.
This and the redesigned carbon fiber nose give the
front of the aircraft a less tapered look. The nose is reconfigured
to decrease drag, but maximize cooling. The
upper deck of the engine compartment becomes pressurized
in flight and creates a ram air effect into the tuned
induction system, giving about one-inch increased manifold
pressure above those usually seen.
The Hartzell Super Scimitar propeller sits extended
about 3.25 inches forward of a stock position. The
engine is about the same weight as the 550 and 520.
However, this engine is certificated to produce no less
than 317 hp.
Mr. Ackerman said that this airplane had
carried three adults, including the editor of AOPA Pifo/,
plus luggage and camera equipment to Long Beach,
California. averaging 181 knots true airspeed. Since
that trip, some of the older antennaes have been
removed and he says they see 181 knots true airspeed
on a standard day. These speeds, he emphasizes, are
without retrimming the airplane, i.e. they are the product
of the engine change, prop and cowling. He also
feels that the change in configuration "pulls the nose
over," i.e. the lower nose attitude is also helping with
increased airspeed.
I asked what the true airspeeds were before the
conversion. He told me the Bonanza was 164 knots on
its "best" day. His estimate is a "fair" increase of 15-16
knots on some aircraft, and as much as 20 knots
increased airspeed on others.
The cowl configuration and upper deck induction
system relate to a manifold pressure of 21 inches at
8,000 feet altitude. There is an alternate air door that, in
the case of icing, opens automatically and draws hot air
from under the engine.
Page 7682
ABS February 2003

(teft) Front end at the Bonanza
testbed airplane wifh carbon
fiber nose bowl.
(RighI top) installed engine in
testbed.
(Right boftom) Finished nose
area wifh modified nose bowl
and 0 fresh paint job.
The inlet design came from the design used on the
Cessna 210. Mr. Ackerman described the engine as "an
ice cube." He states, "We can close the cowl flaps and
in climb not see greater than 350 degrees." On a day
with temperatures in the 30s F, he said it is difficult to
get the cylinder temps above 300 degrees. The temperature
spread between cylinders is 30 degrees.
The kit includes a new nose bowl and both cowl
doors all in carbon fiber, and all manufactured at Atlantic
Aero. All hoses and hardware would be new except the
pressure pump and alternator. A tuned exhaust system
(already STC'd for Bonanzas) wou ld be an option producing
another 7 hp and costing about $2,000.
The STC will be written so that the installation can
be done at Atlantic Aero or by the local Bonanza maintenance
facility. The estimated cost for the kit is
$53,000 plus $7,000 for installation. The company is
moving toward a February date for award of the STC.
Remaining is spin testing before certification.
There is an old aviation saying, "Don 't ever fly the
A model of anything." I mentioned this to Mr.
Ackerman and he said that the same engine modification
had been formulated for the Cessna 210 and has
been flying a fleet application in Florida. The data from
the operator is very encouraging. He says this company
flies their planes about 100 hours per month and they
have one aircraft approaching the 2,000 hour TBO
without having any cylinder problems and without any
major engine issues.
Also, three divisions of the federal government use
the application, including U.S. Customs. These engines
are building many hours at the same operating numbers,
rpms and manifold pressures as the Bonanza STC.
After I left Atlantic Aero, I pondered the cost issue.
At first I viewed it as 60K for 20 knots. That's $3,000
per knot. Pretty dear. But most people buy airplanes to
go fast--especially those of us buying brand B.
With that in mind, consider my own Bonanza-a
1977 A36 worth perhaps 160K. It cruises at about 170
knots. That's slightly less than $1,000 per knot. Add the
modification for 560K, and now you have $220 invested
for 190 knots or $1,160 per knot. Not a great deal
more money for the speed/knot.
Yes, a B55 will go 185 and you can probably get a
pretty nice one for 200K. But the upkeep for two
engines and the extra cost for insurance will continue.
If you gotta have two engines, that might be the way to
spend your bucks.
My innpression was that this modification will probably
go into quite a few Bonanzas. Many owners would
consider the STC for the increased reliability alone. Of
course, the reliability factors remain to be seen, but the
data from the 21 Os already flying seem encouraging.
This seems to be a company with resources to
develop, test, verify and produce a product that could
become part of a large percentage of the Bonanza fleet
over time. Consider the new aircraft such as the Cirrus
and Lancair. They are fast, but do not have the flexible
cabins afforded by the A36. Perhaps this could be
considered the A36 of this new century.
I was a Mooney driver before switching to brand
B, and I probably will never go back. Butl always liked
the idea of getting the most speed for my money, and that
appears to be one mission statement at Atlantic Aero.
ABS member Charles Davidson. MD, is a family physician and AME with
2.000+ hours set. MEL ratings.
ABS February 2003
Page 7683

Leaks, leaks
and more leaks
BY LEW GAGE
Although the old "E" engine is a very efficient,
reliabl~ and lovable engine, one. of the facts of life
is that It has a habn of leakmg 011. Even though 011
leaks of the seeping, weeping, oozing type are a nuisance,
they do provide a wonderful opponunity to study the
airflow around all the antennas and other protrusions on
the beUy of the airplane.
Places where oil might leak
The mounting of all of the engine accessories on the
rear of the engine crowds things. So fixing oil leaks, if one
can pin down the exact place from which the leak is
originating, may be somewhat of a chore.
There are also other places where oil might leak, but
they are easier to find and get to so they are usually easily
fixed-such as the oil drainback manifold, pushrod
tubes and housings, rocker cover gaskets, the oil cooler
tank and other places. One can get a better stan on this if
all the gasket surfaces are flat and smooth when the
engine is assembled, but eventually leaks will occur.
Because aircraft engines must be made very lightweight,
some of the flanges and gasket surfaces are thin
enough to be pulled out-of-f1at into the gasket material.
That is one cause of leaks that take place in between the
attaching studs or bolts.
High localized temperatures in our air-cooled engines
is another gremlin. Temperature gradients across a
gasketed joint will cause shearing of the gasket and
gasket sealer surface. And there are just a lot of pieces that
make up the engine.
Speaking from experience
Well , I'm faced with these oil leak
problems, the same as everyone else.
My engine was developing enough
leaks that [resolved to attack them after
fmishing our summer/fa ll travel use of
the airplane. Since there was a slight
seepage between the accessory case and
crankcase, the only solution was to
remove the engine from the airframe so
the accessory case could be resealed.
There is one stretch of the gasket
between the crankcase and accessory case
that is quite thin, and the attach bolt
centers are quite far apan. This is along
the bottom of the opening in the front of
1/4'
Drain
Hole
the accessory case. There are four 1/4 x 20 special 3/8 hex
head bolts that are used to secure this area. However, the
accessory case is less than one-fourth inch thick at thatlocation
and the two center bolts are 4 inches center to center.
Regardless of how flat or what sealer is used, a slight
leak will develop here after some unknown amount of
calendar or engine-run time. There is no practical way
another fastener could be added to cure the situation. It is
just one of those things we all think we could have
improved upon but, in fact, we probably could not.
With "engine out," things are easy
With the engine sitting on an engine stand in the
vertical position, it is really very easy to work on any of
the stuff hanging on tbe rear of the engine. Quite a different
story than doing the same work with the engine
installed in the airplane.
All of the accessories were removed, new sbaft seals
installed (tach drive also) and new gaskets were used to
remount everything.
The scavenge pump was also removed and resealed,
even though I could not find evidence of any leak at that spot.
One thing I did do was rotate the generator one-third
of a revolution so the tenninal studs are now on top of the
generator instead of on the left side. Three years ago I had
occasion to change the generator brushes with the
generator mounted on the engine. This took place far
away from home base, and doing a generator removal
"downline" is not as easy as a brush change. However, the
brushes are located on the top and bOllom of the generator
with the tenninal studs located on the left. The bottom
brush has three connections (+ field connection, the brush
connection and the "arm" tenninal wire) and doing the
work using a mirror ain 't so easy. Being a dentist might
help with the mirror pan, since everything moves in
reverse. ow, with the generator rotated so the tenninals are
on top, the brushes are at the three and
nine o'clock positions and it would be
Drive
End
Through
\. -j' - .-..- Bolt
: : Brush
t--__ ~+-- End
View of bottom of generator
- not to scale--
quite easy to do a brush change.
The air blast shroud still has a generator
frame cut out to blow through.
Two quaner-inch diameter drain holes
need to be provided in the bottom of the
generator frame. These holes are easily
made on a drill press. The location is
best at the rear and forward drive end
(see sketch). These holes may be made
without disassembling the generator, or
it could be done when it is already
taken apan for new bearings, etc.
When the generator tenninals are on
top, one should be sure to protect them
with the proper rubber tenninal nipple.
Page 7684
ABS Februa ry 2003

