By Jerry Rosie (USUA #A86096)

It's May and outdoor activities have started. But, I didn't even have to look at a calendar to know that. Newsletters, as received by USUA at its Gettysburg location, are full of reports of people doing things and planning things.

Steve Clements, of the Top Fun Flyers in Boise, ID, reports on a fly in breakfast they had which featured pancakes, potato cakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, milk, juice, coffee, sweet rolls and other fixins. This bountiful repast was followed by a class on figuring weight and balance from scratch, presented by Doug Kandle, as a step in converting an ultralight airplane to a Light Sport Aircraft. This is one of many breakfasts that this active club has scheduled throughout the year. Be sure to check out the USUA calendar if you are anywhere in the vicinity to drop in on their activities. (A note to Steve if he is reading this - If you could provide some more detail to your scheduled activities we could explain them more to the folks reading this column.)

And in the not too distant future, we have a letter announcing the twelfth annual "World's Smallest Air Show" at Brian Ranch Airport in Llano, CA. This event will be held on Memorial Day weekend, May 27 and 28 from 8AM to 2PM each day and feature ultralight competitions, aerial demonstrations, sky divers, classic cars and classic air planes. They also hold a fairly active 'swap meet' for those of you with some excess parts, or those who may be looking for just the part you need to finish your project or repair job. There are facilities for camping and a pot luck barbeque is planned for Saturday night.

A postcard from the North Central Ultralight Club of Kimball, SD lists four fly ins starting on Memorial Day and finishing the year up on August 27th. If you are in the area, I'm sure they would welcome you to any of their planned activities.

Throughout the country, folks are reporting the completion, or near completion, of projects and new airplanes, all expected to take the air within months, while others are working on their current craft in preparation for registering them as Light Sport Aircraft. The Black Mesa Flyers of USUA Club 555, in Chino Valley, AZ report two new aircraft have joined those flying with this club. One is a Hi-Max project about to be completed by Bob Lorigan, and the other, a Kolb recently purchased by Jim Beard, has just joined the club with its owner as a new member. Looks like Ultralighting is still alive and well in many parts of the country.

Which is a fairly good lead in to the next topic. At the Annual USUA meeting at Sun N Fun in Lakeland Florida this year, a club member asked, "Why should my club continue its affiliation with USUA?" On reflection, this is a valid question, and each of us probably have our own set of answers. I'll leave it to the officers of the organization to provide the list of reasons that USUA membership for clubs and individuals is worthwhile but, I found a good answer in an article reprinted in the "Lite-Wing News", the newsletter of EAA Ultralight Chapter 104 of Murfreesboro, TN.

I am selecting portions of this article that was originally published in 'Yahoo Ultralight Groups' and was submitted by Ken Franks, who writes, "I was travelling from my base airport in Virginia to the Father's Day Fly In at Footlight Ranch in Pennsylvania. As you may be aware, I have a Hawk Classic II, and it has a legal waiver as a USUA UL trainer. The trainer is registered with USUA and has the required numbers on it. I was travelling with my USUA AFI who was in another "N" numbered aircraft. Due to having to fly around the Washington ADIZ, the trip required a fuel stop. We chose Fredrick airport in Maryland for this purpose......We did not go to the main FBO, instead choosing a smaller operation away from the center of the airport. While inside, we noticed two men approaching the airplanes. When they began looking inside and trying to open the doors, on both airplanes, we went outside to see who they were and what they wanted.

"Assuming that it was just a couple of guys interested in the planes which is not uncommon, we approached, and I asked if I could be of any assistance. It turned out, one of them was the FBO Operator and the other was an FAA Inspector who was a friend of his, and had been contacted by the FBO, to come out and look at the planes..... The FAA inspector asked to see my license, aircraft papers, airworthiness certificate, and wanted to know if I had an Operator's Manual on board. I told him that the airplane was an UL trainer, and was being operated under a waiver to part 103, and presented him with a copy of part 103 and the waiver letter from USUA..... Since, at the time, I was training for USUA BFI, the waiver was in the name of the USUA AFI in the other plane..... He stated that the waiver did not allow solo operation of the airplane by a student. At that point, the AFI took over the discussion and pointed out the language of the waiver that does allow student solo. The inspector then decided that the supervised solo mentioned in the waiver did not allow the student to operate the airplane while being followed by the AFI in a second airplane. The inspector turned to me and stated that the plane was considered an unregistered airplane, that all operations were illegal, and that I would not be allowed to move it as he was planning to impound it. Furthermore he intended to cite me for illegal operation of an unregistered aircraft (ED. a criminal offense)......

"It was a Friday, and the AFI suggested that the inspector should call his office for additional guidance. The inspector said he did not require any guidance. That is when we all went inside the FBO to make a few phone calls. On the way in, the AFI called USUA and put the inspector on the phone. That conversation went on for some time and, of course, I heard only the FAA side of the discussion. I gathered the gist of it was that the inspector was not interpreting the law correctly, and USUA FAXED HIM SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, AND THE LATEST RULES COVERING STUDENT SOLO OPERATIONS OF UL TRAINERS. [caps are mine for emphasis].....My final point, and the point of my original post is that ramp checks can and do occur at any time and place. Just because people do not rush to post their experiences on the internet, or you do not know someone who has had one, does not change this fact."

Ken was permitted to continue his flight, as planned. I will leave it to the reader to deside whether or not membership in USUA proved valuable in this instance.

The Albuquerque Ultralight Association folks are not watching their mechanic's tool box again so we can sneak a peak:

Pry Bar: A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding the clip or bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50-cent part.

Hose Cutter: A tool used to cut hoses 1/2 inch too short for the intended purpose.

That's it for this month - keep your newsletters coming so folks around the country know what you're doing and can pick up some ideas from you for their own activities. Take care now - I'm going to the airport!!!!

Cheers, Jerry