As I mentioned in the last post, I saw an unfamiliar hulk sitting on the ramp at the Reno-Stead Airport the other day and was compelled to take a closer look.

I walked around the fuselage a few times while the crew was looking at their new project.  All the writing stenciled on the surfaces and in the cockpit is Cyrillic.

I don’t know who bought the project, why they got it or where they got it. It looks to me to be a huge project with the added complexity of foreign manuals translated to English – which hasn’t been really successful in the other cases I have seen. I guess it depends on whether the translator is changing a primary language to a second language or translating a second language to a primary one (which of the two languages does the translator usually speak). Technical manuals are sometimes difficult even if you know the language.

When I was there the crew was looking in all the compartments trying to identify the different aircraft systems.  The first project was to get the landing gear extended, even if the fuselage remained on jacks as a precaution. Which systems would have to be activated to make the gear extension work? Electrical and hydraulic for sure.  But there were wire bundles cut in a couple of compartments, probably where equipment had been removed before exporting the project.

I didn’t have many takers in the effort to identify the project. Only one reader replied and was at a loss. I guess it’s a bit too obscure for easy research.

The single-place version is designed to provide close air support for ground forces – the air-to-ground role. The NATO designation is “Frogfoot” and the official model name is Sukhoi SU-25UB for this two-seat trainer variant. You can find out more about the aircraft here.

I’m on a layover in Asia again, but that’s nothing new.  The westbound flight was really nice – hardly a bump the whole way. Our route this time took us across the northern Pacific quite a distance south of Anchorage. I took this picture looking north just as we passed over Kodiak Island. We believe we could see Mt. Redoubt and a small steam cloud rising quite a bit to the north of us, but one mountain out of many is not easy to pick out. The haze and distance prevented a photo.

The captain I was sharing the cockpit with for the first half of the flight is an individual I had worked with before when we were both flying the 747-200. He’s a really nice guy and is a fellow light plane pilot. Unlike me though he didn’t buy his plane, he built it. Steve has a really nice Van’s RV-4. He says he compressed a 4-year project into 15 years, but there were extenuating circumstances affecting his building effort. We’ll call them ‘family challenges’ and leave it at that. He says that both the plane and his kids turned out great, so whatever extra effort and time that it took was well worth it.

Way back when Steve started his aircraft building project Van didn’t have the wide range of kits and options that are available today. Steve bought what is affectionately (?) called the ‘slow-build’ kit for the RV-4. At that time there were no quick-build options and the kits didn’t come with pre-punched holes in the parts and skins. The early builders had to use rigid jigs and ingenuity to make sure that all the parts were aligned and fit properly. Steve had a USB key with him that had detailed photos of the entire project, some annotated with descriptions of the progress. I’ll add several to the end of this post.

Since there are only two pilots on duty at cruise, when we need to take a ‘biological break’ we have to call a flight attendant up to the cockpit to keep the remaining pilot company and to let the second pilot back into the cockpit. After one of those breaks the upper deck flight attendant stayed in the cockpit for a little while  and the ensuing conversation revealed that she and her husband (not a professional pilot) also had a light plane. Her off-duty ride is an Aviat Husky. Very nice. Unfortunately no photos. She was severely chastised for the omission and ‘forced’ to endure multiple airplane picture presentations.

Our block-out to block-in time for the flight was 13:21.  Unfortunately, after we blocked in at our destination we remained on the aircraft for another hour and a half. When the aircraft door was opened the usual greeting party had been replaced by about a half dozen individuals dressed in what appeared to be white Tyvek  biohazard suits, gloves, booties, masks, etc. We had all been required to fill out a new form for this arrival which was filled with questions related to the recent flu outbreak. A couple of the greeting party members took all the forms and started going through them while two others started going through the aircraft with what looked like a video camera. It was an infrared camera which was pointed at each of the passengers and crew to see if an abnormal body temperature was registered. Luckily no abnormal temperatures registered or we’d probably still be on the plane. Once the scan was completed, passengers were selected at random for a more thorough screening. Everyone on the aircraft was handed a face mask which was required to be worn upon exiting the plane and until clearing customs. Well, except for the station where they scan our passports, take our fingerprints and a facial photo. The photo recognition software didn’t like the masks. Go figure.

