“FREE TATERS FOR
IN STATERS” - A hopefully attention getting spin on the sign on I-15 near Blackfoot “Free
Taters for Out of Staters” which I am guessing most of you have seen at some
time. READ ON!! Next meeting will not only feature an
interesting program but will include free
baked potatoes/toppings. We furnish the
spuds and toppings and you build your own delightful, mouth watering
creation. Jerry Phillips, Chairman of
our Special Events Committee, and Mary Ellen are working the “potato end” of
this one and Harold Turvey, our Secretary/Treasurer, is spearheading the
physical arrangements at the air
terminal, so hats off to them!!. I
thought having a chapter meeting in Blackfoot would be an historic event but
after checking with chapter charter member Ed Breiter I found out that many
meetings had been held there in years past.
So rather than being an historic event it will have to be relegated to a
first in this century and the last decade.
With now, so many good and really active chapter members in Blackfoot
it is only fitting that we go where the action is.
Young Eagles Spreading More Wings -For those
who were not there you should know that Gary Shipley pulled off the largest, to
my knowledge, Young Eagles Rally in our history; not only in numbers of Eagles
flown but also in the size of the EAA 407 Air Force on hand. Even Mother Nature cooperated, barely. Gary reports the details elsewhere in this
Newsletter.
The success
was due to a team effort by all those chapter members who turned out to help
with the ground and flight operations and the publicity provided by the media
in the week prior to the event.
Dean
Miller, Managing Editor of the Post Register took a generic EAA Young Eagles
Rally press release and tailored it to
a headline article which appeared, early in the week prior to our rally, in the MOOSE ( an educational page which
appears every Tuesday with wide distribution to area school class rooms). It was key to getting the message to the
youths who came out to fly with us.
More announcements of our rally also appeared later in the week. Local radio and television stations were
also furnished with information for public service announcements . Philip
Jensen, of Channel 3,was on hand during
our rally and provided good coverage on the evening news including showing
happy Eagles and EAA members and a concluding highlight of our web page
address.
Thanks to
all for a job well done. A fun and
rewarding day.
Hal
Johansen
_________________________________________
5-3-03
IDAHO
FALLS, FANNING FIELD, RED BARON
YOUNG
EAGLES RALLY
Bob Hoff’s Red Baron facility was host to a highly
successful Young Eagles Rally.
Thirty-two young people were treated to flights and ground training by
the members of the EAA 407 Young Eagles committee, and other volunteers.
Chapter 407 has a goal of 100 Young Eagles flights this year
in support of the National EAA’s quest for one million Young Eagles by the
anniversary of the Wright Brothers flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903. Chapter 407 has flown 41 Young Eagles so far
this year and we have rallies scheduled at Bear Lake on June 14th,
and Blackfoot Pride Days on June 28th. With continuing support of volunteers, and aircraft owners and
pilots, chapter 407 has a better than average chance of achieving our chapter
goal.
Pilots attending were Hal Johansen, Mark Edwards, John
Bakken, Austin Moses, Steve Hildreth, Darin Dobbins, Dale Cresap, Gordon
Bernard, and Greg Miller. Hangar flier
Steve Henderson was standing by with his C-180, but demand was not sufficient
enough to call him into service.
Hopefully Steve and his 180 can join in one of the future missions. Many thanks to the generous spirit of our
member-owners who unselfishly share their time and energy for the good of the
kids.
Ground support personnel included the following; Harold
Turvey, Tyler Van Heule, Oscar Batdorf (407 Photographer), Bill Smith, James
Tibbits, Pete Stewart, Frank Prickett, Andrew Stewart, Jerry Phillips (also available
to perform pilot duties, but not called into service this time!), and Lisa
Miller. Many thanks to these generous
people for coming out and helping in the very important ground support portion
of the Young Eagles mission plan. All
the paperwork was handled by the ground troops, and the pilots were free to do
what they do best...fly kids!
Special thanks to the folks at Aeromark, Red Baron, and the
tower personnel at the airport in Idaho Falls.
Special thanks to the Avcenter for their generous donation of two
aircraft to help get the kids in the air.
In addition to the Avcenter, Bob Hoff deserves a special word of thanks
for his support. The use of the Red
Baron as a staging area, instructional area, and operation area for the
aircraft was a perfect match. The
safety of the Young Eagles is the most important part of our mission, and
having such support from the Local FBO makes everything happen in a very
positive way.
Thanks to everyone involved, the kids were the big winners!
Gary Shipley
DEATH VALLEY OR BUST!
By Dale Cresap
Editor’s note: Errol
Spaulding owns a Rans S7 with a souped up (100 hp) Rotax 912 and flies out of
various landing fields near Idaho Falls.
