What’s Up by LeRoy Cook

Watch Out For MAD 

Only a few snowpiles marred the airport landscape last week, reminders of the slowly accreting ice and snow of two weeks hence. January seems twice as long as all the other months, hesitant to give up its grip on grounded airmen. As the temperature warmed over the weekend, eager fliers rolled out their aircycles to take wing.

The week’s observed traffic amounted to some Cessna Skyhawk and Piper Warrior training flights, both military CH-47 and UH-60 helicopters, and a Cirrus SR-22. A big 10-passenger Beech King Air 350 corporate turboprop twin stayed overnight. From the Butler fleet, BCS exercised its AirTractor turbine sprayplane and several Cessna 150 currency and training excursions took place. I even notched off three night landings among the remaining runway lights, due for replacement next March.

Do not be overly alarmed if you spot a low-flying Piper Navajo twin with a long pole sticking out of it’s tail section. The Canadian-registered aircraft is equipped with MAD gear (magnetic anomaly detection) that surveys areas for underground deposits of certain minerals. The boom places the sensor away from the airplane’s influence. 

If you have a hankering to fly your little plane down to N’Orlins next weekend to the Super Bowl, have some space on your credit card balance. Lakefront Airport is charging $1000 to use their field, and there’s a $240 parking fee at Atlantic Aviation’s ramp, if there’s room. The light turboprops have to pay $2000 and jets are charged $5000. The FBO aprons can only hold so many airplanes, so if you haven’t reserved a spot by the time you read this, it’s probably too late.

I was visiting a nearby maintenance shop last week and spied a 1947 Luscombe 8E awaiting attention, “What’s it in for?” I asked, and was told the owner wanted an engine analyzer system installed. Now that’s quite a project for an old tailwheel two-seater, but when I looked inside I found it already had a full compliment of avionics. Now, I can’t say I’d put four-way exhaust and cylinder-head temperature probes on a Continental C-85 carbureted engine, but evidently the old Silvaire is being readied for the showplane circuit.

Last week, we asked what kind of airplane was used to start up FedEx overnight delivery. Fred Smith bought some old Fanjet Falcon business jets, cut in big freight doors, and his speedy “when it absolutely, positively has to be there” service was born. Next time, we want to know the origin of the “Mayday, Mayday” radio distress call. You can send your answers to kochhaus1@gmail.com.