PRA5 welcomed the new year at MYV. The day was calm and sunshiny, chill, but not too frigid, the sort of weather the gyrofolk gathering at Wauchula in Florida had hoped for (and failed to find this year). Joe and Gary Longmore started the new millennium the same way they ended the old -- with a pair of training flights in the two-place Bandit. Gary Brewer flew over from Vacaville. Mark and Pete celebrated, too, not flying, but working at maintenance and building. Indeed, the temperature rose as the day wore on, almost to the point of shirtsleeve comfort.
With good flying days becoming rarer in this season, there is greater emphasis on indoor activities. When weather becomes unpleasant, it's time for maintenance and that annual inspection. Many of us with repairman certificates have advanced the timing of this event so that disassembly and rebuild fall outside flying season.
Now, too, is an excellent opportunity to reflect on last year's events, and offer thanks to the membership of Chapter 5 who contributed to a successful year of gyroplaning. Worthy of particular mention are the efforts of:
Yesterday, the last day of the 20th Century, I celebrated my birthday by installing a GPS
on Boa and then taking a short test flight to try it out. I taxied to 14, announced my departure,
and followed a right-hand pattern at 500. The GPS display is much less visible in shadow,
and will take some getting used to. When I can see it clearly, the GPS provides much better
heading information than my estimates from section lines, and (how wonderful for cross country)
it offers a reading of ground speed.
The wind was chill, but Pete's snowmobile suit kept
me snug, so I decided to check out the source of engine roar that could be clearly heard
at Joe's hangar. A couple of miles upriver a motocross competition was underway.
I figured that it wasn't likely that people attending a motorcycle race
would complain about loud pipes overhead, so I flew a couple of orbits
for some aerial rubbernecking. The motorcycles roared through steeply-baked turns
and charged at a hillock that sent them airborne for maybe a second. I can bank steeply,
too, and send forth my own happy roar, and furthermore I can stay aloft as long as I please.
I turned back towards the airport (it pleases me to land while there is still fuel in the
tanks), entered the pattern on right base at 500 feet, landed, and
taxied back to the hangar.
Now the GPS keeps track of where it has been. This model saves the last 1250
fixes, which can be downloaded onto a personal computer for analysis and display. I
shut down the unit and took it home. After some contortions with the software (and moving
to a machine with a compatible operating system), I was able to download the track data.
And plot it. The first figure reveals my entire route. It shows the sloppiness of my
downwind course, with a heading closer to 330 than 320. The second plot depicts
every detail of my cavortings above the motocross track. It's not the full information
of a flight data recorder, but speed and heading can easily be inferred from the position
data.
There must be a take-home lesson here. The GPS record, if downloaded before being overwritten, could prove useful evidence, say, that sufficient safe distance was maintained from motocross spectators, in case a complaint triggers investigation of a possible Part 60 violation. When that FAA letter arrives, corroboration of safe position would be invaluable. On the other hand, it's worth remembering that your GPS might rat you out if you cross the line.
[And on this first day of a new millennium here's a curiosity for the mathematically
inclined : two days ago I was 57, yet next year I'll turn 60.]
PRA Chapter 5 Newsletters are also available on-line at:
http://www.quiknet.com/~twitham/gyro/pra5/