Eric Demaray's Celebration of life

Picture from today's missing man formation for Eric Demaray celebration of life. It was an honor for me to be in it with such a wonderful group.

Have a video and other picture soon.

Reno Air Races 2018 - L39 Collision & Video of BOTH Aircraft Landing - J...

More Info - Eric Demaray Gathering

Susan Ramsey

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Today, 1:23 PM

whiteplains-announcements-list@googlegroups.com

Last night, in the midst of the tumult of the storm…those who loved Eric Demaray gathered around him in a hospital room…holding his hand…as he made the transition out of the Seen Realm into the Unseen.

And now even as we let him go, tears flowing out of our hearts…we recognize a deep need to be together, to celebrate Eric, to remember him and his life story.  And we know that the family will need to be gathered in and strengthened and cared for.   

To this end, we will be gathering this Saturday at the Ballee’s hangar at 5:00p.  Please, please, let either Cece or I know by Wednesday noon if you will be coming so that Linda has a head-count for the food, as she desires to cater the meal.  You are invited to bring a desert.  Tea, lemonade and water will be provided.  If any of you can help us set up the hangar at 1:00p and clean up afterwards, we would be most grateful. 

A basket will be set out to collect notes of stories or memories of Eric, along with words of encouragement. There will also be a flying tribute to Eric after dinner.  

Blessings to each of you as we continue to come alongside Linda and the family.

Cece and Susan

Posted 9-17-2018

Eric Demaray - Info from Linda

‎Linda Rabiansky Demaray‎ to Whiteplains Plantation (SC99)

4 hrs · 

Eric Demaray passed away last night at the age of 46 from Cancer. We are planning a party in his honor here at Whiteplains plantation. Eric did not want a funeral but a party after he died. Susan Ramsey asked to plan the party. We would love to invite you all this Saturday to celebrate Eric and his life. We are having it this Saturday while his family is here. We will be sending out more information later in the week.

Posted 9-17-2018

Brain Waves Control Drones, With DARPA Tech

 Science fiction??? Read and find out. 

MARY GRADY              A person with a microchip implant can now pilot a swarm of drones by sending signals directly from their brain, an ability that also should work for full-scale aircraft, according to researchers at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The technology was discussed at a recent symposium held by DARPA, in Maryland. “The signals from those aircraft can be delivered directly back to the brain so that the brain of that user [or pilot] can also perceive the environment,” said Justin Sanchez, director of DARPA’s biological technology office. DARPA officials at the symposium also said they have advanced the technology so a user now can steer multiple jets at once, according to a report from DefenseOne.com. Working with a paralyzed volunteer, the researchers were able to not only send but also receive signals from the aircraft. “It’s taken a number of years to try and figure this out,” Sanchez said. The work builds on research from 2015, when a paralyzed woman was able to steer a virtual F-35 Joint Strike Fighter by sending signals from her brain using only a small, surgically-implanted microchip.

Wenesday Whitesplains Pilots Lunch - Arby's

New Arby's by Lowe's Foods was the location of this weeks Whiteplains Pilots Luncheon.

Special thanks to Tony Scribner for the free sandwich coupon.

Photo by: Don Cook 9-12-2018

Aireon Casts A Net - Emergancy Locaters in planes replacement?

From    MARY GRADY   We all may still be waiting for our flying cars and jetpacks, but there’s no question the future has arrived, in ways more subtle but irrefutable. There was the live video of two SpaceX rockets landing on their tails in Florida earlier this year. There’s the imminent first flight of the giant Stratolaunch space plane. And now there’s Aireon, a network of satellites that will make it possible for any aircraft equipped with ADS-B to be tracked anywhere on the planet. No need to send out search planes—a technician at a screen will pinpoint the site of the downed aircraft, and relay the coordinates to rescue teams within minutes. The project was inspired, at least in part, by the loss of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370, which went missing in 2014. Today, flights across the oceans or in polar regions lose touch with tracking systems, and ATC relies on pilot reports, and flight plans filed in advance, to estimate their position. When MH370 went silent, searchers had limited resources to work with, and 239 souls on board remain lost. Wikipedia lists 43 flights that have gone missing since 1970, including balloons attempting to cross the Atlantic, DC-3s, private jets and cargo planes. A Piper Warrior vanished somewhere in British Columbia in 2017. That loss is a reminder that even here in the Western world, there are big blank spaces on the map where humans seldom tread. One of the more famous GA losses in recent years was the disappearance in 2007 of Steve Fossett, the multiple-record-holding pilot who took off from Nevada on a solo pleasure flight in a Super Decathlon and never returned. Despite an online search by hundreds of volunteers who scrutinized Google Earth images for signs of the airplane, it was found by chance in 2008 when a hiker happened upon the site. Presumably, once Aireon goes online next year, this kind of mystery will be a thing of the past. In another 10 or 20 years, the idea of a lost airplane will be as foreign as the rotary-dial phone or rabbit-ear TV antennas. But seldom does something good occur without a flip side. In this case, we lose a little of the awe and dread of living on Earth, the sense that there are places on the planet, wide and empty, that remain unknown and unknowable. It’s a small price to pay for saved lives, but it’s a price worth noting.

