Wingtips Jan.-Feb. 2002

Originally published in 2002

Friends and colleagues of George E. Haddaway have announced the establishment of a new scholarship to honor the memory of the high-flying Texas publisher and to further his goal of educating future generations about the benefits of aviation.

Haddaway, a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in English literature and journalism, earned his pilot’s license in 1928. He was one of the founders of the Civil Air Patrol in 1941 and commanded a CAP unit from Beaumont during WWII. Haddaway published the magazine Flight for 40 years and contributed his unique collection of aviation artifacts and extensive aviation research to UT-Austin, where it became the distinguished History of Aviation Collection. Eventually, the collection moved to UT-Dallas for on-going use and the artifacts became the basis for the historical displays at the Frontiers of Flight Museum on Dallas Love Field.

He was the ultimate crusading journalist and enthusiastic pilot who held an abiding belief in the critical importance of aviation to the country’s economy and defense.

The scholarship will be awarded to college journalism students in the U.S. who have a demonstrated interest in the science and history of flight.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens who have successfully completed at least the first two years of college at an accredited institution in the U.S. or its possessions. They must submit two letters of recommendation in addition to academic or journalistic work that reflects their interest in aviation. Questions and contributions may be directed to Communities Foundation of Texas by phone at 2 I 4/826-5231 / write to its offices at 4605 Live Oak Street, Dallas, Texas 75204.

Originally published in 2002

• SOUTHWEST AIRLINES wins the Best Customer Satisfaction Award by Satmetrix Systems. The independent survey of 13,000 business consumers in late September identified the Dallas-based carrier as best in its class in the airline sector. Southwest received an 8.63 out of a possible 10 compared with the overall airline rating of 7.79.
• HOUSTON AIRPORT SYSTEM – HAS handled 3,254,018 passengers in October and over 36.7 million passengers through October 2001. George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) had 2.5 million, William P. Hobby Airports (HOU) had 671,429 and Ellington Field (EFD) had 5,943 passengers in October. IAH has served 28.3 million travelers, HOU handled 7.3 million and EFD had 48,356. HAS handled over 63.8 million pounds of cargo in October and over 590 million pounds through October in 2001.
• WINSTON FIELD, Snyder, Texas, marked its 50th anniversary on Saturday, December 8, 2001. The Snyder Chamber of Commerce hosted an Open House in observance of the anniversary. e DECATUR MUNICIPAL AIRPORT – Airport and city officials hosted a ribbon cutting for the new Decatur Municipal Airport terminal on Saturday, September l, 2001. The opening of the terminal was a part of the well-attended airport Open House which featured antique autos, antique planes, free plane and helicopter rides, including a Civil War re-enactment troop demonstration of small arms and mountain cannons.
• DALLAS-FORT WORTH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT – A 554-room Hyatt Hotel was demolished at the airport early one Sunday morning in October to make room for a $1 .1 billion international terminal that will be twice as large as the existing one.
• RWJ AIRPARK, Baytown – Civil Air Patrol C-182 aircraft was temporarily relocated recently to the Anahuac Airport because of the air space restriction in the Houston area resulting from the September 11 terrorist attacks. The plane is now back at RWJ. Major Don Fisher is the Liberty Sr. Squadron Commander of the Texas Wing CAP, which currently has 24 members. CAP performs special support missions, including search and rescue of downed airplanes or of lost persons, including hunters.
• HOUSTON, TEXAS – Charles Hutchins received the Lloyd P. Nolen Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Advancement of Aviation. Hutchins was presented the award at the recent Wings Over Houston Airshow. He was honored for his many years as organizer of the annual event. Previous winners include astronauts and test pilots among others.
• NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD – Marion Clifton Blakely was recently sworn in as the ninth Chairman of the NTSB. Her current term as Chairman ends September 23, 2003. Her term as a Member of the Safety Board ends December 31, 2005. Most recently, Ms. Blakely served as Administrator of the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (1992-1993).
• AIR FORCE ONE – President Bush said goodbye at a special retirement ceremony in August to a historic jet that was used by every president since Nixon. The speciallyconfigured Boeing 707 jet served seven presidents including Bush. It was on this plane that Nixon’s resignation became effective. It flew former President Carter to Germany to greet the 52 Americans who had been held hostage in Iran. Former President Reagan used the plane to travel to Berlin in 1987 to demand that the Soviet leader “tear down this wall.” Its last trip was to California for display at a new hangar at Reagan’s library in Simi Valley. According to President Bush, it may carry no more presidents “but it will carry forever the spirit of American democracy.”

