April 24, 2016 - I got to fly a Beechcraft Bonanza B36TC! It was a very smooth and enjoyable ride. We flew to a fly-in at Calaveras airport and had an awesome pancake-breakfast. I can't wait to be dong the same in my very own KR-2 airplane! This is a video of the 2013 fly-in at Calaveras:
Aug 12, 2016 - OSHKOSH Airventure Trip
Flew to Oshkosh, WI from Davis, CA for the Experimental Aircraft Association's (EAA) annual gathering. It was fantastic. We got to meet a few other KR-2 builders and flyers. While I did not get to fly a KR-2, I did go to the KR Forum where experiences, lessons, and advice on the building and flying of the KR-2 were discussed. Additionally, I got to meet members of the KR community and actually sat in Mark's Lanford's KR-2.
While Oshkosh has pretty much EVERYTHING aviation, we were a little disappointed at the representation of VW aircraft engine information/companies. There were no forums. AeroCoversions was represented (as part of the SONEX display) with their new turbocharged engine:
Additionally, there was this engine on display in the ultralight area (perhaps a Great Plains? - notice Force One Hub):
We flew in a six seat turbocharged Bonanza (B-36TC)and brought two girls (Sahra and Grace) from our local EAA chapter that had won scholarships to EAA's Air Academy Camp. We all camped at the north end of the North40. The Air Academy started at the end of AirVenture and we left Grace and Sahra there.
We made a video of the Oshkosh trip (the music is from the live concerts performed at AirVenture 2016) - check it out:
September 2016 -
Presented Disaster Airlift Response Teams (DART) to our local EAA chapter. I am starting a DART in our area. The DART chapters organize airlifts of supplies and personnel to and from disaster areas where ground transportation has been compromised. DART's have grown out of response to the 1989 Loma Pieta Earthquake that isolated the Watsonville/Santa Cruz areas for a week due to collapsed bridges and land slides. In less than a week, over 500,000 lbs of food and supplies were flown in by volunteer pilots in private aircraft.
I'm starting to put a website together to coordinate Central California DART efforts:
centralcaliforniadart.yolasite.com
Check out my presentation:
October 2016 -
We flew out to the annual Disaster Airlift Response Teams (DART) exercise. The event was a practice engagement of the DART in response to a simulated earthquake. Pilots flew donated food in and went on simulated missions. It was a practice effort to identify what issues we have well organized, and what needs improvement in case of an actual emergency. One of the highlights for me was getting to fly in a volunteer's Beechcraft 18 twin engine airplane. Check out the video:
May 20th, 2017
Finally flew in the Young Eagles rally the Vacaville CA chapter of Experimental Aircraft Association puts on each month. Its an wonderful event and many of the kids being flown had never flown before (even commercially)! 68 kids were given free introduction flights by EAA volunteer pilots. After a long but fun morning of helping out, I joined the ranks of "Young Eagles" with the following flight:
July10 2017
WOW!
Wow Wow Wow!!! I just got into EAA's Advanced Air Academy with full scholarships from my local chapters (EAA 52 and EAA1230) and from EAA. Here's a link to the program:
So I'm off to Oshkosh on July 18th!!
After the Air Academy, I'll stay on to volunteer for EAA's AirVenture - the world's greatest aviation celebration. I'll be arriving by bus from Milwaukee, which is a bit of a step down from last year's flight there with my dad (see the video above of Oshkosh 2016). But as they say with crash landings - if I can walk away from it I'lkl consider it a win! Check out the following link to and video of AirVenture:
And these are my favorite video's of EAA AirVenture (except possibly ours from last year):
Just back from the EAA Advanced Air Academy Camp and AirVenture 2017
It was FANTASTIC! AMAZING! I really loved it. I learned so much about both aviation and techniques/skills involved in building airplanes.
"Thank You!" to my sponsors:
EAA Chapter 52 - Sacramento CA
EAA Chapter 1230 - Vacaville CA
Here's a video I made of my trip:
22 August 2017
Last Day of Summer Vacation!
