Bill Adams 2013 Hall of Fame Inductee

February 2014

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2014-Ford_EAA_Feb_FiestaST_Divis_Ad-Final.indd 1 12/11/13 8:54 AM OFFICIAL MAGAZINE of the INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE of the INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE of the INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB Vol. 43 No.2 February 2014 A PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB

CONTENTSOFFICIAL MAGAZINE of the INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB

“I don’t know how they did it,” says Bill Jr. “His parents were really poor. But they scraped up enough to buy a farm. It was 43 acres, and they did everything.” –Bill Adams Jr. Features

6 2013 IAC Hall of Fame Inductee by Reggie Paulk and Bill Adams Jr.

13 Vedeneyev M14 Engine by Monty Barrett

20 Snap Rolls by Steve Johnson

Departments 2 / Letter From the Editor

3 / President’s Page The Cover

26 / Tech Tips Bill Adams waves from his 450 Stearman. 28 / Contest Calendar

31 / FlyMart & Classifieds

32 / Meet a Member OFFICIAL MAGAZINE of the INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB

REGGIE PAULK COMMENTARY / EDITOR’S LOG

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE of the INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB

Publisher: Doug Sowder IAC Manager: Trish Deimer-Steineke Editor: Reggie Paulk OFFICIAL MAGAZINE of the INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB EDITITOR IN CHIEF: J. Mac McClellan SENIOR ART DIRECTOR: Olivia P. Trabbold “YouTube” and historic footage Contributing Authors: HOF inductee shows off skill Bill Adams Jr. Reggie Paulk Monty Barrett Dan Rihn Gary DeBaunOFFICIAL MAGAZINE of the INTERNATIONALDoug Sowder AEROBATIC CLUB Steve Johnson Every year, the IAC inducts the skill demonstrated—quite a IAC Correspondence one member of the aerobatic compliment from someone from International Aerobatic Club, P.O. Box 3086 community into its Hall of the “Greatest Generation.” Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086 Tel: 920.426.6574 • Fax: 920.426.6579 Fame, and I’ve had the honor of In 1966, Bill Adams died at E-mail: [email protected] interviewing either the inductee the controls of his Stearman or the inductee's family, in the after a broken crankshaft sent a ADVERTISING case of their earlier passing. propeller blade through the flying Sue Anderson [email protected] Larry Phillip [email protected] This year, I had the pleasure wires of his left wing. Bill Jr. was of learning about our newest only 17 years old at the time,

Mailing: Change of address, lost or damaged inductee, Bill Adams, from his and his father’s memory has not magazines, back issues. son and namesake, Bill Adams Jr. diminished—he’s still a larger- EAA-IAC Membership Services than-life hero to his son. Tel: 800.843.3612 Fax: 920.426.6761 E-mail: [email protected] You might notice a familiar name Bill Adams was on one of our stories this month— The International Aerobatic Club is a division of the EAA. Monty Barret. Monty is the founder instilled with a of Barret Performance Aircraft, also known as BPA, and has done passion for flying an enormous amount of work on EAA® and SPORT AVIATION®, the EAA Logo® and Aeronautica™ are from a young age . . . the M14 radial engine that powers registered trademarks and service marks of the Experimental Aircraft many prominent airplanes— Association, Inc. The use of these trademarks and service marks without the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is strictly including the Pitts Model 12. It took prohibited. Copyright © 2014 by the International Aerobatic Club, Inc. As with all of our previous Hall some arm twisting, but I was able to All rights reserved. of Fame honorees, Bill Adams was get a great article about this unique

The International Aerobatic Club, Inc. is a division of EAA and of the instilled with a passion for flying engine, and I hope you enjoy reading NAA. from a young age and pursued that about it as much as I did. Thank you, passion with unrelenting vigor Monty, for taking the time to invite A STATEMENT OF POLICY The International Aerobatic Club, Inc. cannot assume responsibility for the accuracy of the material throughout his life. If you have an us into your world for a little while. presented by the authors of the articles in the magazine. The pages opportunity, visit YouTube and Snap rolls, to many, are an of Sport Aerobatics are offered as a clearing house of information search “Bill Adams air shows.” enigma. Steve Johnson dives into and a forum for the exchange of opinions and ideas. The individual reader must evaluate this material for himself and use it as he sees You’ll be rewarded with classic the world of snaps this month fit. Every effort is made to present materials of wide interest that will films—some color, others black- on his piece by the same title. I be of help to the majority. Likewise we cannot guarantee nor endorse and-white. His early years as appreciate him taking the time to any product offered through our advertising. We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained a crop duster are immediately show them from his perspective, through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken. apparent as he hugs the ground and hope it helps you understand Sport Aerobatics (USPS 953-560) is owned by the International and trees during a routine that them just a bit better. Of course, Aerobatic Club, Inc., and is published monthly at EAA Aviation Center, Editorial Department, P.O. Box 3086, 3000 Poberezny Rd., Oshkosh, could be pulled off only by a there’s nothing like stick time to WI 54903-3086. Periodical Postage is paid at Oshkosh Post Office, true genius of Stearman flying. help clarify things, but having Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 and other post offices. Membership rate for One commentary by a television good conceptual knowledge the International Aerobatic Club, Inc., is $45.00 per 12-month period of which $18.00 is for the subscription to Sport Aerobatics. Manuscripts announcer who’s obviously a goes a long way toward final submitted for publication become the property of the International former World War II aviator puts understanding. Aerobatic Club, Inc. Photographs will be returned upon request of his flying into perspective. The Have a wonderful February and the author. High-resolution images are requested to assure the best IAC quality reproduction. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Sport announcer is dumbfounded by I’ll see you next month! Aerobatics, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. CPC 40612608 Please submit news, comments, articles, or suggestions to: [email protected]

2 Sport Aerobatics February 2014 DOUG SOWDER COMMENTARY / IAC PRESIDENT, IAC 14590

Freedom to fly Yes, things change . . .

Back in the day, when I started flying lessons I was working that summer between high school at Felts Field in my hometown of Spokane, graduation and the start of engineering school Washington, the airport had no security fence. in the fall, and I only got about two-thirds of the There was a line of logs separating the gravel way to my pilot certificate. When I drove out for parking at the FBO from the ramp area, evidently my first lesson the following June, things had placed there to keep a runaway car from hitting changed. The instructor, for one. Another great any airplanes, as well as to provide a convenient guy, as was my first one. The parking lot was still place for airport bums to sit and watch the traffic. gravel, and the “grass” runway was still dirt, but . . . After several years as an unofficial landing field, something new . . . a fancy new control tower. Just Felts had been officially named a municipal airport more complication, I figured, not only because in 1920, and received its current name in 1927. of the radio thing, but there were light signals to The art deco terminal building with a vestigial learn now that there was someone there to operate control tower on top was a leftover from the them. Still no headset. The vacuum tubes in the airline, airmail, and National Guard days of the radios were a year older. The carbon microphones 1930s. By the time I arrived, the terminal housed must have lost some carbonation. I wasn’t crazy a café and, upstairs, a flight service station (FSS). I about the new order of things. never saw any activity in the old tower. I think back on those times fondly and often, but with no remorse for the present or the future. Of course, I learned radio procedures, and I could actually see some benefit in the tower’s efforts I think back on those times to keep airplanes separated. I was traveling quite a bit with my dad in a Cessna 310 in those fondly and often, but with years, to all corners of the United States, so I learned a lot about flying “in the system” and no remorse for the present became comfortable with it. And I still love any opportunity to hand-prop a Cub and putter around or the future. at 70 mph. Like most pilots, I subscribe to a number of publications, including magazines and newsletters Things were pretty simple. Park on the gravel, both by mail and online, and I read the aviation meet the instructor, preflight one of the C-150s, news. What has struck me for a good many years is which at that time were all pretty new, and taxi out the gloom and doom that I hear from some pilots, for takeoff. If I was feeling daring, I’d stop at the and see in many pundits’ columns. You’d think shorter “grass” parallel runway and go from there. that we are using up the last few free air molecules One thing I didn’t really like was my instructor’s in the atmosphere and suffering mightily at the insistence that I always call the FSS prior to taxi hands of the faceless powers of evil. I swear that and again prior to takeoff. It was preparation for every time the mail carrier brings a certain one the future. I also was to call FSS when returning, of my aviation newspapers, reading the first two but as headsets evidently hadn’t been invented yet pages should make any rational person abandon and the radios were a bit sketchy, one often didn’t any hope of ever flying for fun. Don’t those writers really know the results of the check-in. realize that what they do to sell subscriptions may Please send your comments, questions, or suggestions to: [email protected]

