PROPWASH EAA CHAPTER 501 NEWSLETTER

February 2003 No. 29-02

PROPWASH Old, bold pilot...Henry Botterell dies at 106 Off icial Publication of EAA Chapter 501 Was the last surviving combat pilot of . www.eaa501.org From several news sources... President: Bart C occh iola Henry Botterell, believed to have been the last surviving World War I combat 77 Sp ruce S treet pilot, died on January 3 in a Toronto nursing home. He was 106. Nutley, NJ 07110 973-667-3727 [email protected] In 1916 he was working at a bank in Ottawa when he learned his brother had been killed in action in serving in the Toronto 48th Highlanders. He Vice-President: then traveled to Britain as a civilian and enlisted in the George B rewer 422 T erhun e Drive and trained to fly fighter planes. W ayne, NJ 07470 973-839-6764 Less than a year later he was assigned to an operational squadron in France on the Western Front, but on [email protected] his second takeoff of a training mission, an engine failure and crash put him in the hospital with broken Secretary: bones. He convalesced for several months in and he was demobilized with a medical discharge. Dick W edemeyer 6 Shawn Court But after a chan ce meeting with pilots on leave in England with whom he had trained, Henry re-joined, W ayne, NJ 07470 973-694-0292 re-qualified as a fighter pilot, and by May 1918 returned to operational flying with R.F.C. Squadron 208 [email protected] in Serny, France. He saw active service for the remainder of the war flying Sopwith Camels with 208 Squadron until the Armistice in November. Treasurer: Jon H anna 38 Beaverbrook Lane By war's end on November 11,1918, he had downed two German planes and several observation balloons. Denville, NJ 07834 973-625-2549 Although he had no claim s to be [email protected] an ace, Mr. Botterell's most Fly-In Co-Chairmen: memorable action came when he Mike Maniatus shot down a balloon on August 29, [email protected] 1918. Flying from Tramecourt, Harry Bark er [email protected] northern France, he was carrying four 25-pound bombs to attack the Young Eagles railway station at Vitry, 50 miles Coordinator: Bill Anderes [email protected] (continued on page 4)

Newsletter Editor & Webm aster: NEXT EAA 501 CHAPTER MEETING Don Provost 34 Brookvale R oad WHEN: Wednesday, February 12 TIME: 7:30 PM Kinnelon, NJ 07054 973-492-9025 WHERE: Pilots’ Room, Lincoln Park Aviation, 425 Beaverbrook Road fax: 973-838-6251 PROGRAM: A&P/1A and EAA Technical Counselor Alex Pucciarello, an active [email protected] Newsletter Assistan t: builder and restorer (currently a Steen Skybolt) will talk about the importance of having Harry Bark er a Tech Counselor involved in your project from start to finish. Page 2 Propwash February 2003 MINUTES OF THE CHAPTER 501 MEETING OF JANUARY 08, 2003 Attendees at 1/08/03 Meeting: Held at Lincoln Park Aviation - Pilot Lounge Members John Shaw Bill Arsics Meeting was called to order by our new President, Bart Dick Wedemeyer Harrison Wood Cocchiola. Minutes of the previous meeting as printed in Bart Cocchiola Allen Dunn Propwash were approved. Walt Reuter Gene Friedemann Bill Anderes Jon Hanna Treasurer's Report: Don Provost Harry Barker John Hanna advised us that we have a very positive checking John Distefano account and that there were no outstanding bills. About 24 members took advantage of the "Pay Early" discount Guests program by paying their dues prior to 2003. Dave MacMillan Bill Kanter Allen Dunn, Jr. Emil Csedrik Young Eagles Report Bill Anderes reported that he was in contact with a youth correctional program, which is controlled by the state of NJ. At our last Y.E. event we flew only a couple of these people. It now has mushroomed into a state approved deal and this could lead to a large number of potential Y.E. Bill has scheduled a meeting with the local director to get all the "facts and details". If this program gets in place, we will run it as a separate event. This is would take place in April.

