FatBoyz Aviation NewsletterShenandoah section of Virginia. The aerial mapping of the boundaries of...

© 2003 FatBoyz Aviation All Rights Reserved October 2003 Edition of 21

FatBoyz Aviation NewsletterOctober 2003

The FatBoyz Aviation Newsletter is a monthlypublication for pilots, owners, instructors, technicians,and enthusiasts interested in general aviation activitiesin the East Tennessee area. Each month will feature

an aviator, flight instructor or aviation expert thatcontinually contributes time and experience to thelocal aviation community

commentary from local flight instructors for thelatest rule and regulation changes

owner’s perspective of the joys and pitfalls ofaircraft ownership, annuals and owner-performedmaintenance

travel stories and pilot reports of our latestpurchases, etc.

Visit our website for updated weekend flying schedulesfor those $100 hamburgers, links to flight planning andweather sites, information for local aviation resources(flight schools, CFI, AME, DE, I.A. A/P, insurance) andinformation pertinent to our local aviation community.

http://www.geocities.com/fatboyzaviation

Knoxville’s Aviation History continued on page 2

SpotlightKnoxville’s Aviation History

Bob Davis, CFI DPE

Aerial Surveys of the Smokies and the SequoyahHills 1925 Airstrip

These articles document early landings by the armynear Morristown and at Sequoyah Hills, just west ofKnoxville.

Aerial photography was being done over many areasto determine the larger layouts than surveying couldaccomplish. The survey of the Smokies boundary wasexpected to take only a short while. Then the latesummer visibility got bad, forest fires erupted in earlyfall that appear to have been as bad as last year’swildfires, and the pilot took a short leave to enter thenational air races. It got pretty cold above 10,000-ftover the Smokies in October before the survey wascompleted as we shall see by these articles:

“Sevierville Is Alert For Park, Postmaster WatersOffers to Help Airmen,” Knoxville News, August 28,1925, p. 1.“The continued interest shown in the Great SmokyMountain national park campaign, was once moreevidenced Friday by a letter received from J. B.Waters, postmaster of Sevierville, by Col. David C.Chapman, vice-chairman of the Conservationassociation. In his letter, Waters offers the use oflanding fields and hotel facilities to the airmen who willbe photographing the Smokies.

“This letter is most gratifying to members of the parkassociation,” said Col Chapman. “Sevierville has

IN S I D E TH I S IS S U E 1 Spotlight, Knoxville’s Aviation History, Bob Davis 5 Young Eagles Day at SkyRanch, Don MillerTrip Reports 7 Island Time, Buz Witherington 11 The Next Southwestern Adventure, Brandon Hughett 14 The Timorous Passenger, Karen Phillips 16 Tampa Florida, Don Miller 17 Any Given Sunday, Mark CollinsInstructors Corner 19 Lo-cal Dutch Rolls, Paul LuptonPilot Profile 20 Mike Dawley, PP-ASELPlane of the Month 21 Richard and Wilma Brantley’s Diamond Star DA-40

http://www.geocities.com/fatboyzaviation


Knoxville’s Aviation History continued from page 1

shown a splendid interest all along, and have nowpronounced themselves as ready and eager to carryon. Waters offers us landing fields and taxis to carrythe aviators to and from their planes free. We certainlyappreciate this offer and shall probably take advantageof it.”

“Col. Chapman has also received a letter from RobertSterling Yard, executive secretary of the NationalParks Association, saying that he will arrive inKnoxville on Sept. 6, “to get the spirit and flavor of theSmokies in his blood.” He will be accompanied by hiswife and daughter Margaret, who will do a lot onsketching in preparation to, future work for the park.Yard enjoys the reputation of having written the mostinteresting and enlightened work yet done on the GreatSmokies.”

“Aerial Survey Starts Tuesday, Army AviatorComing to Map Out Proposed Smoky Park Area,”Knoxville Journal, August 29, 1925.“Aerial survey of the boundaries of the proposednational park in the Great Smokies is scheduled tobegin Tuesday, according to information reaching TheJournal from Washington. Lieutenant L. W. Williams, ofthe army air service and aviator of wide experience isscheduled to leave the Langley Field of VirginiaMonday morning. He will fly to Knoxville in theaeroplane sent by the war department at the request ofthe Appalachian National Park Commission.

“The visiting army officer will be accompanied bySergeant A. E. Barnhill. The two have recently finishedan aerial survey of the proposed national park in theShenandoah section of Virginia. The aerial mapping ofthe boundaries of the proposed park in the GreatSmokies will depend upon weather conditions,according to the experience of Lieutenant Williams inVirginia. The aeroplane will fly from a base establishedin the Sequoyah Hills subdivision.”

“Aviator Arrives to Survey Park, Lieut. WilliamsSays He Can Complete Work in Three Weeks,”Knoxville Journal, Sept 2, 1925.“Lieutenant L. W. Williams, United States army aviatorwho is to photograph the boundaries of the proposedGreat Smoky Mountain National park area for theSouthern Appalachian National Park commission, and

who will ultimately survey the entire park area from theair, arrived in the city last night from Langley Field, Va.,from which he has been operating in a similar aerialsurvey of the Shenandoah National park area in theBlue Ridge mountains of Virginia.

“Lieutenant Williams did not fly the entire distance toKnoxville, but left his DeHaviland plane at Morristownand proceeded here by motor bus to confer withmembers of the local Great Smoky MountainConservation association in regard to the landing fieldhere. He will visit Sequoyah Hills field this morning,and if it proves satisfactory, will return at once toMorristown for his plane and prepare to beginoperations at once with Knoxville as headquarters.

“The survey may be finished within three weeks, ifweather conditions are favorable, according toLieutenant Williams, but may with equal probabilityrequire three months. Photographs of the type of whichthe survey will consist are taken with speciallyconstructed apparatus from an altitude of 15,000 feet,and although haze is not necessarily an obstruction,clouds or smoke render successful work impossiblewith the type of camera used.

“The exact area which will be photographed as thetentative boundary of the park area was not known toLieutenant Williams last nigh, though members of theSouthern Appalachian National Park commission havealready sketched an area which they consider assatisfactory. Final determination of the boundary whichwill be photographed in the survey will come after aconference with Col. David C. Chapman and otherleaders of the local park movement.”

“Aerial Survey Starts Friday, Sequoyah HillsAviation Field Draws Praise of LieutenantWilliams,” Knoxville Journal, September 3, 1925.“The long promised aerial photographic survey of theproposed Great Smoky mountains will begin tomorrowmorning, it was announced last night by Lieutenant C.L. Williams, of the United States army aviation corps,who will direct the work. Lieutenant Williams left thecity last night for Morristown, where he left hisDeHaviland survey plane Tuesday on his arrival in eastTennessee, pending an inspection of the facilitiesoffered by local landing fields. The Sequoyah Hillsfield, which has been recently graded and placed incondition by local interests who are backing the parkmovement was pronounced by Lieutenant Williams asentirely satisfactory, and a far better field than heexpected to find in Knoxville.

“Knoxville and East Tennessee is awaking to thepossibilities of the proposed national park in a most


DisclaimerAlthough care has been exercised in preparing the informationcontained in this newsletter, FatBoyz Aviation does not and cannotguarantee the accuracy thereof. Anyone using the informationdoes so at their own risk and shall be deemed to indemnifyFatBoyz Aviation from any and all injury or damage arising fromsuch use. We do not endorse or otherwise recommend serviceproviders or individuals identified within this publication.References are included only to provide contact information.



gratifying manner,” Lieutenant Williams declaredyesterday. “The park association here has alreadymade great strides, and from what I have understoodfrom the national park authorities with whom I havebeen working in the Shenandoah valley, there is littledoubt of the ultimate establishment of the Great SmokyMountain park.”

“Aerial Survey is Postponed,” Knoxville Journal,September 5, 1925.“Commencement of the aerial survey of the GreatSmoky Mountain park was postponed yesterday forseveral days, pending the arrival of parts for the planewhich will be used in the survey, and which was slightlydamaged when it landed early this week at Morristown.The necessary repairs are of a minor nature, and willbe completed in time to assure the beginning of activework early next week, it was announced yesterday.”

