SCIOTO VALLEY 99s

Aircraft We Fly

Members of the Scioto Valley Chapter of the Ninety Nines fly a wide variety of aircraft, including hot-air balloons, single- and multi-engine airplanes, and single-engine helicopters.  Some of these are owned aircraft, some are rented or leased, and some are aircraft belonging to our employers.

Here are some photos and descriptions of us and the craft we frequently find ourselves in.

Connie and Ray Copeland's Cessna 340

Here's Connie Copeland, briefing a passenger about the sightseeing flight over Lake Erie he's about to experience in the Copeland's 1973 Cessna 340.  The passenger is a teenaged relative from England, who had never before flown in a private airplane.  Of course, we let him handle the controls a bit.  Afterwards, Mark claimed the 340 is easier to fly than Microsoft's Flight Simulator!

The Cessna 340 is a turbocharged, pressurized, piston twin.  With a maximum cabin differential pressure of 4.2 pounds per square inch, the cabin altitude reaches 10,000 feet at about Flight Level 230.  The airplane is very comfortable in the high 'teens and low twenties, where it carries up to six people at 200 knots or slightly better.

Paula Rumbaugh, Amy Yersavich, and Terri Vrbancic's Grumman Traveler

This little beauty, a 1973 Grumman Traveler, belongs to Amy Yersavich, Terri Vrbancic, and Paula Rumbaugh. They’ve gotten a lot of time, miles, and fun out of N9514L. In addition to numerous flights to surrounding states and the east coast, 14L has also provided vacations on Pelee Island and in Stratford, Canada, and in Bozeman, MT, Keweenaw Peninsula, MI, and Santa Fe, NM. It's also seeing Terri through to her instrument rating.

The Traveler has a 150-hp engine and cruises at 120 mph. It’s fully IFR-equipped, with a panel-mounted Garmin GNC 300XL GPS, and sports a custom-made canopy cover when parked. The women fly together often, but just as often they share the joy of flying with family and friends, pilots and non-pilots alike, or just going “up” alone for an hour or two for relaxation, currency practice, and the sheer love of it!

N9514L has competed in four Buckeye Air Rallies, several American Yankee Association rallies, and one cross-country Air Race Classic.

Wendy Yost's Hot-Air Balloon ― “Sandia”

Sandia is a 1986 Aerostar hot air balloon, an RX-7, holding 77,000 cubic feet (2180 cubic meters) of air, equipped with a single burner.

This balloon has been in Columbus since it was built, and Wendy is its third owner.  It has accumulated over 325 hours of flight time, which means it is getting pretty old.  Wendy bought this balloon in 1998 while still a student pilot, training with commercial pilots, when she realized she couldn't depend upon their balloons for practice!  Also, Wendy wanted to fly near her home town of Cleveland, and the Columbus pilots were none too keen to travel there with her, etc.

Wendy earned her solo flight in October, 2000, but only after two other student pilots soloed her balloon before she did.  However, she was able to reverse the situation by completing her check flight before they did.  She has had many memorable, happy flights since that time.

Wendy's choice of the name “Sandia” comes from the mountains just outside Albuquerque, the Mecca of hot-air ballooning.

A poetic friend of Wendy's composed the following verse, in an attempt to capture the spirit of riding with Wendy:

Lofty view from the heavens above
Peaceful vista, one Wendy can love
Fired by super hot air
Gliding along here and there
As free and as light as a dove.

As a pilot her craft's a balloon
With her skill she'll maneuver and soon
From the ground she'll arise
Lifting into the skies
Lighter than air with all nature in tune.

From a basket all is calm down below
Dodging buildings and power lines just so
Where to land, will it be
Farmer's field, or a tree?
Cut the fire and down gently she'll go.

With like colleagues she forms the “99s”
Women pilots they celebrate all the times
That they've soared from the earth
Enjoying a rebirth
kindred sisters, ever ready for the climbs!
• Kathy Matto, January 2004 •

Barb and Chuck Deeds' Cessna 172C

Barbara obtained her pilot's license in 1970 in California and one year later purchased a 1962 Cessna 172. Since Chuck's occupation was flying big airplanes the Cessna was mostly flown by Barb. It has been upgraded with exterior paint, interior upholstery, radios and everything to keep it up to date. The blue and white Cessna has flown three Pacific air races, flown to most of the western Unites States and some central states and the DC, Annapolis area and to Baja. One may say that it has flown coast to coast.  Right now it is on a farm anchored at Deeds Field southeast of Columbus, Ohio and is in no way finished flying. Sons Chuck and John got their pilot's licenses in the blue bird, and grandchildren have taken their first airplane ride.

{This page is still under construction.}

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