Pelican Gary Wolf
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Summer 2008 Recreational Aircraft Association Canada www.raa.ca The Voice of Canadian Amateur Aircraft Builders $6.95 Rupert Gruen's Pelican Gary Wolf WILL CANADA EVER GET LIGHT SPORT? Our manufacturers had two choices, neither good for Canadians. Zenith had already taken the path of setting Leading up to Oshkosh 2004 and the announcement up their own manufacturing facility in Missouri, with of the US Light Sport regulations, Canadian manufacturers subassemblies being made at their Midland Ontario plant. appeared to be in the catbird seat, as they had been Many jobs were exported to the US, but there was little manufacturing 1232 pound AULA aircraft for fifteen years, choice if Zenith was going to be a player in the largest and everyone expected that the US would be adopting our boom in aircraft since the ultralight revolution of the late 30 page DS10141 standard for Light Sport. Fortunately for seventies. US manufacturers and to the detriment of ours, at their Pelican aircraft took another tack –they set up with Kolb last meeting the US standard was raised to 1320 pounds. aircraft in the US, with Kolb handling final assembly and Our manufacturers were immediately out in left field. marketing. Pelican of course had to hand over all engineering They could build and test aircraft in Canada for the US documentation to prove compliance of their planes with the Light Sport category but they could do this only at the ASTM Light Sport standard. Two years later Kolb ceased to maximum of 1232 pounds. RAA Canada began lobbying distribute Pelicans and they began promoting their own Transport Canada and LAMAC (Light Aircraft Light Sport which bears a strong resemblance to the Manufacturers Association Canada) to set Pelican. Ultravia, the Canadian manufacturer up a “B” category of Advanced Ultralight of Pelicans closed the doors, with some of with weights and limits identical to the the rights going to Kolb, and some going to US Light Sport. Unfortunately LAMAC Ballard Sport Aircraft in Sherbrooke. had its own agenda to set up a category Light In neither case were the Canadian similar to Advanced Ultralight but with aircraft workforce served well. There a weight limit of 3900 pounds, and Light Sport were some Advanced UL manufacturers Sport would have been a subset of this whose products would require a wholesale proposed category. Unfortunately there redesign to meet Light Sport, so they stayed was scant chance that Transport would have with the Advanced UL category, but this is considered this proposal, since LAMAC had small change compared to the enormous Light never yet stepped up to the plate to police their Sport market. European manufacturers meanwhile Advanced Ultralight category in twenty-five years. got their governments to put appropriate regulations It took a year for RAA to convince LAMAC to shelve this into place and they have for the past four years been having proposal and focus on the 1320 pound Light Sport category. a field day selling into the US. As each new European Transport and the industry could then concentrate on manufacturer announces that it has been accepted for Light getting the US Light Sport document adopted into our regs. Sport by meeting the ASTM standard, RAA has been sending This was pursued through six months of intensive meetings, these to Transport as a reminder that our manufacturers are and the final document was presented and accepted at the not making any similar announcements. January 2007 meeting in Ottawa. The industry reps expected Awhile ago, when Transport had been sitting on the that it might take three months for Transport to review the industry recommendations for 15 months, Mo Simoneau of document and accept it, but how naïve we all were. We had Transport called RAA to say that he had reservations about not counted on the lethargy for which Transport has become using these planes for fight training, and about who would notorious. Meanwhile our manufacturers sat on the sidelines be authorized to perform maintenance. RAA responded that wondering what to sell, and to whom. Canadians became no one had yet been asking for these planes to be used for reluctant to buy Advanced Ultralights when the same flight training, and the Light Sport regs had already dealt money would buy a Light Sport with greater payload. continued on page 43 The Recreational Aircraft email: [email protected] tion of the magazine is to promote education Association Canada www.raa.ca and safety through its members to the general 13691 MCLAUGHLIN ROAD, R R 1, The Recreational Flyer is published bi-monthly public. Opinions expressed in articles and Caledon, Ontario L7C 2B2 by the Recreational Aircraft Association Pub- letters do not necessarily reflect those of the Telephone: 905-838-1357 lishing Company, Brampton Airport, Chelten- Recreational Aircraft Association Canada. Fax: 905-838-1359 ham, ON L0P 1C0. The Recreational Flyer is Accuracy of the material presented is solely Member's Toll Free line: 1-800-387-1028 devoted to the aerospace sciences. The inten- the responsibility of the author or