Kettle Moraine EAA Chapter #1158
West Bend, Wisconsin, USA

Newsletter
Sectional
Vol. 2 No. 2 - March/April 1997

Available in full color at http://www.execpc.com/~sroensch/eaa

In this issue...

1997 Program Schedule - A full year of fun
Mailbag - West Bend HS aerospace course, voltmeter solution
From the Editor - Fly-outs, chapter survey, electronic submission
President's Message - Let's get busy
Builders' Corner - Technical counselor and flight advisor
CFI Tips - VFR limitations, shockingly cool
Young Eagles Activity - Thanks for 150 Young Eagle flights
Personnel Notes - Oh baby, relocation
Classifieds - Howdy pardner
Calendar - Fly-out food and fun
Officers, Teams, Committees - Movers and shakers
On the Fly - Chapter patch, fly-in, Poberezny book, seminar/workshops, survival class
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1997 Program Schedule
by Ron Champeny

* WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19th - Chapter Meeting - 7 pm, West Bend Airport
  • WW-II Artillery Spotter Pilot John Lynn
  • Ratings Review with Mike Schram, CFI
  • Chapter Patch Contest Vote
IMPORTANT: Please bring your 1997 dues payment of $10 to the February chapter meeting. If you cannot attend the meeting, please mail your payment to Glen Brandt, 643 N. Montgomery St., Port Washington, WI 53074, phone 268-1648. Those who have not paid by March 31, 1997 will be removed from the chapter membership.

* SATURDAY, MARCH 15th - EAA Oshkosh - 9 am, meet at West Bend Airport
  • Flyout/Driveout to EAA Museum (group rate $4.50 per person), Kermit Weeks hangar (free), group lunch (share expense)
* WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16th - Chapter Meeting - 7 pm, West Bend Airport
  • Preflight "Doing It Right" by Mechanical and Avionics Specialists
  • Preflight Contest
* WEDNESDAY, MAY 21st - Chapter Meeting - 7 pm, West Bend Airport
  • Safety Program - Density Altitude, Weight & Balance, MOA Review
  • Aviation History - West Bend
* WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18th - Chapter Meeting - 7 pm, West Bend Airport
  • Oshkosh Volunteer Plea (by EAA Headquarters)
  • IDPA Preparation
  • Invitational Event - Fly In
* WEDNESDAY, JULY 16th - Chapter Meeting - 7 pm, West Bend Airport
  • Kit Building - Selecting the Kit to Build
* WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20th - Chapter Meeting - 7 pm, West Bend Airport
  • Safety Program (to be determined)
  • Preplan for Airport Day
* WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17th - Chapter Meeting - 7 pm, West Bend Airport
  • How-to Night for/by Homebuilders
  • Speaker (to be determined)
* WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15th - Chapter Meeting - 7 pm, West Bend Airport
  • Aircraft Insurance
  • Pilot Insurance Issues
* WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19th - Chapter Meeting - 7 pm, West Bend Airport
  • Fire Safety
  • Fire Department/Paramedic Night
* DECEMBER - No Chapter Meeting
Programs subject to change. Program suggestions are welcome -
Contact Ron Champeny, Program Committee Chairman, 414-334-4309.
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Mailbag

West Bend High School Aerospace Technology Course

* Paul Lupton writes:

Cancellation alert! West Bend High School offers the course Aerospace Technology. This class has run for the last five years but was cancelled for fall '96 due to low enrollment. It is in danger of being cancelled again for fall '97 if the minimum sign-up of 20 students is not met by Feb. 28. You can help by spreading the word that this is a great course for high school students. The class meets after school and has 3 Saturday field trips. For more information contact Paul Lupton, 335-5582 (work), 338-1826 (home), cfiphd@aol.com. Thanks for your help.


