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Volume XLIII, Number 5 September/October 2018
HIGHLIGHTS
AYA Phone Numbers are (530)295-7158, Fax (530)387-5200. www.aya.org
Secretary/Treasurer, p. 2President Report, p. 3 Thriller, pp. 3-4Insurance: p. 5 Member Profile, p. 6
Welcome New Members, p.7ELT'S and 121.5 “GUARD”,p. 7Brake Problem Solved, p. 8CtoO p. 9
AYA Europe, pp. 10-12AYA Oshkosh, pp 12-13Regional Event, pp. 13-17Litter Box, pp. 14-15Cats at Play, back cover
An assortment of photos from AYA Europe 2018, Valdera, Tuscany,Italy.
The American StarSeptember/October 2018 2
AYA Data as of August 7, 2018Total Members ................................... 639Life Members ......................................... 2Type Club Complimentary ..................... 3AA1 Aircraft ......................................... 96AA5 Aircraft ....................................... 466AG5B Aircraft ....................................... 50GA7 Aircraft ........................................... 2Other Aircraft ....................................... 17Checking Accounts.......... .... .......$14,976Investment Account .................... $60,195Future Years’ Dues ....................... $1,495Convention Fund ........................ $25,000Scholarship Fund ......................... $7,359Total Funds*..................... ..........$75,171*Note: Includes Future Dues andConvention Fund
The American Star
$40 is a subscription to The American Star. An initiation fee of $7.50 is charged to new members. Change of address: Please notify the Secretary of any change of address at least four weeks before moving. Correspondence relating to membership information or dues should be directed to: Secretary, American Yankee Association, P.O. Box 1531, Cameron Park, CA 95682, [email protected] Send correspondence and submissions to: Don Metz, Editor, The American Star, 704 Sherman Ave. SW, Calgary, AB T2W 0N2 Canada, [email protected]
The American Star (ISSN 0746-0120) is published bimonthly by the American Yankee Association, Inc., 3232 Western Drive, Cameron Park, CA 95682. Printed In U.S.A. Copyright ©2018 American Yankee Association. All rights reserved. Periodical postage paid at Shingle Springs, CA, and at an additional mailing office. The editorial office is located at 3232 Western Drive, Cameron Park, CA 95682. Postmaster: Send address change to The American Star, P.O. Box 1531, Cameron Park, CA 95682. Membership dues are $60 per year, of which
This newsletter contains material contributed by members of the American Yankee Association, Inc., or reprinted from other sources. The information constitutes the advice and opinion of the contributor and does not necessarily have the approval of the Federal Aviation Administration or the American Yankee Association, Inc. It is the responsibility of the reader to determine the legality and airworthiness of any advice before acting on it. The American Yankee Association, Inc. shall not be held responsible for the actions of members or readers.
AYA Contacts
www.aya.org See Top Cats on back cover also
PresidentOverall AYA programs, planning, management, activities, and operations. Contact with media, AOPA, and other type clubs.
Vice PresidentSuggested convention locations, guests, activities, and seminars. Overall convention operations.
Secretary/TreasurerDues, renewals, address changes, membership information, Star mailing concerns, purchase of Service Bulletins and Letters, ADs, back Star issues, and AYA insignia/memorabilia.
EditorAcceptance and editing of articles, classified and paid ads for the Star, technical questions of a general nature for Ask the Vets, calendar items, and events.
Electronic Services Director [email protected] or (403) 258-3135
Maintenance and administration of the AYA web site and AYA e-mail services. Web site coverage of AYA events. On-line membership services and on-line registration for AYA events.
Regional DirectorsEvents and activities on a regional or local level. Suggestions and recommendations for meetings or destinations for AYA trips.
Program DirectorsInsurance: Norris Hibbler (800) 466-4944 [email protected]: Jim Viola, (703) 466-0188(c) [email protected]
Archives: Vacant [email protected]
Safety Director: Ron Levy (410) 430-4078 [email protected]
Technical: Charlie Adams (817) 219-0162 [email protected]
Scholarship: Patricia Metz (403) 258-3135 (530) 387-5200 (fax) [email protected]
Secretary/Treasurerby: Stew Wilson, Secretary/Treasurer
A Word of Caution
Just as in our everyday lives, we are bombarded with mul-tiple sources
about how to operate and maintain our aircraft. And, just as in real life, this infor-mation ranges from reliable and helpful to ill-informed and potentially dangerous. So our task is to determine the reliabil-ity of the source and use due diligence when following any advice or instruc-tions given, be they videos, articles, chat rooms or word of mouth.
This same caution should be applied when discussing AYA business. The Association is run completely openly and any member can contact a director or officer at any time to complain or discuss concerns. When this is done any other way, the opportunity for misinformation becomes far greater and could poten-tially result in harm to the AYA.
So we ask that if you have ques-tions or concerns, you please contact us directly. The recently completed survey, which was sent in by hundreds of mem-bers, will provide us with a great deal of information on how to improve your Asso-ciation and provide the benefits which are most important to our members.
Scholarship Deadline: February 1
by: Patricia Metz, Scholarship Director
The deadline for receipt of AYA Scholarship applications is February 1. Please allow time for mailing.
We would appreciate AYA members encouraging any young people age 16-25 to apply for the Scholarship under the qualifications available at http://www.aya.org. Click on the Scholarship tab under Information.
You may contact Scholarship Director, Patricia Metz, at [email protected] or (403) 258-3135(evenings MST).
I’d like to take this opportunity to once again thank our members for your tremendous support of the Scholarship Fund.
AYA Annual Membership PricingBasic
Membership or Renewal, includes
E-Star
New Member Initiation, covers
items mailed out to new members
Paper AYA Star Option,
covers postage
$60 $7.50 USA- $15Canada- $22
World- $30
September/October 2018The American Star 3
AYA NEWSPresident
by: Guy Warner, AYA PresidentThis will
be my last column as your presi-dent. First, let me say that it has been an honor and a privilege to serve as your
president for the past two years plus a few months more. At the AYA convention in Hutchinson, I will handing off the pres-idency to our incoming AYA president.
It has been both an exciting and challenging term of office. Much was asked of our staff officers consisting of Secretary/Treasurer Stew and Karen Wilson, and our Newsletter Editor and Electronic Services Director, Don Metz. They have worked tirelessly at improv-ing the programs, internal functions and communications. I applaud and thank them for their efforts and accomplish-ments on behalf of the AYA.
The AYA is a volunteer organization. You have heard that before, right? We simply wouldn’t be able to offer the diver-sity of programs and services without the efforts of our volunteers who so freely give of their time, efforts and resources. Think about it. They fill leadership roles as President, Vice President, Past President, Regional Directors, Program Directors, and a host of other functions. The volunteers plan and run our annual conventions, host fly-ins, serve on com-mittees, submit articles for the newslet-ter, and generally help out as needed. Hats off to them! Next time you encoun-ter one of our volunteers make sure that you let him or her know how much you appreciate their service. THANK YOU Volunteers, the AYA couldn’t function without you!
I would also like to thank all of the members who responded to the AYA Member Viewpoint Survey that we recently sent out through Survey Mon-key. We are currently going through the survey to see how you feel about every-thing, and every response to all of the questions will be carefully read and con-sidered. A complete report to you, the members, will be forthcoming including what actions the AYA Board will be tak-
ing in response to your expressed needs and wants. We hear you!
I can only hope that you will continue to give our incoming president and vice president your support and encourage-ment. A big “THANK YOU” goes out to everyone from me, your outgoing presi-dent. It’s been quite a ride!
Special Thanks!To everyone who took the time to
respond to the AYA Member Viewpoint Study.
We had 320 members participate in the survey which is approximately 50% of our current membership. That is simply outstanding! A summary report on the 93 page survey will be published in the next issue of The American Star after we have had time to fully exam-ine and analyze all of the responses. Thanks for supporting the survey and making your viewpoints known!
Guy Warner, AYA President
AYA Member Publishes Thriller
by: Joerg H. Trauboth, Author of the thriller “Three Brothers”
During my many Grumman tours from Germany to the island of Mallorca in Spain with about 2.5 hours over water, I have often pondered the sudden need to ditch and what to do in that unpleas-ant situation. Some say that if you write down your worst nightmares and close them away in a box they won’t come true. So, instead, I wrote my thriller Three Brothers and made my protago-nist Marc crash his airplane in the Medi-terranean with many millions in ransom money onboard. Crazy? Yes – better him than me! But happily, in the reviews on Amazon the readers are calling it a “real page-turner.”
