Saturday December 10th, 2005
Chapter 211/704 Christmas Party
Chapter 704 will be joining Chapter 211 of Grand Haven for a Christmas party to be held in John Gill's hangar at the Sparta Airport.
•The Christmas party will be a potluck with everyone
attending being asked to bring a dish to pass.
•Coffee and beverages will be provided.
•The party will start around 6:00 pm and dinner starts at 6:30 pm
•Dress is strickly casual and we hope to have a snow free area next to John's hangar to park in.
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
A Message From Our Chapter President, Ron Fritz (Dec '05)
Well, looks like this is my last column for the year and my term of president of Chapter 704. It has been a good year and the chapter is in fairly good shape with a healthy treasury. I want to thank all of you for supporting me this past year and I hope you have enjoyed our activities and the programs that we have had over the past eleven months.We had a very interesting program last month when Ken Fryling gave a very enjoyable account of the restoration of a Ford Trimotor when he was working at Kal Aero in Kalamazoo. The restoration of that Ford set the stage for the restoration of several Trimotors with others still to follow. Last month also saw elections that will see John Gill as your new president. Assisting John will be Paul Spetosky as VP and Kathy Hakeem as your new Sec-Treas. All are very capable people and the chapter should see some growth in 2006. Dan Bauman will remain the chapter’s technical counselor and Kathy will remain Young Eagles coordinator. We’re glad P.J. Bevelacqua will remain our newsletter editor as he has done a magnificent job on the newsletter and chapter website.
This month's program will be Kel DeVries who will be speaking on the Sport Pilot/LSA regulations. Kel did a presentation for Chapter 145 recently and I'm told it was very informative. Kel is an old friend and graciously agreed to come up to see us. I've also asked Hugh Eisen to come along. Most of you know that Hugh is the FAA designated flight examiner for the area.
Don’t forget the Christmas potluck in John Gills hangar on Saturday, December 10. We will be joining Grand Haven Chapter 211 this year and it should be a fun evening. It’s always good when two groups can join to share a nice evening of camaraderie.
So much for now. See you at the meeting.
December (2005) Meeting Minutes
EAA Chapter 704 met for its regular monthly meeting on November, 2005 at the Sparta Airport.
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by president Ron Fritz.
It was brought up that we would need volunteers for setting up tables and chairs for Christmas party to be held in John Gill’s hanger on the 10th of December that we are all invited to with EAA Chapter 211. A dish to pass was also recommended.
Ron Fritz thanked P.J. for great job he was doing with newsletter.
Officers for next year were voted on: John Gill - President, Paul Spetoskey - Vice President, Kathy Hakeem - Secretary/Treasurer/Young Eagles, P.J. Bevelacqua - Newsletter Editor/Website, and Dan Bauman - Tech Counselor.
One new member joined, Don Byers, he flies a C150 that he now keeps on the field.
John Peila won 50/50 raffle donated money back to chapter.
Paul Kovalac donated a computer to the chapter to replace one that was destroyed in lightning storm.
Barry Buchanan (Sparta Flight School) is letting us use his router. Which was also destroyed.
Ken Fryling gave presentation on rebuilding of Island Airways Ford tri-motor.
Meeting adjourned
Respectfully submitted,
Kathy Hakeem, Vice President/Young Eagles
(Secretary Jay Dean was absent)
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by president Ron Fritz.
It was brought up that we would need volunteers for setting up tables and chairs for Christmas party to be held in John Gill’s hanger on the 10th of December that we are all invited to with EAA Chapter 211. A dish to pass was also recommended.
Ron Fritz thanked P.J. for great job he was doing with newsletter.
Officers for next year were voted on: John Gill - President, Paul Spetoskey - Vice President, Kathy Hakeem - Secretary/Treasurer/Young Eagles, P.J. Bevelacqua - Newsletter Editor/Website, and Dan Bauman - Tech Counselor.
One new member joined, Don Byers, he flies a C150 that he now keeps on the field.
John Peila won 50/50 raffle donated money back to chapter.
Paul Kovalac donated a computer to the chapter to replace one that was destroyed in lightning storm.
Barry Buchanan (Sparta Flight School) is letting us use his router. Which was also destroyed.
Ken Fryling gave presentation on rebuilding of Island Airways Ford tri-motor.
Meeting adjourned
Respectfully submitted,
Kathy Hakeem, Vice President/Young Eagles
(Secretary Jay Dean was absent)
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
A Message From Our Chapter President, Ron Fritz (Nov '05)
There is quite a bit of information included in this month's column. First, Chapter 704 has been invited to join two local chapters in their upcoming events.Chapter 211 in Grand Haven has invited Chapter 704 to join them at their annual Christmas party to be held in John Gill's hangar at the Sparta Airport. For two years now, our chapter has actually provided support to their party and this year they have invited us to join them. The date is Saturday, December 10. More information is contained later in the newsletter and the subject will be brought up at the upcoming meeting.
Chapter 145 in Grand Rapids is planning a group trip down to the Kalamazoo Air Zoo and has invited us to join them. The trip is planned for January 2006 but the actual date hasn't been set yet. I haven't been down to the new museum yet so this might be a good opportunity to check it out. More information will be presented in a future newsletter.
I like to see interaction between the local chapters as it gives the EAA members a chance to see what other groups are doing. For many years I've been a member in other chapters and have enjoyed this opportunity to see what others are doing and if some of their activities might be successful in our chapter. Things can get a little stale limited your EAA contact to one chapter only.
The November program will be very informative and one you should make every effort to see. I've invited long-time friend, Ken Fryling, to bring along his slide show on the restoration of Island Airways' Ford Trimotor. Island Airways owned and flew several Fords to the islands in Lake Erie, off Port Clinton, Ohio. They were all lost to accidents and the one you see in the photo below was taken to Kal-Aero in Kalamazoo and restored to flying condition. It was a monumental task and Ken was instrumental in seeing the plane restored to fly again. As a sidelight, one of the other Fords that was wrecked is now under restoration by the EAA Chapter in the Port Clinton area and will, hopefully, fly again.
Since the year is rapidly coming to a close, I hope all of you have your house chores done. The long, warm fall has allowed us to complete the chores we have put off to the end of the year. With the coming of cold weather we have to give thought to new challenges to flying. Although winter provides us with beautiful, clear flying days, there are new problems to consider before getting the plane out. We may touch on that at the November meeting but will take up the subject in greater detail in December.
I had the opportunity to attend the Fall Board meeting of the Vintage Aircraft Associatiion at Oshkosh in October. You may or may not know that I have the privilege of sitting on the Board of Directors of that association. For your information, the VAA is in very good health and looks forward to great year in 2006. At this annual meeting we all have the opportunity to attend the annual induction ceremonies for those being named to the EAA's Hall of Fame. It is a wonderful time and allows me to see many of my old friends that I've grown to know over the yearsSee you all at the meeting.
