VG-21 SQUADRON
MORRISEY/SHINN/VARGA
Newsletter #55
FaIl, 2006
From the Editor…
Happy Fall to All!
Seems this was a horrendously hot summer for all of us, regardless of location.
Fall will bring some of the best and most wel
You may notice that the VG-21 Squadron newsletter has a bit of a different
look. As the new newsletter editor, I have made a few changes, and I would like
feedback from you about what you would like to see more of in the club
newsletter and how you wish to receive it.
To date, the VG-21 Squadron newsletter has been snail-mailed to all members; I
will, of course, continue to mail the newsletter to those who prefer to receive
it this way. However, I also wish to make it available via email, which would
save club money for paper, printing and postage. I would also like feedback on
whether or not there is interest in having a VG-21 Squadron website with
separate sections for membership contact info, the current newsletter, all
previously published Morrisey/Shinn/Varga maintenance
information, and up
What about an online bulletin board/discussion group where members can post
questions and answers any time day or night? Many of us have dealt with the
same or similar maintenance issues, questions, airplane part searches, and
other dilemmas. With a Morrisey/Shinn/Varga
discussion group, a person could post a question to the website, and any member
could respond instantly with info, tips, advice, answers, or other questions.
You may have seen this type of exchange with other piloting discussion groups.
Having one that is Varga-specific could be a
tremendous help during repairs, preventive maintenance, restorations, and other
projects as well as sharing info about flying to various locations, and of course,just staying in touch.
I wel
Let me hear your thoughts, and please contribute to your newsletter — the more
membership participation, the more interesting, informative, helpful and fun it
will be.
Shirley DaMotta, Editor (Shinn N5114V) • Email: XmnushaL8y@aol.çç
VARGAFEST 2006 FLY-IN PHOTO & DVD (submitted by Bob Dusair & Dave Casey)
For a 36” x 12”
print of all the airplanes in attendance at our May, 2006 West Coast Fly-in,
parked on the ramp at
For more info, contact: Ross Mayfield (rossmayfield@iuno.com)
• 805-922-7853
Dave Casey has put together a photo DVD of the weekend—the airplanes and the
people—
REPAIR OR RESTORATION?! (submitted
by Shirley DaMotta)
I recently
I opted to replace rings and piston pins on all four cylinders, replace the
generator with an alternator, install Slick mags,
replace the oil screen with an oil filter, change fuses to circuit breakers,
add an auxiliary power source (cigarette lighter to power the handheld GPS),
add an external power source (for jump starting), and move the
I also replaced my mop EGT with an Electronics International bar graph EGT/CHT
that shows all four cylinders; I removed, patched cracks, sanded and repainted
the interior plastic side panels; I had new carpet and stick boots made and
installed; I made a new firewall blanket and new vinyl pads covering the
insulation on the inside of the belly panels; and we installed a headrest, and
I’m in the process of ordering shoulder harnesses (the Shinn was not originally
equipped with these).
During this process, we found that a hard landing at some point prior to my
ownership resulted in the all-too-familiar-to- these-aircraft cracked wing
ribs. This repair involved removing both wings and installing doublers to the
ribs. Then it was discovered that the hinges on both flaps nearest the fuselage
had been attached with “Home Depot rivets”, and the skin under these attach
points on both flaps had 1-1/2” cracks. Repair involved cutting out and
replacing the section of cracked skin and reattaching the hinges with aviation
rivets. This is what took most of the time. While inside the wings, we removed
several elaborate mouse nests made with bits of insulation that they carried
into the wings. We also removed the old VOR antenna inside the wingtips, and
cleaned and treated the inside of the wings and rear fuselage with
anti-corrosion spray.
Next we found corrosion behind the fuse/switch area, and multiple splices to
the wiring, so we replaced the bus bar and all the wiring. Instead of
remounting the switches and circuit breakers on the old plastic, we cut out
that section of plastic and mounted the switches and circuit breakers on a
piece of heavy sheet metal painted the same color as the plastic. Aside from it
looking much nicer, one has easy access to the wiring by unscrewing this
separate panel and letting it fall forward. One of the biggest projects for me,
personally, was making new labels for the new switch/circuit breaker panel. I
found waterproof, smudge proof labels online, designed for inkjet
printers/copiers. I used Microsoft Word to duplicate the old labels, adjusting
spacing as necessary. Once the ink hits these labels, it is encapsulated and is
guaranteed not to smudge or fade. They turned out great, and so far, so good as
far as durability.