People often ask me why I wrote a book in this special genre? Well, most books reflect the author’s biographi-cal background. And in Three Brothers, about 70% is truly real, 30% is fiction. It is easy to write ideas. But writing a good action book is a different story. So first, I learned all I could about writing a thriller with the potential of becoming a
best seller, knowing that you need a publisher and a really good marketing strategy. At the time, and in that phase of the book, I wasn’t concerned about these last points, I just started to write. That seemed to be the most important thing to do in any case. My favor-ite authors have always been Frederick Forsyth, Tom Clay-ton, James Patterson, and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
It is not by chance that two of them were pilots. Fly-ing for me is like entering into another world. My world. I love to look over the horizon and contemplate the reflec-tions of my favorite philoso-phers, as my idol Antoine de Saint-Exupéry did nearly a century ago. Years ago, I flew his route from Toulouse to Casablanca and his book Wind, Sand and Stars was under the front windshield.
When he crashed near
The American StarSeptember/October 2018 4
AYA NEWSthe French coastline in 1944, I was just one year old. My mother and we four chil-dren survived the air-raids in Berlin while our father served as a military medical doctor in Eastern Europe. After the war, my family settled in the British-occupied sector of Berlin and started a new life in devastated Germany. Remembering this, I can only say I am very happy to have grown up in a time without war. We are a lucky generation.
What would readers like to know more about an author? I married young, served in the German Luftwaffe as an Instructor Weapon Systems Officer with some 2000 flying hours on a Phan-tom F4/RF4E and TORNADO fighter bomber, made a career in the military with a number of troop and staff posi-tions, and retired early at the age of fifty from NATO in Brussels, where I served in various crisis management functions as representative of my country.
Crisis Management has been the guiding line throughout my life. My wish, however, had always been to earn my own money and to pay my people myself. As such, phase two of my life started. I became a Special Risk Consultant at the Control Risk Group in London and after my training, I was engaged in negotiat-ing extortion and kidnapping cases in South America and Eastern Europe.
After two years, I founded the Trauboth Risk Management Company and did the same thing, but now with my own 24-hour task force. What a time it was! Most of the work I did was pre-ventive, but the rest dealt with product extortion and kidnapping: a business of life for money. I often negotiated alone, but sometimes with the German government.
After a further ten years, I gave the company into other hands and phase three started. I bought a 1975 AA5B Grumman Tiger and joined the AYA, became the regional director for Europe and then AYA President. Not a quiet job at all during that time, you might remember, but I really enjoyed it. I began to write books, became engaged in a local social crisis emergency system, and in the meantime, I am quite busy as a sought-after terrorism expert by the media. I do all this because I am convinced that you live much better, and perhaps longer, if you keep your brain active through mul-
titasking. Flying is a multitasking job, as is a long marriage. Martina and I have been married for 53 years now. We love our two sons and three grand kids very much and look back gratefully on a won-derful life together.
It is exactly in such a stable environ-ment that you need think about a good story. And then disappear for a while. The Three Brothers have always been in the back of my mind and the push to write came as the conclusion of a kid-napping incident I was involved in where two German sailors were captured by the Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines and finally released after six months of unbe-lievable torture. I knew that the only way to work through the feelings I had was to write a novel. I created my three heroes and this is the plot:
Marc Anderson and his two com-mando brothers are celebrated elite sol-diers in the highly-secretive German Com-mando Special Forces, the KSK. Together with the American Navy Seals, they suc-cessfully rescue the crew of a downed American F-15 tactical fighter jet in the Hindu Kusch Mountains under a barrage of heavy fire against the Taliban. However, their next mission in Northern Iraq to save two German hostages taken captive by the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ends in disaster for the three brothers in arms. The perfectly laid-out strategy of Opera-tion Eagle is betrayed. Marc, Thomas, and Tim narrowly escape death. The German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) begins its desperate attempt to uncover the double agent. The devoted commando brothers decide to leave the KSK and begin a new career together as security advisors with a large family-owned company based in Cologne. But the terrorist activities of ISIS continue to determine their fate. The brothers are faced with one of their greatest challenges when ISIS kidnaps company heir Johannes Ericson and his life companion Karina Marie and threatens the German government with extortion. It is a dramatic race against time to save the couple from assassination.
My intention from the beginning was to write a book for everyone interested in thrillers, crime, and action set in today’s world with all its terrorism and political implications. A book with serious parts, with humor, love, and desperation. A book that evicts emotions and creates
tension, but with a positive end. My wish was that the reader comes away with positive feelings after finishing the book.
The writing took about six months, but the ensuing work afterwards to get everything lined up took about two years. All my attempts at rousing the interest of the big publishers failed. As a no-name author in a time where 100,000 new titles per year are on the market in Germany. And more than 1 million in the U.S. I was nearly going to go the self-publishing route, but then I found Franz Koenig, a local, very engaged publisher. Together, we are a perfect team. With Leanne Cvetan, I found a translator who obvi-ously put together the right words. And Charlie Adams, our former President and current Technical Director, gave the book a good look over and detected only a few technical details that needed to be improved. Such as: I learned that Naval officers wear white dress uniforms, not the Marines. This was important for the scene where three U.S. officers enter a cafe in Mallorca and impress Karina Marie, one of the main characters.
The book is available in all stores as print and eBook. It is my first time approaching the English-speaking mar-ket worldwide and I can tell you, it is a fascinating experience! On the other hand, I am also glad that I do not have to live from writing. The writing itself is the least of the work. Speaking of which, the next thriller is already in the pipeline. It will be, believe it or not, a White House thriller. I am working now on the character of “my” president and on the infrastruc-ture of the building. And now, at the end of my story, I will let you in on a secret if you don’t know it already: behind the chair of the Resolute Desk” in the Oval Office is a trap door where the president can escape. Isn’t that a must in a thriller?
If you read the book Three Brothers, I would be more than happy to answer your review.
Three Brothers - Print on Demand by Amazon. ISBN 978-3-96136-031-4 $19.95. E-Book: ISBN 978-3-936136-030-7 $10.99 (for August and Septem-ber during the promotion, 1$). http://trauboth-autor.de/english/. Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/7uym8p3rlv0
September/October 2018The American Star 5
AYA NEWS
Cover PhotosWould you like to receive a free 16 x 20 inch color enlargement of the Star
cover featuring your photo? Please forward good quality, interesting, aviation re-lated photos to the editor. Color covers may also be purchased, see the company store inside the back cover.
Insuranceby: Norris Hibbler, Insurance Director
Insur-ance can be confusing much of the time. Every now and then we receive calls from cli-ents who are concerned
about their “low liability limits”. What is happening is that they are mixing the liability limits with the medical cover-ages which are usually included at no extra premium. Our agency never offers liability limits less than $1,000,000 per occurrence with passengers limited to $100,000 unless the plane is in storage. Most companies are including $5,000 or $10,000 at no extra premium. The medi-cal does not take the place of your pri-mary liability limit. Should you incur any injuries or property damage for which you are liable, the $1,000,000 per occur-rence/$100,000 per passenger will come into play. If the plane and pilot qualify, higher limits such as $1,000,000 com-bined single limit (“smooth”) are avail-able or even $200,000 per passenger. Know that the owner of the policy cannot collect under the liability limits. This cov-erage is strictly for damage or injuries to other property and other persons.
An owner cannot sue himself/herelf for these coverages if he/she is injured. On the other hand, the owner is able to collect medical coverages if the injuries are associated with his/her aircraft. An example of this is a pilot who was work-ing on his prop. At some point, the prop spun and hit him in the head. The medi-cal coverages paid for his hospital visit and stitches. We have not seen many medical claims in our history. If and when pilots suffer injuries, they normally seek coverage from their own medi-cal policies. The medical coverage can also be used for others for incidental and minor injuries for which the owner is not negligent.
Another area of concern has been who is covered under the Open Pilot Warranty. This clause outlines the mini-mum requirements for others pilots who can operate your aircraft without having to be named. It may read something like
AYA Surveyby: Don Metz, Editor
In response to the recent AYA Sur-vey I have been making some of the changes suggested. These include, but are not limited to,
� using some of the GG questions in The American Star( with per-mission of the author),
� adding Ask The Experts ques-tions and answers to The Amer-ican Star,
� made the Convention infor-mation link on aya.org more prominent,
� online convention registration, � aya.org is accessible via smart
phone and tablet, � there is an app for that,
search for Wild Apricot for Members(restricted to iPhone so far). The app uses the same login as aya.org,
The AYA does have a YouTube chan-nel with a few submitted videos, https://www.youtube.com/user/AYAGrumman
We also have a facebook page, that needs improvement, https://www.facebook.com/American-Yankee-Asso-ciation-142441992569239/ The links on the website Homepage will also take you there.
