EAA Chapter 563
The Beacon
November, 2025
The Annual Meeting to select a Board and approve a budget is this Saturday, November 1st, in the hangar at 9:00. Please attend if you can. We will need enough members present to meet quorum.
The budget tentatively will be the same as last year's with a small allowance for inflation. The nominations for the Board were listed in last month's newsletter.
The banquet is Friday December 5th at the Lariat Steakhouse. They haven't released the menu as yet but said it would be similar to last year's, with three choices: steak, chicken, or fish. Vegetarian options will be available by request. Socializing will start at 6:00 and orders for food will go in at 7:00.
The Lariat will need to know how many to expect, so please contact the chapter by e-mail with the number in your party. You do not need to select your meal until the server arrives at your table.
In October, the VMC Club began meeting on the fourth Sunday at 6:30. The IMC Club continues to meet on the second Sunday at 6:00. Both clubs meet in the hangar.
EAA scholarships (those separate from the Ray program) have opened for 2026. See the EAA site for more information.
Todd Moore is the coordinator for our Young Eagles program, and he provided this summary of the October rally, which was the chapter's last one for 2025:
At one point we had 31 kids registered but there was a drop off due to quite a few being registered again from way out of town, and then a handful of no shows. We flew 13 kids and almost as many parents. I was out of town so a big thanks to Cameron Gleichman for stepping up and helping wrangle the kids and pilots to get everything handled. We already have 8 rallies scheduled for 2026, and we will be implementing the timeslot functionality to better manage the flow.
Hope White, this year's recipient, gives an update:
My flight instructor has something wrong with his eye. I have made Dean Lake my primary instructor, and I feel confident that he will get me ready for the check ride. It's God's timing and trusting that has been helpful especially with these crazy winds. I am almost done with my solo cross countries; I need 0.6 more hours. I also need a little bit more simulated instrument. Other than that, just practicing and doing ground.
Thank you all again for this opportunity! Flying is truly amazing!
Rigging of the flaperons has proven nettlesome. Various parts of the linkage were found to be binding, and when one area was fixed, the problem showed up in another. They believe the last kink has been identified. Harnesses for the avionics are being strung out, and some of the electrical system wiring is in place.
The new staff consisting of one person has been averaging two brief articles per week on the website since taking over in September. No print issues have been sent, of course.
One bit of news found there: The rights to the Thorp S‑18 (a derivative of the T‑18) recently changed hands, and the new owner hopes to offer modern CNC kits for about $35,000. Plans and some parts as offered by the previous owner are available now. The Thorp is an all aluminum, low-wing airplane a bit smaller than the better known RV-6 and released about 20 years prior.
In mid-October, Greg LePine, Mike Simons, and Nick & Julian Sturm traveled to Rob Meyer's shop where he has been building a Zenith CH750 Super Duty STOL airplane. Help was needed to bring two large sub-assemblies—the cabin and the tail cone—together, and with about an hour's worth of effort, they were attached and ready to rivet together.
There has been no news regarding the mechanic's hangar at the FBO. The Airport Authority plans to rent it as a heated hangar if no mechanic can be found to utilize it as a repair shop.
eaa563.org
Mt. Hawley Airport, Peoria, Illinois