What an remarkable summer. Building my airplane, AirVenture 2017, and EAA Advanced Air Academy. Even started flying lessons (yes - that's me!):
To top off the summer, yesterday we flew up to McMinnville Oregon (KMMV) to see the total solar eclipse. It was awe inspiring. Forest fires made for smokey skies and a red sun on our way up (and a bit of IFR on the way back home) - but the skies at McMinnville were clear (and for a short time dark). Took off from KDWA at 6am and got back 2pm - amazing and exhausting. It was also a great example of why being able to fly is so fantastic. While the eclipse was near 80% in Davis CA, it is hard to convey how different the experience of totality is from even 99% eclipse. (Last picture is not mine. From: Cool Eclipse Photos
September 2017
September and October turned out to be DISASTER MONTHS. Hurricanes, Floods, Fires. The fires in California are only a few miles away and devastating thousands. The foods and hurricanes are devastating on an even lager scale. FEMA and international emergency response efforts have been working furiously to mitigate the damage - but some of the most inspiring stories have been volunteer efforts of individuals and small organizations. Every trend points to these types of mass disasters becoming more common. Disaster Airlift Response Teams (DARTs) could significantly help - bringing food, critical materials, and personnel to impacted regions with disrupted ground transportation. Check out your local airport, and EAA chapters to find or start a DART in your area. Or join the Central California DART organizations I've been working to start.
October 2017
School has been very "engaging" and I'm working hard to keep up. Additionally, I take flying lessons at UC Davis Cal Aggie Flying Farmers! as I earn enough money from after school work. Here's a video of one of my first landings! Watch out - I'm up there!
More Distractions - I've also joined a singing group call the Davis Madrigals, do Speech and Debate events nearly every weekend, and was Homecoming King! So I have to work hard to get time to work on the airplane. Here are some pictures from Speech and Debate, Madrigals and Homecoming:
Thanksgiving Trip 2017
Flew with my family to Arizona for Thanksgiving. We had a great visit with family in Phoenix, and we took the opportunity to do some flightseeing!
Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Sedona, Montezuma's Castle National Monument, and Jerome. One of the best parts was that I got to fly the Bonanza most of the time and even landed it. Here's a video of our trip:
January 2018!
Happy New Year!
I've been making some progress on the engine and am looking for sponsors and jobs to help me afford completion of the airplane and flight training. With school, Speech and Debate, and singing, I have a hard time working enough time to pay for the build and other things I'd like to do.
But one of the great things I have been doing is some tail dragger training!!
Tail Dragers vs Nose Gear Airplanes
There are two common airplane landing gear configurations:
1) conventional or tail-draggers - that have two main landing gear ahead of the center of gravity and a small steerable wheel on the tail of the airplane.
2) Tricycle or Nose gear airplanes - that have two main landing gear behind the center of gravity and a smaller steerable wheel in front.
Tail Draggers have advantages of greater propeller clearance from the ground and a better configuration for rough terrain in that the small tail wheel has little weight on it and can "bounce" over obstacles easier (since the dynamic CG forces brings the tail wheel up when an obstacle is encountered rather than digging down that as a nose wheel does). Importantly for the KR, the tail dragging configuration is lighter and faster.
Tricycle or Nose Gear landing gear has the enormous advantage of actually being reasonable. Specifically, tricycle gear aircraft are inherently directionally stable. Perturbations such as cross wind gusts or a bump or even a slight miss-stear, is dynamically corrected back to the direction of travel - yes the airplane "tends" to move straight ahead. This is pretty important because...
Tail Draggers have the enormous disadvantage of being directionally unstable on the ground because the main gear are ahead of the center of gravity and the rear wheel steers. They can spin out with the slightest provocation such as a cross wind gust or momentary lapse in steering. Once the tail starts pivoting around, it is very difficult to stop. You might be familiar with this action from kids toys such as the "Green Machine" or drift cycles where the back wheels steer and the fun is spinning out.
However, when this happens with an airplane, its called a ground loop and can often result in damage to the wings and landing gear.
So it is VERY important to get some good training in tail dragging airplanes before I fly my KR2s.