“…. Smoky Park Area, Chapman in Airplane SeesForests Perish, Priceless Virgin Forest Menaced -Two Give Lives Fighting Fire,” Knoxville News,September 8, 1925, p. 1.“Forest fires in East Tennessee which have alreadycost two lives, destroyed a score or more of homes,and laid waste to thousands of acres of timber lands,now threaten the area which had been designated asthe site for Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Thenews was brought in Knoxville by Col. D. C. Chapman,vice-president of the Great Smoky MountainConservation association, who on Monday flew overthe area of the proposed park with Lieut. C. L.Williams, photographer for the park commission. Heobserved no less than 20 fires in the Smokies.

“Col. Chapman said that he would wire InteriorSecretary Work and ask him if the government couldnot do something special to fight the fires, just as if thearea was already a national park.

“Volunteers Needed – About to leave for Richmond,Va., to attend a meeting of park enthusiasts of Virginia,North Carolina, and Tennessee, Col. Chapmanexpressed the hope that someone in Knoxville wouldorganize a party of volunteers to fight the fires underthe direction of competent fighting officials.

“The smoke from the fires was so dense that itobscured towns from our view,” Col. Chapman. “Thereis one fire above Emert’s Cove, near the NorthCarolina line, which threatens a fine stand of virgintimber. “It would be a calamity if these fires are notchecked. The fires are caused by careless camperswho do not put out their fires and cigarets.” (more)

Chapman States Smokies Afire, ‘TermsRidiculous,’ Declaration of Maddox, ‘There is noForest Fire,’ Knoxville Journal, September 10,

1925, p. 4.“Statements of R. S. Maddox, state forester, that thereare no serious fires in the Great Smokies areridiculous,” said Col. David C. Chapman, on his returnyesterday from the park conference held at Richmondon September 9. “I saw the fires myself from theairplane driven by Lieutenant Williams, and the sameinformation was brought from the North Carolina sideby delegates attending the Richmond conference,”continued the national park advocate.

“Colonel Chapman yesterday appealed to GovernorAustin Peay and the state secretary of agriculture bytelegrams to take steps to fight the fires he wasconvinced are burning in the Smoky mountains in theproposed national park area. He also stated that TomKesterson who flew over the park area with the armyaviator Wednesday, had reached the same conclusionabout the fires, and that Robert McClellan and SamKeener had reported to him that they walked through aforest fire in the section on Saturday.

“State Forester Maddox, who left Knoxville Wednesdaymorning for another visit to the national park area toverify Colonel Chapman’s conclusions about thedisputed fire in the section, could not be located lastnight for confirmation of his denial given to The Journalon Tuesday night.”

“Williams Will Enter Air Race, More Than Half Workof Surveying Smoky Park is Completed,” KnoxvilleJournal, September 18, 1925.“Lieutenant L. C. Williams, army aviator who has forthe past several weeks directing the governmentsurvey of the outer boundary of the proposed GreatSmoky Mountain national park area, yesterday left thecity for Langley Field, Va., to place his plane inreadiness for the national aeroplane races which willtake place at New York on October 8, 9, and 10, and inwhich he will compete.

“More than half the work of surveying the boundary hasbeen completed, Lieutenant Williams declared on hisdeparture yesterday. Another army aviator, LieutenantLowe, now stationed at Langley Field, may be sent toKnoxville to complete the boundary survey, thoughLieutenant Williams will in all probability return later inthe year to carry out the work of photographing fromthe air the interior of the park area.

“Conditions have in general been very favorable tosuccessful work in the survey, Lieutenant Williams saidyesterday, though the temperature at the 15,000 footlevel, from which the survey photographs are taken,has been far different from that which prevailed inKnoxville. On two separate occasions last week,



of the proposed national park had been completed.“Gee! But it was clod up there this morning,” LieutenantWilliams, tired, greasy, and with burning face declaredat his room in the Farragut yesterday afternoon.

“It must have been close to zero. Oil that splatteredfrom the motor onto Sergeant Houston’s camera frozeinto hard drops. We were clothed in fur-lined flyingsuits, fur gloves and cap, and had shoes lined withsheep skin, but the wind fanned by the propeller wasbitter cold. It was an ideal morning for taking pictures.There was not a sign of a cloud or haze. The grandeurof the Great Smokies spread out before us in all theirbeauty. In my month’s flying over the peaks andvalleys of the Smokies, I have never seen them sowonderfully impressive. The highest points glimmeredand gleamed from the morning’s heavy frost. Weworked hard all morning,” continued the youthful flier,

snowstorms were encountered near that level, with atemperature not far above freezing. Meteorologicalconditions have in general, however, been good, andresults thus far attained have been highly satisfactory,according to Lieutenant Williams.”

“Aviator Finds Bitter Cold Weather Over SmokyPeaks, Oil that Splattered from Motor Quickly Frozeinto Hard Drops; Work of Surveying SmokiesAlmost Complete Now,” Knoxville Journal, October11, 1925, p. 2-H.“While Knoxvillians, clad in winter wraps, brisked totheir work yesterday morning, Lieut. C. L. Williams,army flier, and Sgt. Sam Houston, photographer, cladin fur-lined clothing, took to the air at 7 o’clock fromSequoyah Hills field. Mounting to a dizzy height of12,500 feet the fliers sped to the proposed SmokyMountain park area and began their morning’s work.For hours of continuous flying, a clicking camera, andanother chain in the picture showing the boundary line Knoxville’s Aviation History continued on page 6


Young Eagles DayDon Miller, IP-ASELEAA Chapter 17 Chairman

Sky Ranch TN98, October 25th

Approximately 14 pilots, including several FatBoyzpilots and an equivalent number of ground supportpersonnel made today’s event a huge success. Over200 kids participated and everything went extremelywell. There were no reported injuries and no one gotsick. Most of all, the kids seemed to enjoy the ride andappreciated our efforts.

Please visit the Gallery via our web page for morephotos or click on this link.

http://photos.yahoo.com/fatboyzaviationThe Flight Line

The Pilots The Registration Crew

Some of the participating aircraft

http://photos.yahoo.com/fatboyzaviation



E V E N T C A L E N D A RTN20 Seymour Airpark Seymour TN, Fly-in breakfast8AM – whenever each Sunday

1ST WEEKEND

BGF Winchester TN. Saturday fly-in breakfast.931-967-3148

LZU Lawrenceville, GA. Saturday fly-in breakfast.770-394-5466

2ND WEEKEND

MBT Murfreesboro, TN. Saturday fly-in breakfast.David Swindler, 615-890-2439, [email protected]

RMG Rome, GA. Saturday fly-in breakfast706-235-06443RD WEEKEND

3M3 Collegedale,TN Saturday fly-in breakfast423-236-4340

OWB Owensboro, KY. Saturday monthly breakfastWayne Gibson 502-684-2859

3M5 Huntsville, AL. Saturday fly-in breakfast256-880-8136. [email protected]

16J Dawson, GA. Saturday fly-in breakfast.Ron Acker 912-888-2828

4TH WEEKEND

2AO Dayton, TN. Saturday monthly breakfastWanda Fulmer 615-775-8407

SYI Shelbyville, TN Saturday monthly breakfastWilliamson Hank [email protected] 931 684-1669

5TH WEEKEND

4A9 Fort Payne-Isbell, AL. Saturday fly-in breakfast205-845-9129

For a list of East Tennessee FAA sponsored activities.http://www2.faa.gov/fsdo/bna/safety.html

SPECIAL EVENTS THIS MONTH

“There are few days when pictures can be taken of theSmokies from an aeroplane. In my 10 days of flyingover the Smoky Mountain area, there have been onlytwo ideal days for picture taking. That was this morningand last Wednesday.

“The fliers went directly to a point four miles north ofBryson City. Slowing up his specially designedDeHaviland plane to a speed of 88 miles (an hour),Lieutenant Williams leveled off, while SergeantHouston caught the scenes thru his view finder. Thefirst picture was clicked on the long roll of film, holding135 pictures. Thirty seconds later another picture wasrecorded on the roll of panchromatic hypersensitizedfilm, the fastest film made. Williams and Houstoncontinued on the southern and eastern boundaries ofthe proposed national park to the northeast corner,located near Sharp Top. Here they circled andfollowing their first route in a parallel line, returned tothe starting point, taking another continuous line ofpictures.

“Realizing the ideal weather of the morning, the flierscircled over the vast area taking oblique pictures ofClingman’s Dome, Mount Collins, Chimney Tops,Mount LeConte, Round Top, Siler’s Bald, BlanketMountain, Gregory Bald, Parson’s Bald and othertypical views throughout the mountains. Several doubleexposures were taken for stereograms. Fatigued fromtheir strenuous work, the gritty fliers returned toKnoxville.

