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Thun Field Thunder

EAA Mount Rainier Chapter 326 Newsletter

August 2013 176

The Burger BurnSunday, August 11th, 12 Noon

Smitty’s Hangar, Thun Field

Third hangar row south of the CAP building.

There will be no meeting on Tuesday evening, Aug 13th.

The Burger Burn is a potluck affair with static display of members’ aircraft. Park your planes along the taxiwayopposite Smitty’s hangar.

Bring your favorite dish, salad, desert, whatever… and lots of it.

The Chapter will provide the Burgers & Soft Drinks.

We are inviting all EAA Chapters from the surrounding area to join us. We provide ALL the food, so bring your extralarge dishes and be a good host.

Set up will be at 10 am Sunday morning, same day.

EAA Mount Rainier Chapter 326

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Mike Elliott

Mike is a new Chapter 326 member and is off to a very good start. He wasawarded “Champion” for his RV-8A in the homebuilt category atArlington. Congratulations Mike!

I asked him for some bio information:

“I stared my kit October of 2007 and first flight was December 12, 2012(12-12-12) how cool is that!

“I flew the plane to Florida to take my family for rides (this is when thepictures were taken) and also went to Sun n Fun. I just returned from flyingto Oshkosh… when I landed I have put on 155 hours (7 months) and I havethe gas bill to prove it!

“Worked one summer between my Junior and Senior year in high schooland earned enough to take two lessons each weekend; by the fall I passedmy Private Pilot Check ride.

“I went to the University of Florida where Ijoined ROTC, I was on the Drill Team and wasthe Cadet Vice Wing Commander my last year.

“Received a Navigator Slot and after graduationattended Navigator School at Mather AFB CA.I was assigned to the F-4 Phantom in Osan ABSouth Korea. Next assignment was MoodyAFB GA, there I met the board and was selectedto go to Pilot Training.

“After Pilot training I was assigned to theF-15C in Bitburg Germany, I deployed with mysquadron to the Gulf war and flew just over 300combat hours with several air medals awardedbut can't remember how many.

“After that I was selected to for the Officer Exchange tour flying the F-14ATomcat with the Navy at Oceana NAS VA. I accumulated 91 traps onvarious ships with 20 or so of those at night.

“After several desk jobs I ended my active duty tour as an Air LiaisonOfficer with the Army at Ft Lewis.

“I was hired by Delta Air Lines and started with them October of 1999

“I continued to serve the Air Force in the Guard and Reserve first as a T-38instructor pilot then with an Air Operations Center unit working at theSouth Korean Hardened Tactical Control Center. There my position wasas Chief of Combat Plans.

“I am currently based in Seattle flying both the 757 and 767.”

Mike


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Recap of July Meeting:

Visitors:Keith Zanghi. Keith is a partner of Ed Shadle in the North American

Eagle project. He conducted part of the the evening’s presentation on theland speed record project.

Norm with Treasury Report:Start Balance - 5,566.72Deposits - 85.56Withdrawals - 577.91 (chairs & tools)Ending Bal. - 5,074.37

Norm has EAA 326 chapter hats, pullovers, t-shirts and jackets. ContactNorm if interested in any of these.

Andy Karmy says there are still members needing pictures made for theEAA website. If you haven't had your picture made please contact Andy.

Melanie Dexheimer did a great job coordinating the Young Eagles eventthis year. There were 134 kids flown by seventeen pilots. John Brickprobably made the most flights with seven hops. Randy said there were alot of smart kids in the briefing, asking great questions. Harry Nelson'splane was the most sought after airplane by the kids as it was the "coolest",but Andy Karmy said there was one kid who looked at Harry's plane andsaid "Nope, I want to ride in that plane" pointing at Andy's kitfox. Hethought Andy was a bad*** because he flew with the doors open!!!

It was announced in the meeting that there was a terrible fire at anEatonville hangar. The pilot was transferring some fuel from the airplaneto a couple of gas cans. He said he saw there was static electricity, but itwas too late and the fire began. He lost 2 airplanes, 2 cars and his hangar.

Announcements:Mike Elliot flew his RV8 to Florida. Since Dec 12th he has flown 125hours.

Randy David says he's working on a "slow build" RV-8 and has theempennage done.

Scott Emery had Charlie Cotton check his Rv8 and was cleared to fly withhis airworthiness certificate. He took her up and ended up with foreignobject damage through the intake behind the air filter.

Ken announced that the "Wings over Republic" fly-in has been cancelledeven though the website shows it is still going on. The organizer hasdeveloped cancer. We send our heartfelt prayers to the organizer.

Bob and Randy Brooks are ready with their RV9-A for inspection byCharlie Cotton.

Smitty fired up his Mustang. She has short stacks and he said it soundedsweet. He tweeked the engine computer and taxied her a bit. Smitty shouldhave it flying by Tuesday the 32nd!

Mike Latta, who is a retired American Airlines pilot and flight instructoris currently restoring a 1942 Interstate Cadet. He has been working on thisproject for three years and is 90% done. Mike is finishing some wiring andinstalling the glass. It has tandem seating with a 90HP Franklin engine.This plane hasn't flown since 1965.

It was mentioned that Jim Moss from South Prairie had the weight andbalance done on his project, a Bee Gee QED2. Total weight was 5700 lbs.It was several hundred pounds tail heavy so they are moving batteries,tanks, etc. as much forward as possible and will re-weigh the plane again.They are planning to haul it over to Tacoma Narrows for the first flight.This will be very exciting as everything Jim Moss has built turns into grandchampions.