Fly In Our annual Fly-In is scheduled for Warwick Airport on May 18th. Mike Maniatus will be in charge of the event with Harry Barker as his assistant.

Caps & Shirts: There are still some hats available at $9.00 each and shirts at $23. Shirt sizes available are only Large and Xlarge.

Business Meeting: Actually there was no set agenda, just a gen eral discussion of what EAA 501 should be doing during 2003. The basic topics of discussion were: 1) Membership drive - hopefully in March all members would or could bring a guest! 2) Fund Raising - Differen t ideas were discussed as how to raise some funds, with no firm decision. 3) Creation of a Board of Directors - suggested by national EAA. 4) Airport Day - general work party at Lincoln Park Airport. 5) Possible joint "Fly-Outs" with LPPA.

EAA Flight Academy - a motion was made and 2nd that we send a "worthy candidate" to the EAA Air Academy at Oshkosh th is summer. The cost to the chapter cannot exceed $1200. More discussion next meeting. 2003 EAA Calendars It was also discussed that our webmaster post an issue of still available Propwash on the website. This issue should not be the current $9.00 issue! See Harry Barker Meeting was over at about 9:20 PM.

Dick Wedemeyer, Secretary Page 3 Propwash February 2003 The Prez Sez discussed as a way to keep from having to pay the whole tab with cash. There are a lot of good I had an interesting experience at work this reasons for the Chapter to participate in this evening shortly after departing from Newark. program yet many issues have come up since the As we climbed through 10,000 feet and January meeting. accelerated past 250 knots we began to hear and feel a vibration coming from under the nose of I personally feel that if we want to spend our aircraft. The way we operate our flights, the $1,200.00 on any program, we should first raise last thing on the aircraft that a ramper touches the money specifically for that program. before we start our taxi is the ground power Treating the current Chapter balance as a slush access door. It's a small metal door on the left fund without a definite plan to replace the side of the nose that is much like the oil dipstick money doesn't make long-term sense. We can access panel on a Skyhawk. When we have an do it once this year and then work for five years extended layover between flights we can keep to replace the money, or figure out how to fund the airplane's electrical system powered up via a it sufficiently to make it an annual Chapter connection to a ground based electrical source. program. In addition to the ground power hook-up there is a receptacle for the ground crew (a.k.a. We'll re-open the debate on this topic at the 'rampers') to plug in a headset so they can February meeting and I'll be looking forward to communicate with the cockpit crew during the hearing your comments on the matter. push-back and engine starts. Once we're ready to go, they disconnect their headset, shut the Mr. Alex Pucciarello, a good friend of mine and access door and clear our wing tips as we taxi the EAA Technical Counselor for my Skybolt away. project, will be addressing our group at the February meeting. Alex is an A&P/IA and is It inevitably happens that the door either gets co-owner of Syrek-Mee Aviation at Morristown left open or it pops open in the air on its own Airport. He's also an active builder/restorer who and begins to vibrate loudly. For such a flimsy is currently rebuilding a Steen Skybolt in his door it does an admirable job of staying attached garage and, at his shop in Morristown, a North to the aircraft as it battles the oncoming rush of American Navion. Alex has graciously agreed air. From the cockpit though, we can't to speak to us about the EAA's Technical necessarily assume that the source of the Counselor Program and should provide a lot of vibration is the ground power access panel and insight about the program and why it's important must treat it as we would any other in-flight to have a Tech Counselor involved with your malfunction by returning to the departure, or project from its start to finish. some other suitable, airport. In the case of our access panel, there are many other panels/doors, Please keep in mind that we'll be trying to boost window seals, and external sensors (pitot, AOA, membership in March by making that month's TAT to name a few) that can come loose on meeting the official (it'll be as official as their own or by contact with a ramper or jetway anything can be with us which isn't very and make an equally discomforting amount of official) "Bring-a-guest-to-the-meeting" month. noise. The lesson in all of this is that it is I'll say it as many times as I have to that we need difficult and even dangerous to troubleshoot new faces to survive as a Chapter. The more problems with an aircraft from the cockpit. members we have, the more we can spread out Regardless of what you think you might know the many tasks that must be done each year to about the situation, problems encountered keep our Chapter successful. So please invite a in-flight are best diagnosed, ASAP, on the guest to meet the group in March and we'll all ground. try to be on our best behavior (even if we do have to hand out sedatives to the members It was decided at the January meeting that the before the meeting). Chapter would again sponsor an individual to attend the EAA Air Academy at Oshkosh. Bill Stay safe and we'll see you at the next meeting. Arsics and Woody volunteered to handle the various tasks necessary to choose an appropriate Bart Cocchiola candidate and to make the arrangements for President Chapter 501 her/him to attend. $1,200.00 was established as January 31, 2003 the maximum amount the Chapter would spend on this effort and Young Eagle credits were Page 4 Propwash February 2003

