Travers Aviation has been developing special relationships with Beech customers for the past 47 years. Our ability to provide personal service and attention sets us apart from the rest of the field . We realize that our customers' time is valuable, so we make our aircraft insurance simple. Our friendly and efficient staff is always available to answer your questions. 1-800-888-9859 • Traverst.:;>t'fT ssoclates AVIATION INSURANCE NATIONWIDE Successfully Combining Business and Pleasure Glen Travers SINCE 1950 Darla Sanford "Not for one single tenth of a tach hour has there been any regrets with buying NIYR. The Bonanza is the most superior all-around aircraft ill its class that I've flown." -Bill Lavellder Bonanza of the Month N1YR 1975 V35B eneral aviation can often spur a young person to greater heights. In the case of our son, Graham, it has done just that. He was raised in an aviation community. Shortly after birth, I took him spraying in my Ayres Turbo Thrush, a large agricu ltural aircraft powered by a single PT6A-II turboprop. It was only natural for Graham to solo on his sixteenth birthday. The aircraft was a 150HP Citabria that we had flown crosscountry from northern California six months before. Six years ago, our company, AgAir Update , an intern ational agricultural aviation publication, established an annual event called "AgAir Update's Annual Excursion." Each year, Graham and I have spent a week to I0 days journeying across America writing ag aviation G 1975 V35B Bonanza (SI N 0-9797) articles using various forms of transportation, including a C-1 82 and a Citabria. Graham received his Pri vate Pilot 's licen e shortly after his eventeenth birthday. In the summer of 1996, we bought IYR, a 1975 V35 B Bonanza with 3161 IT and 700 SFRM. Graham "officially" had logged about 75 hours , mos tl y tailwheel time. The checkout in the Bonanza went smoothly and within a few hours, Graham soloed N I YR. Today, at 19, Graham has more than 100 hours logged in NI YR, including two 25-hour cross-country excursions west from Georgia to Colorado, north to Canada, east through North and South Dakota, Minnesota and back to Georgia. Wi thin a week of bringing N I YR home from Memphis, Tennessee, the aircraft was put in the paint shop. The ugly chocolate and taD colors were changed to today's Air Tech Coaling 100 percent polyurethane Glare Whi te paint. In the summer of 1997, th e accents were painted over by AeroPaint Il with metallic Winfield Bronze and Harvest Gold. The metall ic accents add a nice touch to Comilllled 011 page 5535 BONANZA OF THE MONTH Cover: Th is 1975 V35B belongs to Bi ll Lavender of Perry, Georgia. "" 55 20 FEATURES (lSSN 01 61 -35 45) Publ;shed by AME RICAN BONANZA SOCI ETY Orga nized Ja n uary 1967 GUEST EDITORIAL By Steve YOllng, Raytheon Aircraft Company . ............•......... 5522 ROCKIN'THROUGH THE ROCKIES By Charlie Gibbs . ...................•...... _ ... . .. .. ... . ..... 5523 SEALING THE GAPS By Geo rge Wilh elmsen ....... . ..... , ........... . ........ . ..... 553 1 AEROMEDICAL CERTIFICATION By Jack Hastings, M.D. 5533 O XYGEN ALERT By Itzhak Jacoby ASS EXECUTIVE D IRECTOR ED ITOR IN CHIEF Nancy Jo hnson PU BLI CATION O FFICE 192 2 M;df;eld Road P.O. Box 1288B Wichita, KS 67277 316-945- 1700 ° Fax 316-945- 17 10 ABS web si te: http://www, bo na nza.org ABS e-mai l : [email protected] Send articles/letters to the above address/fax/e-mail. ED ITOR Betty Rowley ASSOCIATE EDITOR Tom Hutchinson .... , ' . . . . . .... 5536 A TRIPTO ALASKA AND NORTHWEST TERRITORIES By David Davidson ... . ......... . .... . . . .. .. . ... . ... . " .... 5542 DEPARTMENTS COLVIN'S CORNER .. . . . ... 5525 by Neil Pobanz alld Arl.·J FOlllk INSU RANCE , .. , .. ,., .... 5537 Illduslry calls/or cautioll by John Allen, Falcon Illsurallce SHOPTAL K .... by Lynn Jenkins 5538 AVION ICS, ..... , ... .5540 Autopilots, comilllled FORUM ... 5544 CU RREN TS "E" engine repairs by Lew Gage 55 4 7 REG IO N A L N EWS . . 555 0 GROUN D CONTROL by Nancy Johnson 5553 CALENDAR . .... . .5554 by Jim Hughes DES IGN EDITOR Ji m Simpson BPPP SCHEDULE ....• 5534 SERVICE CLINIC SCHEDULE .... 5530 D ISPLAY A DVE RTI SING DIR ECTO R John Shoemaker 2779 Aero Park Drive, P.O. Box 968 Traverse Ci ty, M I 49664 Support the American Bonanza Society WIth a Life Membership for $1,000 1-800-773-7798, ext. 3317 PRI NTER Vil lage Press, Traverse Ci ty, Michigan AMERICA'I aO'lA"IZA SOCIETY MAGAZl'I[ is published monthly by the AmeriCan !kInanziI Society at the Wichita Mid·Conlln('nt Ailporl. 1922 Mtdiicld ~oad , Wichita, KS 67209. The price of iI yearly w~rip'iorl is U'lcluded in the annl4l1 dues IS45) of Soclcty mem~. Periodical postage paid ,11 WIChita, Kansas, and addi· \ionallTldiling onices The Society and Publisher CAnnot .accept responSIbility for the corredroess or accuracy of the mailers printed herein Of for .my opiniOflS ('xpres~. Opinions of the EditOf" o r contribulOO do nol necessarily rC'Presenl the flO5ition of the Society. Publisher reserves tnc righl to rej("(t any malerial submitted (Of" publication. Copy submilled for publicJtioo shnll become Ihe property of Ihe SOclt!1y Jnd sha ll not be return(."CI. Arlicles submitted with accompanying pictures roc;t>i\'e publication prdereoce. Pictures will be returned whene-.Ct" possible. AN"UA l DUES: US--S45, Colnada & Mexico-S45 IUS) Forcign--S75 tUS! Ufe mcmbership-$ 1,000. Contact ASS Ileadquarten for delOlils. POSTMASTER, send Jddu~ss chanl:es 10: American Bonanza Sociely, P.O. Box 128811. Wichita, KS 67277 o Copyrigl1\ 1999 Page 5521 PAST PRESIDENTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Term e~pires WIL LI AM C. CARTER, PRES ID ENT (AR EA 2) ...... 2001 7131 Driftwood Drive, SE, Grand Rnpids, M149546 TIL DEN D. RIC HARDS, V. P. (AREA 7) ..• P.O. 801' 1047. Sutler Cl"C('k. CA 95685 HAROLD BOST, TREAS URER (A REA 3) .•..• 760 Bin"dJle Drive, FayeltC\ille, GA 302 15 IO N RQADFElDT, SECRETARY (AR EA 4 ). 1999 .. 2000 2()()1 1548 W. Sextant, Roseville. MN 55 11 3 MICHAE L HOE FfLER (AREA 1 ) .•....•. 43 Old SUSilr Road , Bolton, "IA 0 1540 2001 RICH ARD T. STRICKLAND, (AREA 5) ..... 1999 9200 Chicol ROdd. little Rock , AR 72209 JACK CRONIN (A REA 6 ) .. 2& 1 Vine Slreet, Dem'ef, CO 80206 2000 WI LLIS M. HAWKI NS, (Area. 8)................ 2000 21931 Bum.ank Blvd .. • 35, \-Voodland Hills. CA 91367 RONALD K. VICKREY (DIRECTO R AT LARGE). 2084 Coun1ry Club Dr., Dnytona BeJch, rL 32124 e- rll.lil : rvick rt'y@n·jcenlcr.com 199'J 8.J . McC(an<lhlln, MD . . Fra nk G. Ross . Ru ssell W. Rink. Hypolite T. Landry. JI. Catvin R. E,l,ly. "ID, PhD . Capt. Jesse F. Adams. USN(REn . DJvld P. Barton . Alden C. Barrios. rred A. Drisc:;oU, Jr. E.M. Anderwn, Jr.. Donald l. Mo nday .............. , . Harry G. Hadler. }Ohn E. Pixton . Charles R. Gibbs . Ioseph McC lai n, 111 . lee larson. \o\'illiam H. Bush .. R.lY L. Lea dabr.md IJMeS C. Cassell, III. Warren E. HorfllCt" .. lohn 11. Kil bourne. Barrie Hiern Rcm Vickrey. Willis Hawkins. 1967-1971 1971-1973 1973- 1975 1975-1 976 1976-1977 1977- 1978 1978--1 979 1979-1980 1980- 1981 1981-1983 1983-1984 1984--1985 1985- 1986 198h-- 1987 1987- 1988 1988--1989 1989-1990 1990- 1991 1991 -1 992 1992-1993 1993-1994 1994- 1996 19%-1997 1997- 1998 A BS January 1999 ( I feel pril'i1eged 10 imrodllce Steve Young 10 Ihe ABS orgmli:.orion. Stel'e has given generollsly of his time and knowledge concerning the BOllan:.a, issues thm concern slIpporting older aircraft, mId whar Raytheon's real Slip· POrt o/Ihe lIew piston aircraft business offers. I first mel STel'e when he g(ll'e tlte ABS Board of DireClOrs a IOlIr of the RaYlheml Aircraft facilities in lVichira. We were impressed willi Stel'e 's energy, commitment and knowledge of Ihe air· aafl bllsi,leSJ. I lI'as especially im· pressed with his cam/or. We expecl 10 hear more from him as changes take place. This is the best way 10 be prepared fo r the fut ure. - Bill Carter, president Business Units consist of representatives from across the company. The members of this team include Manufacturing, Engineering, Sales and Marketing, Quality Assurance. Supply Management, Prod uct Support and Business Managemenl. Our teams plan a product 's entire life cycle from Engineering Development through Sales and aU the way 10 Product Supporl. The two most immediate responsibilities of the Piston Business Unit are 10 identify and resolve key Baron and Bonanza issues and to represel1l the voice and interest of the cuslOmer. As a team, we measure our business health, delennine priorities and then track progress as issues are resolved. This same team manages our program resources. There are limits to program budgets requiring tough choices. At a minimum, Steve Young Guest Editorial GreetingsABS members. My name is Steve Young. Before you get me confused with the San Francisco Forty-Niner quarterback, let me tell you that I am the Pi ston Airplane Business Unit Director for Raytheon Aircraft Company. In the next few paragraphs, I will explain what our Business Unit is about and the opportunities we have in supporting your piston airplanes and building new ones. Business Units (sometimes referred to as Integrated Product Teams) were created to focus our company on our customers' by-product line. There are similar business uni ts representing al l Raytheon products, such as Premier [, Hawker 800XP, Beechjet and King Air. ABS January 1999 every program must be responsi ve to regulatory requirem en ts . Thi s has changed over the years from the original CAR-3 certification basis to the current FAR Part 23 . The recent upgrade of the fifth- and sixth-seat attachments (as announced in Service Bulletin 25-3 159) is an example of responding to Lhese changing requirements. The Piston Business Unit is also focused on cost reduction. We work closely with our suppliers to improve production costs and importantly for you. cost of operation. One such example is close work with our supplier of Bonanza landing lights to increase service life. This light is in a high-vibration environment and we have tested several iterations of bulbs and mounting techniques. Our team works to improve the quality of the Beech Bonanza and Beech Baron ai rcraft. Here at the factory, we are continually working on riveting, aircraft sealing, sheet metal assembly and system install ation. Today we are experi meming with improved paint formula- tions such as base coat and clear coat like the automotive industry. Alternate windshield sea lers and adhesives are being tested to find improved temperature stabi lity and ease of application. We are also working on several out- standing customer issues. These include Baron heated windshield leaks, Bonanza vibration and noi se, the Bonanza landing light service life I mentioned earlier, standby generator reliability, air and water leaks, cabin door locks and others. Many times the resolut ion of these issues is not as straightforward as we wou ld all like it to be. Frankly, a challenge we face is that we are working with a 50year-old airplane design. It is fantastic in its longevity; however, it 's not real easy to build. The Bonanza has many detail parts and assemblies Lhat require handfitting . We depend on skilled mechanics and as you know, they are in demand throughout our industry. [n the area of spare parts support, we have endeavored to provide the level of service that our Bonanza owners should rightfully expecl. We are currently undergoing several management changes and initiatives within Raytheon Aircraft Parts Inventory Distribution (RAPID) 10 improve service. You wi ll soon find higher stock ing levels at Authorized Service Centers and quicker response to your direct inquiries. We fully intend to regain your confidence in our spares activities, providing world-class customer support. Along with the Bonanza heritage comes the task of supporting a myriad of differing airplane models. As a company, we are committed to continue to support Beech 18s, Travel Airs and all of the Bonanza and Baron vari ants. We are working V-tail Bonanza issues and Model 18 spar corrosion concerns. These ta ks are focused on supporting customers but do not result in needed product improvements. Product improvements are vital if the Bonanza is to survive into the future. [n the coming months, you' ll be hearing about some important improvements to the new Bonanzas that will soon begi n rolling off the assembly line. ['m excited about the changes, and when they are successful in the marketplace, they' ll give Raytheon sound business reasons to continue the great Bonanza tradition . -Steve Young DirectOl; PislOn Business Unit Raytheon Aircraft Company Page 5522 I Charfie Gibbs flying over Beaver Creek, Colorado. I n all my years of flying-and that goes back to 1961- I' ve always had a desire to make special trips and go special places in my airplane. Just flying tn new places makes it so exciting! Now that Donna and 1are new owners of a condominium in Beaver Creek, Colorado, I was challenged with the desire to fly my Bonanza to our new mountain home. The April 1998 ABS Magazine announcement of a Mountain Flying Course offered by the BPPP, Inc. was just what I needed. I opted to leave my home in Jacksonville, Florida, on Thursday, June 18. After researching the chans, I found what I hoped would be an interesting overnight stop in Dodge City, Kansas. Fortunately, the weather was great all the way out except for a brief period of thunderstorm avoidance in central Arkansas. I was up bright and early Friday and left in time for an 8 a.m. arrival at Colorado Springs (COS) to begin the course right after lunch. This was my first opportunity in many years to land at a relatively high altitude airport. The curiosity of why I had a sputtering engine whi le taxiing to a tiedown led me to believe 1 had a whole lotto learn in the course. The classroom program was well administered by John and Agnes Porter and the Friday afternoon lecture programs proved f excellent. The classroom work included topics such as mountain weather, mountain flying wisdom, engine operation, and the ever-present concern of "What do I do if the engine quits?" As with all BPPP courses, the material is well prepared and specific to Bonanzas and Barons. Our final hour of classroom work involved flight planning for the next day's trip. At that time, you are assigned an instructor with whom you meet and discuss the flight plan. My assigned instructor was Bill Hale, president of the BPPP, Inc., a true Bonanza wizard! Bill met me Saturday morning at the airport around 7 o'clock, I preflighted the plane and away we went. The training began immediately upon start-up. We flatlanders are just not used to leaning the mi xture during taxi "Expect 30 minute delay " Aspen tower Page 5523 ABS January 1999 After depaning Leadville, we turned nonh, made a U-turn and even more nervous about leaning during takeoff. I became SQuth and finally turned west to gain enough altitude to clear comfonable with both procedures very quickly because engines Hagerman Pass (approximately II ,SOO feet) after passing over indeed do work bener when properly leaned. Turquoise Lake. After clearing As we depaned COS to the southwest, I learned a technique Hagerman Pass you arrive over for telling in advance whether the Ruedi (pronounced Rude Eye) Reservoir with an absothe ridge ahead was going 10 be cleared. You just view the terlutely breathtaking view of the rain beyond the ridge, and if it valley and mountains surroundgrows as you approach the ridge, ing Snowmass and Aspen. clearance is assured. If it After calling Aspen apdoesn ' t, turn around, c limb proach with our intentions, a higher and try again. Now, this relatively abrupt descent was is an obvious geometric piece of necessary to make sure that the Aspen Airport (7,SI5 MSL) information, but it's one of those was attainable. Aspen has airthings you just don't appreciate port survei llance radar and until you see it up close (200 feet they' re already looking at you AGL) and personal. Charlie Gibbs and Bill Hale at Leadville, Colorado We next new over NORAD by the time you call. Aspen is and then the Royal Gorge, followed by a swing around the tip also a one-way airpon with a landing on their 7,004-foot runof the Sangre De CrislO mountains, and a turn nonh up the Arway 10 the southeast and a depanure 10 the nonhwest. Even kansas River valley for our first landing at Salida, Colorado. It though June is not a particularly busy time there, the BPPP has a si ngle runway (7,350 feet) with a 1.9 percent grade to the weekend made it mighty busy. southwest (Runway 24). You actually climb 141 feet from the After about 30 minutes waiting for a takeoff clearance, we east to the west end of their runway. The purpose in landing at this depaned northwest IOward Glenwood Springs with a right tum airpon is to become acquainted with "one-way" airpons that reeastbound at Interstate 70 to land at Eagle Airpon, which is the quire a landing in one direction and a departing from the other. closest airpon to both Vail and Beaver Creek. Eagle's S,OOODuring the landing ponion, we had a headwind of IS knots foot runway is easy to navigate, but some relatively high mounds and subsequently went 10 the end of the runway, turned around. close to the approach end of Runway 25 would make it unacand took off downhill with that same IS-knot tailwind. We ceptable in marginal weather. headed nonh along the gorgeous Arkansas River valley past We depaned Eagle to the east, followed Interstate 70 to BeaTwin Lakes and Mt. Eiben (Colorado's highest mountain at ver Creek through Vail Valley, south at Minturn following Route 14,433 feet) to Leadville. 24 past Ski Cooper (again over Leadville), and a tum east across Unfonunately, the IS-knot tailwind at Salida turned into an the Tarryall Mountains using Pike's Peak as our landmark for the IS-knot crosswind for our landing at Leadville. Leadville is return to COS. advenised as "Nonh America's Highest Airpon" at 9,927 MSL During the ground school portion, one of the "no go" admonitions was to not ny if the winds aloft in the mountains exceed which can equate to a density altitude of 13,000 feet on a hot day. For our trip, Leadville was the only point where we shut 30 knots. Well, the forecast winds were right at30 knots. So the down and that's nO! 10 be missed since the people who run the final leg from Leadvi lle back to Colorado Springs included airpon are always happy to provide a "Cenificate of Pilotage" for enough bumps to make you appreciate how imponant that wind speed restriction is. your accomplishment. Depanure from Leadvilie is a Upon our return at COS, there wasn't an unhappy face "by the book" exerc ise in that in the group. We all shared after you've developed max simi lar stories and we were power (about 40 percent), rehappy to tell each other just leased the brakes, you drive forhow much fun we had. It was ever before your Bonanza is fithe "Joy of Flying" all over nally airborne. It's critical to keep the Bonanza within ground effect again! until best rate of climb speed is Charlie Gibbs was president of obtained which in our case, with the American Bonanza Society in the IS knot direct crosswind, was 1986-87. interesting to achieve. ABS January 1999 Page 5524 Clen "Arky" Foulk Neil Pobanz A36 heater problem Joseph Bates Sewickley, Pennsylvania n: n~uck We fly a 1995 A36 and are having getting heat to seats three and four. I pulled the elliptical panel under the copilot seat and found the hose securely attached to th e outlet gri ll. The aft cabin control pulls out fouror five inches and st ill no heat. I would very much appreciate your suggestions. A: Success in heating depends on several factors. These can include the absence of leaks allowing cold air into the cabin; the absence of leaks over and above the designed exhaust air vent flowage. which can result in heated airflow passing through the cabin too quickly: the collapse or blockage of hoses or ducting, which prevents heated air from reaching the complete distribution system; and the sticking or improper operation of valves, causing improper distribution. The problem ca n also be inadequate heat transfer at the mumer. which acts as a heat exchanger providing heated clean air to the cabin. This can result if the volume of cold air mo vement is too high for the available mumer heat generated by the engine. When the outside air is very cold, higher engine power settings may be required to generate a high enough exhaust temperature to obtain sufficient cabin heat. System distribution leaks or missing mumer barnes also decrease efficiency. If you have hot air available somewhere, but not where you need it, look at the distribution system valves, hoses Page 5525 and ducts. If you don ' t have hot air anywhere, check the muffler and firewall sh utoff valve.