www.kitplanes.com $4.99 CANADA $5.99 $4.99US $5.99CAN Crucial FAQs: 05 Engine Oil For Aviators 0 09281 03883 2 Around the Patch BY MARC COOK Airport management has to realize that Closing the loop on GA is important—a contributor to the local economy, not a burden. That’s for them, for us: We all need to straighten our shirts and comb LSA initiatives. our hair and look enthusiastic, honest and welcoming to those who would join us as pilots and aircraft owners. If we act like our ranks ought to be closed, like new recruits must pass a rite of initiation to join us, we will fail. n this issue, we’ve given a lot of my gear. The sheer indifference of the Moreover, should we commit the mis- thought and a fair bit of ink to the staff made me seethe. calculation of treating Sport Pilots like Inew Light-Sport Aircraft segment. I’m I know it sounds like a small gripe, second-class citizens, we will fail. No encouraged by the endeavor even if I but this experience is added to a stack amount of reduced regulation, no fl eet can’t count myself among those who see of annoyances grown to toppling. Had of comparatively low-cost airplanes this as the one way to save general avia- this been an isolated incident at Long will overcome indifference and lack of tion. The simple fact is that we have a lot Beach, it wouldn’t bother me much. application. It’s up to us. of battles to fi ght on the way to resetting But the same part of the fi eld where I light aviation’s halo—and it’s going to had a hangar 10 years ago and built my take a strong economy in addition to our Pulsar is a much different place now. So Long, Turbo Tom efforts to make it happen. It’s true that there’s a spanking We have some tragic news to report— But I have to wonder if it’s going new development at the fi eld’s south- in late January, powerplant guru and to work equally well across our coun- west corner, something I thought KITPLANES® contributor “Turbo” Tom try, beyond the many bucolic rural would never come to fruition, but Wyatt was killed in a traffi c accident airports that dot the land. Perhaps it’s much of the GA side seems neglected. near Atlanta. Turbo Tom introduced my perspective—living in Southern Where airplanes used to park are himself to KITPLANES® readers in 2001 California and operating from a large now scores of idle rental cars, usually when he wrote a three-part series that airport—but I’m having a hard time delivered to their spaces at high speed chronicled the process of converting seeing how we’re going to get our by minimum wagers who don’t seem a Subaru EJ22 for use on an RV-4. The future pilots onto the typical busy ur- to care that the airplane you’re trying success of that series led to another, ban airport and into the hands of those to taxi among the potholes is worth “How Piston Engines Make Power,” who will train them and, as a result, a lot more money than that Taurus. which ended just a few months ago nurture this category. Why should we Cramped parking lots crowd decaying with the publication of Part 8 in the care about urbanites? Because the city hangars separated from the unwanted December 2004 issue. is where the money is, and where we’re public by chainlink topped by razor Turbo Tom had an exceptional likely to fi nd the next group of pilots. wire. The fl ight school whose airplanes ability to convey highly technical sub- It’s hard enough for us enthusias- I use was unceremoniously kicked out ject matter in an easy-to-digest format. tic, already certifi ed pilots sometimes. of a small offi ce on one part of the fi eld We received countless comments on Case in point. The winter of 2004-’05 and offered space in a temporary build- his piston engines series from readers was a wet one here, but after a couple ing whose walls are so thin you can who were enlightened by his straight- of weeks of hard rain and nasty fl ying hear the toilet fl ush. From outside. forward explanations. weather, the sun returned along with Stand back and try to imagine And Tom truly embodied the calm winds and near-perfect visibility. the impression this would make on spirit of homebuilding—he had a On the spur of the moment, I booked a a well-to-do individual wanting to genuine love for sport aviation, glider Cessna 152 from my local fl ight school realize the dream of fl ying. Would you fl ying, airplane building