I have tried to get permission from a few different publications over the years to use some of their pertinent content, all requests were denied, even for some stuff over 20 years old.
More changes are under discussion, hopefully you will find them of value.
a minimum of 300 total hours and at least 10 or 25 in the same make and model. A private rating is, of course, required at minimum. Another requirement is “your permission”.
With the Grummans, not all com-panies view the various models as the same “make and model”. For example, an AA-5A is not an AA-5B. On the other hand, some companies place all the AA-5’s in the same category. It’s best to check with your particular company for confirmation. For sure however, the two place Grummans are definitely never in the same category. Some pilots think that make and model may mean a single engine tricycle gear aircraft such as a Cessna 172 would be in the same grouping as a Grumman AA-5. This is definitely not so. Once again, please check with your own company if you have concerns.
Some policies offer coverage for non owned aircraft. These aircraft would have to be single engine for sure and can include retractable or tail wheel configurations. The one clause to look for in your policy is whether or not this coverage is given to owners of a policy if there is more than one owner or if the policy is in a corporation or LLC. Some companies only offer non owned cov-erage to single owners. The reasoning is that if this is so, several pilots could be out renting aircraft at the same time. Not all policies are written in the same way. Sometimes if this coverage is not extended to owners who are multiple or in company names, it can be added for an additional small premium. Just ask your agent.
AYA CONVENTION 2018HUTCHINSON, KS
The American StarSeptember/October 2018 6
AYA NEWSMember Profile:
Kim Muinchby: Sharon Spence
I first met Kim at the Paso Robles' convention last year. As I found out he is a “new/old” member of the AYA. He is full of enthusiasm and has a very posi-tive attitude towards the AYA and life in general. Kim is Regional Director for the North West Region.
He has earned the title of “Seabis-cuit” from the very well received and exciting “Calcutta” at last year’s conven-tion, out-bidding and out-running other would-be bidders in hopes of buying the winner of the famous “Limbo” competi-tion. What a great time.
Kim was born in Culver City, Califor-nia, on February 10, 1952.
Kim spent his years growing up and working in southern California until 2012 when he retired (full time) to Bend, Ore-gon, where he and his wife Jill had pur-chased a second home in 1993.
Kim and Daryl “Jill” Kornfield were married in 1978 and have two daughters Tracy (39) and Cori (34). Both daughters and three grandchildren live in Portland, a one-hour ride over the Cascades from Bend in their 1971 AA-1A Yankee!! How nice can that be!!!
Kim’s goal in coming out of high school was to fly planes in the Navy but unfortunately by the time he graduated from college in 1976 pilots were being fur-loughed and the military wasn’t taking any applications for pilot training. Kim went to work for Hewlett Packard for six years as a “Best Manufacturing Practices Consultant/Project Manager” to HP manufacturing locations as well as to key HP customers.
Kim’s career took him from Hewlett Packard to spending the rest of his work-ing career doing the same type of work but as a self-employed Consultant/Proj-ect Manager with major clients in “semi-conductor Mfg., Nutrition Products Mfg., and other industries. Kim retired in 2012.
Kim was first exposed to flying at the age of 12 in 1964 when his father, George, got his private license. George was a Navy dive bomber pilot in “The War” (like father – like son). George joined a flying club and he and Kim went flying every Sunday and took a two week flying vacation every summer. Kim’s dad “unofficially” taught him to fly, but at the
age of 15 ½ he took official lessons at a flight school. At the age of 16 Kim soloed and at age 17 he received his private pilot license. Kim went on to earn his commercial license, has his instrument rating and helicopter add-on rating.
Kim first joined the AYA in 1988 after he bought his first airplane, a 1977 Grumman Cheetah, after deciding he “needed more range and speed”, sold his Cheetah, let his AYA membership lapse and purchased a 1955 Beechcraft Bonanza in 1990. His third plane was a 1966 Beechcraft Bonanza because he “needed more payload and range”. As he was frequently crossing the Cascade mountains he decided he “needed less speed, range and payload but good den-sity altitude capability” so he purchased his fourth plane the 1971 AA-1A Yankee with 160 hp conversion and joined the AYA in 2012 once again.
Kim’s hobbies are quite a mixture of activities ranging from investment Man-agement to doing a MAJOR restoration of a 1964 Streamline travel trailer. He enjoys hiking, camping and church (learning/liv-ing scripture). He enjoys travelling with their 36ft. 5th wheel trailer, ocean cruising and working with his hands.
Why did Kim join the AYA – he first joined in 1988, seeking to learn about his Cheetah’s maintenance require-ments and flying tips. He joined again in 2012, seeking to learn about whether the Grumman line of airplanes were still via-ble and when he determined they were he has been seeking ever since to meet like-minded Grumman owners and ben-
efit from the learnings of the many long-term owners and experts.
Why does Kim remain a member of the AYA?
My career gave me exposure to well-run and poorly-run organizations. "I can say from that experience that the AYA is a well-run organization, with a small staff of very capable and caring managers, a decent number of supporting experts who still commit to the line, and a signifi-cant number of owners who contribute to keeping the AYA relevant".
Kim is also active in his home state’s pilots organization, the Oregon Pilots Association, where he serves on the board as “Central/Eastern Oregon Direc-tor. Kim sees a declining membership trend in most volunteer organizations and has spent many hours in the past year understanding the causes, par-ticularly in general aviation. Kim states, “There are several contributing causes, not one of them particularly large, but in aggregate they all add-up to eye-catch-ing membership erosion metrics in virtu-ally all general aviation organizations, from national to local. These include an aging and declining pilot, mechanic, aircraft and airport census, increas-ing costs and regulation, and changing preferences in the new generation that are now getting licensed and buying air-craft, both new and used. Technology has changed and is accelerating. Older pilots tend to avoid adoption, and new pilots tend to embrace it.”
Kim believes organizations like the AYA need to be willing to understand and
September/October 2018The American Star 7
OPERATION / MAINTENANCE
ELT'S and 121.5 “GUARD”
by: Ron Levy, Safety DirectorA Grumman owner was recently
asking about the FAA’s current rules on ELT’s, including both the legacy 121.5 units and the newer 406 types. As of right now, if you just want to be legal, an appro-priately certified 121.5 ELT remains com-pletely legal. But if you want to be rescued quickly if you happen to go down and survive the experience, a 406 ELT is the best way to go, because it's now the only way to trigger the SAR satellites. As AYA member and former USAF HC-130 res-cue pilot John Klapp told me, “While there are many people monitoring VHF Guard [121.5], there aren't nearly that many capable of DF’ing it. COSPAS-SARSAT [the SAR satellites] can build a pretty good fix on a 406 ELT very quickly. You'll be waiting much longer with just 121.5.”
While currently probably the best solution, 406 ELT’s are not yet the only way to go. While few aircraft (mostly CAP) are equipped to locate a 121.5 ELT, there are plenty of folks monitoring 121.5 up there all the time, and they do hear and report 121.5 ELT beeper signals. If, you are monitoring 121.5, you’ll hear ELT’s from time to time, and if you report that to ATC, they’ll start asking other air-craft on the frequency to listen and report whether they hear the signal, too. This helps localize the signal enough that CAP
Ask The ExpertQuestion: I own a 1976 AA-5B,
O-360-A4K, and am interested in install-ing electronic ignition. Which system for certified aircraft do you recommend and why? Thanks!
Answer: (Charlie Adams) There is currently only one electronic ignition system certified for our aircraft which is Electoair. There is another system from Surefly which is undergoing FAA certifi-cation. I would advise you to check out both systems websites to see which one would best fit your situation. http://www.electroair.net/ or https://www.surefly.net/ (answer as of Aug 2018)
Question: 1979 Tiger. Outside temp was around 80. Noticed the oil pressure is approaching red line at 2400+ RPM. At 1000 RPM slightly higher than the middle indication. Possible problem and solu-tion? Due for an oil change (43 hours).
Answer: As I look over the picture I see two things. Yes it is not to red line so that is okay. Secondly I see that the oil temperature is actually below 180 so that too is a good thing. I suggest you do a few things here:
� #1 Do an oil change but also do an oil analysis. Personally I use a company called Blackstone. They do a good job of evalua-tion of results.
� #2 Cut open your filter and have mechanic look it over very thoroughly.
has a good idea where to send their air-craft with VHF DF equipment to find the active beeper. So, at least for now, the choice is yours, based on your evaluation of the costs and benefits of both types.
