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Chapter 54 NEWS
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October 2001
Volume 44, Issue 10 |
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October Gathering Date: 10/8/2001 Time 7:00 pm Social 7:30 pm Meeting Location: Christ Lutheran Church, Lake Elmo, MN Topic: Our guest speaker will be Jim Frantz from Proprietary Software Systems. The company has developed and manufactures a line of angle-of-attack indicators for homebuilt aircraft. Jim will talk to us about the benefits of having an angle-of-attack indicator compared to our standard instruments.
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President's Corner |
| My partner and I finished building our amateur built bi-plane in 1985. We began to fly it and make the adjustments and necessary repairs to it over a period of several years until it was relatively free of bugs and gremlins. Each time we repaired it we included some improvements to the design that we had carefully contemplated. It was necessary to do repeated test flights to prove the validity of those improvements. Eventually we reached the point where when a flight was completed, all that needed to be done was to put the airplane in the hangar. This was the time when we really began to enjoy the airplane. There were places to go, fly-in breakfasts to attend and of course there was the obligatory trip to Oshkosh. On one particular Father’s day fly-in breakfast flight, down to Stanton and then on to Dodge Center, the realization that we had done it came to me. On the return flight, later in the afternoon which was a particularly perfect Minnesota flying day; clear sky, unlimited visibility and calm air, I ascended to 8500 ft. MSL, trimmed it out, set cruise power and sat back to enjoy the flight. Single place open cockpit biplane, perfect flying weather and about an hour’s flying time to get home. Nothing to do but look around and enjoy it. I looked at all the streamline wires and the struts and the nuts and bolts and the instrument panel and the wings and the sheet metal panels and thought about what it took to put it all there. There we were, me and a bunch of stuff that came in some boxes on a UPS truck, going through the air at 120 MPH at 8500 ft. with a spectacular view of the Twin Cities skyline and the confluence of the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers. GOD! What a country! I think I wrote about this once before, but what brought it up was the fact that Paul Liedl took me for a ride in his Kitfox the other day. That day was also one of those perfect Minnesota flying days. As we flew up the St. Croix River valley and checked out the panoramic view of Northwestern Wisconsin from Cedar Lake to Crex Meadows, to Taylor Falls Minnesota, St Croix Falls Wisconsin, to the Chisago Chain of Lakes, the abundance of all the water around the area with the numerous lakes and again the Twin Cities sky line with clear visibility and the ability to see all the way past the Monticello power plant. And again, looking at wings and struts and hand formed sheet metal and nuts and bolts and hearing and feeling the power of the engine pulling all of this stuff through the air at 120 MPH. Then remembering back to when I saw all this stuff in boxes on the floor of Paul’s hangar and recalling the Tech Counselor visits and the rib stitching session. Only the people that have done it can know the feeling. GOD! What a country! What brought about the flight with Paul was the NOTAM requiring all flights within the enhanced class B airspace be with a flight instructor. I had been wanting to get a ride in Paul’s Kitfox anyway, so this was as a good a time as any. I have been following, daily, the AOPA on-line homepage. That organization is putting forth a tremendous effort to help restore our privilege back to what it was prior to 9-11-01. The wording and the interpretation of the NOTAM will vary daily and in fact sometimes several times a day. The most definitive interpretation is found in the AOPA’s FAQ section. It seems that even some briefers at FSS have given some erroneous interpretations. The EAA and NAFI are also working diligently advising the FAA in order to attempt a solution to the problem. In the meantime, I know that I and other flight instructors, given a position of trust and responsibility for our nation’s class B airspace, will be happy to ride along whenever we can. I will continue to take that great responsibility seriously and to try to remain aware of the daily changes and to keep us flying. There will be a general membership meeting on Monday Oct. 8th. The location for the meeting will again be at the Christ Lutheran Church of Lake Elmo. The time to begin the formal part of the meeting is at 7:30 PM. The social gathering starts at 7:00. The Chapter Building is close to being ready. We’re waiting for some final inspections, an electrical hook-up, some internal wiring, installation of light fixtures and some sheet rocking. John Schmidt has been painting the ceiling, and the deck is complete except for a little bit of railing. We are hopeful for an inaugural meeting in November. We are looking for donations of money, picnic tables, park benches and if anyone knows of a six-foot kitchen counter and some wall cabinets, we can use them. We may have a line on the counter and cabinets but nothing is available at the present time. See you at the meeting. ---- Bill Schanks
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| Treasurer’s Report: 9/27/2001
Money Market $2,969.94 Collected $200.00 dues. Paid $51.95 for the Newsletter. Reduced our Pancake Breakfast profits by $172.28 when we paid for flyers and postage. Bought $440.13 worth of deck materials. Collected $26.00 for the old ballasted florescent lights. |
| September Meeting minutes
