EAA Chapter 430 Newsletter, January 2023

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CHAPTER 430
JANUARY
2023
In This Issue
From the Left Seat
Aviation from My Rocking Chair
Mr. September – Life Flight Calendar
Update on FAA LODA Requirement
December Flyout
Club Project Updates
Getting to Know You
Board Member Contact Info
Upcoming Events
January
11- VMC/IMC club Mariner’s at 1900
20 -Board of Directors (BOD) meeting Mariners
Café 0900
28- Chapter Gathering CLM conference Room 0930
February
8- VMC/IMC
17- BOD
25- Northwest Aviation Conference and Trade
Show Puyallup, WA
March
8- VMC/IMC
17- BOD
25- Gathering CLM
FROM THE LEFT SEAT – RAY BALLANTYNE
Welcome to the new year! When I look back at the COVID years, it’s amazing
our chapter not only survived that time, but thrived! This year looks even
better. We have flyouts planned, young people to introduce to aviation, and
excellent presentations at our gatherings.
Our January gathering on the 28th will start out the new year with a breakfast
casserole starting at 0930 at the CLM conference room. After checking in with
all the current builders, we will explore the new world of automated VTOL
flight!
There will be no gathering in February, as the Northwest Aviation Conference and Trade Show will
be in full swing over the last weekend of the month in Puyallup. It’s always a pretty good show,
especially if you’re looking for something to buy, do, or go.
A shoutout to Elisa Petersen for putting out her first newsletter as our new editor! We sure
appreciate the work of Skip Brown, our previous and faithful editor for many years.
The atmosphere river has not provided exceptional good flying weather, but every time I see
patches of blue, I hear small planes trying to go somewhere, or just keeping the rust away. I find it
a bit challenging this time of year to keep proficient, so I get out there any chance I can, and I hope
you do, too.
It’s also that time of year to renew the dues to our flying organizations. Remember it’s just one
time a year, so be nice to our treasurer, Tracy, and get your EAA430 dues in today! It’s only $20 for
an individual and $25 for a family.
Is Oshkosh Airventure in your plans? It’s not too early to start planning, and find some friends to
join you. It’s always an amazing event.
It’s exciting that the days are getting longer and longer. Time to go aviate Ray
And Now a Math Riddle – Aviator Style
People are waiting in line to board a 100-seat airplane. Steve is the first person in the line.
He gets on the plane but suddenly can’t remember what his seat number is, so he picks a
seat at random. After that, each person who gets on the plane sits in their assigned seat if
it’s available, otherwise they will choose an open seat at random to sit in.
The flight is full and you are last in line. What is the probability that you get to sit in your
assigned seat?
Hint: You don’t need to use complex math to solve this riddle. Consider these two questions: What happens if
somebody sits in your seat? What happens if somebody sits in Steve’s assigned seat?
(answer to be provided in next month’s issue)
AVIATION FROM MY ROCKING CHAIR - RICK VAUX
Panel Layout Safety and Aesthetics
Twenty three years ago, I read an article in Kitplanes magazine titled: “Panel Perfect” by Ed Wischmeyer. This
excellent article covers Instrument panel layout and design concerns. I selected it for an EAA Chapter 7 piece.
Here we are 20 years later, and I reached out to them a 2nd
time requesting permission for our newsletter. This
information has stood the test of time.
Top 15 rules of good panel design
Standardization is preferable to innovation. Non-standardization helps cause pilot error accidents.
Check your panel design for good flow with your aircraft checklists. Consider non-checklist operations too,
such as engine checks during start of takeoff roll.
Don’t forget to check your panel design against engine shutdown and emergency procedures.
Balance the panel visually, and design for good flow. Symmetry may result from balancing a very simple
panel, but symmetry should never be sought at the expense of good flow.
You should never have to read a label or count positions to find anything. Corollary:Never put more than 5
identical switches in a row.
Avoid locations that require vertical head motion.
Do not improvise in the use of color.
Never hide fuel gauges on the floor or separate them on the corners of the panel.
Don’t put dangerous knobs and safe knobs such as, Mixture and Carb.Heat next to each other, especially if
they are the same shape or color.
Don’t put safety knobs and non-safety knobs , such as Carb.Heat and Cabin Heat next to each other. Colors
and shapes should be standard.
Make switches accessible to non-stick (or non-wheel) hand.
Put Airspeed indicator on the Left and Altimeter on the Right.
Have enough gyros to let you survive an inadvertent IMC encounter.
Remember crash worthiness with your head possibly impacting instrument knobs.
Install a windshield defroster/defogger.
Like many of you, I have done all my training and flying with “Steam Gauges”, until last week. That is when Erik
Peterson and Richard Howell colluded (behind my back), to take me flying in Erik’s 172. I was really excited about
flying the aircraft for the first time in 40 years and it looked great from the outside…until I opened the right door,
looked inside, and saw: THE GLASS. Remember the first time you saw a calculus problem? Or felt like the
proverbial “Deer in the Headlights”? That was me.
