EAA CHAPTER 25
MINNEAPOLIS / ST PAUL, MN
Painting the
SONEX
MAY 2007
How to Paint Your
Own Airplane
That was the name of a
book I picked up at Oshkosh a couple of years ago.
The author was so enthused
and made it sound so easy.
Anybody could do it. After
checking the price of professional paint jobs, I decided to do it myself. Boy,
was I naive! I wasn't afraid
of all the work involved but
I thought with a bit of practice, I could shoot an acceptable paint job. Wrong!
It takes a LOT of practice.
by Bill Brown
(Continued on page 4)
Sisler Six-Pac
Takes Flight
We last reported on Bert’s quarter scale model of
the Sisler Six-Pac back in January. As you can see
on the right, Bert has been very busy completing
this model over the past few months. On Saturday
May 5th, Bert got together at the hangar with Bill
Brown and Ron Oehler to take the Six-Pac on its
first flight. The first challenge was finding some (Continued on page 5)
Cleared for Takeoff
May meeting, April minutes
P2
P3
USA’s First Jet
Ads
p6
p7
Steve’s Swift Project
Events/Fly-ins
p7
p8
Cleared for Takeoff
by Jon Cumpton
This last week I had the opportunity
to fly down to Iowa for the day. I realized that the weather was looking good
for the next day (Wednesday), and I
wanted to make final arrangements for
the memorial service for my father that
would take place the following weekend
at a church and cemetery near New
Sharon , Iowa. So that Wednesday, I hopped in my Citabria and headed almost
straight south for 7C5 – Sig Field - just south of Montezuma, Iowa. Those of
you who are old model airplane builders know about Sig Manufacturing. Well,
Sig field is a grass strip on a bluff that is owned by Hazel Sig, and official reports say there are seven aircraft based there. Driving down there would have
taken five hours and wouldn’t have been a day trip – and also wouldn’t have
made sense since I had to go down there again a couple of days later for the actual event – but I hadn’t met the minister nor seen the cemetery in many years.
So I traveled 216 nautical miles in just about two hours. My friend met me,
drove me to the church, the cemetery and then to lunch while the Citabria sat up
on the bluff. I finished my business and was back home by 4:30. The next day,
I was relating this story to a non pilot friend. She said, “Did you have to file a
flight plan or anything?” Of course, I said, “No, I just went!” It reminded me of
the great freedom we have in this country to travel by private plane – let’s not let
it get away from us!
I also have good news to share in that we have selected two scholarship winners
from the Lakeville High Schools – North and South. They are Nicholas Trutwin
and Mitchell Nord. Nicholas intends to attend Iowa State University to study
Aerospace Engineering, while Mitchell will attend Wichita State to also study
Aerospace Engineering. These awards will be made at ceremonies in the middle
of May. We are also planning a 3rd scholarship at Washburn. Stay tuned.
By the time you read this the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame Awards will
have been made to two Chapter 25 members – Roger Anderson and Paul Brown
(accepting for Ray Brown, former chapter member and Paul’s grandfather). We
all should be proud of the recognition people like these men bring to our Chapter.
This month’s meeting will see our return to the Chapter Hangar for “the season”.
I can hardly wait to see and smell the grill fired up. Please join us on May 16th,
and please bring a dish to pass.
Jon
ON FINAL is published monthly by Chapter 25 of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) for the use, education
and enjoyment of Chapter members and others to whom it is provided. No claim is made for the accuracy of materials
presented. Editorial content is the opinion of the contributor and does not necessarily reflect the position of Chapter 25
nor EAA. Submissions for publication, questions or comments on articles, etc. are encouraged and should be addressed
to: Pete Gavin 6905 12th Ave So, Richfield MN 55423 612-866-6676 email [email protected]
Submission deadline: 1st Wednesday of the month. New or renewal memberships ($25/year) should be addressed to:
Ron Oehler, 36 Walden St., Burnsville, MN 55337-3678. Permission for other EAA Chapters to use the noncopyrighted portions of this publication is hereby given as long as the source is acknowledged. Any copyrighted material
that appears in this newsletter is with the permission of the acknowledged copyright holder. Any further copying must
obtain the permission of the original copyright holder.
