November 26, 2019 Abby's Turn

The Liberty Gazette

November 26, 2019

Ely Air Lines
By special guest author, Abby

Hi, my name is Abby. I’m the furry four-legger who lives with Mike and Linda. I wanted to share what I’m thankful for, so while they were sleeping, I accessed Google Translate to get my thoughts onto their computer. I have so much to say about airplanes and flying, and given they’ve had this space every week for twelve and half years, I don’t feel bad about hijacking it just once.

When I was a young girl, the Elys found me at a shelter. I had been paired in a crate with a boy named Chip, and the lady from the shelter talked them into taking us both. I’m glad we came to Liberty to live because when they leave the big front door open, I love to watch through the glass door and bark at all the people who go by. I also bark at the deer at night, but those coyotes and hogs, well, they’re kind of scary.

But you know what’s not scary? Flying! Okay, I will admit I was a wee bit nervous the first time. But when we landed in Llano and got out to sniff the grass… ah, the new smells! The new spots to pee! It was doggie paradise!

And you know what? There are more dogs like me who have been helped by pilots and airplanes. I heard Mike and Linda talking about a program called Pilots N Paws, and it warms my heart to know that so many people who fly love animals that much!

My tail can’t stop wagging from reading all the wonderful stories on the Pilots N Paws website, http://www.pilotsnpaws.org/.

Like Mary and her husband, Todd, pilots from Hunstville, Alabama. On their 73rd Pilots N Paws flight, they flew eight puppies to Jacksonville, Florida, where another pilot took them on to their final destination in Sanford. This was Mary’s way of celebrating her birthday. I’m going to quote her here, because I love what she said. “Unfortunately, many others aren’t as lucky, and as you all know, the only answer to this devastating issue is to spay, neuter, and rescue. All of these dogs are really sweet, and they deserve to be curled up on the living room floor at night—not tossed out like trash.” I love you, Mary!

Oh, and Brad. He is so handsome! You must check him out on the website. I’m thinking of asking Mike and Linda if they’d like to take me to Florida to meet him. Brad was living in a shelter in Bainbridge, Georgia when the Pilots N Paws group offered to help get him to the Labrador Retriever Rescue near Tampa. Pilots Preston and Jenna flew him there, and now he’s in safe hands. He’s so good-looking, I bet he’ll have a forever home in no time!

And I don’t even mind that they help cats, too. In fact, I would be thankful if that orange cat that runs the neighborhood got on a one-way flight somewhere.

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

November 19, 2019 Challenge Air

The Liberty Gazette

November 19, 2019

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: It’s that time of year again when pilots eager to share their love of flight descend on Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport and meet up with families of special needs children and a hundred volunteers. The day is simultaneously rewarding and exhausting. I always come away with a few favorite stories. One this year is about a young man with Down syndrome. A recent high school graduate who had served in the JROTC, graduating with the rank of Major, he was one of the last co-pilots to fly before the sun set.

He returned to the hangar, escorted under the balloon arch and down the red carpet lined with cheering fans, and met his mom at the end. I turned back to look again, and saw his mom wrap her arms around him, his head buried in her. I walked over to them and asked, “Is everything okay? Is there anything you need?”

His mom just smiled and replied, “No, thanks, we’re fine. He’s just overwhelmed. His grandfather flew bombers in World War II, so flying in a plane today is very important to him.”

That’s enough to move me to tears, too. Here was one proud young fellow who had just flown with a special mission in mind: “I flew for my grandfather,” he said.

The great celebration in the hangar included clowns, face painting, arts and crafts, the Chick-fil-A cow, the H-E-B walking grocery bag, Santa Claus, and someone in a pink dinosaur costume. Families and volunteers danced to the music the disc jockey blasted out from hi-fidelity speakers, and everyone loved it. Except, that is, those who are sensory sensitive. Mostly, kids with autism.

“Special needs” covers a wide range, and events intended for “special needs kids” are too often planned without regard to the special needs of kids with autism who cannot take heavy doses of stimuli. I learned this from Jennifer and Wes, a couple who brought their son to Challenge Air last year. “The flight was great,” they explained, “but the rest of it is too much.” So, they offered to make it better for other kids this year.