Just Plane Pics...
The following photographs were submitted
by John Smith for your enjoyment...
by John Smith for your enjoyment...
Aerocomp Turboprop w/ motorcyclein baggage compartment
Closeup view of Aerocomp Turboprop w/ motorcyclein baggage compartment
C-150 w/ rubber track gear
Jim Bede Round the World Unrefueled AircraftModified Scwitzer Sailplane
Rocket Powered Long EZAttention chapter members, your photographs are welcome too. If you would like to share any aviation photos, please feel free to bring them to the next meeting or submit via email, eaa704@gmail.com
November (2005) Meeting Minutes
EAA Chapter 704 met for its regular monthly meeting on October 10, 2005 at the Sparta Airport.
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by president Ron Fritz. The minutes and treasurers report were approved as printed in the newsletter.
President Fritz conducted a discussion of the feasibility of having a chapter building of its own. It was recalled that Tom Owens of Paramount Aviation had offered $5000.00 toward such a project. The consensus of the discussion was that such a structure would be quite expensive and the ongoing maintenance would be demanding, placing a fmancial burden on the chapter it was not prepared to handle. Though the offer made by Mr. Owens is greatly appreciated, the entire project is not within the financial ability of the chapter at this time.
President Fritz reminded the group that election of officers will be held at the next meeting and interested and/or willing persons should be ready to accept the leadership positions.
Vic Johnston gave an airport update. He stated that a large grant for runway improvement had been approved but the actual money may not be issued due to the unexpected government expenses resulting from the national disasters in the last few months. He sated that if the State of Michigan gets the money -- we will get the money and only time will tell.
A discussion of various members projects was held after which the meeting broke up for refreshments.
Ron Fritz then showed some very interesting old movies showing a number of different airplanes --some of which were his own. The movies may be old but the interest in them never dies. Thanks Ron. Meeting adjourned.
Respectfully submitted
Jay Dean, Secretary/Treasurer
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by president Ron Fritz. The minutes and treasurers report were approved as printed in the newsletter.
President Fritz conducted a discussion of the feasibility of having a chapter building of its own. It was recalled that Tom Owens of Paramount Aviation had offered $5000.00 toward such a project. The consensus of the discussion was that such a structure would be quite expensive and the ongoing maintenance would be demanding, placing a fmancial burden on the chapter it was not prepared to handle. Though the offer made by Mr. Owens is greatly appreciated, the entire project is not within the financial ability of the chapter at this time.
President Fritz reminded the group that election of officers will be held at the next meeting and interested and/or willing persons should be ready to accept the leadership positions.
Vic Johnston gave an airport update. He stated that a large grant for runway improvement had been approved but the actual money may not be issued due to the unexpected government expenses resulting from the national disasters in the last few months. He sated that if the State of Michigan gets the money -- we will get the money and only time will tell.
A discussion of various members projects was held after which the meeting broke up for refreshments.
Ron Fritz then showed some very interesting old movies showing a number of different airplanes --some of which were his own. The movies may be old but the interest in them never dies. Thanks Ron. Meeting adjourned.
Respectfully submitted
Jay Dean, Secretary/Treasurer
Chapter 211 Christmas Party
Chapter 211 of Grand Haven has invited Chapter 704 members to join them at their annual Christmas party to be held in John Gill's hangar at the Sparta Airport.
•The Christmas party will be a potluck with everyone attending being asked to bring a dish to pass.
•Coffee and beverages will be provided.
•The party will start around 6:00 PM and we will be going through the food line between 6:30 and 7:00 PM.
•Dress is strickly casual and we hope to have a snow free area next to John's hangar to park in.
Aviation Wisdom
•It’s better to be down here wishing you were up there, than to be up there wishing you were down here.•If the houses are getting bigger lift the pointy bit at the front.
•There is nothing more useless than runway behind you.
•A 'good' landing is one from which you can walk away. A 'great' landing is one after which they can use the plane again.
•When in doubt, hold on to your altitude. No one has ever collided with the sky.
•You’ve never got too much fuel unless you are on fire
Thursday, October 06, 2005
A Message From Our Chapter President, Ron Fritz (Oct '05)
Here we are, fall is here and I bet most of you don’t have the chores done that you had hoped to finish before snow flies. That’s the case around my house and I doubt if they will get done before that time.Our EAA year is winding down and elections are just around the corner. We have a good number of members in the chapter now and one of those lucky people will be your leader next year. I’ll keep this reminder in front of you in the newsletters and during the last three meetings.
Our chicken barbecue was not quite the success we had hoped for. Attendance was not what we would like to have seen. At least, we didn’t lose any money on the event and by selling leftover food, we were able to come a couple bucks to the good. I suppose there were several factors behind the small turnout, one being, that our expectations were a little too optimistic. In years past, we had some fantastic turnouts, one with over 300 people enjoying the food and flying camaraderie. Whatever, we should take a closer look at the circumstances and, perhaps, only plan a day for our chapter alone. That will be up to the 2006 officers.
For those who missed the last meeting, we brought up the possibility of the chapter building its own hangar/meeting place. That would be a tremendous undertaking and would require a huge obligation on the part of the chapter membership. It is something worth looking into. More on this at the October meeting.
See you all at the meeting.
October (2005) Meeting Minutes
EAA Chapter 704 held its regular monthly meeting on Monday September 12th 2005 at the Sparta Paul C. Miller Airport
The minutes and treasurers report from the previous meeting were approved as printed in the newsletter. The current check book balance is $2109.51, with $53.00 in cash on hand.
President Ron Fritz held a short business meeting primarily to discuss the very recent Chicken BBQ held for the club members and a number of friends. It had been hoped that the Club would at least break even financially and the final report indicates that we did just that with $17.14 left over. The total income was $633.00 and expenses came to $615.86. The real profit came in the fun we had getting together with family and friends over a very nice chicken dinner.
As usual there was work involved in getting everything set up and taken down but that all seems to "fall together". Once again a big thank you goes to Paramount Aviation for the use of their facilities. It is indeed the perfect location for such an event.
The program for the evening was put on by Bob Rector telling about the Powered Parachute. He should a factory video and also some slides taken at a group event up in Northern Michigan where they gather annually for a PP Fly-in at a farm offered for just this occasion.
Respectfully submitted
Jay Dean, Secretary/Treasurer
The minutes and treasurers report from the previous meeting were approved as printed in the newsletter. The current check book balance is $2109.51, with $53.00 in cash on hand.