I have been training with Cal-Aggies Flying Club as mentioned above, but for builders and flyers of tail dragging airplanes the training options are far more limited. Luckily, I have been able to trade some work on a friend's airplanes in exchange for flying time in them!
Tail Wheel Training
My father has started training me and then I will have to get signed off by a flight instructor. Neither of the tail dragger airplanes I have been flying are much like the KR-2s, but the basics are the same. Eventually I will find someone with a KR or similar airplane to train with before flying my own.
In the mean time however, I have been very lucky to be able to fly these two amazing airplanes:
Kitfox Model II
Stinson Voyager 108
These two tail dragging airplanes are very different from one another, and both are very different from what my KR2s will be like. But developing the basic reflexes should be similar.
The Stinson is a classic airplane from 1946! It is stable and heavy - and an amazingly big airplane on the outside considering the kind of tiny space inside (the picture does't really convey this well). It has an 1946 150 horse power Franklin engine. Sounds scary but it is really smooth and runs great (even if the plane is pretty underpowered considering its size and weight).
The Kitfox Model II is a very small and light (almost ultralight) airplane that is designed around STOL performance (Short Take Off and Landing). This means its great for landing in places that aren't airports. Airports are great and all, but it would be pretty cool to land on a beach, or in a mountain meadow. The one I am flying is powered by a Rotax 582, a 2-cycle snowmobile engine! Check out these amazing and great videos of Kitfox flying (very inspiring!):
Hopefully I'll have some of my own videos to post soon! Cheers!!!
I
July 2018
Progress on my Private Pilot's License
One of the major challenges of flying is PAYING FOR IT! In fact, when asked, "What makes an airplane fly?" I have heard the only somewhat joking answer, "Airplanes are held in the air not by some mysterious force, but rather they rest on STACKS of CASH! - The higher and fasteryou want to go, the higher and faster you stack that cash."
Well, its not really quite as bad as that, but there is no doubt that there are substantial costs.
How much does it usually cost to get a pilot's license?
Well, airplane rental rates vary, but usually fall between $60 - $125/hr for a Cessna 150 (a basic trainer). Instructors usually costs between $20-$40/hour. With the FAA minimum requirements of 20 hours of Dual (with instructor), and 40 hours total, that's between $2,800 and $5,800 just for the MINIMUM required hours. Very few students are safe with just the minimum required hours. Additionally, there are other costs including: FAA medical Exam ~ $60. Pilot training materials (books, charts etc) ~$200. Headset ~$200. etc etc etc
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) estimates the cost for a private pilot's license runs an average of $9,900!! OUCH!!!
The costs of pilot training are so high that fewer and fewer people are becoming pilots. In fact, these two graphs are startling and show the startling decline in the number of pilots:
Decreasing number of pilots:
Perhaps there was an oversupply of pilots in 1980 as reflected by their pay then. However the population of pilots has been declining rapidly since, yet the need for pilots in commerce has never been greater and continues to growing rapidly internationally.
Increasing demand for flights:
These two conflicting trends, (the declining numbers of pilots, and the increasing demand for flights) are going to make for some interesting times. Higher pay and heavy recruiting of pilots, a push for flight automation and a move to single pilot commercial flights, etc.
Yikes - I've digressed from my microeconomics into wonky macroeconomics. Back to the point - no matter how many airplanes I wash, I probably won't be able to pay ~$10,000 for a private pilot's license. What to do???
I looked on the web and there are lots of suggestions for reducing the costs of getting a private pilot's license. Flying Magazine had some great suggestions:
1) Don't get a Private Pilots License (thanks for that one).
They suggest getting a sport pilots license which requires fewer hours - yes it lets you fly but isn't really on track for serious or commercial aviation.
2) Study (thanks again - so instead of wasting everyone's time, they suggest being serious...)
3) Fly Often so you forget less between lessons.
Ok -
So maybe these weren't great suggestions, but to be understanding, when you look for suggestions to reduce the costs of getting a private pilot's license, these are pretty standard and they have a point. Most people will require much more than the FAA minimum 40 hours. However, the REAL issues is, if you can't even afford the costs for the MINIMUM forty hours, we have a problem. Here are my suggestions:
OK - so let's go though these strategies in a little more detail.
