P{LMETTO

Volume 39. Number 8 Published by the S.C. Aeronautics Commission [[Jg 1 0 ;EBZ

World War II ffffffiHerVisits Columbia

"Texas Raiders," a restored World WarII B-17 Flying Fortress visited the capitolcity last month and was on display forseveral days at the Columbia Metro-politan Airport.

Retired Lt. Col. Dellon Bumgardnerand a Confederate Air Force crew. in-cluding wives flew her to Columbia fromHouston, Texas, her home base. Shewas on display at Eagle Aviation forseveral days courtesy of the Gulf CoastWing and the Carolinas Wing of the Con-

federate Air Force (CAF)

The CAF is an organization that has.for the past 30 years, assembled andmaintained a collection of flvable WorldWar II combat aircraft

"Texas Raiders" has just completed a

two-and-a-half year restoration and is

now more than 85 percent historicallycomplete. The cost of restoring her so farstands at almost $250,000.

Bumgardner, 63, flew B-17s overEurope during World War II.

Photo by Wln McNamee, State-Record

"After the war I never wanted to see

another B-l7," he said. "But as you get

older, you tend to mellow and one dayl realized that the 'B' brought me back inone piece time and time again. I'm notsure if any other plane could have donethat."

The B-17 was built by Boeing and has

a 110 foot wing span and a takeoffweight of about 70,000 pounds with a

1O-member crew and fuel and bombs.She also carried 13 S0-caliber machineauns.

2 Palmetto Aviation August, 1987

PALMETTO AVIATION is an of-ficial publication of the South CarolinaAeronautics Commission. It is designedto inform members of the aviationcommunity, and others interested inaviation, of local developments in avia-tion and aviation facilities and to keepreaders abreast of national and interna-tional trends in aviation.The Aeronautics Commission is a state

agency created in 1935 by the S.C.General Assembly to foster and pro-mote air commerce within the state.

Carroll A. CampbellGovernor

CommlssionersEdwin Pearlstine. chairmanCharleston

B. Truett Jones, vice chairmanLoris

Jim HamiltonLexington

Fred Eugene RachelsChester

Curtis GravesDenmark

Richard McClellionAnderson

Wallace A. Mullinax, Sr.Greenville

Ex-OfflcioSen. Isadore LourieColumbia

Rep. OIin R.PhillipsGaffney

StaffJohn W. HamiltonDirector

A. Wayne PhillipsEditor

Offlces at Columbla Metropolltan AlrportMalllng Address:

Post Offlce Drawer l9t7Columbla, South Caroltna 29202Phone: (803) 734-l7OO

I hope this will help set the recordstraight.

Donald A. SankeyGreenville, S.C.

Our story concerning Mr. Renningerwas taken from two other reputable avia-tion publications. After receiving these in-quiries, Palmetto Aviation has spent thepast couple of months looking into thematter.

According to Danell Collins, one of theguides and historians at the WnghtBrothers National Memorial at KttyHawk, NC, the story first appeared in theNew York Times in February. A retrac-tion was printed the next day when theinformation was discovered to be in er-ror. However the retraction was not pick-ed up quickly enough to stop the storyfrom receiving wide distributionthroughout the country.

Mr. Collins said that he has receivedseveral calls concerning the story and hasalso looked into the matter. According toMr. Collins, Renninger was a member ofthe U.S. Army SignalCorps in 1908 andwas assigned fo assisf in the demonstra-tion of the Wright Flyer. His duties includ-ed helping to set up the Flyer and thefacilities that the brothers needed.

Mr. Collins said that he was unable todetermine if Renninger ever flew in theWright Flyer, but certainly he did not onthis occasion

Thanks for the letters.

The Editor

AIRIIAIL

We've Been HoaxedI think that you have been hoaxed.

The April 1987 edition of Palmetto Avia-trbn contains a story about the death ofthe "survivor of aviation's first crash in1908."

If Mr. Oliver H. Renninger, subject ofthe story, was indeed a passenger onOrville Wright's airplane on 17 Sep 08,he was well hidden...the only passengerwas Lt. T.E. Selfridge, who died in thecrash. The Wrights didn't carry twopassengers until several years later, andcertainly not during the Army trials of1908, which required only two people onboard.

