Hello, Members!
How wonderful…spring is here and the "flying season" has begun! We see
airplanes in the air everywhere. Sun 'n' Fun will start next week, but
so far I'm the only one I know of from our Chapter who is planning to
go. I sure hope the weather will be good for VFR flying on those days.
Last week I was in Springfield and a total stranger pilot saw my AOPA
cap, stopped and greeted me, and asked if I was going to Sun 'n' Fun. He
said he plans to go. He said he's been there before and it is a great
experience.
April Meeting
Our next meeting will be at Roddy Clark's hangar in Mansfield (03B).
Since Roddy and Teresa have invited us for barbecue lunch, we will hold
the business meeting at 11:00 a.m. Everyone please bring a side dish,
salad, or dessert. There will be time to fly a few Young Eagles before
the meeting, and the announcement will be in the local paper. There
won't be any local festival going on, but this is the only opportunity
to offer rides in Mansfield this year. Since the "sim team" made a
presentation in Hartville a few weeks ago, we expect that some of those
kids will show up for rides. Young Eagles pilots and ground crew, please
plan to be on hand by 9:00 a.m. to start.
March Meeting
We had a very nice
meeting last month in Vaughn's hangar. The air was a little too chilly
for the hangar doors to be open, but it was sunny and beautiful. The
Vaughns served us a very nice breakfast with lots of waffles and syrup,
plus sausage and other good food. It turned out to be a day with a
helicopter theme. After breakfast, Homer Johnston brought out a cute RC
helicopter. Different ones tried their hand at flying it in the hangar
as everyone else gathered around in a circle. Some treated it as a
dragonfly buzzing in their face, and it was fun to watch. We got some
good video clips of the action. Next thing you know, Orv Neisingh is
giving a few rides in Tweety Bird. Skyler Lucas, Charlie Webster's
grandson; myself; and Henny Christensen were lucky recipients. It was
just great, first time in a helicopter for me. Thank you so much, Orv, I
really enjoyed that.
During the business meeting, we further discussed our upcoming meetings
and Young Eagles rallies. May 7 is Emmett Kelly Day in Houston, when we
fly Young Eagles there. Those of you who signed up to fly Young Eagles,
or serve as ground crew, please put this one on your calendar if you
haven't already done so. Plan to be there not later than 9:00 a.m. And
stay for as long as there are kids to be flown.
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Henny Christensen presides over the March meeting
at Vaughn’s hangar.
Photo by Sue
Kalhoefer |
Also, a
special meeting with an FAA representative has been scheduled for May 7
at Mountain Grove for interested folks to learn more about the Sport
Pilot rules. The public will be invited to attend this one. Choose your
event.
Our Birthdays & Anniversaries
Two sheets of paper were passed around at
the meeting, one to list your birthday (not the year!), and one to list
your anniversary. If you weren't present at the meeting, the lists will
be passed around again at the April meeting. We will be including these
in the newsletter each month from now on. I forgot to put them on the
calendar page for April, but will try to remember this in May, as well
as in the newsletter itself. Old dog, new tricks, you know.
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April and early May
Birthdays |
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April 4: Janet Brantley
April 12: Thelma Batesel
May 4: Charles & Anna Belle Ward
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Anniversaries |
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April 20: Fred & Sue
Kalhoefer
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Dedication Ceremony
The Wright Flyer was finally dedicated on
the evening of March 10 at Springfield-Branson Regional Airport. After
the customary recognition of officials and politicians, the plaque was
unveiled. It describes the history of the project, lists all the Chapter
1218 members who worked on the project over the years, and lists
sponsors who provided funds and materials. Bill Ghan then gave an
informative talk about the history of the Wright Brothers and their
Flyer as part of the ceremony. We heard many comments from listeners
about how interesting it was, that they learned things they never knew
before. Finally, an artist's rendering of the place the Flyer will
occupy in the new terminal building was unveiled. The evening began and
ended with refreshments and conversation. Attendance by members was
high. Since the dedication, the story has appeared in numerous area
newspapers and aviation publications such as Fly Low.
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The official invitation and programs
for the dedication ceremony.
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The plaque which is mounted on the wall in the
terminal.
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An artist’s rendering of the position the
Wright Flyer will occupy in the new terminal.