ON FINAL MAY 2007
Minneapolis/St. Paul
Visit our website at eaa25.org
President
Jon Cumpton 715-749-3134
[email protected]
Vice President
Andy Hutchinson 952-758-9703
[email protected]
Secretary
Craig Nelson 952-949-0400
[email protected]
Treasurer
Ron Oehler 952-894-2332
[email protected]
Membership Coordinator
Ron Oehler 952-894-2332
[email protected]
Newsletter Editor
Pete Gavin 612-866-6676
[email protected]
Young Eagle Coordinators
John Koser 952-831-5142
[email protected]
Bill Brown 612-269-2868
[email protected]
Technical Counselors
Bob Eckstein* 763-566-0577
Peter Denny 763-529-5325
* also flight advisor
2
This Month: Wed May 16th—Chapter Hangar—6 pm
Grill on at 6:00, Meeting starts at 7:00
Bring something to grill and something to pass
Program: This month’s plan in progress as we go to print. Maybe a video? In any
case, come out to share the great food and see Bert Sisler’s completed quarter-scale
Six-Pac.
Sat May 19th, 9 am—Young Eagles
Contact John Koser or Bill Brown for confirmation, plan on meeting at the FBO.
Mon May 28th—Open House at Airlake
Volunteers needed as soon as possible—Contact Jon Cumpton
Sat Jun 16th—Chapter 25 Annual Picnic
Sun Oct 7th—Chapter 25 Annual Banquet
Directions to Chapter Hangar at Airlake:
South on I-35 to Hwy 70 (Megastop), then East to Hamburg Ave (3rd stop sign.)
Right turn and South to airport perimeter road. Left on airport perimeter road then
right on Hotel or India Lane. Please park on grass between hangars.
EAA Chapter 25 Meeting Minutes
April 18, 2007
Presiding Officer: Andy Hutchinson
Location: Washburn High School
Runway
Greg Laslo with Norm Tesmar & Peter Denny
Business meeting discussions
The following guest was introduced: Nick Mavridis
All members are encouraged to wear nametags during chapter
events. To order a nametag ($5), email Jon Cumpton.
Please contact Pete Gavin to get our newsletter via email. The
elec. version is in color & saves the chapter $1 per copy.
John Koser reported that 20 kids from both Boy and Cub Scout
troops are expected at our next Young Eagles Rally on Saturday. We recently ran a press release in the Sun Current
Newspaper to draw more kids to our 3rd Saturday YE events.
Member news:
Sue, Bill Brown’s wife, continues to do well after her recent lung transplant.
Jim Ladwig is doing well after his recent heart attack.
Congratulations to Frank Hanish on his recent marriage.
Congratulations to Chris Bobka, new Captain at NWA.
The MN Aviation Hall of Fame Banquet is May 12. Chapter member Roger Anderson and former member Ray
Brown will be inducted. Chapter members can purchase tickets from Pete Gavin for ½ price.
Members are encouraged to volunteer at one of the EAA
Volunteer weekends in preparation for AirVenture.
Members who have participated in the past have had
an enjoyable experience. Watch for future announcements about a group planning to go in early June.
Greg Laslo, a writer for EAA’s Sport Aviation magazine, met with
members of the Gusty Restoration Team recently. He is writing an article on the restoration project which is expected to
appear in the June or July issue. See photo at upper right.
Upcoming events:
Next meeting will be at the Airlake chap. Hangar.
June 16 is our annual chapter picnic
Annual banquet is scheduled for Oct 7
Peter Denny reported that the Sonex Project at Washburn HS is
progressing well.
