Warren Basler dies after midair collision
The man who founded a Douglas DC-3 turbine conversion business in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and operated the fuel trucks used during the EAA Convention and Fly-In was killed in a midair collision on March 16. Killed with Basler were three of his employees.
Basler Turbo Conversions had just converted a DC-3 to turbine power and was to deliver it to the Republic of Mali in West Africa in late March. That country's president was to use it for transportation and to deliver ballots during an upcoming election.
The aircraft was flying in formation with Basler's Beech Bonanza at 700 feet, 7 miles south of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, when the accident occurred. Witnesses told reporters the DC-3, flown by Steve Yantz and Neil Hyerstay, maintained a steady course while the Bonanza, flown by Basler and carrying David Schacheri, maneuvered around it. Early indications were that the collision occurred near the DC-3's tail.
Schacheri, Basler's materials manager, was acting as photographer in the right front seat of the Bonanza. The film from the camera was recovered and was to be developed by investigators.
Basler was taught to fly by air race veteran and kit-building pioneer Steve Wittman. Wittman sold Basler a fixed-base operation at Oshkosh in 1957, which then became Basler Flight Service. He later formed Basler Airlines, a cargo company that operated radial-engine DC-3s. With the goal of making the DC-3 survive 100 years, he formed Basler Turbo Conversions and created the BT-67, a remanufactured Pratt & Whitney PT-6-powered C-47. At the time of his death, he had 30,000 flying hours, half of them in DC-3s. He began turbine conversions of the famous transport in 1980.
Congress must speed the appropriation of $4 million in planning for an annex to the National Air and Space Museum, to be located at Dulles International Airport, if an accelerated schedule is to be kept. Representative Ralph Regula (R-OH), chairman of a House Appropriations subcommittee with oversight of the Smithsonian Institution, is seeking ways to speed the funds to keep pace with accelerated planning. After all federal planning funds are received, construction will continue with state and private sources. Virginia officials have promised to raise $30 million for roads and parking lots, and have offered to issue $100 million in bonds for construction. The facility is scheduled to open December 17, 2003, the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' first powered flight. A previous, slower schedule called for opening the facility in 2006.
Stoddard-Hamilton Aircraft, of Arlington, Washington, is now flight testing its GlaStar kitplane on straight floats. The Aerocet 2200 floats knock the 75-percent-power cruise speed of the 160-horsepower GlaStar down to 115 knots. In other GlaStar news, Stoddard-Hamilton now offers a prefabricated fuselage kit for GlaStar builders. The $1,195 kit has the composite fuselage shell already mated to the steel-tube understructure. The Jump Start fuselage option is expected to save the builder some 40 to 60 hours of assembly time. For information, call 360/435-8533.
Low-cost TCAS in development
Michigan Technological University's Department of Electrical Engineering was recently awarded a 2-year, $90,000 grant from the FAA to create a low-cost traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS) for use in general aviation airplanes.
Project leader Dr. Jeffrey Burl's goal is to have a cockpit traffic display system that can be purchased and installed for $3,000. The system will require a Mode-S transponder in areas where ground radar units can uplink Traffic Information System (TIS) information and GPS squitters in areas where uplinking is unavailable. The squitters will transmit a GPS-derived position to other similarly equipped aircraft.
In the cockpit, the system will then display the traffic visually (giving the range, bearing, relative velocity, and altitude of the aircraft) and also provide an aural alert.
In the future, additional systems could be developed to suggest resolution advisories to the pilot, similar to the $200,000 TCASII systems that air carriers use. Not only do they advise of traffic, the system will provide an avoidance suggestion.
Free Flight of Pasadena, California, has released its moving map with a ground proximity warning system that points to areas of likely impact, as well as providing a three-dimensional view of surrounding terrain. The software, which runs on a laptop computer, also marks airport locations with cones — blue for controlled and red for uncontrolled. The software sells for $279.95 plus $8 shipping and handling, and comes with a map for one-fifth of the United States. Maps for additional portions of the country are $39.95 each. For further information, call Free Flight at 818/791-0400.
Zenair's 1997 Zenith CH2000 sports a new paint job, but the big news lies inside and on paper. The airplane is now certified for IFR flight and for spins. Inside, a new AlliedSignal Bendix/King avionics package, as well as a PS Engineering intercom, fills in the panel. A new interior and cabin heat upgrades should enhance ride comfort. Price for the IFR-equipped CH2000 is $85,900. For more information, contact Zenair at 705/526-2871 or visit the company's Web site ( www.newplane.com).