As we took off, I found that flying the Cessna was like putting on an old shoe, and “Gee, what a pretty TV.” I
could find nothing on the panel that I recognized. Erik had to show me where the Altimeter (digital readout) and
skid/slip ball were. To be honest, I never found the tach, turn needle, airspeed, dg , or any of the engine
instruments. While I am very comfortable flying the old “Six Pack”, it would be a disaster to let me pilot a glass
panel airplane.
So, let me pose this question. For ‘Six Pack’ pilots, should it require an endorsement to fly ‘Glass’? And for
‘Glass’ pilots, should it require an endorsement to fly ‘Six Packs’? I look forward to your comments. Well,
troopers, it’s time for me to wander off once again into my Aviation neighborhood, searching always for usable
facts, and trying to stay out of trouble.
Rick VauxTC413
Autographs Please?
If you pick up a copy of
this year’s Life Flight
calendar, you will find
our very own Chapter
430’s Dave Miller
donning the page as
‘Mr. September’.
Dave received care in
2021 on the Life Flight
copter. He boarded
the copter with a heart
attack, and returned
safely to be Joan’s
calendar heart throb.
For which we are all
incredibly grateful to
Life Flight and the
many people they
protect each year.
We can ask Dave if he
will be available
during one of our
regular Chapter
meetings to have an
official signing session.
Bring your sharpie
pens and your
calendar.
FAA LODA REQUIREMENT ELIMINATED
PRESIDENT BIDEN SIGNS FY23 NDAA JUST BEFORE CHRISTMAS
The legislation includes language that largely reverses a 2021 FAA directive requiring all
experimental aircraft owners, pilots, and flight instructors to obtain a letter of deviation
authority (LODA) if they wanted to give or receive flight training in experimental aircraft.
The legislation signed by the president does not eliminate the LODA requirement entirely:
Lawmakers included language that effectively retains the LODA requirement for flight
instructors who provide instruction in experimental aircraft that they own, or in aircraft that
are advertised, or otherwise “broadly” offered for flight training or testing.
The new law does eliminate the LODA requirement for all experimental aircraft owners
who hire instructors to provide flight training in their own aircraft, or in a borrowed aircraft.
A flight instructor, registered owner, lessor, or lessee of an aircraft shall not be required to
obtain a letter of deviation authority from the [FAA administrator] to allow, conduct, or
receive flight training, checking and testing in an experimental aircraft if 1) the flight
instructor is not providing both the training and the aircraft; 2) no person advertises or
broadly offers the aircraft as available for flighty training, checking, or testing; and 3) no
person receives compensation for use of the aircraft for a specific flight during which
flight training, checking, or testing was received, other than expenses for owning,
operating, and maintaining the aircraft.”
With the president’s signature, experimental aircraft owners may resume receiving
instruction in their aircraft without having to jump through this frustrating hoop.
DECEMBER FLYOUT – BARRY HALSTEAD
The December flyout to Forks began with a final weather check. Oh oh… The early morning weather
didn’t look real good. Doable maybe, but maybe not. However, the forecasts looked better. We were
planning to meet at the Forks airport at 12:30, and a bit before 10:00 I thought all was going to be OK.
But Ernie called and said that although Forks does not report
weather, nearby Quillayute was reporting 200 overcast. Dave
Miller (Port Angeles verified weather at Fairchild (Port
Angeles airport) was close to 2000 overcast. I called the
restaurant in Forks and they said while foggy earlier, there
was plenty of blue sky there. And when I looked at Quillayute
again (now just past 10:00 they reported clear.
Then I phoned Jeff Smith; he lives a bit west of Port Angeles.
He said it looked skuzzy to his west. The forecasts showed
for good VFR by noon and even better later. We changed the
Forks arrival time to 1:00 and I advised the Mill Creek Bar
and Grill that 7-8 people expected to arrive for lunch about
1:15. Whew!
Six airplanes departed from Diamond Point, Rakes Glen,
Sequim Valley and Port Angeles. All were slow airplanes,
except for Jeff Smith. He flew an RV-8A. Our routes kept us
north of the hills south of the Strait until reaching Soppho.
The overcast was 1700-1800 ft and the visibility was good. It
still looked a bit iffy approaching Soppho but continuing to
the coast before turning south was an option. As it turned
out, following the road from Soppho the short distance
through the hills was fine and we all arrived at Forks within
15 minutes of each other.
Jeff Smith with Richard Howell exited the RV-8A and found
the nosewheel had a flat (or going flat) front tire. Sure
enough, within minutes it was flat!
