By STAN KASPRZYK

FlightLog Archive

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Aircraft Flown

Ballooning Again - Sep-Oct 2024

I had my first hot air balloon flight over 50 years ago, on 18 August 1974, and flew balloons many times in the 70s, 80s and 90s while obtaining my Private and Commercial hot air balloon ratings. My last hot air balloon flight, however, was on 16 Aug 1997. Over the past few years, the Seattle Ballooning team has been conducting extensive balloon flying in the south Puget Sound area, and in August 2021 I helped crew for some local Seattle balloonists near Lake Tapps. After flying by a number of hot air balloons while returning from late afternoon summer flights in our Warrior, I felt it was time to get back into hot air ballooning again.

Over the past 35 years, the city of Prosser, WA has hosted the Great Prosser Balloon Rally, and a number of the local Seattle balloonists planned to be there for the 2024 rally. Ma and I decided to combine wine tasting and balloon viewing in Prosser, plus make ourselves available to crew for any balloonists who needed support. Saturday morning’s weather was perfect, with clear skies and light winds. We checked with a balloon crew listed from our local area, and found out the pilot and crew of ‘Fruit Flies’ lived just a few miles from us, and could use crew support. A total of 35 balloons launched from the Prosser airport or nearby launch fields, all cruising at low level along the nearby Yakima River. We had fun recovering ‘Fruit Flies’ and another local balloon, helped with packing, then attended an afternoon balloon pilot and crew event at Vic and Mandy Johnson’s nearby balloon repair shop, renewing acquaintances from ballooning in Auburn, WA in the ‘90s.

Our return to ballooning was re-energized by an invitation to stay with our friend Suzi Flynt Manus during the upcoming Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in October. I flew balloons numerous times with Suzi and her late husband Bill Flynt in the late ‘70s and mid-‘80s in Albuquerque, Roswell, NM and Phoenix, AZ. We decided it was a great opportunity to re-engage our son, David back into ballooning and also introduce our grandson Nathaniel to the aviation sport. We stayed at Suzi and her new husband Bill Manus' home in Los Lunas, NM as our home base, and also got introduced to the world of RC ballooning, which uses miniature baskets but 30-foot tall balloons that were much easier to inflate, fly and repack.

Suzi arranged for us to crew for Frankie Martinez, the owner and pilot of the ‘RAKS’ balloon, also from Los Lunas.The boys got introduced to the hardest part of ballooning - the early wake-up at ‘O-Dark Hundred’, meaning really early. We woke up at 3:35AM for our first day of crewing for the RAKS balloon, and also the first day of experiencing the amazing spectacle of 550+ hot air balloons launching into the early morning skies. We arrived at Balloon Fiesta Park at 4:45, rode in with the RAKS crew, and enjoyed a well-organized breakfast for the pilots and crews, even sampling local green chili soup to start the day! Nine ‘Dawn Patrol’ balloons inflated and launched 30 minutes before sunrise, with special FAA-approved procedures and lighting, providing an amazing spectacle in the still-dark skies.

We then focused our attention with the RAKS balloon crew on laying out, cold inflating, checking the balloon condition, vents and sensors, then helping on the throat and crown for a smooth hot inflation with the powerful propane burners. Frankie loaded his passengers and got clearance to launch (with 100+ balloons already in the air) as we quickly loaded up the crew vehicles and headed out chasing.

The goal of a good chase crew is to follow the balloon and actually get ahead of them, scouting for clear landing sites and watching for powerlines or obstructions, and to be there to support the balloon’s touchdown and recovery when the pilot descends for landing. On our first chase, low altitude winds out of the north were quite strong, and it took us a bit of time to get through the massive spectator crowd to chase. The RAKS balloon smoked past downtown Albuquerque, so we jumped on Interstate 25 and raced south to get ahead of them.

We positioned ourselves in front of the descending RAKS balloon, and helped select a landing site along a road between power lines. David raced out of the crew pickup and made it to the balloon basket just as they touched down. We pulled the balloon to the road and gently deflated and loaded up the system. We rode back in the warming sun to Balloon Fiesta Park for an enjoyable post-flight celebration, champagne toasts, and more great local southwest food.

Our second day of crewing was just as much fun, with Nathaniel providing excellent support with his Dad on the crown of the balloon, while we all were submerged within a sea of spectators. Our winds on the second day provided 'box' conditions, with very low altitude winds coming from the north, then a climb to 400-500 foot altitude providing winds from south. The RAKS balloon stayed low on a southerly heading, and was safely down on the ground and deflated in a school parking lot by the time we, in the chase crew, could meet them. Packing was easy, and we joined the crew for another champagne toast at the Balloon Fiesta Park, then toured all the ballooning booths and activities on the field.

