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The RV News Roundup 
  A site catering to the lifestyle of building, flying and socializing about RV kitplanes.  Pushed out M-F 1300Z(ish).


Random photo taken by   

Fri May 9, 2008 1247z
Have a happy, safe and RV-filled weekend! 

Any Weekend RV Plans?  ...have an event you want to promote?  Put it in the Main VAF Calendar, or in one of the area-specific sub calendars: Oregon / Texas(N/S) / Florida / California .  You can also view area activity in the Regional Section.

Do You Remove Your Oil Pickup Screen At Every Oil Change?

What Wax Do You Use...an interesting discussion on products folks use to fly faster? (Rosie is a NU Finish man.  Chris Pratt doesn't wax).

Gary Sobek Has 1,100 hours On His Champion Spark Plugs...see how he does it.

Kahuna's Oxygen Refill Station (pics)....start here and read down the next three/four replies.

A Virtual Tour of Ed Coudon's RV-4

Reid-Hillview Users, please read (California)
...posted by Michael Coyle in the 'California' section
I'm sure more than one person on this forum is based at or has used Reid-Hillview Airport in San Jose (RHV). In case you aren't aware, RHV is once again threatened with closure by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. An RV-6 owner friend of mine mentioned that the VAF forum members might want to know what the story is. The executive summary is that the county is facing a massive budget shortfall, and some local officials believe that the answer is to sell off county assets, including RHV.

Even if you aren't based at RHV, consider the impact this closure would have. If the county manages to void its agreements with the FAA that require it to keep the airport open in exchange for federal grants, it would set a terrible precedent that would make it easier to close other airports around the country. (The county counsel has stated in the past that she believes this can be done.)

My reason for posting about this now is that we need your help. Local organizations like CRAMP (www.cramp.org) and RHVAA are joining the fight (with help from AOPA and others). Specifically, we need to support candidates for Supervisor who believe that the airport is an irreplaceable asset.

We're supporting Dave Cortese (www.cortese4supervisor.com) by hosting a BBQ fundraiser for Dave Cortese on May 17th, starting at 5pm, at the Amelia Reid Aviation Hangar at RHV. We are suggesting a minimum contribution of $100, which when you think about it buys only 20 gallons of 100LL for your airplane in most of CA.

If you can't make it to the BBQ but donate to the candidate anyway, please mention that you are a pilot and that you support the candidate's efforts to sustain Reid-Hillview. Alternately, we welcome donations to the CRAMP-PAC (see http://cramp.org/cramp-pac/).

Please feel free to PM me if you want additional information. Or if you feel this sort of post is objectionable. Thank you.

Michael Coyle
pilot, Mooney M20C

Donations Section Updated By Susie

VAF Family
Welcome To The VAF Forums: Milt Sadoway (Vancouver), Jim Polk (CA), Michael Coco (TX)

RV Classifieds Spotlighted

Featured Listing                                                          

 

New listings in the forums classified section:
RV-7 Empennage & Wing Kit For Sale
FS GARMIN 296
RV-6 O-360, Slider, Dual EFIS only $65,000!!!
FS RV-8 Empennage
FS: RV9/9A Emp Kit (Unassembled) + tools + unopened primer and reducer
FS: RV-7 QB WINGS, FUSELAGE AND EMPENNAGE
50% Partnership in PDX Oregon 2006 RV9a
FS: RV4 Empennage & Wing 98% complete
RV-7 For Sale
Free: RV10 HS Jig - Phx Az

FREE to post and view. (posting tips)

VAF Calendar 60 Days Out (go to Main VAF calendar)
ADD and EDIT your own area's RV events.

