Wingtips December 1998

• December 1: The Civil Air Patrol is formed, 1941.
• December 6: The first flight of the Sikorsky S-61 L Transport helicopter in the U.S, 1960.
• December 23: First time that an airplane reaches 20,000 ft., 1913.
• January 13: NASA selects its first group of women astronauts, 1978.
• January 26: Glenn Curtiss flies the first seaplane, the Curtiss single-float plane, 1911.
• January 30: The longest serving flight attendant to ever work for Northwest Airlines, Connie Walker, retires after 42 years of service, 1990.

SOURCE: Minnesota DOT, Office of Aeronautics, 1998 Calendar.

The Historical Eras of Texas

For all aviation travelers to the State of Texas, Texas was:

• Under Indians: years not known,
• Under Spain: 1519-1685, 1690-1821 – total of 297 years,
• Under Mexico: 1821-1836 – total of 15 years,
• A republic: 1836-1845 – total of nine years.
• In the Confederacy: 1861-1865 – total of four years,
• In the United States: 1845-1861, 1865-1998 – total of 149 years.

SOURCE: The Answer Folks, The Telephone Information Center; Austin John Henry Faulk Central Library, 1998.

THE MOST FREQUENT CAUSE FACTORS OF GENERAL AVIATION ACCIDENTS

1. Inadequate Preflight Preparation and/or Planning
2. Failure to Obtain/Maintain Flying Speed
3. Failure to Maintain Directional Control
4. Improper Level-Off During Landing Flare
5. Failure to See and Avoid Objects or Obstructions
6. Mismanagement of Fuel
7. Improper Inflight Decisions or Planning
8. Misjudgment of Distance and/or Speed
9. Selection of Unsuitable Terrain for Landing
10. Improper Operation of Flight Controls

SOURCE: Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA)

GUMP REDEFINED
We continue to see gear up landing accidents. In an effort to reduce these accidents, I have redefined GUMP as follows:

G – Gear Down
U – Undercarriage Down
M – Main Wheels Down
P – Put The Wheels Down

Remember that gas, mixture and prop will not help you taxi in if you don’t put the wheels down and check that they did go down and lock in place.

Aviation Safety is a State of Mind. Think About It.
– Al Neal, Flight Safety Program Manager Flight Standards District Office, Rapid City, SD

GUMP REDEFINED II
How about G-R-U-M-P-H?

G – Gas
R – RADIO | Are you sure the radio is on and tuned to the correct frequency?
U – Undercarriage
M– Mixture
P – Prop
H – Carburetor Heat

It is a good habit even in a fixed -gear and fixed-prop airplane.
– Stuart Faber, Cincinnati, OH

SOURCE: Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA)

MIDLAND-The Confederate Air Force’s Airsho ’98, the annual “big show” with non-stop warbird action, was a spectacular event again in October.

As many as 44 airplanes simultaneously flew over the field in racetrack patterns. About a dozen Zero, Val and Kate “Tora! Tora! Tora!” replicas buzzed through a smoke-filled sky as explosions rocked the ground. Once again, no CAF show would be complete without the Pearl Harbor and Midway re-enactments. But the most impressive demonstration was the five B- I 7s that few with a B-29, a B-24, four A-26s, three B-25s, two C-46s, a DC-3 and a Lockheed C-121A Constellation. The grand finale was a re-enactment of the B-29 raids on Japan that finally brought WWII to a close. Confederate Air Force plane gets ready for takeoff.

One close call came on Sunday, when CAF pilot Christ Avery flying a Corsair in formation with two others took a bird strike on the leading edge of the left wing. Despite a hole and a bird carcass buried inside the wing, Avery recovered the aircraft without incident. Another episode occurred when two Wildcats ground-looped with only minor damage when their brakes locked up. Aside from a few mechanical glitches, there were no serious problems at Midland this year.

Airsho ’98 provided an opportunity for CAF to honor a number of deserving individuals in the aviation community. Inducted into the CAF’s American Combat Airman Hall of Fame were:

• Maj. Gen. John Alison, Col. Rex Barber,
• Brig. Gen. Robert Galer, Maj. Jack Ilfrey,
• Col. “Bud” Mahurin, Col. Bob Morgan,
• and the crew of Navy Torpedo Squadron
• Eight Avenger serial Number 00380.

