Delta pilot Ken Hicks polishes up the firewall of his Thorpe T-18, watched admiringly by Copaguy Tony Swain. Photo by Bob Christen
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1971 - BESSY in the weeds at Delta after Tony's first solo Harvard landing in 18 years. Photo by Mary Swain |
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August 1971 - Tony preflights Bessy at Arlington EAA Fly-in. Short haired guy at left is Gogi Goguillot, then Delta EAA Chapter 85 President, now General Manager of Langley's Canadian Museum of Flight. Photo by Mary Swain |
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Mary hand pumps gas at Banff, Oct. '71. Photo by Tony Swain |
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Tony thanks Bob Christen for a great flight around the Delta area in his sporty Piel Minicab. Photo by Ken Hicks |
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Delta pilot Ken Hicks polishes up the firewall of his Thorpe T-18, watched admiringly by Copaguy Tony Swain. Photo by Bob Christen |
By Tony Swain, COPA BC & Yukon
You never know when you're going to meet airplane people.
The Mary won "The Most Convivial Member" award at the local sailing school and
got to dance with the top instructor, me. Everyone left the floor to watch us
jive! I was smitten. However, my crafty chat line to find where she worked, "So
where do you flog your fish then?" prompted a shocked.
"I don't FLOG fish!" Whereupon, she grabbed her coat and left.
Sigh. Back to the party and my regular date. How was I to know she was the local
seafood celebrity.
But, next morning, scrubbing up at the fish shop, Mary told her staff, "Last
night I met my fella! He doesn't know it yet, but he'll be around."
Took about six weeks, and I happened by her shop, and there she was chopping
away at a salmon. Our eyes locked, she beckoned me in, offered coffee, which I
politely accepted, but actually detest.
Various female staff kept eyeballing me, and wanted me gone, so they could clean
up. Mary hissed, "This is The Guy!" ...and the rest is history.
Turned out one brother had a Luscombe, one a Super Cub on floats, and another
brother set up a couple of Air Services at Campbell River. What more could a guy
want?
LET'S GO GET ONE...
So, we worked away at my current project, getting Doc Pickup's old Waco Cabin
back in the air.
She changed plugs, had her Dad rebuild cabin doors, built a workshop and
everything... But the enormity of the job defeated us. We looked around for
something to actually fly.
I'd been flying Darters and Canucks out of Altair Aviation at Pitt Meadows. I
didn't really have any money, and in 1970 Cessna 150's were running fifteen
grand. I said if I was going to spend that kind of money, I'd rather buy one of
those scruffy old Harvards for six thousand, and spend the rest on gas.
I expected the kaibosh on that, you know, the nesting thing, houses, furniture,
nurseries, etc.
"If that's what you want, let's go get one!" says The
Mary.
Well, down to Delta's Used Harvard Lot, and they had one running. Owner Darmel
Diston had Bob Haslam, another Harvard owner to take me for a demo ride. And
Bob's your uncle... Mary loaned me the money, and Bessy was ours. Subject to
inspection. Now what?
My engineer friend John McLeavey was away in Hawaii, so we had to fill in time
washing, digging out bird nests, and changing a corroded stabilizer. Then it was
ready to go.
SUDDEN WHIFF...
Firing up that big Pratt and Whitney for the first time was an amazing time warp
sensation. The whine of the starter, screech of the clutch, chug, pop, bang,
shake, chuff, chuff, bumble, shudder, bumble, rumble, rumble!
But the sudden whiff of hot mineral oil, wafting back through the cockpit hurled
me back to 1953. Instantly, I was an 18 year old Penhold Flight Cadet! Amazing,
a true Harvard smell is unforgettable!
It had been 18 years, and Delta guys hovered about with movie cameras, hoping to
catch that first lift off. I did lot's of fast taxiing, tail up and all. But my
recent experience was Chapter 85's Piper J5 Cub, so I chickened out, and asked
Aerobatic Club instructor Mel Lee to check me out. An ex RCAF instructor, he was
delighted.
