AYA Forum Tent Meeting at Sun n’Fun, 2010

    The day of the AYA Forum Tent Meeting at Sun ‘n Fun, Saturday, April 17, turned out to be yet another beautiful Florida day. As always, we had good participation in the meeting with around 53 folks attending.

    The first person to present was Walter Boyd representing the IFLY 700 system, offered by the Adventure Pilot Company. The moving map device is a 7 inch diagonal touch screen box offering sectionals and low altitude enroute moving maps along with approach plates and other features. Walter gave us a good demonstration of how the device functions and outlined some developmental plans for the future. The IFLY 700 is impressive, but does have some drawbacks. It does not have an internal battery so it must be connected to the plane’s power source. There is an external battery option but that adds bulk to the unit and is somewhat inconvenient. The company is presently working on increasing the refresh speed of the maps and making the transitions seamless.  If interested, you can check out the IFLY 700 at www.adventurepilot.com.

    Our next presenter was Kevin Lancaster from True Flight Aerospace. Kevin gave us an update of his progress in bringing the Tiger back into production at a site he has acquired in Quitman, Georgia. The renovations of an industrial building that will be used as the True Flight production plant are progressing nicely and the tooling for the production of the Tiger are being put into place. Kevin is getting closer to being able to have the runway installed adjacent to the facility. He also teased us by saying that True Flight was close to making a major announcement that would make a significant impact on his efforts to return the Tiger to production and send happy new owners into the air.

    Kevin also spoke about the symbiotic relationship between True Flight and the AYA. He values input from our members and intends to continue supporting the fleet and the organization. Kevin also feels that there is significant value and benefits derived from belonging to the AYA and that folks who fly our kinds of aircraft should support the efforts of the organization through being a part of its membership.

    Following the True Flight presentation, Guy Warner gave a power point presentation on a mod that he designed for the cowling door support rods. The support rods were originally designed with snaps that would attach to the hard baffles on the firewall side of the engine baffles to prop open the upper cowling doors. As the snaps age, they get loose and are easily disengaged by wind gusts or someone inadvertently bumping the rods. One of the consequences of that happening is that the cowling door can slam down on someone’s head while inspecting the engine or checking the oil level. If one of the cowling attachment pins happens to hit you on the head – man that hurts! 

    Guy’s design calls for taking off the snaps, attaching a screw post to the hard baffles where the snaps used to be with part of the screw extending from the back of the baffle towards the firewall. A travelling wing nut is inserted onto the screw and then a cap nut is secured on the end of the screw post.  A channel is cut into the end of the support rod terminating at the hole where the snap was removed, and the hole slightly enlarged.  When done, the channel, or slot, in the cowling support rod slips over and straddles the screw post and then the wing nut is tightened down against the support rod end. This forms a tight friction attachment that the wind will not defeat, nor will a person be able to inadvertently bump the support rod off of the attachment.

    The power point presentation gave a step by step demonstration of how to perform the mod and of the stainless steel hardware needed for the modification. Guy even had prepared a few packages of the hardware and pictorial directions for folks who were interested in doing the modification to their airplanes. Funds derived from the sale of the packages would go into the SE Region door prize kitty. Even though this would fall under the category of a minor alteration, Guy cautioned everyone that they should either get their mechanic to perform the modification, or to do it under the supervision of a mechanic with a log book entry made either way.

    Bob Gibson next spoke about modifications of the electrical system that he is installing, or has installed, on his Traveler project- BobKat. Bob is converting his Traveler to an all electric system with no vacuum pump or air driven gyros instruments. This has required him to file a notebook full of 337 approvals with the FAA. Being an engineer, Bob was able to supply the FAA with cad cam design drawings, color coded wiring diagrams, and substantial documentation supporting the design changes that he wished to install. In order to garner the FAA’s approval, Bob had to convince them that his design would result in a more reliable and functional system than the original design. This required Bob to make a trip up to the Atlanta FAA offices to demonstrate and explain his design changes. He won their approval, and has numerous 337 approvals granted by both the regional and local FAA representatives. 

    Bob presented a power point presentation on his work that was very detailed in nature. He admitted that most Grumman owners wouldn’t go to the time, trouble and expense of modifying their panels and electrical systems to match what he is doing. Yet, Bob feels that the adaptations that he is making could be incorporated into improving the function and safety of new production planes in the future. Bob did tie in his work with some recommended changes that Grumman owners could incorporate which would require a lot less time and effort getting FAA approval.

    Our last presenter was Stew Wilson, the Secretary/Treasurer of the AYA, on the subject of, “Grooming Your Cat.”  Of course, his talk had nothing to do with four-legged felines and everything to do with making our Grumman “cats” look good. Stew had many practical suggestions on how to improve the looks of our aircraft as well as protect them from such things as the line guys (and gals) that abuse the nose wheel pant while tugging your plane around. Stew has given this power point presentation several times, but he is constantly adding new practical tips every time he gives the presentation.

    Our Forum Tent Meeting ended with the 50/50 raffle drawing and an invitation to gather again at Sun ‘n Fun 2011.  Hope to see you there!