Members are encouraged to contact their federal representatives and express their views on the FAA’s user
fee proposal. Visit the AOPA or EAA websites to become more informed on the issue.
Scholarship news… We are offering three $500 scholarships for
high school students this year. Applicants from both Lakeville High Schools have been received. A student at
Washburn also plans to apply. The Scholarship Committee
will evaluate the applications.
We continue to look for aviation minded kids to sponsor at EAA’s
Air Academy this summer. Please submit candidates to a
chapter officer.
ON FINAL MAY 2007
Several homebuilders gave updates on their projects.
Program:
Members continued to work on sheet metal construction techniques in the Washburn Workshop.
Submitted by Craig Nelson
3
Painting the Sonex
(from page 1)
I started by doing the cowl and wheel pants. I could do those
at home and learn as I went. I was a little surprised to find the
primer didn't fill any of the pin holes. I had to sand the whole
thing and use a glazing compound to get a paintable surface.
And I also found that epoxy primer sands like iron. That little
bit of information would come
back to haunt me later. After
glazing and sanding, I shot another coat of primer and it all
turned to orange peel. More
sanding and I felt it was ready
for color. I planned to mount
the cowling on the airplane and
do all the base color at once.
Besides, I was getting a little
tired of sanding.
Ken Beene, who had just finished his jewel of an RV-4,
gave me the makings of his
paint booth and one Saturday
John Koser and I built a paint
booth in the hangar we co-own.
I sure appreciate his willingness to let me do this project in
the hangar. I was very careful
to not get any overspray on his
polished Sonex. We actually
built the booth right around the airplane so I couldn't get it
out until the job was done.
I spent a couple of weeks cleaning and prepping and masking
for the primer shoot. By this time I had found an HVLP paint
system that an RV builder was done with and felt I was ready
to go.
Some of you may know that my wife Sue was waiting for a
lung transplant while this was going on. We were told to expect the call from the University Hospital in the middle of the
night as that seems to be when many of these happen. I also
knew that once I shot the primer, it was imperative that I
shoot the base color within 24 hours or I would have to sand
Bill’s respirator mask
ON FINAL MAY 2007
Paint booth exhaust fan
Bill stands in front of the opening to the paint booth. Once the
opening is closed, the window screen marked with an arrow
serves as the air intake.
the whole airplane. Sure didn't want to do that! We had
waited nearly three months for "The Call" and I decided to go
for it. After all, aren't pilots risk takers??
So Monday, Feb 19, I started to shoot primer. It seemed to go
well but I was hoping it was going to flow out pretty soon. I
went home that night tired and nervous about what I had
done. No use losing sleep, what's done is done. For the first
time in three months I hoped the phone was not going to ring
that night and it didn't. Figured I was home free.
Tuesday morning I went back to the hangar and started shooting the white base color over my primer. About half way
through, I saw someone waving to me outside the booth and I
knew what was happening. Sue had called John Koser trying
to get hold of me and John called the FBO and had someone
go to my hangar. I called Sue and she said we had about a half
hour before we would know if the donated lung was acceptable. I said ok, I'll try to finish soon. I went back to work and
was pulling the trigger as hard as I could when I saw Cliff
Carpenter waving at me. He said (Continued on page 5)
After shooting the white base color coat
4
Painting the Sonex
(from page 4)
(from page 1)
the doctor had called and it was a go. Quick, back to shooting paint. (This is not the best way to do quality work!)
Anyway, I finished shooting the white about noon and
quickly ran some thinner through the gun and tore off for
home. We got to the U by about 1o'clock and then sat
around until 5:30 before Sue went in for surgery. Turns out I
had plenty of time to finish up but didn't want to be late for
the surgery. The transplant surgery and follow-up turned out
to be much more difficult than we had expected. Sue was in
the hospital for 3 weeks and it was a total of 2 months before I got back to my airplane.