Author, Pilot Martin Caidin dies
Prolific aviation and space author and enthusiast Martin Caidin, 69, died on March 24 in Tallahassee, Florida, of thyroid cancer. He wrote some 200 books, from novels to flight manuals, and thousands of magazine articles. Caidin flew dozens of types of military and civilian aircraft, was a movie stunt pilot, and flew in countless airshows. Involved in early rocket, missile, and spacecraft development, he served as a consultant to the commander of the Air Force Missile Test Center; in his later years, he watched space shuttle launches from the patio of his Cocoa Beach, Florida, residence. Caidin was the only civilian to have lived and flown with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds; one of his books chronicled the experience.
One of Caidin's novels, Cyborg, served as the inspiration for the TV series The Six Million Dollar Man. Another, Marooned, was made into the 1969 movie of the same name, starring Gregory Peck. Recent fiction works included Indiana Jones and the Sky Pirates and Indiana Jones and the White Witch; each has considerable aviation content.
Caidin, one of the civilian warbird owners who created the Valiant Air Command, was best remembered for his 1935 Junkers Ju 52 tri-motor Iron Annie and the antique German military helmet he often wore while flying the airplane. Annie was used in one of his many escapades when, in Palatka, Florida, during November 1984, Caidin set a world wingwalking record with 19 skydivers on the airplane's left wing. He later sold the rare aircraft to Lufthansa, which sent the tri-motor on a world tour in commemoration of the airline's anniversary.
Do you know this pilot? The FBI is investigating Dominique Patrick Henri Jacquet, a French citizen, in connection with the interstate transportation of stolen aircraft. He uses a variety of aliases and is described as being 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 174 pounds. The aircraft were taken to south Georgia in 1992 and 1993 and were provided with false documentation. He also holds records for parachute jumping. French police also want to talk to him about a fraud case. He may be working in Russia, or he may be back in the United States. Call FBI Agent Michael M. Clark at 404/679-9000 with any information.
National Airport's new 201-foot air traffic control tower became operational on April 5 after a tour for the nation's news media. The new control tower is 114 feet taller than the previous 87-foot tower, which has been in operation since 1941. The new facility is also a key part of the 35-gate, three-level terminal building now under construction. The sleek design of the tower is achieved through an intricate engineering design at its base and an 8.5-ton lead spring-held counterweight on its roof to limit swaying during high winds. More than 7 million passengers boarded aircraft at Washington National Airport in 1995, and that figure is expected to increase to nearly 10 million by 2010.
The FAA has published a new advisory circular, AC 20-139, Commercial Assistance During Construction of Amateur-Built Aircraft. To obtain a copy, write to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Subsequent Distribution Office, M-483.6, Ardmore East Business Center, 3341 Q 75th Avenue, Landover, Maryland 20785.
The American Helicopter Museum and Education Center, located at Brandywine Airport in West Chester, Pennsylvania, has acquired the last flying V-22 Osprey Tiltrotor full-scale prototype. The Osprey is on long-term loan from the Marine Corps Museum in Quantico, Virginia. The Osprey carries 24 troops or 20,000 pounds of internal cargo at 250 knots. It has a range of 1,800 nautical miles unrefueled and can carry an external load of 10,000 pounds.
A new Web site, Wings Online ( www.wingsonline.com), offers a quick way to search for the aircraft you need or to sell the one you have. Ads cost $25. Buyers can search by type, price, location, and new listings. Employment ads are also available at the site.
A $5,000 reward is being offered for the safe return of two Cessna 210s stolen from Long Beach, California. N732CY, a 1976 Cessna Turbo 210, was stolen on or about March 10. N600DC is a 1980 P210 stolen on March 18. Anyone with information on the missing aircraft should call local authorities or the Aviation Crime Prevention Institute, 800/969-5473. According to ACPI, there have been 13 U.S.-registered aircraft stolen so far in 1997; 10 of them were Cessnas. ACPI has also reported a number of Cessna thefts in western Mexico.
Diamond Aircraft has created a Web site ( www.diamondair.com) showing details of the Katana DA20 and Katana Xtreme models.
A five-member United States Glider Aerobatic Team will travel to Antalya, Turkey, this September to compete in the first World Air Games. The team includes team captain Ken Hadden of Columbus, Ohio; Charles Kalko, a neurosurgeon from Greenbrook, New Jersey; airline pilot John Lumley (shown in photo) of Delray Beach, Florida; Water Parrasch of River Edge, New Jersey; and Kim Reniska, an engineer from Austin, Texas.