(Botterell...continued from page 1)

into enemy occupied territory, when he saw a German balloon, used for artillery spotting, near Arras. EAA 501 custom ball caps $9.00 After dropping his bombs, he flew back over Arras to find the EAA 501 custom sport shirts $23.00 ground crew frantically winching the balloon down. Balloon See Dick Wedemeyer installations were heavily defended by anti-air craft (see photos in the Marketplace at guns, but Mr. Botterell put his Camel into a dive, and fired about 400 rounds from his two Vickers machineguns to set the www.eaa501.org) balloon on fire.

As the "sausage" began to crumple at about 1,000 feet, a tangle of ropes, wires an d maps spilled to the ground. The German INDIVIDUAL AIRCRAFT observer leapt from the basket with his parachute. As Botterell banked to avoid him, he could see the fear in his face, but in the RECORDS NOW custom of the day he just gave the defenseless man a wave. Then, near th e end of his fuel, he headed for home. AVAILABLE ON CD

"I had good hands," he said at an air force celebration four years Registration records for individual aircraft are now available ago. "I didn't have the fighting acumen of some. I was just a on CD-ROM from the FAA’s Aircraft Registration Branch, bank clerk. I wasn't one of the very best, but I had my share of replacing the antiquated microfiche and hard-copy file action." In one close call, a bullet ripped through his ear and retrieval system. The documents, in PDF format, are viewable smashed his goggles. "I went out like a light for a few minutes, with Adobe Acrobat Reader, the latest ver sion of which is on and I recovered just before I crashed," he said. each CD mailed by the ARB. (Paper copies or these documents are also available.) He returned to in 1919, bringing with h im a fence post which the wing of his Camel had collected on one of his many Aircraft registration records include such as applications for low-level sorties. The fence post now resides in the War aircraft registration, evidence of ownership, security Museum in Ottawa. After his discharge, he returned to his job agreements, mechanics liens, lien releases, leases, and lease as a bank clerk, which he held until his retirement in 1961. terminations. The airworthiness portion of the file contains applications for airworthiness, copies of airworthiness After the war, Botterell never piloted a plane again. certificates, major repair and alteration reports, and related items. This information will prove invaluable to aircraft owners, vintage aircraft owners in particular.

Each CD contains one aircraft record. (Records for aircraft removed from the U.S. Civil Aircraft Register prior to 1984 are available on paper only.) CD ROMs cost $5 each. Certified copies, generally only required for court cases, cost $3 more. Paper copies require a $2 sear ch fee per airplane, and photocopies can be made for 25 cents for the first page, 5 cents thereafter. (An average paper record has 76 pages.)

Send r equests for copies of an aircr aft's records to th e Aircraft Registration Branch by letter, by fax to 405-954-3548, or on-line th rough https://diy.dot.gov. (click on "Aircraft Payments" then "Request for Copies of Aircraft Records.")