05-09-2008: Spring Formation Clinic-KMWO
05-10-2008: Spring Formation Clinic-KMWO,
   Pecan Plantation (0TX1) Spring Fly-In,
   EAA 709 Spring Fly-In (KRMG),
   EAA Chapter 834 Fly-In & Poker Run, Mt Vernon, TX
05-11-2008: Spring Formation Clinic-KMWO
05-17-2008: EAA Chapter 302 Fly-in,
  
TEX '08 (KJWY),
   IAC Ch.25 "Two Design Aerobatic Contest" for Rv's,
   EAA Chapter 91 Breakfast (KLXT), KPSO Fly-In Breakfast,
   EAA 445 AirFest 2008 & RV Fly-in (KTLH)
05-18-2008: EAA 445 AirFest 2008 & RV Fly-in (KTLH)
05-23-2008: Damme (EDWC) Van's Aircraft Fly In
05-24-2008: Damme (EDWC) Van's Aircraft Fly In,
   AGUA DULCE AIRPORT (L70) FIRST ANNUAL FLY-IN AND BBQ
05-25-2008: Damme (EDWC) Van's Aircraft Fly In
05-31-2008: RV Fly-In - Bloomsburg, PA (N13)
06-01-2008: RV Fly-In - Bloomsburg, PA (N13)
06-06-2008: Golden West
06-07-2008: Golden West, RV Picnic, 9G3, Akron, NY
06-08-2008: Golden West
06-14-2008: 17th Annual NW RV Fly In - Scappoose, OR KSPB,
   EAA 146 Spring Breakfast Fly-In,
   EAA 1209 Fly-in
06-21-2008: Blake's 50th Birthday Party - KDVT
06-27-2008: Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In
06-28-2008: Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In,
   EAA Chapter 91 Fly-in/Drive-in and Great American Barnstormers (KLXT)
06-29-2008: Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In
07-04-2008: EAA Chapter 91 Fly-in/Drive-in (KLXT) with "Aluminum Overcast"
07-05-2008: EAA Chapter 91 Fly-in/Drive-in (KLXT) with "Aluminum Overcast"
07-06-2008: EAA Chapter 91 Fly-in/Drive-in (KLXT) with "Aluminum Overcast"

 - sub calendars: Oregon / California / N. Texas / S. Texas / Florida

Spotlighted Thread
Sticker Spotted...there I was...driving down the road minding my own business...
    related: Wanna free sticker?

Event News
TEX '08 is on the 17th

Advertiser's Corner
...sent in by the advertisers of this site.
New RV-12 Tool Kit Being Offered By Avery Tools

...from the Averys, "We have a new tool kit for the RV-12 builders, based on the recommended tool list from the Van’s RV-12 builders manual.  For the first 25 RV-12 Tool Kits we sell you get a free VAF Hat & T-shirt (need to know size of the shirt you want). There will be a donation going to Make-A-Wish for each hat / shirt given away in this promotion, courtesy of Avery Tools.
Bob & Judy, Ken & Mimi Avery"
1.800.OK.AVERY to order.

 

Order your VansAirForce.net Shirt Today!


Thu May 8, 2008 1253z
  Wednesday evening I finished the FARs section of the King IFR DVDs and added a little table at the top of that section showing how the IFR rating progress is....well....progressing.  AIMs next...  There's hope for me yet <g>.
   Updated the 'Travels to Date' map on Flash's page (www.N617AR.com).  I needed to add a trip line for a flight last year up to Petit Jean, AR.  I should have added a line down to Houston, because it flew down down there once with Ironflight as PIC, but since I wasn't in the plane I didn't count it.  Paul can start his own map of trips he's taken in my plane .
  Hope you have a great Thursday!!! 

Update on Flash's Facelift
   The OAT probe and remote compass are installed.  Monk took these pictures of the O2 doubler plate Tony made up to mount my bottle where I can reach it.  The bottle is now mounted (sorry for the blurry pic).  Work continues...

Newly installed O2 bottle mount...


 
  Some more pics of the remote compass install
(opens new window)

POTUS over Waco Thu-Sun (daughter getting married)...fair warning.