The Special Shapes night glow was another highlight, with over 100 Special Shapes balloons glowing for over an hour after sunset, not launching, but providing a stunning spectacle for the huge crowds. Thanks, Suzi and Bill, for your hospitality, story-telling and reminiscing, while introducing another new generation into hot air ballooning!

Nathaniel’s reaction to the amazing Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta and balloon crewing: “Overall the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta was wonderful, but there were a few parts that stood out most to me. The first day of crewing was especially fun because the flight was long, so we kept having to pull over at possible landing places then quickly run back to the truck to stay ahead. The special shapes glow was also really fun because up until this trip I didn’t know shaped balloons existed, so seeing a whole field of them all glowing was astounding. By the way- the water kind of tastes different in Albuquerque!”

Next up, getting back to FLYING balloons!

Bremerton 2024 Formation Clinic - Aug 2024

The Bremerton Formation Clinic for 2024 was plagued by abnormally cool and wet August conditions, which provided lots of opportunities for quality ground training, but less than normal formation flying opportunities. Weather precluded three Navions from joining the clinic from California, and kept a T-28 from eastern Washington away. Even so, a number of good formation flights did occur that provided excellent practice and proficiency flying, including some first-time formation training in the mix.

Four Canadian Nanchangs arrived early on Thursday, allowing me to join them for a late afternoon lead practice flight in Tom 'Chox' Spreen's Nanchang C-FXMI before the weather turned. Once the weather cleared mid-day on Saturday, I instructed with Eric Johnson in his Navion from California, providing lead for another new visitor to the formation clinic, Trent Hendricks in his Varga Kacina. On Sunday morning, I led a flight in my Warrior with Kirstan Norris in my left seat and Trent Hendricks getting more wingman flight training in his Kachina. The Canadian Nanchangs had an eventful four-ship on Saturday, and were led by Roger Collins in his Navion for a 5-ship departure flyby on Sunday back to Victoria.

One ground highlight of the formation clinic was our Callsign Naming event, bestowing new (or changed) callsigns on those who displayed amazing skill and bravery (or was it buffoonery?) during the weekend's flying events. It was a rare all-Canadian event, awarding callsigns for Brodie Winkler - Chokin', Chris Walker - GITFO, Dave Gagliardi - POMO, and Brian Youmans - GUMP. You'll have to get specifics for the callsigns (or changed callsigns) from each of the honorees themselves, or over a round with the other attendees!

Thanks again to Roger Collins for the use of his hangar and facilities at Bremerton, and to Dave 'Prancer' Desmon and John 'Smokey' Johnson for clinic setup and coordination, Bob 'Baddest' Stoney and Dean 'Frito' Friedt for excellent ground instruction, and Colleen Hale for outstanding meal presentations.

BEFA RV-12 Formation Training - Aug 2024

Troy 'T-Lar' Larson contacted me in August 2021 about a plan to start a formation training course at the Boeing Employees Flying Association (BEFA) at Renton, WA. T-Lar knew of my past formation training experience, and I gladly agreed to help with training materials, ground and in-flight formation instruction. BEFA ordered two factory-built RV-12is aircraft from Van's Aircraft in Oregon, for 2023 delivery.

Troy and I flew the first RV-12 formation flight in June 2023 for a BEFA promotional video shot by aviation photographer John Parker from his Bonanza equipped with a turret ball underneath the aircraft. Progess on the actual RV-12 formation training program slowed as the BEFA board had to give their approval after reviewing the training course, the RV-12s were repositioned to Paine Field for other training, and TSA procedures at Paine Field necessitated everyone getting Paine Field access badges.

Finally, it all came together. On 17 Aug 2024, both RV-12s were re-positioned to Renton, and I helped T-Lar kickoff the formation training with a two-hour ground school with six students. I took off with Rohan Sharma with me in N954B as #2, with T-Lar and Zach Price as lead from runway 34, and climbed northeast of Lake Sammamish. We had a full formation training session with fingertip, route, echelon, cross unders, close and extended trail, pitchouts and rejoins as #2, then swapped leads, letting Rohan lead Zach through all the same maneuvers. We returned via Tiger Mountain and Lake Youngs for initial to runway 34. We debriefed the first flight, briefed our second flight to land at Paine Field. I took off with Tom Sanderson with me again in N954B as #2, with T-Lar and Greg Gohsman as lead from runway 34, flew all the same formation maneuvers as the first flight, except no extended trail, and coached Tom to fly to initial to runway 34R at Paine for two great flights.