Two M.S. 25171-1 nipples (boots) are needed and are available
at aircraft suppliers such as Aircraft Spruce (877-477-7823).
Although I may never need to do another brush change
with the generator on the engine, the problem is much alleviated
with the generator installed as it now is. I do carry a set
of brushes in my spares kit in the airplane.
Installing generators
Regarding installation of overhauled or reworked
generators, one of the procedures necessary is the "polarizing" of
the generator so the residual magnetism is correct in the field
poles. This is easily done, but one must know and understand just
what system is used on that installation.
There are generally two types of generators used on small
aircraft and autos-those with the field grounded internally
(within the generator) and externally (grounded through the
vo ltage regulator).
This externally grounded generator is the type used on our
Bonanzas. That is, there are three wire connections at the
ungrounded (+) brush holder: the brush pigtail, the "armature"
terminal wire and one end of the field coi l. The grounded brush
holder has only one connection: the brush pigtail. The other end
of the field wire goes to ground (-) through the voltage regulator.
Units grounded internally apply positive DC current
to the "field" terminal of the generator which then flows to
ground through the field windings, creating the magnetic field
that the armature windings cut through to produce current at
the armature terminal of the generator.
The second type applies positive (+) current to the field
windings through a connection of one end of the field winding at
the ungrounded (+) brush holder, and the field circuit is completed
by controlled grounding (-) through the voltage regulator.
It is important to know which type of generator is installed
since the "polarizing" of the generator is different between the
two types. These generators are self-exciting units. Since the
generator is not connected to any voltage source when not running,
something must get it putting out current initially.
Until the generator output voltage exceeds the battery
voltage (usually around 800-1,000 engine rpm), the generator is
disconnected from the aircraft electrical system. This is accomplished
via the reverse current contactor in the voltage regulator.
Since the generator armature windings need some amount
of magnetic lines of force (flux field) to rotate through to
produce current-and there is no current available to the field
windings until the generator gets up some speed-there is
residual magnetism in the soft iron field pole pieces that get
the show running.
As the generator begins turning, current is produced
wh ich is then fed through the field coils to ground through
the closed voltage regulator contacts. When the generator
output voltage exceeds normal battery voltage (12 to 12.5
volts), the reverse current contactor closes and the generator
is then supplying power to the aircraft electrical system to
charge the battery and operate equipment.
[n order that the residual magnetism is correct in the pole
pieces, the following procedure is used on our externally
grounded generators: We must momentarily "flash" the field
winding by applying a positive (+) current to the armature terminal
of the generator. This may be accomplished by using a
jumper wire from the generator field terminal to ground (-).
Another jumper wire is used from the battery positive pole (+)
to the generator "arm" terminal. Do /lot attach the + jumper to
both places.
After connecting to the generator arm terminal, strike or
flash the other end to the + battery post. Just a brief touch is all
that is needed.
The same result may be obtained by flashing between the
battery ("bat") and generator ("arm" or "gen") terminals of the
voltage regulator. If this procedure is used, the battery master
switch and genemtor switch must be on and the ignition switch
must be in L, R or Both. These switch positions are necessary due
to the generator field wire go ing through the generator switch on
all generator-equipped airplanes and also through the magneto
(ignition) switch on airplanes from D-I through D.{i561.
Of course, if an airplane has been modified with a different
ignition switch and battery switch, such may not be the
case. But that is the way they were originally.
Oil leaks through the generator
One other subject regarding gear-driven generators and
most retrofit alternators on "E" engines is oil leaks through the
generator. I had an article on this subject in the December '96
issue (page 4579), so read that for stopping the oil leak.
One important item to accomplish when stopping such a
leak is to replace the front bearing which is just behind the oil
shaft seal and drive coupling. This is important since, even
though the bearing may be smooth in operation and appear to
be serviceable, the hot oil that has been leaking through the
bearing has washed out the grease.
So, by shutting off the oil supply (leak) to the now greaseless
bearing, the likelihood of a bearing failure is very high.
Bearing failure of a gear-driven generator or alternator may
result in an engine failure.
In case you need these numbers, the bearing is a Fafnir 203
KLL2 or an MRC 88503. The brush end bearing is a Fafnir 20 I
KLL2 or MRC 88501. The oil seal is a National 451583.
The engine in my airplane now has 1200 hours and about
10 years of calendartime. If things go right, which mayor may
not happen, I should be fixed from now to engine overhaul.
Remember: "Ya pays your money and ya takes your chances."
ASS member. Lewis C. Gage, Arp mulfiengine land with Boeing
707n201747/Airbus·310 ralings. Commercial single engine land: mghl insfruo.
tor MElJSEL airplanes and instruments: ground instructor advanced and instrument;
night navigator: flight engineer; mechanic-oirplane and engine; and FAA
ports manufacturing outhon'zafion. Flight time: 15.CXXJ-pfus hours. Lew may be
contacted at Sunrise Filters. Inc .. 2255 Sunrise. Reno. NV 89509. Phone/Fox;
775-826-7184. E-mail:.
ABS February 2003
Page 7685

At
Y B55 (10-470) is an all-weather plane with modem
GPS navigation systems supplementing a complete
dual vortac-based system with flight director, weather radar
and de-icing equipment.
The Baron was prepared by pumping the struts as high as
possible to protect the props from gravel airstrips. We also
clamped two-inch rubber collars to the bottom of each strut for
"get-home-ability" in case a strut collapsed up north. Spare
fuel injectors were packed as well as spare tires, tubes, a rifle
and arctic survival gear left over from my sheep-hunting days
in the Yukon.
The summer of 2002 was desert-like in Virginia
and I got tired of watching my farm turn to dust.
So I thought a change of latitude would surely
improve my rapidly descending spirits.
I had been al/ over northwestern Canada
and New Brunswick but never further northeast
than Nova Scotia. Friends had told me many
times that the Isle de la Madelene and far-northern
Labrador were worth seeing. So I made
arrangements for my cows and draft horses to be
tended to and got ready to explore the northern
tip of Labrador in my Baron.
I LEFf VIRGINIA 0 A LATE TUESDAY MORNING
IN JULy. The first leg was from my farm near Charlottesville,
Virginia, to Bangor, Maine, to clear customs outbound with the
survi val rifle.
On approach to Bangor, one of the two vacuum pumps
driving the flight instrument gyros failed. So while I was
doing the customs paperwork, I asked the adjacent Telford
Aviation FBO if they could order a new one and have it delivered
by to a.m. the next day.
They pulled the top cowl off, found the part number and
discovered they had the correct rebuilt spare sitting on a shelf.
So they installed the unit and off I went. Total stop time: under
one hour. With "pit times" like that, NASCAR is sure to start
holding races in Bangor!
The first night was spent at Charlottetown, Prince Edward
Island, a farming community of uncommon beauty, but wi th a
new automotive bridge from New Brunswick that will likely
change the quiet island permanently. Dinner was scallops on
rice in a quiet English pUI>-The Merchantman.
WEDNESDAY MORNING, I WALKED ALL AROUND
THE TOW enjoying the architecture and the beautiful
Victoria Park. Afterwards, I noticed the cruise ship
"Rotterdam" at dock. I figured she was about to disgorge
about 5,000 people into my quiet space, so I took a taxi to the
airport and headed for Isle de la Madelene, a IOO-mile-long
exq uisite island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A low-level air tour revealed terrain similar to a
Bahamian island, mostly low with sweeping scimitar-shaped
beaches and tall grassy-covered cliffs eroded by the Gulf of St.
Lawrence, along with a few scattered farmhou ses. Clearl y, the
farmers had discovered hard-top campers paid more than
sheep, as there were many groups of campers "on-pasture."
A fabulous bouillabaisse lunch at Au Vieux Couvent (the
old school) restaurant was followed by a long and friend ly
chat with the flight service specialists at the airport. I picked
up another weather briefing as Hurricane Arthur was dissipating
just east of St. John's, Newfoundland, my next destination.
I filed lFR from Madelene across the Cabot Strait to
Stephenville on the southwest tip of the triangular island of
Newfoundland. At 20 miles from the southern coast, I asked
_ Page 7686
ABS February 2003