www.iac.org 3 well be a self-fulfilling prophecy? The letters to the Same story at Goodland. Great people who editor are, if anything, even worse. What’s with the are always happy to see me, gas up, another gloom and doom? Do these people actually fly? Snickers bar, set a GPS direct course for North It happens that I own an Extra 300L. It’s a Texas Regional (KGYI) and away I go. True, there 1,300 nm flight from Felts Field to North Texas is a complex of military operations areas around Regional Airport for the U.S. Nationals. Every Vance Air Force Base. I can choose to stay mute September I get up on, usually, a Friday morning, and fly beneath or around them, but I’m usually have breakfast with my wife, Pat, drive to Felts happy with the winds at altitude so I call ATC, Field, load up the Extra, and fly to Texas. The talk with some helpful folks, and fly right on tower folks show up at 7:00 a.m., so I usually get through with friendly traffic advisories. I call the to chat with them when I taxi for takeoff. I don’t tower approaching KGYI. They’re always helpful, feel it’s too much of an imposition to hook up with fitting me in to the pattern with those lucky pilots Spokane Departure as I head east over Mullan Pass. already there practicing. I land, unpack the plane, Those Rockies are big hills, and it’s nice to have organize my rental car, and look around for some company. I normally stop at Sheridan, Wyoming, friends to have dinner with. It’s an enjoyable and for fuel. There’s an automated weather observing satisfying day. system (AWOS) for weather. Sometimes UNICOM Yes, things change, and not always for the better. responds to my calls from 20 miles out, other But most all of us love to fly. We have a wonderful air- times I’m just transmitting in the blind. I land at a space system in this great country; we have a great nice, well-maintained airport with a great FBO, gas infrastructure of airports, big and small, many with up, have some coffee and a Snickers bar, taxi out, nearby motels, restaurants, courtesy cars, and good take off, and set a GPS direct course for Goodland, times to be had. Enjoy it, and share the joy! IAC Kansas, at whatever altitude I want. Occasionally I’ll call Flight Watch for a weather update, although my very affordable portable GPS with NEXRAD weather is really good and shows me any temporary flight restrictions that may be around.

4 Sport Aerobatics February 2014

IAC Hall2013 of Fame Inductee Bill Adams by Reggie Paulk with Bill Adams Jr.

On Friday, July 22, 1966, low-level performances in his big verted Stearman biplanes. 17-year-old Bill Adams Jr. was white and red biplane. “He did a lot of crop-dusting trying to hand-prop the 450-hp Bill’s is a story like so many for Cliff Duscharm out of West R-985 radial engine on his dad’s others of his time. Born in Water- Bend, Wisconsin,” Bill Jr. begins. Stearman biplane. But at just 140 town, Wisconsin, on October 11, “He would build Stearmans up pounds, he couldn’t get enough 1925. His parents soon acquired from scratch up there and spray “oomph” to swing the big propel- a farm and he learned the value of DDT. He built up thousands of ler. He switched places with his hard work early on. hours crop-dusting in Stearmans. dad and sat in the cockpit while “I don’t know how they did it,” Of course, if you get real good at Bill Sr. got the airplane running. says Bill Jr. “His parents were re- flying a Stearman, you can pretty “I remember that like it was ally poor. But they scraped up much fly anything after that.” yesterday,” recalls Bill Jr. “He’s sit- enough to buy a farm. It was 43 In 1948, Bill saw Marion Cole ting in the cockpit with the engine acres, and they did everything. and the Cole Brothers Air Show idling. He said, ‘Be a good boy and They lived off food they grew performing. After that, he knew stay out of trouble.’” themselves and had cows, chick- he wanted to do the same. He sold Those were the last words Bill ens, ducks—everything.” a Waco UPF-7 he owned and pur- Jr. would hear his father say—the By the age of 14, Bill’s brother chased a Stearman so he could seri- next day, Bill Adams died while Dave knew he was hooked on air- ously begin practicing aerobatics. performing during a dedication planes. On the eve of World War Bill Jr. remembers the airplane, ceremony at the Valparaiso Porter II, while plowing the fields on his even though he was very young. County Airport in Indiana after father’s farm, Bill would gaze into “It was my 4th birthday party,” the crankshaft failed and a propel- the sky as military pilots would he says. “I remember Dad picking ler blade cut the flying wires on perform maneuvers overhead— me up and setting me on the bot- his left wings. getting into trouble for not finish- tom wing of the Stearman. When At the time of his death, Bill ing his work. he bought it, they totally stripped was one of the best-known acts At age 16, Bill earned his pri- the airplane, the wings were off, in the air show business. His fame vate pilot certificate in a J-3 Cub and the fabric was off. They rebuilt was garnered at the helm of an while working on the farm during it from the ground up.” airplane that earned a reputation the mornings, and then driving 45 Bill’s first air show was per- as such a difficult trainer during minutes to Milwaukee to work the formed as part of the Cole World War II that it was dubbed second shift for A.O. Smith from Brothers Air Show at Boscobel, the “Yellow Peril.” Anyone with 2:00 p.m. to midnight. He quickly Wisconsin, during the summer experience flying a Stearman earned his commercial certificate of 1952. During 1953-54, he flew would be awed by Bill’s dazzling and began crop-dusting in con- both a solo act and a dual act with

6 Sport Aerobatics February 2014 www.iac.org 7 COURTESY EAA ARCHIVES

Marion Cole. In 1955, Marion left the show to fly corporate and left Bill’s performance as the headlin- ing act, where he would remain until 1962. In the winter of 1958, Marion Cole sat at the kitchen table with Bill and his family, talking about his Stearman. “He sat at our kitchen table in my dad’s chair,” remembers Bill Jr. “We sat across from him, listening to all the reasons why my dad should buy his Stearman. My dad always liked Marion’s Stearman because it was 200 pounds lighter and a little faster than his. It had a filled-in center section and was a single-seater, like my dad’s.”

8 Sport Aerobatics February 2014 COURTESY EAA ARCHIVES

Bill ended up buying Marion’s Stearman. It had been sitting for three years and needed refreshing, so it was completely re-built. Spoilers were added to the top and bottom wings for improved snap roll performance; a one-piece cowling was bolted to the firewall; lower wing fairings were added; the fuselage was metalized past the cockpit, and then he painted his name prominently on the side. Sporting the new modifications, the plane would now dive easily to 240 mph. Even though it only had one seat, that didn’t prevent Bill from taking his son aloft. “If I ever had to ride with my dad coming back from West Bend,” says Bill Jr., “I’d have to sit on the floor where the front seat would normally be. There was a little smoke tank there, and I’d sit on some cushions against the smoke tank. Bill Adams 450 Stearman It only took eight minutes to fly back from West Bend to Cole Bros. Air Circus Capitol Drive, so it wasn’t a long flight. My dad was a famous air show pilot in his day, and I don’t remember ever COURTESY ARCHIVES EAA COURTESY

www.iac.org 9 COURTESY EAA ARCHIVES From left to right: Doug Cameron, Announcer; Lee Marlin, Wing Rider; Brian Osgood, Aerobatic Pilot; Bill Adams; and Don De Baker, Stunt Man. being upside down with him.” He was thinking something like any budget. In the winter of 1962, Bill ‘Checkerboard Air Shows.’ I was “If a guy just wanted to buy parted ways with the Cole Broth- about 12 years old, sitting at this the parachute jumper and a com- ers to start his own show. They bar, and I said, ‘I agree with Chet.’ edy act,” says Bill Jr., “they could had to decide on a name, so Chet I decided to vote against my dad. split off whatever parts the air- Chamberlain and Bill Jr. were Here I am, having the luxury of port would want to buy. Most of pressed to the task. sitting there while we’re creating the time, it was the whole show. “We were at this little sod air- this name and logo, and he reluc- It would start at 2:00 in the after- port,” Bill Jr. begins. “It was a lit- tantly went along with it. To me, noon and be wrapped up by 4:30. tle pub in Brookfield, Wisconsin, it sounded great because Chet’s They start out circling the jump- called Aero Park—now it’s a golf whole point was that everyone ers—the wing rider was one of the course. They were trying to come knew who he was from all those first acts. There would be a com- up with a name and a logo for his years with the Cole Brothers.” edy act or car-to-plane transfer. new air show. Chet said, ‘Let’s Bill’s air show was probably one There was also a ribbon pickup. do Bill Adams Air Show.’ My dad of the biggest in the United States No matter what show he was in— thought it sounded kind of vain, during the 1960s. The air shows whether Bill Adams, Cole Broth- naming an air show after himself. were advertised as tailored to fit ers, or Bill Sweet—they would