They set up a walled tent and equipped it with individual floor mats, bean bag chairs, small hand-size plush toys perfect for squeezing, and weighted blankets. This was what they wished had been there last year when their son was bothered by all the noise and activity while awaiting his turn to fly.

One boy came in and immediately lay down on one of the floor mats, finally in a quiet space where he felt comfortable. He tapped the floor mat and said, “Like.” When Santa Claus peeked in the tent to check on how things were going, Jennifer invited him to lie down quietly with the boy. There, in his own element, calming before his flight, he and Santa had a heartwarming bonding.

Thanks to Jen and Wes, the sensory-sensitive tent was a big hit. We look forward to its expanded presence next year.

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

November 12, 2019 Auto-land

The Liberty Gazette

November 12, 2019

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: Electronics manufacturer Garmin announced at the end of last month a project they’d been secretly working on for eight years – Garmin Autoland – which they say can save an airplane with an incapacitated pilot or even take over and land when the weather is too rough for the pilot to land.

Eventually they may offer this for small aircraft such as ours, but for now, they’re starting with small jets, the Piper M600, and then the Cessna Vision Jet. Aircraft must be already equipped with the Garmin’s G3000 advanced navigation system and auto-throttle.

It took the dedication of over 100 Garmin engineers to come to this marvel that is being so widely celebrated in the aviation industry. Among those were human factors experts whose input included requirements built so that non-pilot passengers would be able to switch on the device and understand what’s happening.

The company has already flown more than 800 auto-lands while testing in a variety of aircraft, including piston airplanes. And it seems they’ve thought of everything. All the pilot has to do before flight is show the passenger(s) where the button is, and explain that if the pilot becomes incapacitated, just push that button. The airplane will take over from there.

It will find the nearest safe airport to land on, it will radio for emergency help, it will slow the plane as it descends and lower the landing gear and flaps. It will line up and land right on the center line of the runway, slow to a stop, and shut off the engine(s).

On three screens, passenger(s) will be advised of what is happening at all times, including a map showing the path the airplane is taking, a view with synthetic vision, and a timer advising how many minutes and miles to go. There is also voice command, which will warn passengers not to touch any controls, and when the airplane lands, instructions how to open the doors to exit.

This news has been the buzz ever since it hit the skies, and my friend Yasmina, with whom Mike and I have conducted many a Pinch Hitter course, texted me the morning of the announcement, saying, “I guess we won’t be teaching non pilots how to land airplanes anymore!”

Mike: Avionics have come a long way since I started flying over forty years ago. These tools have made life easier in the cockpit, allowing pilots to stay on top of everything that goes on while flying. Technology is also being tested on simulated hijacking scenarios so that a remote pilot can take over and land the aircraft.

But as nifty as these gadgets are, they are just tools. However smart these machines seem, artificial intelligence will never replace the pilot’s reasoning, born from skills developed by good training, and judgement developed through experience. Falling back on tech as a safety device is okay, relying on it as a primary or sole means of operation is a recipe for disaster.

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

November 5, 2019 A Different Windy City

The Liberty Gazette

November 5, 2019

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: When high winds hit New York City in mid-October, many flights were delayed or canceled. The average delay was just over four hours for those who had not yet departed for New York. For those enroute, the average hold time in the air was 44 minutes. Flights operated with smaller aircraft that have less capability for landing in high crosswinds were nixed altogether. Those mostly were coming from cities closer to New York, whereas larger aircraft are used for longer distances. And how did I come by the details of this not uncommon scenario at this particular time? Mom’s bucket list.

Mom said the last thing she wanted to be sure she did before she leaves this life was to go to the top of the World Trade Center with her three daughters. She wanted a “ladies-only” weekend trip to New York City where we could have a slumber party in a hotel on Times Square and take in Manhattan. I’ll do anything for my mom. Even that.