Gander Center for "Direct SI. John's." No problem. That route
took me over and parallel to the southern coast for an hour and
a hal f or more.
Well out of Gander's radar coverage, I flew over the most
desolate and incredibly beautiful coastline-large fjords and
tiny coastal villages served only by boat; green grass growi ng
everywhere save the barren rocky hills; and across thousands
of small clear lakes among the rounded rocks.
ewfoundland is not high-we stayed at 4,000 MSL most
of the time. Because of the westerly flow around the center of
Hurricane Arthur, I was in and out of the bands of rainshowers
so typical of tropical depressions, but had qu ite good looks at
the coastline below.
After landing in SI. John's, I met a USA F C-130 crew
headed from Florida to Afghanistan and a civilian C-130
freighter crew just in from Anchorage.
The USAF bird was an old special-operations ship with
structures to hold two forks out in front, enabling the plane to
drive through a balloon-supported rope, catch it and jerk a
person up out of the jungle. I recall seeing that once-in a
James Bond movie! But the Air Force crew said they don't do
that any more.
S!. John's was home for two nights. NaGeira's restaurant
was highly recommended by my bed-and-breakfast host-a
sophisticated establishment run by Lynn Pike, who claims to
be descended from a pirate captain's lady.
huge icebergs floating southeasterly down the Labrador Sea.
Goose Bay is located about 150 miles inland and is mostly
fog-free, making it an ideal stopover for wwn crews to refuel.
I had dinner with three Frenchmen I had met at the airport.
When I was working Goose Bay approach, I heard two
French-accented pilots approaching as well. After landing, I
pulled up next to a pair of brand-new TBM-7oos with U.S.
markings that had just arrived from France. The two EADS
Socata test pilots and their chief avionics engineer were headed
to Florida to deliver these beauties 10 two lucky new
owners, and then on to Oshkosh to attend AirVenture 2002 a
few days off.
SATURDAY I DROPPED BY THE FLOAT DOCK to meet
Mike Byrne, a legend in the north country and a senior Air
Labrador floatplane captain (40,000-50,000 flying hours).
I wanted to get some local advice before heading further north.
Many of the bail-out gravel strips are 2,000 feet long, and
the farther north one goes, the less likely one is to find readily
ava ilable 100 LL fuel. The trip can be done, but the strips are
a long way from fuel , the short strips have none, and it's tough
10 do when carrying a full load of fuel. So I was looking for all
the advice I could beg or borrow.
I visited with Mike while his Twin Oner was being
loaded. He invited me along, so I got in back and enjoyed a
nice ISO-mile flight to Eagle River and back to the Goose Bay
THURSDAY I RE TED A CAR
A D DROVE FOR SIX HOURS
around the "Irish Loop" on the Avalon
peninsula. I took a short boat ride to
view seabird colonies of kiniwakes,
puffins, etc.
Much further south, I drove through
a herd of Woodland Caribou. Shortly
after, near the Cape Race Loran transminer
station, I watched huge humpback
whales playing in the surf of the Atlantic
Ocean less than 200 feet from where
I was standing on the cobbled beach
of SI. Vincent. Then home to SI. John 's
for dinner.
FRIDAY MORNING I FLEW
ALONG THE NORTHERN COAST of Newfound land facing
the Atlantic and back 10 the west coast to have a look down at
Gros Morne National Park. This fjordland of green magic is
simply awesome.
I turned north up the western coast of ewfoundland and
across the Straits of Belle Isle to Labrador, followed by a
low-level flight along its lower southeastern coasl. The flight
across Lake Melville and into Goose Bay brought into view
float dock.
A friend and I once owned a Caravan on amphibious
fl oats, so I am reasonably familiar with turbine float operations.
But at Eagle Ri ver I saw something quite impressive as
Mike landed the turbine-powered Twin Oner upriver, which is
normal, then pivoted 180 degrees and docked the plane at the
base of a riffle, wi th the tail upstream and river water running
along the dockside at about five to seven knots. He backed up
ABS February 2003
Page 7687

Gros Morne National Pork
Torngot Mountains of the head of the Nachvak fjord
the Otter with asymmetrical reverse thrust and the water rudders
also operating backward . Actually, he had no choice
because the Otter, like myoid Caravan, has only one large
cargo door on the left aft side. I knew it could be done this
way, but had never seen it done. I asked how he does it in the
Caravan and he said they don 't, that the Caravan is unloaded
into boats on the ri ver side.
Mike was drooling to go with me "up north" (at least,
north of his nonnal routes). He loves it up there and repeatedly
said how fantastic the flight wou ld be. But he was scheduled
to fly all day, so he hooked me up with his new dispatcher,
Mandy Kean, a commercial, multi-engine and instrument
pilot. Mike asked me to show her the nonh country- which
she had never seen and at the same time she told me about the
strips to which she dispatches aircraft daily.
Mandy brought along her boyfriend, Tobie Comtois, and
he brought his camera. J really enjoyed the flight far more with
them along.
We left Goose Bay at 2 p.m. to cover 1,050 statute miles
before dark. At low-power settings to extend our range, we
headed true north about 100 miles to intercept the seacoast
near Hopedale. Then we wandered around, just looking at the
rugged coastline almost to the northern tip of Labrador at
2,000 MSL down to 500 MSL over the Labrador Sea packed
with ice.
We were watching for polar bears. We saw none, but I'll
bet they saw us. We were over the water, just off the coast,
with tiny barrier islands underneath while on our left the cliffs
of the Torngat Range began to ascend from the sea.
Mandy and I talked, as pilots are prone to do, about where
to put the Baron down if we needed to and kept a log of notes,
times, etc. on the sectional chart. I haven't flown pilotage in
years and it was great to do so again.
In the background, the KLN94 GPS navigator was
calculating fuel bum from the JPJ EDM760 engine monitor
and giving us backup range and endurance numbers. On one
occasion, we did not like the results, so we set "Endurance"
into the GPS and reduced power to get the endurance and
reserves we were more comfortable with.
Then , being only 100 miles or so from the northernmost
tip of Labrador, we flew just east of a small U.S. radar station
and its adjacent short gravel runway sitting high on the seaside
cliffs of the Ugjuktok Fjord above our left wing.
We had descended to about 500 feet above the packed ice
and were skimming the sea, with the rubble of broken ice
streaming below us. As the seawater was "slick calm," we
looked for the wakes of swimming whales, hoping with really
good visibility to see a wide-angle wake of a slowly swimming
polar bear, but no such luck.
A low-pressure system centered over Frobisher Bay
several hundred miles to our north made us decide to tum west
over the rugged ridges to Kuujjuag on the southern shore of
Ungava Bay in far nonhern Quebec.
Page 7688
ASS February 2003

A huge fjord-the achvak-headed west into the mountains
then turned south into a blind canyon, so we chatted how
best to fly into it. The quick answer was, "Never fly up a
canyon that you do not know. " So we trimmed the nose up and
slowly ascended at economy power to the mountaintops, leveling
just under the stable and level cloud bases, watching the
fjord well below.
The flight from the coast to Kuuljuag was at the ridgetops
and through or above the huge Korok River canyon. Still playing
"Where do we land now" we spotted a number of uncharted
landing strips, most quite short, but acceptable for landing if we
needed to. Getting the Baron back out again, however, may have
been another thing altogether!
We arrived at Kuuljuag on a nice paved run way with a
Vortac on the field, where I paid $800 (Canadian) to fill up the
Baron. I'm not complaining though; I was happy to have the fuel.
Then it was two more hours southeasterly back to Goose Bay.
What a flight! A beautiful day, mostly calm over the
water, but blowing 20-30 knots in the mountain s. The Torngat
Mountains were rugged, the glaciers cold-looking, and a nasty
pl ace to have to put a plane down. But the sweet little engines
kept on purring, and good-golly, was it beautiful! And yet so
very desolate. It's the kind of place that makes a pilot appreciate
his maintenance team. I was glad I had the survival gear,
but even happier that it stayed in the plane.
SU DAY, O THE WAY BACK TO VIRGINIA, I had to
have another look at ewfoundland's Gros Morne ational
Park. So I filed Goose direct Deer Lake, then on to Sydney,
ova Scotia, for fuel via Cape Breton.
Throughout the trip, everyone was kind and welcoming,
beginning with the U.S. and Canadian Customs officers who
helped me with the rifle permit, Canadian Flight Service
Station employees and pilots who had "been there" and recommended
survival gear.
Would I go back In a heartbeat!
ABS member Fred Scoff. Jr.. operates Bundoran Form in North Garden. Virginia.
where he oversees on operation thaI includes coN/e. draft horses. a horse-learn
driving schoof, horse-drQwn carriage building and repair. carriage rental for films
and event hosting. One pasture is the site of the annual Albermarle County Fair.
In between. Fred flies his Baron in and oul of Bundoran Form on ii's private
airstrip.
A FEW TIPS:
Buy your Conadian charts before you go. II is nearly impossible 10
purchase charts at Canadian FBOs or Hight schools.
Carry survival gear and know how to use it. See Doug RiMer's excellent
survival gear website .Takea Canadian Airport
Directory. It hos tons of important information ond excellent sketches of
even Ihe smallest airports. See Acukwik for Canadian airport info.
Before taxiing anywhere. broadcast your intention 10 do so on the
oppropriale Flight Service frequency. At airports served by FSS. you need
to do this. yel you do NOT need permission 10 lake off. unless Ihere is a
full-blown conlrollower operaling.
Reod Ihe rules aboul operoling in uncontrolled oirspoce. There is
lois of il. See Ihe Regutalions.lf IFR in unconlrolled oirspoce. you may
deviate heading and altitude at will. yet you must be bock at your
assigned altitude when re-entering controlled airspoce.
Generally. when up north. monitor 126.7 all the time. and occasionally
give a position report and your intentions. You may not get on
answer. but someone may be listening.
Start making the MANDATORY colis when approaching on airport:
20 or so miles out with your intended runway. entering the circuit (traffic
poMern). turning bose and turning final. Around Conadian airports.
they have mandatory frequencies with rules about how to use them.
For help. call Transport Conada's Civil Aviation Communications
Centre (800-305-2059).
For additionaf contacts, weblinks and numbers visit Fred 's
we b site .
NOTE: IMAGES OF LABRADOR ARE COPYRiGHTED. PHOTOS COURTESY OF HAANUM SCENICS AND M&B POSTCARDS, THE NEWFOUNDLAND & LABAADOR TOURIST
BUREAU, AND TOBIE CONTOIS. AIRCRAFT PHOTO IS BY COLUMBIA AERIAL PHOTOS.
ASS February 2003 Page 7689