contributor. features 4 Canadian Aviation Expo Story and Photos by Chris Gardiner ...........................................4 Collingwood 2008 Staff Article ..................................................................................6 Once More Over the Puddle by Bill Tee .....................................................................................8 Slow Going: 6 Low Speed Aircraft By Paul Ralph ............................................................................12 Power Play by George Gregory .....................................................................18 Two New Models from Zenith Staff Article ................................................................................22 Rupert Gruen's Pelican by Rupert Gruen and Gary Wolf ...............................................24 18 From the President's Desk by Gary Wolf ..............................................................2 Across Canada: Chapters in Action .............................30 New Products..................................................................32 Technical Stuff Tool Tidbits by Don Sinclair ........................................................35 Classified .................................................................38 24 New In Canadian Skies ..................................................41 Don Souter On the Cover: Rupert Gruen's immaculate Pelican. David Madison Photo. Canadian Aviation Expo 2008 By Chris Gardiner Above: The RAA’s tent with Barry Haley's lovely Pelican on amphib floats in the foreground. Ed McDiarmid's CH601 was also on hand as an example of the homebuilder's craft. 4 Recreational Flyer Summer 2008 Haley had just installed floats on his Ultravia This year’s Canadian Aviation Pelican 914 and was eager to show off his amazing professional installation and “way Expo was once again the home cool” paint scheme. A wing rib building session was organized by Doug Raine, Peter Snaith and of “all things aviation” Weldon Howell to attract the young kids and keep them occupied building parts they for the weekend of June 20-22 at the Oshawa could take home as a souvenir. Composite Municipal Airport (CYOO) in Ontario. This construction was also demonstrated by year was especially significant as the local Wayne McCarron and Jim Morrison who Oshawa City Council had just ratified the 25 made several vacuum bagged parts for all to year plan for the airport guaranteeing that see and learn. it would remain open and viable for many This year’s airshow had some top years to come. A welcome relief for those of attractions such as Patty Wagstaff , who flew us with aircraft in need of a home base on 2 shows daily to the awe of all in attendance the east side of Toronto as well as many local in her new Extra 300 aircraft. There were aviation professionals who earn a living four Harvards in the daily fly past as well as there every day. an immaculate Spitfire and Hurricane flown RAA Oshawa and RAA National were in real warbird style to the amazement of the represented by a small number of keen crowd. All the major aircraft manufacturers volunteers as usual who hosted a large tent were represented such as Cessna, Cirrus and display of activities and aircraft components Diamond aircraft as well as a host of aviation under construction. Also showcased suppliers. was a couple of completed examples of Definitely the place to be next year in the homebuilder’s craft. Two local RAA June 2009 as the annual event continues. members Ed McDiarmid and his completed Plan your calendars around this event in late CH601 with a Jaibiru 3300 6 cylinder engine June for another great weekend of fun and was on hand for all to see and touch. Barry entertainment. Summer 2008 Recreational Flyer 5 Collingwood 2008 6 Recreational Flyer Summer 2008 Opposite, top: A beautiful restoration of a Cub by Kevin Spitfire to Paul Turner and his daughter. It looks like an Elwood of Stayner Ontario; incredible project: the Canadian company will be producing Keith Weston’s Barnett gryocopter always draws a crowd. 100 percent scale replicas of the Spitfire MkV. From Collingwood 2008 This year it has a new cowling. their website: “The Fighter Werks MKV will share many Top, left: Ernie Weightman and compatriot take a coffee components that have been painstakingly replicated from break from their barbecuing duties. the original to retain the flavor of the original fighter Top, right: Mark Townsend shows off his Sheet Metal while at the same time providing the builder with easily Techniques DVD. Knowledge is indeed power. accessible new parts”. For more information: Fighterwerks rep explains the construction of their www.fighterwerks.com Summer 2008 Recreational Flyer 7 ONCE MORE OVER THE PUDDLE ONE THING about a visit to the UK in November is that it is well out of the normal tourist season, and for a really good reason: the British Winter. Why then would I go there in November? The usual aviation events such as fly-ins are done. Snow is not usually a problem 4/C but cool days and nights, early darkness and wet cold rains are very real, not to mention home heating that is not taken quite as seriously as it is here.