1) Reduce Aircraft Costs.
There are a few clear ways to reduce aircraft costs: purchase, purchase in partnership, or build. If you are going to fly a lot of hours (more than ~100hrs/year), then then it may make sense to purchase an airplane. Further, if you purchase in partnership with five or fewer partners, you can substantially reduce the fixed costs component of your hourly flying cost. (More than five and the insurance cost goes way up.)
A Cessna 150 purchased for $20,000 with five partners cost $4,000 each up front - most of which you should be able to get back if you sell out of the partnership. Expect a total fixed costs of $4000/year for tie down, insurance, maintenance and taxes which works out to $800/year/partner in fixed recurring costs. If you fly100 hours per year that is $8/hr. Add gas/oil cost of ~$25/hr and you are at $33/hour for 100 hours. That compares pretty favorably with my local college flying club cost of $90/hour. Yes, there are risks like un-expected maintenance and bad partners.
Building my KR2s is part of my plan to reduce costs - but its still expensive. The KR2s with a Volkswagen derived engine uses automotive fuel and gets ~30mpg. I think I'll be able to finish the plane for a total cost of less than $4,000. After that, each hour of flight at ~130mph will cost ~$15 of gas, and maybe ~$10/hour of maintenance, insurance, etc. - so $25/hour. Ouch - still expensive for a high school student.
Another way to reduce aircraft cost may also fit into the OPM (other people's money) category. You may be able to find someone that has a plane and is willing to let you train in it in exchange for work such as airplane washing, hanger maintenance, etc. Indeed, I have been working for a construction company that has a number of airplanes. In exchange for keeping their airplanes washed, cleaned inside, yard work (mowing) around the hanger, and gofer help for their mechanic, I can fly their airplanes at only the cost of gas. That is a fantastic deal for me since I love being around the airplanes anyways, and the cost of gas for their Cessna 150 is only ~$25/hour.
2) Reduce Training Costs.
Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) membership is free for students - and it gets you free introductory flights through their Young Eagles Program.
Additionally, EAA/Young Eagles gets you FREE access to Sporty's "Learn to Fly Program". This is a great way to get your ground school training for FREE and minimize the flight training costs by being prepared for each lesson.
Finally, you may find Certified Flight Instructors (CFI) in your EAA chapter that is willing to train you at greatly reduced costs. It certainly doesn't hurt to ask and you'll find this population of CFI's very different from the CFI's you usually find working for a flight school. Older, often retired and flying for the joy of it, these flight instructors will have considerably more experience than the young CFI's at flight schools who are often just putting in flight hours in preparation for an airline job.
3) Get a better paying job - so you CAN pay for flight training. This is certainly the BEST solution. I'm working on it - but not there yet ;-) Your interest in aviation may be a mechanism to help you get a better job. As mentioned above, the gap between number of pilots available and the number needed commercially is rapidly growing.
4) Other People's Money (OPM). This is a weird suggestion, and perhaps a little crass. But there are significant opportunities to achieve your flight training goals using OPM. The most common use of OPM for flight training is to join the US Air Force and have tax payers pay for your flight training. Indeed the Air Force is the single largest user of fuel energy in the federal government and uses more than 10% of the nation's aviation fuel. Outside military training, use of OPM for flight training generally breaks into the four ships: A) Scholarships, B) Internships, C) Sponsorships, and D) Relationships. (There must be some good joke about your ship coming I could use here - but I won't.)
Bottom line - flight training is expensive and you will have to work hard to pay for it no matter how you go about it (even if you are lucky with scholarships and relationships). If you are unwilling to work hard and pay hard, flight training is probably not for you.
July 2018
Flight Training
So Far, I've got 8 hours of flight training in a Cessna 150 and 1 hour in the KitFox Model II. I can land the Cessna myself now and am getting close to soloing it!