10 Sport Aerobatics February 2014 was always good, and his contri- Bill’s air show was probably butions to American and Interna- tional aerobatics were appreciated literally by millions of people. I one of the biggest in the feel very keenly this loss; however, I am also grateful for having had United States during the the opportunity of knowing him and working with him.” Lindsey Parsons, who flew his 1960s. The air shows were Great Lakes to a fifth place finish at the 1962 World Aerobatic advertised as tailored to fit Championships in Budapest, Hungary, likewise held Bill Adams in high regard. In a letter to Bill any budget. Jr., he had this to say: “Your dad was one of the pilots competing in the National Aero- close with my dad. Nobody liked loop in a light airplane and won batic Championship back in the to follow him because he was a the National Lightplane Aerobatic winter of 1962 at Phoenix. The noisy, impressive act. The only Championships from 1939-41. Af- night the event finished, I was way I can describe it is that it was ter learning of Bill’s death, he sent with several fellow competitors much like Jimmy Franklin would a letter to Mrs. Adams that read at the hotel bar when we struck fly his Waco. Duane Cole wrote in part: up a conversation with Betty Skel- that Bill Adams flew his Stearman “Without a doubt, Bill was ad- ton and Herman ‘Fish’ Salmon. like a bull dog shaking a rat.” mired for his wonderful qualities Fish, then the chief engineering In 1938, Bevo Howard became and flying skill more than any- test pilot at the ‘skunk works’ at the first pilot to fly an outside body that I know. His influence Lockheed and one of the contest’s

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www.iac.org 11 famous maneuver—the outside square loop. During this maneuver, he would fly the airplane through four hard corners, while pushing in excess of -9g’s! The performance was so impressive, young Bill Jr. would have to wait 36 years to see something similar. “The first time I’d seen Jimmy Franklin fly,” begins Bill Jr., “was in 1999—I’d been away from air shows for a long time because of how my dad died. The first time I saw Jimmy fly, I thought, ‘Oh my God!’ I thought I was watching my dad. It was at the Mount Com- fort Airport in Indianapolis. He was doing an inverted spin, and I’ll never forget that. I went up to Jimmy after the show and said, ‘That’s the best air show I’ve seen since 1966.’ He invited us into his trailer and treated us like royalty.” In 1959, Bill Adams won the Colonel Joe Mackey Trophy for excellence in precision aerobatics in aircraft over 200 hp. In 2012, he was inducted into the Interna- tional Council of Air Shows (ICAS) Hall of Fame, as well as the Wis- consin Aviation Hall of Fame. His memory still burns bright, most notably in his son’s. “When returning from air shows, usually on a Monday morning, he’d buzz the house judges, and Betty both said that search “Bill Adams Air Shows” to to let my mother know he was they were far more impressed find a number of YouTube videos back and to head to the airport. with your dad’s flight than any of featuring Bill’s unique flying style. I would wait as long as it took to the others. Even though he had As an aerobatic aircraft, the see, especially during summer to be downgraded in his routine Stearman is rated to +12 and -12 months. So, I asked him if he for not performing all the ballet g’s—and Bill put the airplane to would fly over our school some- intricacies of the required Aresti the test every time he flew. On time when we would be outside coded maneuvers. He just, ‘Got takeoff, he would keep the wheels for recess. He asked, ‘What time down low and dirty,’ and dazzled just above the runway to gain is your recess?’ I told him 10 a.m. everybody with that big, beauti- speed before pulling the big Stea- Within two weeks, just past the ful Stearman. Even though I was rman into an impressive snap far end of the playground, we one of the ‘ballet’ guys myself, I roll—a maneuver he first per- could hear an airplane coming. couldn’t have agreed more.” fected. He would then perform a Over the riverbed, below treetop Bill’s flying was so popular, he series of rolls, triple-snaps, and level, upside down with smoke was invited to join the 1964 World loops, all the while belching great on! I could not believe it. I was Aerobatic Team in Bilbao, Spain, quantities of noise and smoke so proud, and at that moment, as the team’s chief mechanic—and from the exhaust of that big Pratt I was the coolest kid at the St. to fly his air show routine for all in & Whitney engine, and all while James Catholic School. Actually, attendance. Today, anyone with skimming the wheels through it lasted for my last two years of an Internet connection may just the grass. He also coined another elementary school.” IAC

12 Sport Aerobatics February 2014 Vedeneyev M14 Engine A Russian born power house by Monty Barrett Barrett Precision Engines (BPE)

Basic Overview It is a notorious consumer of oil and aircraft along with the Kamov heli- The M14 engine is a development fuel, particularly when operated at copter and was more recently used of the IA-14 engine (290 hp) and high power settings. It is a Russian- in the Pitts Model 12 along with shares some of the accessories and designed engine, manufactured the non-aerobatic Murphy Moose other features of that engine. The originally in Voronezh, Russia, and and the Radial Rocket. Rumor has it engine displaces 620 cubic inches, now being manufactured in Roma- that the engine was also used to run has a compression ratio of 6.3-to-1, nia. It was the engine of choice for irrigation pumps in Russia, a testa- and will run on 91/115 octane fuel. several models of Sukhoi and Yak ment to its durability.

www.iac.org 13 BPE fuel injection nozzle.

Lower end assembly.

Nose case with BPE manufactured Stock Russian pistons (left) and BPE high-compression piston (right). liner. Engine Description assembly. The engine relies heav- Wide-open throttle and maxi- The M14 is a nine-cylinder, ily on lock plates to secure the in- mum rpm for the Russian engine mildly supercharged engine, with ternal fasteners. The engine is also is a five-minute limit. Wide-open a lot of low-friction roller, needle, geared, and as such the propeller throttle and 2400 rpm is referred and ball bearings. In its original operates at a different speed than to as Nominal 1 (Nom 1) power configuration it was equipped with the crankshaft at a ratio of 0.658- and is maximum continuous— a complex carburetor very similar to-1. Therefore, when the engine equivalent to 80 percent of the to the Bendix PS-5 pressure car- is running at 3000 rpm, the pro- basic power. Nominal 2 (Nom 2) buretor. The engine layout is sim- peller is running at 2000 rpm (in power is achieved with 32 inches ilar to U.S. radial engines, and as rounded numbers). Propellers tend mercury (Hg) and 2050 rpm. Nom such it is very damage-tolerant and to be more efficient when operated 2 is used for cruise climb and high- durable. The crankshaft is of the at slower speeds, and they produce speed cruise and is equivalent to built-up type similar to the Har- much less stress on the engine. 240/360 or 66 percent power. ley-Davidson motorcycle. The M14 Russian power settings are dif- Cruise 1 power is achieved with 29 uses a “pinch bolt” to secure the ferent than what American en- inches Hg and 1860 rpm and is 50 rear crank check to the crankpin, gine manufacturers use, and the percent power. Cruise 1 is used for and this bolt is stretched at final nomenclature can be confusing. normal cruise.

