At the March chapter meeting, Brad Deckert gave a presentation on his Grumman Avenger which is based in Peru, IL. This was his first warplane, having flown a Bonanza and helicopters before. It is a very labor intensive airplane, requiring about 25 hr for every hour of flight, for which he has several volunteers to help. It's also very thirsty; at 180 kt it's 100 gph for the 18,000 lb airplane, and an oil change involves a 55 gallon drum. Much of his flying is now for hire, to shows, etc. Combined with a side business of selling TBM parts he has acquired over the year, his costs of ownership have been kept "reasonable."
The airplane requires a type rating, for which there is no FAA specification. He started in an AT-6 before moving up to the TBM, but the two proved utterly unalike. His check ride was done alone with the examiner watching from the ground. It is a beast to fly, and not especially reliable, but he now sees it as his job to care for a piece of history. He has greatly enjoyed talking with the guys who flew them in the war, and his airplane has the signatures of many of them on it. A few years back, the military flew his TBM in a C-5 to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii for a memorial flight, and he was given access to the airspace over the whole facility.
Deckert in his TBM over Pearl Harbor
His and the other flying TBM's exist because they were in service until the 1980s as water bombers for fire control in the West. His flew in combat at Okinawa and remained with the Navy until surplused in 1954 when it was purchased for crop dusting. Later it was used in water bombing fires until the 1970s when single engine water bombing was forbidden, then it went to Canada for similar work. It was in a museum in North Dakota for a while until he bought it; he claimed he wasn't entirely sober when he agreed to do so.
The fourth TBM Reunion is this year, May 17-18. It originally started as his birthday celebration, but it has grown into a community event. This year Younkin will fly a night show on the Friday. The fly-in is open to the public without charge.
VMC and IMC Club
The VMC club meets this Sunday, 4/7 in the hangar at 6:00 in the evening, and the IMC meets the following week.
Flying Start
To encourage chapters to host a Flying Start in May, national is awarding two week long passes to the Oshkosh fly-in to any chapter which does. Their preferred date is Saturday May 18, the "International Learn to Fly Day." We'd need at least two pilots with airplanes on hand to give Eagle flights, open to people of any age. We would also need to have Peter from Allmond Aviation on hand to discuss instruction. EAA wants us to expect upwards of 20 participants, and the required video presentation might be held on the FBO's TV. Contact Greg or me if you're willing to help out.
Youth Programs
Our chapter was one of 90 selected to nominate a student for a Ray Flight Scholarship with the national EAA. This scholarship covers up to $10,000 of the costs of acquiring a pilot's license.
Another 60 or so chapters were deemed qualified to make nominations, and if we fail this year, one of those chapters will surely replace us next year. It is important our nominee be eager and able to complete flight training in one year.
Rob Meyer is the coordinator of the program and has identified three good candidates. Five chapter members volunteered to form the committee to review written submissions from the candidates and to interview each of them one or more times. One will be nominated, and the process will then be take up by national.
The chapter is considering organizing an airplane build by local high school age students. Bob Pegg has started to contact local business about donations towards this project. RLI is willing to donate a few hundred dollars, and he continues his search, which may be extended to organizations outside Peoria which have funded such projects elsewhere. Bob might also have located a facility in Pioneer Park in which to do the work, and he has at least five chapter members on board to mentor the kids.
Funds to acquire a first rate kit such as an RV-12 will be difficult to come by, especially for the initial effort. Ron Wright suggested buying a partly completed project instead of a new kit and will place on Barnstormers an ad requesting a project donation. We would also consider and older, cloth covered factory airplane, such as a Pacer, a 120, or the like. Funds from the sale of the finished plane might then be used to buy a kit or the like next time. Another possible build comes from the Bede Foundation which offers a free airframe kit for schools. We have on hand donated plans and some wood suitable for a Pietenpol.
National contacted us to see if we could find a student to take a position which became available at their Air Academy this summer. Our contacts at Dunlap High School were able to locate a candidate. Jolene Miller is interested in a career in aviation and wishes to go. As in years past the chapter will cover half the fee. She will join us for a chapter meeting in one of the months ahead.
The DHS Flight Club has begun work on the GAMA Challenge. This year the task is to modify (in a software simulator) a Glasair Sportsman to optimize it for payload on a particular flight. The Sportsman is a fairly efficient airplane already, so tweaks to the wing planform and the like will be minimal. Most of their work will be identifying through trial and error an optimum flight profile.
The Flight Club still has openings for a presentation on any aviation topic on April 26 and May 10 (both are Fridays) from 10:00 to 10:30.
Donations
This is a good time to remind members we do take donations earmarked for our youth programs, including those above.
It was previously reported the Caterpillar Foundation denied our request to become eligible for matching gifts from them. In late February, the Treasurer received another call from them and was told the Foundation is now using a third party vetting process. They suggested we apply again. Rob did this, and we are approved. So, if any Caterpillar employee or retiree plans to make a donation to the chapter, please contact Rob for information on how to double your gift via the Foundation.
Hangar
A new pin board has been installed in the bulletin board case.
