your flight. Review the NOTAM before FROM THE PRESIDENT JUL 2013 departure and again before arrival and VOLUME 5, ISSUE 3 jeff edwards keep it as a procedural reference— especially radio frequencies—at your fingertips. Happy Indepen- dence Day! By Here are some of the listed changes the time you from last year’s NOTAM: in this issue read this the 4th Sequence of VFR arrival pages of July celebra- Taxiways at Appleton (ATW) tion will be his- IFR arrival and departure routings tory and Air- FISKE intersection moved in 02 from the president 1 Venture 2013 at MAY 13 data base Oshkosh, WI will On-site FSS services are not be peeking over the horizon. LOBO is expected to be available at 5 training issues looking forward to seeing all of you Wittman Field during AirVenture; there, especially at the LOBO Banquet. alternative on-site briefing options Speaking of Airventure, have you spent may be available 7 social occasions your flying time wisely this year brushing up on the skills necessary for RISK MANAGEMENT flying into the busiest airspace in the Is your airplane ready to fly to Oshkosh? guest submission world come July 27? I hear some of you Have you finished Phase 1 testing? If 11 saying, “Skills? What skills?” Judging by not, fly to Oshkosh commercial, or the number of arrival accidents, it’s better yet, hook a ride with a Lancair clear Oshkosh demands precision flying buddy. If your airplane is not ready or for those so inclined to brave flying into legal – leave it at home. Oshkosh during the show. Among the accidents: In 2008 Airventure is most emphatically not a a Lancair Legacy with two fatal, a good location for Phase 1 testing. Too Glasair III in 2001 with one fatal and a Premier jet with two seriously injured several years ago. These are but a few of
the many that have crashed on or near the approach runway at Wittman Field during AirVenture.
So let’s review some of the hazards (things that bite you in the rear end) and some of the risk mitigation strategies that you can employ to ensure a safe arrival and departure.
AIRVENTURE NOTAM editor: mark sletten A good place to start is a review of the LOBO Oshkosh AirVenture NOTAM. Click 3127 creve couer mill rd, h-n5 here to download a copy. I recommend saint louis, missouri 63146 you print the appropriate section for www.lancairowners.com
Jul 2013 many pilots have come to grief flying a just-completed experimental amateur- built aircraft to AirVenture only to experience problems on the way there or on the way back. Remember, part of the purpose of Phase 1 is to establish the reliability and safety of the aircraft. Are you ready to fly your new Lancair to Oshkosh? Have you had any type- specific training, or do you just have a few hours in that brand new Lancair? Low time in type coupled with a high- pressure flying environment is a recipe for disaster. Almost 50% of all Lancair accident pilots had less than 100 hours in make and model. Make sure you have all the necessary flying skills to safely fly THIS LEGACY STALLED TURNING BASE AT AIRVENTURE 2008 your aircraft. If you have just completed your Lancair, a transition flight training storms in the Midwest this year–even as SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS course from one of a number of we march into July. Get up and fly early excellent instructors is in order. Click Here are a few things to think about before the boomers build. Take XM here to find one in your area. when planning your flight into Wittman weather along for the ride. Give the Field during AirVenture. boomers a wide berth.