I was grateful to have had extra advice from Lee Beery, Max
It was unsettling seeing every part of my airplane covering the floor and
lining the walls of my hangar, and doing the first maintenance verification
flight! But the airplane is back in service, and I have 200 more RPMs on the takeoff roll than before — this is a pronounced
difference.
Last, but not least, we put the plane on jacks and removed the landing gear.
Nose strut needed re-chroming as did all three plungers. Replaced
the seals and smaller springs. Bushings were fine. At first the plane
shimmied in the landing rollout. The steering yoke appeared to be the problem.
My mechanic tightened the clamps above and below it, and I also replaced the
front tire, and she’s all back to normal! Next project: the instrument panel!
NOTE: On Wednesday, 10/18/06, the Shinn was totaled. After all the
above-described work, the oil cooler cracked and spewed out all the oil. Oil
pressure gauge was normal and engine ran fine for about five minutes. Then oil
pressure went to zero, the engine seized, and we did an emergency landing in
the desert. We stayed upright, but the gear snapped off and the plane ended up
on its nose/chin. We are okay. Be sure to check for puddles when you leave the
run-up area.
STROBE LIGHTS (submitted by Dave Casey)
Hope it hasn’t been
too hot to get a few flights in. I just flew 02V down to Santa Ynez and back. She’s sporting a new set of Goodyears on the mains and flashing strobe lights on both
wingtips. I was able to order a new strobe power supply on line from Aeroflash. You can get “rebuilt” units from the factory for
about $50 with a one year warranty. You can only get the rebuilt units
directly from Aeroflash. Spruce charges close to $100
for new units. The rebuilt unit works just fine. Just plug and play. Other than
that, the old girl just keeps getting better!
|
In Memoriam
|
“I didn’t know
Jerry very long, but he was the person who put me in contact with the VG-21
Squadron. He was a Varga fanatic and loved his
airplane. I believe he said that he had flown his Varga
over 300 hours in the last two years, and said that if not for the fun this
aircraft provided, he would have quit flying.
“About two months ago, I heard a Varga call in to Hartford
Airport (WI), so Iflew in that direction to see if I
could get a look at it, as I am in the process of putting my Varga project together and wanted to see if I could learn
something from looking his over. By the time I got to
“On June 11th,
“In closing, I just want to say that for the few hours that I knew him, I don’t
think you couldfind a nicer person/pilot to have as afriend. Good-bye to a good pilot “Gone West.”
FOR
Member Ad: 1962 Morrisey/Shinn N5142V • Hangared at Eagle Airpark in Fort Mohave, Arizona Price for
VG-21 members = $32,500; others, $35,000 or $36,000 w/fresh annual (a/c is out
of annual) 1717 TT; 572 SMOH; Ly
Last years annual consisted of a 3/4 tear down and extensive corrosion control
maintenance; ALL hoses were replaced; new Slick mags and
harness; new Slick Shower of Sparks; some new instruments; new wiring; extra
metal prop; maybe a Garmin 195. Flown 8 hours since last
annual.
Contact: Buddy Wyatt <breeze@mvweb.
Non-Member Ad: 1977 Varga 2180TG (taildragger) • $54,000 OBO
995 TT;145 SMOH; Continental 10-360 w/210 hp; constant speed prop
Cruise 140 mph; Climb 2000 fpm
Instruments: Tach, Airspeed, Manifold Pressure, Fuel
Pressure, Attitude Gyro, Altimeter, VSI, Directional Gyro,
Turn Coordinator, Ammeter, Oil Temp, Oil Pressure, Suction
Radio: Single Pack Collins Nay/Corn VOR 251-351
Transponder w/Blind Encoder. Portable Inter
Static check: May 2006
Contact: Vernon Dury • 618-987-2800 <stacntat@egyptian
.neb
Non-Member Ad: 1979 Varga N8283J• $49,500 •
VFR aircraft located in Daytona Beach, Florida
TT 1605; 320 SMOH / Prop 320 SMOH
Annual due Jan, 2007 / Transponder due Nov, 2006 / ELT battery due Oct, 2008
Garmin XL-250 with i
inter
Contact: Conrad Shad • 386-451-5648 (cell) • 386-788-5232 (home) Captnconnie@aol.com
WANTED TO BUY...