Small but good looking Pilots from Whiteplains Plantation lunch group.

Whiteplains pilots Wednesday lunch group at Creek Side. — in Lexington, South Carolina

8-26-2018.

Summer is almost over, Party Time at Whiteplains Plantation at the Ballee's Hangar - Labor Day Party

Friends,
The year has flown by quickly and September is almost upon us. So we are planning the annual Labor Day Party again at our house 220 Cirrus Lane for all to enjoy and renew friendships.

Chicken, Brats, Hamburgers, Soft drinks, will be furnished. If you would like adult beverage please bring your own.

We encourage all the new members of Whiteplains to come and meet your new neighbors.

A dish to pass and RSVP would be appreciated please call Cecilia (CeCe) at 937-509-0004.

Place 220 Cirrus Lane
Time 3:00 pm

Activities 

Games
Music
Food
Beverages (soda, lemonade,ice tea, water)

Hope to see you all there.
Mike and CeCe Ballee

Few shots around Whiteplains 8-20 to 8-26-2018

Photos by Don Cook

Click on any picture to see full size.

More Flying Memories from: Homer L. Keisler

Warning, expect spelling punctuation Capitalization and Syntax error It’s about Flying----- Mach 1+   

        In October 1954 the 157th  Fighter Squadron at Congaree Air National Guard Base Eastover SC received two of the coveted  North American F86A’s Jet Fighters. They were the first supersonic air craft to be assigned at Squadron level. It was fifty one years after the Wight brothers flew their first airplane. It was also the Cadillac of the fighter pilots dream in comfort, pressurization, heating, cooling, windshield deicing, and the location and ease of controls       

       Every assigned pilot was eager to fly one and these two airplanes were kept busy.  Our squadron was assigned the Lockheed F80’s at that time and this new airplane was quite a leap in overall performance. The F86A aircraft was built by The North American Aviation Company and they were rightfully proud of their airplane.       

       For those pilots certified as having flown this airplane faster than the speed of sound, the company issued a nice lapel pin, smaller in diameter than a dime, it was known as a Mach Buster’s Pin. Also issued at the same time was a certificate signed by the unit’s Commanding officer, Lt Col Barney B McEntire, later General McEntire.       

       Lest there be any doubt about having flown faster than the speed of sound, the pilots were required to boom the field as witnessed by Col McEntire or his personal representative on mobile ground control.     

       Congaree Air Base, Eastover SC, and the surrounding area were soon to be BOOMED into the supersonic flight age.       

       The F-86A would go supersonic only in a steep dive with the drop tanks removed. The procedure at Congaree Air Base was to remove the drop tanks then, after takeoff, climb as rapidly as possible to forty thousand feet over the field, roll the airplane on it’s back and at full throttle aim the aircraft at the tetrahedron (wind sock) located near the center of the field.       

       From 40,000 ft it is difficult to know when you are directly over a small point of earth and mobile control would help in establishing this position.     

       To maintain a vertical dive in the F86A required maintaining a lot of forward stick pressure or trim and you really feel that the airplane is headed much past the straight down vertical position.

        Here, for those who have not flown an airplane inverted, I should probably mention that gravity still works at all aircraft speeds and altitudes. You will want your seat belt and shoulder harness to be as tight as possible to keep you from falling toward the instrument panel making it difficult to locate the target as you roll the airplane over on its back and head straight down,       

       As you transition from subsonic speed to faster than the speed of sound you do not hear any change in sound in the cockpit or the sonic boom created and projected by the airplane.     

       A difference in the feel of the controls and the airspeed indicator will jiggle noticeably as you passed thru Mach 1. If you looked out at the wings leading edge as you passed thru Mach 1, you could sometimes see a shimmering shock wave like the heat waves that rise from a hot asphalt roadway.       

       You wanted the airplane to go thru the Mach as quickly as possible. It was said that if you went down at a slight angle it would take too long when transitioning thru to supersonic flight and the aircraft controls could become useless or reversed, especially the elevators which were changed in all later models The aircraft could then end up yawed sideways, or way past vertical inverted with reversed elevator action etc, and that was not good form.       

