EAA South Central Ozarks Chapter 1218


Jerry Luna, retiring President	"It is always of interest to me, reading how different people got their interest in aviation... Most talk of being fence hangers at some airport, or maybe working on the line as a kid. Some had a father or grandfather that were pilots or some good friend that they flew with... I can truly say I fit in none of the above categories. Well, maybe the fence hanger part might sorta work... I spent a career in the U.S. Coast Guard and can remember hanging over the rail hoping death would come quickly or maybe I could be saved by one of those red and white helicopters. Aviation really was of no interest until after retirement and I ran out of things that I considered a challenge. If I had known just how much of a challenge, I might have let it pass. Once I decided to go for it, I knew I would need a CFI and he had better be a good one. I also would need one that had some connection with the man upstairs, plenty of patience, and one that knew the military language. I found all three in Len Ahrnsbrak. Being retired Navy, and a career in the military, and a hope for patience part, we launched into my aviation career. Every morning that was flyable, we met and headed for Baxter County. Flight review enroute, climb aboard ole 158 and pray that I would get to make the ride home. I am sure Len would have lived to be a 110 if he had got another student, but true to his word he hung in there. I could fly the thing... my problem was I didn't want to land... it finally happened, I got it on the ground and in one piece. From that point on things did improve. I decided ole 158 was unsafe for a seasoned pilot like me and the time had come to take the big step and purchase one of my own. Little did I know that the purchase price was the cheap part. You have to have a hangar, annuals, and a place to fly from. Home base became Gainesville International, grass, 2000 feet and me with a 150, cruise prop and fresh out of Baxter County. Some good intstruction in short field, soft field take-offs and landings, had me all set. Little did I know that there are a lot of pilots out there that would rather walk than fly in and out of Gainesville. For me it has been home and so far no major problems. You don't fly when it's hot with heavy humidity, and you watch your weight. The only attention-getters have been self-imposed. Ever set up on final and while talking to your lovely passenger go for the carb heat but pull the mixture control instead? That really gets your attention. You learn that, while in the landing pattern, fly the plane, talk with the passengers at a later time. Ever find yourself in a cloud, 2000 feet and it dawns on you that your flight instructor is not in the right seat? Very quickly your hood training becomes very, very important. The more you fly, the more you realize just how important a good flight instructor really is. I have been blessed with good instruction and friends that have given good solid flight safety advice. Now, after over three years, 350 hours of flight, and a whole lot poorer, I can say it has been a true adventure that will never end. Nothing like a bad day at work and climb in ole 59S, climb to 3500 and just watch the sunset, or be at the airport before dawn, climb, watch the sun rise, see the fog over the rivers and lakes and know for sure you live in God's country. Do I like to fly? You had better believe it. Would I do it all over again? In a heart beat!" Thanks, Jerry. You have led us well this past year.

Clint Allen, incoming President	With a bit of help from Marge: "Born in Tucson, AZ, Clint's parents were cattle ranchers in the rugged Rincon Mountains near Tucson. Fascinated by airplanes from the time he was a little boy, he made model airplanes and, when in high school, played six-man football because the school was so small. He also rodeoed and went flying whenver he could while in high school and college. It was a great day when he soloed a Taylorcraft in 1947. This was earned by getting one hour of flight time a week working as a line boy at the airport. Married in 1951 after graduation from college, Marge and Clint now have two children, a boy and a girl, two grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. In the '50s, Clint earned a multiengine rating in a twin Beech, and soon got a commercial rating and an instrument rating. This was while he was working for a large farming corporation as a technical supervisor. Flying a Cessna 170A, he accumulated about 1,000 hours visiting the different farms in California, Arizona, and New Mexico to supervise the growing of cotton and pecan crops. In the '60s, Clint became fascinated by helicopter, and enrned a helicopter rating with the help of Marge, who critiqued simulated flights at the kitchen table. Clint worked for Southern Airways at Mineral Wells, Texas, as a flight instuctor and maintenance test pilot. This was the Army's primary helicopter training facility. Several years and about 2,500 hours later, Clint went to work for Petroleum Helicopters as an offshore pilot mechanic. This job involved flying over the Gulf of Mexico to offshore oil rigs. By the '80s, Clint had gone to work for Aerospatiale Helicopters in Grande Prairie, Texas, as a pilot/mechanic. Here he worked on and flew all of the helicopters manufactured by Aerospatiale. During this time, he became involved in aerobatics and also became an aircraft inspector. In 1994, he retired from AHC and moved to the Ozarks to live on their ranch at West Plains, Missouri. At this time, Clint became an aerobatic judge and a Stearman pilot, thanks to Ron White of Willow Springs, Missouri." Clint, besides being President, is our chapter's technical advisor. As the "bio" indicated, he is an A&P holding an inspection authorization. Our featured members next month will be Robert Harshman from Wasola, Missouri, and Fred Kalhoefer from Macomb, Missouri. By featuring two members monthly, we should all be acquainted by the year 2001!


Final Notes
Congratulations to our really dedicated, faithful members who were honored with Chapter 1218 baseball caps at the last meeting, for attending all the meetings in 1999. Robert Harshman, Homer Johnson, and Willis Short are examples of faithfulness to us all. Robert, from Wasola, and Homer, from West Plains, make the long winding drive in the dark both ways during the winter days. Those were honors well deserved!

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