Response to "Beech futures"
In his open letter to Beechcraft President
Bob Horowitz (November '02, pg 7534), George
Wilhelmsen ignored or was blind to the
"elephant in the room," i.e. the cost that has
soared astronomically compared to actual
manufacturing costs of airplanes in the past 20
years. I considered buying a new Bonanza in
1974. At that time, Beech was adding just over
$11,000 to the price of each new 33, 35 and
36 after manufacturing costs, overhead and profit-for
product liability. Wake up!
At that time, Beech was winning 99 percent
of the cases brought by grieving widows and
orphans. Most of those cases were initiated
because stupid pilots pulled the wings or tails off
of their Bonanzas in icing conditions or violent
weather. The majority of the other cases were the
result of what the FAA refers to as "controlled
flight into terrain. "
But the cases were flied, and most went to
trial. The cost of defending against such claims
is the same as if the manufacturer had a defective
airplane. Very expensive. And, you had better get
it right, without besmirching the character or
wisdom of the deceased.
Remember also that you can be very right
and still lose. How much liability coverage did
McDonalds allow for in each cup of hot coffee
Not enough.
Today, what is the cost of legal defense
when that same 1974 Model 33 goes down That
plane with perhaps over 4,000 hours and less
than excellent maintenance The same as it is
when the low-time VFR pilot "stops" his new
A36 a half-mile short of the runway in freezing
rain, with a ceiling of 200 feet indefinite and an
RVR of, maybe, 1,200.
If Mr. Wilhelmsen wants to sign a waiver
which would forever prohibit his family and all
future owners of his airplane from filing any
product liability suit against Beech, he could
probably afford his dream machine.
Clark Staggs, Garland. Texas
WILHELMSEN RESPONDS:
You make a strong argument that the legal
system is driving up the cost of aircraft. While
this may be true, why isn't Cessna suffering from
this problem They are producing and selling
new aircraft at a rate that is higher than the
Beech piston line. While the planes aren't as
tuned up, they have the same liability exposure.
I must be missing the high-profile cases that
Beech gets sued for, as I haven't read about any
massive judgments against Beech in some time.
While I can't disagree that there cenainly have
been some in the past, and their payouts have
been insane, production costs still play in the
equation. My point was that using technology
from 50 years ago makes Beech's production
costs higher.
While legal costs may be the proverbial
"elephant," cost reduction in each phase of a
project is equally imponant.
Regarding your final challenge, yes, I would
sign a liability waiver for everything except a
product defect. The fact is that of all the accidents
I have read about, the vast majority of
them were the responsibility of the pilot in command,
and not the aircraft. In writing such an
agreement, Beech could effectively limit their
liability, while maintaining their responsibility.
Yes, I know, there will always be some lawyer
who would challenge such an agreement. But if
we are afraid to try, we wi ll remain in the same
quagmire.
Instrumenting up the plane to provide a
minimal flight data recorder wou ld be another
way to help Beech in accident lawsuits, while
providing compensation for those problems that
were truly caused by the manufacturer.
All this discussion misses the major point of
the problem. There are only so many doctors and
lawyers and CEOs who want to fly their own
Beech. Unless Beech can take actions to make its
planes more affordable, whether through production
improvements or legal means, the future
for the light single and twin line is hardly bright.
Oil filter change
ABS Technical Consultant Arky Foulk suggested
I share with you a recent discovery I had
for removing oil filters from a 1977 Baron 10-
520 CB engine.
To remove the filter for the oil change, I
opened the access doors and removed the rear
left-side quaner panel of the cowling only. I used
a tool new to me called a Mastergrip belt wrench
available in a package of three at Home Depot
for about $12.
With the aid of the belt wrench, I was able
to get enough of a grip on the filter to tum it for
eventual removal. The wrench has a soft, pliable
and adjustable belt and uses the same material on
the inside of the handle.
ASS February 2003

Barksdale AFB Airshow
This photo was taken on April 20, 2001, while on the
warbird ramp at the Barksdale AFB (Texas) Airshow 2001.
As a volunteer for the Lone Star Right Museum, I sometimes
use my aircraft, a 1963 P35, N9757Y, to support
LSFM aircraft operations at airshows during the season.
It was really cool landing at Barksdale AFB'
Unfortunately due to the events of September II. the 2002
airshow was cancelled.
The warbirds in the picture (closest to farthest) are: a
P-47D Thunderbolt, Vought F4U Corsair, North American
B-25 Bomber and a Grumman TBM Avenger.
Robert L Winkler. League City, Texas
When you leverage the belt and
press the handle toward the fi lter, you
can get enough torque to loosen the
filter. With a quick drain and hose on
the drain plug, not having to remove the
major elements of the cowling saved a
lot of time.
Whether changing the oil yourself
or buying one of these tools for your
mechanic, it would more than pay for
itself with its first use. To get the oil
filter out, I had to remove the air hose to
the alternate air box, but that is not
difficult. Hope this helps someone!
Dennis Thomas, San Mateo, California
Kudos for RamsHead
I recently ordered a pair of
RamsHead sheepskin covers (800-362-
6215) for my V35B. I forgot to tell
RamsHead that, when my seats had
been reupholstered, the addition of
lumbar supports and bolsters had
changed their shape considerably. When
the sheepskin covers arrived they, of
course, did not fit correctly. My fault.
RamsHead took the stock seat
covers back, made a new set from my
actual seat, UPSed the seat back to me
with the new covers and insured the
shipment-all at no charge!
The new seat covers fit perfectly
and the materials and workmanship are
excellent. They protect my new upholstery
from sun and wear and can be
cleaned and repaired much more easily
than the seats themselves.
I recommend RamsHead's product
and, equally important, their company
to any of our members.
Sean Heath. \Olley Center. California
Luggage security
Our BonanzaslBarons are becoming
even more valuable, as a way to avoid
airline travel and security hassles. Since
you are not allowed to lock your checked
baggage, the chance of theft of items is
no longer a chance but a certainty.
Cable ties have been suggested, but
the baggage handlers who want to break
into your luggage will probably have
spares-but not torque seal. So if worse
comes to worst, and you have to travel on
an airline with checked bags, get some
torque seal. Squirt the torque seal into the
cable-tie. After the seal hardens, it will
crack if tampered with, making it obvious
that your bag was illegally entered. That
alone may prevent it. You will know your
stuff was stolen, and not accidentally left
at home or the hotel.
Borrie Hiern. Rome. Georgia
The following proves humor has a
place in even the mosl detoil·driven
workplace.
After every flight, pilots complete a
"gripe sheer lisling mechanical prob·
lems encounlered during the flight. The
mechanics respond on the boHom of Ihe
form indicating what action was taken
on each item.
Here are some actual log entries
from Quantas Airtines' books. By the way,
Quontas is the only major airline Ihot
has never had a fatal accident.
Pilot: left inside main tire almost needs
replacement.
Mechanic: Almost replaced left inside
main fire.
Pilot: Test flighl OK. except aulolond very
rough.
Mechafllc Autoland not installed on this
aircraft.
Pilot: Something loose in cockpit.
Mechofllc: Something tightened in
cockpit.
Pilot: Oeod bugs on windshield.
Mechofllc: live bugs on bock-order.
Pilot Aircroft handles funny.
Mechofllc Aircraft warned to slroighten
up, fly right and be serious.
ABS Fe b ruary 2003
Page 7691