Curt Bryant sold his Cessna 140 to a new young pilot. Curt was askingabout radio repairs. It was mentioned that Tacoma Narrows and Olympiaare the two closest. John Gallo mentioned that Auburn flight service hasbeen open about a year now and they do radio repairs and certifications.

Arlington Airshow was a blast. The weather cooperated for all of theairshows, although the balloon glow was cancelled due to wind. I wasexcited to fly back seat with Randy on day two while flying formation withthe Black Jacks in the show. Our son, Ryan, was here with his lovely wife


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from Hawaii so he was able to fly on day one with dear old dad and seewhat formation flight is all about. I gave up my day three seat to RodWetherbee from Spencers Aircraft, but one of the other BJ's was kindenough to ask if I wanted to fly with him. Didn't take me a second to acceptthe offer! I had the biggest grin of all, but then I wasn't doing all the work!

The crowd was a lot less than usual and there were several empty booths,which I thought was kind of sad. Even though it wasn't crowded withairplanes, we did meet some really nice folks. We met one group fromBellingham. They had several of the Nieuport 11 airplanes, the first WWIairplane to solve the problem of firing a machine gun through the propeller.They were built by the Oregon chapter out of Independence and these guysare planning to fly them back to Oregon to show off their work. We haveextended an invitation for them to stop at our place to refuel the planes andthemselves. They took our information down and seemed to be grateful ofthe offer.

Randy recommended reading our newsletter the "Thun Field Thunder".He called last month’s newsletter a "must read" as John Brick covered alot of ground in Alaska. John flew 30 hours in 4 days and had a great storyto tell so if you haven't had a chance to read his story you only have to goas far as your computer will take you.

Special Thanks to Tom Brown for the awesome homemade root beer andto Joe and Kathy for the delicious ice cream. All yall together make a meanroot beer float!

Guest Speakers: Ed Shadle and Keith ZanghiEd being the Driver/Pilot and Project manager and Keith, Director ofOperations

Ed and Keith were here to update us on the North American Eagle project.Their goal is to attempt to break the World Land Speed record of 763mph.They started this project back in 1999 and made their first test run in 2005and since then have made 34 test runs at speeds up to 400mph.

Before going on with the project, Ed made a new announcement. We werefirst to hear that they have recently partnered up with the Lemay Car

Museum and they will help in advertising the Eagle as they will be gettingthem into many significant car shows and will keep the Eagle on displayat their museum during the winter months while they are unable to maketest runs. They are already scheduled to be the centerpiece for the SeattleCar Show, and invited to the Detroit and New York cars shows so theywill be on the road quite a bit this winter. They will be at the Museum ofFlight July 27 and 28 and then traveling south to Austin, Texas where theywill be on display at the National Conference.

Ed and Keith have a team of about 35 members who are all volunteers andwhile Ed and Keith do their best to provide funding, these folks often payfor their own hotels, food, and fuel. They give out of the goodness of theirhearts. Ed says it is a lot of fun to party with these volunteers in theevenings, but then you have to round up everybody the next morning andthat's not always easy!

Land Speed racing is not like nascar or drag racing. The purpose of theirmission is to go over a measured mile in one direction and within one hour,do it again in the opposite direction. They then average the speeds of thetwo runs. To have your runs recognized you have to have the authoritiessuch as USAC, the Federation of International automobile assoc. which isthe world recognized federation on speed records come out to observe andverify your speeds. All of the equipment including the timing machineused must be recognized by them.

Being pilots themselves, Ed and Keith chose to use the F104A LockheedStarfighter for their basic fuselage. The F104A was chosen as it is small,a very fast fighter with inlets designed for high speed and alsoaerodynamically it was very efficient. This particular F104 was stationedat Edwards Air Force Base and was used to fly chase on the X-15.

They have done test runs in the past at El Mirage which was too short,Black Rock Dessert which was too rough, and Edwards which was toobureaucratic so they have settled on the Alvord Dessert in southeastOregon. The team stays at an old cattle ranch on the dessert where theyput them up in the bunkhouses and feed them like they're going to beslaughtered. They really lay out a spread for the team. Ed and his teamwere out there at the end of last October and it began raining and snowing


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so it turned out to be just one big mess. The testing that they did get doneon that trip indicated air in the hydraulic lines causing the Eagle to swingto the right when the afterburner was turned on. They are heading to Alvordagain this October for more testing, hoping the weather will cooperate thistime around.

Keith spoke on the computer side of the project and how they have digitaldata set into the computer to run Finite Element Analysis(FEA) on theproject itself. They use the Eddy current brake system on the aluminumbrake rotor which is a key component of the magnetic braking system. Themagnet they use has a 20,000 lb magnetic force. At 800 MPH thedifferential braking system produces 3,300 brake horse power on just thetwo rear brakes. The FEA data is able to show Keith and crew where stressmay occur on the Eagle parts at certain speeds helping them to improve orchange designs. They have a photographer that takes hundreds of picturesof the car from all angles with random targets all over it. Before it was allover, the photographer took 489 photographs of the car and downloadedthem into the computer. The targets all come together in the computerwhich is what they called photogrammetry. This helps the car to "come tolife" within the computer. This is important so they can run computationalfluid dynamics that they want to do, study the airflow over the car, and areable to make changes in airfoil designs right on the computer. They had

the opportunity to go to Nasa Space Center and ask them about shockwaves on a vehicle. Nasa had a lot of information, but none that were thatlow to the ground. It is the ground shock waves that Ed and Keith areconcerned with as they bounce off the ground and back onto the car andcould blow it over like a hydroplane. Their main focus in the past year andhalf is the mitigation of transonic shock waves which start around machpoint eight so around 635MPH the car starts generating shock waves atthe canopy and behind.