2180TG with a real
nice airframe
Nathan Davis •
WHAT’S YOUR TIRE
PRESSURE?
VG-21 members have
been
Lee Beery said suggested pressures are 24/nose and 40/mains. “These pressures
give you reasonable tire wear and are soft enough to take the ‘bang’ out of
landings.”
Max
Bob Dusair
So there is variance, and some put more in the nose wheel, some more in the
mains. What tire pressures have given you the best landings and best
tire wear? Do you put more in the nose or in the mains?
FOOD FOR THOUGHT...
Editor’s Note:
Read any articles about flying that you felt were especially thought provoking
or interesting? If so, please share them! Send, with source info, to Shirley DaMotta.
10 KNOTS BELOW by Barry Schiff
(reprinted from AOPA Pilot, May 2006)
Several months ago,
I needed to rent an airplane in the
I was asked during the checkout to perform a sampling of maneuvers from the
Practical Test Standards for the private pilot flight test. While rolling out
of a requested 720-degree steep turn at 6,000 feet agl,
the instructor retarded the throttle and announced, “Engine failure!” This is
not an unexpected challenge at such a time. I confess that I did not have an
emergency landing site in mind but soon saw what appeared to be a suitable
landing strip almost directly beneath us. I reduced indicated airspeed to 58
knows, halfway between the power-off stall speed (48 knots) and the speed for best
glide (68 knots), and then simulated an attempt to restart the engine (check
ignition, fuel, and so forth).
The instructor
After I chocked and tied down the Skyhawk, the young CFI
led me into an empty classroom, motioned for me to sit down, handed me a
copy of the airplane’s information manual, and asked me to read aloud the
procedure to be used following an in-flight engine failure.
“The first step,” I read, “is to establish an indicated airspeed of 68 knots.”
Both of us knew that this was the airspeed to be used to achieve best glide. I
now had to be tactful unless I wanted to go elsewhere to rent an airplane.
“Sir,” I asked in my most respectful tone, “isn’t the purpose of the best glide
speed to maximize glide range?”
“Of course, it is, and you flew 10 knots below that speed.”
“Yes, that’s right,” I said, “That’s because I did not want to fly for maximum
range. Shortly after you pulled the throttle, I found a place almost directly
beneath the airplane that I considered suitable for an emergency landing. As a
matter of fact, that grass strip looked as though it might have been a
privately owned airport at one time.
“So exactly what is your point?” he inquired, obviously beginning to lose
patience.
“Well, sir, I did not need to maximize glide range; we were already where I
wanted us to be. Instead, I wanted to maximize our sink rate and maximize our
time in the air. Consequently, I opted to fly an airspeed
close to that used to achieve minimum sink.”
It seemed as though he wanted to tell me that he didn’t know what in the heck I
was talking about, but he held back, “Go on; I’m listening.”
I went on to say that although the normal (or best) glide is the only type of
glide taught to most pilots and is the only one mentioned in pilot operating
handbooks, there is another type of glide that can be equally important,
depending on the need of the pilot at the time. It is called the minimum-sink
glide, something about which glider pilots are intimately familiar. It is used
when glide range is unimportant but when the pilot would prefer instead to have
additional time in the air; time needed perhaps by a power pilot to attempt a
restart, brief his passengers, or simply gather his wits and prepare for the
emergency landing. Glider pilots use “best glide” when flying from one thermal
to the next but use “minimum sink” when circling within thermals to maximize
climb rate within them.
These two types of glides, minimum sink and maximum range, are loosely
analogous to the two types of climb speeds used by power pilots. The best
rate-of-climb speed is used to gain maximum altitude in minimum time, while the
best angle-of-climb is used to gain maximum altitude in minimum distance.
For example, a Cessna 152 has a 725-fpm sink rate when flying at its normal
glide speed of6l knots. From an altitude of 8,000 feet agl,
for example, such a power-off descent would take 11 minutes. But if airspeed is
reduced to about 45 knots, sink rate is less, say 600
fpm, and this results in a 13-minute 20-second descent. In other words, flying
at the minimum-sink glide speed provides an additional 2 minutes 20 seconds of
flying time in this example.
Although this postpones contact with the ground, one must be careful not to
carry things too far. When at least 1,000 feet agi or
when turning might be required, a pilot should resume the normal and faster
glide speed to increase maneuverability and fly a reasonably normal glide path
to touchdown.
