EAA Chapter 563

The Beacon

February, 2025

Chapter

VMC and IMC Clubs

The VMC Club will meet this Sunday at 6:30 in the hangar, but the IMC Club next meets in March.

Donations

The Pazmany PL-4 in the back corner of the hangar will be placed for sale on Barnstromers in March for $3,500. See Greg LePine if you're interested in it. At the November Annual Meeting, the membership voted to sell this donated project.

Youth Programs

Ray Scholarship

Julian Sturm continues to build hours. He will be taking his check ride this spring, after his next birthday makes him eligible.

Rob Meyer, who directs our scholarships program, has applied for a new Ray scholarship for the coming year. We will know sometime in February if our application was successful.

Headquarters reports 80% of the scholarship recipients earn their Private Pilot rating. Rob notes only about 20% of kids who start on their own succeed, so the Ray program is having an effect. Our chapter's rate has been 100%.

College Scholarships

The board approved again this year the A&P scholarships for Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield and Lewis University in Romeoville. The last several years, the rise in the chapter's long term investments has been used to fund these.

Airplane Building

With the teens' Zenith Cruzer project, the right wing is back on the build table to fit three last parts plus the wing tip panels. The left wing is closed and has its landing light in place, with only one panel of the tip remaining to be done. The elevator cables are fitted, and those for the rudder will soon be. Installation of the avionics begins this month.

Members

Again, chapter dues remain $40, individual or family. You can leave your check in the mailbox or mail it in.

JJ Hoevelmann's Pietenpol is in the hangar for the winter. He and his father began construction about two decades ago, and JJ and his son Ethan are continuing the project. Given the price of solid spruce, he's considering having his wing spars built up by a ship builder in Wisconsin.

Airport

3MY

The leaning flag pole by the FBO was finally removed, and the FBO is sporting a fresh coat of paint. Currently, earth is being moved in front of the FBO, apparently for work on drain lines.