Since we do not plan to fly Young Eagles during the day of the Chapter fly-in, this is the end of the season for Young Eagles this year, except for any rides given on an individual basis. Between Young Eagles sessions and flights made individually, we have flown 54 kids this year, which is more than expected. We want all participants to enjoy this activity, and we agree that "quality" is more important than "quantity." Even so, the pilots like to keep track of their numbers, so here they are:

All of the kids who took their Young Eagles rides in the years 1993 through 1998 are now old enough to become pilots. Judging by the stories coming into HQ, that is potentially a lot of new pilots. Couple that with the new pilots coming in because of the light sport rules and you will see that there is hope for general aviation in the future; in spite of the naysayers and high gas prices, GA is alive and well.

Fly-In & Open House
Approaching Saturday, the Chapter's attention is focused on the First Annual EAA Chapter 1218 Fly-in and Open House. This is the first time we've attempted such a project since September 2000, when the Chapter was much smaller and newer. That one was successful. The maiden flight of the Wright Flyer replica was another event that gave us some experience with activities involving the public. Then we had to plan a program when the Wright Flyer was officially presented to Springfield/Branson Regional (now National) Airport. Last year, we considered a fly-in, but decided that the Hangar Dedication was a big enough project for one year. Preparing for the dedication was valuable experience to build on for the fly-in this year. We received an extensive report of the progress of planning from Bill Ghan at the September meeting.

As of the September meeting, the planning included a pilot's breakfast at 09:00. Then the open house from 10:00 to 14:00. The Chapter business meeting will start at 14:00. Then Chapter members are requested to stay to cleanup. Among the invitees are eight other EAA chapters, three MPA chapters, the Howell County commissioners, and our State and National legislative representatives. The planning committee has asked the National Guard to do a fly-over of the airport. We can only hope for that! During the open house, we will have a table set up when we will take registrations for Young Eagles flights on a future date or dates. It will also give us an opportunity to distribute information about the program. The flight simulator is again operational, and Henny will operate it. Members have volunteered to bring specific items for refreshments for our visitors. We are all supposed to wear our Chapter "uniform" (light blue Oxford-cloth shirts bearing the Chapter patch with tan khaki slacks, or the slacks with the Chapter T-shirt bearing the imprint of the Chapter patch). Phyllis is preparing name badges for Chapter members. At the end of the event, the badges are to be turned in for a drawing for a prize. How's that for a sneaky way to get everybody to turn theirs in?!! But there's a reason: they won't get lost and we can use them again next year.

Nominations
Three volunteers were appointed to the Nominating Committee. A fourth volunteer was named as an alternate. The committee members are Clint Allen, Benny Butler, and Mike White. Fred Kalhoefer is the alternate. In keeping with our tradition of having as many people in the Chapter as possible take their turns serving as officers, please say, "Yes, I'll run," if you are contacted by a committee member. You do not have to be a "pro," when it comes to conducting a meeting, taking minutes, or whatever. Nor do you have to be a member for a long time before you can serve in an elected position. The members of this Chapter also try not to leave everything to the officers, so you will get lots of help whenever you need it. A year goes by pretty quickly, and then it will be somebody else's turn! The slate of candidates will be presented for your consideration at the October meeting, and elections will be held at the November meeting. Nominations will also be accepted from the floor at the November meeting, and yes, you can nominate yourself. If you nominate yourself, we know you are willing to serve if elected. However, if you nominate someone else, it is polite to find out from that person ahead of time if he or she would be willing to serve.

Member News
We were all sorry to hear of Charley Ward's sudden need for heart surgery. He went for what he expected to be a "doctor visit" and ended up in the hospital. Anna Belle stayed with him. These days, patients are not kept in the hospital very long after surgery, but there is still a lot of recuperation time after returning home. We hope all goes well for Charley in coming weeks and months. Keep him in your prayers.

Website Note
The problem of spam in our e-mail is no longer tolerable. It used to be that we could use our e-mail addresses freely and not have disagreeable people load us up with unwanted stuff. I'm not talking about the humorous things we all send to each other, people that we know. I'm talking about the tons of advertising and indecent offers, dozens of which arrive daily. As a result, members' e-mail addresses will no longer appear on the website. The web server offers us one generic mailbox. The address is eaa1218@eaa1218.org (duh). Visitors to our website can send mail to Chapter members using this address. It will be checked once or twice a week and anything found will be forwarded to the appropriate Chapter member. Hopefully, this will lower the number of spam messages members receive, if it is not too late already.

Cold Weather Coming
I don't often include material in this newsletter that you can read elsewhere. But this article was offered through the Chapter office from the Chapter 439 newsletter, so you are not likely to see it. It contains valuable tips for protecting yourself and your airplane while flying in the winter months. It is concise, but offers some tips you may not have heard before. See what you think.

This is a good article. I have a couple of thoughts to add, though. One, don't leave your cell phone at home. The other is that coffee and tea have no caloric value, only fluid value. (Actually, plain water is the preferred fluid.) There are two foods that keep well without refrigeration and offer lasting high caloric value to keep your body warm. They are hard yellow cheese and hard salami. Carry them in their original wrappers, unsliced.

We'll see you all Saturday. Come any way you can get there, rain or shine. Even if we can't fly, the open house will still go on. Till then, tailwinds!

We Celebrate