WEIGHT & BALANCE TRAFFIC
Make certain you operate your Lancair Be vigilant in the arrival – there are a lot within the weight and balance limits of airplanes out there and midair specified. Don’t overload the aircraft collisions are a distinct possibility! Keep with passengers, camping equipment, your eyes out of the cockpit and your coolers, camp chairs, etc. Again, too head on a swivel. Many of you know if many pilots have already demonstrated you listen to 123.45 that the numbers of what happens on a hot day with an airplanes per cubic mile increases overloaded aircraft. This is doubly true exponentially northeast of Madison. when you throw in high altitude—like a Use all of the tools. TCAD, scan, listen, stop at South Valley Regional Airport and get your passengers involved. Do (used to be Salt Lake #2) near Salt Lake not be “heads down.” Are you going to City, UT, or Rock Springs-Sweetwater use the Ripon arrival, do the Warbird County Airport in Rock Springs, WY. arrival for very high performance With a field elevation of more than aircraft or fly to an alternate airport like 6,700 feet, the density altitude can Appleton or Fond du Lac? easily exceed 10,000 feet in Rock Springs when the temperature gets into STALL/SPIN AVOIDANCE the 90s. The old pilot knows the limits Practice slow flight—avoid the stall. and stays well within them. Fedex can What is your personal low speed limit? ship most anything to Oshkosh. Or you Know your aircraft’s low speed limit and can pick it up there and Fedex can ship do not deviate from it. Know your it home. aircraft’s slow flight handling qualities. You should endeavor to acquire the skill WEATHER to fly a selected airspeed +/- 5 knots in Make sure you check the weather! the pattern and on the arrival. Do not There are lots of afternoon thunder- allow your airspeed to go below 1.3 VSO
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come to grief attempting S-turns on final at Oshkosh. While you are at the show, look around for one of the new angle of attack systems. They are real life savers and give great warnings to prevent the stall. Never use more than 30 degrees angle of bank while in the pattern. NEVER! Why? Because a steeper bank angle requires a steeper angle of attack to maintain altitude which, in turn, increases load factor. You may recall from your primary flight training that stall speed rises dramatically as load factor increases. The surest way to avoid increasing load factor is to limit THIS 172 CRASHED ON FINAL DOING 65 DEGREE-BANK S-TURNS your bank angle to 30 degrees or less. If you find yourself in a situation requiring while in the pattern, and practice Speaking of slow flight–if you are more than 30 degrees of bank to make putting it down on “the dot.” Accuracy instructed to do S-turns on final I would the assigned runway it’s time to go landings depend on accurate airspeed recommend you decline the instruction, around! Speaking of go-arounds, what’s control. perform a go around and come back in your plan? You should know before you for another try. Too many pilots have ever start the approach where you’re
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to the plane in front of you. You may likely be instructed to follow them. Now is not the time to relax. Know ahead of time the likely taxi route. If you land on runway 27 you may have a long taxi in the grass. Listen up for runway exit instructions. Pay attention to the ground handler signals, but do not let the ground handlers taxi you into a ditch. Do not assume the guy behind you in a monster truck or TBM Avenger sees you and stops in time. When in doubt ask or get out of the way.
MAINTENANCE
If you have a mechanical problem with the airplane on the way up let us know and let’s get it fixed before you depart. EAA has a team of volunteer mechanics at AirVenture to help people with AVENGER COLLIDES WITH RV DURING TAXI aircraft problems. Lancair and LOBO going and at what altitude if you have to distractions in the cockpit. Avoid likewise have folks that can help. Do not go around. extraneous conversation with passen- be a statistic trying to get home with a gers or wingman; it should be all problem. DISTRACTIONS business near Oshkosh while on the AirVenture can be a lot of fun, but not if arrival. Stay focused! you get hurt or break something. Avoid Many Loss of Control (LOC) accidents the latter by knowing the hazards, (usually stalls) involve distractions. Stay Be heads up on the ground. After mitigating the risks, practicing the focused while keeping in mind that landing make an expeditious exit of the necessary skills and bringing your game controllers, other traffic, the show, your runway in accordance with the passengers, etc. will all contribute to controller’s instructions. Pay attention