Ed wanted to thank the Shelton airport as they have buried three concreteblocks, 2,000lbs each and six feet under with chains to tie the car to whiletesting. He had been testing at Spanaway tied up to a tree, but as the testingdeveloped more and more power, Gary Lawson at Spanaway became afraidof ripping out the tree! Ed was very thankful for all of Gary's support inthe past also.

We wish Ed and Keith all the best on their American Eagle project andthanks for keeping us abreast of the whole project.Kerry Albritton,Secretary/Biographer


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Proposed Chapter Memorial at Thun Field

The last board meeting I attended, I believe in January, I raised the idea ofestablishing a chapter memorial at Thun to honor members who havepassed on. I have explored the idea in some depth and it has evolved tocreating a memorial brick walk at the airport with each brick containingthe name, birth and death dates, and the N number of the individual’sairplane if they owned one. I propose that we name the walk the JosephAndrews Memorial Walk after Joseph who was a long time member, muchloved by local pilots and the keeper of Chapter 326’s paraphernalia formany years. As we know, he died in a tragic accident a year ago. But, ofcourse, the name is to be determined by the chapter.

I talked to Bruce Thun who liked the idea and said I should talk with DebWallace. She also liked the idea, but said she would have to get an OKfrom the county. She has done that and is ready to meet with members ofthe chapter to determine a location for the walk. I contacted MammothStoneworks, Inc. to get a price for bricks. I was told that a brick like thoseused in Pike Place Market engraved with a person’s name, dates and N

number would cost about $20 each plus or minus one or two dollarsdepending upon the actual type of brick selected and whether the N numberwas included. That does not include the cost of setting the brick, but Isuspect our members could take care of that work.

Most memorial walks start with named and unnamed bricks to create acomplete walk and allow for expansion of named bricks. Bricks are cheap,less than $1 each, so we could create a decent length walk with a very smallinvestment.

The last issue is who to include. We could go back and include the foundersof the chapter, go back 5, 10 or more years or some other rubric. The walkwould grow over the years although I hope not too fast. I believe it wouldbe a fitting memorial to honor our past and passing members. While thereis a cost involved, I believe it is minimal and is almost covered by a year’sdues. If there is interest in this idea, I propose that we consider it at ourSeptember meeting.

Dave Fritzsche


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Walter “Wally” Watt

By Bob Brooks

The recent visits to Chapter 326 by veteran pilots of World War IIprompted me to recall my friendship with Walter “Wally” Watt, anothervet of the same era, and to re-read his memoirs of service with the RoyalCanadian Air Force from 1941 through 1945.

It is worth while to begin with a few wordsof introduction. Wally was born in 1922 inMontreal Canada. He was a high energy andambitious student active in water polo,discus, the mile-run, canoeing, competitiverowing, hockey and skiing. He workedduring high school by exercising poloponies and caddying at a local golf course.When he was fifteen years old he boughthis first airplane ride from a barnstormerwho sometimes landed near the golf course.

During his last two years of high schoolJapan invaded Nanking China andcontinued south taking control of much of

eastern China and all of her major sea ports.

He graduated from high school in 1939 and soon found a job at FairchildAircraft working as a “gofer” and learning drafting. While there he alsohelped a group of employees who were rebuilding/recovering airplanes.

Meanwhile Germany was invading Poland.

Canada declared war on Germany on September 10, 1939. Two monthslater the air forces of England, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada agreedto the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan Agreement whichaccomplished three things; it provided air training fields that were out ofthe reach of enemy aircraft, put in place a uniform training system forairmen, and was the foundation of an agreement for the four countries toconsolidate Commonwealth air power. The RCAF had only 270 aircraftin their inventory and some of those were rapidly approaching

obsolescence. They also had a serious shortage of pilots. Several thousandAmerican volunteer pilots went north to Canada and joined the RCAF.America stayed out of the war for another two years until

On July 7, 1941, shortly after his nineteenth birthday Wally joined theRCAF, received eighteen months of training and was commissioned as aBomb Aimer. In January 1943 the RCAF sent him to New York city wherehe boarded the good ship Queen Elizabeth for the five day trip to the BritishIsles for more training.

He was assigned to an Advanced Flying Unit (AFU) for more link trainer,dingy drills, aircraft recognition, field trips to operational airdromes,lectures, simulations, map reading, celestial navigation, night flying etc.High and low bombing training was conducted in the Avro Anson(tri-motor) and gunnery training in the Bristol Blenheim, a twin enginelight bomber. In mid-May he was transferred to an Operational TrainingUnit (OTU) where they self-selected their crew to fly a Vickers Wellington,long range, medium bomber for more training. The OTU provided bombingpractice with the new Mk IX bombsight, Mk IXA sextant, more gunnerypractice, photography, airplane component and systems familiarization,interrogation of POWs, and parachute drills. The crew completed trainingon June 28th with orders to report for Halifax bomber conversion trainingon August 1st in Croft Yorkshire in Northern England. The pilot, AlexMcLeish completed his conversion training and August 10th and on August19 Wally passed his bombing exam with 81%. The crew was then assignedto the No. 6 (RCAF) Bomber Group, No. 428 “Ghost Squadron” locatedin Middleton St. George for full duty.

