Published by the T-34 Association Inc.
September 2013, number 127, $9.95
Special:
Oshkosh 2013
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
MENTOR MONITOR
____________________________________
Terry Brennan
September 2013
T-34 Association Board of Directors
Charlie Nogle,
Chairman of the board
Illinois, (217) 356-3063
Dan Blackwell Jr., President, ’14
Pennsylvania, (724) 379-8628,
dan@blackav.com
Joe Enzminger, Vice-president, ’16
Texas, (512) 970-0873,
PanchoandLefty2002@yahoo.com
Todd McCutchan, Secretary, ’15
Arizona, (260) 402-1740
N8955M@aol.com
Jud Nogle, Treasurer, ’15
Illinois, (217) 253-4342,
cjnogle@soltect.net
Mark Pasqualino, ’15
Illinois, (815) 544-4157,
N8955M@aol.com
Bill Cherwin, ’14
Illinois, (815) 356-9041,
t34lead@sbcglobal.net
Billy Smith, ’14
Maryland, (443) 286-7068
a10smitty@verizon.net
Julie Clark, ’16
California, (530) 677-0634
julie@AmericanAerobatics.com
Curtis Boulware, ‘16
Florida, (386) 427-2921
Georgebakeraviation@gmail.com
Randy Long (at large) ‘14
Texas, (325 625 5495
Longsair@hotmail.com
I have just recently returned to
San Diego from my annual odyssey
to the Midwest, a trip of more than
4000 miles and nearly twenty five
flying hours. Long periods of
marginal VFR made the trip a little
more exciting than others in the past
and outbound tested my commitment
to arriving in MTW on Friday
evening of our practice weekend. As
expected, however, the trip was
successful and worth it.
Having alerted Billy Smith, from
Luverne MN, of my intended arrival
time at MTW, I was pleasantly
surprised to find a whole gaggle of
‘34 guys on hand to greet me. Self
flattery on just how significant my
arrival meant to them all was
shattered when I learned that they
had pretty much arrived as a group
just a short time earlier. Never mind,
the trip to the hotel could not have
been more timely.
The practices began on Saturday
morning as planned and orchestrated
by Billy “Smitty” Smith. As in the
past, Smitty, the principal subject of
this column, selflessly pours his
heart and soul into making the T-34
formation effort at Oshkosh come off
without a hitch to the “ooohs” and
“aaahs” of an appreciative airshow
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 2
audience. While gray skies spitting
drizzle did their best to diminish the
spirits and slow the practice sessions,
our group endured and only one flight
was put on hold for a relatively short
period of time. Smitty used the break
in the action wisely to refine the
various formation techniques and to
ensure that we did not risk life and
limb flying off into potential IMC.
With enthusiasm un dampened,
elements were combined into flights,
tagged with unlikely names such as
Ajax, Blade, etc, to avoid confusion
with other groups that might be
practicing in nearby areas, and under
Smitty’s guidance, the “Big One”
came together. By Sunday afternoon,
with your editor flying “top cover,”
the entire flight launched into the
gloom over Lake Michigan, changing
formations efficiently on Smitty’s
command and tightening it all up on
mine.
By Monday afternoon, the
weather had improved, photos were
snapped, and we waved goodbye to
the good folks at Manitowac before
the flight to OSH and the first pass of
the show. Smitty will have more
elsewhere in this issue on the
activities at the big event, otherwise,
speaking for the group at MTW, we
all want to sincerely thank Billy for
putting the program together and
doing such a great job pulling it all off
so beautifully.
In addition to a handful of
Oshkosh columns by others, Skip
Aldous has generously supplied us
with two timely articles, the first
dealing with a popular question today
and that is
(Continued on page 4)
Cover photo: This month’s cover
features a dramatic look-down
formation shot of George Wilen and
Kevin Carson. Photo by Tyson
Rininger.
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Dan Blackwell/T-34 Association President
ended up in a
forced off field
landing with no
injuries, not even
a scratch to the
occupants.
Unfortunately
the other
accident ended
terribly with two
fatalities. Oddly
enough the
circumstances
surrounding
these accidents
Another great year at Oshkosh!
The weather was fantastic with temps
in the 70’s for the entire week. The
show had a certain quiet feel to it
without any military presence this year.
There was not a single active
government aircraft on the grounds for
the whole event. The T-34 formations
were superb once again, thanks to
Smitty. And a big thanks to everyone
that either stayed for the end of the
week show or came back to fly in the
Saturday show. We had the biggest
formation of the type groups for the
Saturday show and flew some very
nice formations as can be seen in the
pages of this issue of the Monitor.
Smitty will cover the details of our
2013 Manitowoc / Oshkosh experience
later in the magazine. We ended up
with a total of 25 planes showing up
for the pre OSH practice at MTW and
a total of approximately 40 on the
flight line at OSH throughout the
week. Jud Nogle provided us with the
T-34 Association HQ once again right
on the Warbird line. We had plenty of
refreshments and snacks the entire
week, thanks Jud. Our merchandise
sales did well, thanks to Carolyn and
Mark Pasqualino.
As many of you know by now we
had a couple of T-34 accidents earlier
this summer. One of those accidents
were very similar. So I thought we
could all learn from these two
unfortunate mishaps.
Both accidents were the result of a
powerplant failure of some sort. The
fatal accident, had according to NTSB
reports a catastrophic engine failure
where the #6 cylinder separated from
the engine. The non-fatal accident
lost the engine due to fuel starvation
from a fuel line getting loose. In the
non-fatal accident the high time T-34
pilot did a text book job of flying the
airplane down to a gear up landing in
a field.
In the case of the fatal accident
both occupants were very low time
T-34 pilots who may not have had a
complete understanding of the
emergency procedures in this aircraft.
It appears that after the engine failure
they may have tried to glide to the
Boulder City Airport that was 3 miles
from the crash site. There are no skid
marks in the desert leading up to the
point of impact which would indicate
the plane impacted at a fairly steep
angle. NTSB reports indicate the
landing gear was extended and the
nose and leading edges of the wings
were crushed.
No one actually witnessed the
crash but it appears as though the
plane was gliding, then stalled and
impacted wings level, nose down.
This most likely could have been a
completely survivable accident just
like the non-fatal accident that was put
down in a field gear-up. The pilot in
the fatal accident may have become so
fixated on getting to the Boulder City
Airport runway straight ahead, that he
did not recognize his decaying
airspeed and loss of altitude? Had he
made a decision to simply keep the
gear retracted and land in the desert
where the crash occurred the outcome
may have been very different.
Boulder City Airport in NV may
have had high density altitude
conditions at the time of the crash?
Our airplanes have a best glide speed
of 90 knots. With a dead engine this
would be a steep dive angle at that
higher DA to maintain the 90 Kts.
Most pilots have never experienced a
dead engine glide in a high
performance aircraft, only slow
trainers during their early training
years. In a high stress environment
such as this with a blown engine, a
second passenger, tower
communications, the runway
in sight, gear down and an airplane
getting slower and slower how would
you handle it?
The point here is that we all need
to be able to make these split second
decisions about what we will do and
where we will go? With flat terrain
under the plane and a dead engine your
decision making process should be to
keep the plane under control, (FLY
THE PLANE), keep the landing gear
retracted, (unless you can verify it is
all clear pavement at you touch down
point) and put the plane on the ground
under control. How many of us would
know the correct procedures for an off
airport landing or in the event you
need to make a ditching? Could
you make all the right decisions?
(Continued on page 14)
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 3
(Continued from page 2)
how to mount an Ipad for navigation,
and the second describes his
experience with installing ANR
equipment in a helmet. Thanks Skip.
On another comfort related issue
your editor is occasionally offered the
PIC seat in a beautiful “B” model
hangared at my home “drome.” My
only complaint with the airplane is the
seat cushions installed both front and
back. They are unbelievably soft
offering virtually no support
whatsoever. While at Oshkosh I
visited the Oregon Aero booth and
asked the experts of backside
bolstering just what could be done with
the T-34 seat pack bucket to make long
trips more bearable.
Assuming you do not wear a seat
pack chute, their answer is to fill the
bucket portion of the seat with a foam
rated LD 24, topped with one of their
excellent cushions that are produced in
three sizes, ½ inch, 1 inch, and 2
inches thick. The only benefit to the
latter is that it makes you sit higher in
the seat. Before I acquired the one
piece cushion that was built for the “B”
model (incidentally no longer
available) I used two of the 1 inch
cushions (one front, one back) and
found that I could easily make the kind
of distances I wanted in total comfort.
If you are not using Oregon Aero
cushions, you are missing out on a
great bet.
Back to magazine content.
In a new feature, that I hope we will be
able to run year after year entitled
“Newcomers to Oshkosh,” Dave Forter
details his own odyssey from the west
coast to OSH/MTW and beyond.
Thanks Dave, and beautiful
perspective on the long trip.
The Prez has authored a very
useful article for this issue dealing with
component replacment/overhaul times
for the T-34. He wisely advises that
just because it is working now doesn’t
necessarily mean that it is healthy.
Billy Smith chimes in this time
with a column on formation check ride
standards. It has long been my belief,
since performing as a CP myself, that a
lack of critical standardization has hurt
the entire program and Smitty’s words
should help get us going in the right
direction.
For those with a yen to study
numbers, Dan Blackwell has provided
the association financial statements for
the year ended June 30th. Caution, you
may have to dig out the monocular to
read some of the fine print.
I mentioned Skip Aldous earlier,
they guy who has become the “go to”
contributor to the magazine. He sent
another very informative article on the
solution to managing the enormous
amount of canopy heat build-up we all
encounter in summer flying. Thanks
Skip, and good advice.
Susan Wright, daughter of long
time t-34 owner Frank Wright, writes
a moving column on the emotions we
have all felt at times for the wonderful
Mentor and the significance it held
held in her own life and that of her
family. Thank you Susan.
Your editor, no stranger to the
formation scene, has dusted off a
column from some time back dealing
more with the artistic side of the
adventure than with the fundamental
and suggests that the arrival should be
just as eventful as the overhead passes.
I received a very warm letter from
long time friend and long time
asssociation member Bruce Eskildsen
that I considered placing in the “The
Way We Were Column but ultimately
felt it just a bit to personal to do. In any
event Bruce loves the ‘34 as much as
anyone I know could and flew
regularly with his pal RJ McWhorter,
known to many of us the biggest
“Chickabeef” rancher up in the state of
Washington.
RJ passed away a couple of years
ago and the world lost another of its
great characters, leaving Bruce
somewhat isolated from the rest of the
group. He is not alone however and at
least one of his family appears to have
more than a passing interest in the
Mentor. His granddaughter Alyssa is
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 4
pictured below looking quite at home
in the cockpit of Bruce’s airplane.
Member Michael Maloco posted a
notice on the chat list inviting all to the
RPA “Desert Thunder event to be held
at Jackie Cochrand Airport in Thermal
CA, Oct. 17–20. This is a great event,
endorsed by all the ‘34 guys who have
gone in prior years. For more
information contact:
rach.gary12@gmail.com
Finally, if you think your eyesight
has gotten worse all of a sudden, it may
be because we changed from size 12 to
size 11 font for this magazine. Most
publications do not use a style and font
as large as New Times Roman 12 and
as such we have decided to experiment
with shrinking things a bit with this
issue. The obvious benefits include
allowing us to publish roughly 8%
more text in the same number of pages.
Or, it will also allow the same amount
of text with more room for pictures.
Win, win, if you do not have to go to
the eye doctor for a new prescription.