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day performance. Do that and we’re sure to keep it valid by having the training sure to see you there! TRAINING ISSUES properly documented." (Jenny Estes) jeff edwards I recently had a conversation with LOBO FORUM AT AIRVENTURE Nationair, our LOBO insurance partner. This year the Lancair LOBO forum is NATIONAIR STATEMENT In the course of the conversation we realized that some of our members are Monday 7/29 at 1300-1415 at Forum #2 "It has come to our attention that pilots training but may not be getting all of (GAMA). who are receiving their initial or annual the required training and recurrent training with a LOBO approved documentation. instructor may not be doing the actual LOBO approved training There are only a handful of insurance syllabus. Your insurance companies that insure the IVP and company requires you to Evolution. All of them require either complete the LOBO LOBO or HPAT training from an syllabus with a LOBO authorized instructor. approved instructor. We drafted the FITS-approved LOBO When you successfully training program in 2009, when complete this you will insurance companies were cancelling receive a completion policies after a bad year for accidents in certificate signed by Jeff Lancairs. The syllabi we designed— Edwards. If you are not which were reviewed and approved by receiving this certificate the insurance industry—are very then you have not thorough. Some believe them too completed the LOBO lengthy, but there are no shortcuts training as required and taken in this training, and it was this your insurance policy attitude that helped convince could be affected by this. underwriters in the industry that The policy is a contract Lancair owners who participated in the between you and the training were worth the risk to cover. insurance company and they require that you do Believe me, this was not an easy task. this training. If you have a Unfortunately it has come to our claim the first thing the attention that a few individuals have insurance company will told their insurance company they have do is make sure there is completed the training when in fact coverage. One item they they have not. If you take LOBO look at is making sure the training and complete all of the training pilot is current and you will be issued a LOBO training completed all training as certificate that you can forward to your required. You may have insurance company as proof of training. the CFI initials in your logbook but if Jeff How do you know if you’re getting all Edwards has not signed a the required training? If you are training completion certi- instrument rated it includes the ficate you have not done instrument portions of the syllabus. as the insurance company Does the insurance company care if you has requested. Make sure complete this? Yes. They presume that you are receiving these if you have an instrument rating you will certificates and send use it. What happens if you cannot them to your insurance successfully complete the IPC? That is a broker once received. You good question for the insurance are paying for the underwriters. For the IVP and Evo insurance coverage; make crowd you must have an instrument
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critical to maintaining a pilot’s skills September/October 2010 Safety Brief- – especially instrument flying skills. ing publication, stating that being legally instrument current does not 14 CFR 61.57 addresses currency necessarily mean a pilot is proficient or requirements to maintain the legal safe to fly in instrument conditions. minima to fly IFR. Six approaches, (FAA Safety Briefing September/ holding and radial tracking October 2010 pg. 17) performed and logged within the last six months. If you have passed Ms. Parsons continued by explaining the six month point without that instrument proficiency encom- performing the necessary pro- passes three areas in what she calls the cedures but have not exceeded “proficiency triangle.” These three twelve months, you can regain areas are performance (or aircraft currency by completing the control), procedures (or rules of the AEROSTAR LOSS OF CONTROL AFTER TAKEOFF SUGAR GROVE, required approaches, holding and road and instrument approach ILLINOIS JANUARY 23, 2010, N222AQ tracking in simu-lated conditions procedures) and planning (weather and with a safety pilot rating to get coverage. The wise pilot (there are simulator and would seek the services of a training PCATD alternatives as professional and complete an IPC. well), and then logging that experience in your PROFICIENCY & CURRENCY pilot logbook. In the Let me address instrument proficiency mean-time you are and currency while we are on the prohibited from filing subject of training. I am seeing a lot of and flying IFR. serious accidents in the last five years If you pass the twelve that involve instrument rated pilots month point then you flying in instrument conditions and must obtain an instru- losing control of the aircraft. ment proficiency check (IPC) with a CFI in order Many of these accidents occur when the aeronautical decision making). pilot is attempting to transition from to regain your instrument privileges. the enroute, autopilot-flown GPSS The IPC is supposed to be a Maintaining instrument flying mode to approach mode. Some have comprehensive review of all of the proficiency requires regular practice. occurred shortly after takeoff into Practical Test Standard tasks from the Make sure you are getting plenty of instrument conditions (see above). instrument