WFC Pilot Volume 2, Issue 8 August/September 2014 Summer Meetings: First Tuesday of the Month Good, Clean Fun - Winnebago Flying Club Style 6 p.m. Hangar C5 (North Ts) There isn’t anything that could be more fun than Wittman Regional Airport washing and waxing a Cessna 172. If you’ve never Oshkosh, Wisconsin. done it, what are you waiting for? Your next oppor- Next Meeting: tunity to do so is on Tuesday, September 9 at 6 p.m. Meet at the club hangar (C5) and then we’ll taxi 70G Tuesday, September 9 over to the firehouse for some good, clean fun. Buck- Details here ets and brushes will be provided, you only need to bring your willingness to help out with this easy task. With enough help, the entire cleaning process takes about an hour. We’ll follow that up with a brief business meeting and then a riveting discussion: “A Review of the Club’s Variable and Fixed Expenses.” Actually, that should be an interesting talk, provided by our club treasurer Sara Strands. We encourage all of our members to attend. Flying Wisconsin By Rose Dorcey CONTENTS One of the greatest joys of flying is sharing it with those Tim Talks 2 we love. John and I did that recently. It was one of those flights that was especially memorable and meaningful. Meeting Recap 2 As you may know, my daughter is a Dominican Sister August teaching in Denver. This past summer she began studying for her masters degree in Rhode Island, and then after Meeting Recap 4 her studies had two weeks to rest at a retreat in Nash- July ville before coming back home to Wisconsin. She let me know before her arrival that she was so well rested she My ‘Flight’ to a Private 4 would be ready for an active home visit. Pilot Certificate I put together an ambitious schedule and we carried it out. We went for a boat ride and a bike ride, By Carrie Forster and took in a Brewers/Cubs game at Wrigley Field. We played pickle ball (she beat me), prayed at several Masses, reunited with family and friends in Wisconsin Rapids, had our favorite dishes at Belts’ Soft Serve in Members in Action: 5 Stevens Point, and spent two days in Minneapolis with Logan, her one-month-old nephew (my grandson). Carrie, Tim, Adi Though hectic, we had such a great time! The best part was our evening flight in N7770G. Before she entered the convent, Sister Maria Caeli had flown with me in Cessna 150s and 172s. She had even taken a flight lesson in Wisconsin Rapids. That was her last GA flight. It was an extremely bumpy Free and Correct 6 By Keith Myers ride, and she decided not to pursue a private pilot certificate. This time though, the air was as smooth as the Lake Winnebago water on which we had just boated. We flew to Green Bay and requested to circle Member Spotlight 7 over Lambeau Field. A huge Packers fan, Sister liked that a lot, and we recalled her Punt, Pass, and Kick appearances there and games we had attended when she was younger. We witnessed God’s good works Blaine Vander Wielen in a gorgeous sunset and the region’s beautiful lakes and rivers. She asked a lot of good questions about Wisconsin Fly-ins 8 flying, and thoroughly enjoyed the flight. After the flight, and the next day, she asked more questions, and confidently commented, “I could do that, learn to fly.” Of that I have no doubt. As we left the airport, I realized how much she had enjoyed it. I still can’t quite describe the over- whelmingly good feeling that came over me. Maybe it was gratefulness, or just pure happiness, but I can confirm this, it was an extraordinary feeling being able to share something that’s so meaningful to me, with someone so special to me, and know how much that person enjoyed the experience. May you all have the opportunity to share this same joy with those who are special to you. Page 2 WFC Pilot TIM TALKS Lessons Learned (The Hard Way) You’ve heard it said before that and really couldn’t see anything which got my immediate atten- you must learn from the mis- unusual. And so we continued tion. When I looked out at the takes of others because you the short distance to Green inboard trailing edge of the won’t live long enough to make Bay and landed uneventfully. right wing, I saw a plume of fuel them all yourself. So in that After landing, a thorough vapor and suspected immedi- spirit I relate to you just a cou- check revealed that, indeed, an ately that the fuel cap was ple of the many mistakes I’ve end of the seat belt on the loose or missing. We contin- made