The KitFox is a taildragger that should help give me the training I'll need for the KR2s - however the two planes could not be more different (other than they are both tiny taildraggers). The KitFox is slow and meant for off airport fun - the video below has been sped up . Here's a video of flying in my area in the KitFox:
July 2018
Scholarships!
I have just found out I am very fortunate to have been awarded two flight training scholarships!!
The Richard R. Harper Scholarship awarded via EAA National.
My sincerest thanks to Gretchen Harper and EAA for giving me this opportunity.
I also received a scholarship from my local EAA Chapter # 52.
These scholarships put me over the top and will make my flight training possible - I can't thank them enough and will work hard to make them proud and give back to the aviation community.
Indeed, I am organizing a fund raising Airplane Wash to occur along side our monthly EAA Pancake Breakfast that occurs on the 2nd Sunday of each month at Yolo County Airport (KDWA).
August 2018
1st Solo?
Getting close!
I've been training with a Cessna C-150. Take-offs and landings, emergency procedures, ground reference and air maneuvers, stalls and flight planning. Landings were the hardest at first, but I'm really getting the feel for it.
Watch out! I'm in there air!
Thank you for making this possible Mrs. Harper!
Sept 2018
EAA Fund Raising Airplane Wash!
I am organizing a EAA/ Young Eagles fund raising airplane wash at Yolo County Airport (KDWA) from 8am to 2pm September 9th and October 14th, 2018.
Young Eagles will be washing airplanes to support flight training scholarships and scholarships to the EAA Air Academy. Here's the flyer I'll be sending around to events calendars, EAA Chapters, and FBO's (Fixed Base Operators - the fueling and maintenance businesses at airports).
Airplane Wash.pdf Size : 126.86 Kb Type : pdf |
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Sept, 2018
The Sky is Falling! Tale of the flying iPad
I knew that the doors on my plane weren’t the strongest. But I knew that they could, if handled properly, at least stay attached while in flight. However, I had not accounted for the full force of a three-hundred pound man weighing against their light weight latch. Subsequently, the first time I ever practiced steep-turns with my instructor, the right-hand door flew open.
On a scorching California September day my instructor announced that we’d be leaving the airport area to practice emergency procedures and flight maneuvers. The heat of day and my somewhat robust instructor combined to confounded the modest performance of a 50 year old “economical” flight training airplane – our little Cessna 150. After struggling up to 3,000 feet, my instructor checked the local airspaces and frequencies with his iPad, then asked me to enter a 45 degree banked right turn - a "steep turn" flight maneuver. With limited space for my instructor in the Cessna 150, he elected to wedge the iPad between him and the right-hand door. Finally ready at a comfortable altitude, my instructor gave the order.
“Enter into a 45 degree right turn.”
Steep turns are a flight coordination exercise with ailerons to bank, elevator to pitch for loss of lift, and rudder to keep it all coordinated. As you pass thirty degrees of bank you begin to feel the centrifugal force you must counter with pitch and it increases exponentially as bank increases. I slowly turned the yoke that controlled the ailerons to the right. I made the necessary adjustments with the pedals controlling the plane’s yaw. At forty degrees I felt my stomach drop and at forty-five degrees, I felt pinned to my seat. As you turn, you reference your turn/bank or artificial horizon instrument for bank, your altimeter to ensure constant altitude, compass or directional gyro to reference where you are in the turn and when to recover straight and level flight, all the while combining your standard instrument scan with situational awareness – looking for other traffic and hazards, correlation of bank and pitch to the instrument indications, and finally – watching the point about which you you’re turning (straight down the lowered wing). All in all, one of the easiest maneuvers I needed to master on my way to a private pilot’s license.
As I watched the ground spin about a point that seemed almost directly down out the right window past my instructor, his door suddenly burst open and chaos swept in witha scream of engine noise and wind. I immediately looked to my instructor for advice, but our cramped and tightly packed cockpit suddenly freed up as he seemed to be half outside the plane. In my terror, I was hoping that the instructor could take control of the plane, but with his head looking 3,000 feet down from outside the plane I realized that I had to fly. I quickly leveled the plane hoping the old lap belt would keep my instructor from falling out – and wished we had installed the shoulder belts. My instructor groped for any handhold and lifted himself back into the cockpit, closed the door, and turned to me.