For more information, call the Aircraft Registration Branch at Aviation artist Robert Taylor painted Balloon Buster 405-954-3116. based upon Henry Botterell’s recollections. Prints are available at Mailing Address: http://www.aviatorart.com/taylor/t-ballon.htm FAA Aircraft Registration Branch, AFS-750 PO Box 25504 Oklahoma City, OK 73125 Page 5 Propwash February 2003 Pilot Profile: Jim Younkin by Alton K. Marsh (from AOPA Pilot 8/02)

Jim Younkin can be described three ways: among the best at aircraft metalworking; builder of antique aircraft who has restored or replicated some of the most famous planes of aviation's Golden Age; and, oh yes, pioneerin g developer of autopilots for small aircraft and holder of 20 patents. Younkin, the 73-year-old father of air-show performer Bobby Younkin, is enshrined in two aviation halls of fame, one sponsored by his home state of Arkansas and the other by the antique and classic aircraft section of the Experimental Aircraft Association.

The Springdale, Jim Younkin’s Travel Air Mystery replica Arkansas, resident and 6,000-hour pilot admits controls) and The Rocketeer. to having had more than his fair share of fun during a career that Younkin also restored a Travel Air 4000 that he terms a allows him to link his "nightmare" because it was in complete. Some parts had to be livelihood - electrical fabricated from photos and drawings. Other parts were there but engineering - to his needed major attention. From then on, Younkin decided, he passion, aviation. would only build aircraft that were either "all there or not there Younkin recently at all." With that philosophy in mind, he built an air-plane launched a new called Mr Mulligan and restored a 1931 Stin son Jun ior S model. company called The Mystery Travel Air 4000, Mr Mulligan, and Stinson are all TruTrak, a partnership formed in 1999 with software wizard now in the Arkansas Air Museum at Fayetteville's Drake Field. Chuck Bilbe, that makes a digital autopilot for the experimental Younkin also built Mystery Pacer, now kept in a hangar near his market. It utilizes a gyro based on whirling electrons inside a headquarters at Springdale Municipal Airport, which flies 145 computer chip that was originally designed to stabilize cameras mph (125 knots) and robotic operations. Lancair expressed interest in the on 160 autopilot based on Younkin's reputation alone. horsepower. It is based on the Younkin's autopilot work brought him his first huge success by Piper Pacer. bringing to small airplanes technology that previously had been Inspired by the found only in larger aircraft. In the 1960s he developed the huge biplane Edo-Aire Mitchell line of autopilots, including the Century III. Sampson built by The company is now known as Century Fligh t Systems. He Steve Wolf and bought a one-third interest in the company in 1965 and sold it used to this day in the early 1980s. The new owner named it Century Flight by Younkin's son Systems because the company was best known for Younkin's in airshow acts, autopilots. Younkin's first development in the 1950s was the he built an miniaturized solid-state slaving system for directional gyros, all-metalized Boeing Stearman and dubbed it Goliath. He also making it unnecessary to manually reset the gyro to the compass created the Mullicoupe based on the Monocoupe and built four heading. Aviation Instruments in Houston, Texas, not only of them. Younkin is best known for converting Beech bought his idea but also hired him to carry it out. Another Staggerwing D models to G models, also known as Younkin Younkin inven tion is taken for granted in today's small-airplane Staggerwings. The transformations called for 23 modifications, cockpit. Ever use a frictionless heading bug? including moving the fuel man agement controls to the center panel. Thanks to his success in avionics, Younkin was able to enter the replica-building and metalworking portions of his career. His While he continues to shepherd the TruTrak autopilot toward most historic replica is the Travel Air Mystery mysterious success in the experimental aircraft market and develop new because the original was hidden from the press during models, he sees his other task as passing his knowledge on to construction in the late 1920s to keep it secret from other air others. "I want to keep the traditions going," Younkin said. race pilots, and historic because without it, Younkin said, there "Only a few out there are keeping sheet-metal skills alive." would have been no Beech Staggerwing. Younkin's Mystery was used in two movies, Poncho Barnes (with the late Charlie Hillard, wearing a wig to look like the title character, at the Page 6 Propwash February 2003

enthusiastic as can be over her experiences and the people she met. She continues in her aviation studies in the current Call for: college school term. Scholarship Candidate If at all possible for our to-be-selected candidate to be EAA Air Academy 2003 included in either session, I would appreciate being advised as August 2 through August 11 soon as possible by phone, FAX or e-mail at [email protected]. I am sure you will be Chapter 501 voted at its January 2003 meeting to again send a delighted with the Chapter selected candidate. Chapter 501 suitable candidate to the EAA Advanced Aviation Leadership will be most proud to sponsor another deserving young person Camp. The Leadership Camp will be conducted twice this to attend EAA’s Air Academy in 2003. summer. The committee has sent a deposit to reserve a place for a young person to attend the second Camp, which starts Thank you for considerin g our preliminary application for during the annual EAA Air Venture Fly-In. attendance.

