Tony Garrett

JG helped me make a bungee puller for my Savannah VGW/XL. It is very similar to the photo above. I attached some more photos. My bungee has 500 hours on it and it still looks good. Tony

Anybody know why ICP uses two VG'a side by side? The Cessnas, Pipers, etc I have seen with add-on VG's have single VG's spaced along the wing.

Hello David Thanks for the reply. I to believe that self assessment is unreliable. It is my perception, the amount of O2 in the blood decreases linearly with altitude. It starts decreasing at one foot and continues decreasing linearly with no sudden drop-offs as one ascends.. There are inexpensive ($30) oxygen saturation meters that do provide unbiased indications of O2 levels in the blood. Some reports say people display a "normal level of goofiness" at O2 saturation levels above 90% and an "abnormal level of goofiness" at O2 levels below 80%. We are just grey goofy in between. http://www.amazon.com/mn/search/?ref_=nb_sb_ss_i_0_5&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=pulse%20oximeter&sprefix=pulse&rd=1 Supposedly low-landers and smokers are affected more than others. I have not observed this during many Mountain Flying training flights. Most students can continue to perform complex math problems after 15 minutes at 16,000 feet. Typically their O2 saturation levels are 86-90%. I suspect it is more of a genetic thing (but I am sure there are many factors at work). Potential Everest climbers can take a blood test that roughly indicates how well they will do on the mountain. I strongly encourage the use of O2 in flights above 8000 feet especially at night. But it is important to know that if you need to climb to 14,000 feet to get above a cloud or obey a Controller request, there will not be a sudden loss of senses - there will be no reason to panic. Plan to descend in an orderly manner as soon as practical. I always use O2 on long (more than one hour) flights above 8000 feet because I arrive flesh and rested as opposed to a similar flight with no O2 , I arrive fatigued and with a big headache. To me recreational flying is about adventure. I suspect Indiana Jones would want to see how high his plane would fly. The world is grey. There is no black and white. Keep smiling Tony

Good morning Eightyknots The FAA says you suddenly die if you fly above 12,500' for more than 30 minutes or above 14,000' for one second without supplemental oxygen. I have been flying in the Rocky Mountains for many years and there are rumors that some un-named pilots routinely fly above 16,000' with without oxygen and without dieing(or becoming hypoxic). Of course, I have an oxygen bottle in my plane... but I cannot remember if it has any oxygen in it. Test yourself for hypoxia by borrowing an oxygen bottle and a friend. Climb to 16,000' with the friend breathing the good stuff and you breathing plan old air. Assuming you are male, it is important for your friend to be female because lack of O2 can cause folks to become quite amorous. Keep smiling Tony

Just for fun, I flew my Savannah VGW/XL from Erie, CO (KEIK) to Longs Peak located inside the Rocky Mountain National Park in November 2011. The plane has a 100 hp Rotax 912 and flight weight was about 1150 lbs(523 kg). Longs Peak is only about 40 miles from Erie but it is 14,259 feet (4,346 m) high. Erie’s elevation is 5130 feet. The winds were calm and the temperature was 50F (10C) when I departed. It was a beautiful day for flying. I had a great idea of documenting the airplane performance by taking pictures of the gages during the flight. Shortly after takeoff, I realized I could make the pictures show just about anything just by choosing the instant to click the picture. So, to believe the pictures, you are going to have to have a little trust. I really did try to snap pictures when the gages were showing “fair” numbers. I used wide open throttle all the way up to 16,000 feet. The tach started at 5400 rpm (during climb) and gradually decreased to 5200 at 16,000’. I climbed at about 65 mph (105 kph) indicated. This yielded a climb rate of about 700 fpm at 5500 feet and about 100 fpm at 16,000 feet. Cruise speed at 16,000 feet (temp was 18F or -8C) was about 68 mph indicated and about 90 true. Longs Peak in the distance Wide open throttle at 12650 feet Longs Peak - Rocky Mountain National Park 13,650 feet - 4160 m Slow moving - 20 mph headwind Finally getting closer Everything normal at 15,100 feet - 4602 m Out the window at 15,000 feet Still climbing at 15,940 feet - 4846 m Temperature at 16,159 feet is 18F/-8C Level - WOT - true airspeed ~90mph/145kph A closer look Now for the fun part(suggested by John Gilpin), after circling the mountain, I headed back to Erie, still at 16,000’. Power slowly to idle, let the engine cool awhile, mags off, slow to 50 mph and the prop stops. Instance silence and better yet the plane does not fall out of the sky. Erie was about 15 miles away when I shutdown the engine. I descended at about 60 mph and around 600 fpm. I arrived over the airport at ~8000’ feet, made three 360’s and slipped about 500’ to land on the first half of the runway. I logged about 20 minutes of prop-stopped time. Absolutely exhilarating. I cannot seem to get this big smile off my face. Tach to zero 15 miles to home with the prop stopped

Live in Denver flying for 48 years Built a Savannah VGW in 2010

I flew my Savannah VGW (100hp) from Erie, CO (Denver) to Seattle in late July. I based the plane at Paine field (PAE) in Everett Washington for 8 days. Boeing builds their new Dreamliner 787 there. Here are some pictures taken along the route and while at PAE.