“In his room yesterday afternoon, Lieutenant Williamsexplained the work they were doing. Explanations bySergeant Houston regarding the photographicequipment made the project understandable. Startingfrom a certain point, the photographer, through a viewfinder, a lens reflecting views through a ground glass,observes a tree or some object two and one-fourthmiles below him. This ground glass is marked off bylines. As the object decided upon reaches a certainpoint on the glass, the aerial mapping a camera isclicked. At the same time, the photographer hasanother object coming into view on the glass. He clicksagain; if the plane is going 130 miles an hour, this is 10seconds later; if going 60 miles an hour, it is a matterof 30 or 40 seconds. It takes some quick calculation,according to Sergeant Houston.

“The views taken from a point 12,500 feet above theearth’s surface include the expanse of about one andone-half square miles. The pictures overlap about 60per cent, according to the fliers. One the parallel returntrip they overlap about 50 per cent. The completedfilms are sent to Langley field for development, aretrimmed, pasted together in a continuous row, a


http://www2.faa.gov/fsdo/bna/safety.html


Knoxville’s Aviatin History continued from page 6

photograph copy made of them. In the completedpicture an exact copy of the boundary line is available.These can be reduced to any size for use in blue printsand for magazines and newspapers.

“Map of the proposed Great Smoky Mountain nationalpark area comprises a tract of land of about 649square miles. According to the map, the proposed areahas had several boundaries. The present boundary ismuch smaller than the first proposed boundaries, itbeing reduced, as understood, to exclude property thatwas necessarily high priced. The nearest point of theproposed national park, as the aeroplane flies, is 19miles, Lieutenant Williams said.

“Mapping of the proposed Great Smoky Mountainnational park boundary will be completed in anotherday’s work, Williams stated. The two fliers will return toLangley field, Virginia, and from there will go to theShenandoah national park area (whose boundarymapping has been completed), for interiorphotographic work. They will return later to the SmokyMountain area to take pictures of its interior.

“Lieutenant Williams has been in the flying servicesince December 1922. He is 28 years old, and rankswith the best fliers in the United States, it is said. Hehas flown over all parts of the United States, and sincehis affiliation with the service (34 months ago) hasflown 1,300 hours. He was picked to fly in the air racesat Mitchell Flied, October 8-9-10, by Major GeneralPatrick, chief of air service. On learning of his work, hewas granted relief. Williams is tremendously interestedin aerial mapping work of the proposed Shenandoahand Smoky Mountain national parks. He flew theboundary of the Shenandoah park. Lieutenant Williamsis a pleasant fellow, with clean cut features, and clearblue eyes. He is army bred. His father was an armyman for 40 years, his brother is a major in the UnitedStates army, and his sister married an army officer. Hewas graduated from West Point in 1919, and receivedhis flying training at Carlston field, Florida and Kellyfield, San Antonio, Texas.

“Sergeant Houston is a young fellow of the same age.He has recently finished an aerial photographer’scourse at Chanute field, Rantoul, Ill., and the mappingof the Smoky Mountain is his first big job.

“I am particularly interested in mapping the proposedGreat Smoky Mountain national park,” LieutenantWilliams stated, “first, because of its magnificentbeauty; and second, because of the co-operation Ihave had from Knoxville people. I am gratefullyindebted to Col. D. C. Chapman, W. P. Davis, T. O.Kesterson, and Thompson Brothers, photographers.”

Island TimeBuz Witherington, CFI

A Fact Finding Trip to the Out Islands

Mary and I have sailed extensivelyin the Florida Keys back in an earlierlife. And, we made the trip to theBimini Islands on a couple ofoccasions. So we knew that thewater of the Bahamas was shallow,warm, and of the most wonderfulpastel colors. The sand was likepowdered sugar, the reefs werefilled with stunningly beautiful tropical fish andsucculent lobster, and the sound the sea breeze madein the pines would put you right into what they call“Island Time.”

Our boys were in a tennis camp in Atlanta so we hadabout four days to participate in what Mary calls aMinimoon. That’s a miniature honeymoon inMaryspeak.

The situation looked right for an island hoppingadventure where we would search for places to spendmore serious time. Since we had only four days, wedecided to limit our search to the Cays in the northeastpart of the Bahamas that included the Abacos andEleuthera.

After checking in the boys by noon, we launched out ofPDK into layers with a fairly stiff wind out of the westbut with a smooth ride. The convection in southernGeorgia and north Florida forced us to deviate wayover to the east coast and even out into the Atlantic byabout 30 miles. In retrospect, we should have joggedto the west, but who on board was a soothsayer?

Island Time continued on page 8

Minimoon essentials!


The Jacksonville ARTCC controllers vector trafficaround convection all day every day, and it is said thatthey are the best in the world for helping pilots avoidThe Big Electron. We were still offshore by a numberof miles when I checked into the final controller for myapproach into St. Augustine where we would spend thenight. The controller greeted me with an “Augustine isusing the GPS 14 approach now, but there is asizeable VIP 4 cell right in the middle of the finalapproach course. So, I’ll tell you what. Why don’t Ivector you close to the field and see if you can get avisual. If you can’t, let me know, and we’ll worksomething else out.”

Sure enough, I had the field from eight miles out. Nosweat.

St. Augustine is a wonderful place for food, walking,shopping, and B & B’s. We stayed in the SouthernWind Bed and Breakfast on Cordova Street. Greatplace.

The next morning after a wonderful breakfast and aride to the airport by the owner of the B & B (he wantsto learn to fly), it was back into the soup for the ridedown the Victor airways of the east coast to Ft. Pierce,KFPR. It was cool to fly directly over DaytonaSpeedway during the trials before the big race the nextweek.

By the time we got to Ft. Pierce, it was VFR, but Marywas confused about all the Pan Am call outs thatMiami Center was giving. She kept looking for big jettransports until I explained to her that Pan Am was nowa flight training school using Cherokees at FPR.

Ft. Pierce was to be a refueling and flight planning stopfor us prior to jumping over the Gulf Stream. I haddone my homework about over water flights and theirrequirements for personal floatation devices so I knewthat my flight would not require a life raft. Life rafts andfloatation vests are available for rent at the FBO at Ft.Pierce. This I learned from reading various articles inthe flying magazines. For our purposes, I hadpurchased inflatable suspenders brand namedSospenders. These are great, lightweight suspendersthat have a carbon dioxide inflator on a pull cord. Youcan’t tell you are wearing them.

The FBO at Ft. Pierce also has good catering for a boxlunch en route to paradise, and it has a nice pilotbriefing facility. I called Miami FSS and explained thatI was a newbie at Bahamian flights so the briefer heldmy hand and spoon-fed me the requirements. Sheexplained that I had already screwed up by waiting solate to file. She said that FAA notifies the customs atthe destination airport of the arrival, but customs wantsat least a one-hour notice. Well, I knew that, but I didnot know that I should file an hour before launchingeven though my proposed flight to Treasure Cay wasone hour.

By flying IFR I would reap the benefit of flight followingover the water, avoid nasty encounters with the druginterdiction forces, stay clear of any restricted areas,and have Bahamian customs notified of my arrival asper their requirements.

I filed the victor airway BR62 that I learned is calledBahamas Route 62. The briefer prompted me for theappropriate elements of my “international” flight plan.She explained that the international flight plan wouldcarry an automatic customs notification. A few otherelements were included such as number of life vests,rafts, and strobes on board. She was very nice andsomewhat talkative. She had a bit of troubledownloading the Bahamian notams. She said that they


Island Time continued from page 7

Southern Wind B&B in St. Augustine


are produced twice a day, but “you know, mon, deyuse Island Time over dere.”

Off we went after an interminable delay due to studenttraffic in those dang Pan Am Cherokees. We werekept low initially as we were vectored straight out tosea by Miami Center. Soon we joined the airway andwere given a climb to 9000.

Up high, the air was cool and smooth, but the visibilityforward and down was patchy because of the Cu.Miami Center explained that they had lost their radar atNassau so they would lose us on the other side ofFreeport VOR.

I swear we were not gone fifteen minutes before Ilooked straight down to see Grand Bahama Island.Island Time, mon!

We turned the corner at Freeport VOR and listened tothe chatter on the frequency as flights were launchingout of Marsh Harbor and Freeport VFR and picking uptheir instrument clearance in the air. Miami explainedthat she could not see them until they climbed to about7000 feet, so I tucked that away into my memory.