My sister Diane flew from Bellingham to Seattle, and then took a direct flight from Seattle to JFK on a Boeing 737-900. The crosswinds at JFK were reported to be straight out of the west at 29 knots, gusting to 37. The runways are oriented northeast-southwest, and northwest-southeast. Just picture an X. Those are the options for landing. With the wind coming from straight west, no matter which runway you pick, you have a crosswind. However, it wouldn’t be a direct 90-degree crosswind, since you’d be angled one way or another. Using the highest number, 37-knot gusts, the indirect crosswind came to about 28.3 knots at JFK. That number is well within the 737-900’s capabilities, as long as the runway is dry and in good condition.

However, Mom and my sister Barbara were coming from Indianapolis, a much shorter distance. Their chariot was an Embraer 175. The maximum crosswind of this aircraft is about 7 or 8 knots less, putting them much closer to their limitation. With the forecast calling for continued high winds throughout the night, the airline canceled that flight.

And here I was, heading to Bush Intercontinental, for a flight I knew would be delayed, but on an aircraft I knew could land there.

Long story shortened, we all made it. Mom and Barbara caught a different flight, and I was the last one in, arriving around 1:00 a.m.

Mom won’t be deterred, so we got up early enough to walk Central Park and experience the famous Russian Tea Room, one of Mom’s favorite places. The rest of the weekend included seeing Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway—in Yiddish; dinner at the exclusive Patsy’s Italian Restaurant (where Frank Sinatra had his own spot), and we even scored one of the five tables in the Sinatra Room; and lunch at the top of the World Trade Center, the impetus for this trip.

Mom was determined to take part in the victory of being American, rising from the ashes, no matter which way the wind blows.

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

October 29, 2019 Colorado Cool-Ade

The Liberty Gazette

October 29, 2019

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: The CH-54 Skycrane is so unique looking, it draws a lot of attention. But sometimes, you might not want as much as you get. Last week, Curtis Laird told part of the story of picking up a cargo pod at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, using the big Crane to carry it to Fort Benning, Georgia. This helicopter can carry about 20,000 pounds. It’s no lightweight.

The first leg of that trip was the adventure he shared last week. Here’s what happened after the fuel stop, on the second leg.

Curtis: We planned our next fuel stop to be an airport in Mississippi. As we landed, we immediately realized this airfield was the headquarters for the Mississippi Highway Patrol Aviation Division.

Now a CH-54 draws about as much attention as a B-52, and it wasn’t long before a bunch of them Mississippi pilots had gathered ‘round to ogle our aircraft. The shut-down procedures take a few minutes to complete, and once we had that done, we got out to stretch our legs just as one of the state troopers walked up and asked to look inside the pod – the cargo we were carrying.

Our quick-thinking crew chief advised the trooper that there was classified material on board and no one was allowed within twenty feet of the aircraft.

We filled up with fuel and got on our way, our last leg of this trip back to Fort Benning. Once we were in the air, I asked the crew chief why he told the trooper there was classified material on board. The last time I had checked, there was nothing there but a tarp with a few pieces of luggage under it.

Then someone on the intercom mentioned that some of the guys at Fort Benning would like to have some “Colorado Cool-Ade” and there were a few cases under that tarp. Of course, they were referring to Coors beer, and figured the fine trooper might be a bit surprised if he saw it.

Mike: From firefights and tarantulas, and John-Wayne-style defense in Vietnam to smuggling coveted brew into Georgia that back then you couldn’t buy east of here, Curtis Laird’s accumulated adventures have turned him into a storyteller. If you run into him in the grocery store, take advantage of the opportunity to hear some more, because, as Harry Reasoner explained, “A helicopter does not want to fly. It is maintained in the air by a variety of forces and controls working in opposition to each, and if there is any disturbance in this delicate balance the helicopter stops flying, immediately and disastrously. There is no such thing as a gliding helicopter. That is why being a helicopter pilot is so different from being an airplane pilot.”

Indeed, the helicopter pilot is a different breed. They must anticipate trouble, and as a result, they dance to the beat of their own drum.