R.L. TaylorDublin. Ohio

Dear Sir,My hobby is aviation history and I justcan't help taking issue with your storyabout the "survivor" of the first airplanecrash. I don't know the source of yourinformation but it is completely inaccu-rate.First of all, this was not the first airplanecrash-just the first fatal crash. Theairplane could barely get off the groundwith two persons aboard. Lt. Selfridge,who was killed, was the passenger. Thepilot, who was badly injured, was OrvilleWright. I don't see how Mr. Renningercould be classed as a survivor of the crashwhen he was not aboard the plane.

August, 1987 Palmetto Aviation 3

C.A.P. NEWS BreakfaetClub

Summer EncampmentThe South Carolina Wing of the Civil

Air Patrol is sponsoring a Summer En-

campment for Cadets at CharlestonAFB. The camp lasts from August 9ththrough the 14th. Cadets willbe living inbase dormitories and dining at the messhalls.

During the encampment the cadets areintroduced to military life. Along with thenormal activities of marching, inspectionsand leadership training; tours of variousmilitary and civilian facilities have beenarranged for cadet enrichment.

Eagle's FlyOne of the many Civil Air Patrol ac-

tivities designed for the young adult is

Eagle's Fly. It is a program consisting oforientation flights to introduce cadets toaircraft handling, visual referencing andarea navigation, aviation safety, andobserver and weather training.

The program entails a minimum of sixorientation flights in a CAP aircraft withqualified CAP pilots in command. Eachflight follows specific criteria to ac-

complish desired course objectives.When they can be arranged, flights onmilitary aircraft may be included in thelater stages of the program.

If you are interested in this program orany of the many programs offered toyoung adults through the Civil Air Patrolcontact the S.C. Wing Headquarters atP.O. Box 6541, West Columbia, S.C.29177-6547 or phone 737-1,938.

Newberry Municipal AirportNewberryCheraw Municipal AirportCheraw

Oswalt Field (House Movers)

Batesburg

Huggins Memorial AirportTimmonsville

August 9

23

Sept. 6

20

Oct. 4 Woodward Field,

EAA Chapter 3 Fly-in

Camden18 Orangeburg Municipal Airport

Orangeburg (Election of Officers)

Nov. 1. Kirk Airbase

Lancaster

S.C. Air Guard Rated Excellent

,:,',,ri;:i,li.l l',,'.i.i,.'.:--i

The S.C. Air National Guard scoredhigh marks on its ability to perform in

combat situations, according to the 9thAir Forces Inspector General's Office.

The Air Guard unit, which flies theF-16 Fighting Falcon received excellentratings in all major categories of its

Operational Readiness,lnspection per-formed last month at the Travis FieldTraining site in Savannah, Georgia.

The 169th TacticalFighter Group, theoperating unit that underwent the inspec-

tion, was singled out in three areas as the"best observed to date" among 9th AirForce gained units. Those areas singledout were cargo preparation for mobility,survival recovery in a chemical warfareenvironment and damaqe assessment.

The fighter group began the inspectionon July 10 by mobilizing and processing

over 800 guardsmen at McEntire Air Na-tional Guard Base, about 12 miles eastof Columbia. The group then deployedto Savannah with the unit's 24 F-I6

fighter jets. The guardsmen were thentested on how quickly they couldregenerate those aircraft for combatmissions.

Following the regeneration phase, theinspectors put the South Caroliniansthrough three days of intensive combatscenarios, which involved up to 75 sor-ties per day and a continual series of air-field attacks.

The guardsmen had to maintain andoperate the aircraft in a simulatedchemical environment. This involved thewearing of bulky chemical warfare suits

and gas masks which would quicklybecome soaked with perspiration as

temperatures during the days soared toabove 100 degrees.

The F-16 pilots were tasked with a

multi-role commitment involving air-to-air and air-to-ground combat scenarios.They were cited by the inspectors for theirweapons accuracy.

"The 9th Air Force has very high stan-

dards," said Lt. Gen. Charles A. Horner,commander of the 9th Air Force, to theguardsmen during the inspection debrief-ing. "Frankly, you started off great andjust got better and better."

4 Palmetto Aviation August, 1987

Freedom WeekendAfloat?

80 balloonists competing grabbed the set

of keys to a new truck, two did manageto pluck sets that won them $1,000.

The competitors had launched theirballoons three miles from the markedcompetition area where three 3O-footpoles stood with the keys on top.