Masking and painting the
trim colors was really fun
and the final unmasking
was like opening a huge
Christmas present. It turned
out that I had a lot of
"detailing" to do, and still
do, but overall I'm happy
with the paint. Some of you
Preparing for the color coats
may recognize the scheme
is the same as I used on my RV-4 and I think it works well
on the Sonex. The Sonex is a very clean, efficient design but
looks a bit stumpy and needs some enhancement to make it
look fast. I think the paint helped with that.
Blue coat
Red coat
Would I do it again? Absolutely, since I still haven't won the
lottery!
ON FINAL MAY 2007
Sisler Six-Pac
quarter-scale people to fly
the aircraft. Bert’s wife
Barb came to the rescue, as
you can see in the photo.
The next challenge was getting airborne. Luckily, Bert
installed a BRS (Ballistic
Recovery Skyhook) in this
aircraft, which automatically activates when all three engines on the aircraft fail simultaneously with the props synchronized at 11-5. As you can see below, the BRS deployed
perfectly, suspending the Six-Pac from the hangar ceiling.
Zero casualties, and no damage to the aircraft!
Seriously, this project has been a labor of love for Bert, and
he has done a beautiful job on a truly original design. Bert
estimates that the model has taken about 700 build hours
over 7 months. He built individual ribs for the control surfaces behind the rear spars and skinned them separately with
light model airplane fabric, attaching with epoxy glue. As in
the plans for the full-size version, the outboard sections of
the wings detach for ground transport.
For the engineers out there, Bert also explained that at 35
lbs, the model is also quarter-scale in weight. That is, the
full-size version at 1400EW + 4 passengers at 175 and 23
gals of fuel at 6 = 2238 lbs. Multiply 35 lbs actual x 4 cubed
(3 dimensions) and you get 2240 lbs. Not bad!
5
USA’s First Jet
from Fred Rogers
A
well kept secret indeed! This was America's first Jet
airplane - the P-59 first flown in Oct. 1942. Volunteers have
spent the last 10 years restoring this extremely historic and
very rare airplane, and they put the wings back on just last
weekend ...and just in time to be on static display at an air
show this weekend.
In 1942, this was a Top Secret project located at Edwards
AFB in California. When the dry lake flooded, they had to
transport it by road ......so it was disguised with a dummy
wooden propeller on the front and covered with a shroud.
their report was total disbelief .....so the airplane remained a
secret until after the war.
The crew has special shirts, derby hats and a fancy baseball
cap designed by one of the guys. ..........Maybe they will have
gorilla masks by this weekend?
General characteristics
Power plant: Two General
Electric J31-GE-5 turbojets
Thrust: 907 kg /8.89 kN
Max. speed 413 mph/664
km/h
Range: normal 240
miles /386 km - with ext.
tanks 520 miles /836 km
There is also a story behind the derby hats the fellows are
wearing in the photo below. On one test flight this Top Secret aircraft was spotted by some pilots getting checked out
in their P-38's that were operating from Van Nuys Airport in
1942. When the P-38 pilots then reported seeing
a strange airplane with no propeller, their account met with
some obvious skepticism. But the story kept circulating, so
on a subsequent flight the test pilot of the P-59 dressed up in
a gorilla mask, put on a derby hat, and smoked a cigar. He
then made a point to fly next to the P-38 pilots and waved at
them.