Voltmeter Solution

* From Steve Roensch:

I recently followed a great tip I saw on an online Pipers list, and thought I'd share it with our chapter: A lot of planes (mine included) have an ammeter gauge, but no voltmeter. Monitoring the health of the electrical system would be easier with both, but who wants to spend hundreds of dollars to have a voltmeter installed? Voila! Enter Damark. They sell a "Vehicle Battery Voltage Meter" which plugs into the ciagarette lighter. It's small, weighs maybe 6 ounces, works on both 12 and 24V systems, and has both LED indicators and a digital LCD display. Best of all, it cost $14.99 plus $5.99 shipping! When I called them at 1-800-729-9000, they had trouble locating one for me, until I came up with catalog # 64731 and item # 504472. No more nagging doubt about the battery or system voltage - just pop in the meter.

Send your comments to sroensch@execpc.com, or fax to 414-375-2212, or
mail to Steve Roensch, 634 Lake Shore Road, Grafton, WI 53024-9723
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From the Editor

by Steve Roensch, Editor, Webmaster

Fly-outs

Chapter fly-outs have been scheduled for 2/15 (Janesville breakfast), 3/15 (EAA Museum) and 4/19 (Manitowoc breakfast). For more information, see the "Calendar" section in this issue, or call Jim Retzlaff, Fly-out Chairman, at 414-338-3728. If you own a plane, bring it out and enjoy a great flight. If you rent, this is a great opportunity to invite the spouse or a friend. If you're not a pilot, call Jim to arrange for a seat.

Chapter Survey

To date, only 44 chapter surveys have been returned. This represents just over half of our 80+ members. If you have not completed a copy, please do so at the February chapter meeting. Completing the survey takes less than 5 minutes. If you cannot attend the meeting, please leave me a message at 414-375-2228 with your fax number or address, and be sure to complete and mail back your copy by the end of February. Results will be published in the next newsletter (due out in April), and will be used by our Programming Committee to schedule events of interest to our membership.

Electronic Submission

Publishing a newsletter is a time-consuming but rewarding task - just ask our editors, reporters, proofreaders and publishing team. However, everyone has busy lives, and volunteers should not be expected to do unnecessary busy work. We are therefore tightening our standards of article submission.

Mailbag input, classified ads, calendar items and short "On the Fly" notes can still be submitted however you please. Our preference, in order, is:

  1. Email (sroensch@execpc.com)
  2. Diskette (3.5" DOS/Windows)
  3. Fax (414-375-2212)
  4. Hardcopy mail (Steve Roensch, 634 Lake Shore Road, Grafton, WI 53024-9723)
  5. Voice mail (414-375-2228)
With all these submission methods, it wouldn't hurt if you'd leave a short message at 375-2228, indicating what you have submitted.

In addition, all members are encouraged to submit articles for the larger sections in our newsletter. Effective immediately, these submissions must be in electronic (computer) format. Computers are readily accessible to everyone - if in doubt, go to your local library. (Bring a 3.5" diskette to store your article on - we will return it to you.) Please submit your input in one of the following formats:

  1. PREFERRED: Simply key your text into an email note and send it to sroensch@execpc.com. If you have supporting photos, give them to me at a meeting (or mail to the address listed above), with the captions written on the back (or on a stick note).

  2. SECOND PREFERENCE: Save your article in MS/Word, WordPerfect or text file format, attach the file to an email note, and send to sroensch@execpc.com.

  3. ACCEPTABLE: Save your article in MS/Word, WordPerfect or text file format, write onto a 3.5" diskette using DOS, Windows 3.1 or Windows 95, and give me the diskette (or mail it protected by some thin cardboard). If you use a Mac, use the included utilities to write the file in DOS format.

  4. ACCEPTABLE ONLY ON A ONE-TIME BASIS: Typewritten articles will be accepted only on an occasional basis (not for submitters to every issue). We use optical character recognition (OCR) software to scan and interpret these, but the resulting error-checking and editing is very time-consuming. Typed pages must be given to me or mailed - OCR of faxed copies is extremely unreliable.

  5. UNACCEPTABLE: Handwritten or faxed information will no longer be accepted (except for very short submissions such as a classified ad; see above).