as a pilot, and which y’all pilot’s side had been pinched in ued flying the remainder of a can learn. None of these inci- the door and the 10 or so normal pattern, landed, and dents seriously jeopardized inches of belt outside the door taxied back to the hangar. A Club Pres Tim Lemke safety, but they were dumb had been thumping against the post flight inspection revealed mistakes that could have and fuselage, causing a very loud that the fuel cap was unsecured should have been caught before and disconcerting noise. and only the safety chain kept it they happened. Confession is Lesson learned: Secure any from being completely lost. In good for the soul, right? So unused seat belts and make that one trip around the pat- here goes. sure the ends are not hanging tern we lost an estimated six 1.) A number of years ago, out the door. gallons of fuel. while on a flight with a private 2.) I was on a dual instructional Lesson learned: Always pilot from Appleton to Green flight with a student pilot, plan- check that the fuel caps are Bay in a rented Cessna 152, we ning to perform takeoffs and correctly installed and secured experienced a “thumping” landings in a Cessna 172 at before each flight. It has been sound on the outside of the Appleton. This student had not my practice ever since this airplane when we were about soloed yet, but had about 10 or incident to take one last look half way to our destination. 12 hours of experience and had at both fuel caps just before I Thinking that we may have a demonstrated the ability to enter the airplane. loose fuel cap, we slowed the perform a preflight inspection I have a bunch more stories airplane down and checked out proficiently on numerous occa- I could tell. But I’m more inter- the rear window for any visible sions. I did not monitor this ested in hearing from other fuel. We saw nothing and student’s actions during the club members. What lessons smelled nothing. preflight, since I fully trusted have you learned “the hard Next we checked to see if that the preflight inspection had way”? If you’re willing to relate the end of one of the seat belts been performed with the same them to me, I’ll write them up was pinched outside in the degree of care as on previous for a future newsletter and you door and the loose end was flights. can share your lessons learned perhaps flapping against the Shortly after the first take- the hard way with other club side of the fuselage. We gave a off I detected the strong aroma members. You can remain visual check of the seat belts of 100LL aviation gasoline, anonymous if you wish. August Meeting Summary Our August 5 meeting was homemade cookies. previously reported to be inop- called to order at 7 p.m. at Sara reported that 23 WFC erative but seems to work Club Hangar C5, following a members flew 55.9 hours in now. wash and wax of 70G. The July. She also reported that Rose Dorcey shared infor- following members and guests current membership numbers mation about the Wisconsin were present.: Curt Carter, are: 33 regular, 12 associate, 3 Flying Hamburger Socials, re- Tim Turner, Russ Brodtke, family, and 4 college members. minding members that the John Forster, Al Follendorf, Maintenance Officer Eric events take place several nights Blaine Vander Wielen, Chris Abraham said that 70G’s oil per week throughout Wiscon- Matheny, Mike Clark, Doug was changed July 18. The pilot’s sin and the weekly location Koehler, Bill Cudnowski, Rose side inside door handle has varies. Dorcey, Sam Wiltzius, Sara been reported as lose, but does Keith Myers provided some Strands, Keith Myers, Kyle not seem excessively so. Club good information about our Strands, Tim Lemke, and Bren- Member Dennis Hinz con- club’s aircraft insurance policy. dan Stormo. Thank you to all ducted troubleshooting of the Keith made it clear that the who helped wash and wax intercom system in late June, safety of the pilot and any pas- 70G. And a big thanks to new but was not at the meeting to sengers is more important than member Blaine Vander Wielen report findings. The phone any potential worry of Photos by Rose Dorcey who brought soft drinks and jack on right rear seat was “breaking” the airplane. Volume 2, Issue 8 Page 3 August Meeting Photos Photos by Rose Dorcey A nice size crowd was on hand to wash and wax N7770G. We even got to see Sam Wiltzius, who happened to be in town for a job- related meeting and stayed long enough to join us.