Because of a shift in the wind, fewerthan half of the balloonist made it to thetarget. However, they were greeted en-thusiastically by the spectators who of-fered applause and shouts of advice tothose who took a chance at grabbing a

set of keys.The festival's main attraction, mass

ascensions, never occurred. The festivalended with only four balloon flights, allof them fly-ins. All four mass ascensionswere cancelled or changed due toweather and winds.

Despite this year's problems, festivalorganizers are already planning for nextyear and beyond. Negotiations arealready underway to extend the festivalspartnership with Donaldson Center foranother five vears.

What was supposed to have been anexplosion of color across the eveningskies surrounding Donaldson Center dur-ing Freedom Weekend Aloft, Juty 2-5,turned out to be an explosion of thunderand lightning that harrassed the festivalthroughout the weekend.

This year's festival was plagued withproblems from the beginning, most o{them due to the weather. Threateningskies and periodic thunderstorms kept at-tendance at this years festival well belowprojections. Sunday's crowd wasestimated to be about 25.000. butFestival Chairman Bert Fitzgerald said thefestival needed 90,000 to 100,000 tobreak even.

When everything is settled andcounted, this year's festival could losebetween $50,000 and $100,000 dollars.

As gloomy as the weather was, therewere several bright spots for the festival.About 1,000 spectators lined Main StreetSaturday morning for the first everFreedom Parade in downtown Green-ville.

The parade began in the morningaround the Daniel Building and made its

way down Main Street to City Hall.Mayor Bill Workman served as grandmarshal. Parade participants wore red,white and blue and included children ondecorated bicycles and more than 40balloon chase crews in decorated trucksand vans.

Riders from the California Saddle Clubalso participated in the parade whichorganizers said will become a permanentpart of the festival.

Good weather Sunday morning allow-ed the key-grab competition to be com-pleted as planned. Although none of the

August, 1987 Palmetto Aviation 5

TENTH ANNUALSOUTH CAROLINA

AIRPORTS CONFERENCEAGENDATuesday, November 17, 1987

3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Registration6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Reception (dinner on your own)

Wednesday, November 18, 19878:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon Registration9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Welcoming Remarks9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Mr. Raymond S. Enslow10:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. Coffee Break10:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Concurrent Sessions

Airport/FBO LiabilityFAA Listening Session

12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Buffet LuncheonGuest Speaker (TBA)(afternoon and evening free)

Thursday, November 19, 19878:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Concurrent Sessions

9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

2:15 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

4:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.4:15 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.6:00 p.m. - 'til

Friday, November 20, 19879:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

10:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.

State and Federal Grant ProceduresIndustrial Air Park DevelopmentProject/Construction ManagementTaxation and Registration LawsCoffee BreakGeneral Session - Presentations by:Senator Isadore Lourie, Senator HoraceSmith, and Delta AirlinesConcurrent SessionsRules/Regulations/Minimum StandardsAirport SafetyLocal Airport Commissions,/ManagersFBO Problems/ConcernsLuncheonGuest Speaker (TBA)Concurrent SessionsAirport/FBO/LiabilityFAA Listening SessionCoffee Break"Sex Discrimination"Cocktails. Seafood. etc.

Video Presentation by Cheraw AirportCommission and Town of Cheraw"Safe Airport Project"Coffee BreakConcurrent SessionsState and Federal Grant ProceduresAirport SafetyRules/Regulations,/Minimum StandardsGeneral AssemblyClosing SessionDrawinq for Door Prizes

If you have not yet made plans to at-tend the Tenth Annual South CarolinaAirports Conference, its time to startplanning now. This year's conference willagain be held at the Maniott Hilton HeadResort in Shipyard Plantation on HiltonHead Island.

The conference has expanded by oneday and will begin on Tuesday,November 17 and conclude on Fridaythe 20th. Preregistration packets are be-ing mailed at this time. If you do notreceive your packet by the end of thismonth, contact Dee Vickery at1-800-922-0574 to have one mailed toyou.

This year's conference promises to be thelargest to date and will cover a full rangeof topics that should be of interest toanyone involved in the field of aviation.

The cost of this years conference willbe a bit different than in the past. Per-sons arriving Tuesday p. m. andWednesdsay a.m. should expect to paythe registration fee of $100 per person.This fee covers conference costs, and in-cludes Wednesday and Thursday lun-cheons, refreshment breaks, and a

cocktail party/seafood dinner on Thurs-day night. Those arriving after lunch onWednesday willneed to pay only $80 forregistration.