rating PTS. instrument flying practice as part of your recurrent training program. Simply stated, these accident pilots Ms. Susan Parsons discussed currency could not hand fly the airplane in and proficiency in the FAA’s instrument conditions. Instrument proficiency is a perishable skill that needs constant practice and refresher. If you do not practice instrument flying skills regularly you may end up in a situation where you cannot hand-fly the aircraft in instrument conditions. This could be potentially deadly. According to AOPA survey data, the average pilot is flying 60 hours a year. This amount of flying is likely not enough to maintain your instrument skills, particularly if you are using the autopilot for a majority of that flight time. Currency and proficiency are
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Lancair crowd that seems to grow larger $44.00 for non-members. every year. SOCIAL OCCASIONS Click here to pay via PayPal claudette colwell As always, our host requires an attendance guaran- tee, so reservations are a must. LOBO OSH BANQUET Make your reserva- Lancair International tions NOW! and NationAir invite you to join them for a Click here to make great evening of food, your reservation via drink and conviviality email. Please in- with all your Lancair clude your name, buddies, including Dr. Alberto Behar, the names of your who will tell us a great story about his guest(s) and your experience as a member of the Mars aircraft type and “N” Rover/Curiosity Team. This year’s number. Cost is venue is the brand new Best Western $38.00 for LOBO Premiere, which promises a wonderful members (current meal and a new, bigger room for a dues as of 2013);
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In addition, let us know if you’ll need a Volume 5 Issue 3
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Additionally, let us know if you need a the “Lancair” rate) or click here to Harrelson, who will tell us exciting tales ride to the Best Western (in your reserve your room online. The Hilton is about building a special purpose Lancair reservation email). We plan to have a holding a block of rooms for us, but only IV and long distance flights—past and designated, convenient pick up location until September 17th, so make your future—across large bodies of water. on the field for anyone needing a ride reservations as soon as you can. to/from the banquet, but we need to GROUND SCHOOL TOO! You’ll have only a few weeks after this know in advance how many will need a newsletter hits the presses (until August ride. Come early for the 3-Track Ground 4) to get the early registration rate. School on Thursday, October 3. This After that, you’ll have to pay the LOBO-LANCAIR LANDING 2013 year LOBO President Jeff Edwards is regular—higher—registration rates coordinating an all-day ground school, Greenville, SC—KGMU—October 4-6 (click here for more details). Your paid including a new, dual track training reservation entitles you to full access to format to meet the needs of two It’s getting closer – and the excitement all exhibits in the main exhibit hall, all distinct groups. Track one is for pilots is building! We have a great line-up of forums and lunch both days. The already flying their Lancair, and track exhibitors/sponsors as well as a full forums end each day at 3:00 so you can two, presented by Bob Pastusek, is for schedule of activities. The Hilton get to the airport for the important those seeking guidance on prepping Greenville is our home base for eats, stuff—hangar flying and airplane their Lancair for its very first flight. The entertainment and education, and it’s gazing! In addition to all that, Friday two groups will join after lunch to cover only 2.3 miles—just four minutes—from night’s cocktail party (no-host bar) and topics of interest to both. And for those the airport. The fantastic room rate of Saturday night’s banquet are also spouses interested in learning more $105.00 per night—good from Oct 1-9— included. Best of all… Saturday night’s about flying, Sue Harrelson will offer a includes WiFi and parking. Call to make banquet speaker is our own Bill ½-day “Partners in Command” course. your reservations at the Hilton (ask for
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In it, your significant other will learn how to help you with less critical cockpit tasks so you can concentrate on the more critical ones. Sue’s students are encouraged to join the main group after lunch. Click here for more information about this year’s ground school and to register for 2013 LOBO/Lancair Landing. Payment is via PayPal or with a check to LOBO. Don’t miss this rare opportunity enjoy the beautiful countryside of the encouragement to continue donating to learn from these experts! Appalachian Foothills. items to support our annual LOBO/Lancair Landing. EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES A NEW TAKE ON PRIZES So instead of door prizes this year, we’re Judy Pastusek has a day-long adventure Although everyone loves to be a winner, holding a silent auction. This will ensure planned for Friday, October 4. It starts last year several people won door prizes everyone has