AOPA members in the news
Bobbi Roe, AOPA 1073260, is searching for 10 women pilots who made the greatest contributions to aviation over the past year. Roe will publish the results in the magazine that she started in 1993, Woman Pilot. Nominations may be made by writing to Barbara Muehlhausen at Woman Pilot, Recognition of Excellence Award, Post Office Box 485, Arlington Heights, Illinois 60006-0485.
Philip R. Martin, AOPA 913139, has written and published Pilot Wings of the United States, cataloging the symbols and logos used by the military and others, including AOPA, to recognize pilots. To order, send $29.95 plus $6.05 shipping and handling to Beach Cities Publishing, Post Office Box 91051, Long Beach, California 90809-1051.
Bill Ottley, AOPA 160221, of Washington, D.C., has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the United States Parachute Association (USPA). Ottley was recognized for "his more than three decades of leadership and dedicated service to skydiving and USPA, as board member, vice president, and executive director." Ottley made his first jump in 1959 and has since made some 4,200 jumps and set two world records.
Phillip Riddle, AOPA 762084, of Fort Pierce, Florida, has been named director of PDP Marketing, the sales arm of Fly-Right Manufacturing, maker of the Pilot Activated Runway Information System (PARIS).
Selden Hickenlooper, AOPA 1218871, of Longview, Texas, recently received his instrument rating at the age of 77. His instructor was J.C. Harder, AOPA 199712, and his examiner was George Seaberg, AOPA 809112. Hickenlooper thinks he may be the oldest commercial pilot to receive his instrument rating.
Florence Parlett, AOPA 089380, of Edgewater, Maryland, died on March 8 at the age of 91. Parlett was closely associated with Lee Airport in Annapolis, Maryland, and, as its manager, had transformed the airport from a grass runway with little use to a public facility with a paved, lighted runway and triple the number of based aircraft. Had she not stepped in as manager in 1957, the owner would have plowed the field for crops. Today, Lee Airport is the only airport serving Maryland's capital. Parlett was president of Annapolis Flying Service, the field's only FBO, for 40 years. She continued to give lessons through her late 80s.
Mervin Glick, AOPA 1005157, of Ruckersville, Virginia, was commended by the state of Virginia for his heroic efforts in saving 10 skydivers from a burning aircraft at the Orange County (Virginia) Airport. Glick is an ATP and owner of a Piper Comanche 250.
Oren Clements, AOPA 037268, a pilot for more than 50 years, made the first landing at the airfield named after him in March 1996. Oren Clements Field in Blountsville, Florida, is the new official name of Calhoun County's grass strip. The airport was recently relocated after 1994's flooding left the old field under 2 feet of water.
John Riley Morton, AOPA 593971, of Kodiak, Alaska, was named the 1996 Alaskan Region Aviation Safety Counselor of the Year.
John Fradet, AOPA 005216, of Sheridan, Wyoming, a retired Air Force colonel, received a Lifetime Service Award from the Air Force for his outstanding contributions and support to the service through the Air Force Academy and Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps. Fradet, a CFI for more than 55 years, was an admissions liaison officer for the academy.
Michael J. Pratt, AOPA 1105579, of Cadillac, Michigan, became the youngest type-rated MD-11 first officer in the country. Pratt, 25, was hired from the regionals by World Airways and now flies out of the Philippines and Malaysia.
Jan David Blais, AOPA 435092, has written Flight Path, a novel about aviation and the airlines. The aviation lawyer, who has worked for two airlines, tells the story of conflict between megacarriers and smaller independent commuter operators. The novel is available in bookstores for $22.95 or via telephone, 800/507-2665 or 616/276-5196.
Tim Weber, AOPA 1100709, will perform in airshows this season aboard his Russian Yak 55M with a 360-horsepower Vendenyev. He performs a "Yak-Knife" lateral tumble (a snap roll while flying knife edge) resulting in a 180-degree change of direction, and a long-duration torque roll maneuver he calls "Hang Time." For a list of shows where Weber will appear, see his Web site ( www.timweber-airshows.com).
Jerry Eichenberger, AOPA 322985, an aviation attorney, has written General Aviation Law, published by McGraw-Hill as part of the Practical Flying Series of books. It is available for $24.95 by calling 800/722-4726 or 614/755-4151, extension 5307.