When the P-38 pilots got back to the base, they told everyone about the plane with no propeller .....being flown by a
gorilla wearing a derby and smoking a cigar. The result of
ON FINAL MAY 2007
Wingarea: 386 sq ft /35.86
sq m
Weight empty 7,940 lb/
3,600 kg
Max. takeoff : 2,700 lb/
5,760 kg
Wingspan: 45.5 ft /13.88 m
Length: 38.85 ft /11.84 m
Height: 12.3 ft /3.76 m
Armament: One 37 mm cannon, three 12,5 mm machine
guns; under wings 2x 450 kg bombs or 8x 27 kg rockets
Date deployed: 1944
Number built: 66 (incl. three training XF2L-1 for US
Navy)
6
Steve Roman’s Swift Project
My father -in -law purchased this
1946 Globe Swift GC1-B 13 years ago
from a gentleman at Meridan-Marcum
airport in Connecticut. It had not flown
in ten years and was in poor shape. The
engine, however, had been replaced with
a Lycoming 032-A2B and was in great
shape. Many skins were in need of replacing and over the years, numerous
mods had been added with varying degrees of success (or not). We started out
gutting the plane and removing the mods and corroded skins. The instrument
panel was replaced and the landing gear overhauled. After I took a job with
NWA in 1997, we moved out to Minnetonka and moved the plane to Lake
Elmo, where it fit right in along with 15 other Swifts on the field. Most importantly we had lots of great support, including Monty, our AI, the leading
Swift expert in the US. We re-skinned the wings and built a new vertical stabilizer and were working diligently on the fuselage, when a large storm hit the
airport with 90 MPH straight line winds, about four years ago. Half of the
hangars at Lake Elmo were destroyed along with about 30 aircraft. Our wings
and tail were damaged as the hangar walls blew in and we were set back almost to square one. Fortunately, the fuselage was in my shop in Minnetonka
and was not damaged. We have started anew on the restoration and have built
a new vertical stabilizer and have drilled the damaged skins off of the wings.
Progress is slow, but gathering momentum. I am looking for someone with
fabrication and riveting experience to help
me part time with the project. Someone with
an A&P would be great, but not necessary.
Perhaps someone with a bit of time on their
hands and experience building a metal
homebuilt would be interested in helping
work on the project. My shop, while not
state of the art, is heated and bright and located near 494 and Hwy 7 in Minnetonka.
See ad below.
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Stuff for Sale/Wanted
Help Wanted: Part time help wanted for Swift project. Experience with
metal fabrication and riveting is important. A&P is a plus, but not necessary.
I am working part-time on the project in my shop at my home near 494 and
Hwy 7 in Minnetonka. Please call me to discuss the project, pay and benefits
(hot coffee and total job satisfaction). Thanks, Steve Roman, 612-251-8660.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
For Sale: 1/10 share in Wally's Flyers J-3 Cub - N25WF - $3700 - includes
hangar at southwest corner MIC - Dues $165/quarter, $35/hour wet.
Contact Joel Fuller at 952-906-4921 or [email protected]
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
For Sale: Full Lotus Floats model FL 1220 brand new never inflated. 2 extra
air bladders, front & rear. Ops Manuals. Digital pics to e-mail if interested.
Asking $2500. Paul Brown [email protected] or 952-457-6940.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
For Sale: 1/2 share1958 J-35 Bonanza (IFR) based at Fleming Fld in So St
Paul in a new htd hgr. (Bldg an RV-10.) 12 hrs SMOH 300 hrs SPOH on
Beech 278 prop. Airplane is "10" mechanically. Updts/mods include:IO470-N 260 HP eng, STEC-30 autopilot w/yaw damper and alt. hold, KLN89B GPS (IFR), new wing bolts in 2004, alternator conv, GAMI injectors,
EI UBG-16 eng mtr, EI FP-5 fuel flow, 1-piece wshield, shldr hrns & much
more. All AD's complied with. 160 kts TAS 11.5 gal/hr. See and fly to appreciate. $45,000 David Maib 651-454-5358 [email protected]
ON FINAL MAY 2007
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P.O. Box 44578
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Email: [email protected]
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7
Chapter Events
and Fly-Ins
May 16th Ch. 25 Meeting at Ch. Hangar
See page 3 for map & directions.
May 19th Young Eagles (LVN)
Contact John Koser or Bill Brown for
current info
May 28th Open House at Airlake
Jun 16th Annual Chapter Picnic
Oct 7 Annual Chapter Banquet
Future meetings 6/20, 7/18, 8/15, 9/19,
Apple Ford Shakopee
800-737-0489
Apple Ford Mercury Lakeville
800-724-8196
Apple Valley Ford Lincoln Mercury 800-737-0481
New Vehicles
Pre-Owned Vehicles
Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles
Custom Shop Vehicles
One Low Price.