Listening to CTAF on Com2, I could tell that MarshHarbor was pretty busy but Treasure Cay was fairlyquiet. Half way to MYAT I cancelled IFR, and we wereon our own descending into paradise.

I really had not a clue as to what to expect upon myarrival at Treasure Cay. Somehow I envisioned acouple dozen planes on tie down and some neat littlebuildings with signs and announcements as to FBO,Customs, fuel, parking, taxis, and baggage handling.Treasure Cay has a nice long, paved runway withsome undulation in it that made me hold the nose



wheel off in the run out. Turning off onto the ramp, Iwas greeted with …. Nothing. No flagman, no customsagent, no signage, no Air BP, and certainly nopoliceman holding an automatic weapon.

We sat there for a while in our idling plane wonderingwhat to do, but then we decided to just park it in themiddle of everywhere and go ask. We climbed out ofthe plane with our passports and wandered into thebuilding. A very small, hand written sign said“Customs.” Another said, “Keep Door Closed.” Well,were we supposed to go in or keep out? We went inand discovered that Customs and Immigration weretwo different agencies with two different missions andofficers at two different desks, and it didn’t seem likethey liked each other very much. A uniformed fellowfinally came out from behind a mirrored glass andpointed to some forms. We wrote. Fortunately, I hadused the AOPA website to download most of the formsand filled them with multiple copies.

After examining the forms and stamping our passportswith gusto, he silently nodded to the similarlyuniformed lady down the hallway, and he promptlydisappeared behind the mirrored glass. We shuffleddown to the lady and found her much more pleasant.She was Customs, and, the guy was Immigration. OK.

We did some more forms for her that she stamped,and she collected an $ 8.00 arrival fee. I had read thatI should request a “Cruising Permit” so that we couldtake off and land at multiple airports. Piece of cake.We be here, Mon!

A teenager approached me and shyly gestured andspoke until I realized that he was asking if we neededhelp with the bags. He seemed like a nice fellow, and Ilearned that his name was “E.J.” He grabbed a rollingcart and showed me where to move the plane for tiedown, except that there were no tie downs. However,at this airport, there was metal cable attached to theasphalt.

Fellow pilots had warned me about several things tocarry over to the islands:

• Chocks• Rope for Tie Downs• Sun Canopy• Prop Locks.

One pilot friend explained that his philosophy was thatif a thief wanted your airplane, there was nothing youcould do to prevent it. However, if your plane had proplocks, and the one next to it did not, it would be easierfor the thief to steal the adjacent airplane. Works for



me. I bought two lockable cables at Wal-Mart.E.J. helped me position the plane, tie it down, andunload the bags. A bright thought penetrated my heatsoaked brain, and I put it to work. I gave E.J. a $20 billand told him that there would be another for him if hewould watch over my plane the next couple of days. Itwas probably a waste, but it helped me sleep better.He was so eager to please.

We boarded a minivan/taxi for the five-minute trip tothe water taxi that ran periodically to Green Turtle Cay.At the port, the driver left us with our luggage. Thewater taxi was sitting there, but there was no pilot orother passengers so we just bummed around thisdingy rock beach waiting for something to happen.Over the next hour, several other tourists with bagsand locals with bored looks began to show up. Finallya white guy strolled up and cranked the engine. Off wego in the water taxi across Abaco Bay.

Green Turtle Cay is across the Abaco Bay fromTreasure Cay, and it is a small island that has tworesorts that cater to sailors and fishermen. The bayside of the island is protected, deep water for sailboating while the ocean or east side has isolatedbeaches and a coral reef that runs the entire length ofthe island. Our destination, Green Turtle Clubhttp://www.greenturtleclub.com, is a small, intimateresort with about 30 rooms, a large boat anchorage,and fresh water pool and bar, and a gourmetrestaurant. Were we set or what?

Mary and I spent two wonderful days here, and wedefinitely found Island Time. We rode bikes along thebeach road in the morning before having a greatbreakfast and siesta. In the afternoon we went back tothe beach to snorkel the reef. We wandered amongthe boats at dock before the evening bar opened withHor d'Ouerves at 6:45 PM. Each evening anoutstanding dinner was served on the screened patio

where we watched the sun setting over the bay. Thismeal was one of those that you lingered over forseveral hours. The dining area was intimate, and weended up talking with the adjacent table guests waypast dark. After the meal, it was one more trip to thebeach. But this time, we walked very slowly andwandered the sand in our bare feet while gazing at thestars. The sea breeze was brisk and warm, and wecounted ourselves among the truly blessed. Islandtime.

Green Turtle was booked up later in the week so wemoved to Marsh Harbor. (Yes, I paid E. J. thatadditional $20. He had dazzling white teeth in a darkbrown face, and his smile lit up the whole airport. )Departing MYAT for MYAM that would be a flight of 10minutes. Since we had time and a Cruising Permit, wedecided to wander south. We flew down the east coastof Great Abaco, out past Man-o-War and Elbow Caysand south around Eleuthera. There were miles andmiles of open water and deserted beaches. The pastelcolors of the sea, sand, and sky are unforgettable.

Landing at Marsh Harbor was busy. We mixed in withprivate aviation, freight, and scheduled airlines in theform of 400 series Cessna’s and small turboprops.Although this airport was much busier, theaccommodations were poorer. There were no tiedowns or cables so everyone was using rocks andcoral chunks for wheel chocks. We rolled our bagsthrough the small terminal and caught a cab for AbacoBeach Resort and Marina.

The Abaco Beach Resort was written up as the largestand plushest of the resorts in Marsh Harbor. Plus it hada great restaurant and was close to shopping. Well,the place was heading downhill, the shopping wasscattered so that it was not walk friendly, and I had tosend my Grouper back because it was chewy. But theboats were magnificent.

One night was enough for Marsh Harbor, but the U. S.of A. was calling, so back to Ft. Pierce we filed viadirect Freeport VOR then the BR 62 ANGEEintersection direct. I knew to file an hour prior todeparture this time, and we climbed to almost 7000before calling Miami ARTCC for our instrumentclearance.

This time some convection was occurring over GrandBahama Island so we deviated at will with Miami’sblessing. Our arrival at Ft. Pierce was unusual in thatwe were vectored half way across Florida before beinggiven a visual approach to 14 because one of the PanAm Cherokees had declared a “lost gyro emergency”even though it was VFR. Well, we air toured Disney

Island Time continued on page 11Where is that water taxi?

http://www.greenturtleclub.com


The Next Southwestern AdventureBrandon Hughett, CFI ATP

Thursday, September 04, 2003It’s 7:10 AM and I am blasting off\from Scott Municipal in a 300hpS-Model Bonanza. It’s been rainingall night and a light drizzle is stilldescending upon the area. I hadtaken off from runway 23 enroute to Blytheville,Arkansas. As I executed my 1,000 fpm climb to 8,000’at 110 knots, I entered an overcast layer of clouds at2,500’ msl but it wasn’t long before popping out on topat 6,000’ where the early morning sun casts amazingcolors of purples, reds, and blues on the cloud tops.Wow! I get paid to fly and enjoy the magnificent sitesthat flying has to offer.

It was an uneventful flight toward Blytheville until 50miles east of there. The AWOS broadcast reported ¼mile visibility and 100’ overcast. Surprise! The weatherforecasters got it wrong again. The fog hadn’t lifted asthey had earlier predicted. I received weather reportsfor several locations informing me that the only airportthat was clear was Little Rock, Arkansas. I decided Iwould attempt the ILS into Blytheville then proceed toLittle Rock if I missed. Expecting a very low approach, Igot everything setup and checked all my frequenciesmany times. With weather this low, there was going tobe no room for error. I was going to have to take it rightdown the middle. By the time I got lined up for theapproach, the fog had lifted. Was that lucky or what?Proceeding straight in for runway 18 at Blytheville’sArkansas International Airport (BYH), I received anairport advisory that stated “no reported traffic, windscalm.” I was somewhat confused by an internationalairport having no reported traffic. I landed on the11,000’ runway to find what appeared to be anabandoned airport covered with crops. There was anabandoned air traffic control tower larger than McGheeTyson’s and several large abandoned hangars. I finallysaw a sign for Avfuel and proceed to a parkingattendant. I asked them, “Could I git some gas?” Theysaid “sure!” I questioned the airport attendant about theabandoned look of the field. He informed me that itused to be an Air Force base and that it now belongedto the local government as a public use airport. He saidthat the military still uses it for training at night and thatwas when most of the action takes place. He said theAir Force base was closed in 1992 but the tower is stilloperational on an as needed basis. There were nocommercial flights at this “international” airport.