Chapter 501 wishes to select a candidate to attend who will Sin cer ely, benefit from the experience. It is considered essential that the Harrison F. Wood, EAA 89251 young person selected (age requiremen t 16, 17 or 18) be interested in an aviation career, and preferably currently taking flight lessons. It is considered preferable that that the Call for: youngster be a family member or close friend of a 501 member. If this does not appear feasible, it is possible to Young Eagle Flight Credits solicit local CAP Squadrons, Flight Schools, or a Boy Scout for Aviation Explorer group. EAA Air Academy 2003 We would appreciate your suggesting suitable candidates to the committee. To facilitate selection of a suitable person it is Chapter 501 voted at its January 2003 meeting to again send a requested the young person fill in a copy of the EAA Air suitable candidate to the EAA Advanced Aviation Leadership Academy application and, in addition, prepare a brief which Camp. The cost of attending may be absorbed through includes: application of Young Eagle Flight Credits. These credits are issued to those pilots who have conducted 10 or more Young 1. Name, age, date of birth, aviation interest and Eagle flights in the preceding year. experience and relationship, if any, to a 501 member. Chapter 501 wishes to reduce its cost to send our candidate to 2. High School and Flight Training, if any, status the maximum extent accepted by EAA, which is 50% of the and standing. tuition cost of $1,000.00. Every Chapter member is requested to solicit credits from any who might have received them to 3. Extra curricular activities, clubs, sports, SAT assist in defraying our Chapter cost. Any credit slips that may grades and any information which may assist the committee be obtained should be presented or sent to Harrison Wood, in gaining a favorable opinion of the candidate’s attitude and who is coor dinatin g the Air Academy effort. Woody may be activities which might further aviation activity. reached by telephoning 201-327-2930. Credits may be sent to him at his home at : 4. A brief statement of why the candidate feels he 23 Hess Court wants to be selected. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.

Chapter 501 of the EAA has once again elected to sponsor a Thank you for your assistance. scholarship for a deserving youth to attend the Leadership Harrison F. Wood, EAA 89251 Camp, preferably the August 2-11 Camp. We regret that a completed 2003 Participant Application will necessarily await selection of the fortunate youngster who will attend for us. With the February issue of Sport Aviation the EAA included an insert saluting and In th e event the secon d session is already booked complete, we naming the 3,400 members who achieved the will be pleased to make arrangements for our selectee to distinction of flying 10 or more Young attend the first session, July 22 to 31st. Eagles in 2002. Chapter 501 is proud to say Our previously sponsored candidate, who attended a that Paolo Grassi, Bill Shannon and Dick Leadership Camp in 2000, Miss Jennifer Holmes, is still as Wedemeyer are on the list. Page 7 Propwash February 2003

Here is a follow-up to January’s Antarctica C-141 story written by George Brewer in 1977... CALENDAR OF EVENTS The New York Times published a table in a January edition (Email [email protected] to add events.) (reprinted below) inven torying the US transpor t air craft available for airlift in the event of a war. There are 66 C- Mar 3: Mon nite, History Channel presents "Glacier 141's still hard at work. The Times story reported that most Girl Documentation", The story of location, of the C-141 fleet would be replaced within about 2 years. rescuing, and restoring of the P-38 aircraft recover- ed from below in ice in Gr eenland. Check your TV Guide for time & channel.

Apr 2-8: Sun-N-Fun Annual Fly In. Lakewood, FL. Starts on a Wed.

May 3-4: EAA Chapter 216 Annual Fly-In/Drive In Pancake Breakfast, Crosskeys Airport(17N, rain or shine.