The runways at Penhold (Red Deer) had been 3500 feet long. Delta's diagonal was
1600, with a deep ditch and ten foot high dike at the end! I fretted we wouldn't
get off.
"No problem" said Mel, "There's six Harvards here, they all flew in." All very
well, but I'd seen none fly out!
Taxiing for take off, I almost dropped the tail in the ditch for another six
inches. The big nose hid the dike.
"Looks awful short?" I whimped. "It's fine," says he, "Give her 36 inches and go
for it. Just DO NOT CHANGE YOUR MIND!"
We were off in 800 feet, looking down at all the movie cameras like little ants
milling about. No sweat!
We did a bunch of slow flying, stalls, and circuit routines in the local
practice area out by The Trestle. No
Boundary Bay traffic those days. No Boundary Bay!
It was like I'd never been away. All the checks, power settings, procedures et
al, just popped up from some back-up folder in my brain. Air Force training was
very, very, good.
NOT TO WORRY...
After an hour and some, he says "OK, Let's go back." We shot a couple or so
touch and goes, with a couple of full stops. We shut down and went for coffee
and me for tea. My shirt back and armpits were dripping wet, so Mary anxiously
asked Mel how I made out?... "Oh, not to worry," Mel said, "He's a natural."
Alright for him to say. So, after tea, I had to go do it. It was July 11, 1971.
Amidst a whirr of cine cameras and Mary's basic click clicker, off I went.
Those days they only mowed the runway, the rest was hay. Little homebuilts
couldn't see over it! ...So the first full stop was a bit fraught in the deep
grass up near the dike.
After more tea, Mary and I took a wonderful sightsee over to Howe Sound, and
back via Grouse Mountain to Delta.
What a great day. In August we took friends for rides at the Arlington Fly-in.
October we crossed The Rocks to encounter a rogue blizzard at Exshaw, thus our
urgent landing at Banff. Then to Calgary, Red Deer, Panoka, Claresholm, through
a turbulent Crow Pass, Penticton and home.
A fantastic year. Old Bessy truly is a Magic Carpet.
DELTA MINI PLANES...
It's been a funny winter. Isn't it always? Nice in the week, and wet and
blustery weekends. Saturdays I usually get bogged down with air park business,
collecting rents, talking hangars, giving tours, and all, and all.
I think… tomorrow, I fly! But tomorrow it rains, blows, the tug has a flat tire,
we have to go to dinner, and other routine distractions. apart from that, I'm
not exactly an early riser, so the days are shorter than most folks. However,
after such a day, there was a window of clement weather. By my calculations, by
the time I'd fixed the tire, boosted the battery, etc. etc., and actually
strapped in, it would be dark. Sigh.
"How about a ride in the Minicab?" says Bob Christen.
Now that's one cute little plane. And it has a new, more powerful engine. But
it's little, and I'm big. Bob ain't no slouch either. No problem says he. We
shall leap in the air.
Well? ..."Go on!" says The Mary, "It'll do you good. You're getting pretty
grumpy these days."
OK I thought, but worried I'd put a big foot through the wing fabric. One gets
used to stomping about on Bessy.
JUST HUMS...
Once in, it was very comfy. Very business like panel, Velcro stick-on radio...
(I'd like one of those,) great view over the nose. Bob has sort of tow hook
snapped to a tie down for the hand-prop procedure.
Vroom, she fired up right away. He climbs in and gets comfy and checks me out.
All set, he just releases the hook, and we are on our way.
Just hums like a sewing machine. Leaps into the air and climbs out more briskly
than I do with 600 horse power.
Sigh. One forgets. He didn't need to rub it in by mentioning the cupful of gas
we'd be using. Anyway, we hum along at 120 mph, up and down, round and round.
I'm allowed to drive. Very responsive, but turns so quickly, that I find it
difficult to do a pylon turn without flying immediately over the pylon whatever.
Old Bessy would trundle around a nice big circle, but the Minicab simply pivots
on the wing tip. Takes some getting used to.