Aircraft Spruce Sale (Georgia Location May 17th)...sent in by Desiree in their Marketing Dept.
  "We have an event coming up in our Georgia location which is our Aircraft Spruce East Super Sale & Fly-In. The link on our website with the information is: www.aircraftspruce.com/eastcoastSupersale.php
Thank you,
Desiree"
  [ed. ...from their site: "There will be many vendors in attendance as well as prize giveaways, discounted products and free hotdogs and sodas!"]

Rene Felker's RV-10 POH   ...Rene sent this in and I put it in the POH section.  You can use it as a starting point for compiling your RV-10 POH.


   related: The RV-10 Forum | The RV-10 Registry (finished) | The RV-10 section of the RV White Pages

Jim Cone RV-12 Flaperon Construction Pics

May Issue of the ch377 'Fly Paper' Is Online...and there are some RV photos in there.

VAF Family
Welcome To The VAF Forums: Don Winters (IN), Vince Himsl (ID), Brett Woods (Boise, ID)

Milestones
Ready to fly: Bruce Meecham (RV-4 fastback)
   "Ready to fly and waiting on paperwork from FAA registration"

Canoe: Mike in Kentucky
"Just wanted everyone to see I'm really building something also and just not posting.  Mike H came over this last Sunday and helped me finish riveting the forward skins on the plane."

Safety
Probable Cause #57: Out Of Control
...from avweb's reprint of a June '07 IFR Refresher article
  On the morning of Jan. 18, 2000, a King Air Model C-90, on a Part-91, single-pilot, IFR flight from Columbus, Ohio, crashed into the guy wire of a 460-foot AGL radio tower on approach to the Somerset-Pulaski County--J.T. Wilson Field Airport (KSME) in south-central Kentucky. The pilot and four passengers were killed in the subsequent crash. Somerset weather at the time of the crash was IFR, but with good surface visibility -- not what might be considered a challenge for the PIC who had logged nearly 20,000 hours of flight time during his career. During the post-crash investigation, discrepancies in the pilot's total flight time logged were noticed, but were not significant enough to most likely relate to the crash.  continue

Event News
TEX '08 is on the 17th

1st. International European Van's Aircraft Fly in Germany May 23-25, 2008

Correction Regarding the Date of the June 1st RV Fly-In at Bloomsburg:...this from Jim Lewellyn, "Thank you very much for posting our RV fly-in at the Bloomsburg airport (N13) on your main VAF page! The fly-in is a two-day event beginning the morning of Saturday, May 31st and ending the afternoon of Sunday, June 1st. The fly-in dates listed on your main VAF page are incorrectly listed as May 31st, June 1st, and June 2nd.  We would all love to see you (all) at our fly-in! J Thank you."

Miscellaneous
Forum Server Update
   I signed up for a 'total server maintenance' package with my ISP yesterday.  Nutshell it means that they will do all the patching and virus protection required for the forums box from this point forward.  They have people in the building around the clock watching the status of servers - mine is now in the list.  If it goes down at 3am, they will have a man on it before I even find out there is a problem.  What does it mean on your end?  Nothing, really.  For me it's mostly peace of mind - that and an extra $100/mo in expenses <grin>.  The cost of progress... ;^)
  Anywho, the goal is, of course, to keep the forums up and running and helping RVators network whenever they want to.

Out and About: Scott Flandermeyer Sporting Site Gear (v2.0)
   ...from Scott, "Another day on the job!"
  

Out and About: Richard King of Norway Sporting v1.0 Site Gear
  
"My name is Richard King and I'm (temporally) living in Stavanger Norway (map). I have a RV-4 (N3544X) back in Houston. I am also active in scale R/C sailplanes and a member of the Albatross R/C sailplane club here in Stavanger. We had a meet this weekend in Nome Norway in Telemark. Thought you would be interested in some of our sailplanes. I got to fly my friends 1/2 scale ASG-29. It has a wingspan of 9 meters (yes, that's right around 29.5 feet) and weights 29 Kgs (x2.2= 64 Lbs). He also has short wings with only 7.5 meters (around 24.5 Feet).  It has a functional water ballast system. I also flew another friends 1/2.5 (40%) SHK sailplane (V-tail in the background of the picture). It has a wingspan of 6.8 meters (just over 22 feet). Thermals were great and a good time was had by all. At one point we had 8 sailplanes in one thermal all fighting for lift and trying to keep from running into each other. We all survived and all are home safe.
Richard King"
 