This brings up another often unknown point about 121.5 Mhz. It has, since 2004, been a regulatory requirement (yes, FDC NOTAMS are legally considered "regula-tory") for all of us to monitor 121.5 all the time everywhere in the US National Air-space System if we are capable of doing so. That means if you are airborne and have two radios, and you aren't actively using #2 for something like weather/ATIS/AWOS, you are required to be monitoring 121.5 ("Guard"). Even if you only have one, and you're not actively using it to talk with ATC or CTAF or FSS or the like, you are obligated to tune that to 121.5 and keep a listening watch. I‘ve found this to be something about half the folks to whom I give refresher or initial instrument training don’t know. I know for sure from having listened on a near-daily basis to unanswered calls by USAF Air Defense forces on 121.5 in the DC area that a lot of people would have avoided a post-TFR-bust interview with the authorities (and maybe even having people with guns, badges, and handcuffs meeting them on landing) had they been listening to 121.5 as they were required to have done. The real classic, which I heard on 121.5 just east of DC a few months back, was, after a string of unanswered calls by the USAF air defense controllers to an unidentified aircraft in the DC SFRA near Annapolis, Maryland, without authorization:
"This is Bonanza 12345, on Guard. I'm 10 miles east of Annapolis and an
accept these changes and trends, and at the same time be willing to address them, by adopting new technology, and engaging new pilots/aircraft owners “On their level”.
Welcome New MembersWe wish to welcome all our new members who have recently joined the AYA. We hope you value your membership, and
take advantage of the many programs and activities we have to offer.NAME CITY STATE AC REG AC TYPE AC BASE
Baysinger, Britt Cameron Park CA N28838 AA5B O61Bugbee, Richard Nazereth PA N74684 AA5B XLL
Levesque, Joseph Forest Grove OR N1366R AA5B HIOMauro, Martino Rovigo ITALY I-SIBD AG5B BagnoliMcLean, Sean Houston TX N81068 AA5B DWH
Romanko, Dave Corvallis OR 7S5Staab, Robert Sussex NJStratioti, Lorry Osakis MN N26708 AA5A 14Y
continued on page 8
F-16 just pulled up on my left wing. Does he need assistance?"
Don’t be that guy!
The American StarSeptember/October 2018 8
OPERATION / MAINTENANCEBrake Problem Solved
by: Stew WilsonTypically, when we have a problem
with our brakes, the two most common culprits are some sort of fluid leak in the line or a problem with the O-rings in the master cylinders or in the caliper. We are not referring here to simply replacing pads. It is common for the aluminum lines from the wheel cylinder which are hidden behind the rubber fairings, to crack. These can be replaced with a section of Teflon-lined steel braided hose. Imagine my surprise when none of these things turned out to be the problem. Now what?
After looking at everything we could see, we removed the master brake cylin-ders to rebuild them. This consisted of 2 each MS28775-111 and MS 28775-008 O-Rings ($5.00 at Aircraft Spruce). While disassembling the right master cylinder, we noticed that the brass bushing in the cover plate was loose and not only rotated in place but could actually be pushed through the opening See photos). Voila!
What had happened was that the ser-rated shaft was sticking in the dislodged bushing, causing the brakes to lock up. The bushing and the plate are one part, and replacements are difficult to find. An alternative solution is, using a punch, put some dimples into the brass bushing, which expands the metal enough to press it into the hole in the plate. A small amount of JB Weld will finish the job, and your brake system will again function normally.
� #3 Have your mechanic take the oil pressure relief housing off and clean it, the ball and vis-ibly look over the spring. There could be carbon deposits or var-nish on the ball and seat.
� #4 If the shop can do so have them put a Tee fitting into the oil pressure line and run it again on the ground. Compare their oil pressure gauge with yours while running. If their gauge is calibrated that will tell you how accurate your gauge is. These gauges do cause false readings and can be rebuilt by Air Parts of Lock Haven. Call if you have any questions or concerns. John Sjaardema
Be sure to check this next time you service your brake master cylinders or when you are unable to find a brake problem. “Sounds like a low cost solution” you may be thinking, just some brake pads and o-rings. That was the least of it. New tires to replace the flat spots from locked brakes, $360. Aircraft maintenance-gotta love it.
continued from page 7
September/October 2018The American Star 9
TRAVELOGUECherokees to Oshkosh
2018 And the Grumman tag-a-long’s
by: Ron MoweryIt may seem funny to have an arti-
cle about Cherokees in The AYA Star, but we’re all aviator brethren we just fly different machines. My story starts on January 2, 2018, with an invitation received on the Grumam Gang from Dwane "Ferg" Ferguson who is "a very proud owner of a Grumman Tiger and a Cherokee ((his) Cherokee Six truck)"
"I would really like to encourage some of my Grumman compadres to join my "Cher-okee Gang" to a mass arrival to Oshkosh in July 2018. We have mini-clinics scheduled all across this great country coast-to-coast from March through July to teach the most basic formation methods to participate in a mass arrival of up to 50 aircraft to Osh-kosh. This is our ninth year and we have gained a great deal of experience in teach-ing the elementary fundamentals of forma-tion to allow such an event. Every pilot flies at their own comfort level within a reasonable formation to accomplish such an event. Even if you are not sure about doing some-thing like this, attend one of our mini-clinics with no commitment or pressure. Attend the briefing-only (up to two hours) and decide if you feel comfortable flying with a Safety Pilot in your right seat. I think you will be impressed with the profes-sionalism and especially the level of safety REQUIRED of all of our pilots."
Well now this sounded inter-esting. I have flown to Oshkosh a half dozen times but never in a mass arrival unless you consider the Fisk arrival a mass arrival and on Sunday and Monday it usually is. Let’s see "to check it out go to http://cherokees2osh.com. To sign up for a FREE/no obligation mini-clinic, click on the "Documents" tab and "CtO Mini-Clinic Registra-tion." Sign up for a mini-clinic in your neighborhood."
Free, I like that part and after I checked there WAS a mini-clinic in my neighbor-hood, well at least within an hour and a half flight. So in March I was in Ocean Isle,
North Carolina, for the weekend formation flying with a very friendly group of Chero-kee pilots. It was a really good time. That’s it, I’m flying to Oshkosh with these guys. So, on the Wednesday before Oshkosh my wife and I were on our way to Waupaca, Wisconsin, where the Cherokees meet, eat, drink, and do formation practice with the entire group. Here were a total of 26 Cherokees, one Cessna and two Grum-mans. Wolfgang Polak flew all the way from California in his Tiger to join us. On Thursday we did three sorties complete with pre and post briefings. Then it was back to the hotel and restaurant for more eating, drinking and socializing. We were very much welcomed into their family. On Friday the weather kept us from flying so we did walkthroughs on the ground and discussed different arrival procedures. Friday night they had a banquet at the restaurant where they had door prizes and the first timers received a plaque.
Weather was questionable on Sat-urday and forecast to become worse as the day went on. Being the first group scheduled to arrive we were allowed to move up our arrival time by an hour to 10:00 am. Line up and take off were uneventful, but about half way there we had an aircraft fly right across the middle of the formation. How he didn’t see 29 airplanes is beyond me. Fortunately the youngest couple in the group saw them and called them out to the rest of the group. Oshkosh tower stopped arrivals on runway 36 for us as we arrived and it was a simple right downwind and base to final, land on the yellow dot and follow the flagmen to parking where they had a designated spot for us right next to the North 40 Café. Moving the time up an hour worked out perfectly for us. Every-body was parked and had their tents up before it started to rain. The Bonanza group wasn’t so lucky. At ten miles out the field went IFR and one hundred and forty nine Bonanzas had to divert. They
were able to get in four hours later.
Let me tell you flying in with a group is so much safer, eas-ier and fun than the mess they were having on the Fisk arrival especially on Sunday and Mon-day when I was told airplanes were in a hold over the lakes for up to three hours. We had a hospitality tent with a Honda donated generator with hot cof-fee and snacks every morning and a good time with the group in the evenings. I am very much looking forward to doing it again next year and would encourage more Grummans to participate.
For more information go to http://cherokees2osh.com. Also look on YouTube where they have several videos of the Fisk arrival and a couple of the Cherokee arrival. If you’re think-ing about going to Oshkosh next year you decide which one looks safer.
The AYA organization does not sponsor Grumman formation flying events.Any AYA member who participates in FAA legal formation flights does so inde-
pendently of the AYA, and assumes any and all risk and liability associated with their involvement.
The American StarSeptember/October 2018 10
REGIONAL EVENTSAYA Europe Annual
Meeting, Valdera Airfield Tuscany, Italy
by:Bob MooreWow...Tuscany in May in a Grum-
man. What could be better?Kudos to our program leader, Marco
Petroni, and our hosts, Aeroclub Pisa, who organized a logistical masterpiece of activities, entertainment, meals and transportation. The precision of execu-tion was nothing short of incredible, but after all, these guys have trained in the Italian military forces.
