What's Up
by LeRoy Cook
1-20-2025
Suggested Banner: Gotta Watch Out For Those RUDs
What humans could not do, nature managed on its own. Butler
airport’s black asphalt accepted the sun’s rays even on sub-freezing days and
melted away most of the ice and packed snow by mid-week, and when the temp hit
50 F. on Friday even the deadhead push-chunks turned into puddles. We managed a
few flights from the restricted runway earlier, but by last weekend we were
back to normal width.
So, why not salt the pavement and speed up the melting? Or
why not spread some cinders for traction? Airports don’t use salt because most
airplanes are made of aluminum, which corrodes quickly in the presence of brine
(don’t buy a plane that’s been based on the seacoast). And cinders get sucked
up by propellers and jet intakes, chipping prop blades and compressor fans.
Liquid urea is used at commercial airports.
Aircraft movements were limited last week; a couple of Piper
Warriors and Cessna Skyhawks came through. Locally-based Jon Laughlin was out
with his Piper Cherokee 180C and Jeremiah McElroy had a Cessna 150 up. Flight
Instructor Delaney Rindal taught students over the snowy landscape as well.
We learned with regret of the passing of Kent Pyle, longtime
Clinton resident and pilot, who died peacefully at his home, just off the end
of the runway at Clinton airport, after an extended illness. Kent was one of
the founders of the Experimental Aircraft chapter at Clinton, and he hand built
two kit airplanes, a two-seat open-cockpit Spacewalker and a four-place KIS
Cruiser. I gave him his last Flight Review before he quit flying, with his
logbook current. He organized a lot of Young Eagle events where youngsters were
given their first rides by Chapter members and was also an avid radio-control
airplane hobbyist. Fly west in peace, Kent.
Last week, Elon Musk’s Space X corporation launched another
of its Super Heavy boosters with a Starship moon-rocket stage on top. The
33-engine booster stage was recovered by flying it back to the pad and catching
it with two mechanical arms for reuse. The Starship section, not so good. It
experienced what the Space X public-relations folks term a “Rapid Unscheduled
Disassembly”, meaning it blew up and rained pieces down on Puerto Rico.
A United Airlines 737 and a Delta Airbus A330 had a near
miss going into Phoenix on the 14th. The United Boeing was a long
final approach at 4150 feet and the Delta 'Bus was turning in on left base at
3470 feet, which counts as too close before evasive action was taken. Controllers
control, but pilots steer, in the final analysis.
This week’s question was "what was the length of Butler airport’s first runway?" It being
an 80-acre field, it measured 2600 feet. For next time, would you care to guess
what type of airplane was used to start Federal Express' package delivery
service? You can send your answers to [email protected].