The three best things in life are a good
landing, a good orgasm, and a good
bowel movement. The night carrier
landing is one of the few opportunities
in life to experience all three at the
same time.
FIRST TIMERS TO OSH
YOU ALWAYS REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME
By Dave Forter
I’ll always remember my first trip
to Oshkosh for EAA AirVenture 2013.
It is the longest cross country I ever
flew in N666 – the T-34A and I have
owned with a partner since the 1970’s.
I now have a new respect for Julie
Clark, Todd McCutchan and others in
the association, who regularly make
long trips in an aircraft designed for
short training hops. My son and I can
now claim membership in the “iron
butt” contingent of the T-34
Association after a relatively
uneventful, but memorable trip from
Palo Alto, CA to Frankfort, MI and
back.
On a bright, sunny Tuesday in
July, my 20 year old son and I took off
from Palo Alto, CA bound for
Oshkosh, WI and beyond. Before we
left, we had to ask some tough
questions. Did we really want to
spend 12-13 hours together in our blue
T-34A, N666? What kind of planning
and preparation were needed for the
trip? And now that we are back, we
asked additional questions. What did
we do right? Wrong? Did the GIB
increase our efficiency? If you have
been to AirVenture at Oshkosh, you
know the up’s and downs. If you
haven’t been or are concerned about
crossing 2-3 mountain ranges to get
there, this article may be interesting to
you.
I credit the decision to fly to
Oshkosh is largely to my son, who
has flown with me in N666 since he
was 5 or 6. He has always enjoyed
acrobatics and air shows, but it was
his enthusiasm for Oshkosh that
convinced me to go for it.
We first planned to go in 2012,
but N666 kept telling us that she
needed an engine overhaul. After
many attempts to “fix” anything
external to the engine without solving
the recurring oil pressure, RPM and
oil temperature issues, we finally bit
the bullet and had our 0-470
overhauled last year. It has been
performing perfectly since then,
leaving us no excuse for missing
AirVenture this year.
To prepare for our big adventure
we made sure the aircraft was in top
shape. In addition, to the engine
overhaul, we had the GPS card
updated and the GPS antenna
replaced. Our second nav/com had
some intermittent problems that we
had fixed. We now had a reliable
airframe and avionics.
Next we looked at our route of
flight. ForeFlight on my iPad makes
navigating so accurate and efficient.
It has become and invaluable tool. In
addition, a friend insisted that I take
his Stratus along for the trip. Not
only did it serve as a second GPS, it
also provided important weather
information during the trip. Since
Stratus uses ADS-B communication,
which still has limited coverage in
some of the mountain states, we didn’t
always have the latest information in
flight. However, we always received
Wi-Fi updates to ForeFlight during
refueling stops.
I also prepared for route planning by
attending a FAAst presentation in my
area, given by a CFI who had flown to
Oshkosh from the Bay Area 7 or 8
times. In addition to providing a
recommended route, he suggested
flying out at 9500 MSL and back at
10,500 MSL to minimize fatigue He
also warned of dehydration from so
much time at 9,500 and 10,500 MSL. .
Our only deviation from his
suggestions was taking a slightly
northern detour in South Dakota to see
Mt Rushmore.
We decided to take minimal
clothing and personal items with us
not only because our canopy cover
takes some space in the 100 lb
capacity baggage compartment, but
also both of us are over six feet tall.
We definitely wanted to keep our
weight and balance in limits,
especially since we anticipated some
high altitude take offs and landings.
We did carry a couple of sleeping bags
and a small tent, which we never used.
We had chocks but no tie downs
which would have been useful on
Oshkosh’s grass. We did carry water
bottles in the cockpit and a wide
mouth empty for emergencies.
I doubt if you can prepare too
much for a long cross country and we
felt adequately prepared for our trip to
Frankfort, MI. Why Frankfort? Tom
has a cousin and aunt that summer
there that he had not seen for a few
years. Since it is just across Lake
Michigan from Manitowoc (KMTW),
where the T-34’s prepare for their
formation flights over Oshkosh, we
(Continued on page 10)
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 5
IPAD MOUNT AND INSTATALLATION
By Skip Aldous
I’m one of those pilots that always
has a sectional or chart on my lap
wwhen flying, even if my GPS is
doing great. In the past I
accomplished maintaining my on
board publications with a complete
subscription to Air Charts, Inc. at a
cost of around $360/year. Typically
for the average air show, one of the
Courtesy Aircraft bags we get at
Oshkosh was sufficient and I could
carry it in the cockpit on the floor
behind the stick and in front of the
seat. When I went west, I just
prepared another bag with west coast
stuff and placed it on the side of the
seat. It would sometimes get a little
crowded and there was always the risk
of having missed picking out one I
would need.
I started doing a little research
for alternatives. Garmin makes the
GNS 696 (now a 796) and there were
iPads available with all of the data we
pilots need to carry with us. On the
T-34 Chat, I read several instances of
were our members loved the iPad, but
were uncomfortable with the size and
usage in bright sunlight. Even heard
some stories where the iPad shut
down, ostensibly from becoming
overheated. Then the iPad Mini was
introduced. Smaller, lighter and just as
versatile. I measured the iPad Mini
and it was just a little wider than the
195 I used to have mounted on the
canopy bow and much lighter.
Seemed like a perfect substitute for
paper charts. So, I purchased a Mini
and began flying with a test version of
Foreflight. Total cost now was around
$600, which I could recoup in two
years. My experience flying with the
iPad wasn’t very comfortable. I had to
hold it in my hand, or on my knee, the
direct sun washed out the screen, even
with a non-glare shield. I had to hold
it under the canopy rail to view it and
then I was very uncomfortable flying
“head’s down.” Having said all that,
exactly the same issue arose with the
paper charts I had been carrying,
except they filled the cockpit, but I
didn’t have a glare problem. The
Mini is compact and useable. I just
needed a way to secure it and the 195
bracket seemed perfect to me.
I have searched on-line to find
a secure method of mounting the iPad
in my cockpit and couldn’t come up
with anything I liked or didn’t get in
the way. Even the aircraft with a 696
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 6
installed seems to have it in the way.
So, I asked my aircraft technician,
Craig Walters, how he thought he
could fix the problem and he has
solved it, for me anyway. Craig
made a bracket out of light weight
aluminum, which supports the iPad
top and bottom and locks in the sides
with moving brackets. It is easily
removable and every feature of the
iPad is available in flight through
(Continued on next page)
(Continued from previous page)
cutouts and I have full access to all
instruments, switches and levers that I
require for safe flight. I also leave the
iPad in the leather cover I use for its
protection. Easy in and out and most
important, hand’s free.
Fig. 1
but quickly learned that in the GPS
mode, there were only four hours
available, if fully charged. I do not
have a cigarette lighter, so, I started
looking for back-up battery power and
stumbled on the EZO External
Battery. It was available for $38 from
Walmart On-Line, with sales tax and
shipping. The EZO Model
EZEBA13W has a capacity of 7800
mAh with an output of 5V/2100 mAh.
It contains more than eight hours of
backup battery power in the GPS
mode. I now have more than twelve
hours of use on GPS and really hope I
don’t have to fly that long anymore in
one day. I did that once; Jacksonville,
FL to Spokane, WA in 13 hours and
42 minutes. I was a tired puppy at the
end of the day, but then I was also
about ten years younger.
Fig. 2
Fig 4
With the bracket installed, I only
have to tilt my head to the side a little
to read oil pressure and temperature,
which are also shown on my EDM
800. I know that all of our cockpits
are different, so certainly judgment
comes into play when thinking about a
mount installation. But, the iPad is an
important enhancement to our flying
experience and necessary in today’s
high technology and changing world.
Completely installed and hooked
up to the external battery power, I
only need to develop a sunshade to
keep the Mini from getting
overheated. In this picture, I am
testing one pattern, but am not excited
about it. But, as you can see, even
with the sun behind me, the screen is
not that washed out and is viewable.
This mount for my iPad has
solved my iPad usage problems in the
cockpit and I hope it will help you, if
you are having the same issues I was
with an iPad. If you have any
questions, just shoot me a chat.
Fig. 5
In flying I have learned that carelessness and overconfidence are usually
far more dangerous than deliberately
accepted risks. - Wilbur Wright in a
letter to his father, September 1900
FIG 3
I mistakenly thought I would
have ten hours of use with the iPad,
Fig. 6
have Velcroed the EZO to the
map case lid on the right cockpit wall,
so that it rests on the lip and is held in
place with the Velcro. The power
cord runs along the right cockpit wall
and up to the Mini, secured in cord
holders.
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 7
HOUSTON T34'S FLY ON MEMORIAL DAY
By Rob Parrish
Two T34's were invited to fly with
The West Houston Squadron of the
Commerative Air Force for a
Memorial Day event. Major General
Charles W. "Bill" McClain, U.S. Army
Retired was honored at Memorial Day
Ceremonies at the Memorial Oaks
Cemetery on the West side of Houston,
Texas. The ceremonies included A
Tribute to Heroes and Freedom with
participation from the Rice Unversity
Navy ROTC, an orchestry and at the
close of the ceremony, a dove release.
The Commerative Air Force, West
Houston Squadron performed a flyover at the close of The National
Anthem.
The Flight consisted of Rob
Parrish T34 (lead), Dick Harper T6
(2), Dave Guggemos T34 (3) with
Gordon Richardson GIB, and John
Bixby and John Cotter C-60 (slot 4).
The for the last bars of The National
Anthem. After the fly-over, the flight
took a tour of down town Houston,
circumnavigating the down town area
with the participation of Houston
Approach Control. The West Houston
Squadron is active in community
events and often includes private
aircraft in ceremonial fly-overs. The
fly-over may be seen on youtube at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q
Y6jDzLHbYE.
(Top photo) The pilots
(Middle photo) The planes
(Bottom photo) The confusion :-)
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 8
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 9
night after a long first day of flying.
Our take off still got my attention. It is
decided to leave a couple of days early the first time I ever felt like taking off
into the wind was a mistake. We took
to visit and recover from our cross
off on a 5000 foot runway and used a
country.
lot of it.
Our plan was to arrive in
In hindsight the crosswind runway
Manitowoc (KMTW) by Friday, July
was
10,000 feet and would have been a
26 to be able to join the formation
lot more comfortable. Fortunately,
training for me, practice for others.
KRKS is built on a mesa so we could
Allowing an extra day for weather
have pushed the nose over at the end of
delays, we departed Palo Alto on
the runway to get flying speed, but that
rd
Tuesday, July 23 . The fog lifted
is not one of my preferred maneuvers.
early and we were able to take off by
After and initial climb rate of 100-200
0900. We climbed to our cruising
ft/min, we made it to Casper, WY
altitude of 9,500 MSL over the
(KCPR) without incident and settled in
foothills of the Sierra Nevada
for the evening.
Mountain Range and made small
We awoke to another clear blue
deviations to stay well clear of peaks
sky
and took the hotel shuttle back to
as we approached South Lake Tahoe.
the
airport.
After an easy takeoff, we
Over Nevada there was a high ceiling
headed toward Rapid City, SD. While
and even a little rain to
looking for Mt Rushmore, we
(Continued from page 5)
encountered a surprise bonus to our
trip when Tom spotted the Crazy
wash off N666, before we touched
Horse monument, still not completed.
down at Elko, NV (KEKO), our first
We took several pictures of Mt
refueling stop. A very friendly FBO
offered a fuel discount for those going Rushmore and headed east.
The rest of the trip was
to Oshkosh and a courtesy car to go to
“downhill.”
