Howdy Folks,
Our November meeting, on
Saturday the 9th at 9:00 A.M., will be a
"homecoming" meeting at Ron White's hangar.
Once again we will enjoy Chef Ron's delicious breakfast
and then settle down to our all-important business
meeting. This will be our annual nominations and election
of Chapter officers. So please come out and help us plot
the course for the next year — or even be more
daring and run for office yourself. You can't beat this
deal! The breakfast is free and, on top of it, it is
delicious; plus, if you don't like the way things are
going, here is your chance to make a change.
Officer
Nominees
The nominating committee announced the results of its
search for leadership for the coming year: For president,
Ben Hurtt; for vice-president, Tom White; for secretary,
Phyllis White; for treasurer, Gene Pascoe; for Young
Eagles co-coördinators, Bob Brantley and Susan
Kalhoefer; for web and newsletter editor, Susan
Kalhoefer; for board member at large, Lloyd Darter. (The
nominating committee members were Ben Hurtt, Bob
Brantley, and Fred Kalhoefer.) We will vote on this slate
of officers, but additional nominations may be made from
the floor first. It is suggested that you first ask
anyone you wish to nominate if they are willing to serve
if elected. Also, if anyone is willing to serve who has
not been nominated, they are quite welcome to volunteer
— it won't be hard to find a second for your
self-nomination! And the new officers shouldn't be left
to do everything by themselves. All the behind-the-scenes
helpers we can find are appreciated.
October
Meeting
The October meeting was
— just like last year — a meeting at John and
Joyce Smith's Aerodrome. It was cloudy early, but soon
cleared and became a beautiful day, so that several
members were able to fly in, a great way to finish the
fly-in season. We enjoyed a great Texas chili and many
other wonderful dishes and desserts that Joyce and the
other ladies of the Chapter prepared. And, once again, I
came away from the meeting wishing I had John's
home-and-built-on-hangar combination. With an arrangement
like that, you can walk out of your home office into the
hangar without being exposed to the elements to work on
your project!
Believe it or
not everyone was paying attention
on this beaustiful day. |
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It turned out
to be a beautiful day to fly in for
the meeting. |
Members and
guests line up for the Texas chili
lunch. |
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We also
discussed our participation in EAA's Flying start
program. There seemed to be quite a bit of
interest in the program, but nobody wanted to
spearhead the task of getting the program
started. I had come to this meeting with a
promise to myself that I wouldn't volunteer for
anything this time; but when no one else
volunteered, I took on the task of getting the
program started. Like any good leader, I then
delegated the task to Sue and proceeded to watch
television. Here is Sue's report and her
observations regarding this project: |
Off To A Flying Start
This EAA-sponsored project is in two parts, a program
presented to the public, either formally in open-house
type sessions, or informally "under the wing"
at other gatherings to promote learning to fly; and a
ground school program for people who are learning, or who
want to learn, to fly. (Current pilots can also use it as
a refresher course.) Since the meeting, we have
researched a little about what is needed to do it. First
of all, we'll have to count some noses — that is, we
need to find out what skills we already have in the
Chapter and if they are willing to help. Then we need to
figure out what talent we should develop. We will also
need people to do helping chores for each phase of the
program. If each member is willing to do at least a small
part, nobody will have to do too much, and it will
probably be a success. One thing we know for sure: we
won't have much competition, because there just isn't any
other ground school being offered in the area. The goal
is twofold — to interest new people in flying, and
to make better pilots of everyone, but in a way that also
promotes aviation as a community in which every pilot has
a stake. At the next meeting, we'll plan on having a list
of jobs to be filled. Now's the time to start thinking of
what you can do. We will present more details at the
meeting, including what was learned in conversations with
the Chapter Office in Oshkosh and from a member of the
Chapter that initiated the program. In case you think
this is "too big for us," think again. We are
already doing things that are too big for us, and gaining
an enviable reputation for being a very active Chapter.
When we think it's fun, it doesn't seem difficult, as we
proved at Gainesville last weekend.
First
Airport Work Day
On Saturday, October 26, in
keeping with the "Tom Sawyer Theory of Work,"
and the lure of starting out with a full tummy after a
nice breakfast at Don's Place, Chapter 1218 members
crossed the road to "Jerry's Place," a.k.a.