Wed May 7, 2008 1319z
  I spent the majority of Tuesday sitting around the house sick - proof again that children are essentially walking Petri dishes!  Cough, sniffle...Lots of rain around N.TX today...doubt many will be flying.  Hope you have a nice Wednesday!

The CFO Has Updated The RV White Pages (by Susie)
  
The RVWPs currently contain contact information for (2,451) RV planes and projects in (26) countries.

Trip Write-Up: Dave Gamble (a couple of Ohio day trips)...Dave keeps a wonderful blog online of his adventures.  Really a great site.

May/June Issue of FAAAviation News Now Online...good article on getting your IFR rating.  One interesting link I did find in this was a link to GPS NOTAMs if you fly IFR GPS (there is a certificate error with that site so you might have to click on 'continue' to see it).

(TOC)

Pics of Central TX Airshow '08 ...courtesy Bruce Pauley (7A)
   "Here's some pics from the airshow this weekend in Temple. I will be posting some good RV related video's in the next couple of days. I hope everyone enjoys the pics."


One thing I really like about these free Picasa Web Albums is
that you can maximize your screen, click 'Slideshow' and get
very large versions of the images.  I like to click the 'pause' icon
and just use my right/left arrow keys to navigate.

More RV-12 Construction Photos...courtesy Jim Cone
  "After a couple of days having to work late, I finally got back to the plane. I worked on the flaperons. Here is the link to the latest pictures 5-6-08.  Sharp eyed viewers will notice that I made a mistake on the pivot brackets in the last set of pictures. I did not make them the correct width. Fortunately I caught my error when I started to back drill them to the spar. They were cut to the correct width and drilled to the spar. I am up to 120 hours in the last picture. I should finish the flaperons in a couple of days."


related: The RV-12 Forum

Factory News: Over 5,700 First Flights Being Reported

VAF Family
Welcome To The VAF Forums: David Poucand (France), Jim Tatlock (Australia Victoria)

Milestones
Painted!  Alf Olav Frog / Norway
   "Just wanted to shear another big moment with you folks: Today we picked up my -7 from the paintshop and hauled it to the airport for final assembly  We also put the HS on today and one of my six (!) man building team had a RV-grin putting it on! (Me too!)  By tomorrow evening we'll hopefully have the rest of the tailfeathers on!  Then wings, then.... the last zilloin tasks....  Isn't RV-building GREAT??!! :-)))"

Off To The Painter: Rudi Greyling

related: Panel all powered up...


Video Motivation
RV-4 Approach into Quincy, CA (map)

Tue May 06, 2008 0857z
  I met Randy (my A&P) over at his hangar Monday morning so we could start working on some temporary IFR equipment work that needs doing.  I'm about to continue actual hood time and would like to have my 5-year old IFR-loaded (but used as VFR) plane gone over with a critical eye.  I have 6.0 hrs simulated hood time in my logbook from years back (pre-RV).  At least it's a start <g>.
  Randy's going to re-run some of the static system to a higher standerd, install my oxygen bottle in the way I've seen him do it on another airplane, help me trace out some issues I'm having with some instruments and generally give the old girl a gook look over.  Locking down all the wires good and tight.  I'd been there about five minutes and the wingtip was already off - that's where the remote compass is going (a few hours later it was mounted).  I stayed and helped for an hour but had to get back home after that.
  Now for the real question you're probably asking yourself - why do I use an A&P on some of this stuff when I can legally do it myself?  Good question.  My answer is I look at an airplane parked on the ground and think "What's the best angle to get a good picture?"  Randy looks at the same airplane and his first thought is, "What is wrong with that airplane?"  Fundamentally different mindsets.  I've seen his work over the years and spend time hanging out with him weekly.  I trust him, quite literally, with my life.  Well worth a few hours of his billable time in my opinion - and he ALWAYS finds stuff to adjust/fix.  Just the other day he rode his moped up as I was about to get in and fly and said, "Hey, you got a loose screw backing out on this fairing."  I'd missed it...
  Other items: Got the cap sighting pic from Wish from the other weekend out at the Byron Nelson tournament.  Updated the article with the pic.  Also updated the RV Hotel section with some new/corrected info.  Still plowing through the King DVDs on IFR and trying to inch through the 400+ emails in Outlook I need to look at!
  I have some updates that need installing on the forum server in the next few days - getting a good backup tonight.  You might see the box down for a few minutes at a time over the next few days as it reboots.  Sorry in advance for any inconveniences.
  Have a great Tuesday! 

