February 2005

President's Message

Sam Evans

Well, I'm ready for shorts and t-shirt weather!  I know, just wait a little, the weather will change.  And I was really looking for that change last week as I stood in my hangar, 41oF and my little infrared heater chuggin' away.  So it goes when you're building an airplane.

 

It may be the middle of winter, but things around the Chapter are about to live'n-up.  This month kicks off a run of fly-outs beginning with the Hick's Field trip on the 19th followed by the New Orleans trip in March.  Gray Bridwell is the man to see for fly-out info.  (See fly-out info in this newsletter.) 

 

The Board of Directors met January 6th and reviewed a number of business items.  We set future breakfast dates, which appear in the board minutes of this newsletter.  Also, it was agreed that there should be times when we have a scaled-down, sausage-biscuit and donut breakfast to give the cooks a little relief from the full-blown meal preparation.

 

This month will be one of those times when having the small breakfast will be of benefit.  As some of you know by now, the Abilene Regional Airport is beginning to tighten-up on security, most of which is mandated by the Federal government.  Beginning March 1, persons entering the airport ramp and hangar areas will be required to hold a security badge or be escorted by someone who holds a badge.  It would be pointless for me to go into details here.  So, during our February breakfast, Don Green, Assistant Airport Director, will conduct a security program and provide relevant information.  After the program, qualified persons will be able to make application for the security badge.  The whole process could take a couple of hours and we should be finished by 11:30.  I know that some of us view this as a hassle.  But, it will probably be S.O.P. before you know it.  It’s just a sign of the times.  Remember the March 1st deadline and take advantage of the February breakfast program.  See ya' there!

Keep the blue side up.

~ Sam ~

 

 

Take the Magic Carpet Ride To Hicks Field!

Okay, the weather's getting better, so it's time to shake out the ol' Magic Carpet & hop on for a trip to Hicks Field (T67) near Fort Worth.  What’s that?  You haven't heard about the Magic Carpet?  Read on.

Make plans for the fly-out to Hicks on Saturday, February 19.  Departure time is 9:00AM from the EAA T-hangars.  On arrival, the group will have lunch at the Rio Concho Restaurant and then see a few points of interest on the field.  (Refer to last month’s newsletter for all the details.)  Did I hear you say you weren't about to travel near class B airspace?  It's like this: get your chart out, point the nose towards the Mineral Wells VOR.  When you get there, look east-northeast and you’ll see the big grain elevators in Saginaw (north Fort Worth).  Well, Hicks field is about two miles northwest of the elevators.  It shouldn't be difficult at all; just stay under the 4000 ft "shelf" when you get to the B airspace. 

Now, about this Magic Carpet thing.  Make plans to go with everyone to Hicks and be at the T-hangars around 8:30AM.  There's a fun thing we need to do before departure.  No more procrastination; and quit asking questions! Just be there, okay?

 

Breakfast Scheduled For February 12th

The Chapter breakfast will be held Saturday, February 12th at the Pride hangar.  The start-time has been moved up to 8:30AM due to Don Green’s program.

Set-up will be Friday at 5:15pm

The following was sent by EAA HQ to be included in our newsletter.

EAA’s Aviation Services

 EAA members are one call, email or letter away from a wide range of technical aviation services available from the Aviation Services Department at EAA.  First and foremost, the Aviation Services Team is responsible for answering member technical inquiries relating to pilot and aircraft issues.  This one-on-one consulting covers everything from "How do I register my homebuilt?" to "What's involved in the A&P exam" to "How do I convert my ultralight for the new sport pilot rule?" and more.

Experienced pilots, aircraft owners, homebuilders, ultralighters and sport pilot specialists staff the department.  Their personal and professional experience enable them to field just about any technical aviation question that comes their way.  And if they can’t answer your question right away, they'll do the research needed to help guide you to the right resource or solution.  EAA's in-house library is an additional resource the Aviation Services team counts on for information and the library is also available to members visiting the Oshkosh headquarters offices.

The Aviation Services Department supplies a great deal of the technical information found on the Members Only portion of EAA's website at www.eaa.org. The Homebuilders Headquarters section on the site provides a wealth of information on building, maintaining and flying an experimental amateur built aircraft.  A significant amount of the content on EAA's Sport Pilot website page is also developed by the Aviation Services team. 

Two of the most popular "hands on" offerings from the Aviation Services Department are the Technical Counselor and Flight Advisor programs.  There's a network of over 1,000 EAA members across the US who are registered EAA Technical Counselors that will come to your homebuilding location to provide in-progress inspection of your project.  The Flight Advisor program has several hundred EAA members who will provide advice and assistance on taking that first flight in your new homebuilt aircraft. 

 

FAA Medical assistance is one of the individual offerings also available from the department. If a member needs assistance receiving a special issuance from the FAA, Aviation Services personnel will track the application all the through the process until approval to ensure that nothing derails your application.  In addition, we have a network of doctors that are AME's and EAA members who volunteer their services to help other members retain or regain their medical.

 For more information on your EAA Technical Services offerings please call:

1- 800- EAA- INFO (1- 800- 322- 4636).

They're ready for your questions!

 

Fly-outs Planned

 

A trip to New Orleans has been planned for the month of March, followed by a jaunt down to Fredericksburg on April 16th & 17th.  A specific date has not been set for the New Orleans trip at this time. But, if you will get in touch with Gray Bridwell, he will keep you posted.

