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PUFA NEWSLETTER
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April 18, 2001
Ken Buck, President
Walter Klatt, Vice-President
Glenn Ursel, Treasurer
Daryl Hegyi, Secretary
Mail to: Pacific Ultralight Flying Association
102-16071 82 Avenue
Surrey, B.C. V3S 2L6
PUFA Newsletter published by Glenn Ursel
From The President
by Ken Buck
A turnout of 19 members - excellent! It would appear that Gordon Brogan's presentation of a Subaru engine (in pieces) generated a lot of interest. There are a lot of us, especially me, who like to see what it looks like "inside", how does it work, how does it fit together.
To cap it off, Gordon brought a video of the engine being test run in the driveway outside his carport. We were all waiting for something to happen like the Ivo prop chewing a swath through the ivy or clematis if the stand gave way. Gordon was very careful working in close proximity of the turning prop - like taking a hike to get around from one side to the other.
Following the engine installation, new skins on the "bird", some hopping and then actual flight. Over two years of work!
Don Willoughby did his homework! An up-dated list of flying events has everyone dreaming about the coming excursions. Now if the weather would cooperate.
Be ready for "I Remember When . . ." Who is next? I'm ready - not going
to tell right now! Are you ready? Come join us; SHARE THE DREAM!
Editorial Note
by Glenn Ursel
This month we have two articles submitted by Fred Baron, one which amounts to a profile on our friend, Larry White and another on his Murphy Renegade that his friend, Don Simmons, started building before his untimely death several years ago at the Boundary Bay Airport.
I also include excerpts from the Transport Canada Ultralight Instructor Newsletter that many of us non instructors may not be aware of. One item that we should all be cognizant of is the CARS regulation that now requires us to display a placard that indicates your ultralight aeroplane is operating without a certificate of airworthiness.
By now most of you have heard or seen the media reports of the tragic
death of the gyrocopter pilot on Wednesday, April 4th. While it was initially
thought there had been a failure of the overhead rotar mechanism, it appears
that the accident may have been due to pilot error as a result of inexperience.
It is believed that the rotar started oscillating out of control, causing
it to strike the rear tail section. The rotar then stopped and the aircraft
plunged some 1000 feet to an agricultural field south of Highway 99 and
west of the King George Highway. The pilot died on impact and the aircraft
was destroyed by fire. I am advised that this oscillation is easily entered
into by low time gyrocopter pilots flying the machines at high speed and
moving the control stick too much or too rapidly. The only way to stop
the oscillation is to immediately cut the engine power which lets the machine
drop and the resulting air pressure on the rotar stabilizes it.
Pilot Extraordinaire
I would like to tell you about Larry White. Larry flies his own designed aeroplane built in his garage at home like most homebuilts but Larry’s plane is an ultralight that he calls "The Cygnet". It is his own design. Larry made the propeller out of hardwood and the floats out of marine plywood. The amphib gear is raised by an ingenious air system when the common complaint about why pilots are out of aviation is cost. Larry’s Cygnet aircraft is a prime example of what one man can do with a lot of ingenuity, an inquisitive mind and talent. Larry estimates that he has $2000 invested in his bird. The engine is a 503 Rotax that was discarded by a person wanting more power. But the 503 works just perfectly for Larry. His cruise speed is 60 mph with a stall around 30 mph.
Larry is busy designing a mono hull pusher. We will be looking for that in our Canadian Surrey in the future. Larry is an inventor. If ingenuity and cleverness were measured in wealth, Larry would be a millionaire but Larry has more than wealth. He has a ready smile for anybody he meets. He has a helpful hand for anyone in need and a sharp inquisitive mind for whatever problem might confront him. Larry loves to fly and is always ready to go for a buzz. He has flown Lazairs starting in 1982 and has a wealth of experience and aircraft knowledge.
Larry White and his beloved Cygnet
I watched Larry build his plane with all wood construction. The wings are a work of art. Larry is experimenting with building his own engine for his plane. He has built one already but found that the weight was too much. Larry is an inventor, a tinkerer, a builder, an astronomer and a flier. Larry is one of the most prolific fliers I know, winter, summer, spring or fall. In the winter, I have seen him shovel the snow off the runway to clear a path for takeoff. And, if you need a hand with your plane, he is always there to help. Larry is a young man of 59 years old, born in Saskatchewan who moved to BC with his parents when he was 6 years old in 1948. Larry attended Princess Margaret High School and worked as a mechanic in his own business, then in a lamination beam company for years.