--
Here is how it happened, April 11, 12 and 13, 2003
Errol and Dale's Death Valley Adventure.
I arrive at Errol's at 0630, and we depart by 7. A strong East wind aids
in our takeoff. As we turn it becomes a tailwind for about a minute, then
we fight headwinds the rest of the day.
The headwind brings turbulence, so we have a bumpy ride to Jackpot. It
takes longer than expected to get there, and this is a concern as the next leg
is over 300 miles in the same direction. There is enough slope in the
taxiway at Jackpot to give 100 fpm climb indication as we taxi.
There isn't much between Jackpot and Stead, just featureless brown land, yet
the vast barren starkness of the land is intriguing in its own way, and we see
many tall mountains in the distance. Further west there are some mines
and other signs of civilization. The same headwind is affecting our
range, and although it looks like we might make it, there is no point in taking
the chance. The flight guide says Derby has fuel for emergencies,
but we can't make radio or cell phone contact, so we divert to Fallon.
The brown land gives way to a dry lakebed, which is an expanse of white
salt. We must avoid military restricted areas, and class D airspace for a
Naval Air Station. These I can understand, but not the wilderness area
restriction in the lakebed. It looks like no living thing could survive
there. We land at Fallon where they have only 6 gallons of gas.
That is all we need to get to Stead, so away we go, after I pick up a Grand
Canyon chart.
I also buy a FAA brochure on chart symbols in Fallon, and in stowing it in the
baggage area, it slips down into the rear of the plane. I ask Errol if
there is any way to retrieve it. He says it will still be there when we
get home. How about turning the airplane upside down and shaking it (in
flight)? This is not as far-fetched as it sounds. The first time I
met Errol he was trying to fish a screwdriver out of the same
compartment. It
seems to have ended up there as a result of aerobatic flight.
Stead is the home of the Reno Air Races. We skirt around Reno class C airspace
except for Errol's unexpected approach into a dirt strip. What
are you doing ? That is taking us toward controlled airspace. We get our
directions sorted out and land at Stead, which turns out to be an
anti-climax. The fuel is self serve, and there are no race planes to be
seen, no museum, not even a pilot lounge. Can we get a map of the race
course? No. But we are welcome to hunt for the pylons on our own.
This is a Walter Mitty fantasy for any pilot, so we proceed. I am
prepared to clock us for the record. We eagerly look forward to roaring
down the
valley of speed at 100 mph, but we find some pylons and not others. I'll bet
the real racers know where they are and don't get lost during the race.
Enough of this. We head on to Lake Tahoe.
The weather has been clear in spite of the wind, yet now we see clouds over the
mountains to the west. Turbulence increases, and we struggle for altitude
in the bumpy air, but finally arrive over the lake, which is strikingly
beautiful. It is surrounded by tall mountains on which we see ski runs,
and the shoreline is ringed with resorts. We proceed along the East side
of the Sierras. We would like to cross over and see Yosemite, but the wind and
the cloud bank prevent us. We are only able to reach 13000
feet. Finally we see Mono Lake (6000 ft) in the distance. This was
to be our destination for camping tonight, but Errol decides to go on. I'm
thinking it has already been a long day as I see Mono Lake slide under us, but
Mammoth (7000) is close. Errol decides to bypass Mammoth also. Bishop (4000) is
only 30 miles more. When we land there we have been in the plane over 10 hours.
There is a cemetery near the airport. This is typical and seems somehow
convenient.
The high winds continue at Bishop. Even so, I can see Errol's wisdom in
pressing on. The temperature is mild, and the conditions would be
miserable at the colder higher elevations. We find a sheltered patch of
grass and pitch the tent. Even in the sheltered area the wind tries
without success to blow away tent with us in it, but succeeds in keeping us
awake.
The wind is less severe in the morning, so we continue south
for Mount Whitney, tallest peak in the lower 48 states (14,495). We would
like to climb over it, but the plane is struggling for altitude. You
would think the tallest mountain would be easy to find, but it is not at all
obvious which one it is. It sits in a ridge of tall mountains, and a peak
we see in the distance looks taller still, but that one turns out to be only 12,000.
From the chart we identify Lone Pine, and Whitney is due West up the zig-zag
road, so that must be it. It would look more impressive as a stand-alone
peak.
South of Whitney we head East to Death Valley. This is a big descent and the
strong winds have returned. Observing the ground it appears we are
flying sideways. Looking back we can see highest and lowest points in the
continental US at the same time.