It was normal procedure for pilots to fly as 2nd Pilot with an experiencedpilot before taking his own crew on their first operational bombing mission.Alex accompanied another crew on a mission to bomb Nuremberg. Theflight did not return. Three days later a new pilot was assigned to the crewand missions began on August 30th.

Wally’s diary entry on September 9th reads: “We were scheduled for eitherFrankfurt or Berlin AP targets - Frankfurt was scrubbed and Berlin orderswere changed twice so Neil [navigator] and I in a flat spin. Dashed out formarshaling - dashed for bacon and eggs supper - dashed back for our crew


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briefing - out to kite [bomber] - all set to go - scrubbed at the last minute- 2 beers and bed. Front after front came in with all flying scrubbed.”

Wally completed 22 bombing missions over Germany and France. This ishis account of a mission targeting Leipzig on February 19, 1944.

“Next day, Feb 19, operations on again, this time the target is Leipzig soafter marshaling our [airplane] and checking GEE [radio navigationsystem] and bomb load, we raced back for a navigation briefing makingout the necessary...charts and maps as usual. Found out during the mainand final briefing that we would be in the forth wave and that there wouldbe a spook [diversionary attack] on Berlin. Most of the route would beover Germany. At that same briefing our Group Captain read a messagefrom “Butcher” Harris commander in charge of Bomber Commandcongratulating us on our damage to Berlin and as short nights wereapproaching we would go all out for long trips into Germany.

“Weather was bad at the base with severe icing expected. Crew room finalbriefing was at 10:00 PM and then took off at 11:30 PM. We had the samebomb and incendiary load as Berlin.

“We set course early and as usual the “goon”[a navigation system] gaveus fixes all over the place. When we reached the Dutch coast, ahead oftime, we saw loads of incendiary going down and figured that some of ourplanes were having icing problems and were dumping. However there wereso many it silhouetted us for night fighters above us. The ground was veryvisible and a few searchlights to our port then enemy activity increased --more searchlights -- flak now starting to pound us and German fightersshooting our flares out. I got a beam bearing on the flares and was able todiscern a curvy frozen river below. Neil [navigator] identified the searchlight area as Emden. At this point, I am on my knees looking out as ourgunners started to spot a few fighters. Previously I saw a Folkewolf Condorquite close, crossing our path a couple of times. Spotted the pear shapedwhite lights of an airdrome, but the soon blinked off. All of a sudden camethe command dive port from Jim, our rear gunner and immediately I sawtracer fire over us. Fighter flares around us so we started weaving to avoidsilhouetting. Now we could see loads of fighter flares to port and starboardand quite a lot of flak coming up on our port side with some aircraft conedin the searchlights. Quickly another command from Jim, dive starboard,

again tracer whizzed by again. Clouds now 8/10 below and search lightslighting up the clouds below. I predicted flak coming at us and a “turnport” command allowed us a miss. Enemy activity quite busy. Fighter flaresbursting quite near us and another dive port came from Jim. We turned180 degrees when a Lancaster bomber burst into flames and turned straighttoward us causing us to turn sharper and it missed us. I shall never forgetthat sight as it was burning fron nose to tail with flames pouring out of thewindows -- we were so close the fin & rudder looked half size.

“I reported my observations to Neil [navigator] as another flak burst butclose. As the flak was worse to port I ordered a turn to starboard but wedidn’t evade it this time and the aircraft shook and trembled as flak thuddedinto us. The black puffs outside our windows. Jock, our engineer, mumbledsomething about running into a barrage ballon. A quick check determinedall was well up front but no response from Tim, our mid-upper gunner orJim in the rear turret.

“Down at 17,000 feet, [pilot] Bill [Blake] sent Sid, our wireless operatorto investigate our gunner. Neil reported that we were near Brunswick. SoonTom’s voice came on the intercom saying he was in the rest position ashis oxygen and intercom sysem had been shot away. Things looking grimas Jock in the astro turret and I in the nose were the only look-outs.Predicted flak ahead so gave orders to evade it. Started to wonder how Neilwas coping with our position with all the course changeds, etc. Bill thenreported that the plane was very hard to control and surmised the ruddershad been hit. All of a sudden, dive point came from the rear turret “calllight system”. Tracer whipped to the side of us. At this point I am scaredenough to grab my parachute pack from the navigator position as a securityblanket. At this point, Jim’s voice came over the intercom & we thenrealized he couldn’t hear us but we could hear him. So we sent Sid backwith a note to that effect. More flak and more evasion orders from me.Next fighter attack, Jim’s voice came in over the intercom and we couldhear his guns firing -- we all yelled “Give him hell, Mim” in our intercoms.Before the last attack Jim had said he wasn’t getting enough oxygen andhis shoulder was sticky and numb as we were climbing back to 18,000 feet.

“The aircraft trembled again as we were hit somewhere else. More fighterflares going down around us so we weaved.


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“At this point I went down to the rear turret with an oxygen bottle butcouldn’t get his attention -- my bottle exhausted I had to scramble back. Ican’t recall how many more fighter attacks came after that but we finallygot to Strendal, west of Berlin and saw every type of marker and flare toour port side and quite close. When we made our last turn before the target,the flak was bursting so close I found my head recoiling.