The problem is that although glider pilots are provided with the speed for
minimum sink, there is no way to extract it from an airplane’s POH. As a
reasonably good rule of thumb, use a speed about halfway between best glide and
clean stall, and that will be close enough for government work.
Thankfully, the instructor signed me off and approved my rental of the Skyhawk.
VG-21 Membership List (October, 2006)
Barnstorming
Adventures ,6743 Montia Ct. ,,Carlsbad, CA 92009-3323
N3150W
Atkinson, Joe,,636 E. Deepdale Rd.,,Phoenix,
AZ 85022
N8417J
Axeirod, Richard,Caledonia
Flying Club,Box 471 ,,Lyndonville, VT 05851
N4644V
Baker, Ernest,,2001 Rockport Ct.,,Fort Collins, CO
80528
N5080V
Baker, Nelson,,344 E. Beech,,Alliance, OH 44601
N4635V
Beery, Pat & Lee,,3450 Shoreline View Way,,Kelseyville,
CA 95451
N5062V
Beulen, Brian & Helen ,,5225 E. Elmwood Cir.,,Mesa, AZ 85205
N5128V
Bolster, Bill,,Box 1041 ,,Joshua Tree, CA 92252
N4642V
Burns, Mark G.,,1 109 Westmoor Place,,St.
Louis, MO 63131 I 7
Burwinkle, Tom,,150 Shady Oaks Lane,,Kingston,
TN 37763 N5 107V
Bynum, Jeffery A.,,841 1 Market Ave N,,Canton, OH
44721
N5600L
Carriker, Darren Lee,,4028 Landisburg,
Tr. 1 ,,Keller, TX 76248 N43 1MB
Casey, Dave,,Box 2309,,Avila Beach, CA 93424
N5102V
Chersky, Brian,,PO Box 5344,,Santa Maria, CA 93456
N5064V
Clark, Bill & Janet,,Box 1872,,East Sound, WA
98245
N56002
Conley, Donald,,PO Box 1605 ,,Amarillo, TX 79105
N8265J
DaMotta,Shirley,,1218 E. Sea Breeze Dr.,,Gilbert,AZ
85234-2638
N5114V
Darrow, Thomas W.,,5505 Hettinger Pl.,,Fallon, NV
89406
N4618V
7Davis, Nathan,,127 Green Street,,Tipton, IN 46072
open
Davis, Trammell,,4940 Langdale Way,,Colorado
Springs, CO 80906
N8341J
Downing, John,,4360 Bonaparte Dr.,,Tucker, GA
N8294J
Doyle, James,,23355 Gold Springs Dr.,,Columbia, CA
95310 open
DuSair, Bob,,Box
2549,,Avila Beach, CA 93424
N8288J
Eldrige, Jerry,,PO Box
1034,,Big Fork, MT N56001
Gaily, Mark,,3 120 Franklin St., Apt. 1 ,,San Francisco, CA 94123 open
Gruber, Larry E.,,12289 W 250N,,Delphi, IN 46923
N8257J
Gulick, Frank,,409 Twin Lakes Dr.,,Santa
Rosa, CA 95409
N5135V
Gurley, John,,1400 Colorado St. C,,Boulder City, NV
89005
N5149V
Hamlin, Carl,,1073 N Arrowhead Rd,,Camano Island, WA
98282
N5115V
Hamm, George,,754 Aviator Dr.,,Fort Worth, TX 76179
N5072V
Hampton, Stuart,,22105 W Solo Rwy SE,,Deming,
NM 88030
N8417J
Hasapis, Alex,,4 Basin St.,,Plum Island, MA 01950
N8262J
Herr, Tom,,933 Beville Rd #103K,,South Daytona, FL
32119 open
Hoese, Fred,,30130 Bulverde Lane,,Bulverde,
TX 78163
N8VY
Hunt, Robert,,215 Lowell Ave,,Altoona, PA 16602
N8421J
Isler, Norman,,363 1 County Line Rd.,,Brockport,
NY 14420 open
‘? Jobusch, Tony,,5456 W. Cindy Place,,Chandler,
AZ 85226 open
Johnson, Raymond ,,260 Lurelead Dr. ,,Prescott, AZ
86303
N8282J
Joyce, Ken,,13619 Brannon Ct.,,Nevada City, CA 95959
N4639V
Judy, Greg,,212 Freedom Lane,,Arlington, TX 76002
N8281J
7—Judy,Ron,,Rt 1 Box 290,,Gate,OK 73844
Lehmann, Rolf,,194 Tamal Vista Dr. ,,San Rafael, CA
94901
N4602V
Lewis, Larry & DeeDee,,PO Box 265 ,,Palmer, AK
99645
N8387J
7 Louck, Susan,,458 145th Ave.,,New
Bostoll, IL 61272
N4646V
McArdle, Robert W.,,4422 Devil’s Hole Rd.,,Pemberville, OH 43450
N4631V
McNally, Michael,,16487 N. 196th Pl.,,Scottsdale, AZ
85255
N19O1A
Merkin, Bill,,1800 Lindberg Lane,,Daytona
Beach, FL 32124
N65BM
Mertz, Harry,,7938 BerkNhire Lane,,Castle
Rock, CO 80108
N5112V
Miller, Danny & Janet,,Box 2026,,Gulfport, MS
39505
N5086V
Miller, Joe,,Box 308 ,,Pocono Pines, PA 18350 .
