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It is the time of early autumn flying weather, prized for 50-mile visibility, crisp dense air and moderate density altitude. Even the sometime thunderstorm sweeps away pollution, promising clear skies in its wake. Perhaps we can enjoy it for a couple of more months.
The traffic count was low last week, despite encouraging weather. A nice restart Cessna 182T was in, a Cirrus SR22 came by and the weekly Army Guard Black Hawk helicopter hovered through. Locally, Roy Conley fired up his experimental gyrocopter for a few spins, I took the old Aeronca Champ up to air it out and we flew the Cessna Skyhawk over to Mexico, MO for the Zenith kitplanes homecoming party, always a fun event.
I’m sorry I neglected to publish the date of the Lincoln, MO fly-in that was held on September 13th. I ought to know it’s usually the 2nd Saturday of September, but I clean forgot. To redeem myselt, take note of a 64th Anniversary Fly-in at Lamar, taking place on October 11th. Seems like only yesterday I saw Lamar’s little airport opened, now a first-class facility for light jets. There will be a pancake breakfast, starting at 8:00 a.m., displays, rides and a car show, winding up by 2:30.
Out of Canada comes news of an Air Traffic Control facility being built in British Columbia to provide “air services” to up to 20 airports. The idea is to have pilots report to and obey a control tower that doesn’t exist; instead clearances and spacing are provided remotely, with cameras, ADS-B and radar oversight. If it sounds screwy, it is. But up North all air traffic control is provided by a private company, NavCanada, that bills pilots for each contact, like it or not.
And then there was last Tuesday’s story from the island of Corsica, in the Mediterranean, when a landing airliner was having trouble getting a response from the control tower. It flew a holding pattern for 18 minutes, then landed unaided. Turns out the lone controller was sleeping; they had to break the security door down to wake him up. The little airport only handles about 50 flights per day, leaving periods of somnolence.
This past week marked the 85th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain in 1940, a summer of aerial fighting in the skies over England that changed the course of history. Germany’s mad dictator Adolph Hitler had freshly conquered Poland, Austria, France and Norway, and he assumed he could add invade England as well, just a few miles across the Channel. He didn’t reckon on the resolve of the British people, rallied by Winston Churchill, who put up Royal Air Force fighters to repel the Luftwaffe bombers and escorts. With spotters and command centers, England sent Hurricanes and Spitfires on target day after day, rescuing downed pilots and rebuilding wrecked planes, until by September 15 it became evident that Germany wasn’t going to take the “right tight little island.” In October, Hitler had to change plans to night bombing raids and concentrate on the Russian front. As Sir Winston put it “Never have so many owed so much to so few.” The Royal Air Force and its supporters gave the Allies a base with which to eventually win the war in Europe. Which is why we now speak English instead of German.
The question from last week was about the definition of “usable fuel” when considering the amount of gas you can put in an airplane. It’s all that will feed the engine in a steep climb at full power, without interrupting the fuel tank’s outlet. For next time, we want to know “To whom is the Butler Memorial Airport dedicated?” You can send your answers to kochhaus1@gmail.com.