Gainesville Memorial Airport. As the impromptu work teams
formed up, we began to realize the skills our various
members have. During most of a damp and chilly day, we
fixed the runway lights, some of which needed wiring
repairs, and installed new bulbs; trimmed up a couple of
trees that obstructed a clear view down the runway;
filled the hole left from moving the old wind indicator;
cleared brush and saplings from the fenceline on the east
side of runway 1-19, so the windsock can be seen easily
from the air; and built a brand-new "airplane"
directional wind indicator, installing it near the
windsock. Mike Vaughn had done a lot of advance work on
this by welding up the frame "in a couple of hours
in each of three or four evenings." Ron and Mike
White sent the prepainted sheet metal for the skin. Many
thanks to all who came to help and give a hand and good
advice to this project. A special thanks to all those who
brought food and kept the coffee going. The Hercules
award goes to Mike Vaughn who came with all kinds of
heavy equipment and tools. While the rest of us were
freezing, Mike stood there in shirtsleeves and worked and
hammered and drilled and drilled.
Gene, Clint,
Jerry and Mike were on the team
building the wind indicator. |
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"Refueling"
for more work on a chilly day.
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Around noon, we
broke for a delicious buffet lunch in Jerry's hangar. It
was fitting that we start our anticipated series of
airport workdays at Gainesville, since that's where the
Chapter originated in 1998. What better way to spend a
non-flying day weather-wise than making it possible to
enjoy the flying days even more? Toward the end of the
day, we enjoyed a little warmth from the sun as the
clouds broke up a bit. Members, "support crew,"
and friends who were there included Tom and Phyllis
White, Clint and Marge Allen and Clint's sister, Lou Anne
Kirby, Bill and Margaret Ghan, Jerry Luna, Marilyn
Tilley, Robert Harshman, Jim Walker, Mike Vaughn (our new
A&P), Bill Marx, Gene Pascoe, John Zook, and Fred and
Sue Kalhoefer. In my opinion, it was a great success and
I hope we have many more of these workdays at airports in
the area. It creates good will and that is what we want
for our organization.
Since then, Jerry tells me that the airport beacon,
located on the city water tower, which is actually off
the airport itself, has also been fixed. The electric
coöp has ordered balls for the wires at the north end,
and we have hopes for the "disappearance" of
some trees by the school at the south end someday soon.
(Jerry took the superintendent for an airplane ride one
day and impressed him with the danger posed by the
trees.)
Buzz
Thunderbee by Squawk
| |
Buzz, Please
Read the Placards!
Buzz is one of those
characters who like show off
a little too much at times! |
|
Time to
Pay Dues
While we are getting ready
for the next year's activities, let me remind you all
that Chapter dues are due not later than January, because
that's the way the national organization has it set up.
If you've been thinking they're due when your national
dues come due and been paying that way, please ask for a
proration to bring them around to January.
Passing
the Baton
I would like to close this newsletter on a personal note.
I have been the "author" of this publication
for the last two years now and have enjoyed writing it
every month. At times even I got a little chuckle out of
the things I wrote — and at other times the news was
sad, and events that had occurred caused me to be very
upset. I always reported with you in mind and I hope I
have not offended anyone by saying too much or by not
saying enough. As I write, I see your faces one by one
and I see a lot of good and generous people who give
freely of their time, talent and resources and I thank
you for that. It is my hope that you will continue to be
the aviators that I know you are. Many thanks for
allowing me to serve you, and let me leave you with a
little humor supplied by Len Ahrnsbrak. Yours, Fred
Kalhoefer
Homebuilt
Aircraft?
One day, the pilot of a
Cherokee 180 was told by the tower to hold short of the
runway while a DC-8 landed. The DC-8 landed, rolled out,
turned around, and taxied back past the Cherokee. Some
quick-witted comedian in the DC-8 crew got on the radio
and said, "What a cute little plane. Did you make it
all by yourself?"
Our hero the Cherokee pilot, not about to let the insult
go by, came back with a real zinger: "I made it out
of DC-8 parts. Another landing like that and I'll have
enough parts for another one."
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