and engine for a quick fl ight over to Chino to see shop at a grocery store where the light tweaking. He was an excellent writer what’s up at the Planes of Fame muse- fl ickers inside a grimy freezer case? and performed a worthwhile service um. (I mean, it’s criminal to drive over, Would you appreciate having it made in helping other homebuilders under- right?) The airplane needed fuel so the clear that your time is of far less import stand the concepts that came so natu- owner of the school called the mega than those arriving in a multimillion- rally to him. FBO across the fi eld to dispatch a truck. dollar airplane or, perhaps, somebody’s At the time of his death, Turbo I sat there for half an hour. Nothing. 10-minute break? Tom was in the midst of another Another call. The lineman’s radio must For LSA to work—to truly make airplane project—an RV-8 with a be broken, said the girl behind the a difference in our world—this early planned Franklin engine—and he’d desk in the shiny offi ce across the fi eld. enthusiasm has to be carried all the proposed a number of upcoming ar- So...? Finally, after 45 minutes I decid- way through, from the FAA and ASTM ticles to further enlighten our readers. ed the fl ight wasn’t to be and closed up committees to the guy who unlocks the On the pages of KITPLANES® and in the airplane. The guy driving the fuel fl ight school door promptly at 8 a.m. the hearts of those who knew him, truck fi nally arrived as I was gathering and has a fresh pot of coffee brewed. Turbo Tom will be missed. 2 KITPLANES May 2005 www.kitplanes.com Letters May 2005 Volume 22, Number 5 April 2005 Volume 22, Number 4 Wield a Better Stick EDITORIAL I was reading the “Get a Grip” article (March KITPLANES®) and a thought Editor-in-Chief Marc Cook came to me. The author mentions that he placed the new stick in the swivel [email protected] Editor Brian E. Clark tube, sat in the cockpit and checked to see if his measurements were right. Technical Editor Ed Wischmeyer Although this worked for the builder, my suggestion would be to Contributing Editors Ken Armstrong, fabricate a plywood prototype to check fi t, length, angle of the bends. All Mary Bernard, Cory Emberson, Dave Higdon, Dan Johnson, you would have to do is cut a three-quarter-inch thickness of plywood to Gary R. Jones, Geoffrey P. Jones, John M. Larsen, the desired shape and length with a jigsaw and then place it in the swivel Howard Levy, Rick Lindstrom, Dick Starks, Barnaby Wainfan, Jim Weir tube. You could make infi nite adjustments by cutting a new blank. Stick too Senior Art Director J. Anthony LaGrasta short? Make a new plywood blank a little longer. Bend not just right? Again, Webmaster/Data Manager Julia Downie make your adjustments then cut a new piece. Cartoonist Robrucha Once you were satisfi ed with the length and position of the stick, then ADVERTISING you take it to your fabricator/welder and have them use the wood as a tem- Publisher/Ad Director Cindy Pedersen plate for the tubing. This way there is no misunderstanding as to exactly [email protected] what you want between you and the fabricator. Senior Advertising Manager Chuck Preston [email protected] Brad Cohen BUSINESS OFFICE 531 Encinitas Blvd., Suite 105, Encinitas, CA 92024 A Winner By Any Other Name Main Number: 760/436-4747, fax 760/436-4644 Editorial: 973/227-7660, fax 973/227-7630 In your article “Reno 2004: Battle Royale,” you make reference to Dave Morss’ Lancair 320. I’ve seen #99 referred to as a Lancair 320 in other publi- PRODUCTION & CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING cations. However, you can clearly see that #99 is a Legacy, not a 320. Production Manager Marsha Blessing By the way, I was at Reno watching Greenamyer and Parker 717/433-7985 [email protected] dueling for the gold and it was indeed exciting. I watched most of the rac- SUBSCRIPTION DEPARTMENT es from the pits, standing as close to the fl ightline as was allowed. The 800/622-1065; 386/447-6318 sound of Greenamyer’s Legacy going past at more than 300 mph was truly [email protected] awesome! I was disappointed that Nemesis NXT wasn’t able to race—not as Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235 disappointed as Jon Sharp, I’m sure—but there’s always next year. For Canada: Box 7820 STN Main, London, ON N5Y5W1 BACK ISSUES Tom Gourley P.O.