President Ron Fritz held a short business meeting primarily to discuss the very recent Chicken BBQ held for the club members and a number of friends. It had been hoped that the Club would at least break even financially and the final report indicates that we did just that with $17.14 left over. The total income was $633.00 and expenses came to $615.86. The real profit came in the fun we had getting together with family and friends over a very nice chicken dinner.
As usual there was work involved in getting everything set up and taken down but that all seems to "fall together". Once again a big thank you goes to Paramount Aviation for the use of their facilities. It is indeed the perfect location for such an event.
The program for the evening was put on by Bob Rector telling about the Powered Parachute. He should a factory video and also some slides taken at a group event up in Northern Michigan where they gather annually for a PP Fly-in at a farm offered for just this occasion.
Respectfully submitted
Jay Dean, Secretary/Treasurer
Top 25 Greatest Lies in Aviation
1. I'm from the FAA and I'm here to help you.
2. Me? I've never busted minimums.
3. We will be on time, maybe even early.
4. I've got the field in sight.
5. I have no interest in flying for the airlines.
6. I fixed it right the first time, it must have failed for other reasons.
7. I'm always glad to see the FAA.
8. I've got the traffic in sight.
9. I only need glasses for reading.
10. I broke out right at minimums.
11. The weather is gonna be alright; it's clearing to VFR.
12. Don't worry about the weight and balance -- it'll fly.
13. If we get a little lower I think we'll see the lights.
14. I'm 22, got 6000 hours, a four year degree & 3000 hours in a Lear.
15. We shipped the part yesterday.
16. Your plane will be ready by 2 o'clock.
17. All you have to do is follow the book.
18. Oh sure, no problem, I've got over 2000 hours in that aircraft.
19. It just came out of annual -- how could anything be wrong?
20. We'll be home by lunchtime.
21. I have 5000 hours total time, 3200 are actual instrument.
22. No need to look that up, I've got it all memorized.
23. Sure I can fly it -- it has wings, doesn't it?
24. Of course I know where we are.
25. I'm SURE the gear was down.
2. Me? I've never busted minimums.
3. We will be on time, maybe even early.
4. I've got the field in sight.
5. I have no interest in flying for the airlines.
6. I fixed it right the first time, it must have failed for other reasons.
7. I'm always glad to see the FAA.
8. I've got the traffic in sight.
9. I only need glasses for reading.
10. I broke out right at minimums.
11. The weather is gonna be alright; it's clearing to VFR.
12. Don't worry about the weight and balance -- it'll fly.
13. If we get a little lower I think we'll see the lights.
14. I'm 22, got 6000 hours, a four year degree & 3000 hours in a Lear.
15. We shipped the part yesterday.
16. Your plane will be ready by 2 o'clock.
17. All you have to do is follow the book.
18. Oh sure, no problem, I've got over 2000 hours in that aircraft.
19. It just came out of annual -- how could anything be wrong?
20. We'll be home by lunchtime.
21. I have 5000 hours total time, 3200 are actual instrument.
22. No need to look that up, I've got it all memorized.
23. Sure I can fly it -- it has wings, doesn't it?
24. Of course I know where we are.
25. I'm SURE the gear was down.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Chicken Barbecue
Date: Saturday, September 10
Where: Sparta Airport, Paramount Aviation Hangar.
Time: 12:00 PM until the chicken is gone or 2:00 PM.
The meal will consist of chicken, potato salad, baked beans, sweet corn, rolls and beverage.
Cost: The price will be $7.00 for a half chicken and $6.00 for a quarter chicken.
All Chapter 704 members are asked to bring a dessert to pass.
This will be a rain or shine event, so we hope we have a good turnout.
Chapters 145 and 211 have been invited as well as the Sparta Pilots
Association.
Where: Sparta Airport, Paramount Aviation Hangar.
Time: 12:00 PM until the chicken is gone or 2:00 PM.
The meal will consist of chicken, potato salad, baked beans, sweet corn, rolls and beverage.
Cost: The price will be $7.00 for a half chicken and $6.00 for a quarter chicken.
All Chapter 704 members are asked to bring a dessert to pass.
This will be a rain or shine event, so we hope we have a good turnout.
Chapters 145 and 211 have been invited as well as the Sparta Pilots
Association.
A Message From Our Chapter President, Ron Fritz (Sept '05)
It looks like September will be our busy month this year, as we will be putting on an invitational chicken barbecue for the first time in several years. This is always a difficult event to plan, as it is impossible to predict how many folks will show up. We aren’t ordering a lot of chicken as a result. All Chapter 704 members are asked to bring a dessert to pass. Plan to attend rain or shine as plans are pretty much finalized and we won’t be able to change them after September 2nd. Our members are asked to volunteer to help if they are needed as we’ll need food servers and preparers.The September meeting will be held on the 12th. The program for the meeting will be put on by the powered parachute guys and will include a video of their recent trip up north. This should be a good program, so plan to attend.
See you all at the meeting.
September (2005) Meeting Minutes
EAA Chapter 704 held its regular monthly meeting on Monday August 8th 2005 at the Sparta Paul C. Miller Airport.
The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as printed in the Newsletter. The treasurer reported $1692.24 in the checkbook with $31.00 to be deposited and $50.00 in petty cash.
President Ron Fritz commented on the recent pancake breakfast and pronounced it a success. We received a check for $680.00 from the Lion’s Club as our share of the profits. A letter is to be sent to Paramount Aviation in appreciation for the use of their hangar and facilities during the event.
The Poker Run flying event conducted on August 6th by the Sparta Pilot’s Ass’n brought out 14 airplanes with nearly 24 people involved. Linda De Young won the pot for the best poker hand.
Vic Johnston, Airport manager, commented on the new fuel farm being constructed and said it should be operational around 8-15-05. An issue with the insurance has yet to be resolved.
The September 10th chicken BBQ was discussed. Wendell Beuschel will be cooking the chicken again and 704 will be providing the other items on the menu. The serving time will be close to noon with work parties gathering in the earlier hours of the morning to prepare the site. $7.00 was discussed as the price of the meal.
Tim and Lori Layne took a few moments to describe a couple of aspects of their business. They have the FAA approval for selling Sectional Charts at Sparta Airport but they also are starting another chart related service. Any pilot planning a cross country trip can obtain, through them, a flip over book containing all the enroute charts, the communication frequencies, airport information, navigational aids etc one might need. This is a very nicely assembled booklet much like the AAA triptic you get for road trips. This is designed to help the pilot with cockpit management to eliminate the cumbersome chart flipping, folding and unfolding that often creates distractions while trying to maintain control of the aircraft.
They also commented on a new service they have begun called “Pilots for Christ”. This is a mercy flight service to provide pilots and planes to provide emergency mercy services to people in need.