The trip from Scott Municipal had taken 1 hour and 40minutes with ground speeds ranging from 165 knots to180 knots. After refueling in Blytheville, I was again inthe air enroute to Wiley Post Airport (PWA) inOklahoma City. The United States really begins to getflat at this point. 2 hours and 15 minutes later, I amlanding at Wiley Post.

Wiley Post is a Class D airport with two or threerunways. Million Air Aviation runs the FBO while arestaurant occupies the space located under the tower.Wiley Post is a very nice airport for Oklahoma City.

After parking at hangar #3, I had to say my goodbyesto the S-Model Bonanza N5853S. This was theBonanza that had taken me to Oshkosh and manyother US destinations. I had taken it to Wiley Post tosell it. I met with the buyer, exchanged paperwork, andthen I was off to the main airport in Oklahoma City tocatch an airliner to Fresno, California with a connection

World while the Pan Am guy fought the brave battle.

Clearing U.S. Customs was much more formal, and weparked in the designated area which allowed refuelingwithout repositioning. You have to off load thebaggage onto a cart, truck it into the building, completethe arrival forms, and present all to the official. Wewere the only people in the place, but we still stood inline! The official inspected the forms, my aviationlicense and medical, but he was most interested inMary’s jewelry that she purchased in Marsh Harbor.He didn’t even glance at our luggage.

Topping off with fuel and food at the FBO, we filed upthe victor airways of the east coast of Florida toWaycross AYS then direct PDK in Atlanta.

The isthmus of Florida again presented its Red Wall ofWater on the radar screen so we deviated around nearSavannah (again). As we came past the convectioninto Georgia, Mary recognized the voice of anotherpilot in a Mooney trying to go south to Florida’s westcoast. Between what he saw on his stormscope, whatwas told to him by Flight Watch, and what MiamiCenter was telling him, he decided to turn around andhigh tail it back to PDK. It was radio personality NealBoortz deciding that he did not have get-there-itis andhis friends would wait for him for one more day.

We beat Mr. Boortz to the visual approach into PDKbefore rushing to the boys’ tennis graduation. Hurry upor we’ll be late!

That was the end of Island Time. Sigh! But just likeArnold Schwarzenegger, we knew that “We’ll be back!”


The Next Southwestern Adventure continued on page 12


in Denver. After arriving in Fresno’s YosemiteInternational Airport (FAT), I got a shuttle to a localhotel for the night. I was very tired since I had put in an18-hour day.

Friday, September 5, 2003Friday morning, I went back to the airport to wait for aride. At around 11:00AM Pacific Time, my ride landed.I had gone to Fresno to purchase a 1981 Turbo-charged Baron for someone. The seller of the Baroncame to pick me up in his R44 helicopter to take me toChandler Airport (FCH) in Fresno where the Baron waslocated. I have to say, “That was a trip.” Flying acrossthe city at 500 ft agl above the traffic jams was sweet.We landed at Chandler Airport to find a beautifulBaron. I inspected the aircraft from nose to tail andwing tip to wing tip. I read every page in themaintenance logs and directed many questions to themechanics and seller. I called the boss to inform him ofmy findings. He told me to inform the seller that themoney was on the way via wire transfer. Next, I calledthe insurance company to bind insurance coverage. Itwas now a done deal. I had just taken possession of a1981 BE58TC. Apparently, it was a sad day in Fresno.Many people came up to me before I left to talk and totake pictures of the plane. This Baron had been aresident of Chandler Airport for the past 10 years.Many pilots shared stories of their trips and adventuresin this Baron. Everyone kept saying what a fine aircraftit is. This further strengthened my feelings that I hadinformed the boss correctly about the condition of theBaron.

A pilot friend, Alex Roman, met me in Fresno for thetrip back to Scott Municipal in Oneida. We loaded upand blasted off eastward bound toward Durango,Colorado. After reaching 11,500 ft msl, I realized Alexhadn’t completely closed the door. The only way toclose it now is to land. After crossing the beautifulSierra Nevada Mountains directly across Yosemite

National Park I approached Mammoth Lakes Airport(MMH) for a landing which has a 7,000’ X 100’ runwaysituated in a valley at an elevation of 7128’ msl. Afterre-closing the door of the plane, I proceeded to departrunway 27 and what a picture that was on takeoff. TheSierra Nevada Mountains were absolutely spectacularoff the end of the runway.

After takeoff from Mammoth Lakes, I proceededsoutheast toward Las Vegas, Nevada VFR at 11,500.We were only miles from California’s Death Valley butto me it all looked the same; just sand and sand andmore sand. Even the horizon was brown from thesandy dust in the air. We crossed Las Vegas rightacross the center of town above the Vegas Class Bairspace. That gave me the opportunity to take picturesof the strip and the rest of Vegas. Then of course therewas Hoover Dam which holds back the massive LakeMead. This brought back memories of my 2001 trip toVegas in my Cessna 172. We proceeded on towardDurango with a Grand Canyon crossing at sunset. Thecolors of the canyon were brilliant with purples, blues,and maroons. Wow! The Grand Canyon changes somuch throughout a day with different sun angles. Thiswould make my fifth visit to the canyon with my lastthree visits consecutively each year.

Still proceeding toward Durango, Colorado, I decidedto let “Louie” the autopilot fly while I studied the charts.I was still flying VFR at 11,500’msl and I knew I wouldeventually have to come down into the mountainousareas of Durango. With nearly 14,000’ peaks north ofDurango’s La Plata County Airport (DRO) I decided anapproach from the south would work the best. I studiedthe charts to locate alternate plans if I had to abort alanding and circle the field (by this time, I hadaccumulated only 4hrs of Baron time). I wanted to besafe in an unfamiliar mountainous environment. Atapproximately 30 miles from the field, the weather

The Next Southwestern Adventure continued from page 11

Departing Mammoth Lakes AirportThe Next Southwestern Adventure continued on page 13

Vegas!


began to play games with me. As I tried to approachfrom the south, Mother Nature decided to put athunderstorm directly in my path. I turned northwesttoward Cortez, Colorado then proceeded inboundtoward Durango from the west. Still, I was not to gonorth due to the mountains. As I looked out thewindow, I could see the shadows of the mountainsdaring me to come closer. I spotted the airport’sbeacon and lined up for runway 2. This would be myfirst night landing in a Baron while Mother Naturechallenged me once more with a 15-knot directcrosswind. I had an uneventful landing on the 9200’ X150’ runway at an elevation of 6685’msl. Alex and Ihad been in the air for 4 hours, which left me with a 1-hour fuel reserve in the Baron’s long-range tanksystem. What a long day this had been. I rented a carand Alex and I found a place to stay for the night.Saturday, September 6, 2003It’s a beautiful chilly morning with bright blue skies.Alex and I headed for the mountains to do some hikingand drove up to the Silverton and Telluride areas totake in some of the mountain scenery. SouthwestColorado is beautiful with the San Juan Mountains andall the activities it has to offer such as river trips, jeeprides, and any other outdoor activities.

Sunday, September 7, 2003Well, it’s time to go home to Tennessee but not until alittle flying in the Rockies. Alex and I headed towardTelluride Airport (TEX) in the Baron with intentions ofproceeding to Aspen and Leadville, Colorado. We hadvisited the Telluride Airport the previous day anddecided it would be a challenge to land there on it’s6870’ X 100’ runway at an elevation of 9078’msl.That’s correct, over 9000’msl. That makes Telluride thehighest commercial airport in the United States. Noiseabatement procedures request landings on runway 9,which is down hill, and takeoffs on runway 27, which isuphill. I guess these procedures are in place so thatairplanes won’t disturb the $10million homes or the ski


Telluride Airport

resort, which are located off the end of runway 9. Witha massive cliff at the threshold of runway 9, Iproceeded in with a stable approach for my carrierlanding. It still blows my mind to think about having1,000’ of air under me then, only seconds later beingon the ground.

After paying our $8 landing fee, Alex and I decided thatwe would try to go to Aspen but the weather wasquestionable with a 2500’ ceiling, 7sm visibility, andmist. But, we would try and after all, we could alwaysturn around. So now we’re loaded up ready to blast offtoward Aspen that is if I could just get the enginesstarted. The Baron is to be started with the mixtures inthe idle cutoff position. Then, when the engine fires,you advance the mixture to rich. Having been told thatit made no difference on turbo-charged engines onleaning the mixture for high altitude ground operations,I tried to start normally. Each time the engine fired, Iwould advance the mixture to full rich only for theengine to run for 5 seconds and then die. After tryingthis several times with no luck, I decided to advancethe mixture half way for my next try. The enginesroared to life!

