The Project is now underway!

Cross-posted to the EAA Forums at Oshkosh365:

It's about time for an update on our Venture Crew 50 activities with regard to our FP-101 ultralight project!  We're very, very close to finishing the restoration of our 1940 Case VC farm tractor so it was time to start getting the airplane ready for work.  If you've read my blog before you'll know that we received the airplane as a donation from a very generous pilot in Iowa.  I drove out there last fall and brought the airframe back to our base at the Succop Conservancy in Butler, PA.  The airframe, including the fuselage, tail feathers, one complete wing, parts of the second wing, and some miscellaneous items, was cleverly packed into a trailer that was built to carry the COMPLETED plane.  All we have to do is remove the sides of the trailer and the plane will be able to roll right on with a special fixture to lock down the tail.  That's the good news.  The not-so-good news is that we will not be able to restore this aircraft to flight status for a number of very good reasons:  

• First, we're just not comfortable with the condition of or materials used in the airframe.  While it's still fairly sound there are lots of cracks, small breaks, and other minor damage that adds up to an airframe that would need a complete rebuild.  Also, it's apparent from our examination of the airframe that it was made at least in part from a packing crate.  Some components have an address stamped on them and the plywood is definitely not aviation grade.
• Second, the cost of an engine to power this plane, either a small Rotax or 1/2 VW, is beyond our budget.  We may reconsider this point on our next project, but for this plane it isn't feasible for us to come up with a powerplant.
• Third, the plane is a single-seater and Scout regulations would prevent our members from flying it.

So what are we going to do with the plane?  We think we've come up with an excellent way to make very good use of it.  We're going to restore the plane structurally using non-aviation grade materials, cover it right down the centerline so one half is finished/painted and the other is open/skeletal, connect all the controls, add folding wings, and use it as a training tool for Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts.  We'll still be able to gain valuable experience through the build/restoration process and our local Scout organizations will gain a valuable teaching tool.  While we may be a little disappointed that this particular plane won't be ours to fly we're still very excited about the project and the opportunity to use it to bring aviation to life for other youngsters and Scouts.

At this point we're just getting the trailer unpacked and preparing our shop space.  I'll try and make more regular postings as the work gets underway but in the meantime I've posted a link to some pictures of the Crew working with the fuselage to reinstall the landing gear and add new wheels and tires.

Exciting times for Venture Crew 50!

Photos of Venture Crew 50 working on the fuselage

Whew! So much happening I haven't had time to blog!

It's been months since my last posting and in the time that's passed since then our Crew has accomplished quite a lot.

First, we brought our project plane home to the barn at our base at the Succop Conservancy.  The trip out to Iowa and back took two days as it's 13 hours each way but the drive was well worth it.  We now have a complete airframe for a Fisher Flying Products FP-101 ultralight thanks to Bill Russell of Central City, IA whose generosity will go a long way to building enthusiasm for general aviation with our Venture Crew members.  It's the dead of winter now and we're still finishing our 1940 Case farm tractor restoration but the whole Crew is itching to get started on the plane.  It won't be long now until the weather warms enough to start on the Fisher!

Second, in November we became aware of a major engineering design contest for youth and decided to enter as a non-school-based team.  The Real World Design Challenge (www.realworlddesignchallenge.org) is a contest sponsored by business, academia, and the government that seeks to engage young people in solving real world engineering problems using state of the art tools and methodologies.  This year's Challenge involved designing a tail configuration for a business jet and I'm very pleased to report that our little Venture Crew 50 team of 3 high schoolers completed the Challenge.  They used structural analysis, fluid dynamic, and CAD/solid modeling tools to design a unique tail for a business jet.  They did a great job and learned quite a lot in the process.  Their entry is now being judged at the state level and we'll know on February 8 if we'll be moving on to the national level of the Challenge.  Wish us luck!

I'll try and make an effort to post more regularly once we get into the restoration of the FP-101.  Until then, I'll leave you with a CGI rendering of the plane designed by our Venture Crew for the Real World Design Challenge.