- NP Zeftronics (903-758-6661 ) may have a less expensive replacement.-NP H35 shoulder harness Tom Stewart Morro Bay, California Robin Malim Hereford, United Kingdom Q: My aircraft is fitted with what I think are the original seat belts: a full harness and no inertia reels. Awful and pretty useless! J want to equip it with inertia-reeled diagonal lap straps. Does anyone do an STC'd conversion kit? What is my best bet to upgrade this installation? A: Raytheon doesn't have a kit per my kit catalog for your model. Wag Aero (800-558-6868) does have a kit, but with no inertia reel. Safety Limited (630-5849366) has a field-approval design. These are your current choices on an H35. Check with the UK authorities for approval before proceeding as they may have differing requiremen ts.- NP F33A voltage regulator Dale Walker New Wilmington, Pennsylvania Q: 1 have a spare voltage regulator made by OECO, Beech PIN 35-3800933. I have called OECO abou t rebuilding or repairing thi s unit and they advise me that they no longer support this part. Do you know of another company that may be able to repair it? A: Try Aircraft Accessories of Okla- homa (800-255-9924) and EMI (800851-4392) as good sta rting points. D55 leather yokes Q: Can you suggest where I might get so me leather covers for the dual ram's hom yoke? A: Warren Gregoire and Associates (800-634-0094) has been confirmed as a provider of leather covering for ram's horn wheels on both the Baron and Bonanza yokes.- P. Cracks in Osborne tip tanks Bill Olson Nokomis, Florida Q: law n a Beechcraft Debonair. Model 35-A33 , 425T, SI CD-28 I with 20-gallon tip tanks. The original installation was accomplished in April 1965 in accordance with Beech Kit 33688-1. At that time, the tanks were called Brittain tip tanks. The tanks are of aluminum construction with some sort of fiberg lass or epoxy covering. The left tank is from the original installation while the right one has been replaced. This tank has some cracks in the area where the tank meets the wing section. These cracks run chordwise and are in th e curved area adjacent to where the airfoil section meets the body of th e tank. While there are cracks on both the upper and lower areas, there seem to be more cracks on the upper side. Without removing the outer covering, it ABS January 1999 is not easil y possible to determine if the aluminum is also cracked. This was one of several discrepancies pointed out to us during an ABS Service Clinic inspection at the Palm Beach LantanaAirport in October 1998. The cracks have been evident for a number of years, but no mechanic has squawked them in recent annual inspections. Do you have any previous history of such crac ks in these tip tanks? What do you suggest we do to determine the extent of the cracks? Can you tell us how to safely remove and replace the outer covering or whether we should send the tanks to o borne for evaluation and repair? 4542) do this type of modification. In add ition to the seat modification. structuce change is required. Aviation Enter- prises, Inc., 3900 E. Spring Street, Long Beach, CA 90806 had an STC th at may be avai lable.- ' P A36 cabin insulation Michael H eaton Indianapolis, Indiana Q: I would bet the cracks are in the filler covering the aiuminulll , but one can' t tell without looking. I wou ld call Osborne (800-963-8477) and ask for wrillen guidance. I' ve seen cracks that I I am considering adding some insulati on to the ca bin of my A36TC. Would you consider thi s a worthwhile exercise? A product by th e name of ''Thinsulator'' has been recommended to me. Could you provide me with advice on this product or any other insulation products you know about? I would also ap preciate having any installation tips regarding th ese types of material, such as placement of the material, adhesives was reasonably sure were just surface to A: cracks in the filler material. but they are the experts on the continuous airworthiness of their product.-N P A35 stall warning F.H. "Cash " Copeland Oakland, California Q: Does Beech have an ap proved drawing or has anyone obtai ned a field approval or STC to replace the top of the wing stall warning switch assembly with a leading edge stall warning switch such as is used on th e Model G35 and up? A: Raytheon had a kit which is no longer listed. We 're sure people have used a home-made template made from a later wing and. using later factory parts, ha ve gOllen field approvals. Sources for parts include salvage ya rd s such as Dodson (800-255-0034), White (80082 1-7733). Dave Monti (702-782-5282) and Atlanta (800-237-8831 ).-N P F35 new seats Greg Kahrs Quincy, Illinois Q: Can you tell me if it is possible (legal) to put a newer style front seat in my plane? I would very much like seats th at adjust backward and forwa rd . I would also settle for a new fixed-position seat. but with a few more inches of leo room using the original seat. A: Both Air Mod (51 3-732-6688) and Aviation Research Systems (503-668- ABS January 1999 use, etc. A: While I have no perso nal experience with ''Thinsul ator ' as such. I un derstand the need to redo the soundproofing ar various times throughout the life of an aircraft. One has to be careful to replace insul ation. not add, if you don' t want to suffer penalties in useful load. Also, be certain to use onl y aircraft approved materials to prevent fire and airframe corrosion hazards. I will say it 's hard to beat the professionals at this and Air Mod (5 13-7326688), Cameron Interiors (630-5849366) and Kalamazoo Aircraft (6 16-38 10790) are all near you. A variety of FAA certified so undproofi ng material and adhesives are available from Aircraft Spruce (800-83 1-2949). Wag Aero (800558-6868) and Chief Aircraft (800-4473408). Some adhesi ves can cause corrosion and, over lime. some "new improved" materials have been determined to hold moisture, crumble into dust or otherwise deteriorate.-NP. P35 leaking fuel caps Robert Tigani New Castle, Delaware n: I am losing fuel out of my rig ht t;;;;'k . The ca p is very ti ght filling compared to the left tank. Could the problem be the cap is too tight to seal properly or is the fuel going back into the tank filling the tank to overflow? This does not always happen but usually just when the tanks are full. I have looked for leaks in the fuel cells but have not fou nd any. A: The P35 Bonanza excess fuel return from the engi ne is directed to the tank being used- thu s prohibiting an overflow co ndition. Since you don ' t mention finding any fuel on the ground under the aircraft or fuel stains under the wing along the main spar, I assume you are losing fuel from arou nd the fuel cap in flight. This should be visible to the pi lot or passenger. If so, I suspect you may need new O-ring seals for the cap. There is a small O-ring around the cap's center shaft plus a large outer O-ring that you can readily see when removing the cap. Check for cracks in the rubber. I suggest you change both of the seals on each of you r two fuel caps if they show deterioration. Performance Aero (800-2003141) and American Aero (800-3596673) both offer these seals at reaso nable prices.-NP A36 flucuating fuel pressure Dr. Winfried Wilcke San Jose, California Q: I recently departed in my 1978 A36 (10-520) from Palm Springs, California. The OAT was 115 F. During climbout. the fuel flow needle vi brated noticeabl y. The vibration stopped once we reached higher, cooler altitudes. I assume this was a sign of fuel vapor forming in the fuel lines. Is it acceptable andlor recommended to turn on the electric auxiliary boost pump when this happens? Or is there a dan ge r of completely flooding and killing the engine? A: The various Bonanza, Baron and Travel Air fue l-injected models have different auxi liary fuel pump installations. Some have just "on/off' positi ons while others have "high/offllow" positions. The Pilots Operating Handbook for so me models states that "in hi gh ambient temperatures, low press ure boost may be required to preve nt excessive fuel flow flucuation s." Check your POH fo r recommended operation in your aircraft. Whether you have a single- or two-speed pump, you may have to operate it in these extremely hot conditions if fuel press ure flu ctuation is experienced. Be aware that you may have to lean the mi xture more when the pump is operating to prevent f1ood- Page 5526 ing-especially with the single-speed pumps. Basically, with the pump operating, you should lean, if necessary. to attain the same fuel flow you would expect to see for any given power setting with the pump not operating. The POH calls this "lean as required." Note that as you change throttle setlings the amount of leaning will also change when the boost pump is opera!ing. Unfortunately, we don't always explain this situation well enough for pilots to know what to expect should they have to fly with the pump operating.- P 855 burning odor on takeoff Steve Dean Gilmer, TeX~lS control instruction, yo ur local FSDO is the place to apply. On your Baron, it sounds like it could be the gear mOlar. It could be engine exhaust or oil breather fumes brought in by ai r turbulence through the vent system. Also, check your nose wheel and nose gear retract rod "boot" at the rear of the wheel well for signs of the tire rubbing. One member reports using one of the products used to make your tires nice and shiny created an odor when the nose tire rubbed against the boot.-NP F33C leaking cabin door Hansen Mogens Watford, United Kingdom cabin door is leaking quite a Q: I read in the magazine something bitQ:at theMy lower right comer. This door about a requirement for waiver for giv- ing biennial flight reviews and dual in- struction in Bonanzas with single control wheels. Can you clarify? How do I get a waiver? I've been flying as a eFT in single-wheel Bonanzas si nce 1963. Regarding my B55 Baron, on every takeoff since the beginning of summer I have detected the faint odor of burning or overcooking. I thought at first it was the extreme heat we were having this summer with so many days in excess of 105 F. After the weather cooled off. I could still smell it. It happens when I retract the gear on takeoff. I have not tried it to see if it smells on takeoff if I leave the gear down. When I got the AD on the electric door seal, I thought that must be the problem. However, the last two flights have been without the door seal pump turned on and the odor is still there. Next flight I'll leave the gear down and see if the ooor occurs. In all cases, the odor clears up within a minute or so after takeoff. Any ideas? A: The Flight Instructor's waivers ap- ply to FAR 91.109a requiring dual controIs for flight instruction except in some situations. FAR 61.56 flight review (biennial) also calls for one hour of fli ght instruction. There is inconsistency among the FSDO regions as to how the ruling is to be interpreted. We are aware of Flight Instructors being violated for conducting BFRs with a single wheel. Check your local FSDO for their interpretation. If they say it is OK to use single wheel, get it in writing and send us a copy. If you want a wa iver for si ngle- Page 5527 does not have a pin in this position. The door has some movement when lifted at (he lower right, and pins seem worn in hinges. Please advise how I should correct this problem. A: If the trai ling edge of the open door can be lifted with visible forward motion of the upper hinge where it attaches to the fuse lage, then I would think you need a repair of the door hinge pins. There may be a noticeable difference in the amount of wear, depending on whether the door is completely open or only open an inch or so. You may also have evidence of wear on the upper cabin door frame and the door trailing edge where the door is rubbing on the door frame due to excessive saggi ng. This type of wear is becoming more evident as the fleet ages and varies in degree. The result is an ill-fitting door with air and water leaks. One case of in-flight upper door hinge failure was recently reported. Fortunately, the door remained on the aircraft despite pulling away from the door several inches at the top. Hinge andior hinge pin replacement is a quite involved and time consuming procedure that should be accomplished by an experienced shop familiar with the process.-NP 855 propeller overhaul Douglas James Edina, Minnesota Q :I have three-blade Hartzell props on my Baron and am having them overhauled. I have noticed that when the engi nes stop the props stop 180 degrees apart. One engine stops with one blade straight up and the other engine stops with one blade straight down. Is this normal or should I have the props reinstalled differenlly? Also, they informed me that it was probably no more expensive to exchange the Woodward governors than to rebuild them. Any advice would be appreciated. ( A: The props may be improperly installed. The shop manual gi ves guidance on installatio n. The No. I blade should be over the TC mark (top center) on the crankshaft flange. This resul ts in one blade stopping in the "vertically up" posi tion. Sometimes in trying to resolve persistent vibration problems, some mechanics will reposition a propeller in an effort to achieve a smoother running engine. This results in the engine stopping with one blade "vertically down." I have seen the governors cost from $300 10 $1,300 to rebuild. The number of parts and the technica l updates required greatly affect the overhaul costs.-NP Locking gas caps Daniel). Neal Maracaibo, Venezuela Q: Many years ago I became a member of the ABS. Through your periodical I was able to locate a manufacturer of locking gas caps for my BE-58. Do you have the address of a current manufacturer of locking gas caps for aircraft? r A: Locking fuel cap sets are available from Performance Aero (800-200-3 141 ) or Email (Performance @KCTERA.net). In addition to their ad in the ABS Maga:ille, you may visit their website at http:/ /www.bonanza.orglperformance.-NP 833 water in the fuel tank Cary Goodwin Brewster, Massachusetts Q: Perhaps you might shed some light on a "water at the bottom of the fuel tester" problem. My B33 (1963, SN CD66 1, N50WL) provides me with approx imately one-half inch of water (and on occasion, sediment) in the first fuel sample drawn from the left wi ng tank. The airplane is hangared and the tanks are kept at least three-fourths full at all times. The most puzzling aspect of thi s problem is that it's not only happening at the flfst fuel test of the day, but water wi ll also appea r after an hour-long flight to a nearby ai rport when a sam pl e is ABS January 1999 r taken before the next takeoff. Once the first sample is drawn, discarded and a second sample taken, the water is no longer present and we get a clean test. Upon landing a short time later, when another sample is drawn, the water re-appears. Always the same amount, always only the left tank. Do you have any suggesti ons? The airplane is going in soon for an annual and I just thought I'd run it by you first. A: Condensation can cause water in the fuel sample even in a hangared airplane. Otherwise. we suspect leaking fuel cap seals. The aircraft moving in fUght or on the ground can move water to the sump drain that you couldn't reach before. This can be due to wrinkles in the fuel cell. Some Cessnas require rocking the aircraft after the first sample and then resampling. Check the condition of the outer fuel cap O-ring seal plus the small seal on the center shaft of the cap locking mechanism. If these are cracked and worn, you have probably found the source of the contamination. Also, check the cap adjustment to assure it is tight enough to seat properly.-NP M35 nose tire inflation Mike Link Simpsonville, South Carolina Q: A placard located on the right nose wheel well door of my M35 (Serial D6192) indicates the nose wheel tire should be inflated to 30 psi. However, the latest revi sion of the Pilot 's Operating Handbook for the M35 indicates the nose tire inflation pressure on Serials D5986 and after should be 40 psi. What is the correct pressure for a 5.00 x 5 nose wheel tire installed on an M35 ? A36 annual inspection Bud Kamman Atlanta, Georgia Q: I am looking for someone to do an annual on my 1985 A36. I would like to locate someone within abo ut 50-100 miles of Atlanta, Georgia. to alleviate ferry problems. Any suggest ions? A: Members have spoken well of Wayne Parks at WHP Aviation, in Monroe, Georgia (770-267-2343). Also mentioned were Bob Ripley, Southern Aero Services, Inc., Griffin , Georgia, (770229-2563), Lowe Aviation in Macon, Georgia (9 12-78-3491) and, in Mobile, Alabama, John Wimpee, Gulf Coast Aviation (334-433-0831 ).-NP M35 annual in Seattle Bruce Burris Enumclaw, Washington g: I recently purchased a 1960 M35 an am looking for a local Seattle area mechanic or FBO to perform the annual. I would appreciate any recommendation or information you could provide. A: We have heard good reports co n- cerning Galvin Flying Service (206 7627242). Ask for John Dominick.-NP A33 starter problems Ron Miller Monticello, Illinois Q: I am ha vi ng problems starting the engIne. it doesn't seem to want to turn over even after replacing the battery and ground strap and checking for current draw when the airplane is completely shut down . The original generator is still in place. I thought I would rebuild the generator or replace with an STC alter- lay that isn ' t corroded, one would suspect the starter. Looking for a big voltage drop while attempting to start the engine is also a good indication the starter may be bad. The alternator STCs available for your aircraft are 60 amp. from lnterav (210344-2785) and 70 amp. from National (800-713- 1111 ).-NP Life jacket and raft rental John Hinshaw Frankfort, Indiana Q: A: Several Florida FBOs Is there some place in Florida that rents approved life vests and rafts? at international airports offer these and other services. Some wi ll also help you fill out your international night plans and customsJimmigration paper work. ABS member Ron Vickrey recommends Ft. Pierce Air Center (800-446-7830) at the Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County Airport. They are experts on providing information for nights to the Bahamas. U.S . Customs and a restaurant are located adjacen t to the FBO and air traffic is usually much lighter than at some other 10calions. Another option is FBO, Banyan Air Service (954-491 -3170) at Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport. Survival Products (954-966-7329) sells and rents equipment and is located near the Hollywood North Perry Airport.-NP G35 electric propeller Paul Daniels Ashland, Kentucky ( ) : I am considering purchasing a on the STC or any other suggestion on my starting problem? 