Larry’s wife, Marie, and Larry are both members of the Pacific Ultralight Flying Association and are very active in club events. Larry and Marie have two daughters, Debbie and Jo Ann. Debbie is a librarian and Jo Ann is a new police officer in New Westminster. Larry and Marie have a home in Florida where they spend a couple of months in the winter. They drive there and back in a Dodge Caravan that Larry modified. Larry raised the roof with a fibreglass top and extended the rear. Marie upholstered the inside. They even have a fireplace inside. They are as snug as a bug in a rug or a couple of cygnets in the wing of a swan.
Fred Baron
One Man’s Dream
A gentleman by the name of Don Simmons spent 1200 hours working and building a Murphy Renegade in a hangar that I rented him in the Hazelmere Valley in Surrey, BC in the winter time. It is a cold, damp place to work but, in between Don Simmons’ flying for Canadian Air Lines in an Airbus, he managed to put in these many hours in that cold, damp hangar. On occasion I would bring Don a cup of tea or coffee and help him move a wing or drill a hole or two. I was always impressed with his precision craftsmanship. Don was very meticulous and always had a smile and cheery word to say. Don flew ultralights such as Lazairs and Beavers but wanted to do aerobatics. He was a member of the BC Aerobatic Team and was part owner in a Pits.
Don’s Renegade was coming together just right. All the frame work was done and the engine mount was in. Don was so excited about soloing this beautiful plane. All it needed was the fabric covering, painting and an engine. Don was leaning towards a Rotax 912. On one of Don Simmons’ trips to Nova Scotia where he came from, I mentioned to him would he bring me a couple of lobsters back and I would pay him when he got back. He brought me a case of beautiful lobsters and said it was a present. My wife and kids ate lobster till it came out of our ears. It was a great gesture from a fine gentleman. Don’s wife and his two beautiful daughters sure had a generous, thoughtful husband and father.
The biplane was coming together and all Don’s work and his wife’s support all those late nights burning the midnight oil was paying off. All the plane needed was a power plant and covering. But I’m sad to say Don Simmons was never to see his work of love fly. Don was killed in a flying accident at Boundary Bay Airport near Vancouver, BC. It was a freaky, stupid accident; one of those things which took the life of a great pilot who was a fine gentleman, loving father, caring husband and our friend. I never saw Don without a smile on his face and always ready to lend a helping hand. It was great loss to us all but Don will always be remembered by his friends, family and fellow pilots.
So, after a sorrowful mourning period, there was this unfinished aircraft in one of my hangars. As I said, there was no engine and no covering. Don’s wife was kind enough to sell me the aircraft at a price I could not refuse. But I had a mission. I was not going to see Don’s work go array. I had a purpose. This bird was going to fly and I was going to fly it in fond memory of Don. After finding someone to cover the aircraft because Mr.Ineptitude, me, would not trust himself to put his handicraft to this beauty, a Rotax 912 was purchased and installed. The plane was painted an appropriate red with a Maltese Cross on the wings and tail.
The aircraft and Don’s dream was assembled by his friends at the Intergalactic Aerodrome. Many hands make light work. Jeff Rochon and Julius Szalontai, who also own Murphy biplanes, were instrumental in the assembling of Don’s plane. Don would have been very proud to see all his friend’s working so hard to get his plane ready. Gordon Hindall was busy taking a lot of photos. Leo Giles, Don’s airline pilot friend from Canadian Airlines, was there with his mom and dad. The plane was ready to go. All systems were checked. The engine was broken in earlier. I did not feel confident to fly a tail dragger so I asked Jeff Rochon to do the first flight. As the Renegade was taxing down the taxiway getting ready for takeoff, I’ll be damned if a bald eagle wasn’t circling above. I swear I said it must be Don checking up on us. Jeff checked the controls, revved up the engine and was off. He made a circuit and landed. It was a cool day and I’m sure Jeff had a hand on his shoulder.
Well, as for me, I had the plane! It was tested! The only thing left was to get Mr. Fred Baron up in the air in this jewel. I must say I was very apprehensive. It was Don’s labour of love. All the painstaking craftsmanship put into building this plane by Don some of which that I had watched, held the plum bob for, moved the saw horses and now it was ready to go. I can’t remember on paper or orally my mixed emotions, looking at this beauty of a plane.