Following their presentation, John Smith spent some time discussing procedures for laying out patterns for making airplane parts from drawings. He used a wing rib as an example and demonstrated how to transfer data using draftsman techniques from the print onto wood to create a template. He stated that the techniques he used are those one learns in any class on mechanical drawing. He showed several of the instruments he uses in the procedures and demonstrated their use. He showed how to use a divider compass to establish a true 90 degree angle with techniques learned in high school plane geometry. He then showed how the French Curve was used to create the proper curves along the upper and lower wing rib. He stressed using quality instruments to insure accuracy.
Our thanks go to John for his presentation and to Tim and Lori Layne for advising us of their activities.
Meeting was adjourned 9:15 p.m.
Respectfully submitted
Jay Dean, Secretary/Treasurer
The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as printed in the Newsletter. The treasurer reported $1692.24 in the checkbook with $31.00 to be deposited and $50.00 in petty cash.
President Ron Fritz commented on the recent pancake breakfast and pronounced it a success. We received a check for $680.00 from the Lion’s Club as our share of the profits. A letter is to be sent to Paramount Aviation in appreciation for the use of their hangar and facilities during the event.
The Poker Run flying event conducted on August 6th by the Sparta Pilot’s Ass’n brought out 14 airplanes with nearly 24 people involved. Linda De Young won the pot for the best poker hand.
Vic Johnston, Airport manager, commented on the new fuel farm being constructed and said it should be operational around 8-15-05. An issue with the insurance has yet to be resolved.
The September 10th chicken BBQ was discussed. Wendell Beuschel will be cooking the chicken again and 704 will be providing the other items on the menu. The serving time will be close to noon with work parties gathering in the earlier hours of the morning to prepare the site. $7.00 was discussed as the price of the meal.
Tim and Lori Layne took a few moments to describe a couple of aspects of their business. They have the FAA approval for selling Sectional Charts at Sparta Airport but they also are starting another chart related service. Any pilot planning a cross country trip can obtain, through them, a flip over book containing all the enroute charts, the communication frequencies, airport information, navigational aids etc one might need. This is a very nicely assembled booklet much like the AAA triptic you get for road trips. This is designed to help the pilot with cockpit management to eliminate the cumbersome chart flipping, folding and unfolding that often creates distractions while trying to maintain control of the aircraft.
They also commented on a new service they have begun called “Pilots for Christ”. This is a mercy flight service to provide pilots and planes to provide emergency mercy services to people in need.
Following their presentation, John Smith spent some time discussing procedures for laying out patterns for making airplane parts from drawings. He used a wing rib as an example and demonstrated how to transfer data using draftsman techniques from the print onto wood to create a template. He stated that the techniques he used are those one learns in any class on mechanical drawing. He showed several of the instruments he uses in the procedures and demonstrated their use. He showed how to use a divider compass to establish a true 90 degree angle with techniques learned in high school plane geometry. He then showed how the French Curve was used to create the proper curves along the upper and lower wing rib. He stressed using quality instruments to insure accuracy.
Our thanks go to John for his presentation and to Tim and Lori Layne for advising us of their activities.
Meeting was adjourned 9:15 p.m.
Respectfully submitted
Jay Dean, Secretary/Treasurer
Thursday, August 04, 2005
A Message From Our Chapter President, Ron Fritz (August '05)
We just returned from Oshkosh this morning and it suddenly dawned on me that our meeting is coming up in one week. So here are my remarks for the August newsletter.
Our July meeting was a little different with respects to the program. As most of you know, I’ve been involved with antique free flight planes and have gotten to know a lot of the local “old timers”. Karl Spielmaker has been modeling for nearly sixty years and is a walking history book on modeling. He has a nice collection of old engines and was kind enough to bring some up to show and run for you. We thank him for his efforts. He was joined by Ward Delano and Bob Pattison. I hope all of you had a good a time as I did.
The annual pancake breakfast came off well. We had excellent weather at Sparta and all had a good time. We thank Paramount Aviation for making their excellent facilities available for us. The weather around Sparta wasn’t all that good and that kept many planes from flying in. Our chapter members made a good showing and made the event a success. I haven’t heard if we made any money but hope to have that information available at the meeting.
Our next, and probably biggest effort of the year will happen on September 10 when we will put on chicken barbecue like we did in years past. We will be inviting the public as well as other chapters. We will have to finalize our plans at the August meeting so plan on that as being the largest part of the meeting. Our program will be a two-part program. John Smith will be showing us how to lay out an airfoil using coordinates provided. This is how things used to be done so it will be fun to see how things were done in days gone by. Also, members, Tim and Lori Layne will be talking about their new business located at the airport.
See you all at the meeting.
August (2005) Meeting Minutes
EAA Chapter 704 met for its regular monthly meeting on Monday, July 11 at the Sparta Paul C. Miller Airport's pilot lounge. There were 27 members and 3 guests present.
The regular monthly meeting of EAA Chapter 704 was held on July 11, 2005 at the Sparta Paul C Miller Airport pilot's lounge.
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by President Ron Fritz.
The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as printed in the newsletter. The treasurer report showed $1692.24 in the checkbook with $50.00 cash on hand. $21.00 was received from dues and sale of shoulder patches.
The main item of business was the upcoming pancake breakfast/Fly-In to be held Saturday, July 17th. A work party to set up the facilities was planned for Friday to collect the tables and chairs needed for the event. Workers would also gather at 6:00 am on Sunday to complete the set up.
The Secretary was instructed to contact EAA headquarters to activate the insurance policy to cover the event.
The Sparta Pilot's Association is planning a hotdog/brat sale for Saturday the 16th and a discussion was held in this regard. There will also be a Radio Controlled Airplane rally that day.
There being no other business the meeting was adjourned for snacks after which a very fine program was presented by the Antique Model Airplane Group represented by Karl Spiellmaker, Ward Delano and Bob Pattison. Karl spoke about the early development of the model airplane engines dating back to the early 1900's and described the efforts to create these tiny power plants. After the discussion the group retired to the patio where several examples of these small engines were set up and ran. The collection included 2 stroke, 4 stroke and even a diesel model. A wankle engine was demonstrated as well as a 5 cylinder radial. The intricate machining required to create these engines was most impressive and it was a delight to watch them operate. A husky thank you goes out to these men for their program and to Ron Fritz for arranging it.
Meeting adjourned
Jay Dean, Secretary/Treasurer
The regular monthly meeting of EAA Chapter 704 was held on July 11, 2005 at the Sparta Paul C Miller Airport pilot's lounge.
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by President Ron Fritz.
The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as printed in the newsletter. The treasurer report showed $1692.24 in the checkbook with $50.00 cash on hand. $21.00 was received from dues and sale of shoulder patches.