We had great weather,
lunch in town. It was hot in Elko.
15-20
knot
tailwinds
and a lot of
When we took off the density altitude
country
to
cover.
The
next stop was
was almost 8,500 feet. Although there
Mitchell,
SD
(KMHE).
KMHE is a
was lots of runway, but our initial
pristine
little
airport
with
another
climb at 200 ft/min reminded us that
friendly FBO. However, the fuel was
we were definitely doing some
high cost with no discount and we
mountain flying. We were not
would have pushed on Sioux Falls
strangers to this having flown to
(KFSD), if we had known at the time
Truckee, CA and Reno, NV several
times, but we never like the inevitable that a T-34 Association member runs
an FBO there.
performance drop. We crossed the
Ceilings pushed us down a little
Bonneville Salt Flats and the Great
over
Minnesota costing us a few knots
Salt Lake en route to Rock Springs,
in
tailwind,
but the run to La Crosse,
WY (KRKS).
WI
(KLSE)
was without incident.
We had been briefed on the contact
After
refueling,
this old man decided
frequencies to get us through/around
he
had
another
leg
in him. So, we
the numerous MOA’s and restricted
areas in western Utah. So, our passage departed for KFRT for our short visit
with our relatives. A couple of MOA’s
was uneventful.
were in our way, but flying under them
KRKS is a serious high altitude
was not a problem and the ride across
airport at elevation 6765 feet and it
the lake at 5,500 MSL was smooth.
was hot. The density altitude was
That is one BIG lake. I think it was 60
about 10,000 feet. We decided not to
top off the tanks, since our final leg for miles wide where we crossed. We
the day was a short one to Casper,
WY, where we planned to spend the
(Continued from page 5)
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 10
landed at a small municipal airport and
were picked up by relatives.
We don’t think that the relatives
fully appreciated what we had
accomplished during the day, because
we accompanied them to a dinner party
that evening. We crossed two thirds of
the USA in two days in N666 without
a hiccup. We both slept well
Wednesday night.
Friday afternoon when we planned
to fly to KMTW, but it was raining and
the ceiling was around 1,000 feet. It
stayed that way all night and Saturday
morning. Saturday afternoon we
saw some blue sky and got airborne
in a hurry. We crossed Lake
Michigan at 2,500 -3,000 MSL and
found KMTW to be VFR also.
About a dozen aircraft were on the
tarmac, when we arrived.
Smitty was so well organized; I
got a formation practice flight that
same afternoon with John
Workman as lead and Chuck
Stauffer as my GIB instructor.
Tom was John’s GIB for the flight.
The welcome and the training could
not have been better. That practice
flight removed a lot of the rust and
the two the next day kept me going
in the right direction.
On Sunday, I also witnessed
Smitty take charge of the mass
formation briefing and flight
training for the fly over at
Oshkosh. He has definitely
mastered a very challenging
assignment.
For a pair of first timers
AirVenture 2013 was almost
overwhelming. In addition to
incredible displays of beautiful
airplanes, enthusiastic crowds and
lots to see and do on the ground,
the air shows were fantastic.
We stayed in Manitowoc
Monday night and departed
Oshkosh for home on Tuesday.
We were in N666 ready to start
when the field opened each
afternoon. That saved us
significant delays leaving KOSH.
We decided to get head start on
our return trip by flying west out of
KOSH with plans to fly to Austin,
MN (KAUM) and spend the night.
Unfortunately, weather was
moving east as we flew west. We
could see the runway as we entered
a left base. Turning final we flew
into a shower a lost sight of the
runway for a few seconds. As we
crossed the highway at the end of
the runway the rain stopped and
even stayed dry as we unloaded
and tied down for the night.
The next morning we were
socked in with ground fog. After
breakfast, we packed refueled and
were ready to go as the skies began
turning blue. We resumed our trek
toward Valentine, NE as a
refueling stop. However, the
weather had other ideas. KVTN
was IFR as we approached. So we
diverted to Ainsworth Regional,
NE only 20NM SE of our intended
destination.
According to another pilot, we
made a wise diversion. KANW
has the cheapest fuel in the area.
We left after a vending machine
familiar territory. Our trip
lunch for our next refueling stop
complete, we congratulated each
Torrington, WY.
While other on the cooperation, fun and
on the ground at KTOR, we could
adventure.
see some buildups between us and
Tom kept the iPad and Stratus
our next overnight stop, Rock
in the rear cockpit. He made sure
Springs, WY on ForeFlight. The
that they were both fully charged
locals told us that afternoon
before each flight. From ForeFlight
buildups were common this time of
he gave me frequencies, VOR’s,
year. They advised us to stay away
headings, airport diagrams, etc. He
from them. (Like I would ever take logged off and on times, reduced
on a thunderstorm!) Sure enough
my work load and made the long
20-30 minutes later we were
flights possible. He also alerted me
deviating around squalls, some of
when I occasionally missed a
which put on a nice lightening show communication directed our way.
for us. There was enough blue sky
We were a good team. A
that staying away from danger was
knowledgeable GIB can help any
not difficult.
pilot.
In KRKS later we stayed at the
We did lots right for this trip.
Holiday Inn, because the better
We went VFR. N666 was in top
value, Holiday Inn Express, was
shape. We took minimum baggage.
full. The next morning we used the We listened to someone who has
10,000 foot runway for takeoff to
made multiple trips to OSH. We
the west. We crossed Utah at
stayed hydrated throughout the trip.
10,500, but still had to make
I also made one bad decision.
deviations around a peak or two.
Using the 5,000 foot runway at
Our route after Salt Lake was
KRKS instead of the 10,000
changed by controllers, because
runway with a 10,000 foot density
rockets were being fired somewhere altitude was not good mountain
inside the Bonneville/Lucin
flying. Would I do it again? OH,
MOA’s.
YEAH.
We landed at KEKO again for
fuel and lunch. After lunch we
made our final take off for home
(KPAO), but Mother Nature was
not quite done with us. The whole
state of Nevada was turbulent.
N666 does not have an autopilot,
but the three axis trim usually
means N666 requires only small
adjustments at altitude. Not this
afternoon, the nose was moving all
over as I tried to hold a heading.
With no change in attitude we could
be straight and level, descending at
500 FPM or climbing at 1,000
FPM.
Rock Springs, Wyoming. There are
Finally, after crossing the Sierra summer days here when even 10,000
Nevada Mountains we found
feet of pavement seems minimal.
smooth air and relaxed over
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 11
T-34 REPLACEMENT/OVERHAUL SCHEDULE
By Dan Blackwell
This year during the T-34 forum
meeting at Oshkosh we discussed
several maintenance items including
landing gear issues. Next to the
powerplant systems our landing gear
system requires the most attention.
This includes overall gear system
rigging, retract rod inspection &
replacement and gear actuator
overhaul. Many times I am asked
when should I replace a part or
overhaul a pump or actuator. With the
fleet almost 60 years old, there should
be some questions running through
each owners mind as to what he or she
can do to gain better insight into the
condition of each aircraft. Each owner
is responsible for the maintenance of
their T-34 and should have a plan that
incorporates some type of preventive
maintenance schedule.
Beech built a wonderful
machine but it was never intended to
run for 60 years without the boost
pumps being overhauled! Many
planes have frayed up-lock cables,
corroded flap dive cables, worn out
flap actuators, badly worn landing gear
bushings & steering linkage, worn out
landing gear doors, actuator motors
needing overhaul, worn landing gear
actuators leaking fluid, leaking master
cylinders and hydraulics, flight control
cables that have become very stiff,
badly worn rod end bearings, excessive
play in trim tabs, magnesium corrosion
everywhere, crazing on canopies and
windshields, original electrical
components throughout, inaccurate
instruments and the list goes on. With
all of the items just mentioned the
plane still flies quite well and can pass
the usual one eyed $500 annual. These
maintenance issues are part of the
aging aircraft problem and many of the
items I just pointed out are the same
for a wide variety of aircraft models.
That being said the quality of the
Mentor fleet is getting better.
The solution is to get on a
preventive maintenance program and
begin replacing or overhauling these
items before they fail. Some owners
get the mentality, that because they just
overhauled the engine and added new
hoses in the engine compartment they
are good to go for the next 5 years
without touching anything. Unless you
are willing to bite the bullet and
completely restore the airplane, you
should create a program that will have
you replacing components that are
original or are badly worn. Create
your schedule so that you spread out
this type of maintenance over several
years depending on your budget. Start
with the oldest, most worn items first.
Many parts are available new from
Beech, and there are many facilities
that will overhaul motors, actuators,
pumps, electrical components, and
control surfaces. Get a T-34
maintenance manual if you do not
already have one and educate yourself
on the mechanics of the Mentor.
The following is a
recommended Overhaul/Replacement
Schedule for the T-34 I put together a
while back. This chart was compiled
from various Beech maintenance
manuals and Service Bulletins for the
Mentor, Bonanza and Barons. When
you look at the chart you begin to see
just how many components require
service and or replacement at some
point. Use this chart as a start and
make your own spread sheet with a
column for replacement / overhaul
times on your components. This chart
does not include any of the AMOC
inspection requirements, avionics
systems, or any of the basics that are
checked on a routine basis. These
items can vary depending on the
equipment installed in an individual
aircraft. Hopefully this will stimulate
owners to take a closer look at the
maintenance on their aircraft.
(Continued on page 29)
__________________________________________________________________________________
Hi Terry,
the attitude indicators are electric, with
backup batteries. Autopilot with GPSS.
Here are photos of the new
This is a great IFR platform.
panels we put in our T34, N434G,
We've been delighted with this
owned by Ed Adib, Jack Woodford and
panel, and the work done by Wisconsin
me, based at Morey Airport in MadiAviation in Madison was excellent.
son.
I am happy to answer any adThe front has the Garmin
ditional questions, or provide better
750GTN touch panel, with the SL 30
photos if these panels are of interest.
below. The engine monitor is a JPI
930.
Best regards
The back has a mount for a
Ashley
Garmin 696, with Garmin 430 below.
The vacuum system was removed, and
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 12
See additional photos on page 14
A T-34 STORY OF LOVE
By Susan Wright
“Witnesses Say Wright Had
the Right Stuff” the Joliet Herald headline read on March 29, 1992. The day
before my dad, Frank Wright, two sisters and I were on our way to Florida
for spring break in a rented Cessna
182. Shortly after take-off from DuPage airport, flames ignited from under
the instrument panel. A small fire
erupted under the left rudder as the
flames fell. Not wanting to oxygenate
the fire we kept the windows closed
but the cockpit began to fill with
smoke making it near impossible to
breathe so we had no other option. The
smoke became black, thick and acrid
and you could not see your own hand
in front of you. For my dad this meant
flying on memory as the instrument
panel was no longer visible and had to
navigate with his head out the window.
My older sister Michelle became an instrumental co-pilot in helping my dad locate the Joliet airport.
She was taking flying lessons at the
time and was quite familiar with the
smoke stacks that pinpointed the airport. My dad's Navy training kicked in
and had Michelle keep the door ajar
with her elbow before impact as he did
not want the doors to jam trapping us
inside. The landing gear was down but
would not lock so we collided with
runway sending the plane skidding and
spinning down the runway before coming to a halt. Seven seconds after we
were able to escape, the plane was
completely engulfed in flames. The
plane was demolished. It was a heartbeat from tragedy.