I was expecting my instructor to berate my flying, but instead I was extolled for my handling of the situation. However, his smile soon faded when he remembered his iPad, the one that he wedged between himself and the door for safe keeping. It, along with my hopes for a normal practice, flew out the window. Again, I expected a sharp barrage of invectives, but he just smiled his jovial smile.
“Don’t worry- it’s in an OtterBox,” he laughed. “We’ll find it.”
I sat in disbelief. The iPad had fallen from 3000 feet over a vast expanse of farmland with little to no landmarks.
“Do you want want me to circle down to...look for it?” I sputtered out.
My instructor craned his neck, peering out of the small airplane window.
“That sounds good,” he said.
I decided to humor him and fly down to 500 feet to search for any possible landmarks that we could use in returning to search for the iPad. However, I thought that he had gone crazy. How were we ever going to find the iPad?
After noting the sparse buildings and trees to guide us in our upcoming search, we returned to the airport. I had to run from the airport to prepare for a test in school the next day, but my instructor headed off to the field we thought it had fallen in. After hours of tromping through fields, he gave up.
The next day, I got a call from my instructor saying the phone had shown up on Find My iPhone in the middle of the night. He couldn't come until late, so after school my father and I drove out to the fields that I assumed would be the graveyard of his iPad. We drove straight to a field indicated by Find My iPhone. First we decided to go to the farmers house to get permission to walk out into their field. The farmer regaled us with a story - just the year before a parachute jump school instructor had plummeted to his death in that very field! I was shaken by the possibilility of my instructor falling out of the airplane and having to somehow get the plane back to the ground safely!
Guided by Find My iPhone we walked straight across the field to the iPad. I figured that whatever we found would be merely remnants of the iPad; a cache of mangled electronics just in-tact enough to emit a signal. And this is what I found:
There didn’t seem to be a single scratch on it. I was speechless. How had such a delicate device fallen from 3000 feet and survived?!
Flying that day I was reminded in the most terrifying way, first - fly the plane! The most dangerous thing you can do is give up. I hope learned that with practice, I can fly safely even when terrified. I learned the importance of discipline and control and I became a more competent and confident pilot. I also learned that expecting the best but preparing for the worst can save your bacon (or iPad). I think I needed to buy an OtterBox.
September, 2018
Practicing Flight!
December, 2018
My First Solo!
Progress has been a bit slow on the flying lessons as I try to schedule limited availability of my instructor and my schedule.
But I finally solo-ed!
January 2019
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
A Flight to Fiber Optic
The small plane hit the narrow grass strip with a sharp thud. The approach had been high and we had overshot the runway. I felt my hands tighten around imaginary straps and my knuckles go white as my dad and I rushed closer and closer to the looming oak tree in front of us. 100 feet away. 50 feet away. 20 feet away. Stop. My eyes unclenched as we lurched to a halt under the shadow of the wooden giant. I looked to my left at my dad who had flown us up to a small meadow in the Berryessa hills in a Kitfox. He seemed unfazed by our narrow miss. “See, nothing to worry about,” he remarked jovially. We had reached Fiber Optic.
Two hours’ prior, my dad and I had climbed into the cramped cockpit of the Kitfox, ready to paint the sky with its shining red fuselage. This was the day that we would be flying up to a secluded patch of heaven in the hills known only to a few rugged pilots as Fiber Optic. We climbed up through the crisp December air and journeyed out over the farmland of the central valley. My mom, flying with one of my dad’s friends, was ahead of us in another Kitfox. After cresting the mountains that embrace Berryessa Lake, we descended down into the small meadows and valleys of the mountains, peering down on the valley below us. Our approach followed a few minutes of circling, looking for the secret meadow amongst all of the other nooks and crannies. After our precarious landing, I stepped out of the plane and wandered to the edge of the meadow. Looking down on the lake, I stretched out my arms and let the surrealness of the mountains wash over me; another stretch of California taken in.
