Blame It On Technology!
by Pete Schoeninger
© Copyright 2024. All rights reserved!
Published in Midwest Flyer Magazine June/July 2024 Digital Issue
Q) A guy told me it might be possible to takeoff from a grass strip (no snow, summer) in an airplane equipped with straight skis. I could not find any information on this anywhere, not even on the internet, so I am asking you.
A) Thanks for the skiplane question during this current heatwave we have going for us. YES, it has been done. Dale Crites, aviation pioneer from Waukesha, Wisconsin, did it a couple of times. Dale used a Cub with an 85 hp engine. He persuaded the local fire department to hose down a couple hundred feet of grass at Capitol Drive Airport, and put lots of grease on the bottom of the Cub’s skis, and off he went, dressed in a Santa Claus suit. He flew about 5 miles to make a surprise pass at a July airshow at his home airport in Waukesha, Wisconsin, flying a few feet above a paved runway, and waving at the crowd from the open Cub door. The crowd was astonished that Santa showed up on a hot July day in a Cub on skis! He returned to Capitol Drive Airport and landed on the still wet portion of their grass runway.
Sidebar: Many pilots have landed ski-only-equipped airplanes on grass runways, usually after taking off from a frozen lake at the end of winter, almost always early in the morning when the grass was still wet. It’s somewhat dangerous, and not a job for amateurs. Expect a very, very short slide to an abrupt stop.
Q) What do you hear from airplane sales representatives and bluebooks regarding the current market?
A) The rush at the end of Covid is over, and sales are back to nearly normal with a few quirks still involved: 1. Inventory is still low. 2. Interest rates are still high if a loan is required. 3. Many new airplanes are exported, and so the supply of even new airplanes is somewhat tight.
Q) I am considering purchasing an airplane for $50,000 from my local FBO. To persuade me to do the deal, the FBO manager is offering me a 60-day buyback guarantee as follows: He will buy the airplane back for 10% less than my purchase price, less $25 per hour I put on it, and if returned in the same condition as I bought it. This sounds like a pretty good deal. What do you think?
A) That hints to me that the FBO manager is relatively confident that you will like the airplane. But the deal is not as good for you as it appears. Remember, you will lose $5,000 on the value of the airplane, but don’t forget the 7% or so sales tax you will also lose, and the short rate refund you may get from your insurance company if you cancel soon after buying a policy. I would guess overall your cash loss would be closer to $10,000, rather than the $5,000 you mentioned.
Q) You mentioned that Charles Lindbergh was one of your heroes. Where can I find out more information about the engineering and technical part of his flight from New York to Paris?
A) A great source is Technical Preparation of the Airplane “Spirit of St. Louis.” Do an internet search for this, and you will find a NASA copy of the original paper, written by engineer Donald Hall. There are many pages, and it is fascinating. Interesting was that the stall speed of the airplane on takeoff was calculated to be 71 mph, but at trip’s end at lightweight, the stall speed was calculated to be only 49 mph. Toward the end of the paper are several pages of performance graphs. It showed that when very heavy after takeoff, his most economical fuel consumption was about 15 gph at a cruising speed of 96 mph. As he burned off fuel, at about halfway through his trip, he could reduce power to a fuel consumption of about 10 gph at 87 mph. At about the end of the flight having burned off more than 1800 lbs. of gasoline, his most economical power setting burned only 5 gph, at the slow speed of 69 mph.
In the years following the trip in 1927, Lindbergh showed American military pilots how to get more range out of their airplanes by varying airspeed with weight changes and leaning more with power reductions. This was hard for pilots to accept, that as they got closer to their destination, they had to slow down to have enough fuel to get home.
Q) I read that recently a guy paid $480 for an oil and filter change on a late model Cessna 182. Is that possible or a misprint?
A) It sure is possible, especially if the airplane had a three-bladed prop. Two to three hours of labor to drop the cowl, change oil and filter, do a quick engine inspection, and reassemble.
Let’s say 2.5 hours at $120/ hour = $300, 10 quarts of oil at $10.00 each, plus a filter, plus tax and bingo, not much change left from $500. Note that in the “old days” when most Cessna 182s had a two-bladed prop versa the current three-bladed versions, removing the bottom cowl if needed was much easier. Three-bladed props look good and are quieter than two-bladed versions, but they do slow cowl removal and therefore increase the cost of maintenance.
Q) A well-known and respected local airplane mechanic told me he was the cheapest lawyer on the field. What in the world did he mean by that?
A) Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) mechanics, who hold the additional Inspection Authorization (IA) certification, often need to read and interpret FAA regulations, and airworthiness directives. Additionally, they need to be able to read and understand previous airplane log entries, some written by folks who are great with a wrench, but not so much with a pen. I am sure your local mechanic was joking, but perhaps only halfway.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Pete Schoeninger is a 40-year general aviation veteran, starting out as a line technician as a teenager, advancing through the ranks to become the
co-owner and manager of a fixed base operation, and manager of an airport in a major metropolitan community. Pete welcomes questions and comments about aircraft ownership via email at PeterSchoeningerLLC@gmail.com
DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this column is the expressed opinion of the author. Readers are urged to seek the advice of others, including flight instructors, licensed aircraft technicians, airport managers, fixed base operators, and state and federal officials. Neither the author, Midwest Flyer Magazine, Flyer Publications, Inc., their staffs, employees or advertisers assume any liability for the accuracy or content of this column or any other column or article in this publication.