Remembering my slow high altitude takeoffs in myCessna 172 during my last trip to the mountains mademe anxious to see how this turbo-charged Baron wasgoing to do. It never grunted a bit. After liftoff, weaccelerated to 120 knots while climbing almost 1,000fpm. This really is a great airplane for the mountains.

Proceeding north toward Aspen, the weather got worseand worse. I decided that flying into unfamiliar terrainat nearly 200knots with low ceilings and visibility wasnot a good idea. Still flying VFR, I turned toward thesoutheast and climbed to 17,500’msl, withsupplemental oxygen, to get above a cloud layer. NearPagosa Springs, Colorado, which is south of themountains, I spiraled down through a break in theclouds to get to lower and breathable VFR cruisingaltitudes. Our next stop would be Las Vegas, NewMexico (LVS) where we would refuel and file an IFRflight plan toward Tennessee. Las Vegas Municipal hastwo runways, one being 8200’ X 60’ and the other one5001’ X 75’. It was a friendly place, but had very limitedflight-planning facilities and was located in the middleof nowhere. Course, I think most places in theSouthwest are located in the middle of nowhere.

2 ½ hours later, we arrived in Fayetteville, Arkansas(XNA) for yet another fuel stop. Fayetteville is atowered field with an 8800’ X 150’ runway. Theyoffered excellent service with a brand new terminal.We borrowed a crew car to get supper then we were

The Next Southwestern Adventure continued on page 14



off for another 2-½ hour flight to Scott Municipal inOneida, Tennessee. It had taken us 10 ½ hours to gofrom Fresno to Oneida with many stops and manybends in the road. I imagine the trip could have beenmade in 8 hours if I had flown straight home. But thatwouldn’t have been any fun now would it!

The 1981 Turbo-charged Beechcraft Baron BE58TC isan awesome flying machine. Its two 325hp enginessends it zooming toward the flight levels with trueairspeeds of 210 knots at 11,000’msl and 230 knots at17,500’msl. It flies as fast as some King Airs! But withthose speeds, there are some prices that must be paid.For it is a thirsty bird, drinking 40 gallons of 100LL perhour. But with 194 gallons on board, it could stay aloftfor nearly 5 hours.

Until next time, be safe and enjoy flying!

The Timorous PassengerKaren Phillips, a PP-ASEL’s wife

I must have been the mosttimorous passenger to ever sitin the right seat. I neverexpected to share my husband’spassion for flight or enjoy viewsfrom eighty-five hundred feetwhere beautiful landscapes merge into extendedpatchworks of green and brown, where cities becomesmall blobs on the horizon and cars appear asminiature dots on thin ribbons of pavement. A fear ofheights, aversion to turbulence and a bladder the sizeof a grape presented obstacles that, until now, limitedmy flights to the local area.

This flight changed all that. We were about to embarkon my first unexpected weekend adventure via victorairway.

We arrive at the airport early Saturday morning. Theair is cool and a low fog blankets the grassy areabetween the hangars and the river, rising waist high tocreate a picturesque landscape that is more often seenin magazines than in real life. Tranquility reignssupreme offering an abundance of peace and quiet notusually found in the city. Only the chirping sound ofbaby birds anticipating the morning feeding is heard.Even the migratory geese are content and continue toslumber undisturbed, reluctant to continue their journeysouth. It’s too bad every morning doesn’t begin likethis.

I follow patiently while my husband unties andmeticulously checks everything around the exterior of

the plane. Stopping every few feet to inspect or touchsomething, taking time to clean the windows, makingsure everything is organized just so, things he neverdoes at home. I’ve observed this routine before,obviously some sort of ritual all pilots perform prior toflight.

I thought we were going to fly a forty-five minute circuitthe locals use when they get out on Saturday morningsto bore a hole in the sky. I should have anticipated achange of plan when I notice the overnight bag beingslipped into the rear luggage compartment, an itemusually accompanying us on weekend car outingsshould we stumble across an interesting place thatdemands extended exploration. No attempt was madeto hide it and no attempt was made to explain it. Ohwell. The serene setting has already worked its magic.There’s no need to get nervous and ruin a greatmorning.

The plane lifts off the runway and within minutesGatlinburg passes off the right wing, or at least that’swhere it’s supposed to be, still obscured by themorning fog. Morristown is visible in the distance andquickly disappears under the broken cloud layer wejust passed through. A few minutes later we are on topin clear, smooth air. We are treated to a spectacularview as far as the eye can see. Nothing but cloud topsand the sun rising over the Smoky Mountains in thedistance.

We descend through the broken cloud layer and easilyfind the airport off the left wing. I am so mesmerizedby the scenery I don’t realize the jaunt around the localarea has turned into a cross-country flight across theeastern half of Tennessee and into southwest Virginia.

A van arrives next to the plane while we unload. Anice lady gets out, walks over and says “Mr. Phillips,it’s nice to meet you. May I get your bags?”. By 10AMwe have checked into the Martha Washington Inn inAbingdon Virginia and set out to discover this smallhistoric town on foot.

Most of the morning and early afternoon is devoted towalking and loitering at every storefront along MainStreet. Just about everything needed for a weekendgetaway is located within an easy walking distance ofdowntown. Mom and Pop bakeries filled with freshpastries, antique shops ranging from small one-roomstorefronts selling household items and vintageclothing to large multi-level emporiums featuringimmaculately maintained heirlooms; tea rooms andsidewalk cafés are on every corner. Sidewalks arefilled with people, sampling the local fare, carrying thespoils of their early morning quest for antique treasures

The Timorous Passenger continued on page 14


or just walking to enjoy the flowers planted along thesidewalk.

By midday we have explored every shop on one sideof Main Street and are preparing to cross when wediscover a small and rather unique café. The StarvingArtist Café was a pleasant surprise. Real tablecloths,silverware and china adorn the table. Works of localartists are displayed around the walls creating an artgallery atmosphere. A perfect place to pause forlunch.

After finishing off the downtown area we stop at theBarter Theatre to see a play. The theatre wasoriginally opened during the depression in 1933 with anadmission price of 35 cents. Over the years thetheater has been the stage for many well-known actorsthat went on to achieve fame and fortune, includingGregory Peck, Patricia Neal, Ernest Borgnine, KevinSpacey, Hume Cronyn, Ned Beatty and FrancesFisher. The list also includes James Burrows, thecreator and producer of Cheers, Barry Corbin and JimVarney. The auditorium accommodates approximately150 people. Today’s show is Anne of Green Gablesand is quite entertaining. Needless to say theadmission price for today’s show is significantly morethan the 1933 price.

It’s getting dark when we exit the theatre and preparefor a change of pace. We walk across the lawn to theInn for a shower and change of clothes as we arehaving dinner at The Dining Room, one of therestaurants at the Inn.

The Dining Room is quite impressive. Dark tones, softlighting and elegant table setting work together tofacilitate a romantic mood. This evening the servers’don tuxedos and many patrons are dressed to thenines. No one seems to notice that we are slightlyunderdressed.

Dinner is excellent, pan-seared trout and lots ofveggies followed by a sinful dessert. Fine diningdemands time, so don’t rush it. We are going to behere for a while.

After dinner we return to the inn and pause to sit in therockers positioned around covered porches. A greatplace to reflect on the day’s activities and watcheveryone ambling in the streets under the glow ofyellow sidewalk lamps. Many are holding hands orwalking arm in arm. The fragrant night air is aninteresting combination of flowering shrubs andsmoldering hickory from a nearby fireplace.

Entering our room we that find the lamps have beenturned on in anticipation of our return, the bedcoverings have been turned down, chocolates placedon the pillows and a decanter of sherry is on thenightstand. Fluffy white bathrobes are draped acrossthe foot of the bed.

The room is filled with tasteful antiques and burgundycolored carpets. Period style wallpaper and portraitsdecorate the walls and a gold chandelier hangs fromthe tall ceiling. The audio-video equipment is well

The Timorous Passenger continued from page 14

The Barter Theatre on Main

The Dining Room at the Inn

The Timorous Passenger continued on page 16


The Timorous Passenger continued from page 15

hidden inside a tall armoire in the corner.