14 Sport Aerobatics February 2014 The crankcases are forged aluminum; the nose case, which houses the reduction gear, is cast magne- sium; and the accessory drive case is cast aluminum as is the supercharger housing (called induction housing ). The engine is fitted with roller tappets, roller rockers, needle bear- ing rocker fulcrums, a generator big enough to run the city of Osh- kosh (weighing in at a whopping 26 pounds), and a carburetor of which the pilot has no cockpit control of the mixture. The carburetor is an altitude-compensating carburetor and as such is equipped with an aneroid that is sensitive to am- BPE electronic ignition controllers (left) and single M14 mag (right). bient pressure. The engine is also equipped with two magnetos, one distributor valve, etc.) also forces ates at 8.12 times crankshaft speed of which has provisions for feeding some air through the lower cylin- in the –P engine and 10.0 times a spark through the distributor sec- ders out of starting sequence to crankshaft speed in the –PF engine. tion for starting. The engine has an help clear residual oil from combus- The wheel is sealed and vented to onboard air compressor to recharge tion chambers and exhaust pipes. atmosphere to prevent engine oil the reservoir of air that is used to from entering the induction path, start the engine and supply motive Supercharger very similar to the Pratt & Whitney force for brakes, and flaps on some The “blower” is a rather unso- R-985 engines. The wheel is used to aircraft. The spinning system (air, phisticated finned wheel that oper- help atomize fuel as it enters the

We Can Teach ANYONE to Land A Pitts or Skybolt, Eagle, Model 12, Extra, etc. “We emphasize stick and rudder basics.” • 39 years instructing in a Pitts. • Specialize in low-time pilots, cross- winds and narrow, short runways • Yeah, we teach acro too. Former Students Say: Budd is one of the best instructors I’ve ever flown Accommodations Available with. He has more knowledge to share about the Complete Resort Amenities, Families Welcome. Pitts, and flying in general, than anyone. -Mike Melvill It’s Always Sunny In Phoenix ...I had to dead stick my Pitts in and an old timer said "Nice save. Someone taught you well." Yes they did! Thanks, Budd. -Craig H. My insurance company covered me, a low-time, low-tailwheel-time pilot in a single-hole Pitts largely because I went to Budd for my training. -Tom P ... the engine failed at low altitude and the accident investigators said that my fundamentals saved me. Budd Davisson's Thanks my friend. -Maynard H. Plus 5 Aviation, LLC . 602-971-3991 • [email protected] • Phoenix, AZ 85028 www.airbum.com

www.iac.org 15 diameter with a long skirt that barely clears the rotating system. The barrels have some choke that is achieved at assembly from the interference fit of the cylinder heat to the barrel. When assembled the head is heated, the barrel is cooled, and the two parts are joined and secured by a modified vee-type thread. The maximum overbore of the barrel is 0.008 inches because of the thinness of the nitrided layer. The thread is a modified but- tress thread. The combustion chamber is a true hemispherical shape with a cast, flat-topped piston. The piston is fitted with no less than five rings, the compression rings being full keystone, and a sodium-cooled exhaust valve with a weird seat an- BPE ignition coil and high-tension Master rod. gle. The seat angle is 46 degrees, plug wire. 15 minutes, and the valve is hard- faced and made from an invest- ment casting and is currently not available as a new part. The guides are made from a bronze, and the exhaust guide is equipped with a scraper device to clean the stem of the valve. The engine itself responds very well to modifications to improve its performance and alter the fuel and oil consumption rate. One of the hot rod “tricks” that does not work is the porting and flow-matching that has been prevalent on the flat engines. In fact, it sometimes does not work on the flat engines either. If one wishes to detune an M14 engine, just alter the ports. They are very Accessory case fully assembled. crude and inviting, but they are the only thing in the induction system induction system as well as provide provement that boosted the maxi- that can provide swirl to the in- a slight amount of boost. Some of mum inlet pressure to 46 inches coming fuel-air charge. the parts that operate the super- Hg at sea level, and the engine re- charger are provided lubrication portedly produces 450 brake hp Modifications to the BPE through very small orifices located (bhp) for an undetermined amount M14 Engines in the induction housing and ad- of time. The engine is known as the Normal oil consumption on joining intermediate shafts. Much M14-R engine. these engines has been determined improvement could be done to the to be 1 quart in two hours, 1 quart blower wheel as it is rather ineffi- Cylinder, Ports, and per hour during acrobatics, and cient and robs the engine of power Combustion Chamber the brake specific fuel consump- that is not returned to the propel- The cylinders are a nitrided steel tion (BSFC) varies with manifold ler. Richard Goode of the United with high vanadium content of a pressure and rpm but exceeds 0.60 Kingdom has provided such an im- standard bore of 4.1328 inches pounds/hp/hour at the higher

16 Sport Aerobatics February 2014 power settings. With this fact in mind, BPA developed a piston/ ring combination that was aimed to improve friction loss within the engine, improve the oil control, provide some “tumbling” to the incoming fuel-air charge, and en- hance the performance. The end result was a three-ring piston with a rail-expander type oil control ring. The ring package is of a very so- phisticated design that has lineage to F1 and NASCAR use. The compression rings are quite thin being 1.5 mm and 1.0 mm thick. The second compression ring has a Napier hook for oil control. The oil ring is 3/16 thick and 1/8 thick when used with a nickel-sil cylinder. The pis- Low-tension ignition harness. ton generates a compression ratio of 7.5-to-1. What is nickel-sil? This is a process of applying nickel to a cylinder surface to restore the bore to a usable dimension. Because nickel is a non-wettable surface, a silicon slurry is burnished into the nickel to provide oil “wetability.” It is not a new process—it has been used in Europe since WWII—and continues to this day on the more expensive European automobiles. BPE tested the process on an M14 engine the shop owns for a dura- tion of 100 hours with temperature and power changes interposed in the test schedule. Nickel-sil is noncorrosive (won’t rust) and was necessary because of the 0.008 maximum overbore limitation of Supercharger in assembly. the nitrided cylinder. Do not use standard rings in a nickel-sil ion gears. BPE also knew that some and they lower the oil temperature cylinder! An engine equipped of the race car people have an oil by a considerable amount. with BPE pistons will typically use temperature problem with their There is a sleeve in the nose case 1 quart of oil in eight to 10 hours gearboxes, so we inquired how they that separates gearbox oil pressure of operation at high power. The pis- were dealing with this and found from propeller governor pressure. tons are available with either the out that they were using a process This sleeve is subject to acceler- domed top or a flat-topped piston called “micro finishing” of the con- ated wear and will allow the gover- in the original compression ratio. tact surfaces. The result of this is nor pressure to “leak off” prior to As most operators of the M14 that we measured a set of pinion controlling the propeller with the engine have discovered, the engine gears using the three-wire method, result being the propeller will not has a very low oil temperature limi- got a set of gears micro finished, stay in low pitch, begins to “hunt,” tation. BPE discovered that most measured them again, and de- and eventually becomes uncontrol- of the oil temperature is gener- tected no changes in dimensions. lable. BPE makes a replacement ated from the propeller reduction A set of micro-finished gears ap- sleeve that will correct this prob- gear. It is handling over 600 foot- pear to be chrome-plated. They are lem. The initial “fix” employed was pounds of torque through six pin- absolutely beautiful in appearance, a hard chrome and grind proce-

www.iac.org 17 dure, but this process became very expensive and has been discontin- ued at BPE. The sleeve is not shown as a replacement part in the current parts manual. As previously mentioned, new exhaust valves are no longer available, and serviceable parts are rapidly disappearing. BPE has a repair procedure using a hard-chromed and ground stem to return to service an otherwise unserviceable part. This required a change in guide material that we have identified and tested, and have made some parts. Hope- fully this will alleviate the problem for a while, but sooner or later Supercharger components prior to assembly. someone is going to have to make some exhaust valves of good quality for the engine to remain as a viable, competitive powerplant. Fuel Injection Because of a limited ability to make field repairs and a lack of availability of parts (the carburetor facility no longer even exists), BPE began to employ fuel injection in its M14 engines. We knew the carburetor was somewhat restrictive to inlet airflow, and we knew from previous experience that a certain model of Airflow Performance fuel servo was very satisfactory, so we contacted Don Rivera at AFP and arranged for an FM-300A servo Reduction gear pinion cage. and the necessary adaptors for a

Crankshaft assembly. Exhaust valve and guide.