       I never tried to check this out. Believe me, from forty thousand feet to ground level faster than the speed of sound allows very little time to do much besides aim the airplane at the target and pull out of the vertical dive before reaching ground level. The airplane would go subsonic in the dive even at full power around 25000ft altitude because of air density.     

       The flight controls in the F86A were different from all the following F86 series in that they were mechanically connected to the stick and rudder with hydraulic assist, later models were all hydraulic irreversible controls with no mechanical connection, but with artificial feel.     

       At -50F temperature, (common at high altitude) Mach 1 is 676.33 Mph and you will be descending more than 991.95 ft/per sec. At -20F (lower altitude) Mach 1 is 731.84 Mph and you are descending more than 1073.36 ft/per sec.     

       The sonic boom, a startling sound like a loud clap of thunder on a clear cloudless day was a seldom heard phenomenon at that time, (about fifty years after the Wright brothers flew their first airplane).       

       Later when supersonic airplanes became more common and the destructive effects of a sonic boom on a building’s structure, foundation and especially the window glass, was recognized and compensation demanded, the location and track of each supersonic flight were required to be logged and reported. Eventually, all supersonic flights over land except emergency intercepts of unidentified aircraft required a pre-approved flight plan. Supersonic flights could still be done at sea without prior approval.             

       One interesting incident that occurred during this time involved two very close friends of mine, Captain B and Captain D. .       

       Capt B was scheduled for his first supersonic flight and his friend, Capt D was assigned the duty of mobile control and was Col McEntire’s personal representative to monitor the flight at ground level. Capt B made the standard climb to altitude and was cleared to aim a sonic boom at the field. When he completed the dive and contacted his friend on mobile control after the pullout. He asked how that one was. His friend on ground mobile control, said sorry B, I didn’t hear a thing (Not true). You will have to do it again Capt D said. So Capt B climbed back to altitude. This time he said to himself as he climbed, I will make sure they hear me this time.  I have only enough fuel to make one more pass, so Instead of aiming for the center of the field, he aimed for the ramp area between the two hangers. No question about it, this time as the boom hit the pavement and as the shock wave reverberated between the two hangers many glass panels in the hanger doors were shattered and fell to the pavement. Col Mc met Capt B at the airplane after he landed. After hearing the story, Col Mc told Capt B that he would have to pay for this destruction of government property. The windows were replaced. I am not sure who paid for what or when, but Capt B did get his Mach Busters Pin and certificate.       

       According to official flight records (Airforce Form 5) I was one of the last pilots to fly the F86A at Congaree and get a Mach Busters pin before the F86A’s were transferred to another squadron. I am not in the photo of the Mach Busters at Congaree Air Base.( fourteen in number)  as shown on page 126 in Capt Bob McCook’s book “Green One The"

       A story of A Pilot” (B -17 WW 11 Pilot) ISBN 1-57113-056 –X.  I had returned to Cordele GA and my civilian job as a crop duster pilot when that photo was taken.          Written 2005   1248 words, copy from notes 1954-55       Homer L Keisler

Air Force One - President Trump Arrives at Columbia, SC

Notice: SC99 is in the 30 NM circle - This Monday 5-25-2018

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COLUMBIA, SC ON MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2018

Click here to enlarge image A NOTAM has been published (FDC 8/0531) that will affect flight in the area during President Trump's planned visit.

30 NM RADIUS TFR  Location On the COLUMBIA VORTAC (CAE) 328 degree radial at 6.1 nautical miles. From the surface up to but not including 18,000 feet MSL.   Times:   6:15 PM EDT until 8:45 PM EDT Monday, June 25, 2018

10 NM RADIUS NO-FLY ZONE  Location On the COLUMBIA VORTAC (CAE) 328 degree radial at 6.1 nautical miles. From the surface up to but not including 18,000 feet MSL.   Times:   6:15 PM EDT until 8:45 PM EDT Monday, June 25, 2018

Affected Public Use Airports

KCAE Columbia Metropolitan KCUB Jim Hamilton L B Owens 6J0 Lexington County at Pelion KFDW Fairfield County

