Watervliet 40C
October 2015 Vol. 10
EAA Chapter 585 meeting Wednesday, October 14, 2015,
7:00 p.m. at the Chapter Clubhouse, Watervliet Municipal
Airport.
Presidents Corner
Greetings
Last month we had nominations for the officers of our chapter. For President, John Salnoske and Gary Heuser were nominated but
John has declined so that leaves Gary. Brooks
Payne will stay on as Vice President and Bill
Greenly will stay as Secretary. Ken Straw is a retired CPA and has
volunteered to be Treasurer. Hal Bundy has offered to take Gary
Heusers place on the Board of Directors. We still need someone to
be the Newsletter Editor. If you would like to do the job, please
step forward. As with everyone who volunteers, your help is always greatly appreciated. Without volunteers there could not be a
chapter. We are fortunate to have an abundance of help from our
members and friends. We also need people to help out with the 5
K run and the Chili hop. Please call Rich Freed at 269-876-7109 if
you can help with 5 K run, Rich needs help both before and during
the run. Call Sharon at 269-208-3294, or Dovie at 269-463-5532
for the Chili Hop. We always seem to need more chili. If you can
bring chili or a dessert please call Sharon or Dovie.
Our annual Banquet will again be at the F.O.P. hall in Coloma,
located southeast of the 1-94 interchange, Exit 39. We will have
a great meal from CK catering and a very entertaining guest
speaker. It will take the place of our December meeting but will be
on Thursday December 10th at 7:00. The price again will only be
$20.00, youths 16 and under, $15.00. Bring as many guests as you
like but pay in advance and let Sharon know before December 1st.
so she can tell the caterer how many meals we need.
Have you ever wondered about how a lot of words associated
with aviation came about? Many are French. When the Wright
brothers tried to commercially market their airplanes to the government they received no interest so they went to France where
they were welcomed. For about 4 years the French went crazy
about airplanes while not much happened in the U.S. That is how
we now have so many French words such as aileron, longeron,
empennage (back part of fuselage) and Pitot, (PETO). The pitot
brings up another subject, how things already invented were
adopted and modified for other uses. The pitot was in use for well
over a century as a way to measure the speed of flowing water. It
worked just as well in air as in water. The propeller is another
handy gadget that had been in use for many years with constant
improvements taking place. After WWI a scientist was trying to
make a more efficient foghorn that wouldn't require so much
Board of Directors Meeting
To be announced.
Elections for EAA Chapter 585
Thanks to our members who have stepped up to the plate to be our leaders
for the coming year. See Don’s column.
EAA Chapter 585 Chili Hop and 5K Run/Walk
Wow! Another year has almost gone. The Chili Hop is this month.
We need all of our chili cookers and dessert makers to do your
thing again. We had the most chili last year that I have ever seen in
the years that I have been chairing this event. I do so appreciate
every cook and kitchen helper who volunteer to make this event
such a success.
So bottom line, I ask you please make a pot of your favorite chili
recipe and a desert (actually we will take either, or, if that’s what
you want to do) and bring it to the airport on Sunday morning,
10am or so.
Thanks, Dovie 269-463-5532 Sharon 269-208-3294
Photo by Bill Greenley
New trails this year for the hay rides. Members if you haven’t taken a ride
on the hay wagon give it a try this year. The wood trails in back of the
airport are beautiful..
Deadline for news and information for the November, 2015 newsletter
will be October28.
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power to run it. When the war stopped there was a lot of manufacturing buildings that were empty. When he went to inquire
about renting space in one the owners were happy to oblige. When
they walked into the building he noticed holes all the way up one
wall, across the roof and down the other wall. When he asked
what happened, he was told they were trying to perfect a metal
propeller. If they made them strong enough, they would be too
heavy and if they made them lighter they would break and, guess
what, another hole or two. He asked to see what they were doing,
took one look and the rest is history. He told them to bend the
blades forward just a little so the forward thrust would counteract
the centrifugal force and the problem was solved.
One of the most perfect examples of inventiveness while under
extreme pressure might be of the NASA team that saved the crew
of Apollo 13 from certain death. When on their way to the moon a
loud explosion took out the side of their module and all of their
oxygen supply was being vented overboard. They couldn't just
make a 180 degree turn and come back, and by the time they went
around the moon to return to earth their remaining oxygen would
be long gone. When they said Houston, we have a problem, it was
the understatement of the year. The team at Houston had to come
up with a solution using only the material that could be found on
board the spacecraft. They first designed a contraption made of
cardboard, duct tape, pieces of hose and anything else that could be
used. Then they had to make sure there were suitable substitute
materials already in the spacecraft. On land we breathe in air containing about 21% oxygen and breathe out air still containing about
16% oxygen. When you see a diver under water you also see a
large percentage of his oxygen supply going up in bubbles as he
exhales. The NASA team had to recapture that oxygen for reuse
and scrub out the toxic gas. They had to keep tweaking and adjusting until it was efficient enough to save the men. The next step
was to instruct the men how to build their own from the material
that was on board. As we all know they were successful but it
seemed like the whole operation was teetering on the brink of disaster the entire time. Only by the continuous work by dozens of
brilliant and dedicated people did the men of Apollo 13 survive.