We can't find Scotty's Castle or Furnace Creek. Errol hands the GPS back
to me and asks me to confirm the coordinates are correct. They are and I
look at the chart to discover we are in the wrong valley. Death Valley is
over one more ridge further East. We re-gain some of the altitude we
lost, cross over, and drop down again. It is not as hot as I expected in
Death Valley, which is a relief as I am wearing ski bibs and parka which were
welcome at our typical high altitudes. The wind seems even more severe,
perhaps because the air is more dense. Errol is relieved to find fuel
available at Furnace Creek, 211 feet below sea level, and we secure the
airplane to keep the wind from blowing it away.
Why did they name this place Furnace Creek? What creek? I don't see
any creek. There is an amphibian tied down on the ramp, and I think they
must be lost. No water around here. We get gas and depart. Errol sets
personal records for short takeoff and landing in the dense air with the high
wind. Errol gives me the controls and I
fly briefly after takeoff so I have braggin' rights for flying below sea
level. We head South over Badwater
Basin. This place is inappropriately named as well. In order for
there to be bad water, there has to be some water.
The wind is against us as we try to
climb out and clear a ridge to the East. We are losing 1500 fpm at full
power. We turn back into Death Valley and climb South until we can clear
the ridge. There is more barren ground, but a few signs of civilization.
We see an airpark - a runway with taxiways to private residences. Errol
can do this at home for less money.
We are approaching Las Vegas airspace and are careful to avoid it. The
FAA thinks everyone should have a certain expensive device called a mode C
transponder, particularly if you want to fly near a big commercial airport. We don't, so we detour around controlled
airspace. Still, we can see the Luxor pyramid and the Stratosphere tower
in the distance, and other tall buildings with less distinctive shapes. We land
at Boulder, refuel, have a snack and a nap.
We go on to Hoover Dam, which is amazing from the air. One end is built into a
peninsula, which is not obvious from the ground and from low
elevation looks like island. As we climb and turn we gain a better
perspective and take pictures. Lake Mead provides a beautiful contrast to
the arid rugged rocks, and many people take advantage of boating there.
Mead gives way to Grand Canyon, and we fly over the West end, which is remote
and inaccessible from the tourist areas and rarely seen, but is just
as breathtaking. We follow the bends in the river, maintaining the
altitudes called for by the Grand Canyon Special Airspace Chart I picked up in
Fallon. We see rapids below, and the late afternoon sun brings out the contours in the rugged rocks.
Errol sees airstrips everywhere we go. He tells me about riding
motorcycles on the plateau above the North Rim, and camping there. He
wants to camp at one of these primitive strips. We are self contained
enough that this is a possibility, but I would like to be somewhere with a
fresh water supply. I intentionally limit my water intake in advance of a long
flight. Errol decides he would be satisfied just to land at one of these
strips, and selects Grand Canyon West, which has about equal parts pavement,
gravel, and dirt. It is on a shelf below the Canyon rim, so it calls for
another steep descent. This is getting to be routine. The wind
and the runway slope favor different directions, and we finally land
downhill. They actually have fuel here, but no electric power. The fuel
pump is driven by a lawn mower engine. There is no sign of life, and we
depart after taking some photos.
We climb over a ridge to make another
steep descent into Mesquite, and a 'carrier landing' on the airstrip on a
plateau above the city. Mesquite is on
the Virgin River. The airport is deserted, but the self-serve fuel system
works OK. We spend the night camping in the pilots lounge. It is
quiet and calm, and we are glad to have a roof over us, but my thin foam pad
leaves much to be desired in comfort. Memo to self: get a decent pad.
We are up early, and fly over Mesquite following the Virgin River to St George,
and on to Zion National Park. This is not a large area, but the
canyon is filled with beautiful colored rock formations, and is described as
Yosemite in Technicolor. I have a particular interest in the North end of the
canyon, as it is a slit in the rock, 1000 feet deep and miles long, and I have
hiked the Zion Narrows. At the bottom of this canyon, I
couldn't help but wonder what it looked like from above, and now I know. There are many deep canyons that join,
separated by soaring pillars of
stone. We take pictures furiously and proceed North. The plane has
great visibility, and the clear air gives us great views, but we anticipate
some
blurry pictures because of the rough air.
Now at Cedar Breaks we cross the path we took on our Grand Canyon trip last
year. The last time we encountered clouds in this area. This time
it is
clear, but windy. How windy? Our GPS gives speed over the ground of 40
mph as we head into the wind. Turning to obtain a tailwind brings the
ground speed to 140 mph. Does this mean we have a 100 mph tailwind? No,
only 50. Do the math. Yet this is
very welcome after fighting headwinds all the way so far. We always fly
at about the same airspeed, but see ground speeds
from 28 mph to over 140 this trip.