First Flight (5/5/08): Bob Condrey RV-10...info and pic sent in by Bob and added to the RV-10 Registry
  
    related: The RV-10 Forum

Winner: Larry Pardue!!!!
    Susie got the donations all up to date earlier Monday on the office computer (published live this coming Friday), so in the evening I went to random.org and got it to generate 15 columns of integers between 1 and 1600.  Then I closed my eyes and wiggled the mouse a few times all around the screen and let go....cursor was resting on #656 (a guy who hadn't donated in the previous 12 months).  Then I did it again and it came up the same.  Third time was a charm:  Larry Pardue (VAF#709) sent in a donation on 9/17/07.
   Larry, the April donator appreciation prize is a good one.  A free SPOT satellite tracking device courtesy Greg Wilkinson of findmespot.com valued at $170.  Let me know where to ship it if you're interested.  If you don't want to sign up for the satellite service ($99/yr basic...$158/yr basic+tracking), you can certainly sell the unit for whatever you can get and I'll ship it to that person instead.
   Thanks again to the many fine folks who send in a yearly donation and to Greg for the unit to donate! 

Pics: My RV9A is in paint shop in Sylvania, GA!!!! (Cleve Thompson)

Advice from the Net…..What Can You Trust?...by Paul Dye
"I was chatting with an RV owner yesterday, someone who has a number of airplanes and bought a nicely-built RV-8 that he just loves to fly, but didn’t have time in his life to build. We were talking about tail wheel mods and a few other things, and I suggested that he ask his questions on the forums here at VAF to tap into the considerable knowledge base. His response was interesting - he’s been here before, but his concern about asking questions (or more generally, using information found here) could be summed up as “who do you trust?” He pointed out that on many topics and questions, if you read an entire thread, you will see diametrically opposed advice and answers to the same question. So what does a non-builder, or new builder do? Without the experience to understand and interpret the results, they can be just as lost as they were before they wandered in the door….." continue

Buddy O' Mine Tony has an old O2 system he'd like to offer. 
   The plumbing fittings were already mounted in a portable box, so you could take that apart if you wanted to mount in the RV.  He wants $300 and can be reached at 817.495.2579 if interested.

VAF Family
Welcome To The VAF Forums: Russel McNeil (SC), Alan Cook (NV)

Milestones
Guinness World Record:  35-ship at OSH Last Year...sent to me by Gary Sobek

Miscellaneous
'08 OSH NOTAM Now Online (PDF format)


 