The main item of business was the upcoming pancake breakfast/Fly-In to be held Saturday, July 17th. A work party to set up the facilities was planned for Friday to collect the tables and chairs needed for the event. Workers would also gather at 6:00 am on Sunday to complete the set up.
The Secretary was instructed to contact EAA headquarters to activate the insurance policy to cover the event.
The Sparta Pilot's Association is planning a hotdog/brat sale for Saturday the 16th and a discussion was held in this regard. There will also be a Radio Controlled Airplane rally that day.
There being no other business the meeting was adjourned for snacks after which a very fine program was presented by the Antique Model Airplane Group represented by Karl Spiellmaker, Ward Delano and Bob Pattison. Karl spoke about the early development of the model airplane engines dating back to the early 1900's and described the efforts to create these tiny power plants. After the discussion the group retired to the patio where several examples of these small engines were set up and ran. The collection included 2 stroke, 4 stroke and even a diesel model. A wankle engine was demonstrated as well as a 5 cylinder radial. The intricate machining required to create these engines was most impressive and it was a delight to watch them operate. A husky thank you goes out to these men for their program and to Ron Fritz for arranging it.
Meeting adjourned
Jay Dean, Secretary/Treasurer
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Sparta Area Pilots Association BBQ
On July 16th starting at 11:00am (in conjunction with the events of Sparta Town & Country Days).The location for this event will be just outside “hangar D”. The menu includes brats, hotdogs, etc...
Dawn Patrol Pancake Breakfast
On July 17th from 7:30am til 11:30am in conjunction with Sparta Town & Country Days with tractor pulls, lawn mower races & radio control airplanes airshows during festival days.Cost: Adult $5.00 Child $2.50
Sponsored by EAA 704 & Sparta Lions Club. Call 616-887-5744.
A Message From Our Chapter President, Ron Fritz (July '05)
It looks like the June meeting was well received and it was nice to see our group welcome our guests to our meeting. A warm thank you goes out to our guests, Scott DeGaynor from Chapter 211 and Bill Willyard from Chapter 145. Their presentations on the Bede 4 and Kitfox were very well done and it gave our members the chance to see a nice perspective on the merits of both planes.The program for the July meeting is still up in the air as of the time of this writing. I am hoping to have an old friend and fellow modeler at the meeting to talk about building old-time ignition model airplane engines and flying the older models. If this program comes off, there will also be a running of several old and rare engines on the deck at the airport. If this program doesn’t work out, there will be another surprise in store for you.
I was very fortunate to visit the new Udvar-Hazy addition to the National Air & Space Museum at Dulles Airport (pictured above), outside Washington, D.C. on June 24th. This is a very new facility and it contains some very interesting and historic airplanes. One plane that I have always wanted to see is the Enola Gay (pictured below), the B-29 that dropped the first atomic bomb on Japan in August 1945. It is well displayed in such a way as to view the cockpit very close-up. If I’ve read my SPORT AVIATION correctly, General Paul Tibbets, the pilot on that mission will be speaking at Oshkosh this year.
Our chapter will be involved with the Sparta Days event again this year. We will be joining with the Sparta Lions Club to put on the pancake breakfast at the airport on Sunday, July 17th. Keep that date in mind and do your best to help put this event on. We generally make enough money off this activity to run the chapter for the year. We’ll be talking about this at the meeting.See you all at the meeting.
June (2005) Meeting Minutes
EAA Chapter 704 met for its regular monthly meeting on Monday, June 13 at the Sparta Paul C Miller Airport's pilot lounge. There were 22 members present.
President Ron Fritz called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and announced that after the business meeting there would be a program involving Scott DeGayner and Bill Willyard from EAA Chapter 211 discussing their respective airplanes.
Minutes of the last meeting were approved as printed in the newsletter and the treasurer announced there was $1,744.57 in the checkbook with $50.00 cash on hand.
President Fritz announced the death of Curtis Pitts, renowned aircraft designer and aviation enthusiast. As a credit to his legacy there are and will continue to be a number of very fine airplanes built from plans he produced.
Fritz commented on the approach procedures for Oshkosh for those planning on flying in for the convention.
The 704ILion's Club Pancake breakfast will be held on July 17 with more discussion on this at our next meeting.
Paul Kovalak commented on the Sparta Pilot's Association saying there were several events in the planning stage. Any upcoming meetings will be announced to the members through E-mail and/or telephone.
Ron Fritz introduced Scott DeGayner and Bill Willyard from EAA 211. He said they represented the "Fast" and the "Slow" of home built aircraft.
Scott flew in with his beautifully built BD-4 and described the building process along with any modifications he created as he went along. He has a very nice performing airplane that cruises around 200 mph. Scott is likely the most knowledgeable person in this area on this particular design.
Bill Willyard had arrived in his Kitfox which, as he pointed out, had evolved out of the Avid Flyer. He cruises along at about 85 to 90 mph behind a Rotex 912 engine. He also discussed the building and modifications he went through to produce a very fine "Fox".
After the presentations were completed the group ventured onto the ramp to inspect both these excellent examples of homebuilding skills.
Meeting adjourned
Jay Dean, Secretary/Treasurer
President Ron Fritz called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and announced that after the business meeting there would be a program involving Scott DeGayner and Bill Willyard from EAA Chapter 211 discussing their respective airplanes.
Minutes of the last meeting were approved as printed in the newsletter and the treasurer announced there was $1,744.57 in the checkbook with $50.00 cash on hand.
President Fritz announced the death of Curtis Pitts, renowned aircraft designer and aviation enthusiast. As a credit to his legacy there are and will continue to be a number of very fine airplanes built from plans he produced.
Fritz commented on the approach procedures for Oshkosh for those planning on flying in for the convention.
The 704ILion's Club Pancake breakfast will be held on July 17 with more discussion on this at our next meeting.
Paul Kovalak commented on the Sparta Pilot's Association saying there were several events in the planning stage. Any upcoming meetings will be announced to the members through E-mail and/or telephone.
Ron Fritz introduced Scott DeGayner and Bill Willyard from EAA 211. He said they represented the "Fast" and the "Slow" of home built aircraft.
Scott flew in with his beautifully built BD-4 and described the building process along with any modifications he created as he went along. He has a very nice performing airplane that cruises around 200 mph. Scott is likely the most knowledgeable person in this area on this particular design.
Bill Willyard had arrived in his Kitfox which, as he pointed out, had evolved out of the Avid Flyer. He cruises along at about 85 to 90 mph behind a Rotex 912 engine. He also discussed the building and modifications he went through to produce a very fine "Fox".