If the chapter feels that these guidelines are too restrictive, we can ask for volunteers to a "typist committee". These people would key in submitted articles and check for errors. This solution would force us to move up the submission deadline another week or two.

Reminder: The deadline for submission is the 20th of each odd month, for the issue that will be received on about the 10th of the following month. This time is needed by the editors, proofreaders, publishing team and post office. All submitters are encouraged to meet the deadline.
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President's Message

by Howard Kaney, President


1997 will be a year for action in our EAA chapter. The year started out with a "Plans night" social that found almost 60 of our members and guests in attendance. Each one had a chance to drool over some aircraft plans, grab their significant other, and say "Wow, wouldn't it be neat to build one of these!" Perhaps more importantly, we all had a chance to get acquainted with some other chapter members and their spouses or friends. Part of the fun in being an EAA Chapter member is the camaraderie we all share. I encourage you to be part of it.

You will find our chapter has a full slate of events lined up for the year. A list of the scheduled ones appears in this newsletter. Your president has decided that the only way to make this year successful and fun will be to involve lots of people. What can be overwhelming for one person can be enjoyable for a team as they split up the workload. Activities such as our first Fly-In need ideas, planning, coordination, and action. That's why you'll see some clipboards being circulated at our next meeting, asking people to participate in chapter activities. We wouldn't ask for your time and effort unless it was important.

I hope that you have an enjoyable year. I'm looking forward to working side by side with all of you in our many chapter activities.
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Builders' Corner

by Richard Feldschneider II, Vice President

Help Wanted

One of our Chapter's goals for the year is to appoint a Technical Counselor and Flight Advisor. The role of these resource people is to assist members of our EAA chapter in safely building their projects and getting them into the air. The ideal candidates would share their knowledge, expertise and acquired experience. They would also serve as resource coordinators for those who are considering homebuilt projects.

The necessary qualifications are:

  1. Have built an amateur-built aircraft, or,
  2. Have restored an antique/classic aircraft, or,
  3. Be an A&P, IA, DAP, DER or Aerospace Engineer (U.S. ratings or other countries' equivalents are acceptable), or,
  4. Have the qualifications for the above, or,
  5. In the case of an ultralight technical counselor, must have the experience and ability to provide technical assistance for ultralight aircraft builders.
The Flight Advisor may also serve as the Technical Counselor. However, the Flight Advisor acts only in a non-flying role before flight testing occurs. He/she helps you evaluate your ability as a pilot by using checklists prepared by the EAA. These are geared to the characteristics of the aircraft you are flying. The Flight Advisor can then recommend resources for training and can even test pilots if necessary.

The benefits of being an EAA Technical Counselor or Flight Advisor are:

  1. Receiving the quarterly Technical Counselor Newsletter, filled with technical tips and information, and,
  2. The satisfaction of passing on the knowledge of aircraft building and safety practices to our members.
For more information on filling this worthwhile role, please contact VP Richard G. Feldschneider at 414-677-3416. We'd like to hear from you if you are interested or know of someone who may be qualified. ----------

CFI Tips


Tip #5, by Ed Emanuel, FAA Pilot Examiner



Even with the new changes, there are still regulations which require legal interpretations by people who may have to ask someone else what they think it all means, and we may have to live with that forever. But when certificate loss, suspension or worse can be threatened due to ignorance of critical information hidden in boring text while concentrating on an adjacent eye-catching table taking half the same page, the need for minimizing misunderstandings is still alive.

A case in point is the response heard from many applicants for Private, Commercial, and even Instrument Ratings, when asked to describe basic VFR limitations. They usually recite correctly the cloud clearance and visibility requirements at various altitudes as shown in the table, but stick with that source for stating the minimums for takeoff, landing or entering airspace within the lateral boundaries of the surface areas of Class B, C, D and E airspace that is designated for an airport... and that doesn't compute.