18 Sport Aerobatics February 2014 trial. This servo is very satisfactory for operation of the M14 provided it is properly jetted and has a proper air inlet to the servo. One of the downsides to this system is during cold-weather operation fuel does not evaporate well and collects by gravity in the induction housing in droplet form, forcing the cylinders into a too-rich condition wherein combustion will not occur. BPE, in association with others, developed a nozzle that much improves the fuel distribution within the engine and produces more power and more uniform temperatures. This nozzle has been thoroughly tested and is only available from BPE. This injection system requires higher inlet fuel pressure, and BPE manufactures a spring that, when installed in the fuel pump, allows the higher pressure of 35-40 PSI. The pilot now has control of the mixture, and in test cell conditions we have operated the engine lean of peak without misfiring or roughness. We AEROBATICS MAINTENANCE have operated the engine at Cruise 1 power as lean as Basic through Unlimited FACILITIES We specialize in 11 gallons per hour (gph). Competition & Sport Safety & Proficiency Fabric Electronic Ignition Basic & Advanced Spins Tailwheel Aerobatic Aircraft Repair The magnetos for this engine are very reliable and quite heavy. Magneto parts have been historically Pitts S-2B difficult to procure. To deal with this problem and Super Decathlon provide an improvement, BPE developed electronic Citabria ignition. To describe the system would require a lot of unavailable space, but the system is essentially self- Owned and operated by Debbie Rihn-Harvey supporting, is a “coil near plug” type, uses 14 mm automotive spark plugs of the proper heat range, is easy to install and maintain, has an advance curve tailored to the engine, and is approximately 20 pounds AC_HarveyRihn.indd 1 1/4/05 7:28:28 AM less in weight. Once the engine is started using bat- tery power for the ignition, the system will provide its own power from an alternator enclosed in both timing controllers. It uses no parts of the Russian ignition system. The high-tension wiring is spiral-wound low- IAC Wants Your Email Address impedance, and radio frequency interference (RFI) is nonexistent. The system replaces both magnetos and Update your member information! is weather-resistant. Cold-temperature starting is im- The IAC would love to collect your email proved. Provisions are incorporated in the timing controllers for electronic fuel injection to be developed in address. If we don’t have it, you are miss- the future. BPE has designed and constructed a dedicated test ing out on a valuable part of your member- cell for the M14 engine. It is a propeller-loaded test cell ship benefits. In the Loop is our monthly that has the capability of measuring reaction torque. Once the torque and speed are obtained, the BHP is eNewsletter which is emailed to you with calculated by the product of torque and speed divided by 5252. Brake specific fuel consumption is calculated the latest information and interests. You by dividing the weight of fuel consumed per hour into can also update your address, telephone the BHP. For the BSFC to be entirely accurate, the fuel temperature has to be known. and other information all at the same place. Do All testing of the above-mentioned items were con- ducted in the BPE test cell using a 98-inch MT con- it all right here: https://secure.eaa.org/apps/ stant-speed propeller. This is an identical setup to the joinrenew/address.aspx Voronezh test cell. IAC

www.iac.org 19 Snap Rolls

by Steve Johnson

So, you want to learn snap rolls? tice, practice, and more practice; and an instructor in the other How do you feel about voodoo, just to get used to the sensations seat always makes things better. witchcraft, and séances? Any dis- and in seeing the box, and the An instructor can help tremen- cussion of good snap rolls tends to world, upside down. dously with the initial training, sound like something unworldly. Snap rolls, while taking at least where spatial disorientation will Terms like buried, explosive, un- as much practice, have a mythical, occur more frequently. Once your loaded, hitting the wall, are all mysterious aspect about them. spin training is current and you found in discussing snap rolls. Bring up snaps, or flick rolls in are comfortable with spins, think And while scary sounding, when the British parlance, in any con- about what needs to happen for taken step by step, snap rolls are versation, and you will get as a proper snap roll, and what the a fun maneuver to fly, even if not many methods for performing judges want to see in a snap roll. done very well. And, once learned, good snaps as people involved in The requirements for both are are a valuable skill to have when the conversation! I will try in the very similar, but not identical. We moving up. next few paragraphs to provide a will start with positive snaps, as There has been lots of talk small primer for learning to fly negative snaps are not required throughout the aerobatic commu- snap rolls that will score well in until flying Unlimited category nity about “category creep”, the front of the judges. First, be sure flights, and the concepts are the perceived phenomena of each IAC your spin recovery technique is same for both positive and nega- category becoming more complex current! A botched snap can and tive snaps. and harder to fly as the years go will quickly degrade to an unex- by. Without straying into an en- pected spin. These unexpected The IAC Rule Book states: tirely new argument, there are spins from bad snap rolls can be “Positive Snap Rolls represent two big steps when moving from very aggravated due to the high one of the greatest challenges to Sportsman to Intermediate; the power settings and lower angles judges. This is primarily due to two first pushes and sustained nega- of attack on the wing. factors: (1) the “snapping” charac- tive flight, and snap rolls. In my Start snap roll training at al- teristics of different types of air- mind, negative flight takes prac- titude, like any new maneuver, craft are unique; and (2) snap rolls

20 Sport Aerobatics February 2014 are high energy maneuvers that oc- snap roll is the same: the attitude up line, down line and partial ro- cur very quickly. before starting the snap roll and in tation snaps will require small The judge must see two things to the instant of stopping it must be changes in technique to show a determine that a snap roll has oc- identical and must correspond to good snap roll to the judges. curred. The nose must depart the the geometry of the basic figure on For example, snap rolls on 45 flight path in the correct direction which the snap roll is performed. or vertical down lines require an and autorotation must be initiated. Snap rolls must be observed very exaggerated pull to show the nose If the judge does not observe both carefully to ensure that the com- displacement. This is especially events, the figure must be given a petitor is not “aileroning” the air- true with 1/2 or 3/4 snaps. As zero (0). craft around its longitudinal axis. said above, the snap roll is a high For a positive snap roll, the nose Aerobatic aircraft with very high energy maneuver that happens must move away from the wheels rates of roll can occasionally fool a very quickly, so the pilot must (Fig 8.5.35). This puts the aircraft’s judge in the execution of snap rolls. show the judges the pitch prior to wings near the critical angle-of- The movement of the aircraft’s nose the autorotation with some exag- departing the flight path prior to geration on down lines. autorotation is a good clue to the So what is autorotation? In a proper execution of a snap roll. As normal spin, we stall the aircraft, always, the competitor is given the then induce yaw with the rud- benefit of the doubt, but if a judge der. The yaw causes one wing, the is certain that a proper snap roll slower wing on the inside of the has not been executed, a zero (0) turn, to stall more deeply, and is given. Another common error is the other wing, moving faster on for the aircraft to autorotate, but the outside of the turn, to regain to not stay in autorotation until partial lift. The asymmetric lift the end of the figure. In this case, a between the wings causes the deduction of one (1) point for each autorotation. As long as the lift five (5) degrees of rotation remain- is varied from one wing to the attack. Either shortly after the nose ing when the autorotation stops other, the autorotation will tend moves, or simultaneously with the must be made. If autorotation ends to continue. To recover from the nose movement, the aircraft must with more than 45 degrees of rota- spin, we put in opposite rudder be seen to yaw, thus initiating a tion remaining, even if the roll is to slow the rotation, and then re- stall of one wing and subsequent completed with aileron, the snap duce the angle of attack with for- autorotation. If any movement roll is zeroed.” ward stick (down elevator). We about the longitudinal (roll) or di- To reiterate, the judges must will do the same thing in a snap rectional (yaw) axis is observed see the nose of the airplane move roll, though much, much more before the nose departs the line of away from the line of flight in quickly than with a spin. flight, the figure is downgraded one a positive direction (away from Now we know what the judges (1) point per five (5) degrees. the wheels), and then the air- want to see, so what do we need Throughout the snap roll, the plane must yaw and roll into to do in the cockpit to make a main axis of the snap roll’s rotation autorotation. At the end of the snap roll happen? Snap rolls are must be in the correct plane and di- snap, the aircraft must resume nothing more than spins done on rection of flight. However, the type normal flight, on the original a horizontal (or other) line. But of motion (angle-of-attack and an- line of flight, with the wings unlike a spin, the initiation of gular velocity) displayed around the level. We will start with a level, the snap cannot wait for the air- main axis of autorotation differs upright flight attitude for the plane to slow to a stall, we must between aircraft types (much as first snap roll attempts, and will stall the airplane at a higher than each type of aircraft has different complete one full revolution. Un- normal stall speed. Refer back spin characteristics). If the charac- fortunately, snap roll characteris- to your initial flying lessons; at ter of the snap roll changes during tics and control inputs can vary what airspeed will a wing stall? the figure, the figure is downgraded with airspeed, line of flight, and The simple answer is any air- (See Family 9.1). A changing rate amount of snap roll required. So, speed, and the better answer is of rotation or the nose moving more like I was told when I learned fly whenever the critical angle of at- onto the flight path (like a slow roll) fishing, it takes just 15 minutes tack of the wing is reached. is the most often observed change to learn, and the rest of your life- First, the elevator must be dis- in character. But for all aircraft time to figure it out! Once you placed, very rapidly, to cause the types, the criteria for stopping the master level upright snaps, the wing to reach the critical angle