We cross over the high country and into the pastoral valleys of Southern Utah.
We are flying with snow capped mountains on both sides, clear air, a 50 mph
tailwind, yet the air is so free of turbulence and the plane is so well trimmed
that I am able to fly for an hour without touching the stick; making minor
course corrections with rudder. Does life get any better than this?
We elect to refuel at Heber City on the East side of the
Wasatch to avoid Salt Lake class B airspace. This brings us over high
terrain and calls for
another steep descent. I observe 2000 feet per minute on the VSI, yet we
are not over speeding. We must be in a downdraft. I wonder if Errol
is
related to Baron von Spaulding, famous Stuka dive bomber pilot. If the
truth were told, I am responsible for more of the steep descents than Errol
is. Some of them were dictated by the terrain, such as this descent into
Heber, which is surrounded by mountains.
On two occasions, Errol shaves while I fly. I do not feel the urgency for
this that he does, but would welcome a shower and a change of clothes.
Going light and Spartan results in few creature comforts, but does allow us to
spend more time flying, and that is why we are here.
We chat as we proceed North. I ask if Errol was always interested in
flying. No, only since he was 5, he says. Our tailwind holds, but
now
clouds form overhead, and turbulence builds. Yet even at 12000 we stay
under the clouds and proceed home over Bear Lake. A final steep descent
brings us to Spaulding field, where there is a truck parked at the approach end
of the runway. With the high cross wind and obstacle, Errol prefers to
fly this approach himself, and I gladly give way. He executes a perfect approach
and landing, and we have returned.
This was an intensive experience, involving 24 hours in the plane, of which I
fly 9. Errol is in the front cockpit the entire time. We had talked
about trading places, but the turbulence, high winds, and distance between
stops do not favor this. The terrain was all new to me except the return
from Cedar Breaks north. Errol has been to almost all of these places
before, of course. Great circle distances total 1500 miles, but the
actual distance is farther due to diverts, side excursions, etc, and the air
miles much farther due to wind. We refuel at every stop except the Grand
Canyon. There were no weather delays other than the reduced speed due to
wind. We feel no adverse effects from the thin air at the high altitudes
because we are manly, virile Idaho pilots.
We were eager to go, and now we are glad to be home. Another great
adventure is concluded.
_________________________________________
Meeting Minutes
E. A. A. Chapter 407
April 19, 2003
Aero Mark, Idaho Falls
The meeting was called to order by President Hal Johansen at
6:17 p.m. Visitors were welcomed and
introduced. The treasurer’s report was
given by Harold Turvey, stating a bank checking balance in the amount of
$4100.36. The minutes of the March 8,
2003 meeting were read and approved.
A service award certificate and pin for Chapter Treasurer
was presented for Lisa Miller, and given to Greg Miller. Hal Johansen then presented an Honorary and
Complimentary membership to Bob Hoff, for his years of support to our chapter,
part of which is the use of the Aero Mark building for our meetings.
Jerry Phillips presented a Special Activities committee
report, noting the following dates for upcoming events:
Bear Lake
County Fly-in, June 14
Arco Fly-in,
July 26 & 27
McCall, August 7-10,17th
Annual Northwest Mountain Family Fly-in and Aviation Safety Conference.
Gary Shipley presented a Young Eagles committee report,
noting that the first flight for this year on March 29th went very
well, due to the participants being able to download the proper paperwork from
the web site, and having everything in order prior to arrival for the
flights. The committee is next planning
to fly Young Eagles out of Idaho Falls on May 3rd. Gary expressed the need to purchase some more small tool boxes
for loaning items to members, which motion was presented and passed by the
group.
Service award certificates and pins were presented to Dan
Pierce for Chapter Secretary, Technical Counselor and Flight Advisor.
The balance of the evening was a video presentation by Don
Bjornson, detailing his flights to Alaska in 1977 in a Cessna 210 (165 kts),
and again in 1994 in a Husky (100 kts).
The information as well as the video presentation was very interesting
to anyone wanting to go to Alaska, or wanting to travel in Canada.
Upon completion of the presentation, the Bring-a-Buck raffle
was conducted, with Jim Tibbets being the winner. The meeting was adjourned at 7:28 p.m. for refreshments.
Celebrate the Centennial of flight – Fly to Alaska with
us in 2003!
You are invited to join us for Alaska Air Adventure –
2003. No charge to come along; just
provide your own airplane and pay your own expenses. Leaving June 18, 2003 and returning June 27, 2003.
Sponsored by Idaho Air Adventures – Blackfoot, Idaho. Telephone
Richard at (208) 785-6433.
Idairadventures@aol.com
May, 2003 Edition