THE 99th YEAR CELEBRATION OF
THE 1903
WRIGHT BROTHERS
FLIGHTS AT KITTY HAWK
BY JOHN M. MILLER. POUGHKEEPSIE. NEW YORK
On my 97th birthday, December IS, I flew my Bonanza
to Manteo, orth Carolina, near Kitty Hawk and Kill
Devil Hill for the celebration acti vi ties of the 1903
flights of the Wright Brothers.
I had an IFR fli ght plan all ready in case it was necessary,
to fly directly over JFK and then on V-I , but the weather was
VFR . So I decided to fly right down the Hudson River in the
"tunnel," past Manhattan Island and the former site of the
tower buildings destroyed September II, 200 I
I was cleared by LGA tower to fly at 1,500 feet and then
turned over to EWR tower as I passed Manhattan. I was under
an overcast and in poor light with much haze, but tried to get
photos of the gap left by the missing buildings. I have flown that
route many times to take friends 10 see the sights, but always at
only the 1,000 feet allowed at that time, before 9/1 1.
As I flew over the huge Verazzano Bridge and then past
Sandy Hook, I watched interesting
parades of huge freighter ships entering
and departing the harbor below me,
loaded to their gunwales.
The weather then changed to clear
and sunny, so I decided to fly the rest of
the way 10 Manteo at only 2,000 feet and
just enjoy myself. I had flown that route
that low numerous times in DC-3s before WWll, when a Capt.
on BAL, but up to FL370 in the later airliners such as the
Constellations and DC-8s. Occasionally, I flew my own airplanes
at 2,000 feet bucking headwinds. When at 2,000 feet,
the water areas crossed by V-I seem immense.
On my arrival at the Manteo terminal building, a big party
was being held, with lots of good refreshments for everyone.
Afterwards, I was then taken by my friend. Dr. Charles
Davidson, a Bonanza owner and member of ABS , for a tour
and then to the home of another friend , Paul Shaver, where I
was 10 stay overnights.
That evening, Paul had a 97th birthday party for me in his
very unique and popular Black Pelican restaurant. The birthday
party was with several friends of both Paul Shaver and Dr.
Davidson and they had a special solid chocolate cake for me.
Paul has a remarkable homebuilt amphibian and also a Piper
twin-turboprop.
The Black Pelican is actually the very same "Life-Saving
Station" building that was there when the Wrights did their
experimental flying, and was the home of the life-saving crew
that helped them. Because of the ocean eroding away the
shoreline, the restaurant has been moved inland twice. It is a
massive antique wood structure and very interesting.
The next day we went to the First Flight ceremonies at
Kitty Hawk at the museum near Kitty Hawk Hill , the huge
sand dune from which the Wrights' experiments were made
with the kites and gliders, as weil as the first powered flights on
December. 17, 1903. There is a monument on the top and smaller
monuments at the end distances of the first series of fli ghts.
"A 97th birthday party was held for me at the very unique Black
Pelican restaurant. The Black Pelican is actually the very same
"Life-Saving Station" building that was there when the Wrights
did their experimental flying- home of the life-saving crew that
helped them." - John Miller
John Miller chats with a locol pilot 01 Dare County Regional Airport, Manteo, North
Carolina.
There was a large crowd and several speeches. A new and
larger museum is expected to be ready for the looth anniversary
next year. A replica of the first Wright flying machine is
on display. The restored original machine is hanging in the
National Air & Space Museum in Washington, DC.
The next day I filed IFR and flew to St. PeterSburg,
Florida, to visit an old friend who operates an FBO, A-I
Aircraft. He formerly operated a shop at my home base,
Duchess County Airport in Poughkeepsie. My flight included
two hours on instruments and then I flew in beautiful Florida
weather for a IOtal of about four-and-a-half hours.
I vis ited one of my granddaughters and her husband for
several days, including Christmas. She is one of my nine
grandchildren, plus nine great grandchildren, and she promised
she will add another great-granddaughter to my tribe next
Page 7692
ABS February 2003

April. So I promised her that after I attend the 100th
Anniversary of the First Flight at Kill Devil Hill next year, I
will proceed to inspect the new addition to my list of greats
and grands. Her daughter wiLl be about 8 months old and I will
be 98. Is there another ABS pilot with such a tribe of kids
Hold up your hand!
After my visit with my granddaughter, I hopped up to
Ocala to visit two old friends- Ralph and Betty Haesloop.
Ralph was the first executive director of the American
Bonanza Society who quickly buill up ABS membership to several
thousands from its small original group. The Hae loops had
another litlle party for me with a bunch of friends, mostly aviation
people. Flying devotees are everywhere!
My flight home from there was about four-and-a-half
hours at 5,000 feet , but when approaching ew York r
cancelled to fly again at 1,500 feet along the Hudson River.
The light was poor and very hazy again, but I tried to photograph
the skyline anyway.
By the time I arrived at Duchess County Airport just
ahead of some stinko weather, the sun had set, the airport was
closed, and there was nobody around. So I had a strenuous fourhour
job clearing the compacted, hard-frozen snow away from
my hangar ramp to get my car out of the hangar and my Bonanza
inside, which was already covered with snow.
It has been snowing ever since, and I am now totally
snowed in at my home under more than a foot of it. My
snowblower is broken and I have some sore muscles from
more hand-shoveling at home. Why didn 't I have sense
enough to stay in Florida I guess I had get-home-itis.
During the post 76 years. ABS member John Miller has flown just about everything
from Jennys to jets. John welcomes comments. Write him at 20 1 Kingwood
Park Paugh'eepsi •. NY 1260 1.
Re: John Miller's Hotrod
John Miller 's article "56TC
Hotrod" in the December 2002 issue
brought back fond memories. It has
been my good fortune to have been paid
to fly everything Beechcraft has built,
from the venerable 18 to the King Air.
So it came to pass that r also flew
several 56TCs as new airplanes. The
photo here has been in
my archives for some
35 years: a 56TC blazing
contrails in the sky
@ 32,000 feet (!) -
still not an everyday
occurrence.
John's article brings
to mind a late night
flight in 6235V
across the Midwest
during which I wanted to find out for
myself what the Turbo Baron would do.
Somewhere over Indiana, an incredulous
air traffic controller repeatedly asked
me to confum my altitude of 31 ,()()() feet
as I recall, followed by a request to
explain just what kind of Baron I was
flying. What a license to brag!
The other recollection I have of that
particular flight is the physical discomfort
of fl ying without pressurization at
this altitude. Every void in my body felt
the effects of the very low ambient pres-
sure. My curiosity having been satisfied
, I never repeated this performance.
Speaking of hotrods, in the early
sixties I flew several SFERMA Marquis
Model 60s extensively all over Europe
(not to be confused with the Beechcraft
designation Model 60 Duke). The
Marquis was the unpressurized
Beechcraft Baron bare airframe sold to
the French for installation of the
Turbomeca ASTAZOU I1J direct-drive
turboprop. ow there was a real hotrod.
But that's a story for another time. (See
Owner's Manual below) Keep up the
good work and keep 'em flying!
Hans Friedeboch. Victoria, Minnesota
OWNER'S MANUAL
MODELOOA
ABS February 2003
Page 7693

"Say again ... "
BY JIM HUGHES
What absolutely critical piece of avionics gets
dropped, kicked, stepped on, dunked in coffee,
run over. blown off the wings and otherwise
abused-yet we always expect it to work perfectly Vep,
it's our trusty (most of the time) microphone.
I prefer a boom mike, mounted on my headphones to
free my hands for other duties. Presently in the jet, I use a
Telex 750 combination mike and small , lightweight
earphones. The ambient cockpit noise in the Citation
Series jets is low enough that we can converse between
pilot without using the intercom, and the headphones do
not have to fully cover our ears to "muff out" the airplane
sounds. The headset is light enough to be comfortably
worn all day without causing a headache.
Active Noise Reduction Headsets
In the Bonanzas and Barons and other props, however,
I use a Lightspeed 25, one of the active noise reduction
(ANR) headsets with big, soft, muff-type earphones that
fully cover my ears. The mike seems to be a dynamic
type, and of sufficient quality to cause my transmissions
to be clear. The higher ambient noise from the engine and
air leaks in a non-pressurized cabin make this type headset
an absolute necessity for an old-time pilot like me.
In order to work, an ANR headset must be powered
either from a battery pack or from the airplane's electric
outlet. The headset receives ambient noise via a tiny
receiver, then broadcasts it one-half cycle later via an inheadset
transmitter. This greatly reduces the amplitude of
the noise.
These headsets typically reduce the ambient noise 15
to 30 decibels. That doesn 't sound like much until you
wear one all day. The noise reduced most is at the lower
frequencies, such as that made by propeller throbbing,
airframe flexing and small air leaks. The higher frequencies,
such as intercom, music and radio transmissions, are
not affected. The net result is they seem to be clearer and
more distinct.
When I put about 1300 hours on my Bonanza in less
than three years calling on avionics dealers and attending
trade shows, I think I tried every mike/headset combination
known to aviation. The best, by the end of a long
flying day, seemed to be ones that had light total weight,
pillow-like "muffs" and a very light "spaghetti" boom
microphone. The ANR versions seemed to be even better.
I did have one passenger who didn 't like the ANR headsets
because, as he told me, "llike to hear the eng ine and
am afraid the ANR would cause me to miss something
I should hear." To each his own.
For a while I liked and used a set of those custommolded
earpieces, the ones where they send you a compound
of wax-like stuff to mix and take an impression of
your ear with. Then they mold a plastic earpiece from it.
It took me three tries to get the earpiece just right, but then
I could wear it all day without realizing it was in my ear.
I used a Plantronics mike that was very light. The
clarity of the mike was not the very best, but it was the
only boom mike that did not start pulling down on the
earpiece, leaving my ear sore by the end of the day.
I also tried a Telex boom mike with my earpiece that
worked very well for a while, But one day as I was departing
from a dealer call about noon, I bought one of those
vending machine cans of hot ravioli to have for lunch
while I flew to my next stop. I got the Bonanza leveled
off, power set and autopilot engaged, then opened my can
of ravioli-and I bit my microphone!
Another food-induced comm failure occurred in the
jet. We had a 6 a.m. departure from Indianapolis, Indiana,
before the hotel coffee shop opened. It looked like us
pilots were going to go hungry for the first leg of the day
until a kind passenger showed up with two fried egg
sandwiches for us. Upon leveling off and autopilot
engagement, we eagerly chomped down on our egg sandwiches-after
swinging our boom mikes out of the wayonly
to discover that the fried eggs in the sandwiches were
not fried very hard and egg yellow squirted everywhere!
In our zeal to clean up the mess, we inadvertently
unplugged one mike and switched the other to the
"oxygen mask" position. We flew for about a half hour in
"comm failure" with Center yelling at us, before we sorted
it out. Bummer.
Stuck-open mikes
My cop ilot and I did a lot of flying over the year-end
holidays. For two days in a row, there was a Bonanza
inbound for the Orlando area with a microphone stuck open.
We knew what kind of airplane it was and where it was
going because we were privy to their family conversations
(including their kids) for nearly 30 minutes while Air Traffic
Control (ATC) frantically tried to talk to them the whole
time. Can you imagine what kind of chaos an airplane with
a stuck-open mike can cause on a busy ATC frequency
Most modem comm radios display a tiny 'T' symbol
when we are transmitting on that radio. I admit some of
them are hard to see unless the pilot looks for them . But
please-for the sake of aviation-if you have been on a
fairly busy ATC frequency and you stop hearing conversation
on the frequency for a couple of minutes, look for
the little "T' symbol on your comm control head to make
sure you are not still transmitting.
I'm not picking only on the general aviation commu-
Page 7694
ABS February 2003