Also, the Flying Tigers were inducted as a unit into the Hall of Fame this year. Only 66 members of the unit are still alive, 16 of them pilots. Thirty-three members made it to Texas for the induction ceremony.

Source: Pacific Flyer, November 1998.

AUSTIN- Austin Aero Jet Center has signed a 40-year lease for 70 acres on the new Austin Bergstrom International Airport, which is scheduled to open next May. Construction is underway for an FBO and 65,000-square-foot hangar. The terminal will be a two-story building made of glass, limestone and stucco. The interior will consist of granite and marble. The facility is scheduled for completion next April. The Jet Center will be open 24 hours a day, and will offer maintenance, aircraft cleaning, fuel and hangar space.

• THE OSPREY HAS LANDED. Amarillo, Texas, will become the site of a Bell Helicopter manufacturing facility for the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor. This decision is a major step toward production of the much heralded, dual mode aircraft which has weathered development problems and political attempts to thwart its creation. The site will also serve to produce Bell’s Model 609 civilian tiltrotor, currently in development.
• THREE NAMED TO FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR HALL OF FAME. The National Association of Flight Instructors recently announced that three well-known CFl’s have been nominated to the Flight Instructor Hall of Fame. The three, Bill Kershner, Marvin Easter and the late Joe Vorbeck, together have amassed nearly 40,000 hours of flight time. They will be officially inducted this fall.
• EAA VENTURE ’98 AT OSHKOSH ATTRACTED THE LARGEST CROWD EVER. Visitors topped the 1994 record attendance of 850,000. EAA states that 855,000 airplane enthusiasts viewed a record 2,743 showplanes. A total of 12,000 planes flew to AirVenture during its seven day run. EAA AirVenture ’99 will be held on July 28-Aug. 3.
• EAA VENTURE ’98 AT OSKHOSH HAD RECORD NUMBER OF SHOWPLANES. Led by nearly 700 aircraft, showplane registrations set a record at the event. A total of 2,743 showplanes were registered during the event, nearly 100 more than in 1997 and 28 more than in 1995, the previous record year. The totals included 682 Homebuilts; 125 Antiques; 583 Classics; 271 Contemporaries (Amphibian/Floatplanes/Seaplanes (another record total); 38 Aerobatics; 212 Ultralights; 56 Light Planes; 16 Specials; and eight Replicas.
• NEWEST INDUCTEES INTO HALLS OF FAME. Thirteen of aviation ‘s brightest have become the newest inductees into the EAA’s Halls of Fame. Included are some very recognizable names: Curtis Pitts, Pitts Special; Burt Rutan, designer extraordinaire; and Bill Warwick, known for the Tiny Champ and Hot Canary racer entered the EAA Homebuilders’ Hall of Fame. Rodney Jocelyn and EAA president Tom Poberezny, as well as posthumous inductees Harold Neumann, Tex Rankin and Bill Barber, became the newest members of the international Aerobatic Club Hall of Fame. John Ellis and Randy Sohn joined the EAA Warbirds of America Hall of Fame, while Bill Kershner, Marvin Easter and the late Joe Vorbeck were honored as inductees into the Flight Instructor Hall of Fame.

Congratulations to all!

 

In June, at the beginning of our smoldering summer, Abilene Regional Airport’s new manager drove into town! Richard Crider, the former manager of an Ohio commercial service airport, took over the reins from A.R. “Fal” Falcioni, former airport manager, who plans to retire at the end of this year.

Crider’s top priority is the $3.1 million, 11,500-square-foot terminal expansion currently underway. Work on safety zone improvements, runway overlays and terminal renovations are on schedule. Construction is expected to take up to 15 months to complete. Crider anticipates that his economic development experience will help land jobs at the airport’s 1,686-acre complex and lists “Air service and working with airlines as my other priorities.

Airport activity at Abilene Regional Airport is constant. The airport played an active and important role this summer in accommodating the Texas Forest Commission during the range fires. The airport has just finished hosting in October the successful annual Southwest Regional Fly-In. Crider’s right hand man, John Maceda when asked what he does at the airport said, “You name it, I do it.” Maceda has been with Abilene Regional Airport for 10 years and is a certified air rescue fire fighter in Texas.