1~6 Bonanza. This plane is equipped with an electric fixed-pitch prop. I would like to know your feelings on this. I have heard good and bad on the electric props and would like to ask someone who knows what they are talking about. How well does the engine crank when the battery is charged and what is the current draw when cranking? Mac, Snap-On and APA have little current induction ammeters that are good for troub leshooting these problems. What Over the years, this has proved to be a very reliable and rugged propeller with very few service problems. More than 4,800 were installed as standard eq ui pment on Bonanzas between 19471956 with many still in use today. As long two weeks or so. Aircraft tires do not sys tem voltage do you maintain with the as it's operating smooth ly and main- maintain pressure as well as your auto- engine running ? It should be 13.75 to 14.25 volts at a 1500 - 2000 rpm, while carrying a normal electrical load. If it doesn 't crank normally with a battery that is in good condition and full y charged, a good ground and a starter re- A: My reference shows 30 pounds on the mains and 40 pounds on the nose tire for the M35. Other models may vary. This same tire carries 48-52 Ibs. on some Barons. These recommendations have changed for many models since they were built or from the values shown in earlier versions of the POH. All of us should check tire press ures against the POH recommendation every mobile tires and thus require frequent checks. It is not uncommon lO see aircraft preparing for takeoff with grossly underinflated tires--especially the nose tire. This leads to unnecesary wear.- NP ABS January 1999 nator. Do you have a recommendation A: A: tained properly (250-hour pitCh change bearing lubrication and overhaul as re- quired), it 's a good prop. However, as with many other devices that have been out of production for many years, it is becoming more Page 5528 difficult to locate parts and propeller shops with the experience to properl y service these propellers. The ABS CD-ROM contai ns many lengthy articles addressing the care and operation of the electric propeller.-NP A36 navcom antenna joseph Fischetti Southold, New York Q: [ wi ll be painting my aircraft in the coming months. I would like to remove the "boomerang" naveom antenna from the top of the aircraft and replace it with a less obtrusive type. I have been told by some radio shops that I cannot use the new fi n-type antennas without reskinning the vertical stabili zer. One radio shop says they can use the Cessna "cat's whiskers"-type antenna on my aircrafl, while yet another shop says these will not work. They recomm end the "towel bar" type. I do not want to compromise the current quality of reception for cost, but I still have a budget. A: The "towel bar" antenna is better than the "cat's whiskers." The fi n types are very good, but do need more reinforcement to support the installation. A reputable avionics shop wi th Beech experience would be able to successfully install any of the three and still ensure good reception . Raytheon (5 16-7530500) or Jet Aviation (617-274-0030) should be able to provide additional information .-NP Model 33 panel lights james Wright Howell, Michigan Q: My Debonair on ly has the overhead panel lights. 1 am looking for options to install some more direct panel lights. One option is a new product called FibreLite, which is a fiber optic ribbon installed in a bezel that fits between the instrument and the panel. Each instrument is connected to a si ngl e shared 12124 volt light source through a fiber optic cable. A kit to light eight instruments costs $2 15. The problem is that both the product and the company marketing it are new. The owner has installed the product on his C-I72 and is working with hi s A&P and the local FSDO to get a 337 approved. He has no plan s to pursue STCs for other makes at this time bePage 5529 cause of the cost. My A&P says that the 337 route with no STC to base it on is a tough row to hoe with the FAA . What wo uld you advise? A: 1 agree with your mechanic that some FSDOs are reluctant to approve 337s without more data. Of course, using TSO' d eyebrow lights wi th the appropriate wiring and circuit breaker are an option but can be expensive. Sporty's (800-543-8633) has a little Swivelite, item #9833 A for $24.95 that uses a lithium battery. It requires no paper work and works well.-NP B58 Baron seat belts Daniel Dunn Scott City, Kansas Q: 1 am searching for suppliers of shoulder harnesses for my 1970, B5 8 Baron. If you have that info, I would sure a~preciate it. A: Safety Ltd. (630-584-9366) offers one option but the installation req uires field approval. It's best to discuss in advance wi th your IA and local FSDO to assure they will issue an appro val. The Raytheon factory sells approved kits, PIN 58-5009-9P, Service Bulletin 203 1, Revision II, 58-5009-3P and 58-5005-1 P dependent upon which seats the installation is to be made.-NP B55 ignition noise Keith Knowlton Brooklyn, Connecticut Q: 1 have been plagued for years with igrution noise getting into the radio stack th rough the tachometer generator wiring. 1t has happened on both engines, and onl y when the electrical connectors and mouming screws are absolutely tight does the problem go away. We have replaced both the Cannon plug connectors on the tach generators and the ones on the cables. We have also contri ved ways to enhance the safety wiring to help keep them tigh t but , with vibration, th ey loosen ever so sl ightl y and the noise is back. If they are just a bit looser, the noise gets so bad that you cannot receive anything and all the marker beacon lights light up! On a trip to Florida, [had to transmit blind to NY center on 12 1.5 and tell them 1 had radio failure and where 1 was going to land . 1 then landed, removed the tach generator electrical cable and con- tinued to Florida without incident. We have al so replaced the generators, but the problem is the normal staccato of ignition wi ring and changes with the mag selected as well as the manifold pressure and mi xture on the engi ne. Any thought would be welcome as well as hearing that someone else has seen this happen. A: We' ll publish to see if anyone has better ideas but it sounds like plain and simpl e shielding problems to me. Grounds and bonding may not be good throughout the airplane.-NP V35B chrome parts joe Kremp Washington, Indiana Q: Could you help me locate a source for a new or remanufactured chrome pitot tube as well as for the chrome masts, front and rear, for the ADF antenna? This is for a 1970 V35B. A: American Aero, 800-359-6673, is one source offering rechroming service on pi tot tubes, masts, steps and various other items.-NP G35 E-series engine overhaul f Steve Espolt Kingfisher. Oklahoma Q: I live in central Oklahoma and I am quickl y approaching a major on engi ne and electric prop. 1 have talked to a few shops in the Tulsa, Oklahoma, area. My concern stems from reading your colunm and the emphasis you place on the correct rebui Id of the accessory case. When talking to the local shops, they tell me "It 's only an engine. They are all the same." This concerns me in that they don't share your veiwpoint.1 am requesting any shops that you wo uld recommend in my area or otherwise to perform the major on my E-series engine. Also, any propeller shops in my area that you would recommend for major on the Beech electric propeller. 1 was told a couple years ago that [ would need to rplace the blades. A: For propeller overhaul, 1 suggest you contact U.S. Propeller Service (800749-7767) and Ottosen Propeller (602275-85 14). For E-series engine overhaul, check out Poplar Grove Airmotive (800397-8 181 ), Cal Aero West (818-9977390) and Mont y Barrett (9 18-8351089). -NP ABS Ja nuary 1999 I Model 36 wing tip strobes David Pendleton Rockdale, Texas ( ) : I recently installed wi ngt ips from a~91 A36 with an STC. The wingtips have a strobe, position light and a halogen recognition light that are 24 volts. However, my 1968 BE36 is 12 volt. We found a 12-volt position light but have had problems fi nding a 12-volt halogen lamp to substitute in the Grimes recognitionlamp. Additionally, what is needed to connect the strobes (G rimes)? A: The 24-volt recognition light was probably a I982175W and was considered a logo light. A type 1940 may be similar in shape and rating in 12 volt. but less wattage. The strobes generally need separate cables, power suppl y and power ci rcuitry. You may be able to find components at salvage yards such as Dodson (800-255-0034) or White (800-8217733). That wo uld entail a separate approval process on a 337. A36 inspections Neel Hipp Greenville, South Carolina Q: Thanks for your ideas about our plane. 2327 A. We just had the annual in pection done by Dave Rowl at Raytheon ICT. We have had good luck with his work, and I believe he did a good job again. In future planning, we will probably fly no more than several hundred hours per year. This first year we did 100-hour inspections plus the annual. Do you think that doing 1000hour inspections are critical for a plane we do not fly commercially as long as we get a really good and thorough annual inspection? A: I believe that 300 to 500 hours is too long to go wi thout inspection and servici ng on a complex airplane. Thi s much fl ying activity is considerably more than most general aviation aircraft and would warrant consideration of an informal phased inspection. Some items may still be accomplished once a year while others. such as the landing gear, fuel injectors, spark pl ugs, filters, battery, brakes, etc. shou ld be done at recommended intervals. Al so, some ADs need to be complied with on an operating Lime basis which could occur prior to your next annual. Raytheon does have an alternate inspection plan with sheets and schedu le available through their dealers. You should discuss this with Dave and determine if it would serve your needs.-NP Oil in Model 36 alternator Michael Bland Overland, Missouri Painting magnesium surfaces John Omelia, AVOIl, Massachusetts Q: What is the procedure for treating a magnesi um surface after it has been stripped of all the paint? I am aware of a recipe for mixing chemicals, but I'm sure that in this high-tech world there is an easier method. A: Some years ago Norm Colvin recommended Dow 19, which has since been classified as a hazardous material. Magnadyne is an approved prod uct and is easier and cheaper to use. It is available from Aircraft Spruce (800-824-1930) and other paint suppl y sources.-NP ( ) : I ha ve an IO-520-BA engine with t~restolite alternator. The inside of the fabric alternator cooling exhaust duct is covered wi th engine oil. My mechanic does not seen concerned about this, but I worry about oil getting on the brushes and possible alternator failu re. Do I need to replace the alternator to eliminate thi s problem , or can a seal be replaced? Can any certified mechanic replace th is seal? [really appreciate your help on previous questions. A: I agree with you and wou ld want to know if engine oil is coming through the alternator. If it is the alternator dri ve seal. NEIL'S NOTES Beech 215 prop pitch change bearing failures We've had recent occurrences of Beech 215 prop pitch change bearing failures. These have been from lack of attention to lubrication. While the 250-hour greasing requirement is val id. flight hour-wise. if you are not flying a lot, it will be worthwh ile to have it greased ann ually or biannually. Grease is a filler material with a lubricating oil in it. That oil can dry out or separate over time and leave you with just the filler. which isn' t a good lubricant. This also happens when yo u store grease guns hanging up. We need to preserve the old parts through care as there are few replacements of the old systems. ABS Jan uary 1999 1 would exchange the alternator or have it rebuilt. I wouldn ' t try changing the seal in the field. Aircraft Systems (815-3990225) B&S (3 16-264-2397), Aircraft Accessories (800-255-9924) and EMI (800-851-4392) are all sources for alternator repair.-NP Neil Pobanz, ABS technica l co nsu ltant, is a retired U.S. Army civilian pilot and maintenance manager. Neil has been an A&P and IA for 40 years. Glen "Arky" Foulk, whose business is Delta Strut, is an A8S assistant technical consultant who has served as a part-time A8S Service Clinic inspector since 1988. Please send your questions and/or tips and techniques to: American Bonanza Society Attn: Neil Pobanz P.O. Box 12888 Wichita, KS 67277 Fax 316-945-1710 or e-mail at [email protected] When are Airworthiness Directives issued? We've received some correspondence with concerns about how many occurrences are required before the FAA issues an Airworthiness Directive. Usually the writer has operated a like item without problems. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 39 says that an Airworthiness Directi ve will be issued when an unsafe condition exists in a product and that condition is likely to ex ist or develop in other products of the same type design. Of course, there is a significantl y more detailed process to implement this CFR. (It used to be FAR but was changed to CFR because Federal Aviatioll Regulation confl icted wi th Federal Acquisirioll Regulation when abbreviated.) We will research both common practice and implementing orders and present the results in future issues. Page 5530 Sealing the Gaps BY GEORGE WILHELMSEN I fyou look at the wings of your Bonanza, you will see smooth skin, interrupted by the heads of rivets or the occasional, flush-mounted screw, which all dim in comparison to the tie down lug on each wing. That appearance is maintained until you reach the control surfaces where large gaps (relatively speaking) exist between the ailerons and wing and the flap and wing areas. These gaps are designed to allow the controls to move freely, but this feature comes at a price. Since the gap exists, small amounts of air can slip through the gaps, causing a loss of airspeed. In low speed operations, these gaps result in mushy controls, which pilots compensate for by maintaining higher approach speeds. With this in mind, doing something like seal ing these gaps could result in better low speed performance, reduced drag for improved cruise speed, and even better control in turns. Naturally, Beech originally designed and tested gap seals on the Bonanza line in the early years, but abandoned their springloaded versions due to a number of technical issues, which included ice-binding of the controls. Since that time, other companies have gone on to improve the Bonanza airframe. Beryl D'Shannon, largely considered the pre-eminent modification expert on the Bonanza and Baron line, went away from the original spring-loaded concept, and instead used space age materials such as Teflon to line their gap seals and prevent icing. New stinger-style tailcone with wings Page 5531 Pieces and strips Looking at the Beryl D'Shannon gap seal system, it is simple ( to understand how it works. From the top of the wing, a small fairing is added to each side, just above the point where the nap ends at the fuselage. This keeps air from slipping through the slot between the nap and the fuselage during cruise night, and by doing so, reduces drag. From the bottom of the wing, there are thin, formed strips of aluminum, with their contact surfaces lined with Teflon. These strips close the gap on the underside of the wing between the trailing edge of the wing and the leading edge of the control surface. The net result of these changes is less bypass air flow in cruise and notably more at slow speeds, which improves cruise and low speed controllability. A short scallop of aluminum, and another strip along the edge of the flap as it meets the fu selage complete the gap seal installation. These pieces act to keep air from slipping through the gap between the edge of the flap and the fuselage. Since this work was performed on a Debonair, a fiberglass Mike Smith stinger-style tail cone was installed. This taileone, the design and STC of which had been recently purchased and placed back into production by D'Shannon, had short, winglike extensions that matched the cutout of the elevator well. This mod is available for the V-tail and Baron models, along with other straight-tail Bonanza and Debonair models. Installation Notes Installation of gap seals isn't hard to do, but will require that the ailerons on the plane be removed. While you have the ailerons off, it is always a good time to check their condition and replace, if warranted, the various rod ends in the aileron system. Another important point of note is rigging. It would be an excellent idea to have your plane rigged prior to installing the gap seals. One key reason lies in how the upper flap seal is installed on the fuselage. The component is not slotted, so any changes in rig will require that the piece be removed and re-installed in a slightly different orientation in order to maintai n the slight pressure on the seal. In the case of the optional taileone, the weight of the cone must be considered. This taileone is 1.5 pounds heavier than the original, and as a result, may result in aft CG problems on planes that do not have sufficient envelope. As such, it is important to check CG and the impact the taileone change will have on the airframe CG. Apart from these points, installation is simple, and can be accomplished by just about any shop with a decent A&P on staff. The ABS January 1999 r D'Shannon gap seals are STC'd, which makes the paperwork fairly simple as well. The gap seals in themselves weigh very little. and since they are oriented at the trailing edge of the wing for the most pan, they have almost no impact on the aircraft CG apan from the tailcone installation mentioned above. Flight testing results After flying with D'Shannon gap seals for nearly two years, I have noted a number of interesting points. The typical cruise airspeed of my Debonair has increased by arou nd two knots, whi ch is certainly a welcome change in a plane that burns 17 1..._--':::..._ _ _ _ _...; Underside view of flap to fuselage seal Aileron and flap sea ls gallons per hour with the 10-550 cranking out 75 percent power. D'Shannon does nOl claim any speed increases for their gap seal kit, so thi s was a pleasant surprise. In the low speed arena, the Debonair, which had previously been a real challenge, has become more docile and controllable. At points where a wing might have dipped on a stall in the past, the plane drops straight and true. that is, when I can get it to stall. The gap seal s. which are installed on my Debonair in conjunction with D' Shannon vortex generators, made power-on stalls pretty much non-existent. One of my favorite biannual flight review rituals is 10 spend around 10 minutes trolling around at minimum controllable airFlap to seal speed. In any plane. this can be a challenge, but with the gap seal equipped Debonair, the only fatigue I felt was in my legs Glow and AlumiGrip, as all have a hard, high luster surface from maintaining full right rudder to offset the prop P factor. that should work well with the Teflon edges of the gap seals. The plane remai ned controllable at speeds below stall, and the Overall, the results of the flight testing show improved low aileron authority was excellent throughout the range of slow speed performance, a slight improvement in cruise speed, and a general improvement in stability for the Debonair that was flight. which included left and right 360-degree turns. In the area of lFR fli ghts, there was little change that was tested. It was clear that the biggest benefit in terms of flight cost reduction would be in the cruise speed. Over the course of noted. No control sticking has been encountered after two years of service, which included several trips through clouds and at an ave rage Ioo-hour-year of flying , thi s would be expected to save about 1.4 hours of fli ght time, which translates to around least two trips where ici ng conditions were encountered and immediately exited. If anything, the plane seemed to be less $50 in Avgas at a fuel consumption rate of 17 gallons per hour. While this ignores the second, more difficult to quantify value jumpy in turbulence, and slightly more responsive to control in improved safety, it was demonstrated that gap seals improve inputs during flight. the low speed performance capability of the Bonanza. Gi ven these facts, gap seals are something that should be considered Two- year inspection and review if you are looking for increased economy and improved low After two years time in service, there is one small abrasion speed performance.For more information , con tact Beryl point on the existing lacquer enamel paint on one aileron . It D'Shannon at 800-328-4629. should be noted that the paint on my Debonair rates a Bille Book 3 score, which means that it is thin, and if you are closer ASS member George Wilhelmsen is a Senior System Engineer with an SRO license with ComEdo He has more than 700 hours, is a comthan 100 feet away, it looks pretty bad. I would expect better mercial instrument rated pilot, and is a con tributing editor for Plane performance from the latest paint types, including Imron, Jet & Pilot magazine and Avionics News. ASS January 1999 Page 5532 Aeromedical certification BY JACK HASTINGS, MD. A common source of worry for pilots, parti cularl y as we grow older, is loss of airman medical certification. Pilots, though by and large healthy, are not immune to illness and, like our airplanes, the ravages of time. Most who fly do so with a passion, and the threat of medical disqualification is no small mailer. Fortunately for pilots in the United States, allowing aeromedical certification is emphasized and fi nal denials are rare. The FAA processed some 437.457 airman medical certificate applications in 1997. Of these, there were 3,059 denials by the FAA (0.7 percent). Of these 3,059 applicants, 2,714 did not provide information requested by the FAA for further consideration. The remaining 345 were final denials (0. 