(325) 537-2496 or email:

gray1@jefflutherconstruction.com

 

If you're interested in making the Fredericksburg trip, then here’s some information you need for making reservations at the Hangar Hotel:

 

Group Confirmation # J084006

Group Name EAA Chapter 471

Arrive - April 16, 2005

Depart April 17, 2005

Check-in 3pm / Check-out 11am

Rooms Blocked -  6

NOTE: Room block will be released 3/16/05, Please have guests make their reservation before this date to guarantee room rate and availability.

 

Rate $129.00 / night

 

All rooms have one king bed and we do not allow pets or smoking.

 

  

www.hangarhotel.com

 

********

 

Heard on the Radio

 

"You're gonna’ have to key the mic. I can't see you when you nod your head."

 

J

 

Texas Fly-in (SWRFI)

Needing Judges

 

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

The EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In (SWRFI) has asked me to organize judging for the Fly-In being held this year on May 13-15 at the new location in Hondo, Texas, just west of San Antonio.  This letter is being sent to EAA Chapters throughout Texas for the purpose of recruiting volunteers to be judges at the Fly-In.

 

We will need several qualified judges for each of the categories of aircraft judged.  Hopefully there will be enough volunteers so that many of the different EAA Chapters can be represented.

 

Judges should have a lot of knowledge about aircraft in their respective category.  It would also be good if judges have experience in building and showing aircraft in their category.  The judging work schedule starts on Friday afternoon and continues all day Saturday.  It's a lot of hard work, but it's very rewarding doing a good job helping judge all the beautiful aircraft. 

 

Please let me know if you would consider being a judge.  My home phone in the evenings is 281-298-5085, my cell phone during the day is 832-567-2111 and my e-mail is:

ajohnson22@houston.rr.com.I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Very truly yours,

 

Allen Johnson

EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In

 

 

 

 

 

 

Text Box: EAA Chapter 471 Officers President ~ Sam Evans Vice-President ~ Charlotte Rhodes Secretary ~ Arlis Wright Treasurer ~ Gray Bridwell Director ~ Seymour Beitscher Director ~ Harold Cannon Director ~ Bobby Nichols Director ~ Steve Krazer Past President ~ Chris Ulibarri   Text Box: PLANNED FLY-OUTS   March -- New Orleans April -- Fredericksburg May -- Colorado Springs June -- Oklahoma City -- Bricktown July -- Oshkosh August -- Airfest September -- Airfest October -- Las Cruces (LOE)  

 

 

Text Box: News Stories Always Welcome If you have a story or information you would like to see in the newsletter, please feel free to submit it to me. I prefer stories be in MS Word format. Submit to my email address: sjevans@cox.net   Thanks, Sam  

EAA 471 Board Meeting Minutes

January 6, 2005

 

President, Sam Evans, called the January 6, 2005 meeting to order. Board members present were Sam Evans, Charlotte Rhodes, Arlis Wright, Gray Bridwell, Seymour Beitscher, Harold Canon, Steve Krazer, and Bobby Nichols.

 

Items Discussed:

 

  1. Planned breakfast dates:

 

February 12

No August Breakfast

March 12

September 10

April 9

October 8

May 14

November 12

June 11

No December Breakfast

July 9

 

 

(Breakfast set-up will continue to be at 5:00pm the Friday before the breakfast.)

 

The idea was discussed to occasionally have a continental breakfast instead of the full breakfast in order to give the cooks a break. It was decided that this should be up to the people who do the cooking to make the decision as to when.

 

Also scheduled for March 19 is a fly-out to New Orleans.

 

  1. Updating the membership roster: names, addresses, dues were discussed.

       Charlotte Rhodes remains the Membership Director.

 

3.  Hangars

The Hangar List was reviewed.  

T-hangars will continue to be inspected by Jim Berry to determine that the hangars are being used for airworthy planes or active aircraft projects. T-hangar fees remain the same.

 

4.  Hangar 3

Gray Bridwell stated that a contractor would be able to replace the roof and roof purlins for approximately $30,000.00. Consideration and of H3 as a Chapter hangar is still in progress.  Gray will be giving a presentation on Hangar 3 at a meeting sometime in the near future.

 

3.  Review of paperwork submitted to EAA National meets requirements and we are insured for $1,000,000.00.  Sam reported that our insurance and Chapter information paperwork was in order with the EAA National and he had been in contact with them.  At that time, Sam asked about the web site not being listed with them as it used to be. Arlis said he would look into that.

 

4.  Newsletters will no longer be e-mailed. They can be received by regular mail or viewed on the web site at http://www.eaa471.org/.

 

5.  Airport Security:  Per Dan Weber and Don Green, fencing around the airport will be upgraded and badges will be required to enter the airport grounds.

               

6.  Airfest:  We discussed ways we could ease the burden of Young Eagles' pilots' pocketbooks.  We also discussed planning and coordinating the Airfest date to maximize public participation and interest, as well as methods of presentation of the Airfest

 

7.  2005 Flyouts:  Discussed the possibility of developing a roster ahead of time with names of people that will be participating.

 

8.  Treasurer's update:  Financials were not available at the time of this meeting but will be included in the mail-out newsletter.

 

9.  Adjournment:  Being no other business, the meeting was adjourned. The next board meeting will be held on Thursday, February 10, 2005.

 

 

AW