I walked back toward the growing encampment of planes. More of my dad’s flying friends had arrived. We all set up for our picnic under a rusting old sign that read: Danger! Buried Fiber Optic Cable! After lunch, I began exploring the meadow. It was riddled with old farming equipment,
long-forgotten tools, and even a stone bathtub. One of the plows was branded with a year: 1890. We had landed on one of California’s early homesteads. Fiber Optic offered endless enjoyments with its small hills to conquer and meandering streams. The meadow’s seclusion had preserved it for the few daring pilots bold enough to descend among the trees. After an hour or two of lazy wandering, my family and I returned to the plane. Along with lunch, we packed two young oak saplings that had sprouted in our yard; perfect for the Berryessa hills. We took them out to the edge of the meadow and, using sticks and rocks, planted them into the fertile California soil.
As my dad and I took off, leaving Fiber Optic, I looked back. I saw out of the corner of my eyes the two saplings. One day I will return, and when I do, I hope to find my two oak trees melting into the Berryessa hillside.
Here's a Video or the trip:
April 2019
I am a Ray Aviation Scholar!
EAA Chapter 52 selected me to be their Ray Aviation Scholarship Recipient!
The Ray Aviation Scholarship Fund is a scholarship program that is supported by the Ray Foundation, managed by EAA, and administered through the EAA Chapter network. Through the generous support of the Ray Foundation, EAA will provide up to $10,000 to deserving youths for their flight training expenses, totaling $1,000,000 in scholarships annually.
The Ray Foundation was founded by James C. and Joan L. Ray. James’ dedication to aviation began shortly after the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, when he enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He was involved in the D-Day invasion as a command B-17 pilot with the 8th Air Force. Post war, he served in the Air National Guard, and was very involved in general aviation following his service years.
James Ray breaking ground on EAA’s Air Academy Lodge with Tom Poberezny.
James Foundation built the Air Academy Lodge. Since 1998, this facility has hosted hundreds of young people each summer at the EAA Air Academy, which gives those ages 12-18 the opportunity to discover more about flight.
I was member of 2017 EAA Advanced Air Academy.
Thank You EAA and the Ray Aviation Foundation!
The Ray Aviation Scholarship Fund is sure to deliver an equally impactful experience for youths who are passionate about aviation.
May 2019
Airplane Wash and Pancake Breakfast!
Flight Training Fund Raiser
I have organized an Airplane Wash event to coincide with EAA Chapter 52's monthly Pancake Breakfast. The kids like me in flight training will be washing, waxing, and detailing airplanes to raise funds for our flight training.
Preparation for the wash included installing a reverse osmosis purified and de-ionized water system (including a 150gal tank) for spot free washing, collecting wash, wax and detail materials, and advertising the wash. We advertised on www.socialflight.com, AOPA’s events calendar, and by emailing contacts at each of the local EAA chapters.
I was worried we’d get too many airplanes, but the three that turned up was just right for our first try. Both of the away visitors found the event on www.socialflight.com. We didn’t get the wash up on the EAA events calendar, and we may try a “chapter blast” one of these months email to all EAA members in the local area.
Over the course of three hours, three airplanes were washed and detailed: Bill Cox’s C172, Eric Cope’s C180 from Calusa, and Billy Forbess’s C150 from Chico.) Feedback from Eric and Billy was strongly positive, but the feedback from Cedric and Carson’s fathers was exhausted! A BIG thanks to Todd who worked tirelessly (or so it seemed to the exhausted me).
All things considered, the Airplane Wash seems like a great new Chapter52 activity.
June 2019
Summer! Flight Training and Flight Training Interruptus
School, Speech&Debate, and Madrigal singing has kept me from my dreams of flight - but with summer I finally get to re-prioritize, or at least substitute flight training for school work.
New Flight School: Summer started with my Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) abandoning me for a different job - so a mad rush was on to find a new flight instructor. CFI availability seems to be low now with the great demand for commercial pilots. Luckily, Rick Stockton - a fellow member of Sacramento EAA Chapter 52 - runs the Wings Flight School (https://wingsflightschool.com).