Mon May 5, 2008 1123z
  Milestone kinda day in the Reeves household - I met my lovely bride Susie on this day 25 years ago.  I'd do it all again in a heartbeat.
  Friday I went out to just wipe the bugs off Flash...and ended up doing (10) touch-n-go's instead.  The last (8) times I've been in the plane I've had a passenger (Susie), and I'd sorta forgotten what it felt like to fly solo.  Got in the groove around TnG #6. High approach, low, right hand, left hand, flaps up/mid/down, simulated engine loss....got them all covered in this one trip.  Stiff xwind from the left gave big burbles off the hangars for runway 35 and the opportunity to ride on the left wheel for a second or three on each takeoff run.  Good times (and I need the practice).
  My personal favorite part is that 'tingle' on the back of my neck when I have the field at my 10 o'clock in a descending turn to a flare - like those old clips of Corsairs coming aboard the carrier.  The morning light, the long shadows off the trees cast on a dark green carpet of farmland, pattern all to myself....oh baby.
  Later met Jeremy Gruenke and Roger Ping from Arizona.  They had just flown in Jeremy's RV to GLO Custom for paint.  One pretty panel, IMHO.  (pics)
  Saturday Tate woke with a fever, so he didn't play soccer.  Your VansAirForce.net Comets lost the game (I found out later).  Life.  Tater laid on the couch and I spent a few hours with Marthajane and John King studying for my IFR test.  Progress made.
  Sunday was all family time...and dealing with the head cold our daughter gave me <g>.  No flying.  Hope you had a great weekend and a really nice Monday. 

 
  (images of Jeremy Gruenke's RV)

First Flight: Zack Spivey's RV-8A
   "The first flight of N912PS was on April 21. We had the DAR inspection on Saturday April 19. Glenn Barron flew the first flight. After the flight we spend some time fixing a leaking fuel tank and other tweaking. Wayne Petrus, who is a co-owner of the aircraft, flew the next 10 or so hours. I finished transition training with Dave Austin on April 26. Yesterday, I got to fly her for the first time."  more

New RV-12 Tool Kit Being Offered By Avery Tools
...from the Averys, "We have a new tool kit for the RV-12 builders, based on the recommended tool list from the Van’s RV-12 builders manual.  For the first 25 RV-12 Tool Kits we sell you get a free VAF Hat & T-shirt (need to know size of the shirt you want). There will be a donation going to Make-A-Wish for each hat / shirt given away in this promotion, courtesy of Avery Tools.
Bob & Judy, Ken & Mimi Avery"
1.800.OK.AVERY to order.

Trip Write-Up: Art, Architecture, and Beer?...from Pete Howell
   "What do all of these have in common? Milwaukee! Whoda thunk that the home of Harley, Miller and the Brewers would have one of the country's most beautiful art museums? Well, believe it!  I am lucky in that my teen age kids still like to hang out with me, and also like to fly in the the RV. Megan (maker of J-pole antennae) is an art and architecture buff and has long wanted to visit the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Calatrava designed bridge and pavillion. Today was the day. We planned the flight last night and departed KANE early."

Out and About: Rene Bubberman Over the Tulip Fields of Holland
  "At this time of year Holland gives you a spectacular view from above: the famous Tulip fields! I thought I wanted to share that with you.  Of course this can best be seen from an RV.  Greetings from the original country from the VanGrunsven family!"

RV White Pages Current....courtesy sr

Panel Status: Ken Tattersall
  

Panel Status: Jim Sharkey (RV-6)
  "Finally fired everything up today. No bangs or smoke. Looks great compared to the Cessnas I'm used to flying."
  

May Edition of ch105 Newsletter is Online...there is always a lot of RV stuff in these.  Great newsletter!
  

RVators In The News: The Natchez Democrat
   Clyde Hollier shows fellow pilot Robert Mims the control panel of his homemade RV8 during the Concordia Parish Airport fly-in Saturday afternoon.
  

VAF Family
Welcome To The VAF Forums: Stephen Akhurst (Vancouver), Kyle Schroeder (Windthorst, TX), Bob Kibby (TX), Brian Brede (Ohio), Warren Arter (MS)

Milestones
Wings Mounded: Tom Velvick
"Mounted the left and right wings to the fuselage this weekend.  Now have to get the fuselage and wings jigged so can drill the hole in the rear spar attach bracket."
   

Wings On: Jeff Bloomquist (and good 'man cave' entry)
"My plan is to leave the wings on until the hassle of walking around them outways the coolness factor. That may be awhile."
  