My dad was a hero. I had always known that but now the world
knew too. Everyone from pilots, to
witnesses, to the FAA marveled at my
dad's piloting skills and amazed we all
walked away with minor injuries. One
witness said my dad was a helluva pilot. And that was true. Despite the incident having a happy ending it took a
devastating toll on my sisters' and my
love of flying. At such young ages (Michelle 15, Denise 8 and me 12) my dad
was concerned we would never want to
fly again. And that was just unacceptable for this flying family.
Mentor 400LL was just the
perfect catalyst to rekindle that love.
Flying was fun again. Adventurous.
Exciting. And it felt completely safe
and exhilarating with the world’s best
pilot, my dad. He always joked that we
were the safest people to fly with because statistically speaking we would
never be in another plane crash. Sunny
afternoons were now spent at the airport with friends taking turns flying.
Our weekends revolved around weather reports and availability of 400LL.
During my tween years, I felt so cool
that my dad entrusted me to strap passengers into the parachute and into the
seat, showed them how to talk to my
dad and shut the canopy while my dad
sat in the pilot’s seat waiting for the
transition of passengers. My friends
would be at the pool during the summers but I would prefer to be flying in
400LL and make my dad fly over the
pool, tipping the wings just to tell my
friends hello. I recognized the attention
400LL generated. People would park
their cars on the side of the road alongside Naper Aero just to get a glimpse
of 400LL and watch us take-off. We
were an attraction. Life was good.
In the early 90’s my dad became involved with The Irish Children's Fund, an organization that
brought teens from Northern Ireland to
spend summers with host families in
the US. We hosted teens for six consecutive summers. The primary source of
funding for the airfare and for entertainment over the summer involved
fundraising activities sponsored by the
host families. The biggest fundraiser
event was an annual silent auction.
Every year my dad would auction off
an hour flight with him in 400LL and
every year it was the hottest bidding
item. And my dad never tired of taking people willing to go. Not only as
part of the silent auction but also with
the kids from Northern Ireland. It became the biggest summer attraction for
them and the teens often went home
with framed pictures of themselves in
400LL.
I credit 400LL with facilitating
our adventurous spirit and getting us
hooked on adrenaline rushes. Over the
years my sisters and I have dabbled in
bungee jumping, hang-gliding and
even went on to get our pilot’s licenses
and skydiving licenses. During my
skydiving years, I would spend entire
summers at Skydive Chicago. The
drive from Naperville would become
tedious on a daily basis and my dad
had no problem flying me to the drop
zone when he could. I loved arriving in
style! It was the equivalent of the cliché fantasy of arriving at your high
school reunion in a helicopter or fancy
car. I felt like a rockstar. The owner of
Skydive Chicago didn't mind either
and welcomed the buzz it created. My
dad was ecstatic to take observers and
jumpers alike for flights in between
jumps. And I was ecstatic to be like
“yeah, that’s my dad”.
Despite all the crazy adventures my family got involved with it
was ultimately a drunk driver that
killed my older sister Michelle just 2
weeks shy of her 20th birthday. Our
lives were never the same. Michelle
had been a junior at University of Denver on a soccer scholarship. She was
the one to open the door for the Wright
Family Migration to Colorado. I found
myself at Colorado State University
and Denise found herself at University
of Colorado. It was shortly after I left
that my dad felt the calling and moved
to Colorado too. And so ended our relationship with 400LL. Although
400LL was out of sight, she was never
(Continued on page 24)
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 13
(Continued from page 3)
Have you ever performed a
manual gear extension in flight?
BOD@t-34.com. If you would like
to serve as a director on the board
please let me (dan@blackav.com),
or one of the other board members
know? We are always looking for
members that would like to
contribute.
What would you due in the event of a
fire or electrical system failure? We
should all be familiar with the
emergency procedures in our airplane
flight manuals. Both the Air Force and
the Navy put together good flight
manuals for these aircraft. If you don’t Conclusion
have a copy, then go to our web site
and down load one of the manuals.
There are still quite a few
We have them for free in the
events before the end of the year,
documentation pages of the web site.
so do what you can and get
Take the time to read and understand
involved. Please keep in mind our
them, it could save your life!
Annual Members Meeting &
Election Results
machines need maintenance to
make them as safe as possible.
Don’t ignore items that are talking
to you each time you fly, as they
may eventually bite you.
Remember, “Safety is our number
one goal”, fly safe.
Our annual members meeting was
held on Thursday August 1st in the
Hilton Garden Inn at Oshkosh WI.
during the Air Venture air show.
Let’s Keep’em Flying!
Approximately 40 members were in
attendance. The meeting consisted of
the normal business of election results,
membership status, FAST reports,
OSH/MTW reports, financial report
followed by a T-34 forum on safety
and maintenance issues. The
association financial report can be
found on pages 18 and 19 in this issue.
This year we mailed out 375
ballots and had 174 of those returned
for the 2013 board of director
elections. The elections resulted in
Julie Clark, Joe Enziminger and Curtis
Boulware being elected for 3-year
terms. The board also appointed
Randy Long to a one year term as
director at large. In our year end BOD
meeting that was held just before the
annual members meeting at Oshkosh,
the BOD elected the following slate of
officers to a one year term: Association
President – Dan Blackwell Jr., Vice
President – Joe Enzminger,
Secretary – Todd McCutchan, and
Treasurer – Jud Nogle. Board
member contact information can be
found on our web site or by emailing the entire board at
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 14
Additional photos of front and rear
cockpits, Ashley Anderson’s ‘34
THE BOSS REPORTS/MTW-OSH
By Billy (Smitty) Smith
MTW:
We had yet another successful preOSH Formation spin-up at MTW this
year. The Wx provided a few
challenges, but was not a “showstopper”. At one time we had 25 T-34s
on the MTW ramp.
We added 3 new Wingmen to our
roles as Gary Grubb, JJ Johnson and
Dave Guggemos all passed Wingman
Checkrides. Steve Smith tried out his
new Leader qual as he lead several of
the training/evaluation sorties.
We were also able to continue the
training on 3 of our pilots seeking their
Wingman qualifications. Dave Forter,
Mark Overholtzer and Floyd
Houdashell are progressing well. Keep
up the good work.
I’d like to express my thanks to the
folks who provided their time and
talents to being the “Training Aids” for
the weekend. Too many to list (plus, I
don’t want to leave anyone out) , but
we all know who they are. This is
exactly how we improve the formation
experience base within our
Association.
I know some of you took pictures
of all the activities…flying and
pedestrian. Send your photos to Terry
Brennan at editor@t-34.com and he’ll
pick some for the next issue of the
Mentor Monitor.
(Above) Smitty mounting up to lead another practice flight at MTW.
(Below) The gang at MTW: rear l to r; Steve Bohling, JJ Johnson, Gary
Grubb, Jim Skogen, Mark Miller, Orlan Wichman, Russ Borstelman, Steve
Smith, middle l to r; Tom Nichols, Terry Brennan, Dan Blackwell, Dave Easton,
Michele Bright, Ken Bowdish, JD Daniel, front l to r; Dave Guggemos, Mark
Pasqualino, Gary Grubb, Darrel Barry.
In spite of nearly constant drizzle and gray skies over the weekend, spirits
remained high and all planned flights got off the ground on or near schedule.
OSH:
We had 18 fly over to OSH on
Monday for the Arrival Show. Terry
Brennan flew “Top Cover” again in his
RV-8 to dress the flights. I am very
proud to say, this year is the quietest
I’ve ever heard him! The formations
were very solid and he simply didn’t
have many corrections to issue. Well
done, folks!
(Continued on next page)
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 15
AJAX:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Billy Smith
Gary Grubb
Darrel Berry
Steve Downs
BLADE:
1. Dan Blackwell Jr
2. Dave Easton
3. Steve Smith
4. Dave Guggemos
COLT:
1. Jim Skogen
2. Russ Borstelman/Orlan Wichman
3. Steve Bohlig
4. JJ Johnson
DAGGER:
1. JD Daniel
2. Michele Bright
3. Tom Nichols
EAGLE:
1. Ken Bowdish
2. Mark Pasqualino
3. Mark Miller
Top Cover:
1. Terry Brennan
The other days available to fly at
OSH were Tuesday, Friday and
Saturday. The Tuesday and Friday
Warbird Shows were very late in the
day. The T-34s decided to sit out the
Tuesday show as no one wanted to fly
that late in the day. We did put up a
6-ship for the Friday Show.
(Above) Smitty awards wingman patches to Dave Guggemos and Gary Grubb.
AJAX:
1. Billy Smith
2. Mark Pasqualino
3. Dan Blackwell Jr
DAGGER:
1. JD Daniel
2. Michele Bright
3. John Vance
(Above) JD Daniel awards JJ Johnson his wingman patch.
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 16
Saturday was VERY successful.
For those who came back to OSH (or
attempted to) for the Saturday Warbird
Show - I appreciate all the effort. The
T-34 group looked great…in formation
and symbolically! We had the largest
group. We had 15 commit to fly, but
Wx and Mx took us down to 9. The
T-34s got the low block in altitude and
flew 3 passes at 1500’AGL followed
by the Parade Pass Recovery at
300’AGL.
AJAX:
4. Billy Smith
5. Mark Pasqualino
6. Russ Borstelman/Orlan Wichman
BLADE:
1. Dan Blackwell Jr
2. Steve Bohlig
3. Ken Bowdish
COLT:
4. JD Daniel
5. Michele Bright
6. John Vance
Someone told me they counted
35+ T-34s in WB parking one day
during the week.
On another note, the Formation
Group Leads (T-34, T-28, T-6 and
RedStars) had a very productive
meeting with the Air Bosses and the
WOA staff regarding how to better
coordinate and execute the Warbird
(Above) This very dramatic photograph of the Saturday formation was taken by
Show each day. I think all will agree,
Jen Vance. (Below) ‘34’s lined up at MTW.
the flying at OSH has gotten much
more productive/enjoyable in the past
few years and I’m even more
optimistic about future years. A special
“shout-out” goes to David “R+10”
Rothenanger, who painstakingly puts
together the “plan” each day and
scrubs it to ensure we not only have an
effective show, but a SAFE one as
well.
Now, let’s get ready for next year!!!
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 17
T-34 ASSOCIATION FINANCIAL REPORTS
Just about perfect, the Monday arrival flight streaks across OSH in beautiful formation.
Oshkosh Montage
A variety of photographs from a variety of photographers
And the “Dirty Bird” award goes to Mark Oberholtzer
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 22
(Formation at Oshkosh above and middle from Eric Evans while practice for the “Big One” previously had taken place
over the colorful waters of Lake Michigan off MTW. Rutan’s Space Ship One a serene late afternoon shot over Lake
Michigan, and another look at the EAA Warbirds “Dirty Bird” award winner, Mark Oberholtzer.)
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 23
(Continued from page 13)
childhood. And it was a glimpse into a
world and a man that are now gone and
that words alone cannot describe. I
wish I could have called my dad to let
him know how much Chet enjoyed
400LL. I know there is a special T-34
in heaven my dad is flying with his
favorite co-pilot, my sister, Michelle.
out of mind. 4*0*0*L*L was always
the code for our garage and the pass
code to check our answering machine.
As gorgeous as Colorado is it still
didn't make up for the loss of 400LL. I
knew how much my dad treasured that
plane and I missed how happy he was
when flying 400LL.
Even though I was only sixteen at the time Michelle passed away
my parents were more than accepting
of me getting a memorial tattoo done
for her. When my dad passed away this
past February it didn't take me long to
decide on the perfect tribute tattoo for
him. It had to be 400LL encompassing
a globe as I will always remember the
400LL years as some of his (and my)
happiest. My dad gave me the world
not only figuratively but literally as
well with our trips to Russia, France,
Ireland, Czech Republic, Jamaica, Senegal, Benin, England and Greece.
