By Jerry Rosie (USUA #A86096)

Last month I promised to complete the saga of Jeff Bean's (Shirley, Mass Crowhoppers, Club 508) trip to Nova Scotia, but I would be totally remiss if I didn't first comment, favorably, on the first issue of the newsletter from the Canyon County Ultralight Club of Tioga County, Pennsylvania. The format is impressive with appropriate color photos to accentuate the articles presented. In reading the articles, we find that this brand new club has already sponsored a Sport Pilot Knowledge Seminar, a three day event attended by 21 students, many of whom have already passed their Sport Pilot Knowledge Exam. Not to rest on their laurels, they also participated in two breakfast flyins with the Canyon County Pilot's Association, to benefit local charities and the victims of Katrina. They have also been featured on a local TV show, " 'Round the County", produced by Ken VanSant of VanSant Productions, which included a video tour of the county from the back seat of Tom Freeman's Powered Parachute. For a new Club, this group really "rocks"! Now that my Aeronca is again airworthy, I hope to be able to visit with them at one of their flyins next year (the MiniMax just doesn't have the range, and crossing the mountains on one cylinder has me a bit concerned).

Before we get to the feature of this month, I also have to comment on the efforts of the Terre Haute Ultralight Club to increase the safety of flying at Keedot Airport. They have established, with due consideration of neighboring air activity and the prevailing winds, a firm traffic pattern and designated a "preferred runway", with provisions for announcing that fact, none of which had existed to this point. They also donated $500 to Operation Migration, an effort to reintroduce Whooping Cranes to the east coast, by leading their migration with ultralight aircraft. Good going, folks.

And now, we return to New Glasgow, Canada where we find Jeff Bean awaking to yet another foggy morning. The fog cleared about 10:00 AM, and he departed for Guysbourough where he located the golf course he had planned to land at, but decided to divert to see if he could locate a Grass Strip at Canso that had been mentioned at his last stop. He reports that flying the coast was one of the most spectacular sights he had ever seen as he proceeded to the point farthest east you can go. He apparently could not locate the mentioned air strip because he found himself with about a quarter of a tank of gas and decided to head back to Guysbourough.

Here we return to Jeff's own words. "I kept looking for the strip or anyplace I could land. Thought of landing on the highway but afraid of oncoming traffic. I did spot a small field right next to the water and thought I could land there. It was a perfect landing EXCEPT for the little pine tree at the end, which I happened to hit head on! What a bummer to come this far and have this happen. I was pinned in by the control bar with the engine running, shut the engine off, and got myself out. The only damage was to the fiberglass body, it got smashed in a couple of places. Other than that, the prop, engine and wing were fine. My first thought was to take it apart and ship it back to the states for repair, but the homeowner of the field in which I landed gave me a ride to his home, where I met Karen who suggested that I get it fixed here and fly it back. Kenny, the home owner, said he knew of a boat builder nearby who could repair fiberglass, and before I knew it, Thomas, the local boat builder, had my trike on a trailer heading for his repair ship. Within two days, Thomas called to say it was ready to go. He mentioned that I would have to get the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Fire Department's approval to use the road for take off. I did not want to take the chance of trying to fly out of the field; one accident was enough for me.

"It is now Thursday about 2PM, it's raining, and I am waiting for a call back from the RCMP to see when and if I can use the roadway. I am now thankful that I waited in St Stephens for the Customs folks to get written permission to fly in Canada.

"Lesson learned: Never leave one airport if you don't know for sure where the next one is!"

At this point Jeff had logged 766 total miles and 13.8 hours in the air.

We have to wait for the next issue of the Crowhopper Times to learn of Jeff's return flight, but, we do know that he did make it safely.

We leave you, this month, with another look into the Albuquerque ultralight Association's mechanic's tool box:

AIR COMPRESSOR: A machine that takes energy produced in a coal-burning power plant 200 miles away and transforms it into compressed air, that travels by rubber hose to a pneumatic impact wrench, that grips rusty bolts last tightened 60 years ago, and rounds them off.

You all take care now and have a Very Merry Christmas and a Gloriously Happy New Year.