Getting back to the fun part, here are some of the photos from Steve’s RV-building experience.

The left photo shows wing rib building in progress. Many are already formed and some are now being drilled for riveting to the main spar. The right photo shows the placement of the first fuselage formers in a jig. This is the third time that particular jig had been used to build an RV-4.

The photo on the left shows the horizontal stabilizer in the assembly jig with the skins held in place with clecos. The right photo shows Steve drilling the wing ribs, preparing for the installation of the wing skins.

The photo on the left shows the partially completed wings in their jigs. The right photo is of the completed front cockpit and instrument panel.

The photo on the left shows the engine being hung on the aircraft for the first time. Steve installed a 160 HP Lycoming in his RV-4. The right photo shows the completed engine installation with the shiny new valve covers.

The photo on the left shows the engine being started for the first flight. Steve did all of the test flying himself. The right photo shows Steve’s RV-4 just after returning from a professional paint shop. Steve designed the paint scheme but elected to have the painting done by a local shop.

Steve finished his RV-4 about 3 years ago and has been having a ball flying it around his home field, taking advantage of the $100 hamburgers and $150 omelets that are available. Now, if it would only hold a couple of bags of golf clubs along with the baggage…

This is the time of year for all of us to look back and reflect on our flying experiences in 2008. We all have different views of what has happened in our aviation lives.  Professional pilots will look back and see some  flight departments closing or downsizing while others upgraded equipment.  Airlines disappeared or merged and pilots experienced aircraft/seat upgrades,  faced downgrades, layoffs or retirement. Those who fly for fun (without getting paid) will remember the cost of gas soaring to a ridiculous price, then returning to more reasonable levels. And we all witnessed the DHS/TSA continuing their effort to totally control our flying in the name of security with the intended result of exponentially building their government bureaucracy. Some of you earned new pilot’s licenses or new ratings (Congratulations!) and some of you moved up to bigger and faster planes while others chose to fly something smaller and more economical.  One thing is definitely true… the aviation business and sport flying is continually changing. Time marches on.

My experiences in 2008 included a move from the flight engineer seat to a copilot seat when the mandatory retirement age was extended. That change generated a commute from west to east rather than to the north because of an airplane change and resulted in additional training and the awarding of a type certificate in my new airplane assignment. On the Part 91 flying side, I started flying my new (old) personal airplane on a more regular basis as I worked the bugs out of my ongoing restoration. As all this developed I found myself taking a more active part in aviation forums and web sites and becoming more visible in an aviation world in which I have been a mostly silent participant for forty years. I decided to stretch my abilities a bit farther and try to do some aviation writing about my experiences, opinions and education which led to this blog.  I am continually amazed at the number of you who continue to visit AroundThePattern to see what I have to say next.  I really appreciate your support and will try not to let you down. After all that, what do I see in my future for next year?  Well…

I do not see my professional aviation situation changing appreciably. I could be wrong, but I believe I have enough seniority to weather the storms I see on the horizon.  I will be content to remain in the position I currently hold and to fly from the base where I am assigned. If my employer has other plans for me, then I will have to re-evaluate my options, including retirement.  On the personal flying  side, there are several things I would like to do this year. Without getting into my perpetual to-do list for the airplane, here are a few of the things on my personal flying resolution list.

1. Take an aviation education course that covers aeronautical decision making and risk assessment.
2. Become more active in the operation of my home airport. Learn who is making the decisions, go to board meetings and make my opinions known.
3. Keep track of the latest attempts by our government’s organizations to remove our freedom to fly and make my feelings known about their proposals by responding to NPRMs and attending public meetings.
4. Introduce at least one new person to the joys of flight, either by taking them for an airplane ride or encouraging/mentoring them in their efforts to obtain a pilot’s license.
5. Go flying for fun at least once each time I am home between airline trips.
6. Attend more aviation events, meet new aviation people and enjoy our freedom of flight.

If I add to these the recurring resolutions of eating better, exercising more and losing weight, then I’m going to have a pretty full year coming up.

What are your aviation plans for next year?

Here’s to a 2009 with blue skies, safe flights and soft landings!