Originally published in 2002

Eight people who contributed greatly to the world of flight have been honored by EAA, The Leader in Recreational Aviation, as the newest members of the EAA-affiliated Halls of Fame. The group was inducted on November 2, 2001, at the EAA Aviation Center at Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

HOMEBUILDERS’ HALL OF FAME: John Monnett, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, a leading aircraft designer for 30 years created the Sonerai, Monerai, Moni, Monex and, most recently, the Sonex. Monnett is also renowned for affordable Volkswagen engine conversions for aircraft, notably the Super Vee and Aero Vee.

INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB HALL OF FAME: Michael Heuer, Memphis, Tennessee, has been involved in sport aerobatics since 1965 and helped write the first IAC rulebook in 1970. Heuer has served as president of the FAI International Aerobatics Commission since 1986, and has been an IAC officer or director longer than any other person.

ULTRALIGHT HALL OF FAME: W. Michael “Mike” Sacrey, Voluntown, Connecticut, an experienced pilot and instructor, became the FAA official responsible for creating Part 103 – ultralight air regulations. Sacrey’s support and vision allowed ultralight flight to grow safely over the past two decades.

WARBIRDS HALL OF FAME: (1) Ed Maloney, Chino, California, has amassed an impressive collection of warbird aircraft over the past 50 years, which evolved into the Planes of Fame Museum, the oldest privately operated air museum in the world. Maloney has also written 26 aviation books; and (2) Lincoln Dexter, North Fort Myers, Florida, has logged more than 32,000 hours of flight time, many of them in warbird aircraft. Dexter is a former Warbird Flight Line Chairman at EAA Air Venture and Warbirds of America director.

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION HALL OF FAME: (I) Dr. Roy Wicker, Quitman, Georgia, is one of the nation’s leading aircraft restorers. Wicker’s restorations and building projects have been consistent award winners and are known for their meticulous craftsmanship, and (2) Ted Koston, Melrose Park, Illinois, has helped preserve vintage aircraft through his photography career. Koston is the founder of the Midwest Aviation Photographers Association and has been an EAA volunteer photographer for nearly 40 years.

FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR HALL OF FAME: Amelia Reid, who died in March 2001, taught more than 4,000 students to fly after beginning her California flight school out of the trunk of a 1959 Ford.

Originally published in 2002

• General aviation (GA) is all flying except military and scheduled airline flights .
• There are 221,000 general aviation aircraft in the U.S., approximately 92 percent of the total civilian aircraft fleet. Approximately 78 percent of all GA aircraft have fewer than six seats, and weigh less than a compact automobile.
• General aviation generates some $65 billion a year in total national economic activity.
• General aviation aircraft are used for personal and business transportation, much like personal automobiles. More than 65 percent of all GA flights are conducted for business, commercial, and public service purposes.
• Under normal circumstances, there are approximately 132,000 GA flights per day.
• General aviation accounts for 59 percent of civil aviation hours and 80 percent of all takeoffs and landings.
• General aviation connects the majority of communities with the national air transportation system. General aviation serves more than 5,300 public-use airports in communities large and small. Scheduled airlines go to about 660 U.S. airports. Seventy five percent of major airline flights operate out of just 46 big-city airports. Half of those flights move passengers between 29 hub airports.
• There are 645,000 active pilots in the United States. More than 535,000 pilots fly general aviation aircraft.