Optional activities will include a tour ofDaufuskie Island. A golf tournament,open to all conference participants at nocharge, is being planned for Tuesdayafternoon. If you are interested, let us

know when you preregister so we canplan accurately.

Make your plans now to join us atHilton Head in November. It promises tobe a great time.

6 Palmetto Aviation August, 1987

Pope's Visit to South Carolina toBegin at Columbia Metro

AIRPORT TERIONAL BI'ILDING

S.C. ITRONAUIICS COIYISSIOIfS HANGAR(Parkiu8 & li6t Arc6 lor l5r Enlorccrncnt 6tc )

@ ArR rnErcrrr

@ NATroNrr riATnER sERvrcE

@ lrrEmrATE PARt<ntG

@ cr.Do BurLDlNc

@ REsERvED A.RnA

@ .AJR PtsgENc[R TRAFFIC

-

@ PREss ErrlrRANcii

@ vfna T Rucrcs

LECN{D:

o EAGLS AI'IATION (ie3t Terolnar)

@ f,AcL.E RAIIP (Parktng tor PoF'3 tlrcrott)

€) EAGI,E HAllclR (PEi Holdins Arca)

@ PARXING Fon PRfss ArRcR-4FT

@ crR RAI|P (Pnrs Buse)@ PtRNIlic trlR PREss a\D Drc\arAnrEs

O sPEcrAToR vtE rNG

@ sPEcrAToR PAnt<nrc

@ PoPEs romRcaDl Rourn llll(Aviatlon tay & ltrport Blvd)

ffi36,

As most of you know, Pope John Paulll will be visiting Columbia during hisNorth American tour next month. ThePope is due to arrive at ColumbiaMehopolitan Airport at 3:30 on Friday,afternoon, September 11, and departthat same evening at about 8:30.

Officials are expecting crowds to be inexcess of 250,000 people with a largeportion of those lining the Pope's motor-cade route out of the airport and into thecity.

Airport officials have been working forseveral months on preparation for thisevent, and have come up with the planas depicted on the map.

As you can see, spectators (denoted

by the circled number 7) willbe kept onthe north side of the motorcade route.

The Pope will deplane at the EagleWest terminal where he will be greetedby Governor Campbell and otherdignitaries. His motorcade will then pro-ceed down Aviation Way and AirportBoulevard to the functions planned intown. He will return to the airport by thesame route.

For those of you planning to drive tothe airport to see the Pope, please noteon the map the areas designated forspectator parking and viewing. For thoseof you planning to fly in, operationsshould be normal until just prior to thePope's arrival.

If you do fly in, you will still have togo to the spectator viewing area.

Airport and government officials will beproviding security throughout the area.

There will also be restroom facilities andfirst aid tents at several locations.

The airport will also provide a camp-ground for those not able to find otheraccommodations. It will be located off ofPlatt Springs Road near the approachend of runway 11. According to airportspokesperson Lynne Douglas, the camp-ground will have a water station and elec-trical hook-ups as well as phones,restrooms and security.

Ms. Douglas said that no changes oradjustments have been made to the nor-mal airline schedules. If you have a planeto catch that day, plan on using the PlattSprings Road entrance to the airport.

Airport officials urge both spectatorsand travelers to plan for the large crowdand traffic. If you are coming to the air-port to see the Pope or to catch a flight,PLEASE COME EARLY.

August, 1987 Palmetto Aviation 7

Commi$$ion NotegThe South Carolina Aeronautics Com-

mission, in its last monthly meeting, ap-proved allocations totaling $22,5O0 olCapital Improvement Bond Funds fordevelopment and improvement projects.

Some projects have federal, state, andlocal participation, while others have stateand local participation only. Commissionapproval authorizes state participation instate-local projects and authorizes stateparticipation in federal-state-local projects

subject to issuance of a federal grant.The following is the most recently ap-

proved project:

Walterboro Munlclpal AirportAn increase in allocations of $22,500

for the repair and sealing of cracks in run-way 9/27; soil sterilization on runway17 /35l' and resealing concrete apronjoints. This is a 50/50 project with thelocalshare being $52,500 and the stateshare being $52,500.

"White Lightning" Wins CAFE 400 RaceNick Jones and Ray Ward, owners of

the White Lightning Aircraft Corporationin Walterboro recently returned from theCAFE 400 Race with three separateawards in tow.