After a bit, I joined the circuit, and found the lack of things to check
downwind a bit unnerving, turned base all very professional, to final... and
found us way too high. No flaps you know, and the Mini is slippery, and floats,
despite my 235 pounds.
Bob took over and plunked her down. A little long, but no sweat. Fantastic ride.
Should get one of these for after.
WORKING GUYS...
All fired up with renewed enthusiasm for compact aeroplanes, I wandered into Ray
Roussey's immaculate hangar to commiserate with Ken Hicks, polishing away on the
firewall of his Thorpe 18, which awaits a fancy new rebuilt engine.
Ken is Delta's fuel pump computer specialist volunteer, and is pleased to be
inside and cosy, not out on his bleak winter tie down. We were over-awed by his
stamina, braving winter's icy blast setting up our new fuel pump system during
'The Troubles'. But here, he's cheerful as always, enjoying the ambiance.
Ray's Navion is away at a restoration shop getting a whole passel of new stuff
installed. A member of the celebrated Canadian Fraser Blues formation team,
Ray's steed needs to be Tickety Boo.
Reminds me of the time's we've had Bessy in bits all over the hangar floor. And
earlier, outside, all over the tie down spot, that was very distracting. Passing
friends blowing cowls all over the place.
With all this activity, looks like a great summer.
THE BAY GUYS...
The Boundary Bay Flying clubrooms are by the gate in the old farmhouse at Delta.
It was comfy, but showing it's age. Don Brown and his new executive felt
something needed to be done. Well, they did it, and what a change.
By removing some cupboards, and superfluous furniture, they created an amazing
feeling of space. Walls were painted or repapered, and lighting modernized. It's
like a new apartment. Fresh and clean.
The big inaugural do was St. Patrick Day's Pot Luck social, when a packed house
of green people scoffed Irish stew, dumplings and cake. Pres Brown led a
rousting sing-a-long in grand style, Umpah Oompahing Irish classics on his
electronic piano.
It's wonderful to see the BBFC taking a more active role at the Airpark and
their new thinking will freshen the mix in committee. Mike Moffat takes over as
rep from Kurt Fischbacher, who did a great job the last six years.
The Bay Flyers will host a couple of monthly Delta Breakfasts this year, July
and September, a welcome relief for the regular crews. In co-operation with the
new Delta COPA Flight 5, they expect to host three Young Eagles Days this year,
and be more actively involved in the Delta fly-in, Sat July 5, they're doing the
breakfast. (Note the breakfast is on the first Saturday, not second Sunday, for
July only.)
POLITICAL STUFF...
At the March board meeting, many of the items troubling us were discussed in
detail. A number of major things are now under intense study, and ongoing
negotiations. Banff and Jasper, BC Lake Access, BC Hangar Taxes.
Finance Minister Collins has advised he sees no need to change the present
system, claiming it to be more flexible than the previous Ontario taxation
method. We are unhappy with that, and are preparing a response in an effort to
convince the BC government how unfair it is to treat non-commercial aviation as
a commercial matter.
COPA is looking to support the Homebuilders Inspectors MDRI program, and we are
talking with EAA International to partner with COPA in, for example, helping to
finance inspector training.
Homebuilt and ultralight aircraft are the fastest growing sector of aviation,
and we are concerned that the system will be overwhelmed by requests for the
required inspections. Builders in remote locations face a particular problem,
and so it is to everyone's benefit that the system be bolstered somewhat
END BITS...
An overabundance of Award Nominations were received this year, and it has been a
big job sorting through the excellent submissions. Some this year detailed
activities concerned with commercial operations, which lay beyond our scope as
COPA.
The Awards Committee thank all those who submitted nominations, both successful
or not. Successful candidates will be advised by snail mail. The 2003 Awards
Banquet will be held on the Saturday evening at our Oshawa convention on June
14. See you there!
And that's it, except that since the April column, The Mary has been pestering
to see my scar.
Take care and Fly Safe...
Tony Swain has been a COPA member for over 20 years and has been an active
participant in many aviation groups. He flies many types of aircraft and is
concerned about the rights of sport pilots.