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

October 22, 2019 Laird Stateside

The Liberty Gazette

October 22, 2019

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Mike: We’re back with more from Curtis Laird, this time, flying here in his own country.

Curtis: While stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia as operations officer of the 478th Heavy Helicopter Company, we received a mission to fly a CH-54 “Skycrane” to pick up a cargo pod at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. This helicopter weighs about 20,000 pounds when it’s empty. It can carry so much load and still fly weighing as much as 42,000 pounds. The fuel stops on the return trip were the places that gave me more stories to tell.

Nearing our first stop, Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, we advised the tower controller we’d be refueling. To our surprise, they advised of “a situation in progress,” and they’d direct us where to park. Unfortunately, they were leading us to a light load parking area. To top it off, the area had just been paved with asphalt. Fresh asphalt in Louisiana in July could be a problem for such heavy aircraft. We’d be taking on several thousands of pounds of fuel and if we parked there, we’d sink for sure. Somehow, this information fell on deaf ears. They told us to stay put and a refueler would be with us shortly. When we were ready to depart, we were told again to wait. All this time, our helicopter’s weight (now heavier with full fuel) couldn’t have been good news for that new paving job.

My solution to this problem was to request a vertical take-off to 5,000 feet. Then, whatever “situation” they had in progress wouldn’t be affected by us taxiing or otherwise being in the way. By this time, we had sunk eight inches into the asphalt, so I advised the tower controller we’d be upward bound as soon as we got unstuck. To accomplish this, we rocked the bird to loosen it from the sticky stuff. The “collective” is what you pull to make the helicopter go up. I pulled it up to my armpit, and in about a minute we were straight up, 5,000 feet.

Since they’d been so difficult to work with just getting fuel, I had one last “dig” for them before we were out of their airspace. “You’ll need to get someone out to that parking apron,” I said, “and fill those holes before someone taxis into one.” The silence was golden.

The controller evidently wasn’t familiar with the capabilities of our ship. The Skycrane set several records back in 1968: A vertical climb to 9,800’ in one minute, 38 seconds; a vertical climb to 29,000’ in seven minutes, 54 seconds; and a max ceiling (the highest it could go) of 31,400’.

The next flight offered a bit of a surprise.

Linda: You’ll have to wait until next week for that one. But it’s worth it. Here’s a hint: that CH-54 is so unique looking, it draws a lot of attention. Sometimes, you might not want as much as you get.

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

October 15, 2019 Curtis Laird on How to Drop Gunpowder

The Liberty Gazette

October 15, 2019

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Mike: Remember last week’s story from the Literature of Laird, about him going all John Wayne and getting those seven dump trucks in a circle to protect their aircraft overnight from the Viet Cong? That happened in Kontum and just a few days later, he was assigned another mission to fly back there again.

Curtis: On that next mission, it seemed the enemy wanted to make everybody miserable as they started a periodic shelling of the airfield and some of the surrounding area. We were flying loads of gunpowder and projectiles to the friendly artillery as they were trying to make the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese miserable also.

These loads we carried with our heavy-duty helicopters called Cranes averaged between 14,000 and 15,000 pounds each. That’s a lot of gunpowder. We were in-bound with our first load when we radioed those in charge at the Kontum airfield to ask where they wanted us to release it. We were quite surprised at the instructions. It seemed the bad guys were trying to knock out the airfield, and we would have to deliver the loads onto the beds of moving five-ton trucks.

The “plan,” if you want to call it that, was as we would make our approach, a truck would zoom out of a revetment and race down the runway, dodging the craters from their mortar attacks. We would approach the moving vehicle from the rear and deposit the load in the bed. The truck would continue, darting back into another revetment for safety. Like other unique situations we encountered in war, this was another one of those “no rehearsal” exercises.

Although we all had a lot of apprehension about surviving this plan, fortunately, it worked. Three weeks later, my unit relocated south about 120 miles, and there was no more Kontum for a while.