This year’s event kicked off with the most fortunate participants flying south to LIAT by Grumman, Icarus, Ercoupe or RV from the British Isles and Western Europe. Others came by airline, rail or auto, all arriving to experience absolutely glorious flying weather with clear skies, great visibility, light winds and moderate temperatures.
The marquis events included a Fri-day afternoon tour of the City of Palaia, a full Saturday in the Tuscan country-side with tours of the ancient walled city of Pomarance and the Lardarello geothermal region, and Sunday flying activities at the Valdera airfield for the incorrigible aviators or an exciting tour of the cathedrals and tower in Pisa for the earthbound.
The accommodations at the Borgo Colleoli Resort were nothing short of phenomenal. The buildings date from the 15th century, when it served as a working farm producing olives, grapes and other food crops. The vaulted brick ceilings in the individual villas and the restaurant are absolutely amazing. Two pools and the shaded walkways provided opportunities to unwind after a hard day of travel over the local countryside in our bus convoy.
The Friday and Saturday evening dinners were spectacular events held at the Resort featuring fine traditional Tuscan cuisine and seemingly endless quantities of a very good local red wine, maybe a Barbera, bottled especially for the Grumman event by Cantine Volpi vineyard in Tortona. A sparkling white, probably a Prosecco, was also served, but I have to admit that I never made it past the red.
While some of us may have been tempted to extend the evenings, Aeroclub Pisa had arranged for 8:00 am activities and the buses did not wait for laggards. Personally, I regret greatly that one or two of the seemingly endless bottles may not have been fully drained by night’s end. I pledge to do a better job next time.
Saturday dawned clear and cool, setting up for a great road trip in the prear-ranged bus convoy. Our first stop was the ancient walled City of Pomarance, which is about 50 km southeast of the Valdera Airfield, but accessible only via winding country roads. We were serenaded by a local band and competing choral group
The tour group was met and entertained by the local band and choir.
The American Star 11 September/October 2018
REGIONAL EVENTSon our arrival. I’m guessing that most of us had never heard this music, but they were obviously enthused. We clapped profusely. Following the music, we toured the city, which had originally been settled by Bronze Age inhabitants and later by the Etruscans in the Fourth Cen-tury, BC. Through the Roman Era and into the Middle Ages, the city suffered a series of invasions, which undoubtedly led to the construction of the walls in an attempt to keep out the new guys. It is truly a beautiful and quiet town. I suspect that while they enjoyed hosting us for the tour and lunch, the local residents were happy to see our buses depart, enabling a resumption of the idyllic lifestyle.
From Pomarance, we travelled south to Lardarello, the center of Italy’s geothermal electrical energy production. Our guides advised us that the earth’s magna approaches the crust in this region, creating hot sulfur springs and steam vents. In the early 19th century, the natural steam was used to extract boric acid from the ubiquitous volca-nic mud. By 1911, the Italians built the world’s first geothermal power plant by drilling down into the earth to extract steam to drive a turbine generator. Now the region produces about five gigawatts of electricity annually. After watching a high-pressure steam release, touring the Lardarello Museum and observing a power plant and cooling tower, the group gratefully retired by mid afternoon to Sasso Pisano, a local micro brew-ery powered by the natural steam. To the best of my knowledge, the taps ran continuously for at least an hour, as we were fairly parched by the rigorous tour-ing activities. Conversations flowed and friendships blossomed on the bus ride back to Colleoli.
Sunday proved another spectacular and comfortable day. The Pisa tour par-ticipants reported that the city’s art and architecture was beautiful and that fun was had by all. The rest of us did some flying through the rolling countryside of eastern Tuscany to Lucca for fuel and around the Valdera Airfield. Aeroclub Pisa staged seemingly endless demon-strations with local aircraft and powered parasails along with parachute jumping. I had an opportunity to fly as a passenger in Peter Romeikat’s Tiger, piloted at an exceptional level of skill by Peter with the
assistance of Ed Manning. Later in the afternoon, Yogi Beck graciously allowed me to crash land his really nifty Icarus. I have to note that the Valdera airfield has the best maintained turf runway that I have ever experienced, turning my ham-handed attempts to fly with a side stick into a passable return to terra firma.
Lunch and dinner were served in a large hangar at the airfield and fea-tured traditional Tuscan fare with pork, prosciutto, cheeses and fresh vegeta-bles. Of course, there was the wine…consumed only after the aeronautical activities. The evening program included a locally produced movie on the history of flight, along with awards presented to the most deserving participants. The
infamous Grumpy (Toilet) Seat trophy for the “most meritorious increase in the lev-els of incompetence” was presented by Robert Tompkins to Peter Romeikat for the alleged infraction of penetrating an active parachute zone while enroute to LIAT. As I observed no shards of ripstop nylon anywhere on Peter’s airframe, I suspect that the charges may have been overstated, so as to pass off the prize. General Salvatore Iacono, Presi-dent Aeroclub Pisa, presented awards to Guy Warner, AYA President, for honoring Aeroclub Pisa with this AYA sponsored event and to Ed Manning for traveling the longest distance to attend the event. AYA Regional Director Europe, Yogi Beck, presented the Matair Award to
The American StarSeptember/October 2018 12
REGIONAL EVENTS
AYA Oshkoshby: Gregg Erikson
The AYA Grumman Owners annual forum was held at EAA AirVenture on Tuesday, July 24th. Once again John Sjaardema and his crew from Excel-Air Services were kind enough to devote most of their day to bring everyone up to date on current maintenance issues on our Grumman line of aircraft. As it has been for the last several years, it was standing room only. The EAA monitor that helps us get started and makes sure we clear out of the pavilion on time, also does a count 10 minutes into the ses-sion, mid way, and 10 minutes before the end. Each count was right at or a little over 100.
I started out with the usual ques-tions, i.e., how many own or fly Grum-man’s? Almost all the hands went up. How many belong to the AYA? Again, almost all hands went up. I stated the
Nigel Thomas for outstanding service to the AYA. The evening wrapped up with a spectacular fireworks display on the air-field, detonating just a hundred meters from our tent. You could almost feel the percussion and the heat.
One of the most pleasant experi-ences of the trip for my wife, Dee, and me were breakfasts on the Coleolli patio, featuring tasty bacon, scrambled eggs, pastries, yogurt, a choice of cereals and juices and hot, strong Italian cof-fee. More importantly, the informal and quiet setting provided an opportunity to get to know new friends who may lead very different lives, yet share a passion for Grumman aircraft and flying adven-tures. So, make your plans for the 2019 AYA European Annual Meeting. John and Aniko Maher are leading the charge for the exciting venue: Györ, Hungary: ICAO-Code: LHPR, June 6-10, 2019.
The Mayor, along with the band and choir, welcomed the AYA Europe attendees.
The local Vespa club also turned out for AYA Europe 2018.
Ron Levy and Nigel Thomas receiving their strawberries and
welcome.
The American Star 13 September/October 2018
REGIONAL EVENTS
John Sjarrdema with a couple of his staff pointing out corrosion prone areas.
dates of the upcoming AYA Convention in Hutchinson, Kansas, and mentioned the two outstanding side trips/tours that are available right in the immediate area, and since I’ve been to both gave a brief review. A show of hands indicated a little over half in attendance were planning to go to Hutchinson in September.
After introducing John Sjaardema he introduced three of his employees who came with him and then he got right into talking about maintenance issues with our aging aircraft. John started out talking about corrosion being found on the top side of the spar carry through
section that is right under the walkway. A real hard area to inspect, even if you know to look there. After mentioning how many planes he is seeing for the first time and finding various stages of corrosion in this area the result of non-Grumman mechanics not knowing to look in this area, or how to attend to the corrosion, he had a couple of his guys hold up a center spar carry through with the landing gear fittings, strut, wheel and brakes attached. He then talked in detail, pointing out where the corrosion is found and how to get to the area, and how to inspect it.
Many questions from the attendees about how do they know if there is corro-sion there and how bad it is. John’s basic answer is, once you gain access to the area get a rag up there and clean it off. If it’s never been inspected before it is going to be dirty. Once dusted off reach up in the area and feel the surface. If it is at all rough, you’ve got some form of corrosion starting. It is possible to get a small mirror and a light up there to view part of the surface, but it’s not easy. Many more questions on how to treat it and this answer was much longer. Lots of work in a hard to reach area. Several products can be used to treat minor cor-rosion, but Excel-Air Services likes Boe-ing T9 the best.