1 percent). Denial of certification in the United States is far less common than in other countries. where flying is treated more as a privilege than an individual right. Many airmen who once were disqualified can now obtain airman medical cer- Out of 437,457 airman medical certificate applications in 1997, there were 3,059 denials (0.7 percent). 2,714 applicants did not provide information requested by the FAA. The remaining 345 were final denia ls (0. 1 percent). Denial of certification in the United States is far less common than in other countries . tification. Myocardial infarction (hean attack) once was permanently disqualifying. In 1997, there were well over 2,000 airmen flying who have had hean attacks. In that same year, there were more than 2,300 flying with a history of coronary artery bypass surgery and more than 1,400 who have had an angioplasty (a balloon procedure to dilate the arteries to the heart). More than 100 insulin-dependent diabetics are now fl ying in the United States, the onl y country in the world allowing certification of insulin-dependent diabet- Suggestions for efficient and painless renewal of airman medical certificate All/icipate Ihe quesTiolls the FAA might ask if your medical status has changed. Obtain the records of your condition. Di scuss the situation with your aviation medical examiner (AME) before you go in for an exam. Obtain assistance and advice so that you can carry all necessary records when you visit your AME for your flight physical. Take persollal charge of gathering your records and following up. YOli have the greatest illferest in your cenification. You want to fly tomorrow, and your specialist or other physician may not share your degree of enthusiasm. Don' t assume that others will share your sense of urgency and concern. • Document YOllr medical condition and its treatment. The single greatest obstacle to a certification decision by the FAA is lack of documentation. Try to provide as complete a record as possible so that endless cycles of correspondence (each Page 5533 consuming one or more months) are not required to tease out sufficient information for a certification decision. GaTher YOllr records. This is pan of documentation. Always read carefu lly what the FAA wants when they send you a letter. Provide all information requested and make sure it is within the propertime frame. (A stress test done to years ago may not be relevan!.) • Aeromedical cerTificarioll is The respollsibility of The FM. Your specialist or primary care physician may render an opinion, but is not the final authority regarding aeromedical certification. Sillgle package plallllillg. If at all possible, assemble all needed medical data in one package. If your AME can send the records along with your certification application, all the better. If records are sent piecemeal. delays may occur while each piece of information finds its way to your medical record. ABS January 1999 r Aeromedical assistance program On another note, other aviation organizations have developed aeromedical assistance programs. The AOPA has an aeromedical department headed by Gary Crump. The EAA has an Aeromedical Advisory Program. a medical advisory council and a cadre of volunteer EAA aeromedical advisors. Medical forums have been popular at our annual ABS meetings in reics. There are more than 1.400 airmen with a history of alcoholism who have been rehabil itated and are now flying . And there are more than 3,000 monocular (one-eyed) pilots now flying . If an airman has a disqualifying condition, he or she may be able to fly under a "Special Issuance" provision, which allows fl ight despite the condition as long as it can be monitored. In 1997, there were 6,23 I special issuances, representing about 1.4 percent of all applicants. As expected, the most common reason for denial of aeromedical certification involves cardiovascular disease, including hypertension, a disease of the coronary arteries supplying the heart and hean valve disorders. Neurologic disorders, including seizures, fa inting and strokes rank second, with numerous other general medical conditions ranking third. It is estimated that approximately fi ve aviation accidents per year are related to medical factors, most commonly cardiac conditions and most commonl y involving general aviation ai rmen. If an airman has a condi tion that causes a snag in the certificati on process, frustrating delays may be encountered whi le things are sorted out. Much of the problem is logistical. The FAA Aeromedical Certification Branch in Oklahoma City receives about 39,000 applications per month or roughl y 2,000 a day. Some 50-55 percent are rejected by the computer for defi ciencies of one sort or another, and require "hand working" by FAA personnel. Some erro rs are common omissions on the form, others unnecessary deferrals by tbe aviati on medical examiner and still others incor- cent years. I would like to invite comment from the readership as to their interest in aeromedical activities within the ABS. Would a medical column with questions and answers be of interest? Are periodic articles desired? Should the ABS explore an advisory program enl isting the support of ABS members who are AMEs and might be will ing to support an advisory program for its members? Should we contin ue the medical forum at the annual meetings or add other acti vities? Please give these mailers your consideration and send your tho ughts to ABS Headquarters. Your interest will provide guidance for ABS aeromedical activities. Let us hear from you. feet issuance. This paperwork burden on FAA personnel limited by budgetary constraints can result in lengthy and frustrating delays for the airman while his or her case is be ing deci ded. Delays of several months or more are not uncommon. Hopefull y, by stayi ng healthy we can avoid problems with aeromedical certification. evertheless, some of us wi ll develop medical conditions which will arouse the interest of the FAA at the time of our next medical examination. Although the process sounds rather form idable. in reality, it is not diffic ult. Just ask yourself what any prudent physician wou ld want to know about your condition in determini ng your fitn ess to fl y, gather that informati on, wo rk with your AME in assembling a package that will provide sufficient infonnation to the FAA and send it off. As you can see by the statistics, most decisions are favorable. Jack Hastings, M.D., is a senior consultant to the Federal Air Surgeon. He has been an aviation medical examiner since 1976 and has taught neurological aspects of aviation medicine for the FAA since 7978. He is chairman of the EAA Aeromedical Advisory Coun· cil and president of the Civil Aviation Medi· BPPP Inc. Schedule for 1999 Bonanzas/Barons/Travel Airs at all locations. Subject to change. DATE Jan. 22-24 Feb. 19-21 Mar. 5-7 Apr. 9- 11 Apr. 23-25 May14-16 June 4-6 June 25-27 Sept. 17-19 Oct. 1-3 Oct. 22-24 Nov. 5-7 PHASE CUTOFF DATE Phoenix (Deer Valley) Ariz. Orlando, Fla. Initial/Recu rrent Austin, Texas Initial/Rec urrent Dec. 21, 1998 Jan. 29 Feb. 5 Mar. 25 Mar. 22 Apr. 12 May 13 May 18 Aug. 26 Sept. 14 Oct. 14 Oct. 14 LOCATION Fresno, Calif. Columbus, Ohio St. Paul, Minn. Spokane, Wash. Colorado Springs, Colo. little Rock, Ark. Nashua, N.H. Fresno, Calif. Greensboro, .c. Initial/Recurrent Initial/Recurrent Initial/Recurrent Initial/Recurrent Initial/Recurrent Mountain flying Initial/Recurrent Initial/Recurrent Initial/Recurrent Initial/Recurrent Cockpit Companion Course available at all locations except Colorado Springs. Call ABS Headquarters to make arran!bements to attend: 316 -9451700. Or sign up via the ABS we site: ww.bonanza.org. cal Associatiofl. ABS January 1999 Page 5534 BOM, continued from page 5520 the aircraft, changing colors with the direction of the sunlight. When we painted IYR, we had an opportunity to change the UN" number. However, Graham and I decided the number was very appropriate, meaning to us our first year in a Bonanza. The interior was complete ly refurbi shed by James Anderson, owner of Georgia Aircraft Interiors. The refurbishment included removing the cloth seat covering and replacing the foam and covering with glove-soft taupe-colored leather. James constructed and covered the headrest frames. He recommended covering the plastic trim pieces in leather as opposed to replacing them, something that could be done for less money. This included covering the ram's horn yoke, which is an especiaUy nice feature. The headliner was replaced in ultra leather. James took the time to polish the old paint from the interior door frames of both the cabin door and large baggage door, again adding hjs custom interior touch. Wanting to eliminate the need for heavy headsets, l had James remove all of the old insulation. He adhered a special soundproofing dampening made of dense foam with aluminum backing (EAR's C320 125ALPSA) to the inner sidewalls of the cabin. The factory insulation was replaced with two-inch-thick plastic-bagged insulation. I highly recommend this procedure. With new door and window seals. sound- proofing and insulation, passengers on N IYR don't need headsets. While talking with ATC, I use the Telex Airman 750 that is feather light. The plastic sealed insulation was a good idea. To my dismay, 1 discovered the cabin leaked when left overnight in the rain. I have to pressure-silicon seal the windows from the outside to prevent any more leaking. At least 1 know my insulation wasn't ruined. I can' t say enough good things about the "show stopper" interior job by Georgia Aircraft Interiors. Not for one single tenth of a tach hour has there been any regrets with buying N I YR. The Bonanza is the most superior all-around aircraft in its class that I' ve flown. During the time we have had N I YR, an effort has been put forth to squeeze out the most knots possible. Operating the aircraft at 2400 rpm and at 7,OOO-feet density altitude, our GPS claims we have a TAS of 176 knots (calm day, two 10mile flights in opposite directions added and divided by two). NI YR has a speed kit that seals the ai lerons and flaps gap. The rotating beacon (replaced with a three-poi nt strobe) and flying wing antenna have been replaced. We also have spent extensive time on wing jacks adjusting the cowl flaps and main and nose wheel doors fit. The prop has been dynamically balanced and the injectors replaced with GAMls. Also, the rigging of the ai rcraft is close to perfect. Although no one single modification for speed was exceptionally noticeable, together there must have been a synergistic effect for what I believe is a respectable cruise speed. In my quest, [ even removed the step, but later decided it wasn 't worth it and re-installed it. N IYR was purchased from Jack Wall Aviation at Memphis International. Jack is an old ag pilot. My fust flight was a solo departure from Memphis' Class B airspace. I flew directly to a friend's ag strip to make my first landing. As all Bonanza pilots should know, it was a piece of cake. Since June 1996, Graham and I have logged more than 600 hours in NI YR. The aircraft has flown to Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, Canada, west to the Rockies, Mexico, through all the states in the Southeast and parts of the Northeast. Although I' ve been fl ying ag for 25 years, l' ve never owned an aircraft with enough equipment to fly IFR. In April of last year, I earned an IFR rating after all these years of fl ying coast-to-coast VFR. With more than 300 hours since that rating and NIYR, the joy in flying has returned. Although my job requires me to perform solo evaluation fli ghts in single-seat agricultural aircraft, rangi ng from small 235 HP to 16,000 pounds-plus gross weight aircraft powered by a single 1,300 shp turboprop, there is sti ll a great deal of satisfaction in flying-and watching Graham fly-N I YR. - Bill Lavender, Perry, Georgia EQUIPMENT LIST 1975 V35B N1 YR Century IV autopi lol/flight director NSD-360 slaved HSI S-Tec yaw dampener coupled with Carmin 300 CPS GAMljectors G&D Aero windows WX900 BFG stormscope KMA-20 audio panel K-65A DME KT76 transponder KR85 ADF Davtron Mall B chronograph $igtronics SPA-400 four-place intercom plug Six-probe EGT Speed Kit APU Rosen sunvisors Page 5535 ABS January 1999 Oxygen alert: Evidence suggests need to revise FAA regulations on use of oxygen BY ITZHAK JACOBY W hile FAA standards now require pilots to use supplemental oxygen above 12.500 feet, recent evidence I and others have gathered suggests that the maximum altitude level pilots should fly without supplemental oxygen should be lowered. This preliminary evidence was acquired by monitoring oxygen levels in fl ight at various altitudes while testing pilot response time, accuracy, and memory in the cockpit. The results indicate a sharp decline in blood oxygen levels beginning at about 9.000 feet with significant impact on pilot decision-making and performance. In this era, as pilots perform more as information managers than just manipulators of flight controls, the need 10 prevent oxygen deprivation has become a critical component of flight planning. The study I am carrying out i documenting cognitive deficits found at 10,000 to 12,500 feet without use of supplemental oxygen. The research uses standardized tests developed for monitoring astronauts on the space shuttle. One test, known as SCAT (Spaceflight Cognitive Assessment Tool), identifies cognitive deficits relevant to programming with a GPS, managing the function s of an autopilot, or dealing with a complex ATC environment. We are also measuring blood oxygen levels using a modern pul se oximetry device, which can be worn on a pilot's finger while flying . So far, most pilots' percent blood oxygen levels at 12,500 feet have been in the low 80s or high 70s, a very low level that can significantly impair cognitive abilities, as well as pose other health risks. Using supplemental oxygen restores the blood oxygen saturation 10 ap proxi mately 100 percent within 20 seconds, with concomitant dramatic improvement in SCAT scores and cognitive functions. Mike Busch, editor-in-chief of AVlVeb, ASS Janu ary 1999 Sample Profile 100 95 Qi 90 > .3 c o ~ 85 OJ 1ii en <!J 80 o 5,000 7,500 9,500 10,500 12,500 All (feel) a web-based publication, has also documented blood-oxygen levels low enough 10 impair cogniti ve functioning at altitudes that, according to FAA rules. do not require use of supplemental oxygen. Whi le I commend his work, I disagree with his publi shed recommendation that all pilots should fl y with a pulse oximeter. That action would be as nonsensical as advising all hypenensive pilots to fl y with a blood pressure monitor. While our studies are just beginning, I strongly urge pilots to adopt immediately a more conservative standard than the FAA recommends for oxygen use at high altitudes. Emerging scientific ev i- dence as well as ample anecdotal data document pilot difficulties in performing at altitudes just above 10,000 feet without using supplemental oxygen. I suggest that pilots use supplemental oxygen whenever the cabin pressure exceeds 10.000 feet during the day and 6,000 feet at night. Itzhak jacoby, Ph.D, is a professor of preventive medicine/aerospace medicine at the USUHS, and an instruc tor for the BPPp, Inc. 1999 Service Clinics-Partial Schedule DATES LOCATION FBO March 5-8 Island Aviation Fernandena Beach, Florida April 16-19 Piedmont-Hawthorne Aviation , Inc. Leesburg, Virginia May 14-17 All America n Avia tion Addison , Texas June 4-7 Aviation Classics, Inc. Reno, Nevada June 25-28 Select Aircraft Service Batavia, Ohio July 16-19 Western Aircraft Boise, Idaho Additional dates and locations pending Page 5536 Insurance BY JOHN ALLEN, PRESIDENT FALCON INSURANCE Aviation insurance industry calls for caution Most aviation safety experts, as well as insurance claims adjusters, agree that the hurry to get home pUISpilots and their passengers at a higher risk during the winter months. Many accidents occur on a Sunday while flying back home in bad weather after a beautiful weekend. All severe accidents are disturbing, but those that happen during the winter holidays can be especially difficult for the investigators. It is in these accidents the investigators and insurance adjusters find the remnants of Christmas packages along with bodies of crash victims. These accidents often are caused by poor judgment brought on by "get-homeitis." It can happen to any of us who are away from home and feel the urgent need to return. This can cause a pilot to press on into poor weather conditions when better judgment tells the pilot to wait a day or even a few hours. Federal officials, pilot groups and the aviation insurance industry are making Page 5537 every effort to both educate and remind pilots to think twice before flying into bad weather. Safety advocates hope this will help continue the downward trend in fatal accidents for general aviation. In 1997, there were 110 people killed in 57 fatal accidents attributed to weather. That compares to 290 deaths and 136 fatal accidents in 1992. Altho ugh each accident is different, a common theme is the limited amount of instrument training and experience of the pilot. Studies show the survival time for non-instrument rated pilots in instrument conditions is under three minutes. It seems that before the GPS came along, most pilots would turn around when they could not see their checkpoints along the route. Many pilots will now press on during the flight until they get into trouble. The GPS is a great tool, but it will not tell the pilot which way is up. Most pilots have made the same mistake more than once without having an accident because they were just plain lucky. At some point in their fUlUre, they may run out of airspeed, altitude, ideas and luck. Falcon Insurance is the agency (or the official ABS insurance program. John Allen may be reached at 7-800-259-4A85 (4227). THESE TIPS ARE WORTH REVIEWING Be familiar with your aircrafl.lf you are renting or borrowing an aircraft, do not wait until the day of the flight to read or refre h yourself on the Pilots Operating Handbook and logs. Make sure all instruments work properly. • Use as many weather forecasting sources as poss ibl e. Get a weather briefing that includes regional conditions in addition to your specific route. Know where the fronts are. • Have a Plan B for weather and the common sense to use it. It is better to arrive late than not • (Q arrive at all, Listen to all weather information during your flight. Ask Flight Watch [or reports from pil ots who have been where you are flying . If there are no reports, that can be a big hint about the Be conservative. Do not fly extremely long legs between airports just because your aircraft has the range. Final approach is the worst place to be overly tired. • If you are the passenger, do not be afraid to challenge the pilot who wants to press on. Don 't let someone make a bad decision that affects you, too. • File a !light plan and update your position with Flight Watch throughout the flight. • If you should fl y into heavy weatber. do not hesitate to do a 180 and get out of the situation quickly. There is no disgrace in turning back and finding a safe place to wait out the weather. • weather. ABS January 1999 ( TheABS Company Store Order Form Qil. Price AM t~ RI CAN HQNANZA sOCIETY YIDEOS . Prenight ...................... ................ ..... S 20.00 Instrument flying Video, Flying by 'he Numbers by John Eckalbar .......... ....................... ................. ........ 48.50 8.,PI) Highlights Video (Approx. 80 min.) 119.00 Sen'ice Clinic Highlights Video by Nann Colvin. 62.50 Owner Performed Maint enance ......................... 62.50 C heckMate C heck Lists 0 Bonanza 15.00 : 0 Baron 17.00 Model Scrial# _ _ _ _ _ __ THE ADS LIUBARY COl I EeTION C D-ROM Reference Library. Thiny years of the ABS Maga:ine, with search access to all words and numbers! . 69.00 A DS Magazine Sets Black & white reprints since 1967. includes onc three ri ng binder to hold back issues..... 11 5.00 Magazine 3-Ring Binder 0 White: 0 Grey: Col\'i n's Clinic by Norm Colvin. A unique collection of solutions to maintenance problems. .............................. Flying the Beech Bonanza, 2 Ed. by John C. Eckalbar... Flying High Perrormance Singles and Twins by John C. Eckalbar ................ .. The Immortal Twin Beech by Larry A. Ball .... From Tra,'el Air To Baron .. . How Beech C reated A C lassic! by Larry A. Ball .. . Those Incomparable Bonanzas by Larry Ball ...... .. They Called Me Mr. Bonanza by Larry Ball .......... . OFfiCIAl 7.00 39.95 38.50 38.50 39.95 39.95 39.95 39.95 AJ1S MEMQRAUIIIA Lapel Pins: 0 V-Tail: 0 Straight Tail: 0 Baron. 5.00 AS S Patch .... ........... ........ .............................................. 3.50 Official Luggllgc Tags .. .. ........... 1.50 each (3/$4.00) ABS Watch: 0 Ladies: 0 Men .. 35.00 Ball Caps. Navy wi th leather bill 18.00 White with navy biJI .............. 12.00 Sianketfrote. brown/beige waterproof polarfleece. ... 35.00 Umbrellas. w/ ASS logo; 0 blue: 0 blue/whi te striped. 20.00 l1.Ill1S. ASS Logo 0 ASF Logo 0 o White. red. blue; 0 .................................... 7.50 Dark Blue. Gold: 0 Black. Gold Addition of N number. model of airplane, plus your name (SPECIFY Ir-FOR~ATION 2.00 FOR MUG ) AilS ATIIBE Denim Short Slee\'e Shirts Blue Denim: 0 Forest Green; 0 Rhubarb Red: OS: 0 M; 0 L: 0 XL; 0 XXL ....................... 35.00 Denim Long Slee\'c Shirts Lt. Stone; 0 Blue Denim: 0 Forest Green; 0 Rhubarb Red: O S; 0 M; 0 L: 0 XL; 0 XX L ............................... 42.00 Two-Toned Shirts: 0 M ; 0 L; 0 XL: 0 XXL.... 48.50 o Lt. Stone; 0 o o Gn:en/Gmy; 0 Cf1lllbcrry/Gmy 3 Color Polo Shirts: 0 M: 0 L; 0 XL .. Golr Sh;'Is: 0 S: 0 M: 0 L: 0 XL: 0 XXL 48.50 27.00 o White: 0 LI. Blue: 0 Navy: 0 Red; 0 Green ARS T-Shirts: indica te size (M. L, XL, XXL) o "Old is Gold" logo, maroon w/gold design size_ 18.00 o "Fly Straight" logo. purple w/silver design size _ 18.00 size_ 15.00 • V -tail nose. cream w/navy design • " Barons are a Blast!" logo. denim blue wired/white design size _ 15.00 • Whitc w/small navy ABS logo left front sizc_ 10.00 NEW! • Youth Wh;te Tee: 0 2-4: 0 6·8: 0 10·12: 0 14·16 8.00 Limited ABS Jackel : 0 M: 0 L: 0 XL: 0 XXL .45.00 Quontit)' 0 Spruce: 0 Tan (also in small): 0 'avy (small only). U.S. PO'lage & handling $5.00 $_ __ __ Foreign postage as required $_ _ _ __ Add TOTAL $,= ======= PlroJr moil or FAX ,hiJ form .,..·ith ch«1:. or <redi, cord numlN, m · American Bonanza Society. P.O. 80x 12888 • Wichita. KS 67277 PH: 316·945·1700 • FAX : 316·945·1710 Please bill : 0 VISA 0 MasterCard or 0 Check enclosed for $ _ _ _ __ I I I I I-I I I I I-I I I I I-I I I I IExpdate __ Signature: (RequIred irUi'llJ ~1I card) _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ : s s ~ d d Name: ______________________________ ABS# _ _ __ A • _ ______________________________________________ C it y: _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ State: _ _ Z ip _ _ _ __ Shop Talk BY LYNN JENKINS Ruddervator thrust bearings and mise. service items Other problems found on recently delivered Bonanzas Is AVBLfN[J® snake oil or does it do what they claim? Correction: In the ovember issue, I stated that the direction to turn the manual gear extension handle was clockwise. That was incorrect. You need to rotate the manual gear extension crank in the counterclockwise direction. Sorry. Ruddervator thrust bearings and miscellaneous service items One of the things that I frequently have found defective in the few annuals I do is defective elevator/ruddervator thrust bearings. This seems to be an area not familiar to many mechanics and owners. On the in side of the elevator or ruddervator (the area nearest to the tail cone) is a small ball bearing thrust bearing. Over time, the bearing becomes rusted and or worn resulting in failure of the bearing. Page 5538 The way to test whether or not this bearing is serviceable is to move the elevator/ruddervator laterally. If you have any lateral motion, replacement of this bearing should be accomplished. If you do not replace the bearing, excessive wear will occur on the sides of the remaining elevator/ruddervator hinges which could cause premature hinge bracket failure. Failure ofthis bearing could also cause the elevatorl ruddervator to seize up or possibly induce flutter characteristics. This thrust bearing is much more critical on V-tails than on conventional empennage aircraft. Due to the angle of the V-tail, a downward load is exened during ruddervator travel that is not present on aircraft with conventional tails (F33, A36, etc.). Last year I told a friend of mine to replace this bearing on his F33. I usually get some flack about changing the bearing since it requires removing the tail feathers (elevator) to do so. After moaning and groaning, my friend removed the elevator at which time the bearing feU apart in his hand. He is now a believer. Another item that you might want to inspect is the scat tubing that goes from the air inlet vent located just forward of the forward ruddervator spar on V-tails (V35s etc.) to the rear bulkhead area. In several cases, I have noticed the elevator trim tension spring has rubbed through the scat tubing requiring replacement of the tubing. Since the scat tubing has a wire spring cage in it, wear could and has also occurred to the trim tension spring and required its replacement as well. On the 10-520 and 550 engines, I have seen several cases where the cooling blast tube is missing off the front of the alternator. This tube is about four inches long and picks up ram air from below the horizontal front baffle keeping the alternator cool. If this tube is missing or deteriorated, it should be replaced. Heat is the biggest si ngle cause of electrical equipment failures. Another area that seems to get neglected is the placement of rubber insulator boots on exposed electrical connec- tions. For example, on the alternator, you have two hot terminals, the field contact and the rotor or armature output. If any conductive material contacts ei ther of those terminals, imminent failure of the alternator would occur. Other locations to inspect for missing insulator boots are the relays located on the fire wall which support the starter, master switch, etc. Other problems found on recently delivered Bonanzas Several ABS members have sent me letlers outlining problems they found with their new Bonanzas after reading about the problems we found with N4INH. One gentleman I talked to had purchased a new A36 in 1996. He said aluminum shav ings had come out of his static vents located on each side of the aircraft just aft of the baggage doors. Apparently this happened twice and was detected during his pre-flight check. One wonders just how metal shavings could get into the static system. Another gentleman who purchased and took delivery of a new A36 in 1994 found oil leaking from around the oi l temp probe. Upon examination, it was determined that the probe had onl y been installed finger tight. He also noted that the throttle backlash spring was brokenthe same spring that was found broken on the A36 that we inspected. By the way, this is a Continental pan, not Raytheon. In his closing comment to me he said he is planning to purchase another new Raytheon A36 but is concerned about their quality control. He want to be assured they are not just resting on their past reputation before going ahead with a new purchase. AVBLEND'": Is it snake oil or does it do what they claim? While at Oshkosh this year, and then again at theABS convention in St. Louis, I stopped by the AVBLEND®booth and struck up a conversation with the local sales representative. After listening to what they were saying about their product, I hinted that I ABS January 1999 , I would be interested in trying it in my Baron since I have an engine that is chrome and bums more oil than I would like. As a resul t oftbat meeting in St. Louis, Ron Smith , directo r of sales for AVBLEND sent me a literature package and a four-pack of AVBLEND fo r me to evaluate. The literature pac kage they have is very comprehensive and warrants your review should you be considering using AVBLEND. After I have had an opportunity to use AVBLEND in my left engine and evaluate my findin gs, I will present my con- elusions in this column. There are a couple of areas however that I need to investigate before I release my findings. AVBLEND states they are FAA-approved. What does that really mean? I asked their sales representative that question while at Oshkosh but did not feel I got a satisfactory answer. Do the engine manufacturers (Teledyne Conti nental and Lycom ing) approve thi s product fo r use in their engines? If they do not, will the use of AVBLEND jeopardize the engine warranty? Obviously, if the engine is out of warranty, the risk then becomes minimal. SilOUld you wish to comact me regarding this article or any other article 1have written, or have a subject you would like me to address, YOLl may send me an. email: [email protected] at 702-33 1-4911. To cOlllaet Jenkins Air Service, call 702-33 1-4905. Lynn Jenkins (ATP, M ufti and Single Engine, Commercial Seaplane, A&P and IA ratings) is an avid ASS member, supporter and speaker at the A8S Convention seminars. He was a/50 a pioneer in seNing up an aircraFt mail-order parts business for general aviation aircraft owners. His company, Jenkins Air Service, sells engines, propellers, parts, accessories, avionics, etc. wholesale to the aviation community. All ABS members will receive significant discounts. NEW PRODUCT REVIEW Tornado Alley Turbo, Inc. Tornado Alley Turbo. Inc. has acquired the rights to multiple Supplemental Type Ce rti ficates for turbonormali zing Teledyne Comi nental lO-520- and 10-550-powered Bonanzas and the 1O-520-powered Cessna 185. These STCs were previously the basis for the popular Tu rbo 2000 and TurboFl ite Hf turbonormalizing systems installed in more th an 250 Bonanzas and Cessnas. Tornado Alley Turbo will use existing approved data from the earlier turbonormal izing STCs as a fou ndation for the development of turbonormalizing systems that will, in addition to the traditional high-altitude night-level capabi lities, offer superior speed, range and engine cooling to "flat land" pilots operating their aircraft below altitudes req uiring the use of supplemental oxygen. Initial plans include supporting the existing 10-520- and 10550-powered Bonanzas as well as the Cessna 185 aircraft. A program to obtai n a new STC for the Beech Baron will commence soon. Tornado Alley Turbo's breakthro ugh technology allows efficient hig h power co ntinuous operation of th ese turbonormal ized engines at brake specific fuel consumption numbers that are more than 20 percent better than identical normall y aspirated engi nes operated at similar high power output. Thi s teChnology, while prov iding major improvements in range and speed, accomplishes this task with significantly cooler overall engine cyli nder head temperatures than ex isting normally aspirated engines operated under similar high horsepower conditions. Tornado Alley Turbo, Inc. is not a successor to Turbo 2000, TurboFlite"" or any other aviation organization. Rather, Tornado Alley Turbo, Inc. is a recently organi zed company that intends to apply new engineering modifications developed from ABS January 1999 intensive research conducted by General Aviation Modifications, Inc. (GAM I) of Ada, Oklahoma, to deLi ver new systems with substantial improve ments in the design and operation of the previous turbonormalizing systems. GAMI is the manu fac turer of GAMljector fuel injector nozzle systems approved for mo re than 300 ex isting Teledyne Continental and Textron Lycoming fuel injected engine models. The GAMljector fuel injectors were named the 1997 Aviation Consumer "Product of the Year" and have been enthusiastically praised by the more than 4,000 pilots who have installed them duri ng the past 24 months. GAMI has extensive expe rie nce with the 10-520/550 turbonormalized engines in connection with earlier night testing of other products for FAA certi fication, using the state-ofthe-art data acquisition equipment and proprietary software developed by GAMI. GAM I chief engineer, George Braly, said he has "always bee n impressed with th e qu al it y of th e Tu rboF lite H f turbonorrnalizing installation and have fl own that system on my personal aircraft for the last five years. That system is universally regarded as the very fin est and most reliable turbocharging or turbonormal izing system you can fly in gen eral aviation. "We, at GAMI , are extremely pleased to have the opponunity to use the knowledge about that system that we have learned duri ng multi ple FAA flight tests involving other products to now help Tornado Alley Turbo produce a still better product. We expect to make significant improvements (Q the existing system that will benefit pi lots who prefer to fl y below 12,500 feet. " For more information, contact Mack Smith or Bill Bai ley at 580-332-35 10. Fax 580-332-4577. Page 5539 Avionics BY JIM HUGHES Autopilots, continued When we left off last month, we were discussing the slaved compass card component in the Horizontal Situation Indicator hereafter referred to as the HSI. (,'Slaved," as used in this context. is an engineering term, not a sociological condition .) Gyroscopes The compass portion oftbe unit is stabilized by a directional gyroscope, either air-driven or electrical. It is important to know whether yo u have an air-powered gyro in your airplane. To further confuse the issue, Beech switched from vacuum-driven gyros to pressure-driven gyros in the '70s. All that means is that if your directional gyro is air-powered. it takes its air input (which spins the gyroscope at very high rpm) from either the vacuum side of your engine-driven vacuum pump or from the pressure side of the same (or similar) pump. In either case, if your vacuum pressure pump fails , usually by shearing its drive-shaft, the directional gyro portion of your HSI wi ll not work If your HSI directional gyro heading Page 5540 indicator is electrically driven, you can continue to rely on it, unless you're having a very bad hair day and you also lose your alternator and do not notice it until your aircraft bauery runs down. It is very important to know what you lose when yo ur vacuum/pressure system fails , versus what goes away when your electrical system gives up. Please do IIOt fly ill clouds ulltil ),011 kllolV tlris fact cold! Now, continuing on with our building blocks concept in explaining the HSI, the directional gyro card mayor may not be slaved to a compass located elsewhere in the airplane. In Bonanzas and Barons, this is usually out in the right wingtip. In all airplanes, the remote compass is mounted in the quietest (electronically speaking) place in the airplane, so that other electric equi pment will not affect its accuracy. So that the remote compass can automatically feed correct compass headings to the directional gyro card, the remote compass feeds minute voltage values via wires to a synchronous motor or slave located in the cockpit, which then feeds left/right compass corrections to the DG. In the KFC 1501200 system, as well as in most other systems, there is a small panel with left/right momentary-contact buuons and a small needle which moves left or right to let the pilot know when the remote compass is "synced" or matched with the compass values out in the wingtip. Still with me? Remote Magnetic Indicator If your airplane is not equipped with a slaved DG or Remote Magnetic Indicator (RMI), then you, the pilot, are the slave, that is, you look at the magnetic compass on the windshield and twist the Directional Gyro card until it matches the heading in the compass. Some slaved directional indicators also have a "free' position on the control head. When placed in Free. you take the automatic compass slaving function away from the DG and set the heading yourself. This feature is particularly useful when flying near the magnetic North Pole. where magnetic compasses point in every direction. When flying at latitudes above 60 degrees north, most pilots use the Free DG and True North versus Magnetic North as a headi ng reference. Question: When you're at the (magnetic) North Pole, which direction is it back to your home? Answer: South, no mauer where in the world you live. We've now got a magnetically stabilized heading card to stare at. If we add a heading "bug" (indicator, usually orange, and sets with a knob) , we can use the autopi lot to hold the heading we select by pushing the "heading" switch on the autopilot control head. In most general aviation autopilots, there is no direct correlation between the heading bug and the remote compass. The autopilot will gleefully fly the airplane left and right to keep the heading bug centered. What if the gyroscope (whether air or electric) fails ? If the heading indicator begins to spin or wander, it will normally take the heading bug with it, and the poor autopilot will try to correct the heading bug back to the top of the instrument. Our first indication of a directional gyro failure when our autopilot is engaged in the HDG mode is that the airplane is making a lot of turns! A crosscheck with the magnetic compass will reveal that we're no longer on the heading that we thought we were on! Can we sti ll use the autopilot with a failed directional gyro? Depends on how well we know our autopi lot. If we deselect HDG, center up our VOR needle and press NAV, the autopilot controller will follow the left/right indications of the VOR/LOCALIZER needle. However. since the VOR/LOC needle will now 1101 be pointed at the top of the HSI, this may look Vel), cOllfllsillg. Yes. we can execute a dandy ILSILOC or VOR or GPS (if properly equipped) approach using either the NAV mode or the APP (approach) mode of our autopilot. Since the left/right needle of the nav indicator will probably 1I0t be pointed at the top of the HSI indicator, we should practice this a couple of times in clear air to get the hang of it before we do it for real. ABS January 1999 What about Altitude select? Here, I'm going to assume that most of us do nOl have the sophisticated modes that allow LIS to select a rate of climb in feetlminute or select an airspeed to maintain in the climb/descent. I've flown wi th some proud owners of P-Baron s and Dukes who have the KFC-250 or higher autopi lots. but I' m not going to discuss how those features work in this article. Forthe rest of LI S, were talking abollt the ALT mode on the autopilot control and the up/down rocker switch to the left of all the bultons. The ALT mode on the autopi lOl controller engages a pressure transducer that works just like the inside of yo ur altimeter. Depending upon which autopilot model or brand yo u have. the tra nsducer may be independent of the altimeter, as in the S-Tees or may take its pick off the airplane'Saltimeter. Whichever, the transducer tries to feed an equalizer signal