“An air speed of 140 was the best we could do. Flak all the way on thislast letg and a few more fighter attacks. Jim’s voice getting weaker. Finallysaw the target of about 20 red flares with green stars. German fightersshooting them down as fast as Pathfinder aircraft was putting them down.Bombed two minutes early at 19,000 feet with flak bursting just below us.I sighted a position just a hair left of the flares as the wind was blowingthem to the right(west). Crusing away from the target we had anotherfighter attack with Bill still having trouble with the rudders. Heard fromJim again saying he thought he must have passed out for a while and askedwhether we were over the sea yet. Bill winged the aircraft as a No. I wasvery cold in the nose with every time I touched the metal the skin stuck toit with a burning sensation. After avoiding a group of search lights to portthings were graciously quiet. But may questions come to mind, i.e., canJim hold out, will the aircraft hold up, and many more. Taking no chancesI gave orders to steer clear of any lights or searchlights. Still 35 minutesto the Dutch coast. On Neil’s ETA or our turning point out at sea, I stillcould see flak so warned Bill not to let down. I finally got two astro shotsand it was so cold my fingers stuck to the sextand but I found my silkgloves. The moon has now come up and we felt naked in its light.

“Time to check the panel for hang-up [bombs that did not release] and wegave the kite a shake with the bomb doors open. Realized that Jock hadadvised the low air speed of 140 MPH seo we would have enough petrolto get back. Let down through the clouds about 2,500 feet and saw ourcoast but no sign of Flambond Head but a straight sandy beach. Goon notworking but time is about 6:30 AM and getting bright. I found that wewere between the Wash and the Humber River so got a map out and startedpin pointing as the boys got Jim out of the turret.

“It took Tom 1/2 hour to get Jim out of the turret. He was a hero as far aswe were concerned and then Tom got him to the rest position, we all offeredour sincere thanks. Although Sid, our wireless operator, seemed to be out

of my narrative, I must add his job was to stuff huge amounts of tinseldown a chute to divert the radar from us and be on the radio to receive anycoded messages from England especially any diversion of routes or anotherbase for landing. As we returned to our base, Bill ordered an ambulanceto stand by and ordered all of us to strap ourselves in securely as the portwheel was in shreds. I strapped Bill in and just had enough time to fixmyself in when he called for 2850 revs and we landed on one wheel andswung into the mud at the side of the runway and stopped. We cut theengines with a sigh of relief to finally get home.

“What a sight greeted us when we looked at our kite. The starboard rudderwas in shreds and a gaping hole above the flare chute, holes all over therear fuselage, the port flap was ripped and the port wheel drum -- no rubber-- resting in the mud. The port inner nacelle was shattered. There was alsoa hole in the rear turret and holes below the mid-turret, what a shambles.Finally we were all missed. We got a lift to the locker room and to theSquadron Headquarters for interrogation everyone looking at our crew likestrange creatures. I felt all tingling inside and even my words trembled.

Jim had been patched up and seemed OK. A war correspondent took ournames and addresses as we were interrogated, our Wing Commander wasthere to listen to our story. Very thankful to be alive, we went off for baconand eggs and off to bed. I was chain smoking since landing and clumsilydoing things in a dazed condition seeing flak as I closed my eyes. Ourflying time was 8 hours and 20 minutes.

Bill Blake, our pilot, and Jim Huston, our rear gunner, were awarded theDistinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for their efforts on the Leipzig trip --well deserved as we owed our lives to both of them. I helped Jim fill outhis application for a commission.”

On Sunday, April 23, 1944, Wally’s 23rd mission, a night mission, was tomine the waterways near the Danish island Bornholm which is situatedbetween Sweden and Germany. The airplane was severely damaged byGerman fighters and unable to maintain altitude. Flight Officer Bill Blakemaneuvered the Halifax toward Sweden and when close to land he orderedthe crew to exit the airplane by parachute. All but the pilot survived. Billkept the bomber in the air long enough to avoid crashing in a Swedish townand landed in the water. He did not make it out of the airplane.


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The crew was taken into custody by the Swedish home guard andrepatriated before the war ended. Wally was injured during the jump andwas unable to return to duty so he was sent back to Canada. He graduatedwith a Bachelor Degree in Mechanical Engineering from McGill Universityin Montreal, Canada and was a certificated Practicing Engineer from theUniversity of Washington.

I knew Wally for several years before he passed away in 2006 at age 84.He was well read and a high energy person to the end of his life, alwaysready with a witty comment and an infectious laugh. I admired his humility,determination, courage and spirituality. He left behind a sweet wife, a son,a daughter and a legacy of a life well lived.

Bob Brooks


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MOUNT RAINIER CASTING A SHADOW ON CLOUDS

Photograph by Nick Lippert (via Komo News)

This rare and remarkable phenomenon only happens when the sun rises farther to the south as Winter solstice approaches. At the right place andtime, Mount Rainier blocks rays of morning sunlight, casting a shadow like you see above. When the cloud coverage is just right, you get thisincredible scene, wonderfully shot by Komo News contributor, Nick Lippert.

This particular image was shot on the morning of October 26th, 2011. You can find more pictures in the gallery on Komo News.

Mount Rainier is a massive stratovolcano located 54 miles (87 km) southeast of Seattle in the state of Washington, United States. It is the mosttopographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States and the Cascade Volcanic Arc, with a summit elevation of 14,411 ft (4,392 m).Mt. Rainier is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world, and it is on the Decade Volcano list. Because of its large amount ofglacial ice, Mt. Rainier could potentially produce massive lahars that would threaten the whole Puyallup River valley.


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Short for a meal type tripsBremerton Lunch, dinner, Sunday brunchThun Field, Pierce County Summer breakfast Or any other mealEatonville Walk into townHoquium via Willapa Walk the path at HQM, could be half-day trip.Woodland State Oak Tree then Scappoose for cheap fuel

Half Day TripsJefferson Co Meal and MuseumHood River MuseumDaybreak Picnic Possible campingThe Dalles via Cascade Locks Gorge flying check if DallesRestaurant open again.Kiona Air Park owners might host Picnic/Potluck visit.Packwood Walk into town for Food/ funky shopsShady Acres owner might host Picnic/PotluckCopalis State On the beachDarrington Food and mountainsHarvey Include other stops to or from

Full DayOlympic Peninsula Meals at Jeffco and/or HQM. Stops at Sequim,Sekiu, Quillayute, ForksOver N Cascades to Twisp Fall for good colorPacific City, OR Food, beach, boatsSiletz Bay beach, foodMcMinnville MuseumCowboy tree Could include camping at Sisters Can we camp atairport?Ranger Creek Mountain flying picnicFriday Harbor Via Eisenburg OKH for fuelEast Sound on Orcas Via Eisenburg OKH for fuelLynden Dutch town food and shopsCottage Grove Stop at Lebanon for fuelCashmere 8S2 Fresh fruit runYakima Cub factory

Columbia Crest Winery Arrange in advance for permission and tourTillamook museumPoint Roberts Walk to food – several choices Pretty grass field

CampingTieton State Go in summer evening, leave in AM.Sisters, OR Meal at Cowboy tree Can we camp at airport?Electric City Great camping on Banks LakeConcrete Mountain flying Could be day tripCottage Grove Camp right along river, great food, community theatre,Could be day tripDaybreakLittle Goose 16W Resort there with restaurantCavanaugh Bay On Priest Lake

Fly-insMulino Blueberry pancakesStarks – Twin OaksProsser EAADesert Aire M94 JuneRepublic Ferry Co R49 Top notch fly-in CampingMcMinnvilleConcrete

This was copied from Chapter 609 (Chehalis) website. Looks likesomething we could expand or improve a little… anyone?


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Ejector seats fly off the shelves

A small, family-owned British firm has become the world’sleading producer of ejection seats saving 7,419 lives.

By Karl West, London Sunday Times, July 21, 2013; Pg. 8

ONE sunny February afternoon off the coast of Florida, LindaMaloney was tearing through the sky on her way to launch anattack on the USS Forrestal, a 60,000-ton aircraft carrier.

It was a routine exercise for the US Navy pilot, a training run car-ried out with another senior officer.

But as her A-6 Intruder neared the Forrestal, everything started togo wrong. The aircraft began to spin uncontrollably.

Maloney reached down for the ejection seat handle and pulled.

She was rocketed up and out of the jet and seconds later was dan-gling below a parachute as it drifted down toward the sea.

That was in February 1991. Maloney went on to have a long anddistinguished navy career before retiring in 2004. She has sincemarried and has two sons.

She is one of 7,419 pilots who owe their lives to a small, family-owned company at the end of a lane in rural Buckinghamshire.

Martin-Baker has fought off challenges from the goliaths of thedefence industry to become the world's leading producer of ejec-tion seats.

This small manufacturer out in the sticks accounts for 48% of theglobal market. Goodrich, owned by United Technologies (UTC),the American giant, is a distant second with 18.6%.

Martin-Baker has been making ejection seats for fighter aircraftsince 1949. This niche business helped it to pre-tax profits of£41.7m on sales of £178m in the year to March 31 last year.

Remarkably, the company is still owned by the Martin family,led by 70-year-old twins John and James, the sons of Sir JamesMartin, the co-founder and aviation engineer.

Last year the family shared £35m in dividends from the business.

This lucrative slice of an important niche market has made Mar-tin-Baker the target of numerous private equity and trade suitors.

"Every month we have someone calling up offering to buy us.But we have no intention of [selling]," said James Martin, jointmanaging director and technical director.

Martin-Baker's cutting-edge technology and expertise have beenbuilt up over many decades.

The business was originally founded as an aircraft manufacturerin 1934. Sir James Martin and Captain Valentine Baker devel-oped several aircraft models before and during the Second WorldWar. However, Baker was killed in an accident during a testflight of the company's MB3 prototype in September 1942.

The engine seized and he was forced to make an emergency land-ing, but the stricken aircraft hit a tree stump.

Martin watched as his friend met his death. He was devastated,but his grief drove him to a new goal. He threw himself into de-signing escape systems for aircrew, eventually settling on theejection seat.

The first live test ejection took place in July 1946 when BernardLynch, a fitter at Martin-Baker, volunteered to be shot out of amodified Gloster Meteor flying at 320mph at an altitude of


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8,000ft. Lynch made a perfect landing.

"He was paid an extra 10 bob [50p in today's money] and boughta drink in the pub," said Andrew Martin, James's son.

The business has come a long way since those buccaneeringdays. Martin-Baker's seats, viewed as the industry gold standard,can be found in nearly all the world's leading fighter jets, includ-ing the Eurofighter Typhoon (partly built by BAE Systems),France's Dassault Rafale and Lockheed Martin's F-35 joint strikefighter, the world's biggest military programme. Flying with thetop guns of the aerospace world brings its pressures. But the sep-tuagenarian brothers are still heavily involved in the running ofthe business and they have no desire to relinquish control. "Ithink that's because we are doing something we enjoy," saidJames. "It helps if you are successful as well."

Old-fashioned principles form the bedrock of Martin-Baker's suc-cess. "We have never borrowed money," said James. "Banks al-ways want to lend you money when you don't need it, and want itback when you do," added John.

Martin-Baker funds all new product development from its owncash. This is no mean feat for a small company particularlywhen it costs about £60m to develop every new ejection seat.

It's a big investment, but once the initial outlay has been madethe seats could be in service for 30 or 40 years. Each one has tobe regularly serviced and the business makes money from fittingthem with replacement parts.

This leaves it less reliant on new sales profits are split 50-50 be-tween sales and aftercare.

For now, the company is safe in the brothers' control. And thereis a new generation of the Martin family coming through. Robert,son of John, is director of engineering, and Andrew is the direc-tor of business development.

And they too are fiercely committed to retaining Martin-Baker'sindependence.

"The business is of the right scale, where we can be involved inmaking all the key decisions," said Andrew. "We don't want toget much bigger. We like to focus on being profitable and beingaround forever, instead of doing a Marconi or some of the otherspectacular crashes we've seen."

When the twins eventually decide to hang up their parachutes,they will hand over a business in rude health.

Martin-Baker has 650 employees and has delivered more than80,000 ejection seats since it began production 64 years ago.There are currently 16,268 of its seats in service around theworld.

The American forces are its biggest customer with 4,766. Franceis a long way behind in second spot, with 1,001. There is alsoburgeoning demand for its wares from forces in the Middle Eastand Far East.

The key statistic is that Martin-Baker's ejection seats have helpedto save 7,419 pilots including Maloney, who was the first of ninewomen to eject using its equipment.

The numbers mean that for every 10 seats Martin-Baker makes,one saves a life.

Some pilots ejected in the heat of battle, while others joined thisexclusive club for more mundane reasons, such as bird strikes ortechnical failures. On average, each year there are 30 ejectionsinvolving a Martin-Baker seat.

"There is a lot of laborious work that goes on here. But the factthat something they [the staff] are working on will save some-one's life they take a lot of pride from that. We are in the life-


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saving business," said Andrew.

The company wears this badge with pride. The names of all thosewho have successfully ejected are displayed on a wall in the fac-tory's reception area. A large digital scoreboard in the factoryyard also keeps a tally of aircrew saved 7,419 to date; 11 thisyear; two this month.

A tour of the factory at Denham, near Uxbridge, provides aglimpse into the work that goes into being the best at their smallrole in some multibillion-pound programmes.

Inside a computer simulation room, a designer has a 3D image ofthe seat's gun cartridge up on screen. The graphic allows the en-gineering team to examine every part of the design in detail evenbefore a prototype of the component has been built.

"So much time, energy and cost can be saved by using thesetools. We do as much simulation as a Formula One team," saidAndrew. Britain has a lot riding on the success of the F-35. UKmanufacturers will build 15% of each jet, generating significantexport revenue and giving a boost to the economy. The pro-gramme is expected to create and support more than 24,000 jobsacross the country.

Martin-Baker has 43 British companies, mainly small and medi-um sized businesses, helping to produce components for the F-35seat. The parts are then shipped to the factory for final assembly.

All its seats must go through rigorous safety tests before they arecertified. They are fired from a Gloster Meteor at its test facilityin Northern Ireland.

The Meteor was the first British jet fighter to enter service. So itis a surprise to discover that the aircraft is still being used to cer-tify the ejection seat destined for the RAF's newest acquisition,the F-35.

One of the improvements made for the F-35 seat is an airbag thatinflates around the pilot's neck. It automatically deflates when theparachute is deployed.

Martin-Baker's boffins dreamt up the cushion because there is nonormal instrument display in the F-35's cockpit everything isdisplayed within a high-tech helmet. This has increased theweight of the pilots' headgear by about 30%.

The extra weight places more pressure on the neck than a con-ventional helmet when the pilot is propelled 300ft into the air.The nitrogen-filled neck brace is needed to hold the head in asafe position.

When Bernard Lynch was first shot out of the Gloster Meteor'scockpit back in 1946, the time between the eject handle beingpulled and the parachute opening was 30 seconds. For the F-35, ittakes just 1.5 seconds.

The jump-jet version of Lockheed Martin's fighter, which hasbeen ordered by Britain, has automatic ejection the onboardcomputer will decide whether to jettison the pilot to safety.

This would usually happen only if there is a problem with the liftfan, made by Rolls-Royce, during take-off and landing, when theaircraft is still close to the ground. Any problems this near to ter-ra firma mean the average human reaction time of 1.5 seconds isnot fast enough. These slim margins between life and death arewhere Martin-Baker proves its mettle. It keeps doing so time andagain.

For this, 7,419 pilots and their families are for ever grateful to thecompany.

A framed letter on the factory wall from Captain Chris "Boris"Becker probably sums up their feelings: "Thank God it was therewhen I needed it."


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Tool Crib

Joe Andre is our tool custodian. 253-539-2408

Marv Scott and Andy Karmy do the prop balancing. $50.

Marv 253-691-5496 Andy 253-347-1597

Compression Tester

Mag Timing Buzz Box

Scales $20

Engine Stands, vertical and horizontal

Craftsman Air Compressor 33 gal, 6 hp, 150 psi, oil free

Kerosene heater

Gas Welding Rig

Riveting tools C-Frame Rivet Gun Rivet Squeezer Bucking Bars Clecos & pliers

Hand Seamer


17

Chapter 2013 Activities

NW Conf & Trade Show: Feb 23 & 24

Young Eagles Day: Sat June 29th

Burger Burn: Sun Aug 11th

Christmas Party: Tue Dec 10th 6 PM

Dinner at the RAM

Last Thursday of the month (not Nov orDec). Join us for dinner at the RAMrestaurant, at 7 PM.

The RAM is on the east side of Meridian,across from South Hill Mall, in the sameparking lot as Home Depot.

We are normally seated as a group in theback dining room.

Fly Out Opportunities

Twin Oaks (7S3): Pancake breakfast byChapter 105. First Saturday of everymonth.

Joining or Renewing Membership?

Chapter 326 Dues are $15 per year.Make check payable to EAA Chapter 326.Pay our Treasurer, Norm Pauk, at a meeting,Or mail to Norm at:

Norman Pauk12012 SE 260 PLKent, WA 98030

Paypal is now an option too:http://www.eaa326.org/members.htm

Chapter Membership117 paid up members

That’s a Record!!!Refreshment Schedule

May the Dexheimers

June Norm Pauk

July Joe Andre & Tom Brown

September Kevin Behrent

October Steve Dickinson

November need volunteer

January 2014 need volunteer


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July 6 Tacoma Freedom Fair

July 11 - 13 Arlington

July 13 - 14 Olympia

July 19 - 21 Concrete

July 19 - 21 NW Biplane Fly-In Felts Field Spokane

July 27 Friday Harbor

July 29 - Aug 4 Oshkosh

Aug 2 -4 Eastsound

Aug 10 -11 Olympic Airshow Olympia

Aug 11 Burger Burn Thun Field

Aug 16 - 18 NW Antique Aircraft Fly-In Scappoose, OR

Aug 16 - 18 Van’s Homecoming Independence, OR

Sept 6 - 8 Hood River WAAAM

Sept 11 - 15 Reno Air Races


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RANS S-19 Ventura Kit- Emp & Wings complete… Fuselage half done.- Finish kit still in box.- Strobe lights and parking brake options.

New cost $26,000 plus shippingWill sell for $20k

Dick Migas 480-234-1471Located in Enumclaw

Jet SBR-40N. 40" combination shear, brake, and roll

It weighs approx. 650# . Buyer will need a truck and a friend.

I am asking $600 o.b.o., or trade - I am a tool junkie! - for what haveyou. This does not include the stand/table you see in the picture!

.

Dan Henderson253-882-7945University Place

The Auto Race that changed everything.

This is a Ford story ... narrated by Henry Ford's great grandson....

http://www.youtube.com/embed/POXqGsgAtaY

The Genius of Henry Ford & the GREAT American Spirit.

This was BEFORE Pearl Harbor !!!

Ford's B-24 Bomber Plant at Willow Run, MI.Henry Ford was determined that he could mass produce bombers just ashe had done with cars. He built the Willow Run assembly plant andproved it. It was the world's largest building under one roof.

Even then FORD HAD A BETTER IDEA!

This film will absolutely blow you away - one B-24 every 55 minutes.7 minute videohttp://www.youtube.com/embed/iKlt6rNciTo?rel=0

A great video!! Be sure to watch for the hand/eye/foot coordination this takes.These are the guys who water bomb forest fires. The old company,Bombardier Aerospace, makes these. They don’t “motor around” to fill thetanks---they touch down at approach speed, open the fill scoops, add lots ofpower, and the tanks fill in seconds.. There’s one scene in the film where youcan see the two tank level gauges rapidly go up. The other neat thing iswatching the magnitude of the flight control inputs, especially aileron, as theyare maneuvering down low---sometimes the pilot is literally going stop to stop.Real flying!* > Very, very cool.......5 minute videohttp://player.vimeo.com/video/48642618

http://www.youtube.com/embed/POXqGsgAtaY

http://www.youtube.com/embed/iKlt6rNciTo?rel=0

http://player.vimeo.com/video/48642618


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Chapter 326 Staff

President Randy Albritton 253-214-6035Vice President Tom Brown 253-847-2507Secretary Kerry Albritton 253-214-6035Treasurer Norman Pauk 253-630-6396NL Editor John Brick 253-230-8516Photographer Andy Karmy 253-333-6695Webmaster Andy Karmy 253-333-6695

Young Eagles & Eagles NestDarrin Dexheimer 312-520-4300

Technical CounselorHarold Smith 253-752-5480

Technical Counselor Charlie Cotton 360-893-6719Chapter Flight Advisor Jim Triggs 360-438-1482Chapter Flight Advisor Marv Scott 253-691-5496Program Coordinator

Steve Dickinson 206-948-2563Biographer Kerry Albritton 253-214-6035Tool Custodian Joe Andre 253-539-2408Chapter Hangar Project

George Lightner 253-584-9477

Chapter 326 Websitehttp://www.eaa326.org

EAA Chapter 326

The Mount Rainier Chapter

Pierce County Airport - Thun Field

Puyallup, WA 98374

http://www.eaa326.org

thun field thunder - eaa chapter 326 · thun field thunder eaa mount rainier chapter 326 newsletter...

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