While the guys were still holding the center spar, strut and wheel assembly up John pointed out another area they are seeing more and more problems with, the rigid brake lines. Excel-Air Services is replacing these lines with a flexible air-craft pressure line that should eliminate any further wear and leaks. John next started taking questions from the attend-ees, this way those that come to the forum can get answers to what is really both-ering them or on their minds. Whatever question you might have seen posted on the Grumman Gang, was asked.
John had arranged for Darren Tilli-man of Power Flow to be in attendance and together they took the last 15 min-utes or so of the time to talk about the need to completely take apart the Power Flow system at annual to lubricate the slip joints. John stated this is a really good system, but it needs more attention to routine maintenance than the stock exhaust system does.
After the forum John and his guys from Excel-Air Services went to a near by food vender for lunch and many of the attendees followed and the questions and discussions continued for another hour or so. I was pleased that many Grumman folks I had not met came up to me and thanked me for arranging this forum, and that they learned so much about their planes and wanting to know when and where John would be talking. I told them to watch for John’s annual Fall Picnic and Maintenance Seminar held at his facility on the Jasper County Airport, Rensselaer, Indiana.
The American StarSeptember/October 2018 14
REGIONAL EVENTSGrumman Gatherers
by: Gregg EriksonAfter being rained out for our April,
May, and June Gatherings, we finally had a nice Saturday on our planned Gathering day. On July 7th 27 Gather-ers flew into Sheboygan, Wisconsin, in 14 planes to have lunch at the Jet Fuel Cafe. This restaurant has recently opened again with new operators. They have completely remodeled the dinning area, but wisely kept the beautiful paint-ings and murals on the walls.
As I usually do I requested RSVP’s by the afternoon of the day before to get a good idea how many to tell the restau-rant to plan for. I called the restaurant a couple weeks before the date to give them a heads up on our plans. I called them the afternoon before our lunch to give them a pretty firm number of how many we would have. As is always the case Friday evening I got a few more e-mails from Gatherers wanting to be put on the list. Early Saturday morning my wife sent a message up to the Jet Fuel Cafe, adding four more. The restaurant said they got the message and would add four more seats.
When we arrived they did in fact have 27 chairs and tables arranged in a big L shape. Popcorn was ready in the lounge area for the early arrivals to munch on while watching the rest of the arrivals. It sure seamed everything was ready for a nice lunch. One thing the res-taurant forgot was to have some expe-rienced waiters ready for us. Though these were new owners, they had been open for several months. Initially we had one young waiter, who I’m not sure ever waited on a large group. I had arranged before hand to have separate checks, mostly couples, and this worked fine.
With everyone sat down the “waiter” asked me if he should start taking drink orders. I said sure. Well, he started at one of the tables (this was good), but he took one drink order, went in back to get the drink and returned and then took another order. My wife pointed out to me what he was doing so I pulled him aside and suggested he take drink orders by the couple and he should also take their food order, turn in the food order and return with the drinks, and then go on to the next couple. He said he never did it that way, and I told him “well, there’s a
first time for everything. Try it and see how it works”.
This started speeding up things, but it was still going really slow. I noticed there was another waitress working the general area and she had only one table to serve. I talked to the manager and suggested he have her start at the other end of the tables and things really started to work like a normal restaurant.
Though the service was slow, every-one had plenty of time to talk and com-pare notes on new installations. The food, once we got it was very good. We had planes come in from three states. We had at least two new Grumman own-ers, along with some folks new to the Grumman Gatherers. Watch the AYA web site calendar for the next Gather-ing. Mary Lou and I are planning to have another Grumman Gatherers lunch in our hangar. Having just got back from EAA AirVenture we are still looking at our calendars to pick the exact date. Should be end of August or early September.
Scholarship Fundraising at Hutchinson
by: Pat Metz, Scholarship AdministratorAs many of you know convention is
the time of year when we do fundrais-ing for the AYA Scholarship Fund, which is granted each year to hopeful young aviators. Once again we will have the silent auction where we often get some hot bidding going on items! For those who would like to provide auction items, please feel free to bring something for members to bid on. Kat Wells is over-seeing the auction this year and you may give your items to her. And yes, the Cal-cutta is back! This was so much fun last year so Bill, Cindy and Scott will be run-ning it again. This works by bidding on pilots in a particular event. Both of these fundraising efforts are fun to participate in and for a good cause. Please watch the convention package for more details. See you in Hutchinson!
Lots of Grummans and lots of good discussion.
The American Star 15 September/October 2018
REGIONAL EVENTSSE: Meeting Again
by: Ron Mowery, Regional DirectorWell, the
South has finally risen again as we managed our first fly-in of the year on June 9th (only took me six months into
the year). The weather cooperated with us and we had a good turnout at The Flying Machine Restaurant located at the Gwinnett County Airport in Georgia. Five Grumman’s and a C150 with twelve folks showed up for some good food, fel-lowship and flying fun. I, along with my airpark neighbor David Hardy, was joined by Ferrell Brown, Dave and Stacey Nab-dor, Bill Bell, David and Susan Beaman, Mike and Diane Hull, Wesley McCroskey and Babs Risner. Once again your direc-tor without the direction of his wife forgot to get a picture of the group.
On July 14th we managed another fly-in to the Crosswind Café at the Hickory Regional Airport in North Carolina and once again we had good weather and a good turnout. Five Grumman’s, two AA1’s,
two Tigers, my Cheetah and another air-park neighbor in his Bonanza who takes great pleasure in leaving after I do and passing me on the way. We had a total of eight folks, Dave Hardy joined me once again, Nic Smoak the Bonanza guy, Larry Oppegaard, Larry Vandeventer, Susan Cafoncelli, Denis Doster and one other that I’m afraid I didn’t get the name. This
Time to Renew Your AYA Membership?Login, Member Menu, My Member File, Membership.
You can renew online or Call the Secretary/Treasurer with your information.
September 24-27Register online or by the paper insert in the July/August American Star
was my first time at Hickory and the Cross-wind Café, which only has four booths so we were half their business. Food and service was good and very friendly. Also, Hickory has a museum at the airport which we all went through. They had several aircraft on display including a P-3 Orion. According to the volunteers that gave us a guided tour through the aircraft it is one of only two in which you can go aboard. This time even without my wife I remembered to get a picture with a couple of Grum-man’s in the background.
Next month, August 18th at 2:30 pm, it’s Ice Cream at Sam’s Flying Scoops at the Johnston Regional Airport KJNX in North Carolina.
I imagine the two Grummans behind the SE group burn
considerable more fuel than the 8 or 10 gallons an hour we do.
The American StarSeptember/October 2018 16
REGIONAL EVENTS
DEADLINE for SubmissionsFor the November/December Star: Monday, October 1For the January/February Star: Monday, December 3
Send all submissions for publication in The American Star (articles, letters, questions for the Experts, and advertisements) to:Don Metz, Editor, [email protected] or704 Sherman Ave. SW Calgary, AB T2W 0N2 Canada,
Note: Submissions for publication should be sent to the Editor, not to AYA Headquarters. On overnight deliveries (FedEx, Express Mail) please pre-sign. Submissions become property of AYA. Photos will be returned on request. Disks will not be returned. Please send your articles via e-mail (preferred), or on disk with hard copy. We can use almost any file format. Send e-mail to [email protected]. Please DO NOT send zipped files. Plain text is preferred but not necessary for both e-mail and physical submissions. Any questions please contact the Editor.
The American Star 17 September/October 2018
REGIONAL EVENTSPacific: Cameron Park
by: Stew Wilson, Area CoordinatorA total
of six aircraft and 12 peo-ple arrived at Cameron Park (O61) on a beauti-ful late spring day for lunch and yet
another hangar flying session. We ate at our favorite local restaurant, Bubbas, and most people ordered Mexican food. As always, the food was tasty and the small restaurant really appreciated our business. Susan kept the food moving and the drinks flowing.
Attending were Mike and Ellis Wilkins from San Jose in Cheetah N26913; Bill Stigile from Modesto in Tiger N1540R; Robert and Matilda Davis from Grass Valley in Tiger N4546N; Larry and Danny Yeakel in Tiger N28268 from Turlock; Joel Williams in Cheetah N26793 from San Jose; Stew and Karen Wilson in N28838 from Cameron Park; Pat Denehey from Cameron Park who occasionally flies a 150hp Yankee, and Tim Carr (my AI).
As the group prepared to leave, one of our folks discovered that a master had been left on, and the engine would not quite turn over. To the rescue was Mike Wilkins, who had been anxious to try a new portable power booster he had purchased to carry in his plane. We hooked it up quickly to the weak battery, and that did the trick. There are many of these units available, but this one was very impressive and easy/safe to use. It is the NOCO Genius Boost GB40, a 1000 amp, 12 volt Lithium unit ($99.95 at Amazon).