Things are Happening!

In the couple of weeks since my last post there have been some exciting developments in my little aviation world.

First, our EAA Chapter had another Young Eagles rally and flew a record number of young people.  We did significant outreach to the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts in our area and they turned out in droves, especially the Cubs.  They all seemed to have a great time and I've been able to line up some aviation-themed meetings with Cub Scout packs in the upcoming months.

Second, my sons have started working with the online ground school package from Sporty's Pilot Shop that's included with the Young Eagles flight.  My oldest is making great progress and when I've peeked over his shoulder I've been impressed with the format and content of the program.  Getting access to the online training FREE with the Young Eagles flight is a huge benefit and I'm very grateful to Sporty's for their generosity in making it available.

Third, I placed a few ads a while back seeking a donor airplane for our Venture Crew.  Much to my surprise, a very generous gentleman out in Iowa has offered to donate a Fisher Flying Products FP-101 ultralight to our Crew if we will go to Iowa to retrieve it.  I'm making plans for the trip right now but I haven't told the Crew yet.  They'll get their first word of it at our meeting on Sunday and I'm really looking forward to their reactions.  It's most definitely a project plane and it's not clear just now if we'll restore it to full flying condition, or just to use as a static display and teaching aid.  Either way it will be a great learning experience for our Crew.  Wish us luck!

Hopefully this string of positive activity will continue.  It's great being able to work on something I truly enjoy like youth in aviation.

A Few Thoughts On 9/11 - Eight Years Later

I'm sure all of us can recall where we were and what we were doing on that morning eight years ago today.  I was settling into my office for the day when my Mom (who has since passed away) called to tell me a plane had hit the World Trade Center.  Initially my thoughts were that it was an accident but as I watched the coverage and the unfolding events at the Pentagon and here in Pennsylvania it became clear that it was something much more than an accident.  But what I want to call to mind today is not that day directly, but all that lead from it including two wars with the terrible loss of life both by U.S. servicemen and women and innocent civilians.  In the eight years since the attacks of 9/11 our armed services have paid an immense price to fulfill their duty to our country and we owe each and every person who serves our thanks.  Take a moment today to reflect on this and, if you can, to find a way to give something back to those who have served and are serving still in far off corners of the world.

Why did I place this commentary in a blog focused on the Young Eagles program?  Because the starting point for all of this was the evil, intentional misuse of aircraft.  One of mankind's great inventions, capable of bridging the geographic gaps that separate us making the world a closer and more accessible place, was used to terrorize American society and divide the world community.  We must now be on guard against such intentional misuse, whether dealing with commercial or general aviation, and future pilots will have to learn to fly in the aftermath of these events (i.e. ADIZ zones).  I truly wish it wasn't this way and that we could turn the clock back and erase what happened that morning eight years ago today, but none of us can.  We must move forward in a world reshaped forever.

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog devoted to developing aviation-related programs to follow the EAA Young Eagles initiative.  The Young Eagles program (www.youngeagles.org) was created by the Experimental Aviation Association (www.eaa.org) to foster interest in aviation among young people age 8 to 17.  It's a fabulous introduction to general aviation and recreational flying that's flown almost 1.5 million young people including my two teenage sons.  The challenge for me, the EAA, and aviation in general is how to provide follow-on activities that maintain the seed of interest in aviation planted or fostered in these young people through their participation in the Young Eagles program.  The EAA in partnership with Sporty's Pilot Shop (http://www.sportys.com/pilotshop/) have created a gateway into flight training by offering a logbook and access to an online flight training/ground school portal.  This is a huge step forward and a real credit to the people at EAA and especially Sporty's for their commitment to young people interested in aviation.  But there should be more we can do to provide active, hands-on experiences that really bring the world of general aviation to life.  Principles of flight, aircraft design and construction, flight planning and navigation, and the airspace all around us our topics that can be explored in ways that engage, challenge, and educate young people.  It's my hope that this blog can become a resource for others seeking to extend the Young Eagles program.  Let's get started!