The Forks airport, especially in the winter, is not exactly a
hubbub of aviation activity. But a local pilot appeared to
see our gaggle, and being a good Samaritan, he helped Jeff
remove the wheel after lunch and they took it downtown
where the tube was repaired. They returned to Port Angeles
not so very long after the rest of us returned home.
We all had a good lunch at the restaurant. Knowing we
were coming they had a long table prepared. The weather
on the return trip was better than the way out. The clouds
each way provided a bit of mystery, and we all had a lot of
fun
On January 8th
, EAA members and friends
came together to put the wings on. Joining
the party were:
Barry Halsted
Harry Cook
Cameron Elliot
Charlie & Andrea (friends of Richard’s)
Richard Howell
Maryann Howell
Rick Vaux
Erik Petersen
Dave Miller
The day started at Shirley’s in PA with
breakfast. Everyone relocated to the hangar
shortly afterward.
Little did we know that spectators would see
the once in a lifetime opportunity. The 2nd
full moon of the month appeared: an
astronomical phenomenon referred to as the
Blue Moon.
CLUB PROJECT
UPDATES
ONCE IN A BLUE MOON
GETTING TO KNOW YOU – ERIK PETERSEN
Getting to Know
Elisa Petersen, New
Newsletter Editor
Happy New Year
folks! With the
new year, and
“Skip” retiring
from the
newsletter, EAA
Chapter 430
needed to replace “Skip”… as it turns
out, with two bodies.
The first, being the Membership Chair, I
have been handed the torch of new
member introductions and the “Getting
to Know…” article with board and Skip’s
blessing, AND the second, a new
Newsletter Editor, my bright, lovely and
charming wife, Elisa Petersen.
When did you move to the area and
from where? My family is all from
Washington State. I grew up in Seattle
and moved to Lynnwood when I was 18.
I met you (Erik) in 2021 and we
transplanted to Sequim together in
November 2022. We chose Sequim
because there was some theory about
‘most VFR’ days. (Maybe we brought
this cloudy weather with us?)
Are you a pilot? If yes, how long have you been
a pilot and what kind of flying do you do? If no,
are you working to earn your pilot cert or
interested in a “pinch hitter” course? Erik, Is this
a hint that you want me to enroll in the ‘pinch
hitter course’? Yes? (I think that’s a hint folks.)
Okay, I will check into it.
Do you have a plane? If so, tell us about your
airplane(s) We own a partnership in a Cessna
172: N172 Bravo Echo. That was a special
blessing from Alan Barnard connecting us with
all the right people. Truly, it’s such an amazing
plane. Selling the 206 when we moved here
was definitely a wise choice. Fuel and
maintenance has been a million times better.
Also really like all of the partners in the 172.
Have you been an EAA member in another
chapter? I attended some meetings with your
Chapter at Harvey Field, but didn’t officially
have a membership. That’s what got me
hooked on how much fun the people are.
Any hobbies you have besides being an EAA
member? I like to be involved in community
activism and volunteering. Civic engagement is
hugely important. I also love exploring nature,
reading and listening to music. My favorite
genre is rap and hip hop.
Your previous career (if retired) or present
occupation? I worked in King County
government for nearly 20 years. I spent a bit of
time as an analyst for the Sheriff’s Office. Then
I made a leap into hearing healthcare
operations. It’s fun working from home in a
room with a view.
Any other info/stories about you, your family,
or aviation in general you’d like to share? When
my son Cameron was younger, Rick Vaux was a
Docent at the Museum of Flight. Life is
remarkable. We all come together again.
BOARD AND DIRECTORS 2022
Chapter Phone Toll free 877-EAA-0430 (877-322-0430)
Position Name Phone Ext Email Address
President Ray Ballantyne 1 president@eaa430.org
Vice-President Rick Vaux 2 vicepresident@eaa430.org
Secretary Richard Howell 3 secretary@eaa430.org
Treasurer Tracy Halsted 4 treasurer@eaa430.org
Class II Directors
Programs No Candidate 5 programs@eaa430.org
Membership Erik Petersen 6 membership@eaa430.org
Newsletter Elisa Petersen 7 newsletter@eaa430.org
Scholarship David Miller 8 s cholarship@eaa430.org
Young Eagles Bud Davies 9 youngeagles@eaa430.org
VMC/IMC Harry Cook vmc@eaa430.org
Tool Crib Rick Stoffel toolcrib@eaa430.org
Web Editor Andy Sallee webeditor@eaa430.org
Build-n-Fly Need Project
leader
build-n-fly@eaa430.org
Communications Scott Fitzgerald communications@eaa430.org
Fly-Out Barry Halsted
Tech Advisor Harry Cook techhc@eaa430.org
Tech Advisor Barry Halstead techbh@eaa430.org
Tech Advisor Ernie Hansen techeh@eaa430.org
Tech Advisor Rick Vaux techrv@eaa430.org