VG-21 Squadron |
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VG-21 SQUADRON
VARGA · SHINN · MORRISEY · OWNER
NEWSLETTER #49 -
AUGUST 31, 2004 The VG-21 Squadron is
alive and well. Your response to the last Newsletter was overwhelming and
humbling. It's going to be hard to live up to your expectations, but we will
sure try. We also sent letters to PLANE AND PILOT, FLYING, AOPA PILOT, PACIFIC
FLYER, INFLIGHT, EAA SPORT AVIATION, PRIVATE PILOT, and KIT PLANES, and
requested they include in their publication that the Varga, Morrisey, Shinn
aircraft type club has been reactivated. We intend only to correspond with
people who are members. If they want to join our group, we will be willing to
assist when we can. The total amount of your
donations was so overwhelming that we decided it was safer to open up a
checking account and deposit the entire donation checks in the bank. A great
big "thanks" to all of you. I'm positive that the fisrt time we
headed up the group, the bank accepted checks made payable to VG-21 Squadron
or similar. This time they informed me (in no uncertain terms) that the checks
had to be made payable to one or both of our names (Pat and/or Lee Beery). I
looked at the lady and decided there was no way I was going to win this one,
so I returned them to the senders with a note advising them of the bank's
rules. SURVEY REPORT Let's start off with a
report on the owners' survey. We sent out 132 newsletters and had 8
"returned to sender" unable to forward, and that's not counting the
"sale pending" aircraft. (Total cost of the copying and mailing was
$183.) Just in case you didn't know, the FAA is coming down hard on owners
that fail to advise them of address changes. Heck of a way to miss an AD note.
Not everyone returned the questionnaire but based on what we had returned,
approximately 47, we have 14 pilots in the 70s, 16 in the 60s, 7 in their 50s,
7 in their 40s, 1 in his 30s, and bless his heart, 1 in his 80s. We also had a
couple that didn't understand the question We also have 6 owners who are aircraft mechanics, and two that have their inspection authority (IA), 15 owners have an IFR ticket, 7 that fly when the sun goes down, and 18 that fly long trips. All but 3 aircraft are hangared, nearly all have the original engine and more than half are still in factory paint. I guess the GPS is popular as 27 have one and only 9 still use a loran (I'm one of them), 10 owners have more than one com radio, 3 with DME, and 6 have an ADF. Concerning the hours flown per year, 10 was the low and 150 the high with the average being 49 hours. Regarding aircraft hours, the lowest time is 344 and the highest time aircraft has 4000 with the average time being 1565 hours.
We found that there are so many variables on the cost of an annual, it is our "guess" that the average is $750. We had reports of annuals costing only $200 and some at $1500. Half the owners reported they have 337s on record with the average number per aircraft being 4. Along with the survey,
many sent pictures which was great! We will add these to the photo album
ASP. You'll hear more about the photo album in Newsletter #50. There was a great
response on what subject matters and maintenance items need to be addressed.
Number one on the list was elevator trim. Then came concerns on the landing
gear and nose gear shimmy. Fuel gauges (really?) and fuel shut off valves
are problems for many owners. Fuel venting was next. Then came oil
temperature. Almost everyone had one unique item, such as how to service
brake fluid reservoir, weight & balance concerns, list of AD notes,
canopy sealing (get this one) - mice in the winter drives this owner crazy,
aircraft tuning and trim set up, corrosion and rust, and of course, everyone
is concerned about finding replacement parts. Nobody submitted any
items of interest for this newsletter. I have one I'll write up for the next
Newsletter. By that time, hopefully, some of you will submit some of your
own so we an incorporate them, too. Well, I got what I
asked for. Great subject matter for future newsletters. Thanks to all of you
who responded to the survey! EAST COAST CHAPTER? Dean Owen of Morehead,
KY, a small university town in northeastern Kentucky, owns a 1961 Morrisey
Shinn (as well as a Cessna A1 50K Aerobat). If there is any interest in
forming an East Coast Chapter, Dean has volunteered to get it up and
running. Most of us live west of the Mississippi which makes it difficult
for those on the other side of ol' Miss to attend get-togethers. He has
volunteered his time and energy to get the group together. We think this
would be great! Please contact him at Dean.Owen@moreheadst.edu or snail
mail to 250 Valley View Road, Morehead KY 40351-9179. And don't forget, keep
us advised of how it goes. REQUEST FROM ABROAD We received an
e-mail from Howard Hall of Essex England. He needs help with the landing
gear of his Varga. He says, "The problem part for the landing gear is
the inner legs, particularly the starboard side, the part of the leg that