Flight Training Advise: I have had to move three times between instructors/flight schools. (This has become more common as flight instructors move on to commercial transport jobs). Each time, the new instructor or flight school says they can start up where the other had left off - but the reality is they all started again from near zero which is very frustrating and very expensive! Finally, all of this happens when other commitments (such as school) resulting long breaks in training.
My best advice is:
1) Complete flight training in one go - flying at least 3 times a week, and finishing within three months (for kids such as myself, I suggest completion over summer break).
2) Have your FAA written passed BEFORE beginning flight training, and go though something like the relevant Sporty's Private Pilot course BEFORE each flight. I know it can be a bit difficult to memorize how an engine works when you've never seen under the cowling of an airplane, but put in the time- you're wallet will thank you!
3) Fly the lesson you are expecting to take ahead of time on a flight simulator. These training simulators an be free (https://www.eaa.org/eaa/learn-to-fly/eaa-virtual-flight-academy-resource-center) and really help you master each lesson quickly. This should keep your progress moving forward and making as much progress as possible with each (very expensive) lesson.
Picking the right instructor is important - and often difficult with the low availability of CFI's out there. Talk to the instructor's other students before you start. If their students are all frustrated at lack of progress - get a different flight instructor! Also be sure to get their commitment to be able to provide sufficient time of the duration of your training to finish your training quickly. Once-a-week availability is NOT enough. Also, if the CFI is planning to move to a new job as soon as possible, pick a different instructor. While it's hard to say no to an opportunity for flight training, if you can not expeditiously finish with a flight instructor, you're far better off (at least financially) to pick one that can.
I think if you follow this advice, you could get your private pilot's license for less than $7,000.
Flight Training Interruptus: I have a few other commitments for the summer-
Summer Plan:
June 16-21: National Speech&Debate Competition - Dallas TX
July 5-18: Madrigal invitation to sing at the Vatican - Italy
July 20-28: AirVenture 2019 - Oshkosh WI
Private Pilot Check Ride - Aug 22!
National Speech&Debate Competition
Made it to semi-finals in two events!
July 2019
Madrigals at the Sistine Chapel, St Peter's, and
The International Choral Competition
Incredible performances in unbelievable settings - wow!
And we won second place over all and first place in the contemporary division among the 17 nations and 38 choirs represented!
AirVenture 2019! - I get paid to go to Oshkosh!
Wait, what? Get paid to go to Oshkosh? Yep. LightSpeed Aviation (aviation headset makers) is co-sponsoring my flight training through the Ray Aviation Scholarship. LightSpeed is giving each Ray Scholar one of their Zulu 3 headsets. I wrote to thank them and offered to volunteer at their AirVenture trade booth. I ended up being one of their sales associates during Oshkosh. I think I sold about 20 headsets! The LightSpeed Zulu 3 headset is so good it pretty much sells itself - I'm a big fan.
While I spent most of my time at AirVenture working the LightSpeed Tent, I also got some time with other Ray Scholars. I got to fly into the opening of the Wednesday Night Airshow in a World War II B-17!
Finally, I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time with Alex - a friend I made at the EAA Advanced Air Academy in 2017. She and I got to hangout after LightSpeed and the other vendors closed at 5pm. Alex got her pilot's license last year and is a student at the University of Vermont now.
August 2019
Flight Training /Airplane Washes
I am finally close to getting my Pilot's License! Everyday I bike to the bus, ride the bus to Vacaville, and fly at Wings Flight School.
August 11: The August EAA Chapter 52 Airplane Wash went well. Carson and I washed 3 airplanes and 2 cars:
August 15: Night Cross Country - Vacaville to Redbluff!
August 16: Passed Final phase check - oral and flight test. Hopefully I'm ready for my August 22 FAA Check Ride.
August 22: PASSED my FAA Private Pilot Check Ride!!
I am officially a PILOT!
I would like to say thank you to everyone who helped me along the way. To Gretchen Harper, the Ray Aviation Foundation, Lighstpeed Aviation, Cecil McLemore, and my dad, I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you!
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