July 2004

Happy Independence Day!
Well, that was quite a thunderstorm we had on our meeting day in June. Of course, nobody could fly in for it. But the guys managed to drive about 35 fence posts, which were badly needed at Mansfield Municipal.

Photographs by Sue Kalhoefer
Working up an appetite.	Mary Poppins!

We had a longer-than-usual business meeting, discussing progress on the hangar, Ron White's idea for a patio area across the creek from the hangar where members can sit and watch air traffic (that sounds nice), windsocks for the end of each runway at our airports as a project, the new Chapter patches, and a "yard sale" to raise funds for the Chapter hangar. The Treasurer's report showed we have received cash donations for the Chapter hangar, too. We want to thank each person who has supported the effort to develop a home base for the Chapter.

	Photographs by Sue Kalhoefer
Plenty of lively discussion.	That's dedication!

Roddy cooked great burgers for lunch, but he sure got wet in the process. Attempts to hold an umbrella for him didn't help much in that storm. Looking at the radar before coming to the meeting, you could see that Mansfield was where the echoes from the north met the echoes from the south, and there was a lot of moisture in the air. Some people pointed out that we really needed the rain, though. Hmm, so how come it's always raining on my day off? Lots of good conversation while eating, and isn't little Haley just the sweetest thing!

Next Meeting at Vaughn's
The July meeting will be at Mountain View. Mike and Sharon Vaughn will host the Chapter in their hangar. Mike says we will definitely fly Young Eagles on this day—so get ready, pilots. Mike is good at turning out the whole town. On Saturday, July 10, we will plan to be ready to fly kids starting at 9:00 a.m., quit at about 11:00 a.m., hold the business meeting, then have lunch. As usual, members are requested to bring salads, side dishes, "chips 'n' dips," and desserts.

Young Eagles
Remember, we have set a goal of 200 Young Eagles for this year. Our first scheduled Rally dates during the Spring months were all weathered out, so the only Young Eagles who have been flown so far this year were a few flights by individual pilots. Actually, those flights are probably the most rewarding ones. Our pilots should always be alert and ready to fly a Young Eagle when an opportunity arises. You are insured under the national charter for the program as long as you and your aircraft are "legal," and you carry your own full coverage6/19/04: The footings have been poured. Ron White checks to be sure everything is square. insurance. Of course, you must be a national EAA member, too.

The Chapter Hangar
On almost any sunny day, you will find people at work on the building site. A work day was announced for Saturday, July 2, to fill and grade the dirt and set the reinforcing iron for the hanger floor. In spite of it being a holiday weekend, the turnout is expected to be good.

	Photographs by Sue Kalhoefer
6/19/04: The footings have been poured. Ron White checks to be sure everything is square.	6/26/04: Getting forms ready to pour the piers.

Memorable Flight: Day 2
Last month, Jerry Luna responded to a request for a "memorable flight" experience by sharing the first day of a near-perfect flight in "Goldie," his Cessna 150, from Gainesville (H27) to Carlsbad, New Mexico (CNM) en route to San Manuel, Arizona. His "sort-of" traveling companions, Clint and Marge Allen, in their Viking, had been delayed by fog and remained half a day behind him, but landed in Carlsbad in front of a storm that night. They had covered more than 640 NM. As the saga continues, Jerry is expecting a quick hop to complete the trip on the second day out. That's when the events began that made the trip "memorable."

The second day out, Jerry in "Goldie," and Clint and Marge in the Viking, flew from Carlsbad, NM (CNM) to Lordsburg, NM (LSB), making a fuel stop at Deming , NM (DMN), less than half the distance they covered on the first day.

"We managed to survive April Fool's day without any misadventures, and on April 2, Marge, Clint, and I were up bright and early, showered and ready for breakfast and then takeoff. But as soon as we opened the door of the motel, we knew there was no rush. We weren't going to be doing any flying, at least not for a few hours.

"We waited awhile, then decided that although the clouds were hanging over the mountains to the west, things looked pretty good to the south. Maybe we could fly around the weather. Plans were to go IFR, and in a Cessna 150, IFR means 'I Follow the Road.' That meant I would go through Guadalupe Pass. With the Viking being the speed machine it is, Clint and Marge suggested that I fuel and leave first and then they would catch up. I'm sure their plan was to flash by and give me a good ride on a wake of rodeo-style turbulence. So Goldie and I fueled up and took off. We were to follow the Interstate, and Clint would remain three or four miles to the east.

"Goldie had been airborne for about 30 minutes and was climbing as fast as she could. That is, she was doing the climbing, and I was doing the pedaling. We were climbing at two to three hundred feet a minute with a forward progress of a blazing sixty-seven miles per hour. I heard Clint and Marge depart, but I didn't see the Viking for a while. Then there it was, several miles to the east. I saw them, but they hadn't been able to see me yet. We are both just flying along doing our thing when Clint called and said Marge had spotted an aircraft at what they thought should be my altitude and position but it was headed north. I am advised to keep a sharp lookout for this aircraft. Well, if you haven't figured this out yet, folks, that aircraft heading north is none other than ol' Goldie heading south, but we are a little slower, you know. So to the Viking it probably looks like we're standing still. At least Marge detected some movement. With the mystery of the northbound aircraft now solved, Marge and Clint become a speck on the horizon, and I kicked back to enjoy the scenery on a leisurely ride.