nity about the stuck mike issue; the airlines are just as guilty
as we are. However, ATC has one additional weapon to use on
ai rline pilots that most of us don't have: The supervisor at the
air traffic faci lity can call the airl ine and have the offending
aircrew sent a text message.
Some of you eschew a headset/boom mike combination.
For you, there are also several shapes and designs of mike.
I doubt anyone is still using the small, round, black "biscuit"
carbon mike. The old trick of banging the mike on the
glaresh ield or into your hand to loosen the carbon particles no
longer works. Modem mikes are either "dynamic" or "electret."
Hitting or dropping these can cause permanent damage.
If you are using one of the "stalk-shaped" hand mikes,
please be extra careful. Those are particularly prone to sliding
into crevices between seats or at the junction of the seat
bottom and seat back-and every time the pilot moves or
shifts position, they inadvertently key the mike. Most
Bonanzas and Barons don't use this style, and those that do
have a very prominent, well-designed mike-holding bracket.
It is unfortunate that we cannot hear what we sound like
when we transmit over the air. If you are getting a lot of "Say
again ... " when flying, it's a pretty good hint that something is
not as good as it should be. Our tendency is to blame the radio
instead of the mike.
I have never understood why. It 's much easier and less
expensive to fix a mike problem than a radio problem. If our
transmissions are scratchy and unreadable, at least 70 percent
of the time I would guess it is because of the mike and not the
radio. Radios usually either work or they don 't work, and
when they begin to have a problem, they don 't usually sound
scratchy or garbled.
Headset checkers
There is a solution. Most avionics shops have a headset
checker. By listening to one, you can hear yourself talking via
the mike you have plugged in. You can also check the quality
of reception in your headphones at the same time. I recommend
you check all your headsets and microphones every year
when your airplane is in for its annual inspection.
The mikelheadset combinations you might want to buy
should also be checked on the headset checker before you layout
your hard-eamed credit card. That's how I learned that, for me,
the $350 Lightspeed model felt better on my head and tmnsmitted
and received slightly better than the $900 Bose models.
It 's somewhat harder to compare headsets at the avionics
shops these days because most don 't carry more than one or
two brands. The reason is economics; the headset manufacturers
tend to be highly competitive and somewhat cut-throat in
their pricing to dealers.
When you stroll through a large av iation tradeshow, such
as Oshkosh or Sun 'N Fun, you'll see those egg-shaped seats
that headset manufacturers let you sit in while you try their
products. You'll see headsets from Bose, Flightcom, Softcom,
David Clark, Pilot, Peltor, Sennheiser, Telex, Sigtronics-and
probably a great many more whose names escape me at this
moment-all touting their advantages. Around the comer,
you'll find Gulf Coast Avionics, Pacific Avionics, American
Avionics, Aircraft Spruce and Specialty, Chief's. Eastern Aero
Marine, Tropic Aero/GPS and many more dealers. That's a
great place to choose and buy a headset.
I have one more "buyer beware" to share. Let's say
you've already sat in so many "eggs" you're starting to cluck,
and you've found the best match of headset reception and
mike Clarity that won 't max out your credit card.The next trick
is to negotiate the best price. You can't do that in the manufacturer's
booth. They don't actually se ll them ; they only
demonstrate them. However, you can ask the manufacturer's
rep which dealer he/she would recommend. By the third day
of the show, the manufacturer knows which dealer is selling
the largest number of headsets (and therefore has bought them
at the deepest dealer discount) or, alternately, which dealer is
overstocked and wants to "blow them out" before the end of
the show. When you go to the dealer, it is possible to negotiate
the price slightly.
Then comes my best advice: Get a money-back guarantee!
Why Because the headset you tried and fell in love with
in the egg may tum into a machinist's vise or another instrument
of torture after an hour or two. A 10-minute demo
probably will not reveal this.
One of the Lightspeed models I tried was feather-light
because it was also feather flim sy. I like to wear the mike
boom on my left side when I'm flying in the left seat. When
I'm in the right seat, I reverse the mike boom so it is on my
right side, not blocking my view to my left. When I tried to
reverse the mike boom, I found it doesn 't reverse like that, and
it broke off the headset in my hand.
The new Pilot 76 that I tried became too heavy and too
tight pretty soon, and took so much battery power to run the
ANR that a set of batteries lasted less than one long leg. It was
obviously designed to be operated off the airplane 's power.
Well , that 's about all the wisdom I can impart in one
session. Just remember that the best headset for your next-door
hangar neighbor mayor may not be the one for you.
Try before you buy.
Test your mike and headphones regularly to see if you
really do sound like Edward R. Murrow to others on the
frequency. Treat your headset kindly. And always be on the
alert for your mike sticking. Know where it is at all times so
you're not sitting on it and transmitting.
See ya next month.
Jim Hughes is the chief pilot, corporate aviation of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
Universify. flying a Citation II. He also heads Marketing and Professional Services,
a consuffing firm specializing in flight test Dnd avionics integration. His ratings
include both an ATP and an A&P mechanics license, with a long list of type ratings
from Boeings 10 Sikorsky helicopters. He has more thon 21 ,000 hours,
including over 3,000 hours in Bonanzas, Barons, Dukes and King Ajrs.
ABS February 2003
Page 7695

REGIONAL NEWS
Southeastern
Bonanza Society
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA FLY-IN
Almost 150 guests in 60 airplanes
came to our fl y-in to Pensacola on
ovember 9-10-our largest group
ever. Using the beachside Hampton Inn
as our base camp, we started with a
choice of the Pensacola Naval Air
Station Aviation Museum or a vis it to
historic downtown Pensacola.
At the museum , there were a lot of
tender touches against fabric, wood and
metal as we walked through the many
exhibits. One large section of the museum
contains cockpits of jets and helicopters.
It sure was enjoyable to watch the
grizzled Beech drivers waiting- in a line
mostly filled with kids-for an opportunity
to dream and recall memories.
All the smiles in anticipation of going downtown 10 look.. shop and eat.
Gathering for dinner under the restored aircroft 01 the Pensacola Air Museum
Just some of the aircraft on slatic display 01 the Blue Angels airshow.
That evening, the banquet was held
in the museum 's atrium under the wings
of the now-retired A4s used by earlier
Blue Angels teams. We enjoyed a tasty
Italian buffet and great conversation.
Saturday morning's weather was a
template for the entire weekend's
moderate temperatures-a southwesterly
breeze and just enough clouds to help
minimize the intensity of the sun. We
enjoyed VIP seating for the aerial show
with a view from the edge of the runway.
After almost five hours of spectacular
displays, we finally got to the highlight
of the show-the Blue Angels,
always breathtaking from the precision
line-up of crew and pilots to the expert
formation flying. We were filled with awe
and respect for these men and women
who are among the best this country has
to offer.
Sunday morning was ftlled with
the kind of excitement that comes with
rerurning to home base, and a little
sadness to watch the lines of magnificent
airplanes diminish as one after
another was cleared for takeoff.
BAHAMAS FLY-IN
The beautiful Stella Maris beaches
in the Bahamas combined with an attentive
resort staff made for a dream-cometrue
weekend December 5-8 for 25
SEBS adults and a few kids. Weather in
the Carolinas played havoc with some
flights, but a total of 12 aircraft evenrually
arrived.
After being greeted with complimentary
rum punch drinks, we joined the
evening's party in progress and helped
eliminate numerous platefuls of tasty
conch fritters, grilled steaks and fish.
After breakfast on Friday, many of
us loaded onto the resort's 65-foot boat
and went snorkeling at a local reef. The
next stop was Cape Santa Maria beach,
where we waded ashore and spent an hour
on the powdery pinkish-white sands.
Especiall y memorable was our
dinner on Friday night. With flaShlights
in hand, we made our way to a large
cave a short walk from the resort. Inside
were musicians, a bar, stone seats and
tables, stuffed pirates and a large buffet.
Lit by candles and bonfires, it really set
the stage for a fun evening. Dinner was
superb.
Saturday was warm and breezy and
an open day from planned activities. We
Page 7696
ABS February 2003