All four of the initial students had a great time learning and experiencing the joys of formation flying. Here's an extract from student Greg Gohsman writeup, describing the day for the BEFA newsletter:

"Five of us attended the first Formation Clinic on August 17th taught by Troy Larson (Call Sign T-Lar) and Stan Kasprzyk (Sundance), both graduates of the Air Force Academy with vast experience. I was impressed at the professionalism and methods of Troy and Stan. There was much laughter in the instruction which made the two hours of ground school go by quickly. They both have lots of enthusiasm for the class. Safety was always at the forefront of every topic, and concepts were presented clearly using Powerpoint and model airplanes to show the maneuvers. Everything about Formation Flying is choreographed and that starts with the briefing. In addition to what we normally do, the flight is assigned a Call Sign and the mission is discussed in minute detail."

"I have never seen such detail as I witnessed with T-Lar and Sundance. The high-level Briefing guide includes: Administrative, Weather, Mission Plan, Fuel/Time Planning, Comm Plan in Sequence, Resource Management, Emergency procedures, and Risk Management. For example, after engine start, both aircraft get ATIS, and then switch to the Mission Frequency. Lead will call #2 to check in, and #2 simply replies “2.” Lead will command #2 to go to ground, and Lead makes all the ATC calls from here on out. “RV954B with Whiskey at BEFA, Flight of Two, East Channel Departure.”

"As part of the briefing, how to taxi, at what speed, staggered taxi option, who will be where in the run-up box, and the heading in the run-up box is planned. In the interest of safety Troy would always ask “any questions?” For Take-off, the planes will line up on the runway with the lead on the downwind side so their prop wash does not affect #2. “Renton Tower RV954B Flight of Two ready for take-off 34.” We did an interval Take-off which Lead rotates first, and then #2 will start their Take-off roll. Lead will fly slower (90 Knots) so #2 can catch up. If Lead has an engine failure, everyone stays on their side of the runway."

"The Join-up: Is it a straight-ahead join up or a turning join up? For a straight-ahead rejoin, #2 joins on the right side unless briefed otherwise. What speed will Lead fly so #2 can catch up? What is the initial turn? There are standards as part of the FAST Formation Guide."

"Next is Maneuvers Plan. Lead flies at 90 knots. Be predictable. Straight and climbing and then 10 and 20 degree turns out to the practice area. The goal of the spacing was 5 feet staggered, but I found that hard to maintain even flying with my fingertips and my fore arm resting on my leg. Just relax and do not grip the stick. Fly with your wrist and fingers, mostly fingers."

"Inbound, the lead calls the tower and requests “Initial.” The call: "RV954B with Whiskey, Flight of Two request Initial.” The Lead flies to arrive over the extended centerline a few miles out at pattern altitude, adjusting the distance out for local airspace traffic issues. The tower will confirm the pitchout point, normally over the numbers, but adjusting the pitchout point for other traffic. Once cleared, all aircraft in the flight are cleared to land."

"The first question at the debrief is “Did we do anything that was unsafe” and each aspect of the mission is dissected. I have never heard that asked by any of my previous flight instructors in 1600 hours of SEL, Glider, and Rotor wing. “Did we do anything that was unsafe?” I have never seen such joy and enthusiasm from students after a flight. The only difference between a man and a boy are the price of the toys, and the people you get to play with. Formation flying will up your skills and you will have enormous fun with a group of special pilots."

I think our students are ready for some more formation training!

Skyvan Photo Session - Aug 2024

One enjoyable side benefit of formation flying is the opportunity to obtain impressive air-to-air photographs while in close formation. A good pilot flying in a stable close formation provides a photographer with almost no relative motion and the chance to compose crystal clear images. If the airborne photography platform provides for open windows or open bays, fantastic shots can be achieved.

The Aviation PhotoCrew was formed in 2009 by Eric Coeckelberghs in Belgium to provide an airborne platform for photographers, using the unique Shorts Skyvan aircraft for impressive open ramp photo opportunities. The Aviation PhotoCrew has expanded beyond Europe to provide an airborne photography platform in venues throughout the world, focusing on air shows that provide multiple opportunities for formation join-ups.

Eric contacted the Cascade Warbirds in the summer of 2024, offering join up opportunities while the Skyvan was based at the Chilliwack airfield in British Columbia, Canada, supporting photo sessions at the nearby annual Abbotsford International Airshow. The Skyvan would plan to cross the US-Canada border and orbit between Bellingham and Mt. Baker for US photo missions.

I coordinated with Justin Drafts to provide the close formation portion of the photo mission in his Nanchang CJ-6A, since Justin is still practicing the close in maneuvering portion of formation flying. Dave Desmon in his Navion was the only other Cascade Warbirds pilot to accept the offer of royalty-free hi-resolution photos, so we planned a two-ship flight during an available slot in the Skyvan's schedule.