Kirsten Mardsen of Milestone Tattoo
Studio took this idea and designed the
perfect memorial tattoo for my dad,
(Susan’s unique tattoo)
complete with his handwriting with
“Love Dad” below.
In the months following my
dad’s death I was feeling very nostalgic and sought to reconnect with
400LL. More importantly I wanted to
share that experience with my husband, Chet. Due an illness, I was devastated Chet never got to meet the dad
I grew up with. The Pilot. The Hero.
The Rock star. I contacted the president of the Lima Lima Flight team,
John Rippinger, who informed me that
the plane had been sold to a guy that
lives in Baltimore and passed along his
contact information. My husband and I
now reside in Washington, DC so Baltimore is only a short 40 minute drive
from us. For 400LL to be just a short
drive from us was nothing short of a
miracle. Even better was that Steve
Smith, owner and pilot, was gracious
enough to take my husband flying. I
am beyond thankful that my husband
got to experience 400LL. She was
more than just a plane, she was my
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 24
PLEASE
Thanks to all who have and to
those who intend to contribute to
the Mentor Monitor, please
help by following the suggestions below:
1.
Use Times New Roman
in size 11 font
2.
Justify left
3.
Single space
4.
Follow the format that
you see used in this issue
5.
Bullets and numbers
okay, please single space
6.
Save as a doc. File
7.
Photos should be at least
1mb. in size
If you have special punctuation
requirements of any sort, just let
me know and I will add them in
the publishing program. Thanks.
(ed.)
Letters to the Editor
Hi Terry Lou & I both fly, had a T34 from
1976 to 1991, and purchased this
airplane in March 2013.
Lou was in the Air Force and Air
National Guard from 1950 to 1954,
Cadet Class 52E, the first class that had
four T34s, four T35s and four T28s. He
flew T6, T33, F80, P51H and F84.
I took these photos of Lou while
flying with a retired Marine fighter pilot,
Lee Logan, in his F1 Rocket.
At one point, while maneuvering
around, we lost sight of Lou and Lee’s
first reaction was “He’s on my 6
o’clock!” Old habits die hard! There are
a number of retired Marines at Ridgeland
who remember fondly their early days in
T34s when they see this one.
Lou & I are both so happy to be back
in the T34! Like getting reacquainted
with an old friend!
Thanks!
Lou & Margie Fischer
N34LF, formerly N3648G, s/n 55-217
Based at Ridgeland, SC (3J1)
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 25
INVITATION TO A BEECH PARTY
From Tim Kolp
This just in from Wade McNabb,
Beechcraft Heritage Museum! They
are rolling out a T-34C as a new
exhibit this year at the Beechcraft
Heritage Museum (see PDF below for
details) and have invited all T-34
members to participate. Could you
add the invite into the Newsletter? He
can send you additional formats as
need.( contact info below)
This will be an exciting event.
The Beechcraft Heritage Museum
holds a Beech Party each year to raise
funds for the museum. Julie Clark and
Team Juice Plus + will be performing
her famous T-34 night airshow on
Wednesday. On Saturday, Oct 19th,
at 1:30 we have been asked to dedicate
the T-34C to the museum with a fly
over from the attending T-34s who
wish to participate. I have asked
"Smitty" to lead our gaggle and he
accepted, so we are in good hands. We
have also been invited to fly later in
the day with a parade of Beechcraft
aircraft. You know, Staggerwing etc..
Details on the entire event can be
found on their website,
www.beechcraftheritagemuseum.org.
There you will find information on
hotels, transportation and food.
Registration is on online.
As of now, the guys from the East
Coast will be arriving on Friday.
Depending on who is arriving on
Friday we can arrange for some fun
that evening. Saturday there is a flight
to Winchester Airport for breakfast, for
those interested in some flying in the
morning. Lunch and Dinner will be
at the Museum (see menu on the
website).
You will see that there is a $35.00 fee
for each full day you attend the event
(please remember this is a fundraiser
for the museum). If you arrive late on
a day you will not be charged for that
day. Touring the museum is worth the
money but seeing all the visiting
aircraft is priceless. This is a well
attended event.
Not many people know but the
The T-34 Association has its own
hangar there so we have a place to
hangout.
Hope to see many T-34s at this
year's Beech Party.
Thank you Terry.
Cheers,
Tim Kolp
Squadron One
N617KG
(615)934-6564
Join us on Saturday, October 19th for a unique celebration...
We’re inviting Members of the T-34 Association to this special occasion. Tim Kolp has volunteered to serve
as liaison
between the two organizations and has already solicited the talents of “Smitty” for coordination of a T-34
Formation
T-34C, c/n GL-1111, BuNo 160646 served with the
Please RSVP with either Tim Kolp
(rjiassociates@comcast.net) or
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 26
FORMATION TRAINING STANDARDS
By Billy “Smitty” Smith
FAST Practical Test Guides contain
the nuts and bolts of the checkride. It is
THE Standard to which we are
evaluated. It is also the Standard to
which we measure our proficiency to
remain current.
There are other links under the
“Documents” tab to steer you to the
various forms and another that will
take you to the Formation Pilot’s
Knowledge Guide (FKG, also found on
the T-34 website).
So, how should we be conducting
our training? The T-34 Association
designates Wingman, Flight Leads and
Check Pilots (CP). You’ll notice that
we do not designate Instructor Pilots.
Many FAST Signatories do not. We
rely on our Flight Leads to Mentor
(pun intended) our prospective
Wingmen/Leads and to recommend
them for checkrides to our Check
Pilots. As a Lead, where do you begin
when a pilot asks you to “check me out
on the wing” or “I’d like to get my
Lead Patch”?
I’m going to lay out a road map to
follow when teaching formation. This
will make the Lead’s job a little easier
as well as ensuring a measure of
Standardization. An experienced Lead
should ride in the back seat until a
satisfactory level of Wingman
FAST Foundations and Principles
proficiency has been demonstrated.
sets the groundwork for
Use your judgment as to whether you
Wingman/Flight Lead qualification
sit in a Leads ‘pit” to conduct his Lead
requirements, currencies and how we
training…I usually do not.
will conduct Formation Checkrides.
The first place to send a “new” guy
FAST Formation Maneuvers Guide is to the T-34 Association and make
sure they have a copy of the T-34
is a “picture book” of all the different
Association Formation Manual. Next,
formation positions as well as text
describing each. There is also guidance have them go to the FAST website and
download the aforementioned
on minimum runway widths and
documents. I also strongly recommend
approach considerations.
the FKG…again, lots of pictures. Some
type of ground school is prudent as
FAST Radio Communications and
Visual Signals is the bible for how we well. It’s better to gain an
understanding of the key concepts
“talk” to each other.
while sitting at Zero airspeed, before
getting airborne.
One of my responsibilities on the
T-34 Association BoD is to be the
focal point for our formation
training/evaluation program. I also sit
on the FAST BoD as one of the T-34
representatives. The FAST Check Pilot
(CP) meeting at Oshkosh this year
discussed how each signatory conducts
their formation qualification/currency
programs. This centered on the
Standards we use for
training/evaluating our pilots in flying
formation.
The T-34 Association doesn’t
prescribe a syllabus for teaching
someone to fly formation. We use a
“train to proficiency model” as our
members have varying degrees of
previous experience in flying
formation (from Zero to Tons). So, it
doesn’t make sense to adopt a “one
size fits all” approach.
But, we need to have some
standard to train/evaluate against.
FAST has already done that for us.
Visit www.flyfast.org, click on
“Documents”; then look under
“Formation Documents” and you will
find a wealth of formation training
guidance. Let’s look at these a little
closer.
Once you begin the flying phase, I
tend to use the following profile.
Conduct each flight as a sampling of
all these maneuvers. Spend a little
extra time on areas needing
improvement, but realize there is a
point of “diminished returns”, so don’t
get bogged down on any one item.
Better to continue with the next
maneuver, revisit the problem areas
during the debrief/re-brief and the next
sortie. Use the T-34 Form Manual,
FAST Documents and the FKG as your
training aids.
Training Profile:
· Take­Off
o S/S
o Form
· Rejoin
· X­unders
· Wing Work
o Fingertip
o Diamond (Advanced)
· Pitchouts/Rejoins
o Straight-Ahead and
Turning
o Fingertip
o Diamond (Advanced)
o Overshoots
· Close Trail
· Extended Trail (Advanced)
o ”Lufbery”
· Reform
· Echelon Turns
· RTB
o Overhead
o Form Landing
Now for the conduct of the
Checkrides; as a CP, I accept the
recommendation of our Leads as to the
proficiency of a candidate and his
capability to pass a checkride. A
Wingman Candidate (WC) should not
be surprised when I explain the
maneuvers I need to see to complete
the evaluation. It reflects badly on the
Lead who did the training when I hear
(Continued on next page)
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 27
(Continued from previous page)
a WC tell me he’s never seen a rejoin
to the outside of the turn! If you’re a
Lead Candidate (LC), then you should
be telling the CP what profile you will
be leading today. Don’t ask the Check
Pilot what he wants to do…you want to
be a Lead, so LEAD. The CP may
modify your profile a little, but as long
as you cover the FAST required items,
there shouldn’t be much to modify.
Here’s a sample Checkride profile I
use.
Wingman Checkride Profile
(Wingman candidate begins in the
Number 4 position)
 S/S Take-Off
 Rejoin - Fingertip
 X-unders
 Wing Work
o Fingertip
o Diamond
 Pitchouts/Rejoins (as Number
4 and Number 2)
o Straight-Ahead and
Turning
o Fingertip
o Overshoots
 Simulated EPs
 Close Trail
 Reform


WHY DID I WAIT TEN YEARS TO DO THIS?
By Skip Aldous
Checkrides require the CP to be in the
same airplane, but Lead Evaluations
can be done from another airplane, if
the CP is agreeable.
FPRs. I’m not going to discuss the
currency requirements of the FPR
system….Joe Enzminger does a great
job of maintaining this program and all
I would do is confuse everyone.
However, I do want to point out this is
a PROFICIENCY Report. If you
(Leads) are flying with someone who
may need a little more flying to be
proficient, then don’t endorse the FPR.
We are all here to fly anyway, so if
someone in my flight balks at needing
a little more time to regain
proficiency…well, then I probably
don’t want them flying with me
anyway.
The bottom line here is we are
responsible for ensuring the T-34
Association remains the benchmark for
formation flying. We do this by
holding ourselves accountable to the
Standards. Don’t hesitate to contact me
if you have any questions or need some
additional guidance.
After hearing about all the fun and
flying he missed at MTW and OSH this
year “Mentor Mike” has decided to
make a mid-year’s resolution………..
Echelon Turns
Overhead Approach and Landing
 Clear Numbers 2 & 3 to return
to parking
Then….Number 1 and 4
 Formation Takeoff
 Formation Approach and GoAround
 Formation Landing
This profile covers all the FAST
required maneuvers and will also
work for a Lead Checkride with
some slight modifications. Wingman
“By golly I am not going to
miss Oshkosh next year for
anything.”
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 28
I am sure that many of you already
have ANR in your helmets and/or
headsets, but being from the oldschool, I have resisted the temptation
to have ANR installed. I was told early
on that if I was receiving too much
noise through my helmet/headset that I
didn’t have a good fit and needed to
work on my helmet ear cups. For
many years, I have replaced ear cups
and padding trying to minimize the
background noise I was receiving from
my T-34.
