Lighter Turnout for a Pleasant Saturday – The hanger temps were moderate and a Thorp T-18 parked nearby. The grills and serving line were staffed with all the usual’s. Keith Brown was back on the pancake griddle. We ended up with about 56 in attendance for the meeting and 40 breakfasts sold.
Call to Order – President Dick Keyt called the meeting to order and recognized the breakfast crew. Dick noted that he arrived about 6:40 to see the airplanes out of the hanger and tables already setup. He thanked Lori Lagergren and Bob Moreau for their early morning efforts. Dick asked to identify any visitors in attendance. Clay Wilson and wife Robin are building a house on the east side of the Landings. They have an Bonanza F-33A and Clay is an Airbus pilot with AA.
Safety Minute – Tom Woodward discussed a close call at the fly in where a landing Cessna encountered rotor wash from a hovering EMS helicopter and nearly touched a wing tip. The helicopter was barely off the ground so it was difficult to see from his air boss position. The Cessna did a go around and landed normally. Tom showed a video of the event. He also noted the helicopter was communicating with the other helicopters on an air-to-air frequency and not on the Pecan CTAF. Bob Moreau took the stage and presented a shortened version of what he has previously shown in FAA Wings seminars. He highlighted the differences between “rotor downwash” in a hover and “wake turbulence” during forward velocity. Bob said the wake turbulence has magnitudes similar to large aircraft. He advised fixed wing pilots to stay at least 3 rotor diameters away from a hovering aircraft and to wait 2-3 minutes for the wind velocity to dissipate. He is engaging with the EMS operators to develop a procedure for making calls on the Pecan CTAF.
Project Reports – Sam Butler has decided to do the nosewheel conversion on his S-21 project. He did some landings with an exasperated Don Christiansen in his tailwheel S-21. Despite having several hundred hours in a tailwheel RV he decided it was in his best interests to go with the nosewheel option. The kit is very accommodating for the conversion and it will lower his insurance costs. There was discussion about a couple other S-21s under construction at Pecan – one that planned to be powered by a Viking engine.
Martin Sutter said his current engine in the RV-7A is approaching TBO. Given the long lead times for new engine he put in an order for a new engine so it is available when the time comes to retire the old one. He noted that his Hartzel prop is not compatible with the new engine so he is testing a different prop on the current engine.
Kirk Nickman asked among the membership for someone experienced in welding stainless to help build the exhaust for his Quasar.
Elections: Every two years officers are elected to serve the chapter. Tom Woodward and John Bowen, as the Nominating Committee, canvassed the chapter and came up with candidates for all four positions. He asked the membership if anyone else would like to be considered and no one raised their hand. Dick Keyt is the only candidate for President. Bob Pastusek and Jerry McMillan are candidates for Vice President. Carl Keil is the only candidate for Treasurer. Erin Hollis is the only candidate for Secretary. The elections are to occur at the November meeting. Tom is exploring a way to do voting online to get a larger representation of members.
Youth Programs: John Bowen was extremely pleased to highlight that 71 Young Eagles were flown during the Fly In by 9 pilots. He was especially grateful to Ben Wilson and Steve Thomas for grinding out 9 and 8 sorties, respectively. He also mentioned that the chapter is planning to send two youth again for next year’s Air Academy and is seeking applications by the end of October. John is planning the next Young Eagles event for October 25th.
Christmas Party – Claudia Sutter announced the annual chapter Christmas Party will be the second Saturday in December (13th). She pressed everyone to get their reservations (including $40 per person) in at the next chapter meeting in November. Claudia was very explicit that communication of this event get passed on to the spouses! As has been done in the past groups of 8 can reserve their own table.
Program: Bob Jeffrey – 7 Years at the Hanoi Hilton
Bob started off relating his experience with helicopter wake turbulence from our Safety Minute. He was test flying a Lancair Evolution with a Bell helicopter nearby. He said he had his hands full recovering from the wake a 1/4 mile out on final. Had the owner a bit concerned!
Bob Jeffrey was born in Los Angeles, California and always had the Need for Speed. He spent a lot of his youth working on cars and motorcycles. After attaining Eagle Scout, he graduated from Northrop Institute of Technology where he got his A&P license, and then entered the Aviation Cadet Program of the U.S. Air Force on January 25, 1960. Jeffrey was commissioned a 2d Lt and awarded his pilot wings at Reese AFB, Texas, on May 12, 1961, and then completed F-102 upgrade training at Perrin AFB, Texas. In a bit of foreshadowing, Bob was sent to Stead Air Force Base for survival school where he learned how to survive if forced down in remote and/or unfriendly terrain, how to escape capture, and how to escape if captured. His first assignment was as an F-102 Delta Dagger pilot with the 509th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Clark AB, in the Philippines, where he served from January 1962 to July 1964. Jeffrey then served with the 497th and then the 433rd Tactical Fighter Squadron at George AFB, California, from July 1964 to December 1965, and then deployed to Southeast Asia at Ubon Royal Thai AFB, Thailand, in December 1965. Prior to deployment Bob briefly considered leaving the Air Force for an airline job but the lure of flying fighter jets was too much to overcome.
His first mission in Southeast Asia was a mission to downtown Hanoi on December 20, 1965. Flying below an overcast layer he was subjected to massive AAA fire and was hit. As the cockpit was filled with warning lights and a feeling the aircraft was coming apart Capt Jeffrey was forced to eject from his stricken F-4. Following his immediate capture he was taken on a 5 hour truck ride to Hanoi while suffering the injuries of the ejection. The reports from other aircraft in the area was they did not see a chute and he was presumed dead. His family did not know until two years later that he was still alive. He spent two years in solitary confinement and was constantly subjected to North Vietnamese brutality during interrogation. He had many interesting stories of how the other prisoners communicated with a “tap code.” After spending 2,611 days in captivity, he was released during Operation Homecoming on February 12, 1973. He was briefly hospitalized to recover from his injuries at Sheppard AFB, Texas, and then entered Southern Methodist University through an Air Force Institute of Technology assignment in August 1973. Col Jeffrey then went through Pilot Instructor Training in November 1976, and served as Operations Officer, Base Exercise Evaluation Team Chief, and Chief of the Operations Division with the 97th Flying Training Squadron of the 82nd Flying Training Wing at Williams AFB, Arizona, until his retirement from the Air Force on January 31, 1980.
Bob flew for several different companies as a civilian pilot before finally settling in at American Airlines. He served as a Line Check Airman on the Boeing 757/767. After his second “retirement”, he stayed active instructing Lancair aircraft of all models, racing at Reno, and teaching Reno Race procedures to new pilot racers.
Following his presentation, Paris and Erin Hollis presented Bob with a propeller blade with an imprint of the POW symbol. An incredibly nice and respectful gesture for his bravery!
VMC/IMC Club
Due to the longer than planned featured presentation the VMC/IMC club was deferred until the next chapter meeting.
Thanks to all who stayed to store the tables and chairs and help put the airplanes back in the hanger.