Linda: When Curtis was back in the U.S., he flew medivac for the U.S. Army. That experience showed him that people are capable of doing the worst things to each other, no matter what country they’re in. But he also had some interesting experiences flying here stateside. And talk about the importance of being flexible, ready for anything and ability to “turn on a dime”… Fortunately, Curtis’ previous forays into adventure taught him to think fast on his feet. Like that time he was flying from Fort Benning, Georgia to Fort Sill, Oklahoma to pick up a cargo pod for the 478th Heavy Helicopter Company.

Nearing the fuel stop at Barksdale AFB in Louisiana, Curtis and crew advised the tower controller they’d be refueling. To their surprise, the controller advised of “a situation in progress,” and they’d direct the helicopter where to park. Unfortunately, they led them to a light load parking area which had just been paved with asphalt. Fresh asphalt in Louisiana in July could be a problem for such heavy aircraft. Come back next week for that story and more.

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

October 8, 2019 Curtis Laird's John Wayne Moment

The Liberty Gazette

October 8, 2019

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Mike: When Linda and I visited Vietnam a couple of years ago, our Mekong River tour guide, Vi, explained that the area was once heavily populated by tigers. Linda asked, “Where are all the tigers now?” Vi said with a grin, “They went to the restaurants.”

Curtis Laird is back this week with more from his time in Vietnam.

Curtis: Upon arriving “in country” for my second tour, in August of 1968, I received numerous briefings and an update on the tactical situation. A few days later, I was in the cockpit getting my in-country checkout, and it felt good to be back in the air again. A few days after this, I was flying missions with a more experienced aircraft commander. One of those missions I remember well was to fly to Kontum and extract two 155mm Howitzers from a mountaintop fire base and deliver them to the Kontum airfield.

The first lift went well, and we returned to the mountaintop for our second lift. After hook-up and hover check, we transitioned out of the fire base enroute to the airfield. It was then that the #1 engine dropped completely offline. This created a situation all aviators hate to be caught up in.

We contacted Kontum and advised them of our problem, and that we would try and release our 15,000-pound load by the runway. The plan was to make a modified running landing and release right before touchdown. We went over the plan with the flight engineer and crew chief. All agreed, this was our best option. There would be no rehearsals.

Fortunately, the plan worked perfectly. After the artillery guys got their guns and left, we checked the aircraft over and determined the engine malfunction was due to a mechanical problem. Unfortunately, the needed parts would have to be flown in from Camp Hollaway in Pleiku. It was getting dark, and we were in the rainy season which meant the flight crew would have to stay overnight in the bunkers. The aircraft would be left out in the open, a prime target for the enemy.

However, there happened to be an Engineer Dump Truck Company in the area. After locating the commander and explaining our situation to him, he agreed to let us borrow seven dump trucks to surround our aircraft. We hoped the trucks would protect the helicopters from rocket and mortar fire.

After positioning the trucks, we all retired to the bunkers where we spent a restless night. There were many explosions overnight, but mostly from a distance. The maintenance crew flew in the next day with the parts, and by the time we were back up and flyable, it was already getting dark again. But we were not keen on spending another night in Kontum, John Wayne style, so we flew back to Camp Hollaway, that being the lesser risk.

Linda: Good thing the tigers were gone by then. The people there were bad enough.

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

October 1, 2019 Curtis Laird's Wildlife

The Liberty Gazette

October 1, 2019

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: We met up with Dayton’s Curtis Laird again. That always results in storytelling, you know. During his tours in Vietnam, the veteran helicopter pilot took time to see the beauty of the country and the wild, wildlife.

Curtis: The beaches and coastal area of Vietnam are amazing. White sand, blue sea, and coconut palms made me wonder if Robinson Crusoe was following me. I’d marvel at the full moon over the South China Sea, and especially the contrails of about twenty-five B-52s, in the moonlight.