My opinion, in a previous article, of FAA's strange relaxation of the rules for night VFR traffic pattern operations still stands. But the apparent lack of student exposure and understanding of daytime operations in the above airspaces is cause for concern - especially considering the number of people who have done all of their flight training based in a Class D airport and are unable to say the magic words. If asked when a Special VFR Clearance is required for departure or arrival at a controlled airport (not Class B), the rote reply is "when cloud clearance can’t be maintained at least 500' below, 1000' above and at least 3 miles visibility." Next question: Can we then takeoff without a Special VFR if the ceiling over the airport is 520 feet? That results in some calculator use, a check of the airport elevation, and a glassy stare as comatose sets in.

For airplanes the magic words are 1000' ceiling and at least 3 miles ground (or in-flight) visibility, and the rule is not new - it’s even in my 45 year old flight training manual. The problem is that for a number of years the details have been buried in the text of PAR 91.155 (2)(c)(d) and must be carefully read while keeping in mind the limits in 61.89(6) before student pilots venture solo into controlled airport airspaces or their Class E extensions.

The 1997 FAR AIM books are now available and are loaded with new information to help us all stay proficient and legal. I bought one yesterday. Happy reading!


Tip #6, by Mike Schram, CFI, West Bend Air

WHERE ARE THE QUESTIONS??
Best set of well trained pilots in the world. No questions? Please if you think of one drop it off at the desk at W.B.A c/o Mike and I will get right on it. Help me out with your flying questions.

Last month we talked about the frozen skies. As usual we are flooded with articles about thermal shocking engines. None can agree. I have been teaching combustion engines for over 20 years and find most of the failures that I have difficult to blame on thermal shock. Most appear to be related to poor castings or not enough material, i.e. manufacturing failure. Think for a moment about the tow planes that spend their entire life going from full power to idle, split S fall 4000 feet, land and shut down, cycle after cycle up to 60 or more times per day with remarkably few failures. Where is the thermal shock? What about overheated snowmobile engines that are doused with snow or a CO2 fire extinguisher with no apparent damage? We don’t know for sure that there is such a thing. WE DO KNOW THAT BABYING YOUR ENGINE WON’T HURT IT EITHER! We also know that starting is the toughest part of your engine’s life. Why not pre-heat and keep the killing rpm at a minimum until the oil can do its job? The best advice is to do it the safe way. Warm up slowly, cool down slowly, and follow your engine manufacturer’s recommendations carefully.

All pilots: If you are flying in slush, ice, etc. - Apply your brakes on downwind a couple of times firmly. This will usually flex the rotors enough to break the ice that has frozen and assist in preventing a locked wheel on touchdown. Get rid of those wheel pants as they too are slush catchers.

Retract. Pilots: Cycle your gear several times after takeoff to clear some of the slush and ensure that it doesn't pile up inside your wells and freeze the doors shut.

CFI's with tips specific to West Bend or Hartford airport are encouraged to contribute.
Get your tips to Steve Roensch, sroensch@execpc.com
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Young Eagles Activity

by Don Brinkley, Young Eagles Coordinator


A big thanks to the pilots and ground support of Chapter 1158

Even before chapter 1158 was officially formed, its members were active in the Young Eagles program. Some of the pilots had been flying Young Eagles for several years. The first official program for chapter 1158 was the West Bend Airport Open House in September, 1996. Seventy-two rides were provided on that day before the weather shut us down.

Currently, EAA headquarters records show the following number of Young Eagles flown by chapter 1158 members:

     Jack Hinterberg ( 2)    Nora Price    (15)
     Kris Hinterberg (18)    Jim Retzlaff  (37)
     Kyle Howard     ( 6)    Steve Roensch (14)
     Paul Lupton     ( 3)    Ken Seidl     (28)
     Allan Price     (27)
(Note: Online members may check their flight count anytime - follow our home page Young Eagles link to the online version of the World's Largest Logbook - Editor)

The total of 150 Young Eagles is an indication of the commitment that the members of our chapter have made to this program. Every member should be proud of this record. If there are corrections to these numbers, or other pilots who have flown Young Eagles before our chapter was formed, or pilots not listed who want their flights to be credited to our chapter, please call Don Brinkley at 414-335-6519.