to the autopilot. As long as the ai rplane is not changing alti tude, nothing is hap pening. If the transducer senses a change, say down, or loss of altitude, it feeds the information to the autopiiOl computer to put in an "up" command to return the airplane to the selected altitude. When the selected al titude is reached, eq uilibrium is restored and the command signal to the autopi lot computer is canceled. I recentl y began flying a KFC-200 autopilot-equipped airplane after a long stint behind a Century model. I discovered when r first began to descend from alti tude that r must fi rst disengage the altitude hold mode before the up/down rocker switch would work. In the Altimatic X that I used to fly, when r commanded a descent with the rocker switch (actually a thumb wheel in this model). the ALT mode was automatically disengaged. Not much different. except that it took me a little head-scratching to keep from being stuck at 8,000 feet until I either ran out of fuel or figured it out' So what's my point? Know yo ur autopilot cold before you go blasting off through clouds and dark of night. Like I keep saying: Not aI/ aviollics lVork Ihe same. So learn how they do work before you bet your li fe on them. cursion from the selected altitude. The pi lot altempted to correct it with the yoke without di sengaging the altitude hold. The autopi lot responded with more down trim. The pilot pulled harder on the yoke. The autopi lot rolled in more down. The pilot pulled up harder. At this point, the pilot probably disengaged the autopilot, but by then the autopilot had put in almost full down trim , so the airplane augured almost straight into the ground before the pilot could recover' Yes, I kllow I' ve told this story too many times, but it bears repeating until all of us are convinced that \Vhat you dOli 't kno\V about autopilots can hurt you! Automatic trim following Future stuff Most autopilots whi ch are in stalled along with electric pitch trim have automatic trim following. If you do not have electric pitch trim, then there's nothing to adjust the trim position the autopilot has put the airplane into. The S-Tec-50 series autopilot has lighted up/down lights to tell you how to match the ai rplane's pitch trim to what the autopilot is doing. If you do not fol low the cues and trim until the lights go out, then disengage the autopi lot, you may be in for a wild ride! On those airplanes lVith electric pitch trim and automatic trim following, you are not necessarily safe from a wild ride either. Remember my story last month about the Bonanza with the runaway trim? The altitude hold allowed a small ex- I spent an interesting couple of hours with Kitty and Michael Greene the Friday after Thanksgiving. The Greenes were on their way south in their pristine V35 Bonanza and were kind enough to stop in Sanford. Florida, to show me their custom instrument panel with the Archangel display as the centerpiece. I tried not to salivate on their airplane. r have previously promised to do some product reviews for the magazine so this product is a good place to start. I'm worki ng on it for a future article. See you next month ' THANK GOODNESS FOR THE ABS! I'd like to say something we maybe don't think about enough in Ollr busy lives: Thank goodness for the ABS ! The company I ny for just bought a large cabin-class twi n for enough bucks to make it our largest capi tal class asset. Naturally, before making such a large business decision, 1 was tasked to find out "everything possible" about this breed of airplane in general, and this airplane serial number in particular. To simplify my task, my ti rst question was, "Do the people who fl y and mai ntain this airplane have an affinit y group similar to the ABS?" The answer turned out to be "Well, sort of." In Trade-A-?Iane I found an ad that said if I was buying this brand of airplane I should call a number for information about an operator's group. I called the number. got the publisher of the operator's group newslener which is available for $125 per year. But other than sending me a sample newsletter and an apABS lanuary 1999 ABS member jim Hughes holds a as degree in Aero Engineering. He is a CFIf and an A&P mechan ic. Jim heads Marketing & Profes- sional Services, a consulting and flight-test firm involved in both military and civil avionics applications. plication to join the group, the person on the phone could not offer me any other information . I persisted with a subsequent call , whereupon I reached a different person. I asked if there is a li st of Airworthiness Directives, Service Bulletins, Service Letters, or even maybe a compilation of "helpful hints" about maintaining and operating this airplane. The answer given was that there are companies that advelt ise in Trade-A-?Ialle that sell that kind of information. And no, there is no such person I could talk to (such as an Arky Foulk or a Neil Pobanz), not in their organization or anywhere else. "Since you' re not in our database as either a member or current owner," the voice said, "there is nothing we can offer you except an infol1nation kit and an application." And a rather abrupt hang-up, it seemed to me. Like I said, THANK GOODNESS FOR THE ABS! - Jim Hughes Page 55 41 BY DAVID DAVIDSON, Colts Neck, New Jersey N JULY OF 1998, I had the opportunity to fly with two of feet to get around clouds that seemed to follow our every turn my airport buddies. Billy Gibson and Bill Utynok, to Alaska on our way to Peace Ri ver, Alberta, where we settled in for the and the Northwest Territories in my 1992 BE36. Bi lly, our night. We experienced some culture shock in thi s place along copilot and navigator, is the opthe ri ver where the fl at, barren erator of Gibson Air Academy at land was populated with exAllaire, New Jersey. tremely polite and friendly people. From Peace Ri ver, we We made no reservations for places to stay on the trip, decidfollowed the MacKenzie Highing instead to stay flexible. But way for some sense of comfort we did scrupulously follow the to Hay River, then to Fort guidelines for survival equipment Simpson where we stayed at a required for an extensive trip of B&B cal led Ban nockland. this kind, not wanting to tind ourBannock is a local bread that selves in desperate need of a is baked biscuit style and tastes missing provision. fabulous. The owner of the In addition to sectionals covB&B explained that the native ering most of the areas we were groups like to be called by their Ilying to, I ordered ..- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . tribal name, Dene, rather than as Eskithe Jepp Trip Charts mos or Indians. for both of the major Along the coastal areas. induding low regions, including altitude charts and Alaska, the owner approach plates. We departed VFR said that the local from Allaire (B LM) natives prefer to be and landed in Flying called Inuit, again a Cloud , Minnesota, reference to their for the fi rst night. culture. Our second day took We had an interus to Bi smarc k, esting day walking North Dakota, and around th e town . from there to Great meeting the local Falls, Montana. We people and observca ll ed CAN PASS ing a pre-wedding prior to leaving Moncelebration called a tana to expedite cusDrum Dance in the toms clea rance in Kluane Lake - Northway Alaska to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory via Alcan Highway. evening. We arrived Canada. When we arback at Bannockrived in Lethbridge (CYOL), Alberta. we called CAN PASS land just before midnight in daylight. It is not easy to go to again, and answered some questions regarding our plans and sleep in bright sunshine. our cargo. We were given clearance and sent on our way. After a wonderful breakfast in Bannockland of Caribou sauVFR flight plans are required in Canada. Flight Service was sage and eggs, we flew to Norman Wells over a lot of smoke thorough and very detailed and helped us prepare the flight plan from fires all over the countryside, and on to Inuvik. The last and guided us through the details. This service was repeated in part of the flig ht was over terrain I had never seen before. We every airport in Canada in a very courteous and efficient manner. were heading for a north latitude of better than 69 degrees, well After leaving Lethbridge, we filed IFR in the air at 8,000 above the Arctic Circle. I Page 55 42 ABS January 1999 The ground is muskeg, a spongy material that covers the permafrost. Allhough the temperatures were still about 80 degrees, the thought of an emergency landing and trying to survive was a bit disconcening. The next time I am concerned about flying a few mi les over water, I'll remember the hundreds of miles we flew over absolutely barren land with no hope of a convenient landi ng site. Our KLN88 Loran that backs up my KL 90B GPS lost signal at this point and we had to rely primarily on Billy's copiloting ski ll s. The GPS remained handy for accurate Lat/Lon positions. which kept everything in perspective. This ground probably has never known the step of a human foot. Beautiful, stark and humbling, it was definitely not a good place to get lost' Inuvik (CYEV) is the capital of Northwest Territories. It is a simple town, with native Inuits, local convenience stores, a few tourist sites like the igloo church bu ilt in a domed style and decorated inside with native art. The sun was out all the time and would remain so until the middle of August. I was told that locals sleep very little in the summer and fo r long periods in fonable. When the clouds began to get a little lower, we descended to 4,500 feet and sometimes we were only a few hundred feet over the highway. Seeing a highway beneath your wings is very comforti ng. We were in touch with Dawson radio about 40 miles out. The runway was not visible until we were literally on fi nal with naps and gear down and ready for landing. Then there it was, another gravel strip. Our accommodations for the night were at the Fifth Ave. B&B, but don't let the name fool you. Three of us shared a room. The bath was in the hall. When the rollaway was in the room, it was not possible to open the door to get into the hall. The roo m was not avai lable for another night so we moved on to a lovely B&B just two blocks away with nice rooms, a balcony, etc. Allhough Dawson City is a tourist destination, it retai ns an authenticity as a true picture of life as it must have been in 1896 when gold was discovered in the Klondike. Thi s was the only day of the trip that we did not ny. We wandered around town, panned for gold with other tourwinter. ists. We go t about 10 cen ts wonh, which they happily put Tuktoyaktuk in a water-fi lled vial for a few On the sixth day of our trip, dollars' we arranged a tour of an island We visited the dredge, a moncalled Tuktoyaktuk, just north strous 3.000-ton machine with of Inu vik. It borders on the which they dug, scoured for gold Beaufon Sea which feeds to the and dumped the residue out the Arctic Ocean , and is inhabited back. II stood eight stories high 95 percent by natives who rely and moved by floating in its own on trapping and fishing for their water pool. li ving. In the winter that takes The next morning we emplace in temperatures averaging barked on almost six hours of about minus 50 degrees down We took off from flying . to minus 80 degrees. Dawson City to Northway and It was the only place we were from there to Fairbanks where bothered by mosquitoes! Some Mon strous gold dredge at Dawson City we hoped to get a glimpse of Mt. people on the tour dipped their McKinley. toes into the sea and reported it was actually quite warm. With We new at 8,000 feet and found the mountain still shrouded in 24-hour sunshine, it doesn't get a chance 10 cool. clouds. We may have been able to get a closer look but at 20,000The gravel strip at Tuk is 5,000 feet. II was my first trip in and plus feet the mountain top was likely to be obscured and I didn't out of a gravel strip, but it presented no problem. N8055R was want to be in a range of 17,OOO-foot peaks in the clouds. already covered in insects, dusty and pretty mangy looking. And so were we. Fairbanks and beyond We new on to Fairbanks, a large and modem city in the cenOn to Dawson City ter of Alaska, well below the Arctic Circle. I now think that if The next day we followed the Demster highway, an unpaved one really wants to enjoy Alaska, it is necessary to go south and road through the mountains to Dawson City (CYDA). This was west to areas like King Salmon and Kodiak Island. Since we our firsl ride through the mountains. The valleys are quite broad had opted to go north, we didn' t have time to go west as well. and present no real problems in decent weather. The roule narCOlltilllled 011 page 5546 rows through the passes and at 6,500 feet, we were quite comABS Jan uary 1999 Page 5543 Flying with GAMljectors I have enjoyed readi ng the three-pan series on engine management and leaning techniques written by George Braly over the last three issues. GAMI is leading the way toward returning us to long-forgotten methods of successful engine management that are su re to improv e the health of o ur powerplants and improve our already wonderful Bonanzas. On the way to the AOPA meeting in Palm Springs, I had the pleasure of flying with George in hi s Turbo' d V35 with GAMljectors. It was quite an experience for this flatland pilot. I flew my E33C (equipped with _ _... GAMljector set #3) to Ada, Oklahoma, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and climbed into the left seat of Nil RT with George for the trek westward. I am no neophite to GAMljectors and being able to run LOP. What I was about to witness was indeed an eye-opener. The weather was beautiful and we left Ada on a heading of 265. After takeoff, we simply pulled the rpms back to 2500 and left the MP at redline, wide open Thanks to ABS for help throttle (WOT). The only thing we did I called last week concerning the rudin the climb was maintain a rich TIT of der AD on my F33A, N7958P. At my 1300dF by tweeking the mixture control. annual inspection, we found a subtly hidWe leveled off at 12,500 feet and my den crack in the rudder spar at the top re-education began. I've always resisted hinge. It was not vis ible to the naked eye, the urge to turbo-normalize my Bonanza and even the dye penetration did not rebecause I live in Baron Rouge and selveal the crack until it had set for awhile. dom fly above 12,500 feet. Also, I have With much fear for my financial statenot been one who enjoys "sucking oxyment, I called RAPID Beech Parts: 5700 gen." I figured the 176 KTAS I enjoyed in and three weeks backorder. None of my my Aerobatic Bo was as good as it gets. fellow Bonanza owners were able to Overcoming one's education can take help. Even before the call to Glen and some convincing. Neil, I finally decided to order the ABS Level at 12,500 we set our cruise Magazine CD-ROM so I could read the power. We changed nothing. Yes, full AD and know the history. You guys power. No. we didn ' t pull the MP back called back the next day, gave me the at all. We were burning about 27 gph in name of General Forming (right down the climb, about 250dF ROP. I pushed the street in Torrance, California) and we the button in 011 the mixture vern ier and picked up an STC'd hinge the same day smoothly pulled the mixture back (in for 5250. I read all the articles on the AD about 2 seconds) to 16 gph! and forwarded them to the mechanics. We pulled the mixture back in one Considering the fact that you saved fe lled swoop from 27 gph to 16 gphme $450 and three weeks of downtime, right through peak EGT to about 70dF I encourage every member to check those LOP. What happened next stunned me. I ABS back issues on CD and, if needed, was not prepared. It was terrible. Nothmake a call (0 yo u guys. I' ve just saved ing happened! All that education I'd gotenough money to pay for the CD and ten in my training ~ all those CFlIs several years of ABS membership! couldn't have been wrong--<:ould they? Thanks to my heroes, Glen and Neil. I sat slack-jawed while a perfectly - Rick Rellgel smoothly operating engine purred along Orange COl/ll ty, Cali/umia at 12,500 feet, burning 16.1 gph wh ile Page 5544 the TAS increased to a whopping 194 knots! All this was accomplished at a power setting of 86 percent whi le the hottest C HT of the six cylinders was a cool 357dF. I was overcoming my education pretty quickly. George was silent; but he had a big grin on his face. We played a bit with mixture settings anywhere from 50 LOP to as much as 120 LOP. The TAS va ri ed between 196 and 189 at these mixtures on fuel burns between 16.5 and 13.8 gph. We settled on 70 LOP because it was the best compromise between cool CHTs and bucking the 30 to 43 knot headwinds. We landed at Palm Springs, California, 5+30 after leavi ng eastern Oklahoma! Had we been running on the rich side of peak. as the Old Wives wou ld demand, we would have been filling up the tanks in Albuquerque. As it was, running 70 LOP, at 194 ktas, we landed in Palm Springs with a fuel reserve of 1+20. Remember, we did this below oxygen-requiring altitudes. On the return, we had weather problems all over Arizona. We climbed to Flight Level 230 to get over the mess. After leaving our weather concerns under and behind the V-tail, we eased all the way down to 17,000. At this altitude we were sti ll getting 29 inches MP. We settled on 2350 rpms (to increase prop efficiency in the thinner air) WOT at 29 inches MP and leaned to 70 LOP-228 hp or76 percent power on an 10-550. This gave us a true airspeed of 198 knots, and a no-wind range of 1,338 nm with IFR reserves, and an edurance of 6.75 hours. At the higher altitude than we flew going westbound, the CHTs ranged from a low of 347 to a high of 389dF-more than 35dF cooler than the CHTs would have been running 50 ROP-and George hasn't yet installed the new GAMI baffle on this machine. What I learned is simple: I've been taught wrong. Old wives tales should be shot like snakes. Running lean of peak doesn't toast the engine- it cools it. The mixture knob could easily be renamed the "horsepower" knob. And turbos are norjust for high altitude any more. Rats. What's my banker's phone number again? - Dr. Walter Atkinson Baron Rouge. Loui.'iianll Happy lean of peak I am very grateful to George Braly for finally putting to rest the old and much fJaunled misconceptions regarding runASS January 1999 ni ng lean of peak. Credit goes also to the ABS which has allowed publication of this series of anicles on a subject of great interest to all members. I have been running my 10-520-BB for more than 200 hours now at approximately 40 degrees on the lean side with GAM!,s. It burns cleaner, cooler and with much less waste of fuel. For me. GAM I has been a real breakthrough and I ca n high ly recommend the folks who run that company as friendly, helpful and, above all , knowledgeable. I can also say that I have had to withstand some ridicule from other pilots who would rather repeat what they hear at the hangar than bother to learn about their engines. Perhaps ma ny pilots will still The gear retraction time went from 20 seconds to 6 seconds. Thanks again! - Mark Steele Decatur. Georgia Fuel cap O-rings stop leak 1 just read yo ur letter concerning "CoUapsed Fuel Bladder" (November I 998, page 5449) and came to similar concl usions on my F33A , N7958P. At first, the fuel gauge on the right tank method. I'm certainly not trying to con- would act up. For the first hour, the gauge read OK. but mysteriou s ly the tank would fill up as the gauge went from about half full to three-fourths full, and stayed there. Second, I noticed dirt particles and a sma ll amount of clogging at th e fuel strainer. Also, about a teaspoon of water when I strained the tank (in Southern vince anyone who would rather stay on California weather, any water strained is the rich side. These comments are just to give you one pilot's opinion and one pilot who will keep flying cleaner, cooler and saving money to boot! - Randy Smith unusual). Lastly. the story is almost identical: line personnel had overfilled the tank, and I saw drops of fuel coming out around the cap at altitude. This last event steered my though ts from a possible fuel gauge problem to the O-ring. Sure enough, as soon as the rings were replaced. everything was back to normal. I have not checked the bladder for damage. but I have not had any leak problems, and the tab seems to already have a rounded edge. Considering water, dirt, misread fuel gauges, and possible bladder damage, the replacement of the O-rings for $9 each (ABS advertisers "American Aero" and "Performance Aero") is a no-brainer. - Rick Rengel Orange County, California disagree or be reluctant to try thi s Miami, Florida ABS CD-ROM saves the day! Thanks so much for (he useful information packed into ABS Reference Library. I recently became the proud owner of a 1975 A36, E-794. Duri ng the prepurchase, I noted fr0111 the logs that the gear motor had been replaced five times with only 2800 hours total time on the aircraft. Excessi ve. to say the least. The life span of each gear motor was approximately one-half the previous unit. The problem had been associated with inc luding a GPS moving map o nce li nked to your GPS with an upload facility to a Garmin . Check it out' -Sandy Ord Johannesburg, Sowh Africa a long retraction cycle time and subse- quent tripping of the landing gear circuit breaker. Raytheo n Service and my local ABS Service Clinic person had multiple head-scratching solutions. So I bought the CD-ROM, queried the database. and there it was like magic. Colvin's Comer from 1/83 referenced Beech Service Instruction 0943 Rev. I: "Landing Gear Installation of a relay in the landi ng gear retract circuit." This SI applies to airplanes with the "Magic Hand" landing gear safety switch for A36s with serial numbers E-7 10, E763 through E-90 I. The original design created to a high voltage drop to the landing gear motor. Beech sent me the blueprints and parts list for the relay and my local Raytheon Service, with 15 hours of labor and a $600 parts list, did the rest. ABS January 1999 Editor's Note: The slIlall particles of dirt mentioned ill the article may actually be slIlall particles of the fuel cell lining. This occurs frequelllly lVith aging fuel cells and should be checked /0 {/I'oid possible fllel screen clogging. Palmtop navigation software 111 response to an ea rli er query, I can offer the following information on navigation software for the PSION palmtop/ handheld computer. The software detail is available from www.avne1.co.uk/ avtech and they have a facility to down- load it via e-mail. I have used it extensively and find it a most useful program which is useful on a really small and con- venient machine. It has a great deal of Videos from the ABS Company Store Preflight .................... S 20.00 Instrument Flying FI)ling by the Numbers by John Eckalbar ........... . .48.50 BPPP Highl ights (Approx. 