On one of my daytime missions along the coast, we were to fly from Qui Nhon to Nha Trang and recon some islands. There was a little scud (low clouds) onshore, so we flew about a quarter mile offshore. A few minutes into the flight, I saw on the horizon what appeared to be a swift boat. These were not common in this area. As we closed in on it, we ruled out boat but still could not identify it. I told the crew chief and gunner to ready up. We were going to check it out. Upon close observation, we discovered we’d prepared for battle with a giant oceanic manta ray on a feeding frenzy. It was a beautiful sight, as it would lift its wings out of the water, then slap the surface, then swim around and feed on its prey. We estimated it to be fifteen feet from wingtip to wingtip, but those rays can get over twenty-five feet.

Some of the other coastal wildlife and fowl are wild deer, ducks, peafowl, cuckoos, pheasants, and lots of no-shoulders. That is, snakes.

Going inland to the central highlands, it’s like entering a different world. Lush vegetation, waterfalls, valleys with steep slopes of greenery. There are wild boar, bear, monkeys, and green, blue and yellow parakeets, which leads me to another tale.

We were coming off general support status, relocating to provide assistance to another unit. The flight leader decided we would fly low level in loose formation. There were some uncomfortable feelings about this. There we were at treetop level (sometimes referred to as the nap of the earth), twelve aircraft going about 90-100 knots. Well into the flight, the leader made some erratic movements. We thought he was taking fire, but he came up on the radio and advised he’d had a bird strike. That was a relief given the alternative, but it did leave a big hole in the left chin bubble.

After things settled down from that excitement, I saw a blue cloud fly by. The radio came to life again. Some of the other crews had seen it also. Then we saw a green cloud about the same size as the blue one. That’s when we discovered we had flown right through parakeet country, putting its residents in panic mode.

Mike: Come back next week for another installment of Laird Storytelling.

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

September 24, 2019 Turnberry and the Bruce!

The Liberty Gazette

September 24, 2019

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Mike: “At the round-about take the SECOND exit,” repeats in my head even though we’ve been back from Scotland almost two weeks. The GPS’s message seems permanently planted in my brain. While recently visiting the Scottish Lowlands, I renewed my familiarity with driving from the right seat on the left-hand side of the road while turning right around traffic circles. A lot of traffic circles. The rental car’s navigation system sounded irritated when I did not follow its prompts. At least I didn’t have to shift gears, thanks to the automatic transmission, somewhat of a luxury in Europe.

Linda was on a mission, and I was the designated driver. She is doing research on a notorious ancestor of hers, one Sir Robert Logan, who provided a great deal of material suitable for an epic play. Today’s destination was the ruins of Turnberry Castle, south of Ayr, and the birthplace of Robert the Bruce, a former king of Scotland, also her ancestor. There isn’t much left of the castle, but it provided an opportunity to see part of the country’s west coast.

A lighthouse built in the 19th century now stands where the castle walls were tumbled down early in the 14th century. But some of the old walls are still visible. We took advantage of a break in rain showers and walked half a mile from the parking area through a golf course. That’s when I discovered this was also a Royal Air Force base, not once, but twice. In fact, the paved path on which we strode cut across the middle of a slab of runway.

The links existed before World War I. When the fighting began, the property was requisitioned and turned into a training base for the Royal Air Corps. Cadets spent three weeks learning to fly and shoot guns in aerial combat. When the hostilities were over, it was reverted to long, rough fairways, soft, manicured greens, and a boatload of sand traps.

During World War II, once again it was enlisted. The RAF’s Coastal Command trained pilots in torpedo-bombers to drop a new kind of bomb, the “Highball,” that bounced along the water into the sides of enemy ships. But they never used it in battle. Later, the RAF based their Consolidated B-24 Liberators here. They carried torpedoes, depth charges, and rockets, for knocking out German U-boats in the Atlantic.

From a small hillock, the runway seemed short. The wind whipped, and the rain splattered. A monument to the lost airmen of World War I overlooked the torrential waters of the Firth of Clyde. A bump of granite that formed a dome over a volcano long ago stuck out of the sea. They call the rock Ailsa Craig.

I imagined heavily laden B-24s lumbering down the hastily constructed concrete runways into windswept skies. I listened for the rumble of their radial engines. I’d much rather hear that than the GPS voice enthusiastic about a roundabout.

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com