Judie Rancourt, AOPA 763707, and Peter Teuber, AOPA 1081437, have completed The Illustrated Guidebook to Residential Airparks (USA-Southwest). They previously published a guide for the eastern United States. It is available for $32.60, including shipping, by writing to HPT Aero Publishing, Post Office Box 5360, Clinton, New Jersey 08809; telephone 908/713-6668.
David H. Reese, AOPA 1010787, has self-published a 62-page booklet on his Tall Tales and Misadventures of an Old Naval Aviator. He graduated with the Naval Air Station Pensacola Flight Class 112-E in 1938. To order, send $10 to David H. Reese, 426-9B Highway 603, Chehalis, Washington 98532.
Richard A. Coffey, AOPA 517508, has written and published The Skylane Pilot's Companion. Coffey, a flight instructor, gained a lifetime of experience from his 1967 Skylane and passes it along in this easy-to-digest book. He is the editor of Minnesota Flyer Magazine. Available for $18, including postage, from Sunset Hill Publications, Post Office Box 750, Sandstone, Minnesota 55072-0750; call 320/245-2111.
Ralph Eschenbach, AOPA 418225, vice president and chief technology officer at Trimble Navigation Limited, has been named chairman of the FAA's research, engineering, and development advisory committee.
Robert Shelton, AOPA 1295690, and his brother, Leeroy, have completed an album of aviation-related country and western songs called Country Goes Flyin'. One song describes how a pilot, forced to choose between his girlfriend and a DC-3, moves into the DC-3. To order, send $16 for a CD or $10 for a tape (plus $2 shipping) to The Rudder Brothers, 270 Liberty Church Drive, Chuckey, Tennessee 37641; call 423/257-2405 or 888/880-2498; or see their Web site (www.rudderbros.com).
Linda Finch, AOPA 889147, a San Antonio businesswoman with commercial and instrument ratings, has departed on her World Flight tour to finish the attempt started by Amelia Earhart. If successful, she will become the second woman to complete an around-the-world commemorative flight honoring Earhart. The first was completed by Ann Holtgren Pellegreno, who circled the world in a Lockheed Electra 10-A in 1967. Pellegreno lives today in Story City, Iowa, and remains an active pilot. For the trip Finch restored a Lockheed Electra 10-E — the same model used by Earhart. Pratt & Whitney, a sponsor of her flight, provided engines with the same serial number as those used by Earhart. Finch's takeoff in California was carried live on CNN, and a story about the flight appeared on the front page of The Washington Post. Finch is combining her flight with an education program for at-risk kids, linking aviation with commonly taught school subjects. She reports the progress of her flight on the Web (www.worldflight.org/youcansoar/). Finch is scheduled to complete the flight on May 29.
William White, AOPA 1173768, has written The Sante Fe Trail by Air: A Pilot's Guide to the Sante Fe Trail. It is available for $14.95 plus $1 shipping from Western Airtrails, Post Office Box 6071, North Logan, Utah 84341 or call 888/755-0330.
David C. Reeve, AOPA 232030, has been named president and chief executive officer of Astral Aviation. Astral is a subsidiary of Midwest Express Airlines and operates Skyway Airlines, which serves 25 cities. Midwest Express is located in Milwaukee.
Philip Handleman, AOPA 830027, has written Speedsters: Today's Air Racers in Action, published by Motorbooks International of Osceola, Wisconsin. His tenth book, it is available for $21.95 plus shipping by calling 800/826-6600 or 715/294-3345.
Bill Wright, AOPA 904724, has written Rearwin: A Story of Men, Planes, and Aircraft Manufacturing During the Great Depression, the in-depth history of Raymond Andrew Rearwin and the aircraft that bears his name, is $26.95 plus shipping from Sunflower University Press, Post Office Box 1009, Manhattan, Kansas 66505-1009. To order, call 800/258-1232 or 913/539-1888.
Aircraft owners wishing to capture all that is unique to Florida may wish to copy this paint scheme by Cape Air. The airline recently added new service out of Naples, Florida, to central and southern Florida. The aircraft features shark's teeth and eyes on the nose.
Cessna Aircraft Company announced that Mary S. Bryant, former president and co-owner of Attitudes International, a Florida pilot training company, will be head of Cessna's revivified Pilot Centers. She will also lead Cessna's Learn To Fly programs. There are almost 400 Cessna Pilot Centers (CPCs). In the 1970s, CPCs hit the height of their success, trained thousands of new pilots, and sold thousands of new single-engine Cessnas. Bryant's job will be to attempt to duplicate that feat.