Several 1997 Young Eagle programs are already scheduled, and it is expected to be a good year. Any and all members are invited to take part in the upcoming events, either on the ground or as a pilot.

Again, thanks to all.
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Personnel Notes

by Howard Kaney, President

Chapter members Barb and George Connelly welcome a new baby girl, born on January 12th, 1997. Our heartiest congratulations...

Chapter member Ralph Rahn has relocated to Arkansas. You can drop him a line at 24 Barcelona Way, Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, 71909-2858. He says to say "Hi" to Lou Scepanski and Bill Groeneveld.
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Classifieds

Wanted

Partner(s) wanted for purchase of C-172 or C-177. Hangar space available but we must act now! Contact Paul Lupton at 338-1826 or cfiphd@aol.com.
Chapter #1158 members may place their ad free of charge. Submit your ad to
Steve Roensch, 414-375-2228, fax 414-375-2212, sroensch@execpc.com
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Calendar

Chapter Meeting: 3rd Wednesday of each month, 7:00 pm
(Bring a chair)  West Bend Airport, Hwy 33 East, West Bend, Wisconsin


Chapter Events

2/15/97 - Fly-out Breakfast - Janesville
          Meet at West Bend Airport at 8:30 am

3/15/97 - Fly-out/Drive-out to Oshkosh - EAA Museum
          Meet at West Bend Airport at 9:00 am

4/19/97 - Fly-out Breakfast - Manitowoc
          Meet at West Bend Airport at 8:30 am
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Officers, Teams, Committees 
(Officers July 1996 - December 1997)
                                        Area Code 414
President                 Howard Kaney    334-9451 hkaney@execpc.com
Vice President            Richard Feldschneider II 414-677-3416
Secretary                 Allan Price     334-1278
Treasurer                 Glen Brandt     268-1648
Board Members             Don Brinkley    335-6519
                          Allen Bruggink  335-6459
                          Ron Champeny    334-4309
                          Steve Roensch   375-2228 sroensch@execpc.com
Young Eagles Coordinator  Don Brinkley    335-6519
Fly-out Chairman          Jim Retzlaff    338-3728
Historian                 Ernestine Lynfoot 377-9163
Internet Webmaster        Steve Roensch   375-2228 sroensch@execpc.com
   Home Page              http://www.execpc.com/~sroensch/eaa
Newsletter:
   Editor                 Steve Roensch   375-2228 sroensch@execpc.com
   Assistant Editor       Gary Lackie     375-0859 glackie@execpc.com
   Reporters              Paul Lupton     338-1826 cfiphd@aol.com
                          Ernestine Lynfoot 377-9163
                          Jim Rodrian     377-4320 jrodrian@elsyn.com
                          Greg Schmidt    284-0918 magrew@aol.com
   Proofreaders           Kris Hinterberg 334-1809 kris@hinterberg.com
                          Kyle Howard     334-2624 kyle@hnet.net
                          Charlie Puckett 375-0859 cpuckett@execpc.com
   Publishing Team:
      Chairman            Russ Kaye       284-3695 rkaye@execpc.com
                          Don Brinkley    335-6519
                          Bill Groeneveld 334-9436
                          Gary Lackie     375-0859 glackie@execpc.com
                          Paul Lupton     338-1826 cfiphd@aol.com
                          Marv Powell     791-4737
                          Rick Woyak      338-3801
                          Sandra Zorn     626-8764
Membership Committee:
   Chairman               Dan Staehler    338-1351 staehler@execpc.com
   Welcoming Chairman     Allan Price     334-1278
Recognition Committee:
   Chairman               Allen Bruggink  335-6459
                          Don Brinkley    335-6519
Program Committee:
   Chairman               Ron Champeny    334-4309
                          Allen Bruggink  335-6459
                          Terry Ganzel    338-1574
                          Bill Groeneveld 334-9436
                          Howard Kaney    334-9451 hkaney@execpc.com

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On the Fly

Chapter Patch Design Contest Deadline

Don't forget the deadline for the chapter patch contest is our February 19th chapter meeting. The winner will receive an official EAA jacket in their size. Contact Allen Bruggink at 414-335-6459 for details. Be sure to attend the February meeting to get a chance to vote.