May 17: Cooperstown, NY Airport (K23, EAA #1070 Pancake breakfast & Old Airplane Fly-In, 7:00AM-12:00 Noon, Cost-$5, 100LL & 87 Oct gas available, call 607-547-2526.

May 18: EAA Chapter 501's 16th Annual Country Fly-In at the Warwick Aerodrome (N72) in Warwick, NY, 10:00AM-4:00PM, food available(brunch & lunch), Registration for judging closes at 2:00PM, No rain date, Call Mike Maniatis at 212-620-0398

May 25: EAA Chapter 540 Fly-In Breakfast, Smoketown Airport(Q08), Smoketown, PA, rain date-5-26, call 717-872-5297. EAA 501 restored historic rocket plane June 7: AOPA Fly-In/Open House, Frederick In February 1936 the world’s first mail carrying rocket was Air-Port(FDK), Frederick, MD. Call 301-695-2000 launched. Famed German scientist Dr. Willy Ley lit the candles on two 16 foot winged rocket planes on the ice in June 18-21: 18th Annual Sentimental Journey, Piper the middle of Greenwood Lake, New York. The second, Memorial Field(LKH), Lock Haven, PA, call and longer flight, crossed the state line into New Jersey 570-893-4200 or e-mail [email protected] (about 300 yards) and into the history books.

According to Pat Reilly, in the Winter 2003 edition of the Jul 29-Aug 4: AirVenture 2003, Wittman Field(OSH), newsletter of the New Jersey Aviation Hall of Fame and Oshkosh, WI. contact www.airventure.org Museum, he and Dave MacMillan discovered the whereabouts of “Gloria II” in 1986. It had been stored in Sep 12-14: 33rd Annual East Coast Regional Fly-In, the barn of Mike Morin, a local craftsman who had built New Garden Air Field(N57), Toughkenamon, PA, call the wooden laun ch catapult. He got to keep the rocket 302-894-1094 or www.eastcoastflyin.org plane in payment for his work. The Morin family donated Gloria II to the museum at Teterboro Airport. Oct 18-19: Rotorfest all Helicopter Airshow, The American Helicopter Museum, Brandywine Reilly said in his story about the rocket event , “...members Airport(N99), West Chester, PA. of EAA Chapter 501 at Lincoln Park Airport restored it (Gloria II). The silver bird now hangs proudly in the museum’s Great Room.” Oct 30-Nov 1;AOPA EXPO 2003: Philadelphia,PA, Philadelphia Convention Ctr, call 800-USA-AOPA. Page 8 Propwash February 2003

EAA is a national non-profit organization dedicated to promoting recreational aviation

Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 501 is an affiliated member of the national EAA. Membership is open to all who share an interest in aviation. Chapter 501 meets monthly on the 2nd Wednesday at 7:30pm. All are welcome. The main meeting place is the Pilot’s Room of Lincoln Park Aviation (on the field at Lincoln Park Airport), 425 Beaverbrook Road, Lincoln Park, New Jersey.

Dues are $25 annually, checks payable to “EAA Chapter 501.” New members joining after 7/1 pay $10 for the partial year. Membership in EAA National (800-564-6322 www.eaa.org) is required for Chapter 501 membership. Currently the national membership rate is $40 per year which includes a subscription to the monthly EAA Sport Aviation magazine. Contact any EAA 501 officer (see page 1) for all inquiries.

Propwash, the EAA 501 newsletter is distributed monthly to current chapter members and “special friends” of the chapter. It is primarily distributed via email, on a .pdf file readable by the free Adobe Acrobat reader. Members without email access can receive a USPS mailed copy of Propwash, printed on standard black and white photocopies. (Although the newsletter is published about one week before each meeting, there can be no assurance that the surface-mailed copies will be delivered before the meeting.)

PROPWASH, the newsletter of EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION LINCOLN PARK, NJ, CHAPTER 501 c/o Don Provost, Editor 34 Brookvale Road Kinnelon, NJ 07405

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED