Bob Fowler in his Cole Flyer

Have you ever thought about the man for whom our street is named?

Robert George Fowler, or Bob to all who knew him, was an avid aviation pioneer.

In February 1912, one hundred years ago this month, he landed in Jacksonville, Florida. 116 days and 66 stops earlier he left San Francisco in his Wright Biplane with a Cole Automobile Co engine. Read the original press dispatches of the flight here.

Fowler Takeoff

Bob Fowler was only the second man to cross the United States by air, the first being Cal Rogers in the Vin Fizz going East to West. Fowler’s was the first West to East flight, and he was also the first man to fly a non-stop trans-continental flight, flying from the Pacific to the Atlantic along the Isthmus of Panama. Unlike his earlier flight of 66 stops, this one was only 57 minutes long. However it landed him in some trouble because he took aerial photos of the Panama Canal and associated fortifications being built. Despite having the permission and encouragement of the commanding general he ended in court, but charges were eventually dropped.

But he was not just an exhibitionist. Fowler joined the San Jose Technical College and founded what later became the Aviation Department of San Jose State University. He was responsible for building the department and worked with other early aviation pioneers in the Santa Clara Valley in between the first and second world wars.

Robert and Leonore Fowler Grave

Bob Fowler died in 1966 and is buried next to his wife Leonore in Santa Clara Mission Cemetery.

Feb 16-17 SFO Presidential TFR

Air Force One will be landing at SFO Thu 16th around 1pm and leaving Friday 17th around 8:30 to 9am.

Click here for the official FAA link

There will be a TFR centered on the SFO VOR while the President is there, then it moves up to center on the City of San Francisco, then it comes down.

As usual flights in the inner 10nm zone are prohibited, and you will be shot down if you penetrate that zone. In the outer 30nm zone, IFR flights are permitted, as are VFR flights with a previously filed and activated flight plan AND a discrete transponder cone obtained before takeoff.

The good news for us at Reid Hillview is that we are not covered by this TFR, although it starts just NW of us at the 680 freeway.

Study the details, they may interfere with your plans for Bay Tours or the like, and make sure you are listening to 121.5Mhz at all times when you are not in touch with ATC.

Andrew flew as a Young Eagle, and completed the Sporty’s ground school to qualify for a free flight lesson. (check out the Sporty’s/EAA Young Eagles Flight Plan).

Andrew also won the EAA338 flight training scholarship. He has now taken his first flying lesson with AeroDynamic Aviation.

It was a beautiful late Sunday afternoon when Andrew and Mark Guerrero took Citabria 9091L for their flight:

CFI Godfrey Watson, Examiner Sherry Diamond, and new Private Pilot Vasily Kuntsevich

Vasily Kuntsevich came all the way from frosty Saint Petersburg to fly at AeroDynamic Aviation.  On January 31st, Vasily showed Examiner Sherry Diamond he has what it takes and became a Private Pilot.  Congratulations to Vasily and his CFI Godfrey Watson, well done!

Read also 61.57(c) – Click on FAA Logo to go to complete text of 14CFR61.57  (Op Ed)
14 CFR 61.57 (d) describes the requirements for an instrument proficiency check (IPC), and includes a description of when an IPC is necessary. While certain exceptions apply, a pilot may reestablish instrument currency that has been lapsed for more than 6 months only through obtaining an IPC. On December 16, 2011, the FAA issued a technical correction to section 61.57 (d) in order to clarify the meaning of the regulation. This clarification was simply just that, a clarification, and no change to the application of the rule was intended. As the FAA explained in that technical correction (emphasis added):
The revised language makes it clear that a pilot who has failed to maintain instrument currency for more than six calendar months may not serve as pilot in command under IFR or in weather conditions less than the minimums prescribed for VFR until completing an instrument proficiency check. A pilot whose instrument currency has been lapsed for less than six months may continue to reestablish instrument currency by performing the tasks and maneuvers required in paragraph (c).
Notwithstanding the exceptions on 61.57 (e), the following timeline illustrates the correct application of 61.57 (d):

January 31, 2012: A pilot is no longer instrument current because they no longer meet the recent experience requirements found in 61.57 (c). This pilot may no longer act as pilot-in-command (PIC) of an aircraft operating under IFR or in weather conditions less than the minimums prescribed for VFR.

February 1, 2012 to July 31, 2012: The pilot has between these dates in order to obtain the recent experience requirements found in 61.57 (c). This experience may be obtained through instruction, the use of a safety pilot, or through a simulator / training device.

August 1, 2012: If by this date the pilot had not regained instrument currency, the only method by which a pilot may become instrument current again is by obtaining an IPC.

The FAA has become aware of some recent blogs, emails, and website comments that contain confusion about the technical correction and the current meaning of the rule. This FAAST Blast will hopefully alleviate that confusion. For additional information, please review the latest technical correction to 61.57 at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-12-16/pdf/2011-32333.pdf

Anup Kumar and Examiner Jim Currier

Congratulations to Anup Kumar who added another class rating to his ATP. Anup worked with AeroDynamic instructor Rich Digrazzi to prepare and then earned his Single Engine ATP in our Cessna 61637 with Examiner Jim Currier. Anup already has his ATP for helicopters and multi engine airplanes and now completes the airplane category with single engine.

Well done Anup, and thanks also to Rich.

To avoid burning out the starter, read this and adjust your technique. Above all, if it does not start in four or five attempts, ask the mechanic or CFI to help.

As for the CFIs, it is your responsibility to educate your students.

Priming: The engine needs a little gasoline in the cylinders to start, then it sucks more in as it turns. So priming is needed. A typical Citabria first start of the day may need up to five pumps of the primer. A Cessna 172, just two because of its larger primer. More is not better. A thin layer of gas evaporates better than a deep puddle. Use your checklist, make sure the primer fills before pushing it back in, and after priming, wait a while, 10-20 seconds, to give the gas a chance to make some vapor. Liquid gas does not burn, only vapor burns.

Throttle position: Start cranking with the throttle almost completely closed. More open is not better! As the starter turns the engine, slowly advance the throttle. How slowly? Pretty slowly, about a quarter inch per second. You are feeling for the place where the avgas vapor from the prime and the air from the throttle just match and the engine fires. As it fires keep moving the throttle till about 1200-1300rpm.

How long to crank: If it does not start after 10 seconds, stop cranking. 10 seconds is a long time – try counting in normal speech speed: “One Mississippi, two Mississippis, etc”.

Don’t immediately let go of the starter when you hear the first puff, but keep it pressed a second or two to make sure it really is starting. But do let go when it starts! As the engine speeds up it will damage the starter if you keep it engaged. So it is a fine line.

As it starts: Advance the throttle even as it starts to about 1200/1300 rpm. Do not be in a big hurry to reduce rpm. Let the engine tell you when it is ready. As the rpms start increasing of their own accord, keep bringing the throttle back to keep it around 1000-1200. If it seems happy, you can reduce to the usual 800-1000. If it starts slowing down, immediately add an inch of throttle.

Oil pressure and Ammeter: With all the attention on getting started, it is easy to forget we need to check these straight away. If the oil pressure does not come up to at least the bottom of the green arc within 20 seconds, shut down immediately!

The ammeter should be noticeably positive, but come closer to just a needle’s breadth or two above zero within a couple of minutes. That tells you the generator is generating and the battery is charging. Zero or less on the charge is not good.

Leaning: You still want to lean. How much? As much as possible without killing the engine. I see people pull the mixture out an inch or whatever, then turn to me and ask: “OK?” The answer is: “No! It is not ok, until you actually feel the result of leaning as the engine begins to slow down”. But don’t kill it. Be slow and sensitive, and after a few goes you will get a sense of the sweet spot as rpms increase ever so slightly as you get there, and if you go any further the rpms start dropping.

It won’t start: How many times to try? If you have primed as recommended or less, try another shot of prime. If it does not start after three or four attempts, it probably won’t start on the fifth, unless something is done differently. Get help. Maybe you have overprimed or underprimed, or your prime has been blown out of the exhaust, or the engine is flooded.

Overpriming/Flooding or underpriming can have similar symptoms – weak firing or no firing.

Flooding or overpriming, if there is any firing, will produce black smoke or even flames from the exhaust. If you are unlucky you may get a backfire which damages intake manifold seals or starts a carburettor fire. Or you can get an explosion in the exhaust that is no fun either. Be familiar with what to do if you think the engine is overprimed or flooded. If the POH does not describe the technique, ask your CFI.

Underpriming will give you a weak start and then it quits. You need to prime again properly and try again.

Not enough throttle will show itself as no firing, or weak firing with no proper start.

Too much throttle will do the same – too much air, not enough fuel. Go back and re-read the section on throttle position.

Do not pump the throttle on Citabrias! They do not have accelerator pumps and all you will succeed in doing is killing the engine.

Cessnas do have an accelerator pump and sometimes it helps to pump, but only as you crank. Never pump with engine stopped, you’ll overflow the carburetor and risk a fire.

Fuel injected Lycoming engines on 7KCABS and Decathlon have their own technique for priming, and coping with problems. Most of what I have written here counts for them too.  For the first start of the day, leave micture rich, prime with fuel pump one but no more than two seconds. Leave the mixture rich as you attempt the start.

For subsequent starts on the same day, do not prime at all and have the micture lean. As it starts be ready to put the micture rich quickly.

I hope this helps. The horizontally opposed engines and their ignition and fuel systems were designed in the 1920s. They are very reliable when they are running, but they can be cantankerous and ornery when they are cold soaked and damp.

Ben, Zdravko and 1806G

On a very windy Saturday afternoon, Ben Ellsworth got a chance to prove he really can tame the taildragger and earned his tailwheel endorsement from Zdravko

Ben is an experienced CFI, teaching at AeroDynamic Aviation Salinas, but he never had a chance to get his tailwheeling badge till now.

Congratulations Ben, next comes the back seat checkout!