Additional Notes:  No pilots may operate an aircraft in the areas covered by this NOTAM (except as described).   Except as specified below and/or unless authorized by ATC in consultation with the air traffic security coordinator via the domestic events network (DEN):   A. All aircraft operations within the 10 NMR area(s) listed above, known as the inner core(s), are prohibited except for: Approved law enforcement, military aircraft directly supporting the United States Secret Service (USSS) and the office of the President of the United States, approved air ambulance flights, and regularly scheduled commercial passenger and all-cargo carriers operating under one of the following TSA-Approved standard security programs/procedures: aircraft operator standard security program (AOSSP), full all-cargo aircraft operator standard security program (FACAOSSP), model security program (MSP), twelve five standard security program (TFSSP) all cargo, or all-cargo international security procedure (ACISP) and are arriving into and/or departing from 14 cfr part 139 airports. All emergency/life saving flight (medical/law enforcement/firefighting) operations must coordinate with ATC prior to their departure at 803-822-5240 to avoid potential delays.   B. For operations within the airspace between the 10 nmr and 30 nmr area(s) listed above, known as the outer ring(s): All aircraft operating within the outer ring(s) listed above are limited to aircraft arriving or departing local airfields, and workload permitting, ATC may authorize transit operations. Aircraft may not loiter. All aircraft must be on an active IFR or filed VFR flight plan with a discrete code assigned by an Air Traffic Control (ATC) facility. Aircraft must be squawking the discrete code prior to departure and at all times while in the TFR and must remain in two-way radio communications with ATC.   C. The following operations are not authorized within this TFR: flight training, practice instrument approaches, aerobatic flight, glider operations, parachute operations, ultralight, hang gliding, balloon operations, agriculture/crop dusting, animal population control flight operations, banner towing operations, sightseeing operations, maintenance test flights, model aircraft operations, model rocketry, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), and utility and pipeline survey operations.   D. FAA recommends that all aircraft operators check notams frequently for possible changes to this TFR prior to operations within this region.

Kade Carson Crocker September 3, 2005 - May 31, 2018

Kade Carson Crocker

LEXINGTON – Kade Carson Crocker, beloved son of Leah Murphree-Crocker and Kirt Crocker joined God on Thursday, May 31, 2018, following a fatal automobile accident.

Born September 3, 2008, Kade will be remembered for his infectious laugh, his ability to make friends with everyone he met, his sense of humor, and the wonderful smile that never left his face. A former student of Mt. Hebron Day School, Kade was a third grader at Rocky Creek Elementary School, where he was adored by many teachers, staff members, classmates and their families. Kade excelled in academics and sports, but his greatest attribute was his determination to make all his peers feel special, and for no one to feel left out.

Kade played soccer for Lexington GPS as a center forward. The only time he appeared unhappy was if he were taken out the game. Kade also played basketball for Lexington Recreation Commission, where he was always the smallest kid on the team, but the one with the biggest heart.

Always outside, Kade loved big trucks, ATVs, BMX bikes, swimming, everything camouflage, and anything with wheels or water. Summer fun was jumping off the back of the boat together, swimming and kayaking at grandma and papa’s; Winter fun included learning to snow ski, ride a dog sled, zooming down a hill on a dish and snowmobiling together; endless tea parties at grandma’s, family gatherings of birthdays, Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving and all things beautiful in between. Indelible memories of giggles, jumping, climbing and always, always Kade helping Ian and Evan climb higher or accomplish any intended goal.

He will be sorely missed by his 2 “Boy’s Best Friends”, Puck and Tracker. His love for animals was surpassed only by his love for people. Kade will be remembered fondly by many as, “my best friend”, and by his family as “Pooter” and “Bubba”.

In lieu of flowers; Kade would have been very grateful for memorial donations, to honor the memory of his grandparents, being made to StandUp2Cancer OR to Rocky Creek Elementary PTA for the Kade Crocker Memorial Fund 430 Calks Ferry Rd. 

Slide Show - Kade Carson Crocker

Kade Crocker

Thank you for all of the love and support that has poured out in honor of Kade. It has been felt by everyone involved. Plans have been confirmed for Kade's visitation and funeral. Visitation will be Friday from 6-8 at Caughman-Harmon Funeral Home located at 503 N Lake Dr. Lexington, SC 29072. They may be reached at (803) 359-6118. His funeral will be held at 11 am at Corpus Christi Catholic Church, located at 2350 Augusta Hwy, Lexington, SC 29072. Please feel free to share with all who loved Kade and the Crocker family. Continued prayer for the family is appreciated.

Posted 6-5-2018

Prayer Request Leah Crocker

Shelly Knox just called to inform us that Leah Crocker and her son, Kade were in a very bad car accident today.  Leah is in the hospital and unfortunately, Kade passed away on the scene instantly.  Please keep Leah in your prayers and Shelly will let us know more information when she gets it as they are very good friends with Leah.

Posted 5-31-2018

Updated 9-5-2018