I had no feeling of owning this plane. It was Don’s plane and all I did was finish it. It will always be Don’s plane and I am just a keeper of one man’s dream. I looked at that plane for two months and was very worried about flying it. I was warned about flying a tail dragger and told not to fly it from my short field. But I had 2400 hours flying experience and I guess my
Fred in the finished Renegade started by Don Simmons
$1,000 Lazair is a 180 lb tail dragger. I also had a lot of encouragement from a fellow Lazair ultralight pilot, Bryan Evans, Captain of an Air Canada 767, who said "Don’t worry, you can fly that." So, on a hot summer day, I warmed up that little bugger’s engine, checked it all over, listened to Bryan’s last minute instruction to fly it off the field and take it to Airflow’s field on the King George Highway. This airfield was a lot longer than the Intergalactic and I was told it would be good to practice touch and go’s. So, after all this time, Mr. Baron was ready with butterflies in his stomach and worried about Don’s beauty. Away I went. I kept it in the middle of my hay lined runway and lifted off. It was very warm out and, after circling the field after a successful takeoff, I felt like the king of the world. It was then I noticed the oil and water temperature was rising to a dangerous level. I was up but now was the moment of truth. I had to get it down soon. At that moment, the windshield was covered in coolant. My goggles were covered in antifreeze. My life was flashing by my one good eye. What had I gotten myself into? All the other fields by my airfield were covered in hay six feet high. The only option I had was the Pacific Highway or my strip that I had take off from. The highway had too many cars on it so I brought the biplane into wind like I knew what I was doing. The strip looked like an aircraft carrier deck in the middle of a sea of hay. I said a quick prayer and headed in, wiping the coolant off my goggles with my hand and looking out the side of the plane. I brought the bird over the fence and plunked it down. I’m sure Don was there with me then. The problem with the plane was the hot day and the coolant mix. Larry White, a backyard aeronautical engineer, made a better passage way for the hot air to escape under the cowling. I now have a couple of hundred hours on Don’s plane and I think I got the hang of it now, thanks to Bryan Evans, Jeff Rochon, Julius Szalontai, Howard Victure, Larry White, Hal Wilkie, Murphy Aviation and all the others I can’t remember to make two men’s dream a reality. If one day you are out on your balcony and you see a red flash go by, it just might be the bloody red baron!
Fred Baron
Ultralight Instructor Newsletter
Transport Canada sponsored the 2nd annual Ultralight Instructor Workshop. The February 24th and 25th weekend workshop was held at the Holiday Inn in Langley.
The format of this year’s workshop was a little different. Not only was there instruction, but a few knowledge refreshers and roundtable discussions were included. More opportunity for interaction was also provided which brought about numerous suggestions and innovative ideas for building new programs.
At the forefront, the group tackled the major issue of the proposed Passenger Carrying Flight Test Requirements. Some of the concerns raised by the ultralight community were addressed — a positive step in the right direction were the comments made. The group also generated ideas on topics to be included in building the ideal ground training syllabus for ultralights.
Those who were unable to attend but wish to voice their comments on the Proposed Passenger Carrying Flight Test Requirements, can address their suggestions to:
Karen Tarr (AARRD), Recreational Aviation
& Special Flight Operations, Tower C,
Place de Ville, 6th FIr., 330 Sparks St.,
Ottawa, Ontario KIA 0N8
(phone: 613-990-1 024/fax: 613-990-6215)
Karen’s e-mail address is: TARRK@tc.gc.ca
BC Ultralight Instructor Network
A new concept evolved from the workshop. Gary O’Brien has volunteered to be the contact for the newly formed "British Columbia Ultralight Instructors Network" Transport Canada, via this newsletter, is formally contacting all registered B.C. ultralight instructors, on beialf of the new organization, to get in touch with Gary at the following site:
www.action-ultralights.com and click on "instructor Net" icon or, phone toll free at: 1-877-644-8001
The BCULIN will be the focal point to liaise communications between
the Ultralight Instructors and Transport Canada.
Reminder
Does your ultralight have a placard placed at the controls and in plain view indicating that the aircraft operates without a certificate of airworthiness? Refer to Canadian Aviation Regulations - Part VI, Subpart 2 602.29 Hang Glider and Ultra-light Aeroplane Operation. To access the pertinent information contained in CARS visit the following site:
http://www.infor/aviation/regserv/arac/CARS/cars/602e.htm#602_29
Another site which you may want to bookmark references detailed information pertaining to ultralights:
http://www.tc.gc.ca/aviation/general/recavi/UltraEN.htm
Interested in being a DFTE?
With the passenger carrying in ultralights proposal now in full motion,
Transport Canada is looking for instructors for flight testing. By all
counts, it’s anticipated to be in place this summer. If you’re interested,
contact Dave Dixon at 604-666-5573, outlining your background and experience.
Important Date...
The next Ultrahght Instructor Workshop has been scheduled for the weekend of February 16th and 17th, 2002. With an early start in notifying everyone, hopefully this will be your "must attend event. While it may be fresh on your mind, your suggested topics for discussion would be most welcomed. The Holiday Inn in Langley will be the location again which seemed to be convenient for everyone. See you there next year!
Excerpts orginally published in Ultralight Instructor Newsletter by Transport Canada