Just recently, I found myself
turning the volume up so loud, in order
to understand communications that I
was getting a lot of feedback from my
microphone. I finally decided it was
time to try something different. And, I
took a test flight in John Rippinger’s
T-34 with the headsets, Inc. ANR kit.
It took less than ten minutes to
convince me that ANR was what I
needed and wanted.
So, I contacted Richard Trotter of
Headsets, Inc. and requested that they
install their ANR kits in both my
helmet and passenger headset. Both
are from my days in the USAF and I
don’t have a clue as to how old they
are, but I retired in 1994, so do the
math. And they weren’t new when I
retired.
I have become a believer in ANR.
Headsets, Inc. installed their kits,
priced at $189/169 in the helmet and
the headset. The turn around time was
ten days and I could not be happier.
Now my volume is set to a much lower
level and the garbled transmissions I
used make are clear and readable. My
ears are much happier, I can tell you
that and I suspect my hearing will last a
bit longer.
An unexpected side benefit was the
fact that the flights I used to make are
not as tiring. I did not realize how
much the noise level in the aircraft just
seemed to make me weary at the end of
(Continued on page 31)
(Continued from p. 12)
BEECH T-34 Recomended O/H Replacement Schedule
LANDING GEAR
Component
Overhaul / Replace
Interval
Landing Gear Motor
Landing Gear Actuator
Emergency extension gear box
Landing gear limit switches
Landing Gear toggle switch
Landing Gear Selector
Main gear assembly
Nose gear assembly
Main gear retract rod
Shimmy dampener
Park brake valve
Master cylinders
Shuttle valves
Wheels / Tires / Brakes
All Hoses
Retract rod end bearings
Retract rod springs
Main gear up-lock cable and spring
OH
OH
OH
Replace
Replace
OH
OH
OH
Replace
OH
OH
OH
OH
Replace
Replace
Replace
Replace
Replace
1000 Hrs.
2000 Hrs.
4000 Hrs
4000 Hrs
4000 Hrs.
5000 Hrs.
2000 Hrs.
2000 Hrs.
On condition
1000 Hrs.
On condition
1,500 Hrs.
On condition
On condition
On condition
800 Hrs.
800 Hrs.
On condition
FLIGHT CONTROLS
Component
Overhaul / Replace
Interval
Flap actuators
Flap flexible drive shaft
Flap motor and gear box
Flap limit switches
Flap toggle switch
3 Axis Trim tab actuators
Flight control cables
Trim tab control cables
Flight control cable pullies
Trim tab control assemblies
Wing attach bolts
OH
Replace
OH
Replace
Replace
OH
Replace
Replace
Replace
OH
Replace
2000 Hrs.
2000 Hrs.
2000 Hrs.
4000 Hrs.
4000 Hrs.
4000 Hrs.
On condition
On condition
5000 Hrs.
5000 Hrs.
10 years
Item
FUEL SYSTEM
Component
Overhaul / Replace
Interval
1
2
3
4
5
6
Fuel boost pump
Fuel selector valve
Hoses
Fuel cells
Fuel Qty. transmitter
Fuel check valves
OH
OH
Replace
OH / Replace
OH
OH
10 years
1200 Hrs.
At eng OH or 5 years
On condition
4000 Hrs.
On condition
Item
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Item
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 29
BEECH T-34 Recomended O/H Replacement Schedule
7
Item
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Item
1
2
3
4
5
6
Fuel caps
OH
On condition
POWER PLANT
Component
Overhaul / Replace
Interval
Engine
Propeller
Propeller governor
Vacuum pump
Engine vibration isolator mounts
Pressure pumps
All hoses
Exhaust system
Engine control cables
OH
OH
OH
OH / Replace
Replace
OH
Replace
OH
Replace
Depends on model
At eng OH or 10 years
At eng OH or 1500 Hrs.
1200 Hrs.
At eng OH or 10 years
500 Hrs.
At eng OH or 10 years
On condition
On condition
MISCELLANEOUS
Component
Overhaul / Replace
Interval
Fire extinguisher
Air pressure system filter
Seat harness
Battery master relay
Starter relay
Reskin magnesium control surfaces
Replace
Replace
Replace
Replace
Replace
OH
On condition
On condition / annual
On condition
5000 Hrs
5000 Hrs
On condition
The Way We Were
Submitted by Don Ramm with details by Tom Roberts of Kansas City
Thought you guys would
like a copy of the one and only
photo of the delivery of the
first NAVY T-34. My fatherin-law, Wayne Harrison, shown
in the photo standing next to
Olive Beech is the happy Naval
Aviator who was chosen to
accept delivery – he got the
photo and a wooden model of
the first production unit which
we still have somewhere.
Wayne passed away recently,
but was an active member of
the Mo-Kan ANA chapter
which operated a small
squadron of surplus Navy
T-34’s for years at Johnson
County Executive Airport.
What a fun plane to fly.
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 30
(Continued from page 28)
a flying day. I am amazed that for less
than $200, I now have a
communication system that I would
have had to pay a $1,000 for and it still
wouldn’t fit my helmet.
In addition to the included battery
box, I ordered the panel mount power
supply, so that my ANR would not be
operating off of 9 volt batteries,
resulting in loss of ANR when the
battery died. I also ordered the bail-out
connection in order to take my helmet
with me if I ever had to bail-out, which
is a connector approximately eight
inches below where the
communications cord attaches to the
helmet.
f you want to reduce the fatigue
caused by the aircraft noise, save your
hearing for a few more years, don’t
want to purchase an expensive ANR
equipped headset and do not already
have ANR, then the Headsets, Inc.
ANR kit is for you. For more
information visit:
http://www.headsetsinc.com/ANR_kits
.html
___________________________
Invitation to Easton
All are invited to Easton Maryland
on Sept. 27 – 29, for the annual
Easton Airport Fly-in. This is
becoming a great annual event with a
big Warbird turn-out. I am told they
will have a B-25, 7 - T28’s, 5 - T6’s, 5
– T34’s (so far) and a large group of
Yaks and CJ’s. This year we will
have Smitty organizing the
formations.
This
event originally started out several
years ago as a Red Star event but has
evolved into a general Warbird event.
The much anticipated chicken drop is
held on Saturday. This is a drop
contest using rubber chickens!!!
The web site for Easton Airport
Days (KESN) is
www.eastonairportdays.com
If you plan on attending, please
e-mail me at dan@blackav.com, or
Charlie Robertson at
car@fleetblue.com or Smitty at
a10smitty@verizon.net so that we
have an accurate count of T-34’s
attending.
If you don't have a hotel room
reserved yet, you better do so
ASAP: Motel arrangements for the
2013 Chicken Drop weekend are
the same as last year- Easton
Comfort Inn, 8523 Ocean
Gateway (US Rt 50), Easton,
21601. Phone for reservations is
410 820-8333. Fax # is 410 8208436. We have blocked 20 rooms
for Friday and Saturday, Sept 27th
and 28th at a rate of $90, same as
last year. Ask for the Red Star
Pilots rate. If you plan to arrive on
Thursday they will normally honor
the $ 90 negotiated rate if you
request it.
Friday will be a full day of
formation flying/training. We are
organizing a return to Mason's in
downtown Easton on Friday night.
This is about the best "eatery" in
town and we'll have a special menu
that ranges from burgers to local
seafood, and our own "private"
space.
Saturday will be the annual
Easton Airport Day and Chicken
Drop. This is the biggest day of the
year at the airport, the crowds will
be large, we will raise a bunch of
money for charity (Habitat's new
fund for veterans). Our mass
formation flyovers and the Chicken
Drop are the main events at the
Airport Day. Your participation is
directly contributing to our ability
to raise money for Habitat and
thus, your participation is tax
deductible. You'll get paperwork
from the charity to verify your
participation and in-kind
contribution.
A Cool Way to Fly
By Skip Aldous
Like all of my friends in the T-34
Association, I love my T-34 and I love
flying it. But, there are times when I
am not as excited as other times. We
are in Gary, IN, July 17, 2012, and the
OAT is 95o, the asphalt is 120o,
humidity @ 85% and we are wearing
flight boots, black Nomex flight
gloves, black Nomex flight suits,
personal floatation devices, parachutes
and helmets. We are also wearing
Black Ice Cooling systems.
I know that when I close the
canopy the temperature inside is going
up 20-30 degrees and even with the
engine running the air flow in the
cockpit will be hot.
One of the biggest issues with
summer flying is dehydration. Our
bodies handle excess heat through
perspiration (sweating) or secreting
moisture through our skin pores which
then evaporates, thus creating a
cooling effect. Our bodies are “water
cooled.” We drink fluids to replace
the perspiration. But, if we do not
drink enough, then we become
dehydrated. Simply, the more you
sweat, the more you have to drink,
even if you are not thirsty. This is
especially true in hot and dry
conditions.
You guys out in the southwest,
sweat as much as we do, it just
evaporates much faster. Now, in the
east, where humidity is normally
much higher, we have the issue of
humidity blocking the cooling
(Continued on next page)
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 31
(Continued from previous page)
evaporation. Simply put, the more
moisture in the air (humidity), the less
the effect of evaporation on cooling
the body.
What happens as your body
becomes dehydrated? One of the first
symptoms is having difficulty
concentrating on the tasks at hand. As
you dehydrate, your blood becomes
thicker. The brain doesn’t like thick
blood and therefore slows its activity,
resulting in confusion or lack of
concentration. Other symptoms are:
headaches, light-headedness, cramps
and even seeing spots or stars. All of
these are indications of dehydration,
requiring immediate attention with
fluids and rest. Problem is, you are
already behind your body and it will
take some time to catch it up.
We all know we should be
drinking lots of water and sports
drinks to prevent dehydration. Now
consider this: You’ve hydrated
properly, and that’s going to keep
your brain operating as it should. But
it’s still 130o in the cockpit-and that
loads your body with excess heat,
which dumps more bad news on your
brain-Heat stress. Heat stress can
create some of the same ugly
symptoms as dehydration-the worst of
which, in our case, is loss of
concentration or focus.
So, loading up on fluids is great,
but it would be even better if we could
find a way to reduce the heat load
upon our body as well while we’re in
cockpit.
We have all tried bandannas, fans,
misters, wet towels, even towels with
ice cubes to accomplish this, but none
of it is effective for more than a few
minutes-or it’s uncomfortable or
bulky.
Let me introduce you to Black
Ice-a personal cooling system that
uses a special molecular alloy to
create what I believe is the most
effective personal cooling product
available. The system is so effective
because it helps reduce the heat load
my skin starts leaking and I have
sweat running into my eyes. This
system for personal cooling really
works. There are many uses for this
personal cooling system, so you are
not just buying something to use when
you fly, but something you can use
just about anywhere, anytime when
FIG.2
you are expecting to build up a sweat.
I keep the cool packs in my fridge in
the hangar and wear them every time I
am working in the yard, flying or
anything outside. The bottom line is
that by utilizing the Black Ice Cooling
System, you can pre-empt the heatstress cycle by up to one and a half
hours.
If you are interested, go to:
http://www.blackicecooling.com/, for
more information. If after reading the
information, you would like to own
Black Ice consists of a lightweight one of these fantastic personal cooling
(8 ounces) two-piece personal cooling systems, just fire me off an email, or
system that fits comfortably around the send an email to
info@blackicecooling.com and
neck and is less than one inch in
thickness. The two-pieces consist of a mention this article for a 10%
discount. Personally, I would go for
Neoprene collar and a patented cool
the CCX-S, available in a range of
pack filled with a molecular alloy
colors, even camouflage, or the
“programmed” to produce a
consistently regulated 57 degrees. The MaxSys MS-1, which is what I have.