Source: AOPA, 2001, www.aopa.org

Originally published in 2002

PILOT SAFETY FLYING STRATEGIES

• Plan your flight so that you don’t have to look up enroute and destination information or program a Global Positioning System (GPS) while airborne.
• Clean your windshield, make S-turns during a climb to improve forward visibility, and use a cruise climb airspeed for a better view over the nose.
• Enlist passengers’ help in scanning for traffic.
• Use aircraft lights to improve visibility to other pilots and use the landing light on approach, departure, and climbout.
• Use sunglasses that block ultraviolet rays and improve visibility through haze, but be aware that polarized sunglasses may block the glint of sunlight on other aircraft.
• Communicate with radar approach controllers when possible and announce your position starting 10 miles out at non-towered airports.
• Become a target by installing a transponder if your aircraft doesn’t have one, and squawk altitude (Mode C) when in flight.
• Scan for traffic, remembering that most accidents involve one aircraft overtaking another.

SOURCE: Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA)

Originally published in 2002

“First Feats” in Aviation

• German engineer Otto Lilienthal made his first glider flight 1891.
• After the Wright brothers, the first American to fly was Glenn Curtiss (1908).
• Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge, the first person to be killed in an airplane crash, was flying with Orville Wright (1908)
• The first in-flight motion photography was shot by Orville Wright (1909).
• The first shipboard landing was made by Eugene Ely (Curtiss Pusher, 1911).
• The first pilot to break the 100-mph barrier was Jules Vedrines (108 mph, Deperdussin, 1912, Chicago).
• The first U.S. airmail delivery was conducted between New York City and Washington, DC (May 15, 1918, Curtiss JN-4H).
• The first around-the-world flight took 175 days (April 6- Sept. 28, 1924, U.S. Army Air Service).
• The first transpacific flight was accomplished by a U.S. Navy team (1925).
• The first full-length motion-picture film to feature aviation was called Wings (1927).
• The first woman to fly cross the Atlantic Ocean in an airplane was Amelia Earhart (1928).
• The first plane to stay aloft for more than 100 consecutive hours was a Fokker C-2 (1929).
• The first airplane to make a 30-year production run was the Beech 18 (1937-69).
• The “Spirit of St. Louis,” the first plane to cross the Atlantic Ocean with just one person aboard, was built in San Diego.
• The first airplane to be produced by the Cessna Aircraft Corporation was the Model A.
• Louis Becherau developed the first pedal system for rudder control.
• The Experimental Aircraft Association’s first chapter is located in Riverside, California.
• Orville Wright, the first man to fly a powered, heavier than- air aircraft, did not live to see or hear about the first dog fight between military jet aircraft.
• Richard VanGrunsven’s first homebuilt, the RV-1, was a modified Stits Playboy.
• Burt Rutan, designer of the Voyager, the first aircraft to fly around the world without refueling, once worked for Bede Aircraft.

Originally published in 2002

Suggestions for improving airport community relations brought up in a National Air Transportation Association convention discussion by attendees and speaker Peter Burgher:

• Hold an open house – emphasize the direct/indirect benefits of the airport
• Attend commission meetings with supporters; the opposition may tend to exaggerate
• Don’t do it alone; get the airport support group to attend commission meetings and be prepared with economic, noise, and other facts
• Don’t stop fighting for the airport, even when it appears the battle has been won • Start campaigning for support well before there is talk of closing the airport
• Try to positively influence big opponents via free lessons, airplane rides, etc.
• Hold a reporter/media day; give everyone a ride and an air tour of the area; hand out Aircraft Owners and Pilot Association’s (AOPA) Glossary of Terms for Reporters
• Hold a grade school kids day
• Find the people the public will listen to and gain their support
• Holda Teachers’ Day; hand out curriculum on lift/drag, etc.; host a paper airplane contest
• Talk to or join the community or county economic development board
• Get to know the Chamber of Commerce
• Refer to curfews as “voluntary quiet hours”; when they are not followed, explain why to the public
• Look to cargo operators for support