www.iac.org 21 Aircraft in right spin. High angle of attack and low airspeed on right wing, and low angle of attack and higher airspeed on left wing. of attack, to stall the wing. Ob- So, slow down, set an altitude fet, relax the pull, and check your viously, there can be some struc- up high, and establish a speed altitude. You probably gained at tural issues with pulling that about 20 MPH/KTS below your least 50-100 feet. Try this pull much elevator, not to mention desired snap speed, around 100 and relax several times until you the G loads on our bodies. Most MPH in the Pitts, then add power can do it without gaining alti- of our aerobatic aircraft have a to accelerate to 120 MPH. We tude. This is the pull that must maximum snap speed, and this usually use full power in snaps, be used for each snap. speed must not be exceeded. Snap as the snap roll itself is a high Next, decide which way to speeds below this maximum are drag, energy losing maneuver. start your snap; there is a differ- legal, and safe, and most airplanes The high power setting allows ence. Given the normal rotation seem to have a good sweet spot at us to fly off after the snap roll. of Lycoming engines, starting about twice the stall speed. In my Don’t try to snap the first time your snap to the right will take a Pitts S-2B, this sweet spot speed out. As you hit the 120 MPH finer touch, but to stop the snap, was 120 MPH, and in the MX-2, mark, pull the stick only about against the torque, is much eas- it turns out to be about 120 KTS. halfway back, as fast as you can. ier. Snapping to the left, how- Obviously, we can’t always be at Even faster than that. Faster! ever, is easier to start, but must exactly our best snap speed dur- You can’t pull too fast, but you be stopped just a hair earlier ing contest flights, but this is a can pull too slowly. The goal is to since the torque is trying to con- good place to start. Looking at Va, maintain straight and level flight tinue the left rotation. At first, the maneuvering speed, (you do while causing the wing to pitch you may not be able to tell much remember Va, right?) of most of to the critical angle of attack. If difference, but as you learn to our aircraft, this 2 X stall speed you pull slowly, you will climb feel the sensations of a good snap allows a snap speed below Va that and gain altitude before reaching roll, the differences will become will prevent damage to the air- the critical angle of attack. The more obvious. frame. We will use 120 MPH in pull must be as fast as possible. Once you can pull quickly to our examples. As soon as you feel the stall buf- the critical angle, we will add the

22 Sport Aerobatics February 2014 rudder. Again, set your altitude a Sukhoi instructor or friend and and speed, then accelerate to the buy them some gas. The Winner‘s Propeller! snap speed. Pull to the stall buf- In seven years of Advanced Fly the Champions‘ Choice! fet, and immediately add full rud- competition in my S-2B, I used like Patty Wagstaff as shown here der. As the rudder goes in, reduce the 2 step method with good with her the back pressure on the elevator success, after learning the finer Extra 300S!! to unload the wing and to “accel- points of good snaps. When I erate” the snap. The forward stick first learned snap rolls in the movement should be at least to Pitts, I would lose 20-30 MPH neutral elevator, and maybe a hair during the snap. I was burying into forward pressure. Most new the snap, holding the high angle snap rolling pilots tend to “bury” attack, way too much. Once I the snap, meaning the stall was learned to push the stick forward Super Decathlon very deep throughout the snap to “unload” the wing and reduce roll. A good snap roll should pitch the angle of attack, I would lose to, or very near, the critical angle only about 5 MPH. This is a good Pitts Model 12 of attack, but leaving the wing goal, and can be practiced and Available for almost every aerobatic at the critical angle during the learned when flying solo just by aircraft, for custom built airplanes like Lancair, Velocity, Glasair or RV and for snap roll is a deep stall, high drag looking at the airspeed indicator more than 100 certiﬁ ed aircraft types. regime. So we reduce the angle at the end of each snap roll. Order your custom designed of attack once the autorotation In the Pitts, I would push the propeller today! starts. The whole maneuver lasts stick forward at the same time MT-Propeller USA, Inc., Florida Phone: (386) 736-7762 barely a second or two, hence as the rudder pedal went down, Fax: (386) 736-7696 the British term of flick rolls for and the stick should go just a e-mail: [email protected] snaps. The roll should “flick” as little forward of neutral so you MT-Propeller Headquarters Germany fast as possible through the rota- will feel some back pressure on Phone: +49-9429-94090 tion. The common terms are that the stick. With this stick posi- Fax.: +49-9429-8432 e-mail: [email protected] the snap should “explode” at the tion, all that is needed is the op- www.mt-propeller.com start, and stop like it hit a wall. posite rudder to stop the snap The actual feel in the cockpit is cleanly and nearly instantly, like not nearly that bad, but can be hitting a wall. The acceleration very disorienting when learning of the autorotation is vital in snaps. So start with altitude, and good snaps, and the acceleration an instructor!! comes only from reducing the Here is where some of the angle of attack. myth and mystique comes in. Stopping the snap is easier Traditionally, biplanes snap great than starting the snap, but the using the above technique, the timing is difficult. The stop is 2 step, pitch then yaw style of a mostly timed event, and the snap roll. Stereotypically, though roll is so fast, there are no good not always, monoplanes use a visual cues ahead of time. The slightly different technique, of best visual cue is about 20 de- a more one-step pitch and yaw, grees before wings level in the with some opposite aileron at the Pitts. At this point apply full start to oppose the rudder in- opposite rudder and then el- put in the beginning. If you fly evator as needed to hold level a biplane, try the 2 step method. flight. You used full rudder to Monoplane drivers can use the 2 get into the snap, so full rudder Stay connected with IAC’s step method, but the pitch tends is required to make clean, hit- member benefit, the world to be too little, causing zeros for ting-the-wall, stops. As soon as “no pitch” by the judges, or too the snap stops, get back off the of aerobatics on the Web, much pitch, causing the jump in rudder to maintain straight and in our e-newsletter! altitude discussed earlier. Suk- level flight. So, in the Pitts, the hoi pilots, these methods will snap goes like this: To subscribe: work, but they are not the recom- •Level flight, 100 MPH, add www.eaa.org/newsletters mended Suk snap procedure. Find full throttle