Check out the
2007 Ford Edge
Plain and simple.
Always!
10/17, 11/21, 12/19, 1/16, 2/20, 3/19, 4/16
May 12 Bloomington Mn
Mn Aviation Hall of Fame
Ramada/Thunderbird Convention
Center, north of Mall of America
May 16 St Paul Mn
Lindbergh Foundation award
Ceremony, Mn History Center
763/576-1596
May 19 Alexandria Mn 8a-1p
Belgian waffles, Armed Forces/
Airport Days fly-in 320/762-1333
May 19 Sparta Wi (CMY) 7a-12p
Fly-in bkfst, shuttle to Armed
Forces Day activities
608/269-6511
May 19-20 LaCrosse Wi (LSE)
9a-5p Deke Slayton Airfest
608/779-9994
May 19-20 Blaine Mn (ANE)
7a-4p Aviation Weekend, pancakes
Hangar dance Sat night 8p
651/653-2063
May 20 Aitkin Mn (AIT) 11a -3p
Fish Fry Fly-in 218/927-4104
May 20 Eau Claire Wi (EAU)
7-11a fly-in bkfst 715/723-6678
May 28-Jun 3 Albert Lea Mn
(AEL) Sports Class Soaring
Contest
Jun 2 Amery Wi (AMI) 7-11a
Fly-in bkfst 715/268-6899
Jun 3 Reedsburg Wi (C35) 7a-12p
Fly-in bkfst 608/524-6888
Jun 8-10 Hancock Mn (Brown’s
Airport) Fly-in. Call 320/392-5869
for permission to land.
Jun 9 Clear Lk Mn (8Y6) 10a-2p
Bean & brat fly-in. 320/229-8563
Jun 10 Albert Lea Mn (AEL) 7a12:30p Fly-in bkfst
Jun 10 Montevideo Mn (MVE)
8-1p Fly-in 320/269-4829
Jun 10 Red Lk Falls Mn (D81) 8-1p
Fly-in bkfst. 218/253-4304
Jun 10 Redwood Falls Mn (RWF)
8a-12p Fly-in bkfst 507/430-1818
Jun 15-17 East Gull Lk, Mn (9y2)
Madden’s Fly-in & Safety Seminar
Ben Thuringer, 218-855-5970
Jun 16 Morris Mn (MOX) 8a
Fly-in bkfst 320/589-2083
Jun 16 Two Harbors Mn (TWM)
10a-1p Hotdog & Chili Feed.
218/834-4784
Jun 16 Moose Lk Mn (MZH)
7:30-11:30a Fly-in bkfst
218/485-4441
Jun 16 Boyceville Wi (3T3) 7a-2p
Pancake & brats 715/235-0972
Jun 17 Rush City Mn (ROS) 8a-12p
Fly-in bkfst 320/358-4743
Jun 17 Cambridge Mn (CBG) 7:3012:30p Fly-in bkfst 763/689-5194
Call for pricing
CONTINENTAL
LYCOMING
Bolduc Aviation
Specialized Services, Inc.
ANOKA COUNTY AIRPORT
8891 AIRPORT ROAD
MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55449
DARRELL E. BOLDUC
PRESIDENT
(763) 780-1185
“SPECIALIZING IN ENGINE REBUILDING AND REPAIR”
Volunteers needed for Memorial Day
There is an open house planned at Airlake on Memorial Day, May
28th. We need a few volunteers to represent the chapter that day.
Nothing complex -- perhaps just a few people with their airplanes on
display who will also talk about the chapter and EAA activities.
Please email me if you can help. Thanks - Jon Cumpton
ON FINAL MAY 2007
8