For those who have heard of theCAFE 400 race but are not sure whatCAFE stands for, it means Competitionin Aircraft Fuel Efficiency. This year, NickJones flew the prototype White Lightningto a first place finish in the "Advancementof Aircraft Flight Efficiency" category witha speed of 225.3 and a MPG rating of18.98.

The White Lightning also won the bestin the "Three or More Seat" category and

the top award for "Best Experimental,"with the highest ever CAFE 400 score.

Last December the White Lightning settwo world air speed records for its classand weight.

After two years of operations in a smallshop on Seabrook Island, the WhiteLightning Corporation has moved to anew facility at the Walterboro MunicipalAirport. Sales of the White Lightning Kitscontinues to be steady, and the companyis currently working on a single placemodel called the Lightning Bug.

If you fly into Walterboro, stop by thenew facilities and take a look at this awardwinning aircraft from South Carolina.

Number of Lr.S.Pilots Declining

All major airlines in the United Statessoon willbe faced with a crisis: they willbe losing pilots at a rate faster than theycan replace them. There was a timewhen people would give their egeteethto become an airline pilot, but those daysseem to be over.

You'd think that today, whenAmerica's youth seems to prefer a goodjob over a good cause, the thousands ofunfllled jobs in aviation would incite astampede into flight haining. You'd thinkso. But you'd be wrong.

In fact, the entire population of pilotsin the United States-including both pro-fessional and recreational pilots-hasbeen aging and shrinking, and bothtrends show no sign of slowing down.And while that big picture may be wor-risome, a shortage of airline pilots is

downright critical.The Future Aviation Professionals of

America estimates that more than 8,000new airline pilots were hired in 1985alone and that during each of the next14 years, more than 2,000 pilots willretire at age 60. To replace them, airlineshave already begun to reduce entry stan-dards for experience, education, andfitness.

According to Federal Aviation Ad-ministration (FAA) records, the average"active pilot" (holding a current medicalcertificate) was four years older in 1984(the most recent year for which thefigures are available) than in 1970, andthe pilot population dropped from justunder 733,000 in 1970 to about709,000 in 1985.

The picture is even bleaker if you lookat what happened during this period:there was actually a steady gain duringthe 1970's, and the number of pilotspeaked at just over 827,000 in1980-but then began a long, steepslide. Thus, it took ten years to nurture,train, and license 94,000 new pilots butonly five years to lose 118,000 old pilots.

Promote Aviation

SOUTH CAROLINAAERONAUTICS COMMISSIONP.O. Drawer 1987Columbia. South Carolina 29202

This Month...lnside Palmetto Aviation

' Freedom Weekend Afloat?

' Air Guard Rates Excellent

' Tenth Annual Airports Conference

' Pope John Paul II is Coming

' "White Lightning" Wins Race. . and much more

BULK RATEU S. POSTA(IF-

PAIDColumbia. S.C.PERMIT NO 75r

New Foundation Safety Pamphlet AvailableA new safety pamphlet from the

AOPA Air Safety Foundation (ASF) titl-ed "Basic ATC Communication Pro-cedures" is designed to help the VFRpilot operate safely and comfortablywithin complex terminal airspace.

This pamphlet prepares the VFR pilotfor entry into controlled airspace, AirportRadar Service Areas (ARSAs) and Ter-minal Control Areas (TCAs) . During ahypothetical flight, it presents for each in-stance a brief explanation of the airspace

structure and a sample "script" of com-munication procedures that could beencountered.

The size of a folded sectional chart, thepamphlet includes emergency com-munications procedures and tips on fil-ing and changing flight plans anddestinations.

"The ATC guide is aimed at helpingpilots enhance their communication pro-

cedures and make better use of the airtraffic control system," said Richard D.Gless, Vice President for ProgramDeveiopment of the Air Saf etyFoundation.

The new publication will be distributedat no charge to pilots who attend ASFsafety seminars. Single copies are alsoavailable free by writing the AOPA AirSafety Foundation, 421 Aviation Way,Frederick, MD 21701. Multiple copiesare available for $.50 each up to 25copies ($1.50 postage/handling) ; $.40each 26-75 copies ($2.50); and $.35each for more than 75 (I0% of order) .

ep

This publication is printed and distributed by the Sorrth Carolina Aeronautics Commisslon in the interestof aviation safety and to foster growth of responsible aviation in the state. The viewpo,ints expressed in ar-ticles credited to spe-cific fourqelare-presented as-the viewpotlts of those writers and do not necessarilyreflect the opinion of the South Carolina Aeronautics Commission.