Photos by Sue
Kalhoefer |
Member News
Jim Tausworthe has received an
invitation from Oshkosh to be present in the "Authors' Corner" at
AirVenture 2005 to sign copies of his aviation books. For those of you
who don't remember, the titles are The 405th, Gods of the Pylon, and The
Last Chase. This is exciting news. I sure hope you've all read these
books. They are very good. Jim's special talents in writing are his
character development, and plots.
Member Bio
This month we have a very special bio. It is especially different in
that it tells about the special challenges posed by health problems.
With all the news about Sport Pilot and the hope that it will offer the
opportunity to fly in spite of some health limitations, we have here a
story of one of our members who is daily conquering a major health
problem and is returning to flight as a Private Pilot. Kent Nichols
lives in Salem, Missouri. He has been a Chapter 1218 member consistently
for about four years. His educational pursuits prevent him from
attending meetings on a regular basis, but he puts in appearances when
he can. He made a very interesting presentation at the June 2001
meeting, telling of his research and development endeavors. You can read
the brief description of his efforts in the July 2001 edition of
On Top ! in the newsletter archives
here on the Chapter web site. Now he tells his story:
Kent Nichols
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"Somewhere in a 1970's
summer, the view from high above reveals a car winding its way
along gentle curves and over rolling hills. Down on the roadside,
one sees a car with its windows down and a most curious sight.
Alongside the car's passenger window, a P-51 Mustang pierces the
air. Around each corner, the Mustang banks and turns; its
four-bladed propeller whining. Inside the car, the air rushes in,
blowing my mother's hair. Beside her, I'm holding my new plastic
Mustang out the window. This wasn't something new to the neighbors
who lived along the road from town to our house, but this plane
was. My mother had just purchased me a new one—I had worn out the
propeller shaft of my first Mustang!
"Well, I have many fond memories of the early years; when I found
my love of flight. These toy airplanes led to other models that
flew on their own. Control line models followed, and then radio
control planes. The latter would consume much of my high school
years and much of the money I made from the sale of my calves each
year. During these years, I studied university-level textbooks
about aerodynamics, built a sixteen-foot-long windtunnel and
designed a lifting-fuselage aircraft with a canard. These high
school years allowed me to exhibit my projects in several
science/engineering fairs—three of which were International level.
All of these little planes and big plans led to a full scholarship
at the University of Missouri-Rolla. So I was off to college. A
couple of years later, I stopped for a while. During this time, I
entered and won a NASA V/STOL design contest. Also, I got my
private pilot's license. The flying part came very easily and was
so enjoyable. I had been an IAC member, so I began studying
aerobatics. About this time, I transferred to Embry-Riddle
Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach. I took with me, my High
Speed Air Ambulance project (This V/STOL project originated with
the NASA contest, and continues today, thousands of hours later in
a strong effort to redefine rapid response to medical
emergencies.)
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Pictures provided by Kent
Nichols |
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"At ERAU, I was back to aerospace engineering classes. I had a job
working for Flight Safety International at their B-737-300
simulator facility. I had joined the ERAU Aerobatics Club and was
looking forward to taking aerobatic lessons at Mudry Aviation (The
French Connection Team). Over halfway through the semester, I
began having some strange symptoms. The first thing I noticed was
my eyesight. I had always had extremely sharp vision, but now I
had difficulty seeing the chalkboard. I went to the campus doctor
who also was an AME for the flight students. He dismissed it as
stress. A few days later, I was having much more difficulty
seeing, I was thirsty all of the time and I had to find a bathroom
quite often. I went back to the doctor and he wasn't very pleased
to see me. I overheard him tell a nurse in the hall that I was
just stressed out. The nurse had an idea though. She came into the
room and asked me if she could check my blood sugar. It turned out
to be near 500; far above the normal 80-120 range.
"The doctor was called back, they collected a few vials of blood,
and in a couple days later I was diagnosed with diabetes…an end to
flying. I remember some weeks later trying to look out of the
engineering building at the airplanes taking off and landing at
Daytona International. Everything was extremely fuzzy. With two
weeks left, I dropped out of school and headed back to Missouri.
This was November of 1999.