Our final event of 2018 is scheduled for November 10 in Auburn (AUN). We will meet at noon for lunch at Wings Café.
Pacific: Sacramentoby: Stew Wilson, Area Coordinator
A total of eleven people and three air-craft arrived on the ramp at Sacramento Executive Airport on July 21 to enjoy lunch at Aviators Restaurant. As it turned out, a number of people drove in for vari-ous reasons. My reason? Annual time.
Arriving for the festivities by the preferred method of aircraft were Frank Surfas from Swansboro, Jack Swanson from Petaluma, and Joel Williams from San Jose.
Driving in were Gary and Clytie Vogt and Pierce and Gaylie Stewart from Auburn, Bill Stigile from Lodi and Stew and Karen Wilson from Cameron Park.
We hope to see the Pacific Region well represented at the Convention in Hutchinson, Kansas, on September 24.
The American StarSeptember/October 2018 18
For Sale: AA1A, $28,500 1971. As men-tioned in the October 2017 issue of AOPA, The AA1A is slick and a great flying platform. Low cost IFR platform. SMOH 1484, Prop 421 SMOH. DMA Speed Mods, PSE 1000 intercom, Digital Clock, LED Lights, Skytec Starter, Icom A210 Radio, KT76C Mode C transponder, New Narco 122D with Glide Slope, EDM730 engine monitor with fuel flow.New Dynon D10A attitude indicator with back up battery, OAT sensor, and external GPS Antenna. Paint 2011, Interior 2013 with soundex insulation and new seat belts. Log books are loaded in the specs and inventory files. Contact John Davant, Owner, located De-bary , FL, USA (407) 924-7730
For Sale: 1977 Cheetah AA5A, N26048, Serial # 0405, 4562 TT, 55 STOH w/Lycon Flow Port Hi-Comp Cylinders, 160hp STC, 1275 SMOH, Prop 55 Sensenich Prop- Tiger Performance, All AD’s Complied,(Aileron AD-no further inspection required). IFR Certified, Hangared, White & Blue exterior:8, Interior: 9 recovered in 2011 with Memory Foam Blend, Side panels, arm rest, etc. Annual being per-formed at time of this listing. New Sky-Tec
light-weight starter, New Alternator, New oil cooler and oil hoses, New Concorde Gel Bat-tery, New Battery solenoid, New Starter Coil, New Mags w/wire harnesses, and spark plugs, 115 SNEW Sensenich Prop with Beveled tips per Fletcher STC, S-Tec 20 Auto Pilot (cou-pled to heading Bug , VOR or GPS.), Garman 496, KX 155 Nav Com With Localizer & Glide Slope Head, KY 197E Com, KN 64 DME, KR 87 ADF with indicator, NARCO Xponder with Mode C, Narco Nav 11 VOR, KA 134 Audio Panel, New Altimeter, 3 Light Marker Beacon, 4 Place I/C, Dual PTT, Vertical Card Com-pass, Quartz Chronometer Clock, Glass New in 2007, Stand-by Vac System, Alt Air Source, Split Nose bowl STC, Vernier Mixture Control, Vernier Throttle Control, Left & Right Wing Tip Landing Lights, Belly Strobe, Red Rudder Cap, All wheel Pants, Engine Heater, Hobbs Meter, Oil Quick Drain, Rosen Sun Visors, Inside-Outside Air Temp Gage, Aircraft Tug In-cluded – Buyer pays for packing, handling and shipping as required, based at David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport (DWH), Houston, Tex-as, $59,950 Timothy George, [email protected]
For Sale:1979 AA5A (Super Cheetah) TT 3,548, IO-360 at 904 SMOH, Overall in good condition, parked in Las Vegas at KVGT, interior and exterior are good, avionics are dated but work (a new panel is the next thing this Grumman needs), However, with Fore-Flight and backed up by the first generation GPS (KLN89B), I could get anywhere. Chris, [email protected], (910)-364-3216
For Sale: 1991 AG5B TTAF 7200 engine TSMOH 1950 all cylinders at or above 74. December 2017 annual. $57,000, Dr. Steven Green, [email protected], (203) 984-7167
For Sale: Exhaust System for Tiger. Have replaced the exhaust system in my Tiger with a Power Flow System. Selling all parts of old system. Muffler shroud and exhaust pipes and clamps in good shape. Muffler needs repair or replacement. $175 plus shipping. Contact Tony at (508) 457-9227 or [email protected]
M J
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The Litter BoxClassified ads are free for AYA members. No commercial or business ads. AYA is not responsible for errors or omissions. Each ad will run once per submission; advise the editor prior to deadline if you want the ad to continue. Send ads to Don Metz, Editor, The American Star, 704 Sherman Ave. SW, Calgary,AB T2W 0N2 Canada, fax (403) 233-9506, or [email protected].
September/October 2018The American Star 19
The Litter BoxClassified ads are free for AYA members. No commercial or business ads. AYA is not responsible for errors or omissions. Each ad will run once per submission; advise the editor prior to deadline if you want the ad to continue. Send ads to Don Metz, Editor, The American Star, 704 Sherman Ave. SW, Calgary,AB T2W 0N2 Canada, fax (403) 233-9506, or [email protected].
For mutually agreed upon donation to AYA Scholarship: Starter and Exhaust system for 1979 Grumman Cheetah. Both were operating perfectly when removed for upgrade to flyweight starter and Powerflow exhaust. All they will cost you is the shipping (and I get a great airline FedEx discount). I will be happy to send pics. Ken Nebrig @ (928) 273-0042 or [email protected].
For mutually agreed upon donation to AYA Scholarship: Propeller for Grumman Cheetah. Original McCaulley propeller removed from 1979 Cheetah when replaced by Sensenich a couple of years ago. Comes with aluminum spacer and bolts. Full logbooks and no damage history. I will be happy to send pics Ken Nebrig (928) 273-0042 or [email protected]
Looking for complete Century llB autopilot for 1979 Tiger AA5B, in working order. Fred (626) 487-9562, [email protected]
Looking for an AA1 series, Scott Mur-phy, my e-mail is [email protected]: A 2001 through 2006 Tiger Aircraft AG-5B from the Martinsburg pro-duction run. I am willing to pay top dollar for an exceptionally well maintained airplane. Please contact me at [email protected]
For Sale: I have a Stormscope WX 11 for sale listed on eBay. I will discount it to members who contact me directly.https://www.ebay.com/itm/302626697375?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649Ted Slanker, [email protected]
Very nice under wing paint treatment.
The American StarSeptember/October 2018 20
Association
Director of Insurance
Aircraft & Marine Assurance 2306 E Evergreen Blvd Vancouver, WA 98661
800•466•4944 [email protected]
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September/October 2018The American Star 21
Air Mods N.W.“BOGI-BAR” Tow Bar - AYA Special Price $140.79 GRUMMAN AMERICAN SPECIALISTSHUGE INVENTORY OF USED & NEW PARTS
STC’s, PARTS & KITS, COMPLETE MAINTENANCE EXPERT CONSULTATION (5% AYA Discount on Most)
Throttle Stiff? We have the McFarlane Cables FAA/PMA direct “drop-in” replacements- all models!*No 337 or FAA FIELD APPROVAL NEEDED!Usual NEXT DAY shipping- Special AYA Pricing!
If you are fixing or modifying your present plane, call us!If you want to upgrade to a newer or larger plane, call us!If you’re interested in refurbishing, or trading for a fully refurbished, “customized just for you” airplane, call us!
Remember; “You don’t need a catalog to order with us,...IF IT F ITS A GRUMMAN, JUST CALL US!”
TOLL FREE ORDER LINE!1-8-PROPELLER (1-877-673-5537)
www.airmodsnw.comDirect Local (425) 334-3030 FAX (360) 691-2615
[email protected] (Please include your phone number)
Total Product Support
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5% Discount on Most Parts with Proof of AYA Membership!
Local: 219-866-5587
Toll Free: 888-913-9235 [email protected]
2326 W. Clark St. Rensselaer, IN 47978
Located on Jasper County Airport (RZL)
Check us out at
www.excelairservices.com For more details!