After the presentations were completed the group ventured onto the ramp to inspect both these excellent examples of homebuilding skills.
Meeting adjourned
Jay Dean, Secretary/Treasurer
Thursday, June 09, 2005
A Message From Our Chapter President, Ron Fritz (June '05)
Here we are, almost halfway through the year. I hope most of you have at least started those projects that you waited, through the cold weather, to get started. Before you know it, the colder fall days will be here and you will have to go full speed ahead to finish them before the winter snows fall. Ah, such is life.With the later sunsets our days are adjusted to take advantage of the extra daylight each day. The same pretty much occurs with chapter meetings. It’s more fun to sit on the deck at the Sparta airport and relate stories rather than get the chapter meeting started. I think we will be doing that for a couple months. My choice for a meeting program this month fell through at the last minute and I’ve been unable to replace it at the time of this newsletter writing. I have an idea but haven’t worked on it yet. I guess you will all have to wait and see what has come about.
Our chapter has obligated itself to take part in the Sparta Days festivities and we will again be assisting the Lions Club in the annual pancake breakfast on July 17th. Keep that date in mind and do your best to help us out on that day. We do benefit financially and the money earned pretty much runs the chapter for the year. We’ll be talking about this at the June meeting and will have to have most of our plans finalized by the July meeting.
In case you haven’t experienced it, the Sparta airport lounge is a pretty active place during good flying weather. There is usually a good gang of airport “bums” present and there is a good bit of great camaraderie going on. Drop in and join in on the fun.
See you at the meeting...
May (2005) Meeting Minutes
EAA chapter 704 met at 7:00 p.m. on 5/9/05 for a regular meeting. The meeting was held at the Sparta Paul Miller Airport lounge. There were 25 members present.
President Ron Fritz called the meeting to order and reviewed the minutes of the last meeting as printed in the newsletter. He announced that we now have 35 paid members in the chapter.
There was $1725.57 in the checkbook along with $50.00 cash on hand. $40.00 was collected for dues and calendar sales. (Later $10.00 was added from the 50/50 raffle)
President Fritz asked for an update on the newly formed Sparta Pilot’s Association. Kathy Hakeem reported that there had been no meetings recently but they were in the process of polling neighboring airports to get a sense of what the relationship might be between airport management and the pilots at their locations.
A discussion followed about various projects in progress amongst the members.
P.J. Bevelacqua collected for a 50/50 raffle, which was won by Homer Teitsma.
After a brief break for snacks the group reconvened to hear Mr. Harvey Alley give a very interesting description of the early development of airmail service in West Virginia and Pennsylvania area. He told of how a dentist, Lydell Adams, from Chicago devised a method of picking up and dropping mail sacks from a moving, low flying, airplane. First they used a drag cable with a grappling hook on the end and later developed a boom arrangement. This was being done in the mid 1930’s and actually accomplished a surprising number of pickups and drops with very few mishaps. The service was called All American Aviation, which later became U.S. Air as we know it today.
Mr. Alley, who in times past had developed several slide programs involving a 3-screen presentation, offered to return in the future with other discussions for our interest.
Meeting adjourned
Jay Dean, Secretary/Treasurer
President Ron Fritz called the meeting to order and reviewed the minutes of the last meeting as printed in the newsletter. He announced that we now have 35 paid members in the chapter.
There was $1725.57 in the checkbook along with $50.00 cash on hand. $40.00 was collected for dues and calendar sales. (Later $10.00 was added from the 50/50 raffle)
President Fritz asked for an update on the newly formed Sparta Pilot’s Association. Kathy Hakeem reported that there had been no meetings recently but they were in the process of polling neighboring airports to get a sense of what the relationship might be between airport management and the pilots at their locations.
A discussion followed about various projects in progress amongst the members.
P.J. Bevelacqua collected for a 50/50 raffle, which was won by Homer Teitsma.
After a brief break for snacks the group reconvened to hear Mr. Harvey Alley give a very interesting description of the early development of airmail service in West Virginia and Pennsylvania area. He told of how a dentist, Lydell Adams, from Chicago devised a method of picking up and dropping mail sacks from a moving, low flying, airplane. First they used a drag cable with a grappling hook on the end and later developed a boom arrangement. This was being done in the mid 1930’s and actually accomplished a surprising number of pickups and drops with very few mishaps. The service was called All American Aviation, which later became U.S. Air as we know it today.
Mr. Alley, who in times past had developed several slide programs involving a 3-screen presentation, offered to return in the future with other discussions for our interest.
Meeting adjourned
Jay Dean, Secretary/Treasurer
DATES TO REMEMBER
JULY, 17
Sparta - Paul C. Miller Airport (8D4) 7:30 - 11:30 am
Dawn Patrol Pancake Breakfast in conjunction with Sparta Town & Country Days with tractor pulls, lawn mower races & radio control airplanes airshows during festival days.
Sponsored by EAA 704 & Sparta Lions Club.
Call 616-887-5744.
July 25 - 31
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2005!
Wittman Regional Airport, Oshkosh, WI
Sparta - Paul C. Miller Airport (8D4) 7:30 - 11:30 am
Dawn Patrol Pancake Breakfast in conjunction with Sparta Town & Country Days with tractor pulls, lawn mower races & radio control airplanes airshows during festival days.
Sponsored by EAA 704 & Sparta Lions Club.
Call 616-887-5744.
July 25 - 31
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2005!
Wittman Regional Airport, Oshkosh, WI
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
A Message From Our Chapter President, Ron Fritz (May '05)
Now that spring is finally here many of us can dust off the flying machine and go about defying the laws of gravity. I might even dig around in my hangar to see if the Mooney is still there.I spent the past Friday (April 29th) at Oshkosh and the Vintage Airplane Association Board of Directors meeting. These meetings are always a lot of fun as I get to rekindle friendships with many of my old friends and, also, learn of the happenings around VAA and EAA. I can assure you there is a lot going on behind the scenes that most members don't know about. In short, they are really looking out for all of you. You can all be thankful for that.
With the warmer weather and daylight saving time, we will be able to spend some of our meeting nights outside. It might be a good time to invite EAA guests to the meetings, to show off their flying machines. If any of you know of someone who has an interesting antique, classic or experimental airplane, invite them to join us. It is always an incentive to see what someone else has done which generally gives us the confidence to go forward with our project(s).
See you all at the May meeting...
April Meeting Minutes
The regular meeting of EAA Chapter 704 was held at 7:00 pm on Monday April 11, 2005 at the Sparta Paul C. Miller Airport.
The March minutes were read and approved. The treasurer reported $1697.57 in the check book with $50.00 cash on hand and $40.00 received in dues and calendar sales before the meeting was called to order.
