EAA Chapter 563 News

June 2017


Chapter

Youth Programs

The 5/6 Young Eagles schedule was in conflict with the monthly chapter meeting, so the meeting was skipped, and many members went to help with the paper work for the flights. Conversations between the kids and the members and among the members went on for the three hours the flights took. The day was a big success with 12 kids flown. Thanks go to Dick Barthel and Jeff Meyer for flying all the kids that morning. The weather could have been better, but the ceilings raised slowly through out the morning, and the bumps aloft weren't enough to empty any tummies.
Young Eagle
One of Twelve
Terri Brandt brought members of her aviation class at Dunlap High School. They are also competing in an X-Plane Design Competition, and all were excited to take their first flights. They described their design, which is a C-172 class airplane with a diamond shaped, lower mounted wing and rounded fuselage, somewhat like an F-117 with a propeller. They are also planning on forming a club to keep the group together during the summer. They were invited to come to our hangar anytime.

Treasury

There was no board meeting in May, so the budget has not been reviewed recently.

IMC Club

Kent Lynch extends a thank you to all who participated in May's meeting: "I learned a lot again about approach charts and the new flight plan process. The group indicated a need to change the time of the meeting so we are moving to the second Sunday night of the month at 6 PM at the EAA hangar. That would make the next meeting June 11 at 6 PM. Tom suggested a review of Part 91, specifically the requirements for continuing past the missed approach point or decision height in the approach. If any of you have areas you would like to pursue, please pass them on. This event is open to any area of IFR discussion."

National

A recent newsletter from HQ suggests chapters organize a fly-out. They recommend FunPlacesToFly and Fly2Lunch as a place to look for destinations. As each year, National is also requesting volunteers to help set up the field for the big Oshkosh fly-in. Presentations have been arranged for the workers each weekend. Most weekends between now and the fly-in have opportunities.

Members

Welcome returning members Steve Bonfoey and Chris Ober. Currently we have 50 members this year. Bruce Chien is moving his AME practice from 3MY to the southwest Chicago sprawl in July. He'll be missed around the hangar. Get your 3rd class medical now while it's oh so conveniently located.

Airport

3MY

At this week's PIA board meeting, our representative asked if a vacuum truck could be run at Mt Hawley to suck up the rocks that appear after every rain. That kept at 3MY is in for repair and is actually only good for sucking up leaves. The Board advised the person responsible at the Authority to put the old truck up for sale and place RFQ's for a truck that can take up the rocks, to stop the propeller dings that many pilots are experiencing. The Board and the Marketing Dept were also thanked for an excellent fish fry held Friday 5/12. The free meal included beer battered or corn meal dipped fish along with baked beans and seasoned fries. Guests brought their own drinks.

Yagen's Collection

On the weekend of May 20, one of the finest private collections of WW-II and WW-I aircraft in the world put on a fantastic flying show. Jerry Yagen's Military Aviation Museum put about 20 WW-II era airplanes, mostly fighters and trainers, into the air Sunday (weather kept the aircraft on the ground Saturday). Local CAF wings also flew in a few airplanes, including a B-25, and offered rides to the public.
Warplanes
Fighters
The extent of the collection is astonishing, and all are kept in flying condition. For over three hours the air was filled with the rumbling of radial and the barking of in-line piston engines. Among the aircraft put up were a P-40, FG-1D, P-63, Hurricane II, Spitfire IX, FM-2, Yak-3, FW-190, AD-4, TBM, and a Mosquito (wow!), plus Yagen himself in a P-51D. The winds were such to limit the Bf-109G to taxiing. Trainer and liaison aircraft were also up, including an FW-44 and a Bf-108.
Liaison and Trainer
Trainer and Liaison
Remaining in the hangar (there wasn't time to fly them all) was the best collection of Russian WW-II aircraft you'll find in the U.S., including a MiG-3, I-15, I-153, I-15bis, and La-9. The collection is stored in hangars built in the style of those from the 1930s. There is also a separate hangar for aircraft reconstructions at the west end of the field, as well as a restored Luftwaffe hangar. If you plan to visit the east coast, the museum is south of Virginia Beach, and the best time of year to visit is the weekend before Memorial Day, which is the flying week for the WW-II aircraft. The WW-I replicas fly in early fall. Mark your calendars. Yagen is no spring chicken, and this annual presentation is funded by him. The collection is likely to become static once he's gone.

Peru

The LaSalle-Peru TBM Avenger fly-in was hampered by poor weather, but reports say the sun came out after 3:30 and the planes flew. Sorry, no pictures.

Havana

An Astronomy Night Fly-In will be held June 23-24. The fly-in will feature astronomy, camping, and a pancake breakfast. The guides to the cosmos will be astronomers and astrophysicists from the University of Illinois Astronomy Club. They are bringing high-powered telescopes for your chance to see your favorite constellations and ask all the questions you have always wanted to ask about the universe. Bring your binoculars and telescopes, but more importantly, bring your stellar curiosity, organizers say. Friday's evening meal will be catered at the airfield. EAA Chapter 1420 will serve a pancake breakfast Saturday morning. There will be a small charge for the meals. Organizers suggest pilots plan on arriving before sunset with your camping gear. Runway lights and beacon will be off by NOTAM at 21:30 CDT (03:30 GMT.) Celestial observations will begin with the first appearances in the evening sky. Observations will take place through the night for those who stay awake, organizers note. The event is sponsored by EAA Chapter 1420 and supported by the Havana Airport Authority and the Recreational Aviation Foundation. For more information, contact Michael Perkins, EAA Chapter 1420 president, at flybyewire on gmail.

C75

The organizers of the Father's Day fly-in (6/18) are still seeking volunteers.

Upcoming events

(See also the Home page on the chapter web site.)
6/03 (Sa) 8:00-9:00
breakfast, in the hangar, to be followed by the chapter meeting
6/03,04 (Sa,Su) 10:00-4:00
Cavalcade of Planes at Bolingbrook Clow (1C5), homebuilts to warplanes plus a small museum on the field
6/11 (Su) 6:00 PM
IMC club, in the hangar
6/17 (Sa) 8:00-9:00
breakfast, in the hangar, to be followed by the board meeting
6/17 (Sa)
Wings and Wheels, Pekin (C15), Fly-in and Cruise-in
6/18 (Su) 7:00-11:30
50th Annual Father's Day Fly-in & Drive-in breakfast at Marshall Co (C75)
6/23-24 (Fr-Sa)
Astronomy Night Fly-In, with camping and a breakfast (see above)
6/24 (Sa) 7:00-10:30
Havana chapter fly-in with pancake breakfast; 7/1 rain date
6/24 (Sa)
AOPA Rusty Pilots Seminar at Marshall Co (C75)

Editor: Karl Kleimenhagen