"Last December, I received a Special Issuance Medical Certificate
from the FAA. I'm approximately the 500th pilot to receive such as
an insulin-dependant diabetic. So how did I manage this? First of
all, God has blessed me with the health and people to make flying
a reality again. At first, I didn't expect to fly again. But I
decided to learn as much as I could about diabetes, eat correctly
and exercise. And, I also knew that if I was ever to fly again,
that I had to prove to myself that I would be competent and safe
in the cockpit. Therefore, I used two years to evaluate my ability
to manage my health and recognize any and all low blood sugar
events. After two years, I had never experienced even one time
where I lost control or became impaired in any way. I had passed
the strictest tests that I would face. Years earlier, my favorite
days of flying were the days when I cancelled a flight due to
marginal weather, a suspected mechanical issue or because I wasn't
feeling my best. I had gained great satisfaction from knowing that
I wasn't going to harm myself or others by taking chances. I had
arrived at an important point. Some time later, I heard of Michael
Hunter, the only diabetic airshow pilot in the world. I e-mailed
him and he gave me a call; answering every question that I had for
him.
"Soon afterwards, I spoke with my AME. He was very excited about
helping me. I explained to him how I planned to use the FAA's
requirements to force me to take even better care of myself.
Beginning in January 2004 I met with my AME, he evaluated my
general health and ordered tests to assess my diabetes. I spent a
morning going through several tests at the hospital. I had another
eye examination and I visited a cardiologist. With the records and
letter from my diabetic doctor, the paperwork was sent to the FAA.
In about June, a paperwork error required more information to be
sent. But, in November I received a letter from the FAA. I
prepared myself for the worst, just in case, then opened it.
Inside was my Medical Certificate and instructions that I would
follow when I flew! This was a great relief and a wonderful
inspiration. So, in December I began refresher-instruction with
two flight instructors. And three months later, I have been flying
on my own for the last two months and it has been great! I check
my blood sugar according to the FAA directions before and during
every flight. If I ever have any concerns about safety, I will not
fly.
"So what do I recommend to anyone, especially pilots? First, don't
try to deceive yourself. If you feel like something might be wrong
don't wait to see a doctor. Your health is much more important
than flying (And that's hard to say sometimes!). Second, empower
yourself with self control. Be professional about it. A pilot
should have the discipline to eat properly and exercise correctly.
If your job or activities do not provide enough exercise then find
something enjoyable for exercise. I like to rollerblade and lift
weights. But most of all, mountain biking has been the most
beneficial. I believe that most of us pilots would benefit from
biking a few miles every week.
"So from here on out, I plan to continue my research and design
work on the High Speed Air Ambulance project, finish my aerospace
engineering degree and begin flying some aerobatics; all God
willing of course. If I can be of any help to anyone please always
feel free to contact me by phone or e-mail. My parting advice:
"Never Give Up!" Do whatever it takes to enhance your health and
then go fly safely! And if you ever see some child holding a toy
airplane out of a car window, remember one thing…the phrase "IFR—I
Follow Roads"…has yet another meaning!"
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| When Kent told
me at the Christmas meeting that he was flying again, I was so
excited. I knew what he had been going through, because he had
kept me posted periodically. There were some times when it all
looked pretty hopeless. Kent loves to fly, and it is great news
that he is flying again. Congratulations, Kent. You are an
inspiration to us all. Note that Kent places great reliance on the
Lord. |
Directory Changes
Add: Orville & Sheila
Neisingh, 8844 County Road 9790, West Plains, MO 65775, (417) 255-2201,
osn@wpcs.net.
Change: Kent Nichols, kentnichols@hotmail.com.
Change: Chuck Hiett,
blujarone@wmconnect.com.
Buzz Thunderbee by Squawk
Hey, Buzz, what everyone wants to know is if this service will be
available during flight? And the big question, can we afford it?
Meeting Reminder
We'll see you at the
meeting on Saturday, April 9, in Mansfield. Don't forget a side dish.
Come early and cheer on the Young Eagles. Fly in or drive in.
Last But Not Least…
Here are a couple more pictures from the dedication of the Wright Flyer…
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| Detail of Henny’s
well-known picture of the flight of the Wright Flyer replica, as
it appears on the plaque. |
Bill Ghan and Don
Nevels shake hands again on the successful flight, the
accomplishment of a dream.
Photos by Sue
Kalhoefer |
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