| The Beacon Issue No. 8, Winter 2010
|
Greetings!
The airport has been abuzz with increased activity lately, even with the recent cold snaps. Fantastic flying days have been many, including a few that sharpened our crosswind skills!
We would love to hear if any of you have made any special trips recently. Feel free to send a short summery and pictures for the next Beacon.
|
Darn Battery Got Me Again!
By Allen Brinckerhoff
|
Well gang we just got through one of the longest cold spells
I can ever remember. Think your airplane, car, golf cart batteries are ready to
give you 100% performance. Probably not. Why? Because most of us abuse the heck
out of our batteries we buy. Especially the ones in our planes.
The batteries in our planes (cars and golf carts too) have a
few bad habits besides being heavy, awkward to handle, and loaded with
sulfuric acid:
They
lose voltage when they are just sitting around. They
"sulfate" which reduces the amount of charge they can accept. A
battery will NOT be
fully charged after 30 minutes on a 50 amp charger or the same flying
around in your car.
There have been numerous articles written on the subject of
sulfation, de-sulfating, equalization, charge capacity, C1 capacity, CCA
(cold cranking amps), capacity testing, etc.
Here is the bottom line: Put your battery on a charger.
"Excellent idea. I will go buy one for $6.95 at Harbor
Freight." You just graduated from "neglect
to abuse" of your battery. Here are two companies whose products
I use and have been very happy with the results:
Batterytender.com
Batteryminders.com
Our aircraft batteries typically cost $140 to $430. Abuse
(neglect) your battery and spend this amount of money every year or get a
$39.95 charger (minimal recommendation) and have your battery last 4-5 years
like it should.
I know this is a short basic article. I did it on purpose to
save space in The Beacon and hopefully keep your interest long enough to read
the entire article. If you have questions or want additional information, send
me an email and I will be glad to email you additional educational links or
talk with you about your battery challenges.
Allen Brinckerhoff
abrinckerhoff2@cfl.rr.com
|
Pilots N' Paws
|
I recently joined this organization which is a meeting place for those who rescue, shelter or foster animals, and
pilots and plane owners willing to assist with the transportation of
animals.
If you are interested in this organization visit their website. I believe at least one other OAA pilot is a member. What a fun way to fill a seat!
Pilots N Paws
Erika Henderson
|
Plane Shots
|
Here our owners and visitors share pictures of their beloved planes.
TOP - Bill's Baby
MIDDLE - Bella Rose C-421B
BOTTOM - Dave & Barb's Camanche
|
Charity Needs Flight to Haiti
|
|
Acupuncturists Without Borders (AWB) is trying to arrange transport into Haiti for small groups of
acupuncturists. Do you know of anyone who has a plane and willingness
to help with transport? The acupuncturists are all volunteers and will
be paying their own way. Commercial flights are pretty much non
existant. AWB is considered a second responder and we treat first
responders and survivors for PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder).
Thanks
Darcy Wolfe
407-310-6046
|
Visual Tour of Orlando /Apopka Airport
|
Just in case you missed it last issue:
|