an opportunity to win with a chartered bus taking those who they couldn’t use (the item was for the something they really want and can use sign up on a 1.5 hour drive to Asheville, wrong model aircraft or it was (it’s up to you to determine if a NC, where they’ll tour the famous something the winner already had, etc). particular item is suitable for your Biltmore Estate! If our group is 20+ we Naturally, winners of such prizes sold purposes), and have we got some will have a private lunch; otherwise, them. Unfortunately, this didn’t sit too fabulous items for you this year! You lunch can be purchased at the café in well with at least one of our generous must be a registered Landing attendee the Estate. Click here for all the details donors who had to deal with an and be at the Saturday night banquet to and to register online. You may pay via unanticipated headache. An individual bid. Come prepared to pay for your item PayPal or with a check to LOBO. Judy is purchased one of our donated door and take it with you Saturday evening also planning another Ladies adventure prizes, but it wasn’t suited for their after the banquet. We will not have a in clothing for Saturday morning. And particular aircraft—a problem that secure connection to allow payments don’t forget Greenville itself—it’s full of could’ve been avoided if the item had via credit card, and PayPal is the only wonderful opportunities. Those who been purchased from the vendor method of card payment to LOBO. come early or stay late can take in some instead of from our prize winner, who Therefore please bring cash or checks to of the downtown adventures or just sold the item at a discount. As you pay for your bid item. might imagine, this isn’t exactly We’ll see in you Greenville!
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BEGINNINGS Guam) on the record attempt was a no GUEST SUBMISSION brainer. Some say that Bill’s flight started in This issue’s guest submission is from Jim Indiana, where he took off for San Bill purchased a Continental IO-550 Cavanaugh of Aircraft Specialties Francisco, then to Hawaii, then to from engine from Performance Lubricants, purveyors of CamGuard. Guam. These are daunting tasks, Engines, in California. Receiving the indeed, but, not really the essence of engine, he pickled it and set it aside. GUAM TO JACKSONVILLE! the flight. Rather, you can say the flight During the airframe building process, he started over nine years ago, when he began to hear rumors that the engine Long, long ago there was a Henry Fonda builder might be suspect, and with a lot movie called Sometimes a Great Notion. first conceived “the notion.” One of the first items on his record setting flight of H2O to overfly, he decided to send The movie was about a logging man, the engine out for an overhaul. He but the title—indeed, the concept—that check-list was ordering a great ideas can occur to anyone, is Lancair IV kit, which he about as romantic a thought as we can would build with the find. intent of pursuing the record. Aviation has more than its share of romantic notions, from flying to Alaska Bill knew the Lancair IV to island hopping in the Bahamas, to was the only aircraft flying the back country or bush. An capable of making this airplane can be not just a vehicle, but a flight. It is sleek, fast, sort of physical manifestation of a and roomy. It is also a dream, promising possibility and homebuilt, ergo could adventure to the romantic that dwells be built to conform to his within most of us. personal specifications, with respect and regard Nine years ago, Bill Harrelson had such to structural integrity. a notion. A Captain for American Having built a Lancair Airlines, he had built a Lancair 320, and 320, Bill knew that the along with his wife, Sue, also an airline airplane was, if anything, pilot, had flown to Europe for an over-built. Structurally, adventure. With this jaunt behind him, it could handle the loads, Bill began to develop his personal and aerodynamically, it “great notion.” His thirst for adventure afforded a broad CG took root, and grew into a goal to set a range providing flexi- long distance record for class C1d: That bility in loading a lot of is (C) Landplane, (1) internal heavy fuel. combustion engine(s) (any number, not necessarily single engine) and (d) As the manufacturer, Bill weight between 1,750 kg and 3,000 kg. selected 4,800 lbs. as the maximum gross weight In May of 2013, Bill accomplished the for the airplane. This first leg of his ultimate goal by flying an number allows, on an airplane he built non-stop from Guam average day, enough to Jacksonville, FL. This thirty-eight performance to get off hour and twenty-nine minute flight the ground in 7,000 feet took him 7,051 nautical miles without a with a total fuel capacity burger, a bathroom, or a nap. of 361 gallons. Consi- Surrounded by fuel, with Power Bars dering Guam’s longest and Gatorade within reach, Harrelson runway is 10,000 feet, throttled the big continental engine departing with full fuel back to achieve his target airspeed of tanks (which cost 180 mph and headed east across more $13/gallon to ship to ocean than most of us see in a lifetime.