EAA B-17
Four people have volunteered to work all three afternoons behind the fence on the B-17 tour stop. Two already have TSA badges, and the airport authority will arrange for the other two to be cleared and trained at the lower rate used by renters of hangars. Thanks to all whole volunteered, but this arrangement will minimize the number of people (and expense) of clearing with TSA.
About June 1 we will confirm slots for volunteers to work the sales vans to the public. There are two shifts, 9-1 and 1-5. National will be placing the vans in the small parking lot next to Byerly, where there is a gate in the perimeter fence to the B-17's spot. With the sales vans outside the fence, these volunteers will not have to go through TSA clearance.
By May we will receive marketing materials (fliers, cards, etc.) and will be looking to have these distributed around the area. Some of the material will be available at the Thursday coffee meetings.
National
National is now rating all chapters on a simple, 10 point scale, with one point for each of:
- Attended a chapter leadership training session
- Growing or steady membership
- Offers IMC or VMC Club programs
- Participates in Young Eagles or Flying Start programs
- Has an EAA-approved Flight Advisor or Technical Counselor
- Participates in EAA’s Annual Chapter Member survey
- Reads EAA ChapterGram regularly
- Requested EAA promotional materials or ChapterBlast email
- Hosts at least two public events each year
- Owns/leases a facility
By their reckoning, we score an 8 or "silver" and will receive "a banner or plaque for your chapter to proudly display in your meeting location." (And there was much rejoicing.) With not much effort, we could boost our score to a 10. National included some rather small charts showing how all the chapters fare on this scale:
It's just a number. Our chapter is doing fine.
Members
Welcome new members Jayson Presley and Kraig Love. Jayson is a student pilot and has no project under construction. Kraig has his Private Pilot and is working on a Sonex B.
Our esteemed chapter President has this report on an EAA chapter he visited in March:
If you visit Waco, Texas, make sure you look up the local EAA chapter. I did, and it is Chapter 59 at McGregor, Texas, just a few minutes southwest on Hwy 84. (Go ahead and use Google maps with the satellite feature turned on. As you zoom in, see if you can find their hangar—look for the roof). In fact, as you vacation or take trips, try to visit any chapter for ideas, just as I did recently.
I took a chance to stop in at the Chapter 59 hangar and as luck would have it, their president, Phillip Perry, and their youth programs director, Kenneth Langley, happened to be there. I introduced myself and got the BIG TEXAS TOUR.
Their hangar is 60'W x 100'L. The rear quarter has his and her bathrooms, full kitchen, and a banquet/meeting room. Noticeable things that caught my attention were plaques below a propeller with past Pres/VP/Sec/Trea Names/Years and the other was Members Gone West. Also, there was a brochure display area (nice to be so well organized). Upstairs is a museum area for models, engine, props, plans, etc. The rest of the hangar has 2 RVs and a Sonex under construction on one side with the other used for tools, shear, 2 breaks, and power tools mounted on a 4' x 12' table.
They also have two grills for when the weather is nice (which is most of the time). A cable is mounted low on the door, and when they raise it they hang their banners—and of course the state flag of Texas. They own the hangar, and the rent for their space on the field is $1 per year plus 10% of their net income, payable at the end of the year to the McGregor airport authority.
Airport
3MY
The city and the airport are still haggling over the water run-off fees.
Havana
The Havana EAA chapter again hosted a Migratory Bird fly-in in early March. Their newsletter mentions: "Nine airplanes and 20 people flew in to Havana’s beautiful 2,000-ft grass strip, from Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin and Illinois. At the Emiquon Refuge we were treated to the sight of eagles, trumpeter swans, American pelicans, ducks, coots, rafts of canvas back ducks, and flocks of snow geese numbering 35,000 or more." Adam Funk, a member of our chapter, was one of those who flew in:
We had beautiful weather for the Migratory Bird Fly-In at Havana airport Saturday. I took the Janssen Aviation Cessna 172 and arrived around 9AM. There were 7 planes total, the furthest that I heard of was a group from Indianpolis made the trip. We had a pancake and sausage breakfast and then were driven down to the Emiquon Preserve where hundreds of thousands of migratory birds are nesting. These included white pelicans, trumpeter swans, coots, and snow geese. We also saw some juvenile bald eagles; they mentioned there are around 400 in the area. We were then taken to Dickson Mounds museum where they had a short presentation on the history of the preserve and we toured the new Emiquon exhibit that is not open to the public yet. We then ate lunch at Big Horse Vineyards and were taken back to our airplanes. Overall the whole day was a great experience.
They encouraged me to spread the message to the rest of EAA 563 about the camping and astronomy nights that Havana hosts during the year. I have attached a picture I took on the downwind of 27 on departure.
Havana airport—EAA 1420's building is to the left
Last year's Astronomy Night there was covered briefly in an earlier issue and is held with the University of Illinois Astronomy Club. This year's is scheduled for Saturday September 28.
Chapter 1420 is preparing a new camping pavilion on the field and work will start once the weather warms. The water system is to be upgraded to provide for showers for flyers staying overnight on the field.
On the second Saturday of each month, the chapter hosts a fly-in lunch from 11:30 to 1:00.