Safety
Added a Few More Links To The Top of the Weather Page (USA)...make sure to check out the 'National Convective WX Forecast Product' link at the top (marked with 'New' graphic).  Zoom in and change the roll from 2 hours to 24 hours.  Lot of data...

Spotlighted Thread
Checklists - Will That Be Paper …. or Glass?...by Paul Dye
   "Checklists - there can be little doubt that operating an aircraft is safer if you use them. I live my whole life with checklists - we write procedures, test procedures, edit procedures, approve procedures - in the space business, we don't even answer the PHONE without a checklist! The paper procedures for an average Space Shuttle mission takes up about 5 feet of bookshelf space - that's a lot of paper! Back when the Shuttle was designed, paper was the only way to do it. But when the Space Station came along, new technologies presented themselves, and the fact that procedures change quite often on a new and experimental vehicle (that is constantly changing) and the difficulty of bringing more paper copies to Orbit prompted us to develop electronic checklist - procedures that live in the computer system and can be changed by uplinking new files from the ground. In actuality, they are nothing more than Word, HTML, and PDF documents, many with hyperlinks to make navigating the many nested and interconnected tasks easier - but it does cut down on the paper!" continue


May 2, 2008 1310z
  Yesterday Susie and I flew our RV-6 down to Waco to attend a funeral - Susie's sister-in-law's Mom.  Great lady.  We had 30kt headwinds for the trip down and tailwinds on the return (1.3hrs total).  Since we go to Waco more than occasionally, and the tower doesn't talk to a lot of RV traffic, they seem to remember us.  "Welcome back.  Here again, huh?" as I taxied in to the ramp.  They must have remembered the takeoff needs of the RV because they suggested a mid-field departure so we wouldn't have to taxi down to the far end.  They cleared us for the bravo takeoff and added frequency change approved when the wheels were five feet off the ground (they don't get a lot of traffic).  Of course, POTUS is in town this weekend, so all bets are off (lots of support vehicles).  I had the SPOT device on and got a screen print of the flight in the beta public share app (image below).  The data only lives in it for 24hrs during the beta phase, but you're welcome to go look and see if it's still there.
  We were back home before our son got out of school.  Once again, having a a fast airplane turns an all day, driving-back-in-rush-hour-traffic effort into something much more manageable.  Thanks again Van.
  Wishing you a happy, safe and RV-filled weekend! 

First 'Real' Flight N916R 'Lucy'...as seen by Greg Piney
   "This morning I witnessed the first successful of Rick Jahns' (916Romeo) RV-7, 'Lucy'. The only problems seem to be a heavy left wing and a balky radio. At the controls was George Wheeler, our CFI and long-time tailwheel pilot. He said it landed like a dream. I'm sure when Rick sees this, he will give a further report as I had to head off to work. Makes me want to finish my -8 tonight! (Can I get 1000 hours in before morning?).  'Lucy' had a landing accident on her first flight last year. She's better now."
Greg Piney
RV-8 2547
Empennage Done!

First Flight (Sorta) ...you need to read this if you need a laugh.  Good stuff.

Trip Write-up: Dave Parsons ...Seattle to Tucson (with APRS ground track)

More RV-12 Construction Pictures Courtesy Jim Cone
   "Here are some pictures of flaperon construction. I don't know what I did, but I ended up posting the pictures and they did not come over with the captions so I re-did them, but when I went to the public albums, they were already there. Beats me what happened. I don't know how to delete one of the albums so you get two for the money. Free, of course. When you go to the album, click on public galery and look at the other one that has the captions." more

EAA Honoring 30,000th Homebuilt Milestone (eaa)
   "The homebuilt movement is fast approaching a major milestone; 30,000 amateur-built aircraft certificated in the United States! And what better place to celebrate that achievement than at the event created by homebuilders more than a half-century ago, EAA AirVenture Oshkosh."