My wife Patti has a pink collar, while
cool pack attaches to the neoprene
collar by Velcro dots. You can fit it as I have the black. We keep two cool
tight or as loose as you like and there is packs recharging while flying and she
no restriction to movement even with a tells me when to swap them out.
When she is mowing the lawn, she’s
helmet.
on her own.
Under the conditions I mentioned
in the first paragraph, this cooling
Figure 3
system will last at least 30 minutes,
although I have used one for almost an
hour and a half. When you feel the
cool pack starting to warm up, you
swap out the cool pack in seconds with
a fresh one. I carry a small cooler
filled with ice and water and a spare
cool pack (CCX-S), in the cockpit.
When I swap the cool pack out, the one
I just replaced will be recharged in
about 20 minutes and I can keep doing
this for as long as I need, with no loss
of the cooling effect. I do not carry the
cooler if I am anticipating any negative
Gs, as the coolers are not watertight.
But, then at least I still get the benefits
of the first use of the cool pack before
on your body by using conduction-a
much more effective process than
evaporation. Simply put, it works
because it draws a great deal more heat
from your body per square inch than is
possible through evaporation.
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 32
At left is a beautifully flown formation
pass, this time on Saturday of OSH.
Smitty tells you who is in the group in
his report on Oshkosh 2013.
As top cover I will tell you that looking
down on such a finely flown pass is a
great pleasure-who can I criticize?
Joking aside, the ability to fly such a
nice formation does not come from the
supernatural, it comes from practice.
Each of us who arrives at MTW
patched and ready to go, should have
had some serious wing time since
Oshkosh the prior year. It is extremely
difficult to strap in and fly good wing
without having done so on a regular
basis. MTW, as Smitty had explained,
is the place to knock the dust off, not to
learn the art from square one. I urge
each of you to fly regularly, even if
only for a short time, to stay
comfortable in the position, and next
year, I hope I can go to “radio
silence” while watching from above.
HOW TO JOIN
Go to the T-34 Association Web
site, www.t-34.com, and click on the
“Membership” link in the left column,
and then click on “Membership
Options” on the next page that
appears.
There you will find separate a
“Pay Now” button for “hardcopy,”
“electronic,” and “military hardcopy”
memberships. After you do that send
an e-mail to membership@t-34.com
with your name, mailing address, email address, and phone numbers.
All are optional except mailing
address for “hardcopy” membership.
Any contact information you provide
will be entered into our member
database which is accessible only to
T-34 Association members.
If you have any questions about
membership send an email to
membership@t- 34.com.
GET ON BOARD NOW
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 33
MENTOR MARKETPLACE
MARKETPLACE
Parks built ‘96
T-34 For Sale
Fort Sale: Beech B45 (T-34A)
Serial Number: FM-96
Registration Number: N244RF
Owned by: James Martin
Location: LL1 0, Naperville, IL
Status: Airworthy
Total Time on Airframe: 6549.0
Total Time Engine: 1038.8
Top Overhaul: 356.7
Avionics: Garmin GNC 430 GPS;
Garmin GTX 330 Mode S
Transponder with traffic; Garmin
GPS 195; King 155
Nav/Com; S-TEC Autopilot; Fuel
guard/EGT
Other: Smoke System; Barron Spars;
Experimental Certificate /Fuji
airframe.
Annual performed Feb 2005
Price: Asking $130,000
Contact: James Martin,
T-34A 53-4132 N342RB
I would like to communicate to you
that I am putting my T-34A up for
sale as I will eventually be stepping
into an LSA. Below is a link to a site
with details and pictures. I would
appreciated if any of you or any of
your friends have an interest to
please contact me.
Pictures and complete description on
this page:
http://www.t34forsale.com/
Ron Blash, rblash@me.com
T-34A G-717 N134CD
Orange & white Navy Training
Command paint scheme
550 motor
Full IFR
All mods and full compliance
Spar strap
Always hangared @ DAL
Chutes
Airwolf Oil Filter
New 8" Cleveland Wheels &
Brakes(50 hrs)+Paint:
Navy yellow w/Air Force
graphics-20 yrs old
$275,000
Herb Story, 214-720-0400,
herb@sdoyster.com, Former naval
aviator
(‘66-’72 in F-8’s and flight instructor
in
T-34 @ Sauffley)
T-34A G-30 N134BS
Price: $175,000
Hours
TTAF 6975 hrs
Engine O470-13A
TSOE 32 hrs
ADs & AMOCs
Airworthy-All ADs complied with
T-34 Spar Corp Doublers in 2003
B Model Stabilizers by Parks (1000
hr. insp.) in 2007
ALEC & Wingstation 66 AMOC
installed in 2011
Avionics
KX155 w/GS
Apollo 2001 NMS GPS
Argus 5000 Map
KN64 DME
KMA24 Audio Panel w/Marker
Beacon
KT76 Transponder
Other
G36 Wingtips w/strobes
JPI FS450 Fuel Flow
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 34
Craig Mueller,
csmueller@comcast.net, (713)
899-0281, Houston TX
T-34A CG-112 N34AQ
IO470 260 HP
TTAF: 6800
TTE: 260 Continental factory OH
SPOH: 260 Hartzell Prop (new
Blades and Hub)
All AMOCs completed: ALEC,
Station 66, and GAMI Doubler
New Augmenters
Landing gear rebuilt, painted,
wheel wells painted, boots
replaced, all linkages inspected
and replaced as necessary, lower
right strut replaced.
All primary flight controls
removed, stripped, mag coated,
primed and painted. Left aileron
replaced with aluminum and right
aileron refinished aluminum.
Vertical stab, horizontal stabs,
replaced with new aluminum.
All rudder, rudder trim, elevator,
and elevator trim pulleys replaced
and system re-rigged.
All flight controls re-rigged.
Rear cockpit attitude indicator and
DG rebuilt
Front cockpit attitude and G meter
rebuilt
Dukes fuel pump replaced
iPod jacks installed front and rear
New fuel cells
New vacuum pump
New ELT
KX-196
KX-155
Transponder
MENTOR MARKETPLACE
MARKETPLACE
Aspen Pro Stec-20 EDM 730 engine
II Morrow Loran
PS engineering intercom
A&P owned and maintaine
$140,000Cris Jones
(832) 221-8557
thomascjones@gmail.com
FOR SALE: T-34A (A45)
Serial Number: G-704
Registration Number: N12252
Owner: G-704, Inc. (Bill Cherwin)
TTAF: 12,625
Engine: IO-550B Total Time 315
hours (since reman), GAMI Injectors, Challenger air cleaner, E-Z
Heat 450 engine pre-heater
Avionics: Full IFR: PN101
HSI/slaved gyro, GNS 430W &
496, KX150 w GS, STec 50 with
GPSS, GTX330 (mode S), Northstar
M600, marker beacon, ANR power
outlets front and rear
AMOCs & STCs: New Common
Spars 2002 (about 24,000 hours TIS
remaining), ALEC, Aft 66 spar
doubler, Dukes 2 speed boost pump,
Bungee Interconnect removed,
Pulse-light system, JPI EDM-700
with Fuel Flow, RPM, & OAT,
Whelen LED Beacon, Whelen
“Comet” wingtip strobes, Smoke
System, Concorde batteries
Other: Rear cockpit panel is complete and fully operative, including
KI-209 VOR/ILS repeater indicator,
Butler Seat-Packs, Lightly tinted
canopies, 28V “cigarette lighter”
plugs in both cockpits
Price: $200,000
Contact: Bill Cherwin @ 815-3569041 or (cell) 630-710-8828
T-34B BG-242 N134Y
Precision IFR
Garmin 430W
analyzer digital fuel quantity/ flow
PS7000 audio with marker beacons
All ADs complied with doubler
plate/Alec
Recent Navy Recruiting Command
paint
TTAF 6500
Engine IO-470
TSMO 884.9
Prop TSMOH 265.2
Annual Aug 2010
More info at:
www.n134y.piczo.com,
Trade-A-Plane
$175,000.00
Ed Maybury, 904-703-9268,
eam@clearwire.net
T-34B BG-334 N3VY
Manufactured: 1957
Mint Condition- All AD’s Complied
Finest T-34 on Market
New Baron Spar, St 66, & ALEC, etc.
TTSN: 3210 - Eng.TTSNew: 40
Prop TTSMOH: 40
Full Single Pilot Hard IFR / AP
Equipped
100
Pt Restoration FWF w/
Blackwell
Engine
Sale by 2rd Owner since Navy
Full Documentation by Adlog
Fresh Annual 10/12
100% always Hangered
Airframe: Pristine
Authentic Navy/Marine Yellow-Black
2000 Paint Scheme
Excellent Glass
Two ( 2 ) Fresh repacked Butler seat
pack chutes
Lima-Lima Smoke System
Previously Walter Mayer’s personal T34
– Parks Conversion
Engine: Factory New IO-520 BA –
FEB’11+ 40 hr break-In
Continental Tuned Fuel Injectors
McCauley Prop OH FEB ‘11
New Prop Governor, Vac pump
100
PT Installation by Dan
Blackwell
incl: New Bendix S Mags
Avionics:
Garmin GNS 430 panel mount
Coupled STEC-50 Autopilot
Incl: New Garmin 396 w/ Active color
Radar
Hard wired for 396 Antenna & Power –
Plug & Fly
Garmin GTX-327 Transponder
King 525A HSI,
Insight Strike Finder – Vert. Mtg. Map
reference – left sub panel and
bootstrapped to HSI
Hoskins CFS-1000 Fuel Computer
Shadin AMS-2000 Altitude Alert
King Dual DME Readout N1, N2
Electronics Int’l ( EI ) Digital
Scan/Step
EGT & CHT
King KMA-24 Audio Panel
King KX155 NAV/COM
ICS 6000 Audio Panel
BFG/Foster Loran C
EZC Digital accelerometer
Davtron M655 6 Function Meter
King KI208 VOR/LOC
Dual Avionics Masters
Dual Helmet/ Headset jacks – Bose &
Mil AF 47
2– Bose 2000 Headsets – Factory OH
6/12
Lots of pictures - Click here.
T-34 Located: Philadelphia PA (PNE)
Price: $ 245,000
Contact: Allen at 610-202-4855 or
astra@pobox.com
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 35
MENTOR MARKETPLACE
MARKETPLACE
www.n134y.piczo.com,
T-34B BG-145 N13WB
Fantastically maintained and upgraded
1956 T-34B. The most affordable
warbird to buy and fly today
.BG-145 was originally used as
a Navy Trainer in Pensacola, FL. After
its tour of duty it was then purchased
by the Minnesota State Forestry
Service and used very sparingly for
surveys of forestland. Acquired by the
current owner in 2002 the aircraft
underwent a complete reworking of
the cockpits and panels and repainted
in its original training squadron colors.
Several avionics upgrades were made
to bring it up to its current state. In
2009 the engine was upgraded to an
IO-550B with a 3-bladed McCauley
prop. Cruises at 160 knots on 15
gallons an hour. 93.5 hr on IO-0550B,
McCauley 3-bladed propeller. Total
body rework 2003. GMA347,
GNS530, GTX330, TI106A.
See www.N13WB.com for
more pictures and detail.