"Within minutes Clint was asking what I thought of all the huge wind turbines that stood along the high ridge of the pass. He wanted to know how many I could see. I couldn't see anything. I hadn't even got to the pass yet, and with the progress I was making, it would probably be another fifteen minutes before I even made the turn. Oh well, the good part was that when I finally saw them, I got to look at them a lot longer then they did.

"We crossed the Salt Flat VOR (SFL) and contacted El Paso, telling them we were heading for the Newman VOR ( EWM) and on to Deming, New Mexico (DMN). El Paso told me to remain on course at 6,500 feet. But the closer I got to El Paso, the lower and darker the clouds were getting. If I could have stood on the wing, I could have touched the clouds. And now the rain was coming down. El Paso asked how the weather was, and I replied that there was rain but I was clear of the clouds. As I approached the west side of El Paso, the weather cleared up, and I figured I had had my weather adventures for the trip. I figured wrong, of course.

		Photographs by Jerry Luna
Not too many good landing sites.	The Man himself looking after those who dare to fly. They call this Jesus Rock.	Lordsburg, NM, with airport showing in lower right corner.

"The next stop was Deming, New Mexico (DMN). Clint and Marge were waiting for me there and even had us a car so we could head out for lunch. We ate, fueled, and headed on for Willcox, Arizona. We were almost 'home.' Our plans were to stop at Willcox and say our good-byes, then Clint and Marge would head for Tucson, and I would turn north for San Manuel. With conditions remaining as they were, this part of the adventure would soon be ending in late afternoon and I would spend Saturday morning eating breakfast and looking at aircraft at the San Manuel Fly-In.

"I left Deming first but hadn't gotten to altitude when I saw the Viking slide by to my right. I had set my GPS for the Bowie, Arizona, VOR (SSO) and was soon gliding past the Lordsburg, New Mexico, airport. Between Lordsburg and Bowie, the charts show two large lakes. I had flown through there twice before and had never seen a lake yet and wondered what time of year they would show up, if ever. All I could see down there now was cactus, sand, and rock. I was within fifteen miles of Bowie when Clint gave me a call. I told him the same ol' thing I'd been telling him: 'Yes, I'm still back here.'

"'Turn it around,' Clint told me. 'Head for Lordsburg.'

"'Things are lookin' pretty good here, Clint,' I answered, wondering what the deal was.

"'Turn it around,' he said again. 'If you were seeing what I'm seeing, you'd already be headin' back to Lordsburg.'

"With a slow one-eighty, I'm headed for Lordsburg (LSB) and shortly was on the ground, looking west and watching for the Viking. Lo and behold, there she be. Soft touchdown, short taxi, and we were all in the FBO, checking the weather. It was now afternoon, and storms were building all around. The decision was made: We would remain overnight in Lordsburg, go for an early launch in the morning, and be at the end of the trail by noon. So much for a quick hop to end the trip by late afternoon.

"I remember when I was taking flying lessons, I was told that one of the most important things I would need to have in my possession at all times was a credit card. Times like this, two credit cards might be nice."

They had made 240 NM. The suspense is building and we can't wait to see what happens in next month's installment.

For those who may not know, Jerry served as Chapter President in 1999, the first full year of our existence. He is also a past president of the South Central Chapter of Missouri Pilots Association, to which most of us also belong.

Flash! Flash! Flash!
This issue had been "put to bed" when this late-breaking news came in!

The EAA Chapter Administrator, Brenda Anderson, sent a letter saying that Bill Ghan "has been selected as one of the recipients of the 2004 EAA Major Achievement Awards;" also saying, "The members of EAA Chapter 1218 submitted your name in recognition of your dedication, and continuous efforts to further recreation aviation and EAA. The Experimental Aircraft Association is pleased to honor your contributions by presenting you with the 2004 EAA Major Achievement Award." This, of course, is for Bill's project, the Wright Flyer replica, which was test flown on December 17, 2003, and successfully launched on January 10, 2004. It is now on permanent display at Springfield-Branson Regional Airport. The award will be presented on Wednesday, July 28, 2004, at the Theater in the Woods on the EAA AirVenture grounds. Congratulations, Bill!

Member News
John Zook has decided to keep on flying. The Taylorcraft is not for sale right now.

We have heard that Doc Openshaw bought a J-3 Cub. It's in Michigan. And we haven't seen Doc for a while. So maybe next time we see him, he'll be coming in for a landing at Willow Springs.

On a serious note, please keep praying for Charles Lee Ward. His condition is not good. Charlie and Anna Belle need our support.

Cheryl Butler is taking a one-day-at-time approach. We are with her.

It was nice to hear from Mary Marx. She gave me a great recipe a couple of years ago. Then she mislaid her copy of it. So she called and I was able to read it back to her. Talk about backing up your files!

Directory Change
Last month, I forgot to include John Zook's e-mail address change. It is now jmzook@webound.com. One silly letter, but it'll make all the difference if you're trying to send him a message.

We'll see you all Saturday at the meeting. Don't forget to bring a dish.

July Meeting Announcement