President Fritz brought several items to the floor for discussion. He commented on the work week-end projects held at Oshkosh. Those interested could fill out applications with several week-ends to choose from.
President Fritz also commented on the Pancake Breakfast held at the airport in conjunction with Sparta Community Days. We work along side the Sparta Lions Club and share the profits.
The subject of the Sparta Pilot’s Association also came up for comment. President Fritz noted that the EAA Chapter 704, as an organization, would not be associated with the SPA but individual members of the chapter are free to join and show support for the concerns brought forth by the SPA.
Paul Kovalak, newly elected president of the Sparta Pilot’s Association (SPA) said there had been two meetings so far with about 50 pilots showing interest. The SPA has established a mission statement and a plan of action. He pointed out that there are several airport rules changes being suggested by certain parties that the SPA will oppose inasmuch as they appear detrimental to general aviation as practiced at Sparta Miller Airport. One of the major issues is the freedom of the pilots to perform FAA approved maintenance on their own aircraft on the field. There were other issues as well. The SPA is in the process of polling surrounding airports to establish ways of comparing Sparta with other airports. Some group discussion ensued.
Jim Reeds discussed his Zenith project and showed one of the construction manuals. Several others described their projects.
Dar Nederveld gave a humorous account of his experience of getting his airplane painted by a fellow in Arkansas. The whole episode, from initial contact through the trip down and back, made for quite a story.
P.J. Bevelacqua held a 50/50 raffle which was won by Dar Nederveld -perhaps rightly so in recompense for his delightful Arkansas adventure story.
Ron Fritz showed a number of slides following the history of civil and military aviation from its infancy through more modem times. As usual, Ron puts on a very good show with excellent slides and informative as well as very interesting commentary.
Meeting adjourned: Jay Dean, Sec/Treas EAA 704
The March minutes were read and approved. The treasurer reported $1697.57 in the check book with $50.00 cash on hand and $40.00 received in dues and calendar sales before the meeting was called to order.
President Fritz brought several items to the floor for discussion. He commented on the work week-end projects held at Oshkosh. Those interested could fill out applications with several week-ends to choose from.
President Fritz also commented on the Pancake Breakfast held at the airport in conjunction with Sparta Community Days. We work along side the Sparta Lions Club and share the profits.
The subject of the Sparta Pilot’s Association also came up for comment. President Fritz noted that the EAA Chapter 704, as an organization, would not be associated with the SPA but individual members of the chapter are free to join and show support for the concerns brought forth by the SPA.
Paul Kovalak, newly elected president of the Sparta Pilot’s Association (SPA) said there had been two meetings so far with about 50 pilots showing interest. The SPA has established a mission statement and a plan of action. He pointed out that there are several airport rules changes being suggested by certain parties that the SPA will oppose inasmuch as they appear detrimental to general aviation as practiced at Sparta Miller Airport. One of the major issues is the freedom of the pilots to perform FAA approved maintenance on their own aircraft on the field. There were other issues as well. The SPA is in the process of polling surrounding airports to establish ways of comparing Sparta with other airports. Some group discussion ensued.
Jim Reeds discussed his Zenith project and showed one of the construction manuals. Several others described their projects.
Dar Nederveld gave a humorous account of his experience of getting his airplane painted by a fellow in Arkansas. The whole episode, from initial contact through the trip down and back, made for quite a story.
P.J. Bevelacqua held a 50/50 raffle which was won by Dar Nederveld -perhaps rightly so in recompense for his delightful Arkansas adventure story.
Ron Fritz showed a number of slides following the history of civil and military aviation from its infancy through more modem times. As usual, Ron puts on a very good show with excellent slides and informative as well as very interesting commentary.
Meeting adjourned: Jay Dean, Sec/Treas EAA 704
2005 Michigan Aeronautical Chart Errata Update
For the latest info check out the MDOT Aeronautical website
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
A Message From Our Chapter President, Ron Fritz (April '05)
I’m going to start out this month’s column with an apology for not arriving in time to lead the March meeting and not having time to conduct the slide program that was supposed to be presented. We’re going to try to do that program at the April meeting. I’m sure Kathy Hakeem did a fine job in leading the meeting in my absence.As most of you are aware, there are some concerns about the situation at the Sparta airport and many of our members are joining the Sparta pilots association. It’s nice to see so many aircraft owners and pilots willing to step forward and indicate their concern for the future of the airport. At this time, the chapter, as a specific entity, will not be a part in any actions that might affect airport rules or regulations unless they specifically involve our presence or activities at the airport. That isn’t our function as an organization. We do, however, hope we can always be a positive presence on the field and can affect changes to the benefit of all aviation minded people. Since so many of our members are coming forward to join the new association, we will include ongoing status reports during our business meetings.
I also wish to thank those members who came forward to reimburse the chapter for the cost of their meal at the chapter banquet in February, after they had not been able to attend.
I’ve noticed an increased enthusiasm on the part of many of our members. Several of our members are demonstrating a desire to start new projects or dust off projects that haven’t been worked on for a while. That is very heartening and I hope we can encourage others to join in on the fun. I think, as a chapter, we can expand this enthusiasm to include others who might have been fearful of starting a project in the past. I’d like to reserve a space in the monthly newsletters to report the activities of our members.
See you all at the April meeting...
What Our Members Are Doing
Paul Kovalak and Paul Zimmer have been investigating the Mustang II as their building projects. The have visited a nearly finished plane in Muskegon and were planning to visit the distributor to make a final decision as to whether or not to go ahead with their projects.
Paul Spetosky has finally gotten his 1950 Beechcraft Bonanza back to the Sparta airport. He and John Gill flew in the final leg recently and Paul will be tearing into the plane to get it back into license after a lengthy period of inactivity. Work will begin in earnest after he and Ethyl return from Florida and the Sun-n-Fun Fly in.
Jim Reeds has ordered kits to continue building his Zenith 701. You might remember visiting Jim’s workshop some time ago to view his progress at that time and also to view a demonstration of riveting.
If anyone is working on a project that we are not aware of, please come forward at a meeting to enlighten us as to its presence.
Paul Spetosky has finally gotten his 1950 Beechcraft Bonanza back to the Sparta airport. He and John Gill flew in the final leg recently and Paul will be tearing into the plane to get it back into license after a lengthy period of inactivity. Work will begin in earnest after he and Ethyl return from Florida and the Sun-n-Fun Fly in.
Jim Reeds has ordered kits to continue building his Zenith 701. You might remember visiting Jim’s workshop some time ago to view his progress at that time and also to view a demonstration of riveting.
If anyone is working on a project that we are not aware of, please come forward at a meeting to enlighten us as to its presence.
Images of the Past...