Crider earned a Bachelor in Aviation Management from the University of Central Texas in Killeen and a Masters in Public Policy and Management from Ohio State University. He is an accredited member of the American Association of Airport Executives. A native Texan, Crider said “it feels good to be back … it is great to be back home.”

The Billings, Montana-based Big Sky Airlines has won a $6.3 million federal contract to provide Essential Air Service to cities in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s essential air service program subsidizes airlines flying to rural communities that do not have enough passenger traffic to pay for their air service.

Brownwood city officials and county officials from surrounding areas were treated to a “get acquainted” luncheon recently with Big Sky Airlines officials. “We are extremely pleased to finally get service from a financially-sound organization and one that knows what it’s doing,” said Everett Pitts, Brownwood airport manager. Big Sky Airlines will begin scheduled air service to Brownwood on Nov. 15, 1998.

Big Sky Airlines will service the these markets by flying out of the hub cities of Dallas and St. Louis. Additionally, the airlines plans to increase their fleet as well as to add more employees to serve these markets.

We are working actively this year to make the 17th Annual Texas Aviation Conference better than ever. It is time to practice what we preach!

In an effort to highlight successful marketing strategies and advertising campaigns, we are holding our first Texas Aviation Marketing Contest to demonstrate to you how marketing and promotional efforts can best support your airport.

There are many methods to promote your airport and to educate the public. We will show you how marketing can benefit aviation, airport services and aviation careers as well as economic recruitment for your community.

In this contest, we have designated four types of media categories to promote your airport: print, audio, video and the Internet. The print category will include brochures, posters, calendars, newspaper advertisements and special events programs. The audio category will include radio advertisements on audio cassettes. The video category will include TV advertisements and marketing VHS tapes. The Internet category will include a home page/website.

OBJECTIVE: To showcase current marketing efforts throughout Texas and to inspire others to participate.

Complete the enclosed form and mail your entry by March 7, 1999, to: TxDOT Aviation Division, Texas Aviation Marketing Contest, 125 E. I Ith Street, Austin, Texas 78701-2483. For further information, please contact Michelle Hannah at 512/416-4500 or I/ 800/68-PILOT.

We will display the winning entries at the conference and on TxDOT’s web site, including the list of prizes won.

All material submitted for the contest will become TxDOT property and will NOT be returned.

TEXAS AVIATION CONFERENCE: April 7-9, 1999, Austin Texas (Austin North Hilton, 6000 Middle Fiskville Road)

City officials and members of the community gathered eagerly on a beautiful Saturday morning, Sept. 19, 1998, for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the newly remodeled Edinburg International Airport. The sneak preview of the $2.2 million dollars worth of work that was recently completed at this facility assured City Manager John Milford that “the airport will be a major tool in economic development in attracting businesses and industries to our area. It’s another way for our economy to grow not only in Edinburg but in the Valley.”

The airport, located at 400 E. Hargil Road, off Farm-to-Market Road 490 and U.S. Highway 281, previously could only accommodate single- or twin-engine aircraft weighing less than 12,000 pounds. The new $1.56 million runway, which measures almost a mile long, can now accommodate aircraft weighing up to 30,000 pounds.

In addition to the main runway, other renovations, some funded with TxDOT’s assistance and some funded locally, included:

• remodeling the fueling station and adding a self-serve station,
• replacing the beacon with one 23-in. in diameter on a 55-ft. tower,
• adding a new storm drainage system and
• installing a security fence around the airport.

Additionally, to ensure future growth, about 350 acres of land surrounding the main runway has been reserved for incoming businesses. Officials anticipate that businesses will take advantage of the airport’s proximity. According to Airport Manager Arnold Vega, “The airport will mainly land cargo and small private aircraft and will not accommodate any commercial airlines. City officials do not want to compete with airports at McAllen, Brownsville or Harlingen, which concentrate extensively on commercial airlines. Officials prefer to focus on the work with the City of Pharr with its international bridge as a cargo type of crossing. Vera said, “We’ ll work with Mexico and the maquiladoras, we feel there is a market in the area of import-export with Mexico.”

Funds for the multi-million dollar renovation project arrived in 1995 from Texas Department of Transportation, while the city contributed $285,000 dollars for its share. After going through major airport renovations over the last few years, for Edinburg, the long wait seems to be worth it!