N5 144V
Moses, Jr., Paul,,PO Box 190577,,Mobile, AL 36619
open
Oliver, Mark,,247 Parkiand Cr SE,,Calgary,
AB T2J 3Y4 CANADA
N431NB
Owen, Jr., Dean W.,250 Valley View Rd,,Morehead,
KY 40351
N14MF
Peters, Len,,1003 Tahiti Lane,,Alameda, CA 94502
N5127V
Phillips, Dwight,,10212 Windsor Lane,,Houston,TX
77031
N5132V
Proehi, Jon,,45 Myrtlewood Cir.,,Reno, NV 89511 N8263J
Redmon, Claude “Tommy” ,,7029 NC Hwy 8 South,,Germanton,
NC 27019 N5063V
Ruehie, Walter & Jane,,14000 E Progress Way,,Aurora, CO 80015
N4603V
Scheel, Rodney,,1808 Connell Dr.,,Fergus
Falls, MN 56537
NORJO
Schlamçr, Mark,,N1486 South Lake Road,,Campbellsport,
WI 53010
N8269J
Schuermaun, Max & Sharon ,,3215 N.
Mistletoe Road,,Sand Springs, OK 74063 N4614V
Shaw, George ,,8924 Cherokee Trail ,,Tyler, TX 75703
N5081V
Shirey, David,,5599 Saint Clair Hwy,,East
China, MI 48054
N5600Y
Sonheini, Jeff ,,498 Debonair Dr.,,Los
Lunas, NM 87031
N8463J
Stapleton, Ron,,1520 Covington Dr.,,Brentwood, TN
37027
N8291J
Stevenson, Dave,,184 Tanasi Trail ,,Kingston, TN
37763
N5197V
Stumpf, Tom,,8 Broadmoor
Dr. ,,Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
N5095V
Tate, Don,,3 1797 Honey Locust Road,,Jonesburg, MO
63351
N5077V
Thomas, Andrew,,PO Box 639,,Alexander City, AL open
Veronis, Andy,,341 Hickory Nut Ct.,,Pasadena,
MD 21122
N5600C
Vickers, Richard,,3302 Sawmill Road,,Newtown Square,
PA 19073
N8284J
Vucetich, Alex,,3005 23rd Ave.,,San
Francisco, CA 94132
N5078V
Wade, John,,PO Box 2757,,Murphys, CA 95247
N8290J
Wallin, Wayne,,2752 Autumn Leaves Dr.,,Daytona
Beach, FL 32128
N8283J
Wells, David,,7532 N 31st Ave.,,Phoenix, AZ 85051
N5068V
White, Mike,,5048 Bixby Road,,Groveport, OH
43125-9564
N4631V
Wild, Janis,,103 Ridgewood Dr.,$an Rafael, CA 94901
N8298J
Williams, Thomas,,1085 Urlin Ave. ,,Columbus, OH
43212
N56010
Woodring, Jim,,9985 Stirling
Park Dr.,,Sacramento, CA 95827 open
Woten, Glenn,,912 Perrin Ave NW,,Winter
Haven, FL 33881
N5600M
Wyatt, Buddy (Marvin),,4701 Lindero Dr.,,Fort Mohave, AZ 86426
N5142V
Zimniski, Michael,,156 Maple Lk,,Bridgeport,
WV 26330
N8299J