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Jul 2013 chose Barrett Performance Engines, in part of Bill’s personally designed Autopilot to handle the long, Tulsa, right next door to Aircraft electrical system featuring an “essential monotonous over-water stretches. Specialties Services and Aircraft bus” to power critical electrical Bill attended the 2012 LOBO/Lancair Specialties Lubricants. Alan got to work components. Each of the three Fly-in at Sedona, AZ last year where he right away with the overhaul. Bill chose alternators can power the essential bus heard Randy Bibb speak about to upgrade to 10:1 pistons and selected independently of one another, giving CamGuard. Bill was impressed with the GAMIjectors in anticipation of Lean of Bill a great deal of redundancy. Other information and did some checking on Peak engine operation. In addition to electrical system features include a his own. Ultimately, he decided to use the stock alternator, Bill opted for two glass panel and LED lighting, keeping CamGuard in his engine, not based more. The B&C alternators, a twenty amperage requirements low. He also solely on its advertised design features, amp unit, and an eight amp unit, are opted for Jim Yonkin’s TruTrak but these, along with anecdotes he picked up from shops and users suggested even if it didn’t work as advertised it certainly couldn’t hurt. Hey, the kind of personality that takes on this kind of flight suggests a certain intuitive feel for survival! We didn’t know that Bill had used CamGuard until meeting him at Sun ‘n Fun, after the flight.
A TEAM EFFORT
The record flight had been planned for years, and not necessarily from Guam. Bill and Sue had studied winds for a decade, extrapolating the average directions and speeds, and determined that Guam would be a good starting point. English is the official language, the dollar rules, and politically it was USA all the way. Sue is the team’s scribe and coordinator, handling all the paperwork and arranging all of the landing and takeoff permits. If everything had gone as she planned, the record flight would have been a non-event. But as is the way of Mother Nature, when it comes to golf tournaments, outdoor concerts and world record-breaking flights, the weather sometimes doesn’t cooperate. The tailwinds Bill and Sue had expected—after a decade of research!—failed to materialize.
HOW MUCH FUEL?
Bill had many tools at his disposal— accurate gages, engine instruments,
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GPS, etc.—to aid in developing a plan of considerably higher at the start of the DETAILS action. He established go/no-go fuel flight—when heavy. Before landing Bill quantities at three hours, two hours and was using a power setting of 35 – 40 Aside from the winds/fuel thing, Bill told one hour from landing at JAX. Any percent, yielding a fuel burn of nine us that the only real glitch on the flight quantity less than planned at a gallons per hour. If you do the math was a malfunction with the autopilot checkpoint would mean a landing short you’ll find that six gallons meant a 40 display. With no display telling him the of JAX—and giving up the record. As the minute reserve. selected mode and no user manual, Bill GPS ticked past the three hours- For some aircraft, determining six had to operate the unit from memory. remaining checkpoint Bill had exactly gallons remaining would be difficult, He considered turning back, but the minimum he needed to continue, but remember, Bill designed this plane combining what he remembered about nothing extra. The same thing as a record breaker from the start. He the unit with a little bit of trial and error happened at two hours remaining, and installed his header tank between the kept him on course. The first few hours at one hour remaining—exactly the instrument panel and the firewall, and of the flight were flown by hand minimum required, with nothing extra. included a sight gage...a very carefully anyway, as the weight and the CG were When Bill landed at JAX he still had six calibrated sight gauge. Bill’s sight gage beyond the autopilot’s capabilities. gallons in his twelve-gallon header is so well calibrated, in fact, he can To keep up his energy, Bill ate power tank—exactly as planned. accurately determine fuel remaining in bars, fruit, nuts, and drank Gatorade. the header tank to the nearest quart! If six gallons sounds low consider that His doctors had recommended a the aircraft was very light at this point. number of short naps rather than trying Power settings required to maintain his to sleep, but the first few times he target airspeed of 180 kts were settled in for some winks, a bump in the