The Martha Washington Inn is a great destination forthe quick weekend getaway. The surrounding areaoffers many leisure opportunities.

The significance of this trip is not only the destinationand the activities, but also the opportunity for anaccomplished pilot husband to slowly acclimate a timidwife to the joys of flying. Draw a 100nm circle aroundKnoxville, exclude locations that only offer $100hamburgers and a tour of the local airport. You willdiscover several unique destinations to treat yourbeloved wife to a romantic weekend. Decide on adestination and leave early morning to take advantageof smooth air. Be sure to have her favorite smoothjazz artist on the CD player. Within a few short weeksshe will be comfortable flying and you will be rewardedin more ways that you can count.

Links:Abingdon, VA http://www.abingdon.comMW Inn http://www.marthawashingtoninn.comStarving Artist http://websource.net/starvingartistBarter Theatre http://www.bartertheatre.comVJI Apt http://www.airnav.com/airport/KVJI

Tampa FloridaDon and Anna Miller, IP-ASEL

We are home from Florida.The trip was quite a successfulventure. Our goal was to visitour daughter Chris and herson Alhen in Clearwater.

A previous attempt August 8th ended in a decision toreturn at the half way point due to unforcast thundershowers and hail in central Florida.

We took off from DKX at 6:30 AM on Friday with anIFR flight plan. The sky was clear and the winds lightas we climbed to the assigned altitude of 7,000'. Weenjoyed an unusually nice sunrise with accompanyingsky color changes. The ATC approved a direct flight toMacon where we had planned to have lunch. Fuelprices are reasonable there, and the crew car made a

trip to Cracker Barrel possible. We were off again at10:57 AM, again on an IFR flight plan. ATC vectoredus around Moody AFB, but that added little to the traveltime. The last hour of the three-hour leg was in actualIMC, but with a relatively high ceiling of about 2500'.We broke out occasionally to see the Gulf of Mexicoand coastal shore buildings. An interesting disconnectbetween the pilot and the ATC occurred as we brokeout over St. Petersburg.

The controller was handling his peak morning load andwas eager to drop the 172 to his own devices as SPGcame closer. He was so eager that he handed us off tothe tower at Albert Whitted (SPG) just as we broke outof the ceiling. I was happy to see the city and the placeour daughter lives. I looked around the landscape infront of us and saw the familiar cross of two runwaysjust like the taxiway chart I had in front of me on mylap. I had been cleared for approach to runway 5, so Icontinued my descent. Within seconds, I received acall from the tower at SPG with the unexpectedinstruction to make a right turn and stop descending! Itwas at this point that I looked at the GPS readout tosee if it would shed light on the "new" instructions. Itdid! I was 6 miles from SPG. I was looking at St.Petersburg International a class B airport!! Theremainder of the landing was uneventful except fordropping to the runway after clearing the two-storybuilding at the approach end of a 6500' runway.

We had a lovely visit with Chris and Alhen Fridayevening and Saturday. One of our goals was to gocomputer shopping and help her make a decision. Asyou might guess, the Clearwater, St. Petersburg andTampa Bay area has hundreds of computer vendors.We saw Dell, hp, e-machine, Sony, etc. etc. andseveral independent shops who make pc's to order.The decision was finally made and we moved on to theother activities of the day. This area had weather verysimilar to TN weather in August, but more humid.

Tampa Florida continued on page 17

Be a FatBoyz Author and join others thatshare their knowledge, experience and tripreports to exciting flight destinations. It's veryeasy. Create your article using MS Word orother word processor, attach the file andaccompanying photos to an email and send toFatBoyz.

Beautiful Tampa Bay

http://www.abingdon.com

http://www.marthawashingtoninn.com

http://websource.net/starvingartist

http://www.bartertheatre.com

http://www.airnav.com/airport/KVJI


Sunday, found us at SPG for an 8 AM takeoff. I felt thelikelihood of afternoon thunder storms in ET wasminimal and a later take-off was a good bet - hey weslept late. The weather we encountered was preciselywhat I had been briefed for that morning. Calm windsand scattered clouds at 5000'. We had requested8,000' to be above the layer and to enjoy the welcomefree air conditioning. The remainder of the return wasas planned. We enjoyed a variety of different ATCstyles along the way to keep it from being tooboring. Some were attentive and constantly providingclever little suggestions or interrogations - What is yourheading now; verify your altitude, watch for the invisibletraffic at your 1 o'clock, all the while we are at a steady8,000 plus or minus 20 feet. Later we encountered acontroller who failed to point out several other aircraftwithin 2 miles and 1000 feet. He was the ATL controllerwho kept us to within 35 nm of DKX.

As we approached home we heard several familiar callsigns being announced in the pattern, and knew wewere really home.

Tampa Florida continued from page 16

Any Given SundayMark Collins, CP-ASEL

I borrowed this title from a moviethat has absolutely nothing to dowith aviation, but I thought thatgiven the day of the event it wouldapply. I received my private ticket in 1993 and afterspending all that time working at flying it was time tohave some fun. I had heard folks talk about going to “Breakfast at Seymour” ever since I’d been a resident ofthe Island, but had never been. I enlisted the help of afellow pilot who was an instructor to get me proficienton real grass field landings and take offs since thatwas where I was planning to go. Doug was raised onTN20 and was able to show me all the tricks of thetrade to get safely in and out of Seymour Airpark. Aftersome duel with him I was confident enough to try it onmy own.

Seymour Airpark is a pretty 2250 ft. grass strip hidingat the base of the Foothills of the Great SmokyMountains. It’s located 9 miles from the Volunteer VORon the 135degree radial. On a clear Sunday morning aheading of about 160 degrees from DKX and around10 minutes will put you over midfield. There is also anotch in the Foothills that you can use for visual

Any Given Sunday continued on page 18

On short final to Albert G. Whitted Field


Any Given Sunday continued from page 16

navigation on a fairly clear day, if you fly to the notchyou will cross over the field. Radio for Seymour is123.05, and if the weather is nice enough you’ll have totalk fast to get your transmissions in, it tends to get realbusy around 08:30.

Once you land, and trust me you will have anaudience, you’ll probably be greeted by Earl West inthe magic bus. Earl is a resident of TN20, he and hiswife Mary live on the southwest end of the runway, andjust happen to have a forty ft. hanger door on the backof their house. Inside the hanger hides a beautiful redand white straight tail 172 that they have lovinglyrestored over the past few years.

As for the magic bus, it is a silver Ford club van thatseats about 10, whose ability to get you up the hill tothe terminal building seems suspect some days! Afterthe ride to the Big Orange building, you’ll be greeted byToddy Johnson at the door. Toddy and his family havebeen serving breakfast on Sunday mornings longbefore I started flying, and I’ve been going there for 10years. As you step inside the aroma of biscuits andgravy, bacon, sausage, pancakes, scrambled eggs,and an assortment of other goodies will await you. Thefresh sliced homegrown tomatoes are always a treatwhen in season. Drop your 3 dollars in the box, grab aplate and start down the line. If you want your eggsspecial order, Toddy’s son JB will fix you up. Just tellhim how you like them and he’ll call you when theirready. On a good day you might see Freddy wearinghis chef hat while he stirs up another batch of gravy.Grab a seat and beverage and sit down and enjoy thefellowship of other pilots from all walks of life. Be sureto watch out for the dog, a notorious beggar to theunsuspecting. On a real good day, Toddy will have youin tears after hearing some of his flying stories; I thinkTYS was still a grass strip when he soloed! After acinnamon roll and coffee for desert, it’s time to go sitoutside in the sunshine and enjoy the mountain view.When your food has settled enough it’s time to startdown the hill towards your plane. It’s standardprocedure that you ride up and usually walk backdown. It’s also time to ogle what everybody else hasflown in, and do a little hanger flying with your fellowpilots. You’ll see everything from Champs and J3 Cubsto Bonanzas, Cessnas and Pipers of all types,experimentals and ultra lights. Some of the planes areeveryday fliers, some are total restoration jobs, and alllevels in between.

The traffic usually comes and goes in waves, andsometimes the early crew might give you a flyby asthey depart. This is grassroots aviation at it’s finest, amost excellent way to spend a couple of hours, get agood meal and have fun in the process. If you’ve neverbeen, I highly recommend it, and if some of your fellowpilot friends haven’t made the trip, grab one and take

them with you. Most light singles can make it in and outof TN20 with no problem if your short field technique isup to par. If you don’t have a good time you may needprofessional help. But then again, all pilots have just alittle crazy in them! Seymour Airpark starts serving every Sunday morningat 8AM, and runs till around 930 to 10, depending onthe crowd except for major holidays. Stop in andenjoy, you’ll be glad you did.