80 min.) ... .119.00 Service Clinic Highlights by Norm Colvin .. .62.50 Owner Performed Maintenance . .. .62.50 FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO ORDER BY V 'SA OR MASTERC ARD CALL 316-945-1700. the facil ities you wou ld get on a laptop, Page 5545 ALASKA, continued from page 5543 Perhaps another time ... Following the Alaskan Highway to Whitehorse (CYXY) about 500 nm away, strong headwinds allowed us to make only about 130 knots, sometimes dropping to 120. We were using both time and fuel , and since [ like to have plenty of both, my adrenaline flow moved up a notch. We followed the road, enjoying spectacular views of mountains, glaciers and one particularly beautiful turquoisecolored glacial lake. The mountains range from 7,000 to 13,000 feet, and we were following the highway at about 4,500 feet. At Haines Junction, we made a mistake and instead of a 90-degree turn to the east, we continued straight ahead on the Haines Highway. We soon discovered our mistake and made a 180 back to Haines Junction. Had we continued merrily on our way with diminishing fuel, we might have been able to test our survival skills. Every book cautions about the 90 degree turn at Haines J unction, but it's easy to miss. While the sheer beauty of the mountains and lakes would certainly qualify the Alaskan Highway route as the most scenic, it was the emptiness of the entire area that struck me the most. After almost four hours in the air, we arrived at Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon Territory. Then our tenth day was spent flying over spectacular views of snow-covered peaks and lush greenery. The landscape is so vast as to overwhelm any detail. We saw nothing resembling moose, bear or elk. Heading back We had planned to spend the next day on the Alaskan Highway to Dawson Creek. But clouds over the mountains and the fact that we were tired caused us to change our plans and fly to Rocky Mountain House, a very nice, although basically unattended, facility. Most of the Canadian facilities are very comfortable with many pilot amenities. Our plan was to go east in Canada with a stop in Regina. We recalculated the distance in the air and determined thar we might be better off going directly to Great Falls (GTF). Since we had REflECTIONS It is difficult to reach inside oneself to recapture the moments experienced on such a trip, the grandeur of the landscape, the excitement of the travel, the adrenaline rush when, between peaks, you negotiate a 90-degree turn and sweep into a broad, deep valley. The danger is palpable, despite the option in some cases of attempting a landing on the highway. Page 55 46 filed a VFR flight plan in Canada, however, we had to change the flight plan to go to the USA and clear customs in Great Falls. It took about a half-hour before we could raise Edmonton Center. They were extremely helpful, refiled our flight plan and cleared us to Montana. In retrospect and after re-examining our charts, it probably would have been shorter to go to Regina as originally planned. Hindsight advice is that it is best 10 do your planning on the ground and double-check the details. It's not easy once you're flying. We did have to be vectored around a restricted area though, which would have been difficult without contacting Center. We went into Great Falls, cleared customs and settled down for the night. The next day we made a fuel stop in Pierre. It has a large municipal airport with one person at the FBO and we pumped our own gas. It was hard for us to grasp the notion that so few people live in such a vast area. We were forced south by thunderstorms and ended up in Aurora, lIIinois. The flight was made in hazy conditions with poor visibility. If you haven' t got a Stormscope or Strikefinder, take out a second mortgage and get one. On our last leg of the trip, we encountered a lot of thunderstorms, and really hazy conditions. Poor visibility caused us to be routed south of Cincinnati to and get back home. The wonderful Bonanza used a linle more oil than usual due to the temperatures, but performed flawlessly. What an aircraft' A note on equipment GPS in NWT and Alaska is priceless. It is rel iable and provides accurate LatlLon for checking sectionals. We have an Argus 7000 in the panel which provides marvelous airspace and nearby airport information. My major complaint is that while wearing sunglasses, the screen cannot be seen, whereas the other instruments, such as GPS, etc., can be. rr you are flying at gross weight, with temperatures above 80, and in some cases over 100 degrees, be sure to have plenty of runway. The shortest runway we had was 3,500 feet- and we used it all. Frankly. I would not like to try that. The isolation of the villages and the aimlessness of the native populations in Canada are disturbing. The vast emptiness of Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas is difficult to grasp. The southwest corner of South Dakota-Mt. Rushmore, the Black Hill s and Sturgis- is completely opposite from the other side of the state The challenge, the adventure and the camaraderie enjoyed on the trip cannot be measured or clearly set down on paper. [n my mind's eye, I can see it clearly. so I hope l' ve conveyed some of the adventure we had. In this remote part of our continent, I was able to observe people living in a way more completely foreign than anything I experienced while traveling in Europe. ---@ABS January 1999 if a Hartzell propeller is to be installed on the engine. They are: Currents BYLEWGAGE "E" engine repairs Here we go some more! As I've expressed in several articles over the years, it is important that owners of early Bonanzas (G35 and earlier) become as familiar as possible with their airplanes, especially things forward of the fire wall. By doing a lillie math, I estimate there are probably 150 to 200 "E" engines being given a major overhaul every year. I cannot estimate how many "repair" type jobs forward of the fire wall are being done, but there are surely more than a few. A "repair" would be cylinders (1-6) being removed and fixed, propellers removed and fixed, carburetors or magnetos and so on . I receive calls on a regular basis regarding engines that are overhauled or repaired and, because either the local mechanic involved or the aircraft owner is not familiar with the airplane or does not have the reference material needed, has problems. The most common source of these errors revolves around the Hartzell propeller installation. However, there are many others as well. There are three items that are contrary to normal overhaul procedures, as specified in the "E" engine overhaul manual, ABS January 1999 I. Normal crallkshaJt oil seal is 1I0t 10 be illstalled. The function of this seal is accomplished by the seals in the front of the oil transfer unit (OTU).If the normal seal was installed, the interior of the OTU would be pressurized to 225+/- psi and could force the seals in the front of the OTU out of place, resulting in total loss of engine lube oil in a very short time (5 +/- minutes). A check that can be made if it is suspected the normal crankshaft seal is mistakenly installed is to remove the 1I4-inch NPT plug in the bOllom of the OTU housing and allach a length of hose to a suitable filling installed in the threaded housing hole. There i a spring and special washer held in place by the plug that wili or may drop out when the plug is removed. When re-installing the spring and washer, the raised "key" on the washer goes up and left-to-right (not fore-andaft). After installing the hose to this bole in the bOllom of the OTU, blow (by mouth air pressure) on the hose, and if you can blow through the hose, the normal crankcase seal is not installed, which is correct. If the seal is installed, it is necessary to remove the OTU, remove the offending seal and re-install the OTU and propeller. Be certain that the person doing this routine knows what they are doing for much grief can result from a botched operation. See the listed ABS articles for details . 2. The shaJt seal ill the lower leJt accessory drive shaJt gear adapter must be left 0111. This is the seal that is installed at the fuel pump pad location on a nonHartzell-equipped engine. This seal function is now transferred to the seal installed at the rear of the governor T-drive where the fuel pump is now installed. Failure to omit thi s seal will result in sluggish or no movement of the propeller toward low rpm (coarse pitch) and possible IOtalloss of engine oil. If this seal is in place, the T-drive becomes pressurized to 200+/- psi (should have only crankcase pressure of3/4 psi), which may force the rear shaft seal out of its housing, resulting in engine oil loss through the fuel pump cavity drain tube. 3. Failure 10 provide the lIecessG/)' (IIl/llIlus ill the from bearillg bushillg of the 10lVer left accessOl)' drive will result ill illability 10 obtaill full take off rpm, especially when the oil is above 120+/· F. Th is annulus is necessary on dry sump Bonanza engi nes and mayor may not be necessary on the "wet" sump Navion engines. A slightly different arrangement is used on some wet sump engines, depending on the oil transfer hole configuration of the shaft gear. The way to check if the required annulus is in place is to remove the T-drive from the engine. Remove one of three pipe plugs (see drawing) from the right side of the engine. Insert a length of hose (2 to 3 feet long) into the oil supply hole located at the II o'c lock position on the face of the shaft gear adapter where the T-drive was mounted. This hole is specified as 3116 inch diameter, but since it is a field modification at the time of the Hartzell conversion, it may be of some size other than 3116 inch . Using mouth air pressure, blow on the hose as the engine is slowly rotated by hand. Thi s shaft gear turns 1.67 times engine speed. If you can blow a steady stream of air, the annulus is in place. If the blowing effort results in pulses that match the rotation of the shaft gear, the annulus is not in place. The only fix for th is is to remove the engine from the airplane, remove the accessory case from the engine and redo the installation of the bearing bushing. Overhaul of the "E" accessory case is sort of a lost an. I will overhaul one occasionally (I'm not in that business nor looking for work) and have yet to spend less than 30 hours from start to finish (that is as-removed to ready-to-bolt-back on the crankcase). That involves doing all the machine work (not sending anything out). much hand-fitting, painting. assembly, everything. By the time the "whim, wham. thank you ma'am" type overhaul Page 5547 is fixed right, I'd be willing to bet the time gets to be more than doing it right in the first place. Crankcase Another area that has proven to be a problem is the local mechanic's failure to properly survey the crankcase for needed re-machining, if necessary, and then if the case is sent out for rework, not re-measuring all of the places that require specified fits. The facility that does the case work does not always get it right. Usually, but not always. Refer to the listed articles for the steps I feel are necessary in addition to those spelled out in the overhaul manual and Service Bulletins. ACC!SSOR Y CASE RIGHT 51DE AccESSORY OR/V. Remove anyone of these plugs to do the test to confirm existence of the bearing annulus. Articles on repairing or overhauling "E" engines may be found in these issues of the ABS Magazine: August 1988 Jul y 1989 March 1990 February 1991 July 1991 January 1992 March 1992 April 1992 June 1992 September 1992 December 1992 February 1993 August 1994 September 1994 November 1994 February 1995 May 1995 October 1995 March 1996 October 1996 November 1996 March 1997 June 1997 Jul y 1997 September 1997 February 1998 September 1998 October 1998 December 1998 A CD-ROM with all issues of ABS Magazille may be ordered from ABS Headquarters. Also available in hard copies. Page 5548 Cylinders If new cylinder kits are ordered, be certain to order a "BP" (balanced piston) set of six. If you order just six cylinder kits. the piston weights will be all over the place. "BP" gets you a set that meets specs for weight sp read. The piston weight is marked on the individual boxes (abou t 1,205 +1- grams). All pistons should be within seven grams of the other pistons and opposing pistons should be matched as closely as possible. If a cylinder repair job needs to be done on an engine that is in service, it is my opinjon there is no advantage in installing a brand new cylinder when the other five are not new. In other words. bring the defective cylinder up to airworthiness requirements by fixing it or obtain a repaired substitute cylinder re-using parts that are acceptable fro m the broken cylinder. This is not to say that we are installing "junk" parts, but return the engine to an airworthy condition using airworthy parts, hopefully ones you already own' Rocker arm Another very important, actually vital , area of concern is covered in theABS Magazine. March 1992 and August 1993. This takes up the subject of rocker arm tip-to-valve stem-tip fit. If this concern is not met. the valve guides may need replacing in a velY siron (20 hours or so) time. ASS January 1999 To save space in this issue, I reference you to these anicles. However, that is not to diminish the necessity of complying with this item, but rather simply to save space here! Sealant material The last item we will take up in this missive, but not the last that could be covered, is the use of the sealant material used in assembly of the engine. Misuse of sealants (Permatex. Silicone, etc.) is common, both in type and quantity. Although there are many new and exOIic sealants available, there are actually few places that require application of any sealant. My opinion is that no gasket that wi ll be removed during the service life of the engine should have sealant applied. Example: any accessory, rocker covers, OTU gasket, etc. The secret to having a leak-free installation is staning out with nat. defect-free surfaces and new defect-free gaskets and install the component using the correct torque on the attaching fasteners. When using sealers. only the absolute minimum amount should be applied. When making up a joint to which sealer has been applied, if some of the sealer is noted to have been squeezed outside of the joint. you can be sure that an equal or greater amount is also squeezed out toward the inside of the engine. Over-application of sealer. especially the red sil icone types, leads to this condition and has caused engine failure by blocking lube oil flow. To see just how little sealer is required to make up a joint, obtain two pieces of glass 3/8 inch (average gasket width +1-) wide and three to four inches long and 114 inch or thicker. Lay a small bead of sealer on the glass as you would do on a gasket surface. Squeeze the pieces together and observe how even the smallest amount will ex trude over the surface and out the edges of the joint. If the surfaces are not flat, even the gasket with sealer will not prevent lealks for the long run, and when the gasket is eventually removed, the job of removing the old gasket and sealer may be next to impossible. ASS Jan uary 1999 When using a boom mike, if when puckering the lips you do not touch the mike with your lips, the mike is out of position. A hand mike should be held with the lip bar resting on the upper lip. Any other position of either will degrade the transmission. Radio problems Recently, a mid-air collision occurred near Reno that took the lives of three people. Both pilots were very experienced airmen and familiar with the local area of the uncontrolled airport. It appears that one of the pi lOIS made no announcement of his intentions while operating in the airport traffic area and may not have been monitoring the other aircraft's operation. on-existent or poor quality communications may result in the consequences cited above. TheABS members I've flown with in the BPPP have demonstrated both good radio usage and that the airplanes are equipped with good quality radio gear. However, I find a high percentage of transmissions at uncontrolled airports are of such poor quality (ei ther or both the radio output or the pilot's output) that there is no useful information exchanged. I find this situation exists most often in airplanes that have high cabin noise levels. Nearly everyone is using some form of boom mike these days. When the transmitter is keyed with the mike button, the transmitter side of the radio is lOOking for sound to send out. If the boom mike or a hand mike is properly positioned, the mike transmits, through the magic of the noise canceling feature, only the pilot's voice with little or no other sounds. If the mike is not close enough, engine noise, air noise, etc., will be transmitted, blocking most or all of the message, thereby degrading the degree of safety the message was intended to create. When using a boom mike, if when puckering the lips you do nOl touch the mike with your lips, the mike is out of position. Ahand mike should be held with the lip bar resting on the upper lip. Any other position of either wi ll degrade the transmission. Whi le operating our airplanes, if we hear an aircraft making a transmission that is dependent to safety of night and the transmission is unreadable, it is incumbent upon us to so advise that aircraft. Many times I have advised other aircraft, and they have responded immediately with a crystal clear transmission which makes me think they either just spoke up or cupped the hand over the boom mike and mouth. The response time was just too shan to have been anything else. Pucker up once in a while. Your life may depend on it. Lewis C. Gage, ABS member, ATP mu/tiengine land with Boeing 707/720/747/ A-J 10 ratings. Commercial single engine land; flight instructor MEUSEL airplanes and instruments; ground instructor advanced and instrument; flight navigator; flight engineer; mechanic-airplane and engine; and FAA parts manufacturing authorization. Flight time: 15,DOO-plus hrs. Lew may be contacted at Sunrise Filters, Inc. , 2255 Sunrise, Reno, NV 89509. Phone/Fax: 775-826-7184. THE ABS LIBRARY COLLECTION from the ABS Company Store CD-ROM Reference library Thirty years of the A8S Magazine, with search access to all words and numbers! An invaluable source of information and expertise. . . . ...... ... . . .. .569.00 Separate postage and handling: u.S/Canada/Mexico . . . .. 