Traffic was backed up a little as we were leaving Tokyo the other day which meant we had to to wait in line on the parallel for our turn to take off. We happened to stop just abeam a parking apron where a maintenance crew was readying a 747 for tow. They were using one of the big tugs that can lift the nosewheel off the ground and capture it in a cradle. This makes it very easy to maneuver the aircraft from one position to another and gives a very smooth ride if the plane is full of passengers. The tug also has auxilliary electrical power capability. You can see the yellow power cord coming from the tug, looping around the steering cylinders at the rear of the nosewheel strut and connecting to the plane. It’s not obvious what the other line is that is coming out of the nosewheel well, but it is probably the cloth streamer attached to the end of the nosewheel pin. The pin is inserted into a hole in the nosewheel retraction mechanism to prevent the gear from retracting. I have seen these tugs moving 747s around at what seemed like 30 knots. It was probably not that fast, but it was definitely faster than a brisk walk. For those of you who may be curious, the ANA on the side of the tug stands for All Nippon Airways. If you have really good eyes, you can see the letters NCA on the underside of the aircraft nose. That’s a Nippon Cargo Airlines 747-400 freighter, not the private plane of the National Cheerleaders Association. (Amazing the things you find with a Google search.)

I watched the maintenance crew for a couple of minutes before we moved up in line for takeoff. It reminded me of a unique tow method I came across while at the Reno Air Races last year. Tulsa Towbots had a booth set up in the pit area and was offering their Towbots for sale. I saw several Towbots in use in the race pit area and then later, at the end of the event, in the National Aviation Heritage Invitational area where they were moving some of the larger aircraft involved in that competition. The unit looks and works very much like a miniature of the ANA tug. It is radio controlled using a handheld control unit. You run the unit right up to the aircraft wheel, maneuver under it, and roll the wheel up into the unit where it is clamped it in a little dolly. The dolly is able to swivel 360 degrees on it’s own axis. That means that the maneuvering of the aircraft can be done without the aircraft nosewheel (or tailwheel) having to swivel on it’s own. There are several models available including a small aircraft version, a BomberBot capable of moving large warbirds, a model for helicopters and a version for use with aircraft that have wheelpants installed. Their web site shows the various models and has videos of their operation. It’s a great piece of equipment – and a really good idea for a Christmas present!

Time Off?

I was at home for about a week and a half toward the end of June. During that time I went back to work rebuilding the landing gear on my Swift. I’ll make a few posts on that process in the next day or so. I even managed to take some pictures of the process this time. The left main gear rebuild took me two months of working during breaks between trips. The right one is now 90% finished after a week of steady work and long days in a 95 degree hanger. Between the heat, the solvent, the hydraulic fluid and the paint, I had to change clothes just to get into my truck and drive home. My wife would always stay upwind until I got a long hot shower and changed clothes yet again.

Another Hat

I manage to wear several hats when I’m around the airport. The most often worn hat has the general “airport bum” identifier, but two more are associated with my involvement with EAA. One hat is labeled Technical Counselor and the other is labeled Flight Advisor. They are both great programs for the amateur aircraft builder. As a Tech. Counselor I visit the builder as the building project progresses, look over the work that is accomplished and, if warranted, make suggestions or answer questions about alternate ways to approach a problem area. I then write up a short description of the project, the progress that has been made and the things that were discussed during the visit. The builder signs the form and keeps a copy for the aircraft building records, I keep a copy and I send the original to EAA headquarters. There are several aircraft under construction on our airport. Two that I have been involved with lately are RV models. I took a look at an RV-9A the other day that is being build in the person’s garage.

You can see that the builder is well along in the process. Something like 80% completed with another 90% to go. That’s the way is always seems, anyway. Lots of detail work to be done that seems to take forever. It’s a nice instrument panel with the Dynon flat panel displays. The empty space in the center is to be the home of a Garmin 495 or 496.

Other Work

Now I’m out on the road again. I just had a layover in Hong Kong, but was so beat that I spent the majority of the time asleep, trying to catch up after several short nights. Tomorrow is a short flight to Shanghai with a quick layover at the airport hotel, than back here to Tokyo and home the day after that. With a bit of luck I’ll finish the Swift landing gear rebuild this time at home and possibly get most of the annual complete. It would be nice to go flying again – the real kind, not the high altitude programming that widebody airline flying has become.