Lo-cal Dutch Rolls!Paul Lipton, CFII EAA Chapter 1158

Haven’t heard of Dutch rolls? Don’t be concerned; aglance at a couple of modern “standard” flight trainingmanuals didn’t mention them either. Actually they’vebeen around for many years but seem to have slippedout of view with so much attention given these days tomore “interesting” topics like how to get the most out ofyour GPS, or checking out in a new Cirrus.This story begins with a brief discussion of one of theubiquitous quirks of virtually all aircraft: adverse yaw.OK, hot air balloons are aircraft but they don’t count forthis discussion. Sure, you’ve heard of it, but whatactually causes it? Stand behind any aircraft whileanother person deflects the ailerons. Obviously theymove in opposite directions. What is not so obvious isthe adverse drag created by this deflection. Adversemeans the greater drag caused by the down aileron ison the wrong wing. Aeronautical engineers canpartially offset the difference by using asymmetricalbellcranks or other mechanical tricks but in the endthere will usually be some adverse yaw created whenthe down aileron (causing the wing to rise) createsmore drag than the up aileron (which causes the wingto fall). The not-so- subtle effect is that the up wingwhich will be on the outside of a turn begins to slowdown instead of speeding up causing the nose tomomentarily move in the opposite direction of thedesired turn. The solution to this pesky quirk is toapply enough rudder in the correct direction to offsetthe undesirable “wrong” turn of the nose at the momentof turn entry. Once an aircraft has established amoderate turn aileron deflection can be reduced oreven eliminated. Turn completed? Aileron deflectionto return to level flight tends to increase the turn rate(just when you want it to diminish) for a moment beforethe wings return to level and the turn is stopped.Student pilots are notorious for their aggravation overthis perverse habit of airplanes as compared to cars.

If a student pilot (or an experienced one who has notmastered stick and rudder coordination) attempts to“steer” the plane with the ailerons in the same mannerthat a car can be steered he/she will be in for anunsettling surprise. This bad habit shows up most onthe approach to landing where brief, yet rapid, aileronmovements are necessary to maneuver into landingposition.

Is there an Rx for this bad behavior of the airplanetriggered by the inadequately trained pilot??? Dutchrolls to the rescue! This simple training maneuver(best learned from an instructor) instantly reveals anylack of coordination and timing. At a safe altitudeselect a prominent landmark directly ahead on thehorizon. Rest one hand above the instrument panel,

close one eye and cover the landmark with the tip ofone finger. Begin rocking with wings briskly with themaximum bank of about 30 degrees. (Start gently with10-15 degrees) Don’t introduce elevator inputs. If youhave developed good coordination skills the finger willcontinue to cover the landmark. If, however, the fingerbegins darting across the sky it reveals that the amountand timing of aileron and rudder deflection is incorrect.Select a new landmark, if necessary, and try again.Don’t do these with passengers or they will quicklynote this as a ride to remember, for the wrong reasons.The timing and amount of control pressure takespractice but will lead to increased confidence andcomfort especially in landings.

Don’t forget to continue to be on the lookout for aircraft.Try this exercise from time to time in the manner that amusician may practice scales from time to time.Thinking of tail dragger training? Budd Davisson, afrequent author of Sport Aviation articles wasconducting a Forum at AirVenture this summer andstressed that one of the leading causes of pilotsexperiencing difficulty in successfully transitioning totail draggers was lack of good coordination skills!

The conclusion? Butter up your passengers opinion ofyour flying skills by chomping on a few Dutch Rolls!Just don’t try to explain how few calories they have!


Pilot Profile – Mike Dawley

I was born in Asheville NCon June 4, 1947. My wife,Sharon, and I have beenmarried for 35 years. We haveone daughter, Kimberly, whois a RN, married to a localattorney, and is the motherof our 2 year old grandson,Michael. Michael is the prideand joy of my life and I cherishthe time I get to spend with him.

I have been employed at the K-25 Site in Oak Ridgefor 31 years. During my career I have work for severalcontractors that include Union Carbide, MartinMarietta, Lockheed Martin, Bechtel Jacobs, andAmerican Technologies. I attended Gaston College,just outside Charlotte NC, and earned a Associates inApplied Science Degree in Mechanical and ProductionEngineering Technology. Most of my career has beenin design and development but I have been in facilitymanagement for the past 12 years. If I could start over,I think I would like to go into Optometry. It’s a clean jobwith good pay and a reward of helping someone inneed.

I have been interested in flying all my life. WhenSharon and I were dating, we would often end up atthe airport watching planes take off and land. I sure Iimpressed her with that move. When I turned 50,Sharon gave me a few hours of flying lessons as asurprise gift. She had seen me spend many hoursflying the Microsoft Flight Simulator on my computerand knew it was something I would love to try. Afterthose few hours, I was hooked.

So off to school I go. Approximately 45 training hourslater, I earned my private license. I have been flyingCessna 150’s and 172’s rented from Knoxville FlightTraining Center for 6 years. I am partial to the highwings and would own one if I had the money.

Thad Phillips, a great flying buddy, and I shared manycross country hours together as I prepared myself formy greatest flying experience. A long cross countryflight with my wife from DKX to Ocean Isle Beach, NC(60J) (See January 2003 Newsletter).

My favorite place for the now $150 hamburger isElizabethton TN (0A9), as I was raised there and cannow fly into the place where I used to lean on the fenceand watch planes come and go. Betty’s Burger Hutserves a great burger and a killer milk shake.

My dream flight, which I should plan with my old flyingbuddy, is to take off for a few days and fly to Wichita

Kansas and tour the Cessna manufacturing facility. Itwould be a great flying experience and very interestingto see a plan built from scratch.

I have been flying for 6 years now and thoroughlyenjoy the gift of general aviation. I haven’t flown asmuch in the past year as I would like due to the everincreasing costs. I do fly locally enough to remaincurrent and enjoy taking my wife and friends onsightseeing tours.


Plane of the MonthThe Dutchess of Downtown

Tony Huddleston

Based at Downtown Island Airport in Knoxville is atwin-engine trainer that was designed from the start tobe a friendly, multi-engine trainer. The BeechcraftDuchess 76 was so named as it was introduced n1976, but was not released to the first customer until1978. There were 437 Duchesses built, and of these,272 are still flying.

Powered by two Lycoming O-360-A-A1G6d enginesgenerating 180 hp @ 2,700 rpm, and swinging two-bladed Hartzell 76” diameter, full-feathering constantspeed propellers, the Duchess can claw it’s wayskyward at 1,248 fpm @ sea level. Single engine rateof climb is an impressive 230 fpm. The counter-rotating engines make single engine emergencies andtraining easier, due to reduced yaw tendencies.

Cruise speed for the Duchess at 6000 ft. with 24inches mp, and 2400-rpm results in 166 KTAS, and atbest power setting fuel burn is a respectable 23 gph,yielding a 600 nm range with 45 minutes of reservefuel. Service ceiling for the Duchess is 19,650 ft.

Maximum useful load for the Duchess is 1197 lb, astested. Fully fueled, the maximum payload is 870 lb.,which makes for a maximum takeoff weight of 3900 lb.

So, if you’re looking for your twin-engine rating, comeon out to the Island and make a date with the Duchessof Downtown.

Performance:Takeoff distance, ground roll 1017 ft.Takeoff distance over 50 ft. obstacle 2119 ftMax demonstrated Xwind component 25 ktRate of climb, sea level 1248 fpmSingle-engine rate of climb, sea level 230 fpmMax level speed, sea level 152 kt

Limiting and Recommended AirspeedsVr (rotation) 71 KIASVx (best angle of climb) 71 KIASVy (best rate of climb) 85 KIASVxse (best single engine rate of climb) 85 KIASVyse (min control/one engine operating) 65 KIASVsse (min. intentional one-engine op) 85 KIASVa (design maneuvering) 132 KIASVfe (max. flap extended) 110 KIASVle (max. gear extended) 140 KIASVlo (max. gear operating)

Extend 140 KIASRetract 112 KIAS

Vno (max. structural cruising) 154 KIASVne (never exceed) 194 KIASVs1 (stall clean) 70 KIASVso (stall, landing configuration) 60 KIAS

All specifications based on manufacturer’s calculations.

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