The American StarSeptember/October 2018 22
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Lower and more even CHTsUp to 6 knots faster True Airspeed
PlusNo more cracked cowlingNo more poorly fitting bafflesNo more nose gear boot
Modifying. Restoring, Repairing, and Maintaining Tigers and Cheetahs since 1984Modifying. Restoring, Repairing, and Maintaining Tigers and Cheetahs since 1984Modifying. Restoring, Repairing, and Maintaining Tigers and Cheetahs since 1984
www.AuCountry.comwww.AuCountry.comwww.AuCountry.comwww.AuCountry.comwww.AuCountry.comwww.AuCountry.com
• STC’d Improved AG5B Carb Inlet• STC’d Improved AG5B Carb Inlet• STC’d Improved AG5B Carb Inlet• STC’d Improved AG5B Carb Inlet• STC’d Improved AG5B Carb Inlet• STC’d Improved AG5B Carb Inlet• PMA’d Fiberglass Eyebrow• PMA’d Fiberglass Eyebrow• PMA’d Fiberglass Eyebrow• PMA’d Fiberglass Eyebrow• PMA’d Fiberglass Eyebrow• PMA’d Aluminum Panel Overlays• PMA’d Aluminum Panel Overlays• PMA’d Aluminum Panel Overlays• PMA’d Aluminum Panel Overlays• PMA’d Aluminum Panel Overlays
The Jaguar CowlingThe Jaguar CowlingThe Jaguar CowlingThe Jaguar Cowling
(530) 613-6488(530) 613-6488(530) 613-6488
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Time to Renew Your AYA Membership?Login, Member Menu, My Member File, the first box shows your membership expiry date. You can
renew online at Join/Renew, Member Payments or Call the Secretary/Treasurer with your information.
September/October 2018The American Star 23
THE COMPANY STOREInsigniaAYA patch (3-inch) ......................... $5.50AYA decal (2-inch) .......................... $1.50 Grumman Patch ..............................$5.50The American StarBack issues........................Call SecretaryStar index (through 2016)...............$10.00Full-color Star cover enlargement..$20.0016 by 20 inches. Specify issue.
Service Information*GA7 ADs (Per set).........................$5.00GA7 SBs (Per set).......................$10.00GA7 SLs (Per set).......................$10.00AA5 ADs (Per set).......................$15.00AA5 SBs (Per set).......................$20.00AA5 SLs (Per set).......................$30.00AA1 ADs (Per set).......................$15.00AA1 SBs (Per set).......................$20.00AA1 SLs (Per set).......................$30.00
Maintenance and Operation CompendiumAll Star Maintenance Articles from 1976 through May/June 1999.........$47.00+ shipping*
AYA baseball hats. One size fits all, specify Red, White, Blue, Khaki............................$20.00AYA document portfolio .........................................................................................$15.00 AYA T-shirt white or ash...................................................Small - XXXL..............$18.00
AYA Memorabilia
Prices subject to change without notice. Prices do include shipping.*For Service Information, please add $14.00 shipping for Europe or $16.00 for Australia and New Zealand. For the Maintenance and Operation Compendium, please add $5 shipping for destinations in the U.S., $6.00 for Canada, $14.00 for Europe, or $16.00 for Australia and New Zealand.Except as noted, all prices include postage and handling. To order, please forward full payment in US funds to:
AYA SecretaryP.O. Box 1531
Cameron Park, CA 95682
DISPLAY ADVERTISING RATES
Number of Issues, Prepaid(There are six issues per year)
1–2 3–5 6–9 MoreFULLPAGE: $300 $240 $180 $148
2/3: $190 $154 $115 $93
1/2: $143 $115 $88 $71
1/3: $88 $71 $55 $44
1/4: $66 $53 $40 $33
1/6: $55 $44 $33 $28
1/10: $44 $35 $26 $22
AYA members receive a 5% discount.Confirm space availability before sending your ad. Contact the Editor.Ad copy should be .pdf. Payment must be made in advance, payable to American Yankee Association, and mailed to: AYA Secretary, P.O. Box 1531 Cameron Park, CA 95682
ADVERTISING NOTICE
Although we take reasonable precautions to confirm the veracity of advertisements, the American Yankee Association does not endorse and will not be held responsible for the actions of any particular company. We urge you to seek references for any advertiser if you deem that appropriate and to take normal business precautions to protect yourself and your aircraft investment.
Get your AYA T-shirt, contact the Company Store to order yours.
Please support the advertisers who support the AYA and The Star
www.mcfarlaneaviation.com/aya
McFarlane Aviation Products: 696 East 1700 Road, Baldwin City, Kansas 66006 Phone: 785.594.2741 Fax: 785.594.3922 [email protected]
FAA-PMA Manufacturer of Quality Aircraft Parts
®
Throttle ControlsThe best for less!• Solid metal construction• Lifetime lubrication • Improved design
FAA-PMA
FAA-PMA/STC
800.510.4166
Aircraft Wheel BalancerFast, accurate and affordable! • Fits almost all wheel/tire assemblies• Does not require removal of the bearings or seals• Our special bushings allow use as a prop balancer!
FAA-PMA
PROP GUARD Anti-abrasion boot for your metal prop • Special high strength, heat processed polymer bonds to propeller’s leading edge• No performance loss • Easy to install
Installation tool saves time!
APS BlackSteel Brake Discs Improved braking performance with superior rust pit resistanceOne piece forged discs eliminate weld failures!
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PERIODICAL MAIL
American Yankee AssociationP.O. Box 1531Cameron Park, CA 95682
Address Service Requested
TOP CATSPresident Guy Warner 2707 Sedgefield CT E Clearwater, FL 33761 (727)771-8679(h) 727-460-6215(c) [email protected]
Vice President Graham V. Smith 232 Osgood Rd Milford, NH 03055 (603) 673-6629(h) (603) 566-4926(c) [email protected]
Secretary/Treasurer Stew and Karen Wilson P.O. Box 1531 Cameron Park, CA 95682 (530) 295-7158 (530) 387-5200 (fax) [email protected]
Editor Don Metz 704 Sherman Ave. SW Calgary, AB T2W 0N2 Canada (403) 258-3135 [email protected]
Region 3–Southeast (NC, SC, FL, GA, MS, AL, TN) Ronnie Mowery 155 Upwind Leg Rd. Gilbert, SC, 29054 (330) 807-9082 [email protected]
Region 4–Central (AB, SK, MB, IA, MO, KS, NE, MN, ND, SD, MT, WY) Steve Peach 24 Headlands Close Cochrane, AB T4C 1M3 Canada (403) 860-7359 [email protected] Region 5–Southern (TX, OK, AR, LA, NM, AZ, CO, UT) Scott Sanders 124 Coterie Place Boerne, TX 78006 (361) 720-1734 [email protected]
Past President Cliff Daugherty 9936 Gabriella Dr. N Royalton, Ohio, 44133. (440) 237-7199(h) (440) 781-5224(c) [email protected]
Region 1–Northeast (MA, NH, VT, NY, RI, CT, ME, PA, NJ, WV, VA, DE, MD, ON, NS, QC, NB, NF, PE) John Somerville 10 Lynch Ave Castleton, NY 12033 (518) 441-8252 [email protected]
Region 2–Great Lakes (KY, IL, IN, OH, MI, WI) Robert Hess 228 Hilton Ave. Rockford, IL 61107 (815) 226-9715 [email protected]
Region 6–Pacific (CA, NV, HI, WA, OR, ID, AK, BC, YT) Kim Muinch 20926 Clearview Ct Bend, OR, 97702 (541) 848-3600 [email protected] 7–Europe Yogi Beck Schellnhäuser Str. 1136325 Feldatal +49-178-2634500 [email protected] 8–Australia/New Zealand Looking For An Eager Volunteer [email protected]
Norris Hibbler, Director of Insurance, 2306 East Evergreen Blvd., Vancouver, WA 98661-4319 (360) 694-1303, (800) 466-4944, or fax (360) 694-8249 [email protected]
CATS AT PLAY
Sept 8, Rutherford County Airport, NC (KFQD), Ron Mowery at [email protected] Cell 330-807-9082Sept 24-27, 2018, Hutchinson, KS (KHUT), AYA Annual Convention, Don Cochran, [email protected] 13, Bakersfield, CA (L45), Rocket Shop, lunch at noon, Stew Wilson, [email protected], (530) 295-7158Oct 20, Twin Lakes Airport (S17), lunch, Ron Mowery at [email protected] Cell 330-807-9082November 10, Auburn, CA (AUN), Wings Cafe, lunch at noon, Stew Wilson, [email protected], (530) 295-7158Nov 17, Gillian McConnell Airfield, NC (BQ1), Ron Mowery at [email protected] Cell 330-807-9082Dec 15, Greenville Downtown Airport, (KGMU), The Runway Café, Ron Mowery at [email protected] Cell 330-807-9082
Please see http://www.aya.org for a complete current listing of events.
The AYA Phone Numbers are (530)295-7158, Fax (530)387-5200.