5.00 All other countries . ....... . .. .8.00 FOR MORE INFORMAT10N OR TO ORDER BY VI SA OR MASTERCARD CALL 316-945-1700. Page 5549 ~ ASS AND REGIONAL ~~~ FLY-INACTIVITIES The ABS Board of Directors is happy to report another success in our efforts to bring the ABS out closer to you through our fly-in activity held in conjunction with the regional groups. Hopefully, we will be able to schedule one in your area during 1999. If you would like to help in organizing a fly-in, please contact me at 770-7190638, fax: 770-964-7534, e-mail: [email protected]. -Harold Bost, ABS Director/Fly-in Coordinator THE SALISBURY SUCCESS REPORT The Southeastern Bonanza Society and American Bonanza Society joi nt fly-in to Salisbury, North Carolina, the weekend of October 30 to November I turned out to be everything as advertised-and more. [n addition to SEBS members. we had other ABS members from as far away as Texas. Arkansas, Connecticut, New York, Pennsy lvania and Kentucky, making an attendance of 84 people for the weekend. Twenty-seven more came in Saturday for lunch and semi nars. Part of our group is shown here waiting for others to arrive. Seems th e convoy The week-end kicked off Friday afternoon leader drove too fast for others to keep up. There were 11 vehicles in all. with a "rare" tour of Fieldcrest Cannon Mills. ormally only an occasional customer is given this tour. The general public is not offered an opportunity to see inside the mill. A special connection with a relative in management made this possible for us. We were split into two groups. One group toured sheet manufacturing and the other group toured towel manufacturing. On the towel tour, we saw cotton andlor polyester taken from the bale through the many steps to making thread, to weaving, to bleaching, to dyeing, 10 cuning This picture was taken Troy was told UNo right (left end of the picture) is and finishing. Who would dream a towel would pictures. Note: The loom to George weaving four rolls of towels at a time. Check the size of that spool of thread in the travel so far before it even leaves the manufac- top center of the picture. turing plant? After the tours were over, part of the group went a few blocks away to Cannon Vi llage, a unique shopping area of factory outlet stores. Of course, the Fieldcrest Cannon Outlet Store was the main attraction where Bonanza and Baron loads of towels and sheets were purchased. An extended hospitality time was enjoyed at the hotel prior to dinner at the Blue Bay Restaurant where we feasted on some of the very best seafood in the Carolinas. Saturday started out with a tour of the North Carolina TransOur lunch was an old-fashioned cook-out at the airport. We enportation Museum. This museum has more than 150,000 square joyed all the hamburgers hot dogs, grilled chicken breast, etc. feet of visual exhibits on many acres formerly occupied by that we could eat. Houston White (in the foreground wearing the striped shirt) was heard to remark: "I can't believe Jate that much. " Southern Railway's maintenance shops. The 37-bay roundhouse, His wife, Vera, across from him, responded, "I sure hope you one of the largest ever built, is one of the few roundhouses rebrought your own Rolaids. • H f II Page 5550 ABS January 1999 George johnson, the Bonanza M an, and his sidekick, Ed Lucia, super Bonanza mechanic, presen ts HWhat to look (or when purchasing a used Bonanza or Baron. H Dr. Dave Rogers, professor of aeronautical engineering at the U.S. Naval Academy, presents "Flight Testing with an A36. " maining in the Uni ted States. It houses more than 25 restored locomotives and rail cars. Two seminars were held after lunch. Dr. Dave Rogers. professor of aeronautical engineering at the U.S . Naval Academy, Our tour Perry M cCollum, leave the station. presented "Fl ight Testing with an A36." Thi s was some real college level stuff. George Johnson, the Bonanza Man, and his sidekick, Ed Lucia, super Bonanza mechanic, presented "What to look for when purchasing a used Bonanza or Baron." George presented this seminar at the SI. Louis Convention. Hopefully, he will be available to do it again in San Diego in October. George has a prepurchase checklist that can save you dollars and heartache. Call him at Carolina Aircraft (704633-5021 ) to obtain one. Saturday evening we enjoyed more hospitality time prior to dinner at the Wren House. A buffet of with a 3D-minute train ~~.~~~;:k,'~::'~ prime rib , Mexica n Patricia Howe, Vera White, jim Re ,me,tds chicken and seafood alfredo plus the best sweet potato casserole, veggies and desserts put everyone in an overstuffed, relaxed, lazy mood for a good night's rest. Most everyone left for home Sunday morning after two days jam-packed with fun, food, fellowship and education. A few stayed over a day or two for more sightseeing. The general consensus of the group was one of great approval of our new joint ABSlRegional Group activities such as this one. Part of the group that stopped long enough for this photo beside old No. 6900. ASS January 1999 continued on next page Page 5551 A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE Due to the success of our joint ABSlRegional group fly-ins, several more are in the planning stages for Spring of '99. Mobile, Alabama, in May - The ABS, in conjunction with the Southeastern and Southwestern Bonanza Societies, is working toward a tour of the Teledyne Continental Motors factory and engine-care seminars in May. In addition. a Saturday night river boat dinner cruise-plus more-will be on the schedule. Leesburg, Virginia, April 16-18 - The ABS, in conjunction with the reactivation of the Mid-Atlantic Bonanza Society, is working toward a fly-in. Full details will be published in the February ABS Ma gazine. If you have suggestions for locations, attractions, activities, etc., for a combination ABS/Regional group fly in for your area, please contact me at 770-719-0638, fax 770-964-7534 or e-mail HBost @ESTEXmfg.com. - HaroldBost REGIONAL GROUPS Rocky Mountain Bonanza Society Serving Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Utah and Wyoming. Contact: Jack Cronin, 261 Vine St., Denver, CO 80206, 303333-3000, fax 303-333-2000. Mid-Atlantic Bonanza Society Inc. Serving Washington, D.C., West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Contact: Harold Bast, 760 Birkdale Drive, Fayettevi lle, GA 30215,770-7 19-0638, fax 770-964-7534 or e-mail [email protected]. Southwest Bonanza Society, Inc. Serving Arka nsas, louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. Contact: Marvin Polzien, 819-N-Creek, Ardmore, OK 73401, 580-223-3910, fax 580-223,1234. Midwest Bonanza Society Serving Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Min nesota, Missouri, Wisconsin, Ohio and Kentucky. Contact: Bob Siegfried, 628 W. 86th St., Downers Grove, IL 60516,630-985-8502, fax 630-985-0340 or e-mail [email protected] . Northeast Bonanza Group Serving Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Massachusetts, Maryland, Co nnecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Vi rgini a. Contact: Dick Endres, 35 Oriole Way, Moorestown, NJ 08057, 609-778-8690, e-mail: [email protected] Southeastern Bonanza Society Serving Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Caroli na, Nort h Carol ina, Virginia, Mississippi and Tennessee. Contact: Troy Branning, 2262 Old Cherokee Rd. , Lexington, SC 29072 ,803-359-2148, fax 803-359-5852 or e-mail dtbran [email protected]. Pacific Bonanza Society Serving Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Alaska. Contact: Paul Baum, Box 667, Atascadera, CA 9342 3,805-461 3643, fax 805-466-4581. Australian Bonanza Society Serving Australia Contact : Peter Gordon, PO Box 150, Torq uay, Victoria 3228, Australia, e-mail [email protected] African Bonanza Society Serving Africa Contact: Wendy Smyth, Secretary, PO Box 550, Morni ngs ide 2057 , R.5 .A., +27-11-883-2378, mobi le +2 7-82 -467-7928, fax +27-11-784-9660 or e-mai l [email protected]. Pen and ink drawing of a 855 Baron by ABS member Ray Walker. Page 5552 ABS January 1999 the word about the wonders of flying these great machines. ABS. too. has become well-known through its 30+ years, due in large pan to the pride its members take in it. The Society's solid reputation is imponant for a lot of reasons, not the least of them being the need to retain existing members and recruit new ones. Ground Control BY NANCY JOHNSON ABS Executive Director Attracting the next generation !t's always a pleasure to come in contact with people not familiar with the American Bonanza Society whose first question isn't, "So how are Hoss and Little Joe?" More than once I've wished that popular old television show didn't share our middle name. Besides that silly query, it's not uncommon to overhear ABS staff explaining to uninformed callers, "No, that 's BOllanza Society, not Ballalla Society." Fortunately, there are hundreds of thousands who do know what a Bonanza is. A good number also know about Barons, Travel Airs, Debonairs, T-34s and their permutations. That isn't only because of the aircrafts' longevity, but also because their proud owners have spread ABS Jan uary' 999 For the past several years, ABS has grown by about 150 members per year; this past year we grew by more than 250 and are closing in on the 10,000 mark. !t's interesting that last yearthere also was a higher member turnover. Normally it's about 15-17 percent annually, while 1998 saw membership cancellations at more than 20 percent. The reasons for that increased turnover were decidedly market driven: escalating aircraft values, attractive interest rates and heavy competition in the aircraft finance community. One might think that as long as there continue to be new owners of ABS-represented Beech models. the supply of new members will remain strong. That 's a dangerous belief. however, and isn' t one subscribed to by theABS leadership. Given the increased turnover, the Soci ety must work even harder to grow rather than just offset the lost members. Despite our reputation. many new Beech owners don ' t know about the Society because they have just bought their first airplane or their first ABS-type model. Those prospects also are increasingly in the Baby Boom generation, so are in their prime career and family-raising years. As a result, their airplanes have to vie for their attention with myriad interests and responsibilities. So how do we attract the next generation of ABS members, given what appears to be some formidable competition for their time and attention? First, we need to know what potential members want and need in an organization. A survey, such as discussed by ABS President Bill Carter in his December column, will be wonhwhile in that regard. By identifying strengths on which to capitali ze and weaknesses to address. there will be benefits for existing mem- There's one marketing tool that can be used to better advantage: you, the members. bers alld opportunities to draw in others. Second, we need to continue using input from members who offer their suggestions and criticisms to improve their Society. In my two years with ABS, I've seen many positive results from those contributions. Finally, we need to bener market the Society. In the last three or four years we've become more aggressive in get- ting the word out to prospects - quarterly mailings to new aircraft regislrants~ insens in the magazine for members to pass along or provide information about potential members; special recruitment solicitations. These efforts have been fruitful, as evidenced by our co ntinuing growth. There's one marketing vehicle though, that the ABS Board recognizes can be used to better advantage: YOll, Ihe members. A significant share of new recruits are those who've purchased their aircraft from members who encourage membership in ABS. But that encouragement has often been informal rather than aided by the Society. That's an issue being addressed by the entire Board, but specifically the Membership Committee, headed by Director Jack Cronin. His committee is developing plans and marketing tools to "sell" the Society. You'll hear more about this as the year progresses and these tools are created. In the meantime, keep talking up the American Bonanza Society. With your help, the ABS staff may someday be able to quit explaining that wedon't represent an edible fruit. Page 5553 CaIendar AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY HEADQUARTERS 1922 Midfield Rd./P.O. Box 12BBR/Wichila, KS 672 77 Phone: 316-94 5-1700 - Fax: 316-945-1710 Web Site: http://\\\Vw.bonanza.org - (.-mail: [email protected] 1999 FEBRUARY 5-7 - Southeastern Bonanza Society Fl y-in. River Ranch JUNE 4-6 - BPPP, Inc. (In itial/Recurrent) Spokane, Washington. Resort, Kissimmee, Florida. Contact Harvey Kriegsman , 407-725-9226. Cutoff date: 5-13-99. Contact ABS Headquarters. 6 - Pacific Bonanza Society Day Fly-in. Chino, California (CHO). Contact Paul Baum, 805-461 -3643 . 4-7 - ABS Service Clinic. Aviation Classic, Inc., Reno, Nevada. Contact ASS Headqu arters. 19-21 - BPPP, Inc. (Initial/Recurrent) Orlando, Florida. Cutoff date: 1-29 -99. Contact ABS Headquarters. 25-27 - BPPP, Inc. (Mountain Fl ying) Colorado Springs, Colorado. Cutoff date : 5- 18-99. Con ta ct ABS H eadqua rters. TRA - Southwest Bonanza Society Fly-in. Baja, California, Norte. Contact Bill Embury, 918-298-9982 or e-mail [email protected] . 25-28 - ABS Service Clinic. Select Ai rcraft Service, Batav ia, Oh io. Contact ABS Headquarters. l8A - ADS/Rocky Mountain/Southwest Bonanza Societies Fly-in. Somewhere in Colorado. Con tact Harold BasI, 770- MARCH 719-0638 ; jack Cronin, 303-333-3000; or joe Dimock, 940-322-2024, e-mail [email protected]. 5-7 - BPPP, Inc. (Initia l/Recurrent) Austin, Texas. Cutoff date: 2-5-99. Contact ABS Headquarters. 5-8 - ABS Service Clinic. Island Aviation , Fernandena Beach, Florida . Contact ABS Headquarters . 19-2 1 - Southeastern Bonanza Society Fl y- in. Wilmington, North Carolina. Contact Paul Howe, 910-270-4172 26-28 - Pacific Bonanza Society Weekend Fly-in. Albuquerque, New Mexico (ABQ). Contact Paul Baum, 805 -4613643. APRIL 9-11 - BPPP, Inc. (Init ial/Recurrent) Fresno, California. Cutoff date: 3-25-99. Contact ABS Headquarters. 16-18 - ABS/Mid-Atlantic Bonanza Society Rea ctivation Fly-in. Leesburg, Virgin ia. Contact Harold Bost, 770-719- 0638 or e -mail [email protected]. 16-19 - ASS Service Clinic. Piedmont-Hawthorne Aviation, Inc., leesburg, Virgi nia. Contact ASS Headquarters. 23-25 - BPPP, Inc. (InitiaIIRecurrent) Columbus, Ohio. Cutoff date: 3-22-99. Contact ABS Headquarters. 24 - Pacific Bonanza Society Day Fly-in. Catalina Island, Cal ifo rni a (AVX). Contact Paul Baum, 805-461-3643. lBA - Southwest Bonanza Society Fl y-in. Branson, Missouri. Contact Marvin Polzien, 580-223-3910. JULY 16-19 - ASS Service Clinic. Western Aircraft, Baise, Idaho. Contact ABS Headquarters. 23-25 - Pacific Bonanza Society Weekend Fly-in. Harbor, Washington (FHR). Contact Paul Baum, 805-46 1-3643. lBA - Northeast Bonanza Society Fly-in. Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Contact Dick Endres, 609-778-8690 or e- mail [email protected]. SEPTEMBER 17-19 - BPPP, Inc. (In itia l/Recurrent) Little Rock, Arkansas. Cutoff date: 8-26-99. Contact ABS Headquarters. 17-19 - Pacific Bonanza Society Weekend Fly-in. Durango, Colorado. Contact Paul Baum, 805-461-3643. 17-19 - Southeastern Bonanza Society Fl y- in. Jefferson (As he County), North Carolina . Contact john Sell mer, 770487-8386. lRA - Northeast Bonanza Society Fly-in. Portland, Maine. Contact Dick Endres, 609- 77 8-8690 or e-mai l [email protected]. OCTOBER 1-3 - BPPP, Inc. (Initial/Recurrent) Nashua, New Hampsh ire. Cutoff date: 9- 14-99 . Contact ABS Headquarters. MAY 7-9 - Midwest Bonanza Society Fly-in. Rough River State Park, Kentucky. Contact john Whitehead, 90 1-756- 11 66. 14-16 - BPPP, Inc. (Initial/Recurren t) St. Paul , Minnesota. Cutoff date: 4-12-99. Contact ABS Headquarters. 14-16 - Pacific Bonanza Society Weekend Fly-in. Monterey, 6-10 - ABS Conve ntion. San Diego, Ca li fornia. Contact ABS Headquarters. 22-24 - BPPP, Inc. (In itial/Recurrent) Fresno, Ca li fo rnia . Cutoff date: 10-14-99. Contact ABS Headquarters. Cali fornia (MRY). Contact Paul Baum, 805-461 -3643. NOVEMBER 14-16 - Southeastern Bonanza Society Fly-in. Nashville, 5-7 - BPPP, Inc. (Initial/Recurrent) Greensboro, North Tennessee. Contact Troy Banning, 803-359-2148. 14-17 - ASS Service Clinic. All American Aviation, Addison, Texas. Contact ABS Headquarters. lBA - ABS/ Southeastern/Southwest Bonanza Societies Flyin. Teledyne Continental Motors, Mobile, Alabama. Contact Carolina. Cutoff date: 10-14-99. Contact ABS Headquar- ters. 6 - Southwest Bonanza Society Fly-in. Weslaco, Texas. Contact joe Barbee, 210-968-7502. Harold Bost. 770-719-0638 or e-mail [email protected]; Troy Banning, 803-359-2148; or Marvin Polzien, 850-2233910. The ABS Convention in 1999 will be held in San Diego, California, October 6-10. Page 5554 ABS January ' 999 Apples to Apples 10-520 ~ 10-520 Reman Balanced & blue printed remanufactured Production line factory engi ne • 285 horse power · TBO 1700 hrs. -Factory Warranty, 240 hr. 40 pro rata engine • 9% increase in horse power • TBO/Warranty 2()()O hrs. Engine II ·~ Engine warranty 520 hours, 20 hours pro rata ---I~~ $17,256 II E ngine Charge New TCM II Cylinders ~ Millennium TCM, or Eel $500. II Freight ~ N/C S750. II Beech Firewall Duct Kit ~ N/C S749. II GAMIjectors ~ N/C ~ N/C ~ N/C ~ N/C $ 26,000. N/C , TM Balanced Fuel Injection 50 hrs.@$39./hr.=SI,950. II • • $395. 5995 5650 Installation Engine Removal & Detailed In stallation Engine Mounts Install genuine Lord mounts Barning Replace all baffle seals & perfonn sheet metal repairs II ~-- - - - ~. Hoses N/C 5 year requirements in replacement of all e ngine fluid & ai r carrying hoses $ 150 S30 -+-- Dynamic balance Propeller II ~-- Standard perfomlance N/C Chadwic~ 192A balanced with engme running Mineral Oil Requirement ---t~~ N/C Used during break-m period • Performance Specifications Increase perronnance & reliability in phases of engine operation with air speed increase $23,425 Approximately 10 mph mcrease Additional Cost Savings lst.- 2,000 hr. TBO versus 1,700 Assuming a typical reman would beS 13.78, on a 1700 cost savi ngs to you wo uld be 2nd.- With matched airspeeds, 3rd .- An increase in airspeeds, 4th .- ~ Engines have ~Engine provides a 300 hr. increase in TBO Warranty. >UCl""'U install ation costs were $23,425.00, the uti lization per ho ur 7A~ .a·En,g irte , whi ch carries a 2,000 hr. TBO Warranty, the ..... hrs.@ $13.78 pe r hour ) ~'ngine operates with a 3% sav ings in fuel. and calculated can red uce fuel flow. <$4,134> ( loss of value ) ( 501 ) 394-5422 fax ( 501 ) 394-4048 E-Mail: [email protected] http:// www.ultimate-engines.com 106 Elk Drive P.O. Box 807 Mena, Arkansas 71953 Engines
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