October
2000

Click here to see pictures of our Fly-in and Show at Willow Springs

And the winner is... Carroll Bird, winner of the Best Homebuilt category, standing in front of his RV-4. Notice Carroll is holding two other awards, one for being the oldest participating pilot, age 68, and for having traveled the longest distance, 470 n.m. This beautiful RV-4 took Carroll four years to build, and he had flown it 120 hours at show time.

There was a lot of activity going on at the event
Here is a bit of what happened: It started of with a great breakfast served in Ron White's hangar. A great meal was served free to all pilots-in-command at the event, with a nominal charge to guests and visitors.

After the good start of the day with a great breakfast, some time was spent waiting for the weather to improve. Showers and low ceilings plagued us most of the morning, but it gradually began to rise, just enough to fly 41 Young Eagles.

There were a lot of smiles on the faces of the Young Eagles we flew that day! As usual, the infectious smiles of the Young Eagles had their effect on the pilots who flew them. A special thanks to new chapter members Kevin Bunch, Larry Conner, and Dan Gilbert, along with our Young Eagles Coordinator, Jerry Luna, for donating their time and aircraft to make those smiles appear!

It is the behind-the-scenes work that makes events a success. Robert Harshman kept Young Eagle moms happy at the YE sign-up table. Robert and Gene Pascoe kept the YEs moving through the preflight aircraft and into the waiting planes in a safe and efficient manner. The ladies of Chapter 1218, not to be outdone, worked for weeks ahead preparing aviation-related crafts for sale.

The weather gods finally decided to give us a break. Just before show time a hole opened up above the airport, and the showers skirted the area. Ever heard the term "leaden skies?" We had 'em! In all it was a really good show, even with the crummy weather.

On Monday, September 11th, the Chapter met at Gainesville (MO) High School to recap the event. Ron White listed all the helpers that pulled the event off from Willow Springs, MO.

We were pleased to welcome two new members at that meeting. Harry and Pat Linn, from Vanzant, MO, joined us. Harry has a project underway, and the pictures show some awesome craftsmanship. Harry and Pat formerly worked for Lockheed. Welcome both!

President Clint Allen reported that the October meeting will be held on Monday, October 9, 2000, at Gainesville High School, at 7:00 p.m. Hopefully the lighting repair will be complete and we will again meet in the science classroom. Anyway, someone will be there to show you the way should another room be necessary.

The Nominations Committee, which is comprised of VP James Wiley, Fred Kalhoefer and Dan Gilbert, will have a slate of nominees for your consideration. Of course, nominations will be taken from the floor. All chapter members are encouraged to come to the meeting to choose your officers for the year 2001.