SEBS members gather on the patio before heading down to the snorkel boat.
rented cars, scooters, kayaks and bikes
to explore the island-a few miles wide
and 85 miles long. A sociable final dinner
took place with a warm breeze curling
around the patio. I don 't think any of
us were quite ready to leave thi s lovely
island.
Sunday brought no problems with
weather and-with Customs cleared on
one end and notified on the other-all
too soon our little fleet of aircraft traversed
back up the Bahama's chain of
islands. -Jay Wilsoll
SEBS 2003 flY-IN SCHEDULE
February 27·March 2 - Orlando/Lakeland (ISM).
Contact: Jim Chess (727) 819-8233
April 24-27 - Diamondhead, MS (HSA).
Contact: Harry LaCoste (228) 255-8796
June 5-8 - South Seas Plantation, Captiva Island,
FL (FMY).
Contact: Bern De Pol (941) 549-9121
Augus17-10 - Memphis, TN (MEM).
Contact: Paul Lasen (901) 753·8141
Oclober 2-5 . Charleston, SC (JZI).
Contact: John Ericsson (843) 768·9462
December 4-7 - Caribbean.
Contact: Harvey Kriegsman (321) 725-9226
For more detailed information on SEBS
fly-ins, please check the website at
.
Pacific Bonanza Society
• Our South-of-the-Border Whale
Watch February 27-March 3 is SOLD
OUT! To add your narne to a standby
list, contact Steve and Kathi Blythe
.
• The PBS Santa Maria/Solvang,
California Fly-in March 21 -23 will take
us to the Santa Maria/Santa Y nez Valley
known for its superb wines and Santa
Maria-style barbeques. This worldfamous
Danish community is noted for
its antique stores and pastry shops.
• On the weekend of May 2-4, we
will journey to the Grand Canyon, flying
to Williams, Arizona, and staying at
the Fray Marcos Hotel. We have fLfstclass
accommodations on Saturday on a
stearn train bound for the south rim of
the Grand Canyon.
• An Air Safari to Branson,
Missouri, June 12-20, offers an unusual
opportunity for PBS members to spend
an entire week together visiting the
western two-thirds of the United States.
We will meet in Bend, Oregon, on June
13; fly to Boise, Idaho, for lunch; then
continue on to Livingston, Montana, to
the Chico Hot Springs Resort. Next stop
is Mt. Rushmore and Devils Tower on
our way tb Custer, South Dakota. Then
on to Branson, Missouri, home of the
Country Western Hall of Fame.
After two days in Branson, we take
off for New Mexico to explore Carlsbad
Caverns, then to Laughlin, evada, via
Monument Valley, Utah. The safari ends
in Columbia, California, where we will
see either the Johnstown Railroad
Depot or Yosemite ational Park.
The PBS website
has updated information on
these events and you can sign up there.
Hope you can join us for at least one of
these activities. We always have a wonderfultime.-Stel'e
Blythe
Rocky Mountain
Bonanza Society
RMBS members will meet May
2-4 in fascinating and historic Santa Fe,
ew Mexico, for a mid-spring extravaganza.
We have reserved 25 rooms at
the world-famous La Fonda Hotel on
the Plaza, a ational Trust Historic Hotel
.
Check the web
for detailed information on this highdesert
area.
continued on next page
Visitors shop the "Indian Marker in front of the Governor's Palace in $onto Fe, New Mexico.
ABS February 2003
Page 7697

On June 5-8 members
of RMBS will participate
in the ABS Experience
at Olathe, Kansas. The
Midwest and Southwest
regional societies are
doing likewise.
The La Fonda holeVreslauranl has been the place 10 go in Sonta Fe for many years.
Our adventure will begin with a
cocktail hour in the hotel's La Fiesta
Lounge at 1700 and dinner in the fabulous
Coyote Cafe.
Saturday kicks off at with a bracing
two-hour guided walking tour of central
Santa Fe. Afterwards, there is plenty of
free time for lunch and visits to al1 galleries,
designer shops, the Sidewalk
Indian Market and dozens of museums.
That afternoon we will board an
open air trolley/tram for a more exten-
sive tour with guides to narrate the
history of Santa Fe. The trolley tour
ends at the Georgia O'Keefe Museum
and you will have entry tickets. Visit
for additional
information.
Our time together ends with another
enjoyable reception and dinner at La
Fonda.
Make your reservation now
because we expect this fly-in to be a
blockbuster! Santa Fe offers so much to
see and do that you may want to arrive
several days early or stay later.
You can register securely on our
website at
Questions: Ca ll Bill Stovall at 303-670-
2244, or e-mail .
(Note Bill's new e-mail
address.)
On June 5-8 members of RMBS
will pal1icipate in the ABS Experience
at Olathe, Kansas. The Midwest and
Southwest regional societies are doing
likewise. See insert in this magazine to
register for that event. -Bill Stovall
CORRECTION
In the January '03 ABS Magazine
(page 7652) listed the wrong e-mail
address for Alan Witkin of the NOl1h
East Bonanza Group. His correct e-mail
address is .
--
1957 H35. N7950D Bob Bixler. Sf. Petersburg. Ftorida
.:::::..
--------------~~-- -
-
---
Page 7698
ABS February 2003

Gotcha!
BY NANCY JOHNSON
A lot of people forget. AOPA has something like 225 employees, 350,000
members and a $50 million budget. ABS has seven employees, 10,300
members and a $1.5 million budget. You simply cannot compare the two.
IreallY enjoy talking to nonmembers who call to ask
whether ABS is worth joining. It gives me the opportunity
to engage in a little persuasion and inspiration,
two of my favorite communication modes.
I have a pretty good success rate in breaking down
resistance, although the stats about membership recruitment
are accurate. In my experience: a third of prospects
join on their own, a third can be convinced to join, and a
third won't join no matter what.
After nearly 30 years of recruiting for various associations,
I still try 10 sign up those in the last third, but I
no longer beat my head against total refusal. [ had such
an experience the other day, when [ picked up a
ringing phone here in the office and found myself on
the line with someone who rather belligerently asked
what good it would do him to pay "all that money for a
darn magazine."
I staned telling him about the benefits, emphasizing
that this is a membership, not a magazine subscription.
But, J also told him that if he pays the dues and then never
takes advantage of any other ABS service, well yes, it
would be a rather expensive subscription.
He mentioned he had some technical questions, and I
told him l'd be glad to put him through to one of our consultants
to experience our excellent technical advisory
serv ice. He said he 'd think about it, but in the meantime
wanted more info on ABS.
Before I could pick up on the discussion of benefits,
he staned listing services offered by AOPA and aSking
why we didn't do this, that or the other thing. [ was able
to assure him that many of the items he mentioned are in
fact offered by ASS, while others are not. He demanded
to know why not.
This explanation is always tricky because it involves
a real ity check that a lot of people just don't want to deal
with: AOPA has something like 225 employees and a $50
million budget. ABS has seven employees and a budget of
abo ut $1.5 million. Size-wise, AOPA is a juggernaut at
over 350,000 members while we're an admirable but
comparatively tiny 10,300.
That's a dash of cold water, but I quickly explained
that you simply cannot compare our two organizations.
After all, the one (AOPA) is for all GA pilots, while the
other (ASS) has a specific audience, although we welcome
anyone with an interest in the airplanes the Society
represents.
[ need to digress for a minute, although it's to add a
side note related to this sto'ry:
Have you ever heard a saying or phrase that you tuck
in the back of your mind in hopes that you'll get to use it
someday It happened to me at Christmas. I got a robe
from my husband and he told me to look at the label in the
collar because there was something really funny on it.
Having piqued your interest, I'm go ing to make you
wait ti ll the end of this article to read what I saw on the
label. Be patient, dear members .
So I'm talking to this Doubting Thomas, and he 's
just not happy that ABS can't be all that AOPA is. I
explained that we are one of the foremost type clubs
and that our services are among the best in modelspecific
associations.
Finally, I asked for his address to send him a copy of
the ABS Maga:ille so he could see for himself how useful
it is. He declined, saying that it really didn 't sound like we
would be a good "fit" for him. Okay, here it comes, folks.
So J concluded our chat with , "I'm sorry to hear that,
but even clothing labels now say 'one size fits mOSI. '"
Dead silence on the other end of the line, then a major
chuckle as he bid me farewell.
His completed membership application showed @in
the mail a week later.
ABS February 2003
Page 7699