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Jul 2013 air or a subtle cough from the engine Alas, his second was enough to rouse him, so he gave up record attempt—a on sleep. Even though he had put much polar circumnavi- thought into managing them, there gation of the globe— were still many risks involved in such an was thwarted by endeavor, so it was only natural for Bill unusually harsh and to experience a heightened awareness unseasonable weath- of, and sensitivity to, his surroundings, er. He departed from and maybe a bit of trepidation facing Bangor, Maine with that vast empty windscreen just inches plans to fly to Punta in front of him. Arenas, Chile, over the South Pole, to Asked if he had any epiphanies on the Christchurch, NZ, on trip, any thoughts or concepts that s to Hawaii and then urprised him, he told us, “Yeah. I Alaska. Report after thought ‘I’ll never, ever do this again.’” report of icing condi- The high point of the flight, tions, however, kept notwithstanding the successful him grounded in completion, was spotting the US coast Chile. As much as he and being able to turn off the HF radios wanted the second he had been using. The constant record, Bill knew barrage of static and unintelligible talk there was no way he was close to torture… but you gotta could stay aloft at listen! His ground crew was in touch all maximum gross in the way, talking numbers and keeping icing conditions. This Bill occupied and informed of weather record flight, when- forecasts. ever Bill decides to next attempt it, will The closest land Bill came to between be for time, not Guam and the US mainland was a distance, though indi- couple of hundred miles south of Wake vidual point-to-point Island…at night…with no sign of lights. distance records may He also passed about 700 miles North of be involved. Hawaii, flying a great circle route. If you are surprised at this latter, don’t be. When I interviewed Most of us don’t have a true concept of Bill he was working on the Pacific Ocean and its teeny dots of his plane, recon- humanity. Guam is just 13 degrees north figuring it from “expe- of the Equator, and let’s just say, way dition” to normal. He the hell west. says he hasn’t any other real hobbies, he POSTSCRIPT just loves flying his Lancairs. The record Bill is surprised at the amount of flights give him something to look romance in aviation. As flying turns attention his adventure has gotten. He forward to and something to talk about, from sport and personal to corporate says he didn’t do it for notoriety or and he is one of those guys who, and business, little currents and eddies fame, or even to make money. He without planning it, has turned his 39 of romance and adventure meander simply wanted to set a record. Getting hour adventure into the infamous throughout the greater pool. If indeed into the books with the likes of Charles “fifteen minutes of fame”. But his our generation is the last generation to Lindberg and Max Conrad is a deeply fifteen minutes, unlike most of us, will enjoy flying as a sport or recreation—or personal and satisfying thing for a pilot. be recorded in the record books. a way of life—at least we can follow But one record is apparently not enough Bill’s lead and do all that we can to make for Bill—he had plans to set another It is men like Bill Harrelson, dreamers it all it can be. We can only do that by very soon after landing at JAX. and adventurers, who keep the getting up and going.
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For your next adventure, why not have hopefully with a party and food (more If Bill flies in from Timbuktu, or Nairobi a “Great Notion” of your own? Hop in than Gatorade and power bars!). If you or somewhere, don’t be surprised. We your plane and make a hop to Oshkosh can’t make it there, how about going to plan on giving him a CamGuard T-shirt. this summer. Bill Harrelson will be the 2013 LOBO/Lancair Landing in It is the least we can do…and we try to there, and Aircraft Specialties will be Greenville, SC this October? We’ll be always do the very least we can do! celebrating our 35th Anniversary, there too!
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