22 Members in attendance, called to order at 7:35PM. Program speaker was first, due to homework constraints. Chapter 54 Sponsored Chris Hasling for the EAA Air Academy. He arrived in Oshkosh halfway through the Airventure convention, and was given three days to have free reign over the grounds. Included in this was access to the VIP section during the airshow. Along with free food and ice cream, Sean Tucker had a talk with the entire group, showing them his Oracle Challenger and talking about what he does with it. After the convention, the daily routine involved a half day in the classroom where people like Brain Lee (a Boeing Engineer) told stories and gave lectures. The other half of the day was in the workshop, where Chris constructed a wing section. The various fabricating work done on the wing was woodwork, metal work, welding and fabric covering. In the shop were 6 volunteer teachers, including Chapter 54's Bill Schanks. Chris also built a balsa wood glider and powered plane, and participated in contests for time aloft. Chris' best time for the unpowered glider was 10 seconds. Other activities were a Young Eagle ride, Challenge Course consisting of a climbing wall, telephone pole, and a zip line which will be completed next year, mini-golfing, and fishing in the pond with a pencil, string and safety pin. When asked what needed some work with the program, Chris said that the classroom sessions were excellent, but could be made to flow just a little more. Chris sincerely thanked all members of Chapter 54 for allowing him to attend the Air Academy, and said he hopes to go back next year and receive flight instruction, and perhaps solo. For the business portion of the meeting, Bruce Shalles introduced himself as a guest, and reported he was flying a Fisher Horizon 1. Jerry Sarracco reported for the Lake Elmo Airport Association. He said the new beacon was up and running. It's brighter, faster, and the neighbors were the first to notice. He also reported on MAC's proposed funding for all of the airports, which is $3.5 million by 2002, and 12.9 Million by 2008. Lake Elmo's share is approximately 16% of that. The proposed improvements are the runway 4/22 extension by 2004, 14/32 extension by 2006, and the East hanger area. Jerry also added that Gatis Valters is missing his Coffee Pot from the fly-in. And that the RAAC meeting will be held on the 24th of Sept in Valter's hanger. There should be 3-4 MAC commissioners in attendance and a few staff. Art Edhlund announced the Flying Start program on Sept 22nd at the Club House. Al Kupferschmidt reported that there will be a small Young Eagles event on Sept 15th, with 14 kids to be flown. Meet in front of Ed Mayer's old building. John Schmidt reported on Forest Lake's Airport Association, and it's Aug 25th dedication. It was a huge success, despite weather threatening to make it otherwise. Going from 10-2, 31 Young Eagles were flown, the Doherties officially donated the airport, and dedicated it to there son, Dan who was in a midair in April of 1976. Also reported were various decisions having been made about improvements to the airport. 3 of 5 commissioners are for keeping the grass strip as parallel to paved strip. 80 mogas and 100LL avgas will be available by credit card pumps. Marlon Gunderson reported that our housing fund has received $1,950 in donations, and $850 in remaining pledges. Al Kupferschmidt added last that we have used the Church for our meeting twice, and should probably pass the hat for their hospitality. Meeting adjourned about 8:20PM. Minutes by Nick Stoley Editor’s note. Thanks Nick, great minutes |
| This from member
Bob Collins:
I've started the RV7A project with work on a tail. It's my first project so any 54ers who want to stop by and offer opinions and advice are welcome to do so. They can look at a couple of parts...the ones that used to be part of the project...and the ones that are replacing the ones that used to be part of the project. <g> I'm also heading to Oshkosh in October for one of the SportAir RV
workshops. I'm sure almost everyone in the chapter is old hat at this
stuff, but it's still a frontier for me and if there's a couple of folks
who want a report from a rookie, I'd be happy to write something up. |
| This from Marlon
Gunderson:
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| From member Pat Driscoll
Bob, Put into the news letter or on the web page if too late for news letter. Frank Magyar called me and said that he had a KR1 Project for sale. It's in the boat stage and has a few things to go with it. He also said that he had a VW engine for sale. I think it is a 1700cc. He said he'd sell to the highest bidder. Tell anyone interested that they should call him at (651) 459-1995 |
| From Al
Kupferschmidt:
Thanks, Al K |
| From member Mark Holliday
FOR SALE :Wind damaged 1946 Cessna 140, less firewall forward, instruments and radios. Good paperwork $1,950. Midget Mustang, 100 hp Continental, $12,000. or $7,500 less engine.
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| Calendar:
Oct 8 Chapter Gathering Lake Elmo’s Christ Lutheran Church
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Think You Know Everything? Los Angeles' full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Señorala Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula> A cat has 32 muscles in each ear. An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain. Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur. In most advertisements, the time displayed on a watch is 10:10 Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer. The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street, were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life." A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours. A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds. A dime has 118 ridges around the edge. It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open. The giant squid has the largest eyes in the world. In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak. The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube, and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket. Mr. Rogers is an ordained minister. The average person falls asleep in seven minutes. There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball. "Stewardesses" is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand. NOW, you know more.
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| EAA Chapter 54 is located at 3275 Manning Ave. N. Suite #7 Lake Elmo, MN 55042 EAA Chapter 54 NEWS Published monthly by Chapter 54 of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) for the use, education and enjoyment of chapter members and others to whom it is provided. No claim is made for the accuracy of the materials presented. Editorial content is the opinion of the contributor and does not necessarily reflect the policies of Chapter 54 nor the EAA. Submissions for publication are encouraged, and should be sent to :EAA Chapter 54 Editor 3275 Manning Ave. N. Suite #7 Lake Elmo MN 55042. or emailed to: rjwaldron@mmmpcc.org Permission for other EAA Chapters to use portions of this publication
is granted, as long as credit is acknowledged. Officers Bill Schanks 651-645-2420President - FrBilly@EarthLink.net Dan Parker 651-430-1532 Directors Class II Tim Reberg 651-730-8574 Nick Stolley 651-702-9331 Directors Class III Ed Peiffer 651-462-2517 Scott Hutchinson 651-777-1872 Young Eagles Coordinator Flight Advisors: Tech Counselor Newsletter Editor: Visit our WEB site at www.eaa54.org
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