Seattle's Museum of Flight, located on Boeing Field/King County International Airport, opened the nation's first full-size air traffic control tower exhibit in March. The exhibit allows the visitor to follow a flight from Denver to Seattle on "Museum Air One." For information, call 206/764-5720.
Squawk Sheet
Airworthiness directive 91-14-14, requiring repetitive inspections of the main landing gear A-frame assemblies for cracks on Beech 76 (Duchess) airplanes, has been superseded by 97-06-10. A result of the availability of an improved part from the manufacturer, the new AD eliminates the requirements of 91-14-14.
AD 81-11-04, regarding Cleveland nosewheel assemblies on Piper PA-31-300, -325, -350 airplanes, has been superseded by 97-07-03, which now includes the PA-31P. Installation of a new nosewheel assembly (Cleveland part number 40-140) will terminate the requirements of the AD.
Noise standards set for nantucket
Voluntary noise abatement procedures have been established for Nantucket Memorial Airport in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Increasing popularity of the island as a tourist resort has been accompanied by growing numbers of both transient general aviation aircraft — from piston singles to Gulfstream business jets — and commuter airline flights. Because the airport is located on the south side of the island, most arriving traffic overflies populated areas of the island, especially when outside of the airport's Class D airspace.
Weather permitting, traffic arriving from the west end of the island is asked to remain at 1,000 feet msl or above, and traffic approaching over the center of the island is asked to maintain 1,500 feet. Departures around the island perimeter should be at 1,500 feet or above, and aircraft departing over the center of the island should climb to 2,500 feet. Power and propeller pitch reductions are encouraged as soon as safely practicable.
Multiengine aircraft arriving and departing along Nantucket Island's southwestern coastline are asked to remain 1 mile from the shore when outside the airport environment.
The suggested routes and altitudes resulted from an FAR Part 150 noise study. Local pilots participated in the design of the recommendations, which are detailed in Noise Abatement Letter to Airmen No. 96-1, issued by Nantucket Memorial Airport Manager Fred H. Jaeger. Copies are available at the airport or by calling 508/325-5300.
Opening ceremonies at the American Air Museum in Britain are scheduled to be performed by Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh on August 1 at the Duxford Airfield in England. The museum will contain more than 20 vintage and contemporary American combat airplanes. Fundraising to build the museum began in 1985 and has totaled $15.5 million of the projected $17 million.
Aircraft Spruce and Specialty is selling materials and hardware for the Breezy, first introduced in 1965. You may purchase plans for $90 from Carl Unger at 8751 South Kilbourn, Hometown, Illinois 60456 or call 714/870-7551.
West Star Aviation of Grand Junction, Colorado, has received two supplemental type certificates to remanufacture and install its newly designated Continental GTSIO-520-WS1 engines in Cessna 421B airplanes. The TBO on West Star's engine is 1,600 hours compared to the 1,200-hour factory original engine. For information, call 970/243-7500.
Gyrocopter pioneer killed in crash
Gyroplane pioneer Bill Parsons, who developed the first tandem-seat trainer for student training, died in a March accident at Flagler County Airport near Bunnell, Florida. He was 69.
Parsons developed the tandem aircraft from a Bensen B-8M gyrocopter after witnessing the fatal crash of one of his students in a single-seat autogyro. His original trainer is now in the American Helicopter Museum and Education Center in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
At the time of the crash, Parsons was testing a wide-chord blade design made by a Florida company. Early indications pointed to controllability as a contributing factor. A pilot who days before had flown the Air Command Tandem aircraft equipped with the new blade reported controllability problems when two people were aboard. That pilot had a hard landing as a result of control problems.
Parsons and passenger Robert Lynn Scott, 72, of Flagler Beach, Florida, died after their aircraft flew through trees during the descent, then crashed and burned. Parsons may have been trying to return to the airport at the time of the accident.
Parsons had been active in gyrocopter development and design since the early 1960s and had taught hundreds of pilots to fly such aircraft safely.
He had contributed his expertise to the design of the Commander Tandem model made by Air Command International, Inc., of Wylie, Texas. Parsons was also a dealer for the firm.
SimuFlite Training at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport has installed a Gulfstream IV-SP integrated avionics trainer for pilot and maintenance trainees. The trainer will be used to supplement simulator and ground school instruction. It is configured with Honeywell's SPX-8000 digital automatic flight control system. See the SimuFlite Web site ( www.simuflite.com) for more information.
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