is the problem is the bottom 4 inches. Over the years, the chrome has been
hit by small stones, etc., and it is now pitted." He also goes on to
say that if anyone needs any parts to let him know. If I understand him
correctly, he has a firewall-back Varga (no landing gear) that he will
part out. His address is: Howard Hall 31 High Road Rayleigh, Essex
England SS6 7SA Fax: 00441268745636 Business Phone:
0044-1268-7775088
337 FILE:
Please help! We need
copies of any 337s that you may have. Neither Max nor us can find the file
of 337s. It makes it much easier to have mods done on your aircraft if
it's been done before and has been recorded with the FAA. It's an FAA form
titled "Major Repair & Alternation". So please help us help
you. A number of FBOs have advised tha they have been unable to get MODs
approved unless there has been a previously approved 337 for that exact
MOD. Please look through your aircraft files and make a copy of any 337s
you have and mail them to us. FOR SALE Muffler Springs:
Richard Vickers advised that he has a supply of muffler springs. They're
made by Fairway Spring and sell for $30.00 pr set of 4 springs, including
postage. If there is sufficient interest, he will reorder and remain a
source for club members. His mailing address is: Richard Vickers 3302 Saw Mill Road Newtown Square, PA 19073 Phone: 610-353-9250 Fax: 610-353-0903 E-Mail: VickersRS@aol.com
Landing Gear Bushings: Max Bishop has some landing gear bushings for sale. See www.vg21squadron.com Varga for Sale: $42,000. N5073V 1976 2150A TTSN-1560, 795 SMOH, recent prop ovhl, cruise pitch, 180 hp oil cooler, oil filter, cyl head temp & egt equipped. Annual
Jan. 2004.
Interior - 8, Paint - 7, white-red-blue factory colors. Avionics: King
KX155, nav/comm., KT76A with encoder, Northstar M1 Loran, Telex PC4
intercomm, radio cooling fan, and factory manuals. Hangared at East
Falmouth, Mass. Contact member Jack Adams 508-540-9914. WEB SITE In case you missed
it, we have a great web site, thanks to Tom Herr. We were able to
contact some of you via e-mail but if you missed it, go to
Then click on VG21
Squadron and read all about us Tom Herr, a former owner and member, is
continuing to support us by maintaining the web site. If you scroll to
the bottom of the page and click on the little icon, you fan send him an
e-mail thanking him for his time and effort. As a tangible thank you
from all of us, we have made him the one and only honorary member.
Welcome aboard (again), Tom. (We are also e-mailing him info we receive
on Vargas for sale.) NEW MEMBERS Since the last
Newsletter, Lee has helped a couple of people become Varga owners. John
Wade purchased his in Redding, CA, and Lee delivered it for him to
Sedona, AZ. By the time he lifted off, I was convinced that the plane
had an attitude. It seemed to have one little problem after another but
Lee kept pecking away at them and had an uneventful flight. John is a
very happy new member! Robert Dusair
asked Lee if he would do a pre-buy inspection on a Varga that was for
sale in Camarillo, CA. After a few weather-related postponements, Lee
was able to fly down there and Bob is now another happy Varga owner and
member of our club. DON'T FORGET Do a thorough
Pre-Flight. It's a little tough to fix a problem once you're airborne. Fuel gauges are
notoriously worthless. More Vargas have been lost due to fuel starvation
than for any other reason. Use a Check List.
That one little item you forgot to check could be the one that reaches
out and bites you. This stuff isn't new to any of you but it's oh-so-easy to get careless and lazy!
BUG US
If you have asked questions, requested information requested copies, etc. and haven't heard from us - BUG US! As hard as we try, things seem to fall through the cracks.
WANTED
A number of you asked about
VG-21 decals, patches, shirts, hats, etc. Years ago, we had decals
made. Unfortunately, that business folded and the decals are long
gone. We can order polo shirts with logo/writing on them, search for
another decal source, etc. We aren't talented at designing a logo or
patch, etc. Do any of you have any ideas, contacts, skills, or
whatever? Let us hear from you.
COPPER STATE FLY-IN
This has always been a popular gathering point for the VG-21 Squadron probably due to the fact that many Vargas did not venture far from their birthplace, Chandler, AZ. Lee is planning on going but my spine surgery has limited my flying time to shorter trips. Check out ^N~w.coperstate.org for all the info. Hopefully, Max Bishop can arrange group parking again for the group, in the grass, under a big shade tree, next to a brook teaming with trout.
E-MAIL ADDRESS
Our E-Mail address is: Varga@mchsi.com.
NEXT NEWSLETTER
Starting with the next newsletter, we are going to print an article on one of our members. We will conduct an interview and we hope to include a picture or two along with the write-up.
Please mail us articles you'd like to submit for the newsletter. Let us hear from you.
HAPPY FLYING!
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