The key was adapting what was available to what was needed.
The pitot tube, the metal propeller and especially the Apollo
moon mission success are only 3 of the many modifications or
adaptions of prior ideas.
Remember Lindberghs use of the periscope extending out the
side of the Spirit of St. Louis so he could see around the huge fuel
tank in front of him?
See you at the meeting on October 14th.
Thanks, Don
EAA 585 Minutes
September 9, 2015
Bill Greenley, Secretary
Due to technical difficulties there is no minutes from the
September meeting. For Election news please see the Presidents column.
Dawn Patrols and Fly-Ins
Watervliet Municipal Airport (40C) Watervliet, MI Fly-In
Chili Hop Date: October 18, 2015 Time: 11:00 AM - 04:00
PM Description: Chili Hop 5K Run/Walk Fly-In
Dawn Patrol: Plymouth Mettetal Airport (1D2) EAA
Chapter 113 Chili Fly-In Date: November 14, 2015 Time:
11:00 AM - 03:00 PM Description: Dawn Patrol: CantonPlymouth Mettetal Airport EAA Chapter 113 Chili Fly-In
Chili Hop 2014
EAA Chapter Officers
photos by Jennifer & Nathan Lynch
Don Carney-President
E-mail
Brooks Payne-Vice-President
E-mail
brookspayne@gmail.com
Sharon Carney –Treasurer
E-mail
Bill Greenley-Secretary
E-mail
Dovie Downey- Newsletter Editor
E-mail
dovelet_d@sbcglobal.net
Board of Directors
Jon Salnoske
E-mail
Gary Heuser
Dovie Downey
269-208-3296
donrcs@yahoo.com
269-944-6351
269-208-3294
donrcs@yahoo.com
269208-1533
wgreenley@gmail.com
269-463-5532
269-849-2320
jonlonsal@sbcglobal.net
269-539-0102
269-463-5532
Wanted news letter editor. This is not a hard position.
It just needs someone who will volunteer to keep all
members informed and involved with other.
th
Chili Hop October 18 .
Wanted chili & desserts.
I will give the new editor all of my files and pictures to
help get you started.
Dovie
Volunteers needed
Call Dovie 269-463-5532 Or Sharon 269-208-3294
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Reprint from the May 2012 Puddle Jumper
The Great Battle
This came from a gent who runs a 2000 acre corn farm up around
Barron , WI not far from Oshkosh . He used to fly F-4Es and F16s for the Guard and participated in the first Gulf War... Submitted for your enjoyment, and as a reminder that there are other
great, magnificent flyers around besides us.
------------------------------------------------I went out to plant corn for a bit to finish a field before tomorrow
morning and witnessed The Great Battle. A golden eagle - big
bastard, about six foot wingspan - flew right in front of the tractor. It was being chased by three crows that were continually dive
bombing it and pecking at it. The crows do this because the eagles rob their nests when they find them.
At any rate, the eagle banked hard right in one evasive maneuver,
then landed in the field about 100 feet from the tractor. This eagle stood about 3 feet tall. The crows all landed too and took up
positions around the eagle at 120 degrees apart, but kept their
distance at about 20 feet from the big bird. The eagle would take
a couple steps towards one of the crows and they'd hop backwards and forward to keep their distance. Then the reinforcement
showed up.
I happened to spot the eagle's mate hurtling down out of the sky
at what appeared to be approximately Mach 1.5. Just before impact the eagle on the ground took flight, (obviously a coordinated
tactic; probably pre-briefed) and the three crows which were
watching the grounded eagle, also took flight thinking they were
going to get in some more pecking on the big bird.
The first crow being targeted by the diving eagle never
stood a snowball's chance in hell. There was a mid-air explosion
of black feathers and that crow was done. The diving eagle then
banked hard left in what had to be a 9G climbing turn, using the
energy it had accumulated in the dive, and hit crow #2 less than
two seconds later.
Another crow dead.
The grounded eagle, which was now airborne and had an altitude
advantage on the remaining crow, which was streaking eastward
in full burner, made a short dive then banked hard right when the
escaping crow tried to evade the hit. It didn't work - crow #3 bit
the dust at about 20 feet altitude.
This aerial battle was better than any air show I've been to, including the Warbirds show at Oshkosh ! The two eagles ripped
the crows apart and ate them on the ground, and as I got closer
and closer working my way across the field, I passed within 20
feet of one of them as it ate its catch. It stopped and looked at me
as I went by and you could see in the look of that bird that it
knew who's Boss Of The Sky. What a beautiful bird!
I love it. Not only did they kill their enemy, they ate them.
The lesson: If you're forced to fight, give no quarter.
(It's good to have back-up from your mate though.)
A military aircraft had gear problems on landing, and as
the plane was skidding down the tarmac the tower controller asked if they needed assistance. From the plane came a
laconic southern voice:
Dunno - we ain't done crashin' yet
Newton's Law states that what goes up, must come down. Our
Company Commander's Law states that what goes up and comes
down had damn well better be able to go back up again.
— sign in the Operations Office of the 187th Assault Helicopter
Company, Tay Ninh, Viet Nam, 1971.
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EAA CHAPTER 585
P.O. Box 26
Watervliet, MI 49098
40C In October
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