$234,000
Ralph Lord,
rlord@saxonysecurities.com, 601-932
4900
T-34B BG-242 N134Y
Precision IFR
Garmin 430W
Aspen Pro Stec-20 EDM 730 engine
analyzer digital fuel quantity/ flow
PS7000 audio with marker beacons
All ADs complied with doubler
plate/Alec
Recent Navy Recruiting Command
paint
TTAF 6500
Engine IO-470
TSMO 884.9
Prop TSMOH 265.2
Annual Aug 2010
More info at:
Trade-A-Plane
$175,000.00
Ed Maybury, 904-703-9268,
eam@clearwire.net
T-34B JS-611 N4984
Airframe Total Time: 9383 hours
Engine: O-470-4
Engine Total Time: 593 hours
Total ground-up restoration 1985
Oshkosh and Sun 'n Fun winner
Has won 12 EAA events
Navy yellow
King Gold Crown radios, Garmin
GPS
$150,000
Jay Sarver, (215) 795-0959,
jst34@verizon.net
T-34B BG-179 N845DK
Airframe: Total Time: 11,700 Hours
Engine: Cont. O-470, 100 Hours,
225 Hp•
New Baron Spars
• All ADs complied with
• Very Clean and Meticulously
Maintained by Blackwell Aviation
the T34 Experts
• Hangared KFWQ
Avionics
• Terra IFR
• STEC 60-2 AP
• Narco NSD 1000 Elect HSI
• Garmin 295 GPS
• Flybuddy GPS
• JPI EDM 700
Equipment
• Engine Heater
Interior
• Nice Leather
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 36
• Recent Paint
• Rated 9
Exterior
• Navy Paint Scheme
• Rated 9
$160,000
Michael Mermigas, (724) 255-9291,
Rostraver Airport (KFWQ), PA
T-34B BG-148 N4986
186 hours on Nogle & Black IO520 with 3-bladed prop
10,446 Total Time
Collins radios
Garmin GPS
Navy red & white paint in 1985
Hangared for last 20 years
$139,000
Laurie Ermentrout, (215) 453-9164,
left34@verizon.net
Jay Sarver, (215) 795-0959,
jst34@verizon.net
T-34A For sale
N88RM
S/N G-752
$195,000
One owner/operator for past 27 years
Full Parks Mod's including "H" Beam
& Spars and Horizontal Stabilizer
Complete Parks Mentor II Restoration
IO-550B with recent 'Blueprinted Tuned' engine by
'Ly-Con Engine Rebuilders' of Visalia,
Airframe:
4676 Hrs TTSNEW
Engine: Continental IO-550B, 300
H.P. 789 hrs since factory fresh/new
engine 3.0 hrs since TOP by Ly-con.
Prop: Hartzell D3A32C 3 blade prop
3.0 hours since new
Exterior:
Navy Yellow with
Stars and Bars, appropriate for Period
MENTOR MARKETPLACE
MARKETPLACE
United States Navy Primary Flight
Training colors - very good condition
Interior: Neutral Gray - very good
condition with Gray Leather Cushions
and Custom Strong Olive Drab Back
Pack Emergency Parachutes with
Quick Release Koch fittings
AVIONICS:
King Gold Crown Medallion
Avionics
2 KX-170B Nav/Coms
KCS55 HSI with DME/GS
King VOR
King KT-76A transponder
King KR-85 ADF
Fully Autonomous 3 inch
Standby Attitude Gyro
Avionics Master and Parks
Custom Audio Panel
EQUIPMENT:
Complete IFR panel both
cockpits with ILS repeater rear
cockpit
2 Three inch attitude gyros
front cockpit
EGT
Full Eng. instrumentation, as
well as volt/amp., OAT,
G-Meter, Wet compass
Cleveland wheels and brakes
and recent new tires
Instrument Glare shields both
cockpits
Rear cockpit map/storage
case
Lower fuselage rotating beacon and Wing tip strobes
LH & RH Wing OEM
Mounted Landing Lights and OEM
Chin Mounted Taxi light
MISCELLANEOUS:
Owned and operated by same pilot,
always hangared, never used for Air
Combat Maneuvering Training, fantastically restored and maintained by
Mr. Earl Parks at Parks Industries in
Amarillo, Texas - for almost all of her
time with me.
Annual Inspection completed Oct.
2012
Parks STC-SA 10081 Installation and
Parks Modified wing spars – 2003
Parks STC-SA 10616SC Installation
of "H" Beam Center section - 2008
Parks STC-SA 10031HS Installation
of Parks Horizontals – 2008
AD Update:
AD 01-13-18 R1 Wing Spar: PCW by
Installation of Parks Modified wing
spars
AD 04-25-51 Wing Center Section:
PCW by Installation of Parks "H"
Beam Center section
AD 07-06-01 R1 Horizontal Stabilizer:
PCW Installation of Parks Horizontal
Stabilizer with updated Navy Spars.
Mike Vadeboncoeur
T6flier@aol.com
217-431-1998
original, not reprints, in original
envelope. Price: $150 plus shipping.
For Sale: Aviadesign Spar Strap
Kit.
Serial No. 34. Unopened still in
crate
with all documentation to comply
with AD2001-13-84 and AD200425-51.
For Sale: Miscellaneous parts
accumulated by Dr. Joe Howell
over the years. He has since sold
his T-34 and has no use for these
parts. These are “make offer” items
plushese are “make offer” items
plusfreight. Photos online at T34.com.
Contact: Will Peacock; 398
Indian Hills Trail; Marietta, GA,
30068.
Phowillpeacock@comcast.Net
PARTS FOR SALE
Parts from Cliff Yarbrough
Contact info: Cliff Yarbrough
501-776-5770,
cliffordyarbrough@sbcglobal.net.
Items are: One (1) set of T-34A air
scoop and vent engine port covers.
Red in color with red remove for
flight streamers. They have the
USAF logo on front, and center has
T-34 logo. These are USAF issue
Beechcraft parts from the 1950s in
new condition. Price: $400 plus
Shipping. Complete set of T-34B
flight manuals, original in the blue
plastic binder, not a reprint, dated
01MAY67, change notice T-34B
change 1 dated 01DEC78 wrapped
in plastic, never opened. Original
Pilot Pocket Checklist, T-34B
Aircraft, dated 15NOV73. All
For Sale: T-34B project, T-34A
fuselage, wings, etc.
T-34B BG-53 purchased from
DRMO in 1992. It’s apart and has
had sheet metal repairs finished.
Registered as N134BL.
Excellent project. $40,000.
Extra A-model fuselage, extra
wings and other extra parts
including a few L-19 items, a
damaged SF-260 wing with
landing gear, and some Bonanza
parts. Would love to make a
package deal with the B-model
project. If that’s not enough, we also
have a CAP-10B sitting in the
hangar that needs to go as well.
Wing all rebuilt and ready
for you. Byron 1/6th scale T-34 A/B
model unbuilt, new in the box.
These were hard to find 20 years
ago when I bought this one. (Make a
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 37
MENTOR MARKETPLACE
replica of your aircraft that your
buddy won’t have.)
Byron 1/6thscale Bonanza V35 with
interior kit, new in box, unbuilt.
$1,000 for the pair. For your “other
Beechcraft,” a dual yoke, $1,500.
Contact: Bruce Lamont,
(541) 465-8174
days, (541) 942-1173 evening; or
George Lamont at 541 342 4178
For Sale: Beech A45 (T-34A) Serial
Number: G-732
Registration Number: N134GL USAF Saturday show, nine of diamonds
Serial Number: 55-175 Owners: Bruce
& George Lamont
Location: Eugene, OR
TTAF: 1,200 hours since extensive
Weaver two-year ground-up
restoration
Awards: Oshkosh Best T-34, 1994 and
Silver Wrench Award; Best T-34,
Copperstate 1994; Best Warbird,
Arlington 1995; Reserve Grand
Champion Warbird, Copperstate 1995;
numerous others.
Equipment List: IO-550 three-blade
prop; Shadon Mini Flow-L; Slaved
Gyro; EDM-700; King KX-155DVOR; KX155; KN-64 DME; KT76transponder; S-Tec50 autopilot;
Tails of MTW
Apollo GX55 GPS;LT; KX-196; KX155; Butler parachutes; Hooker
Harness; Smoke; GAMI injectors;
Barron landing gear; Weaver cockpits;
Cleveland wheels and brakes; S-35style wingtips with strobes; tinted
canopies; extra seatcushions; Bose
headset and helmet with Bose
installed; all ADs complied with and
ready to go including ALEC installed
at GAMI.
Price: $225,000
Contact: Bruce Lamont, (541) 4658174 days, (541) 942-1173 evening; or
Smitty expounding–there are actually
George Lamont, (541) 342-4178
a few people listening.
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 38
Worth Repeating
Formation Tips/Fly the airplane
by Terry Brennan
I have seen a hundred
beautifully flown formations fall apart
completely as the command for power
reduction, gear down, and flap
extension was passed from lead to his
wingman, and on to the remainder of the
flight. Chances are you have too, either
from the ground or as a participant in
the formation. What is it that causes all
these terrifically talented pilots to all of
a sudden come un-glued when the end
of a skillfully flown series of passes is
in sight.
The answer is simply the
overzealous desire to respond
instantaneously to the command, when
there is absolutely no reason in the
world to do so. Everyone who flies
formation knows that you are really
never in position, only passing through
occasionally, with throttle, rudder, and
stick inputs geared toward narrowing
the time frame between out and in. In
JD in his twin ‘34–note second spinner
other words, we are all constantly
jockeying around the position with
various degrees of input, greater at some
times, lesser at others.
When the gear down signal comes,
typically followed only an instant later
by the head nod (everyone knows the
leader has not much else to do) your state
of readiness to comply will depend
largely upon where you are with regard
to control inputs at the moment. If you
are playing catch-up, it may not be the
best time to ignore the throttle and grab
for the gear handle. Conversely, if you
are becoming seriously sucked, reaching
for the gear handle instead of the throttle
may seriously worsen the situation. If
you are in an abnormal step down or step
up position, and, well you get the point.
The thing to remember is to fly the
airplane first. Only when the airplane is
under control and in position, relatively,
should you the pilot comply with the
configuration change commands. How
long should it take you to get things
under control-a couple of seconds at
most I would imagine, and although I
have never timed it. I suspect the entire
gear extension process runs in excess of
eight or nine seconds, if not more. This
puts in perspective the couple of
seconds it takes to shape things up
before whacking the gear down switch.
Taking that second or two, or even
three, to gain absolute control of the
airplane before reaching for the handle
will in no way render your craft unable
to be flown in formation. Indeed, once
you have calmed the winged beast and
thrown the handle to the down position,
you will be able to go back to the throttle
and use it judiciously to maintain
position on the leader until such time as
your induced drag factor is equal to that
of his.
The same applies to flap extension.
Don’t rush to hit the flap switch any
faster than you would the gear lever. It
too can wait until everything is calm
before execution is necessary. And on
the flip side of the flight, for takeoff and
climb-out, the same rules apply.
The message is simple. Go to the
appropriate switch or handle as quickly
as you can, but only after you have
complete control of the airplane. You
will look more professional as a result
and your confidence factor will grow
enormously when you have understood
and mastered the technique.
Monday arrival
Things which do you no good in aviation: The sky above you. The runway behind you. The fuel still in the truck. Half a
second ago. Approach plates in the car. The airspeed you don't have.
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 39
John Rippenger’s answer to never getting lost: Install enough glass to have a wine tasting.
Jud Nogle
T-34 Association Inc
880 North County Road,
900-E Tuscola, IL,
61953-7560
September 2013 MENTOR MONITOR page 40