April 'Callback' Online...if you haven't seen it yet
   ...a sample, "I had decided to perform some takeoffs and landings. The weather was marginal VFR with an observed ceiling that looked OK. There was mist in the air. Looking north, I could see the mountains (about 5 miles) in mist. I was taking off to the south. I could see some occasional flashes of blue sky, and the wind was from the south. During climbout the mist became light rain and the visibility was becoming worse. Then the wall of white came and made the airport behind me disappear."
  

Any Weekend RV Plans?  ...have an event you want to promote?  Put it in the Main VAF Calendar, or in one of the area-specific sub calendars: Oregon / Texas(N/S) / Florida / California .  You can also view area activity in the Regional Section.

Donations Updated...courtesy sr

VAF Family
Welcome To The VAF Forums: William Nelson (FL), Thomas Grant (FL)


Thu May 1, 2008 1158z
  Wednesday evening Charlie Kearns (RV-8) invited me over to his house to hang out with some of the chapter 168 gang.  It was the monthly 'newsletter folding' party.  Charlie lives about six minutes from us, so at about five 'til seven I headed over.  It was nice.  Mel and Ann Asberry were there, as were Don Christiansen, Marvin Brott and many more of the usual suspects.  Charlie's RV-8 project was in the garage, so several folks stayed out there.  I re-upped membership in the 168 chapter there at Charlie's.  Since Don is a tech counselor and knows a LOT more about doing things correctly than I do, I asked if he would talk about something.  Anything.  It's below...
  I should have put this up on the site Wednesday, but 'Carrier' was on PBS Tuesday night and Tate helped read the announcements at school early the next morning (can't miss that!).
  I hope you have a nice Thursday. 

Paul Story Is Selling His Almost Ready To Fly RV-7A
   Paul's wife has become sick and they are forced to sell their project.  Paul wrote up a very detailed description of what he has to offer, as well as pictures, so if you are interested in a TRULY almost-ready-to-fly RV-7A please take a few moments to look over what he has to offer.  Even if you aren't interested, please read the page for me.  We are a community of friends first, and Paul is a friend.  Please keep him and his wife in your prayers.
   We'll keep the graphic on this project (in green below) in the current day's news until it sells.

click image for more info

Words of Wisdom: Don Christiansen Discussing Proper Grounding Technique
  ...words of wisdom from folks that know more than me (which means pretty much everybody).  I plan to find a place to store the audio clips as I get a few more.  This is the first of (hopefully) many dozen.  dr

Play this audio clip (.wma format) while looking at the image below

(about .wma - I used this format because it is 1/3 the file size as .mp3)

SPOT Update
  I talked on the phone with the guy who created the device today.  Nice guy.  The web app where you can share your tracking with friends currently only stores 24hrs worth of data (because it's in beta).  In a week or so he promised 7 days worth of previous returns, and in a month or so 30 days worth.  Just FYI....
   related:  FindMeSpot.com

Chapter 168 Newsletter Fold Party Pics...including some good update pics of Charlie Kearns' RV-8 project.
  

Several New First Flights Reported On The Factory Site

Feedback Requested: Sonny Wiersema's Panel

Monthly Donation Prize for May Will Be Picked Over The Weekend
   Talked with Greg at SPOT.  They are giving away a SPOT unit ($149) for the May donator appreciation prize.  The winner will have to pay the additional money per month (about $8) for the tracking feature if they want to use that (basic 911 service is free).  Susie and I will pick a winner over the weekend, so if you haven't donated in the past 12 months you still have a couple days to get in the running on this one.

VAF Family
Welcome To The VAF Forums: David Motley (TX), Jeffrey Stuart (TX), John Cobb (TN), Mike Quam (CO)

Miscellaneous
OT: R/C F-16 w/afterburner 'effect'...brought to my attention by Danny King


Wed Apr 30, 2008 1229z
  Around 1050am Tuesday, spur of the moment, Susie suggested we go fly.  We decided on Gainesville for lunch (actually in nearby Muenster).  Have I told you lately how blessed I am to have Susie in my life?  It's about a 9min flight