www.iac.org 23 •At 120 MPH, pull the stick roll and yaw during the pitch, wind landing in a tailwheel air- halfway back as fast as pos- not after the pitch as is required. plane. Remember how impossible sible (faster!) To the judges, this appears that that seemed? •At the buffet, instantly ap- some roll starts without the au- Even in a monoplane, the 2-step ply full rudder and push the torotation, which is a down pitch then yaw method may be stick forward to neutral or grade. To keep the roll and yaw better for initial learning and get- a little more from starting too soon, some op- ting used to snap rolls. Then re- •At the 340 degree point of posite aileron is added with the fine your technique once you gain rotation, apply full oppo- other inputs. Thus, for a right some comfort and confidence with site rudder to stop the snap snap, I pull the stick back and left the basic maneuver. A coach on •As the snap stops, neutral- while adding full right rudder. the ground can be of tremendous ize the rudder, and use el- The aft stick in my MX is about help in determining if your snaps evator to maintain level 6 inches of displacement, and appear buried, climbing, or are flight the same for the left aileron. As rolling without autorotation. soon as the pitch attitude is set This is what has worked for Potential Problems: (notice not the buffet), the stick me. The differences in our air- Climbing before the snap: explodes forward to just for- planes make the fine tuning of not pulling the stick back fast ward of neutral and right about snap rolls a matter of practice enough, or pulling too far. Full up 6 inches of neutral, not full de- in front of a good coach or judg- elevator is not necessary at all. flections in either direction. The ing line. I find a huge difference Buried snap, or losing too initial position for aileron can be in my own technique when fly- much airspeed: not enough for- practiced by adding opposite aile- ing with students compared to ward stick to unload the stall, or ron to keep the wings level while solo. I expect part of it is trying not soon enough. counteracting the rudder until to show the parts of the snap by Over/under snap: timing the the snap occurs. The airplane will keeping the rates slower, but the stops just requires doing more snaps. still snap during these “stick po- extra weight and change in CG Snap won’t stop, or degrades sitioning” exercises, so be ready does make a difference. If you al- into a spin: typically, too much as you add rudder and opposite ready fly snap rolls, try accelerat- up elevator at the stop. Unload aileron. Once this position is ing the snap with more forward more during the snap, or push learned, hit it quickly for a good stick, or get the forward stick in forward stick when stopping the snap entry. more quickly. Burying the snap snap. Potentially, the stick may be Earlier I said that in the MX is the error we see most often in too far forward, causing the air- I just set the pitch attitude, I upcoming Intermediate pilots. plane to transition into a negative don’t pull to the buffet. By set- Too deep a stall, and the explo- snap. You shouldn’t feel any nega- ting the pitch attitude, and then sive start disappears. If you are tive G during positive snap rolls. explosively unloading the wing just learning snap rolls, try the If you feel negative G, that’s prob- with the rudder already pushed, 2-step method to get you going. ably too much forward stick. the downward moving wing will We can tune the finer points as In the MX2 I learned to use the stall. As my good friend Wayne we go forward. monoplane style snap, as early on says, “flick it and believe.” In re- I didn’t learn any of this by using the 2 step method, the air- ality, showing the judges a pitch myself, so I need to thank sev- plane would snap, but the pitch attitude, and then rapidly, explo- eral people who beat the “good didn’t show to the judges on the sively pushing the stick forward snap roll” into me. As a competi- ground. To fix this, I started pitch- with some pro-snap aileron while tion pilot, it doesn’t matter what ing too much and climbing. The the rudder is pushed, will stall you think about the figure, it only monoplane style snap requires the the down moving wing, causing matters what you show the judges nearly simultaneous application the autorotation. This method on the ground. My coach, Tom of up elevator, pro-snap rudder, allows the pilot to “skip” the Adams, keeps me from “jump- and opposite aileron, just at the deep stall, high drag, high angle ing” or climbing in snaps. Mike start. This has worked for me the of attack prior to the snap, and Rinker and Debby Rihn-Harvey last few years, after I finally got maintains energy much better got me to understand the mono- rid of the Pitts style, 2-step snap throughout the snap, allowing for plane style for snap rolls, so the muscle memory. a more positive stop at the end. It snaps look good to the judges. In the monoplane style, adding sounds a little complicated, and And thanks, Wayne Roberts, for the elevator and rudder at the it will be at the start, but it is no the “flick it and believe” concept. same time usually causes some more difficult than a good cross- It really does work!! IAC

24 Sport Aerobatics February 2014

TECH TIPS Reprinted from the International Aerobatics Club Tech Tips Manual, volume IV

Aerobatics QA More Gaps, Gaps, Gaps by Dan Rihn

QUESTION—How does one gapseal symmetrical 3M #191 tape installed with aileron down ailerons? A few years ago Patty Wagstaff asked me if I had a good way of gap sealing the ailerons for her then new Pitts S-1T. ANSWER—All of the newer Pitts aircraft come EAGLE II method with a symmetrical aileron airfoil section. Earlier adhesive here Pitts and the Eagle II use a friese type aileron. With no adhesive here FIGURE 1. FRIESE AILERON the friese aileron it is very easy to seal the gap. Fig- adhesive here ure 1 shows the two popular methods. The problem with sealing the symmetrical ai- completed gap seal leron is that if you use the tape method over the gap, it will stick down on the aileron when it is deflected. Then it must somehow unstick itself to allow the aileron to be deflected the other direction. FIGURE 2. SYMMETRICAL AILERON I have seen methods that use baby powder on the adhesive area of the tape that needs to remain un- Push the tape and plastic strip stuck, but I never liked the way this method leaves down into gap. Stick the tape down the tape bagging out when the aileron is in the neu- onto the aileron. tral position. The best method I have been able to come up with after several experiments is depicted in Fig- ure 2. It consists of two pieces of tape and a strip of plastic in between. The tape I use is 3M #191 clear, IV2 inches wide—the same tape I use on friese aile- FIGURE 3. rons. The plastic I’ve found to work the best is 6 mil clear poly-film, a polyethylene film made by Poly- America. It is available at most hardware stores. I FIGURE 4. bought a piece 1 foot by 20 feet for 99 cents—the smallest piece I could buy. Here is how to install the gap seal. First lay out the plastic sheet on a flat clean surface. Then mark and cut out strips of the proper length and width. For the S-1T cut the strips 2 inches wide; for the S-2, 3 inches wide. Before you cut out the strips measure and mark a line three Apply tape to plastic strip—3/4 inch overlap. quarters of an inch in from the edge. I found that RIHN ILLUSTRATIONS DAN

26 Sport Aerobatics February 2014 of thin cardboard stock to help poke it through. See Figure 4. Apply another piece of tape to the plastic strip —the sticky side towards the wing leading edge— again overlap the plastic by three quarters of an inch. After you have a good bond to the plastic strip move the aileron to the down position again. The plastic strip should slide up into the aileron well. FIGURE 5. Then you can stick the tape to the lower surface of the wing. See Figure 5. You should now have a very a Sharpie Fine Line marker works the best on the nice gap seal with no sticking or binding as shown plastic (available at stationery stores). The length in Figure 2. of the strips will be determined by the distance Apply the gap to the inboard end of the aile- between the hinges and the distance between the ron first. Do all the steps to get the hang of work- hinges and the ends of the aileron. ing with the material. Where the aileron tapers in After you have cut out the strips of plastic apply thickness (the outboard end), you will have to taper tape to one edge of the plastic along the 3/4-inch the plastic strip. After a few trial and error sessions offset line. I found working on the extra plastic a you will get the hang of it. big help in keeping the tape clean and preventing it A list of materials and tools needed is: from sticking to the table. •clean, flat workbench With the aileron deflected down, slide the tape •long, steel straight edge and plastic strip down from the top through the •X-acto knife gap. See Figure 3. Try to get the tape and the plastic •scissors strip as far down the gap as possible. Then adhere •Sharpie Fine Line marker the tape to the top surface of the aileron. Now move •several rolls of 3M #191 tape the aileron to the up position. The plastic strip (each roll is 125 inches long) should pop out through the bottom aileron gap. If •several feet of 6 mill poly-film the plastic does not easily pop out then use a piece Good luck and have a happier roll rate! IAC

www.iac.org 27 CONTEST CALENDAR

Mark your calendars for these upcoming contests. For a complete list of contests and for the most up-to- date contest calendar, visit www.IAC.org. If your chapter is hosting a contest, be sure to let the world know by posting your event on the IAC website.