Our planned mid-morning join-up was delayed due to low clouds and IFR weather at Paine Field, but a break in the weather allowed us to launch and rejoin with the Skyvan at 4:00 near the Acme Field airport (WA12) by the Mt. Baker foothills. We had pre-briefed a rejoin orbit point, altitude and airspeed, but ADS-B made our rejoin effortless, and we were soon in trail and taking detailed direction from Eric over the radio to give the photographers the best angles and positioning for photos. It was fun coming up into close trail and seeing the small army of photographers inside the open aft ramp on the Skyvan, all pointing their large lenses at us. We swapped leads in trail, and proceeding alongside for formation photos with Mt. Baker behind us.

We enjoyed a good 20 minutes of formation time with the Skyvan, then peeled off for our return to Paine Field and the Skyvan's return across the border to Chilliwack. Our photo results were linked to us after a couple of weeks, and we feasted on the great results of our photo session. We're looking forward to 2025 with more aircraft planning to join the Aviation PhotoCrew in the air!

Flying the Vintage Howard DGA-15 - Jul-Aug 2024

From 1939 to 1944, the Howard Aircraft Corporation produced the DGA-15, a single-engined high-winged monoplane with a wooden wing and a steel tube and truss fuselage, featuring a deeper and wider fuselage than most aircraft of the era, allowing five people to be seated in comfort. The DGA-15P was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior radial engine. In an era when airlines were flying Douglas DC-3s, the Howards cruising at 160 to 170 mph could match their speed, range and comfort with the rear seat leg room exceeding airline standards with limousine-like spaciousness, advertised well in this 1940s Howard brochure. After the US entry into World War II, the Howard was built in large numbers for the United States Navy and Army Air Forces.

My friend Jim Lambert recently acquired a 1941 DGA-15P, and I was eager to check it out, noting that it has the similar Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior R-985 450-HP engine that powers the de Havilland DHC-2 Beavers that Jim often flies and that I had flown recently. I met Jim at my neighborhood Norm Grier airfield (S36) in Kent, WA, in early July, and helped him refuel the Howard at its easily accessible fuselage side tanks, and did a thorough walk around. The Howard is a BIG single-engine bird, with classic wooden wings that were extremely smooth, and a roomy cabin with a nice wide cockpit. That big R-895 engine, however, definitely blocked most of our forward vision, necessitating S-turns on the narrow taxiway and peeks off to the side of the nose to maintain clear.

We took off in the Howard from runway 33 at Norm Grier, and Jim let me have the controls, getting a feel for power, flight control and trim settings, with better than expected vis over the nose in the climbout. We cruised by Lake Youngs and I flew a long final to runway 34 at Renton, giving Jim the bird on a mile final to demo a landing, and Jim never really flared but just flew it on for a greaser touch and go. I flew the climbout and Lake Youngs departure, reveling in the tons of climb power in the R-985. I flew some slow flight over Hobart to get a feel for the somewhat heavy aileron forces, then descended to left downwind for runway 33 at Norm Grier. We flew an angled final due to the towering trees and were rewarded with another nice touchdown on runway 33, for a very enjoyable first flight in his stately vintage bird! A nice touch after landing was using the side window crank handles, reminiscent of 1940's and 50's touring sedans, to roll down the side windows for 'air conditioning'!

Early in August, Jim Lambert contacted me about another Howard opportunity, this time flying close formation with the Skyvan Aviation Photocrew. We took off in the Howard from runway 33 into clearing skies, then cruised north over a solid undercast extending from the Olympics to the Cascades, climbed to 4500 feet, set cruise power (~28 inches manifold pressure, 1,850 rpm) and got a better feel for the Howard's flight controls, power and trim settings. I got a better appreciation for the Howard's legendary stability during the long cruise north toward the Canadian border, enjoying again the spacious cockpit. We found the Skyvan on ADS-B, and easily rejoined just south of Acme Field (WA12), in the foothills west of Mt. Baker. I had flown formation with the Skyvan team the day before in Justin Draft's Nanchang CJ-6, and flew another enjoyable Skyvan photo session, but with much more work involved than the Nanchang due to the much heavier elevator and aileron forces in the Howard, using the 'crew concept' while enlisting Jim's help with elevator trim. I sequenced again through trail and line abreast photo positions, then a position way forward underneath, followed by two breakaways. It was a great formation workout in the Howard, with smooth lead flying by the Skyvan pilot! To add a final salute to a great flight, Jim and I were passed by two low level F-15s just south of Tiger Mountain as we descended for landing on runway 15 at Norm Grier, for another awesome Howard experience!