Source: Airport Business, 2001

Originally published in 2002

Killeen Municipal Airport had 99,815 enplanements in 2000, up 10.4 percent from 90,418 enplanements in 1999, according to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report released on October 19, 2001. Killeen Municipal moved up from a ranking of 224 out of 422 nationwide airports to 217 of 419.

The airport has seen constant growth over the past decade and has surpassed comparable local airports. Killeen Aviation Director Don Christian links the growth to the city population boom from I 990 to 2000 and increased military activity at Fort Hood. More enplanements make the airport eligible for more federal grant money for projects such as the joint-use airport at Robert Gray Army Airfield. Consequently, more passengers means more money in the airport account that is used to match federal grants. Each passenger is charged $4.50 as a passenger facility fee for each ticket bought which is then set aside for airport projects.

The September 11th terrorist attacks might negatively impact enplanements for 2001, according to Christian. However, Continental Express General Manager, Yvonne Newman disagrees. She believes that the airport will see an increase in traffic as a direct result of the terrorist attacks, because Killeen Municipal is now picking up Waco-area traffic since Continental pulled out of Waco. Also, the war in Afghanistan has increased or influenced more flying among business workers and military family members.

Certainly, the continuation of increased enplanements paves the way for more facility improvements at Killeen Municipal Airport.

Originally published in 2002

Air Tractor, the world’s largest agplane manufacturer, will deliver a new passenger airplane known as the Snow S-22 Surveyor to the U.S. Department of Interior Office of Aircraft Services (OAS) sometime during the summer in 2004. The OAS has contracted to buy the first model with the potential for an additional 15 aircraft.

According to Leland Snow, President of Air Tractor based in Olney, Texas, the S-22 is PT-6 powered, is high wing and has amphibious floats; it can carry l O people. Pressed for more information, Snow indicated that the aircraft is designed specifically for exceptional visibility and has a high cruising speed. What will it look like? How fast or how far will it go? What is its projected price? No more information is forthcoming at the moment, but you can certainly count on Snow’s belief in . . . finishing the project first and then letting the airplane speak for itself. More detailed information such as specifications and photos should become available probably in 2002 or maybe 2003.

Originally published in 2002
By Kathy Griffin
Aviation Division

You can provide a significant service to the pilots at your airport with the installation of a GCO. A GCO is a combination of Radio Transceiver and an automated telephone dialer. GCO’s provide pilots on the ground at a small airport access to flight service stations (FSS) or air traffic control (ATC) directly from the cockpit prior to departure to receive instrument flight rules (IFR) clearance. Eligible airports can utilize their Routine Airport Maintenance Program grants for acquisition of a GCO. Information is provided below:

Advantages of a GCO

• Open and close instrument clearances without Remote Transmitter/Receiver (RTR) and Remote Communications Outlet (RCO)
• Use commercial phone line to connect with the appropriate FAA Air Traffic facility {ATCT, TRACON, AFSS, etc.)
• Three parts: VHF transceiver, interconnect, and phone line
• Primary frequency is 121. 725 but if there is interference, 135.075 may be used

How to acquire GCO

• GCO shall be purchased through the city or county using their procurement processes. Estimated cost ranges from $6,000 to $7,500 initial cost; $600 to $700 operating cost per year.
• Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license must be obtained prior to GCO operation, this process may take 6 to 8 months to complete. FCC forms and FAA forms may be obtained from the Aviation Division. Contact Kathy Griffin through e-mail at [email protected] or call 1-800-68-PILOT.
• Once the city or county has decided to purchase the GCO, a RAMP grant must be executed prior to installation of the GCO.