Midwest Collegiate Challenge Lone Star Aerobatic Championships Friday, April 25 - Sunday, April 27, 2014 Friday, June 20 - Sunday, June 22, 2014 Practice/Registration: Friday, April 25 Practice/Registration: Thursday, June 19 - Friday, Power Categories: Primary Sportsman June 20 Location: Seward Municipal (SWT), Seward, NE Power: Primary through Unlimited Region: Mid-America Location: North Texas Regional (GYI ): Sherman, TX Contest Director: Ed Bowes Region: Mid-America Contact Information: 402-730-3396 Contest Director: Kathleen Kyer E-Mail: [email protected] Contact Information: 972-365-8767 Alternate Phone: 903-378-7827 Ben Lowell Aerial Confrontation E-Mail: [email protected] Friday, May 23 - Sunday, May 25, 2014 Practice/Registration: Friday, May 23 Midwest Aerobatic Championship Power: Primary through Unlimited Friday, June 20 - Sunday, June 22, 2014 Location: Sterling Municipal Airport (STK), Sterling, CO Practice/Registration: Friday, June 20 Region: Mid-America Power: Primary through Unlimited Contest Director: DJ Molny Location: Seward Municipal (SWT), Seward, NE Contact Information: 303-619-4814 Region: Mid-America E-Mail: [email protected] Contest Director: David Moll Website: www.iac12.org Contact Information: 402-613-5422 E-Mail: [email protected] Best Box in Texas) Friday, May 30 - Sunday, June 1, 2014 Michigan Aerobatic Open Practice/Registration: Saturday, May 24 - Thursday, Saturday, June 28 - Sunday, June 29, 2014 May 29 Practice/Registration: Friday, June 27 Rain/Weather: Sunday, June 1 Power: Primary through Unlimited Power: Primary through Unlimited Location: Jackson County Airport—Reynolds Field Location: Jackson County (26R), Edna, TX (JXN), Jackson, MI Region: South Central Region: Mid-America Contest Director: Gary Walker Contest Director: Brian Roodvoets Contact Information: 832-656-8314 Contact Information: 810-667-0642 E-Mail: [email protected] E-Mail: [email protected] Website: iac88.eaachapter.org IAC Open East Championship - Ohio Aerobatic Open 2014 Green Mountain Aerobatics Contest Friday, June 13 - Sunday, June 15, 2014 (GMAC) Practice/Registration: Thursday, June 12 Friday, July 11 - Sunday, July 13, 2014 Rain/Weather: Sunday, June 15 Practice/Registration: Thursday, July 10 - Friday, Power: Primary through Unlimited July 11 Location: Bellefontaine Regional Airport (EDJ), Glider Categories: Sportsman through Unlimited Bellefontaine, OH Power: Primary through Unlimited Region: Mid-America Location: Springfield Hartness Airport (VSF), Contest Director: Chris Keegan Springfield Vermont Contact Information: 614-890-9711 Region: Northeast E-Mail: [email protected] Contest Director: Bill Gordon Website: iac34.com Contact Information: 802-585-0366 E-Mail: [email protected]

28 Sport Aerobatics February 2014 Doug Yost Challenge U.S./Canada Aerobatic Challenge Saturday, July 19 - Sunday, July 20, 2014 Saturday, September 6 - Sunday, September 7, 2014 Practice/Registration: Thursday, July 17 - Friday, July 18 Practice/Registration: Thursday, September 4 - Friday, Power: Primary through Unlimited September 5 Location: Spencer Muni (SPW), Spencer, Iowa Rain/Weather: Monday, September 8 - Tuesday, September 9 Region: Mid-America Power: Primary through Unlimited Contest Director: Dan Pichelman Location: Olean Municipal Airport (ole), Olean,NY Contact Information: 612-386-0352 Region: Northeast E-Mail: [email protected] Contest Director: Pat Barrett Contact Information: 716-361-7888 CanAm Challenge E-Mail: [email protected] Friday, July 25 - Saturday, July 26, 2014 Website: IAC126.blogspot.com Practice/Registration: Thursday, July 24 Power: Primary through Unlimited Rocky Mountain “OYSTER” Invitational Location: Cut Bank International (CTB), Cut Bank, MT Aerobatic Contest Region: Northwest Saturday, September 13 - Sunday, September 14, 2014 Contest Director: Christopher Branson Practice/Registration: Friday, September 12 Contact Information: 503-501-1496 Glider Categories: Sportsman through Unlimited E-Mail: [email protected] Power: Primary through Unlimited Location: Lamar Municipal Airport (KLAA), Lamar, CO Beaver State Regional Region: South Central Friday, August 15 - Saturday, August 16, 2014 Contest Director: Jamie S. Treat Practice/Registration: Thursday, August 14 Contact Information: 303-304-7937 Power: Primary through Unlimited E-Mail: [email protected] Location: Eastern Oregon Regional (PDT), Pendleton, OR Website: www.iac5.org Region: Northwest Contest Director: Christopher Branson 2014 US National Aerobatic Championships Contact Information: 503-803-7167 Sunday, September 21 - Friday, September 26, 2014 E-Mail: [email protected] Practice/Registration: Saturday, September 20 Rain/Weather: Saturday, September 27 2014 Oshkosh Air Maneuvers Challenge Glider Categories: Sportsman through Unlimited Friday, August 22 - Sunday, August 24, 2014 Power: Primary through Unlimited Practice/Registration: Thursday, August 21 - Friday, August 22 Location: North Texas Regional Airport (KGYI), Sherman, TX Power: Primary through Unlimited Region: South Central Location: Wittman Regional Airport (OSH), Oshkosh, WI Contest Director: Matt Tanner Region: Mid-America Contact Information: 719-359-6381 Contest Director: Audra Hoy E-Mail: [email protected] Contact Information: 920-203-9000 Website: http://nationals.iac.org/ E-Mail: [email protected] Website: www.iacchapter1.org

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www.iac.org 31 MEET A MEMBER BY GARY DEBAUN, IAC #4145

Anthony Oshinuga

IAC # 435544 me every step of the way. I’m truly lucky to have her Occupation: Pharmaceutical Engineer because she wants me to obtain and achieve my goals Chapter Affiliation: Chapter 36 Hammer Heads San as much as I would like to see them through. Diego California *Age: 30 GD: Do you have any preflight rituals, like *Website: AIROSHINUGA.COM , AIROSHI.COM stretching, yoga, listening to music? *Phone: 305-321-0441 AO: I don’t really listen to music or stretch, but what I like to do is find a relatively quiet area where I can re- GD: Anthony, give us a brief rundown about hearse the sequences. I like to actually imagine position- how you got started in aerobatics. ing myself entering the box even down to the wing wags. Aviation captured my interested at the age of 5. All it took was a visit to the airport with my father as we GD: Who, if anyone has been an inspiration to watched planes fly overhead to land. I was captivated you in the world of aerobatics? by objects that were capable of sustaining flight. Every- AO: Robert Holland is someone in the aerobatic thing after that moment directly or indirectly served a world that I look up to. purpose in my life as it relates to aviation; building and flying radio controlled gas powered airplanes, enrolling GD: If you could change any one thing in the in classes at the University of Emery Riddle at Daytona IAC, what would it be and why? Beach Florida, volunteering at aerobatic contests and at- AO: If I could change one thing about the IAC it tending the University of California Riverside to obtain would have to be adjusting contest fees. There are my degree in mechanical engineering. My first aerobatic a lot of young aspiring pilots that would love to get flight was with Norm Manary November 2010 at Flabob involved into the sport. One of the leading obsta- airport and it was an experience to remember. cles that limit new pilots from chasing the dreams are the fees that comes with contest and/or rental GD: Where was your first contest, what did you cost of operating an airplane. fly and how did you do? AO: My first contest was in 2011 at Borrego GD: Do you have any other interests or hobbies Springs California. I flew a Super Decathlon and I outside of aviation? placed 3rd in the Primary category. AO: I think it is so important to stay fit, so I make sure to work out (basketball, running, weights etc.) five GD: I know you just bought a beautiful Cessna days a week. I also enjoy traveling to different coun- 170A, but is there any aerobatic mount in your tries and immersing myself within different cultures. future? AO: Yes Gary, as a matter of fact I have been look- GD: What is your opinion of contest banquets? ing for an aerobatic plane to purchase. After speaking AO: I attended my first banquet March 2012 as a to my mentor and Tim Just I believe the Pitts S1S is volunteer at the Redlands contest and it was great. the right plane for me. Be on the lookout. It’s nice to sit down and talk to some of the competitors after the contest is over. GD: Being a newlywed, how does your bride handle your aerobatic aspirations? GD: What is your favorite flying movie? AO: I’ve known her for 12 years, so she has known AO: Top Gun is my # 1 movie, I even own a Blue that this has been a dream of mine and she supports Ray copy! IAC

32 Sport Aerobatics February 2014 It’s the planes that bring you here. It’s the people that bring you back. Reignite your passion. Oshkosh–you gotta be here!

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