. BRUARY
7-9 - BPPP, Inc. Melbourne, Florida.
Contact: BPPP, Inc., 970-377-1877.
22 - North East Bonanza Group Fly-in. Richmond,
Virginia. Aviation Museum. Contact: Phaedra Hise
and Bill Hargis 804-342-9017.
27- March 2 - Pacilic Bonanza Society Fly-In.
Mulege-Baja, Mexico. Punta Gallitos Airport. Whale
walching and petting newborn whales. Hotel
Serenidad. Conlact: Stephen Blythe, 949-583-9500
ext. 131 .0r visit .
27- March 2 - Soulheaslern Bonanza Society
Fly-in. Orlando/Lakeland (ISM). A visit to
Mickey's house. Conlact: Jim Chess 727-819-
8233. Or visil .
MARCH
14-16 - BPPP, Inc. San Antonio, Texas.
Contacl: BPPP, Inc., 970-377-1877.
20-23 - ABS Service Clinic. Lantana, Florida.
Windward Aviation (LNA). Contact: ABS HO 316-
945-1700, or sign up at .
21-23 - Pacific Bonanza Society Fly-In. Sanla
Maria-Solvang, Calilornia. Wine tasting in Sanla
Ynez Valley. Conlact: Paul Baum. 805-461-3643
or Charles Pratt 805-543-0701 . Or visil
.
22 - North East Bonanza Group Fly-In. Hartford,
Connecticut. NE ~r Museum. Conlact: Paul Damiano
860-646-33B3 ..
28-30 - BPPP, Inc. Greensboro, North Carolina.
Contact: BPPP, Inc., 970-377-1877.
APRIL
2-8 - Sun 'n Fun Fly-in. Lakeland, Florida.
Lakeland Linder Regional Airport.
3-6 - ABS Service Clinic. Sparks, Nevada.
Aviation Classics (4SD). Contact: ABS HO
316-945-1700, or sign up at .
11-13 - BPPP, lnc. Fresno, Calilornia.
Conlact: BPPP, Inc" 970-377-t877.
19 - North East Bonanza Group Fly-in.
Tangier Island, Virginia. Lunch at Crocketts.
Conlact: Clement Zilka 215-638-8035.
Page 7700
24-27 - Southeastem Bonanza Society Fly-in.
Diamondhead, Mississippi (HAS). Conlact:
Harry LaCosle 228-255-8796.0r visit
.
25-27 - BPPP, Inc. Columbus, Ohio.
Contact: BPPP, Inc., 970-377-1877.
MAY
1-4 - ABS Service Clinic. Spring, Texas. Hooks
(DWH). Contact: ABS HO 316-945-1700, or sign
up at .
2-4 - Rocky Mountain Bonanza Society Fly-in.
Santa Fe, New Mexico. Visit .
Or contact Ron Schmidt 308-284-6090, or e-mail
Bill Stovall .
2-4 - Pacilic Bonanza Society Fly-in. Williams,
Arizona. Grand Old Hotel and Train Tour 01 Grand
Canyon. Contact: Ed Smith, 702-656-8135
cell: 702-233-3202. Or visit
.
3 - Bonanza Formalion Flying Clinic.
Sherman-Dennison, Texas. Grayson County
Airport. Visit .
8-10 - Midwest Bonanza Society Fly-in. al Rough
River State Park located at falls-Of-Rough,
Kenlucky. Call for reservations to t-800-325-
1713. Contact: Donald Lambert 574-825-2284,
574-457-8452 or email .
15-18 - ABS Service Clinic. Newport News!
Williamsburg, Virginia. During Ihe ABS EXPERI­
ENCE. Contact: ABS HO 3t 6-945-1700, or sign up
at .
15-18 - ABS EXPERIENCE. "Reliving History,"
Norfolk, Virginia (ORf). In cooperation with the
North East Bonanza Group and Ihe Southeastern
Bonanza SOCiety. Contact: Harold Bosl
770-7t 9-0638.
.JUNE
5-8 - ABS EXPERIENCE. Olathe, Kansas. New
Cenlury ~rCenter Airport (IXD). In cooperation with
the Midwest, Rocky Mounlain and Soulhwest
Bonanza Societies. Contact: Harold Bost 770-719-
O63B.
5-8 - ABS Service Clinic. Advanced Aviation.
Olathe, Kansas. New Century AirCenter Airport
(IXD). During the ABS EXPERIENCE.
Conlact: ABS HO 3t6-945-1700, or sign up at
.
5-8 - Soulheastern Bonanza Society Fly-In .
South Seas Planlation. Captiva Island, Florida
(FMY). Contact: Bern DePol941-549-912t , or
visit .
12-20 - Pacific Bonanza Society Air Safari. Bend,
Oregon, to Branson, Missouri. Conlact: Steve
Walker. 425-B83-1984 or Dean Eldridge 360-659-
6641 . Or visil www.pacificbonanza.org>.
20-22 - BPPP, Inc. Colorado Springs Colorado.
Mounlain Flying. Conlact: BPPP, Inc.,
970-377-1877.
21-22 - North East Bonanza Group Fly-in. Bar
Harbor, Maine. Contact: Phil DNirgilio 207-288-0233.
.JULY
11-13 - Midwest Bonanza Society Fly-in.
Cable, Wisconsin. Telemark Resort call1-877-
798-4718 for reservations. Contact: Donald
Lambert 574-825-2284, 574-457-B452
or email .
19 - North EaslBonanza Group Fly-in.
New Bedford, Massachusetts. Whaling Museum.
Contact: Jim Stevens 508-946-4562.
29-Aug. 4 - EM AirVenture. Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
AUGUST
1-10 - Southeastern Bonanza Society Fly-in.
Graceland. Memphis, Tennessee (MEM). Contact:
Paul Lasen 901-753-814 t .Or visit
.
8-10 - Pacitic Bonanza Society Fly-in . Seattle,
Washinglon. Paine fiekl ferry Trip & Indian
Salmon feed. Contact: Steve Walker, 425-883-
1934 or Dean Eldridge 360-659-6641 . Or visit
.
23 - North East Bonanza Group Fly-In.
College Station, Pennsylvania. Penn's Cave.
Contact: Larry West 732-329-9139 .
SEPTEMBER
6-10 - ABS ANNUAL CONVENTION & MEETING .
Reno, Nevada. Call ABS HO, 316-945-1700.
8 - Reno Air Race Qualifying. Reno, Nevada
11-14 - Reno Air Race Eliminations. Reno, Nevada
14 - Reno Air Races, Finals. Reno, Nevada
19 - The Big Country Airiest. Abilene (Texas)
Regional Airport (ABI). Contact: Gray Bridwell
.
ASS February 2003

True Flow 500 FAAAPprOVed, TSO'dandsTc'd
Save on installation cost and panel space
with Insight's NEW True Flow 500 Sensor
Computer with GPS interface_
True Flow 500 is a new concept in fuel flow computers.
True Flow 500 is designed to give pilots a simple and efficient way
of reading fuel information directly on the GPS fuel pages.
True Flow 500 eliminates tedious installation and set-up procedures
that are required for other fuel flow computers.
Install True Flow 500 on top of the engine and connect fuel lines,
GPS power, ground and RS232 RX input. There is no K- factor to
set-up, no switches to turn and no jumpers to remove or add.
Turn on the GPS, enter total fuel on board and immediately you will
have accurate fuel information.
True Flow Features:
First fuel flow computer that does not use
up valuable panel space.
First fuel flow computer with automatic
compensation for K-factors. (no calibration re­
Quired).
True Flow 500 computes fuel flow rate, total fuel used and transmits
data through a serial interface directly to the GPS.
True Flow 500 communicates with the GPS using well known serial
protocols that are supported by most of the general aviation GPS
manufacturers.
First fuel flow computer fully installed in the
engine compartment. (no additional equipment
required, works directly with the GPS)
First fuel flow computer to eliminate "ground
problems" (cornmon-mode voltages superimposed
on the ground wire that reduces SNR of the fuel flow
computer)
First fuel flow computer to providing a visual
indication of both power and flow rate
(LED).
Simple and short installation reduces installation
cost to a fraction of what is typical
for other fuel flow computers.
PUSH
,
• ,
co.
............. ·VlOC
"'"
CO' 00$ ...
Call now for pricing
905-871-0733
Fax: 905-871-5460
Web: www.insightavionics.com
IJllliI'I + C YSN ~
861 16.0' 1 3'.
56.41 29.21 01 50
9.6 19~ 0521
FPC
GPS Hsa II
""'"
".'
_(iPS
-
ii

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ' I I I
' I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ' I I I I I I I ' I I I I I I I I I I I I ' I
A FEW REASONS WHY OUR ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY SHOULD BE
VERY IMPORTANT TO YOU:
TREE TOPS, SHORT FIELD TAKEOFFS, AND THE ROCI