Fly-in Volunteers Wanted!

Would you like to be in on the ground floor of a project? Want the hardest job done for you? Then let us recruit the volunteers, and you help your chapter organize our first annual fly-in. It's not too early for publicity, facilities arrangement, etc. We know we'd like to have it in June, but the format is up to you. Look for the volunteer sign-up clipboard to be passed around at our February meeting. The more we have, the less work it will be.

"Poberezny - The Story Begins..."

You've read about him. You've heard about him. You've heard him speak at one of our first chapter meetings. He's even a member of Kettle Moraine EAA Chapter 1158 (and of every other chapter...). Now, learn how it all started, from Paul and Audrey Poberezny's humble beginnings through the birth of EAA. This is a "first edition", focusing on their early years. A future volume (volumes?) is expected to follow. The team that worked on this "labor of love", Paul, Audrey and Bonnie Poberezny and Chuck Parnall, decided to produce and market the 300-page book on their own - not as an EAA-sponsored project. Prices are $39.95 hard bound standard edition, $79.95 "Signature Edition" (leather bound, with personal inscription from Paul and Audrey), $109.95 for both editions, plus 5% sales tax and shipping of $5 per book. For more information, contact Bonnie Poberezny, Red One Publishing, P.O. Box 3031, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3031, or try Dick Knapinski, EAA Oshkosh, dknapinski@eaa.org

Seminar & Workshops

The 1997 Wisconsin Ultralight Safety Seminar is scheduled for Saturday, February 22, from 9 am to 4 pm (registration 8 am), at the Mead Inn, Wisconsin Rapids, 715-423-1500. Special safety seminar hotel rates are available - call 1-800-843-6323. "Tons of door prizes and big ticket raffle items." For more information, call Harold Benisch, work 608-271-7617, home 414-623-4457, or Bart Gaffney, 414-567-4486.

The EAA/SportAir Builders' Workshops 1997 schedule has been released. Nearby locations include Aurora, IL 5/31-6/1, and Minneapolis, MN 7/19-7/20. Contact SportAir at 1-800-WORKSHOP (1-800-967-5746), workshops@sportair.com, web site www.sportair.com.

Skills in Survival - Looking for Class Participants

"...family of four was found huddled inside the wreckage of a single engine airplane about 16 hours after crashing into the forest. Fog and driving rain had hampered rescue efforts."

If you heard Roger Johnson speak at our Chapter meeting last year, you know how real and dangerous this situation can be. Why not invest a little of your time and a few of your dollars in a course designed to acquaint you with the skills required in the event of an off-airport landing? Insurance helps protect us against losses, but it’s only good if we can walk out and tell someone about it. Spend 1/10th that amount on something that really matters - you!

We’re trying to round up 10 people to organize a course taught by Roger on general aviation survival skills - patterns of survival, signaling, shelters, firecraft, food and water procurement, etc. We’ll also build a survival kit for use in our aircraft. All this for $75 and 8 Monday nights. The survival kit alone out of Sporty’s is $169.95! Look for the sign-up clipboard at our February meeting. ----------

This and all Kettle Moraine EAA Chapter #1158 newsletters are provided for your enjoyment only. No claim is made and no liability is assumed, expressed or implied as to the accuracy or safety implications of any material presented. Viewpoints of the writers are not necessarily those of this or any EAA Chapter or of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). Use of any of the material presented, whether by applying, copying or quoting, is done solely at the risk of the user.

© 1997 Kettle Moraine EAA Chapter #1158. All rights reserved worldwide.
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email Kettle Moraine EAA Chapter #1158 Webmaster
414-375-2228