Umbaugh Gyrocopter at Myers Airport, Tecumseh, MI - June 1966
De Haviland Rapide, British Army Parachute Team in Germany - Spring 1968
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
A Message From Our Chapter President, Ron Fritz (March '05)
The chapter banquet came off well when 43 of our members traveled to the Swan Inn for a nice meal and an evening of camaraderie. Our program was given by Roger and Marilyn Doane, who put on a slide show of one of their flying trips to Alaska in their Stinson (pictured below). It was a nice evening for all who attended.The night wasn’t completely without its problems, as we had to pay for the meals of all of those who had made reservations but didn’t show up. If you were one of those who didn’t attend and didn’t cancel your reservations, please consider the chapter’s problem. We’ll take this up in more detail at the March meeting.
Meeting programs are a concern of mine and I would appreciate your input as to what you would like and make any suggestions if you have an idea. I can bore you with movies and slides for the entire year but that isn’t really what is best for the chapter. Give us your ideas.
ATTENTION CHAPTER MEMBERS!
The 2005 EAA Chapter 704 Calendars are still available. The price has been drastically reduced to $5.00 per calendar, Please help our chapter out and get yours today.
We have plenty left and must sell them to recoup the cost of printing.
Please stop by the airport lounge and pick one up today (See Vic, Brita, or Chris).
Fly To Alaska
After dinner was served, we viewed a slide show presentation of a trip to Alaska made by Roger and Marilyn Doane in their Stinson.
Roger narrated the presentation with many interesting stories from the adventure
Chapter President Ron Fritz talks to the attendees.
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
ATTENTION CHAPTER MEMBERS!
We will forgo the regular chapter meeting for February since the banquet will be held the same week.
The deadline for getting reservations in for the banquet
is Thursday, February 10th. Please Contact Kathy or Ron
by this date if you would like to attend.
Remember the banquet dinner will be held on Friday, February 18th, at Swan Inn - 5182 Alpine NW, Comstock Park. We'll start the happy hour at 6:00pm and will eat at 7:00pm. Price is $12 per person to chapter members.
The menu will be a family style dinner with roast sirloin and baked
chicken, green bean casserole, red cabbage, buttered red potatoes with parsely, rolls and a sherbet dessert.
The deadline for getting reservations in for the banquet
is Thursday, February 10th. Please Contact Kathy or Ron
by this date if you would like to attend.
Remember the banquet dinner will be held on Friday, February 18th, at Swan Inn - 5182 Alpine NW, Comstock Park. We'll start the happy hour at 6:00pm and will eat at 7:00pm. Price is $12 per person to chapter members.
The menu will be a family style dinner with roast sirloin and baked
chicken, green bean casserole, red cabbage, buttered red potatoes with parsely, rolls and a sherbet dessert.
Lots Of Calendars Available!
The 2005 EAA Chapter 704 Calendars are available for purchase.
We have plenty left and must sell them to recoup the cost of printing.
PLEASE stop by the airport lounge and pick one up today (See Vic, Brita, or Chris). They are priced at $10 each or 3 for $27.
A Message From Our Chapter President, Ron Fritz (February '05)
Wow, our first meeting of 2005 was a big surprise. There was a huge crown present and I can only hope we can draw a similar, or larger, crowd at future meetings.
As you will see elsewhere in the newsletter, there won’t be a regular February meeting due to the fact the banquet will be held during the same week. I hope you can all get out, as this historically has been a fun time for chapter members and their spouses. We always try to include spouses in chapter activities since this is a family oriented organization.
One of the difficulties of running a chapter is trying to determine what appeals to the members. As with most chapters, our chapter has an abundance of members with a variety of aviation related skills. The goal is to use these skills to the benefit of those who might need help with a project. I’d like to set a few minutes aside at each meeting to present a technical demonstration on some aspect of airplanes and their construction. If any one has a subject they would like to see presented, bring your idea to a meeting so we can present it at a later meeting.
In conclusion, I’d like to remind everyone that this is his or her chapter and it is not the job of the president to dictate but to elicit subject matter that will enable each and every one of us to benefit in some way. That means many of you might be approached to make your contribution to the success of a good chapter. If called upon, please do your part. You might be surprised at how you can help another chapter member.
January Meeting Minutes
The regular meeting of EAA Chapter 704 was held Monday, January 10 at Sparta Paul C Miller Airport and was called to order by President Ron Fritz at 7:00 p.m.
President Fritz noted that there were over 30 in attendance and welcomed several quests.
The minutes of the last meeting were in the Newsletter and were approved as recorded.
The Treasurer reported a bank balance of$1366.37 with $50.00 petty cash on hand.. All bills have been paid to date.
Fritz announced that the 2005 dues are now due and the new calendars are for sale at $10.00 each or 3 for $27.00.
Vic Johnston, Airport manager, reported that some grant money had been received for ongoing airport improvement. The rotating beacon has been repaired
Kathy Hakeem, Chapter Vice President and Young Eagles coordinator announced that she needed pilots to provide two Young Eagle flights in the next couple of weeks. Brita Moe and Paul Kovelak agreed to do this.
President Fritz announced the date of the Chapter banquet to be February 18, 7:00 p.m. at the Swan Inn. He stated that there would be program presented by Marilyn Doane who will speak of and show slides of some of their most interesting travels.
The cost of the dinner was discussed and it was finally moved by Vic Matthews and seconded by Paul Spetosky that we charge $12.00 per person with the chapter paying anything over that amount. This was to cover the dinner only and does not include any other expenses incurred by individuals. The motion passed.
There was a general discussion as various attendees described their projects and the progress being made.
President Fritz introduced Brita Moe as the program for the evening. Brita and her husband Chris have taken over the flight school formerly known as Koz Aero since Tom Kozura has been recalled into active flight duty with the airlines. They have taken on the name of Sparta Slight School and are offering complete flight training services as before.
Brita described a new program called the “Buddy Pilot” whereby a spouse or friend could learn the basics of aviation and flying skills enough to safely control an airplane to the ground in case of an in-flight emergency.
She also gave a bit of personal history saying she has come from Norway and attended a flight school in South Carolina where she received her CFII certification. After some brief time spent in Texas and Arizona, she came to Sparta where she met and began instructing for Tom Kozura and Kozero. She appears to be a very personable young lady as well as a very capable pilot and instructor.
The meeting adjourned for snacks and conversation
During the course of the evening several guests joined the chapter. An updated roster will be forthcoming.
President Fritz noted that there were over 30 in attendance and welcomed several quests.
The minutes of the last meeting were in the Newsletter and were approved as recorded.
The Treasurer reported a bank balance of$1366.37 with $50.00 petty cash on hand.. All bills have been paid to date.
Fritz announced that the 2005 dues are now due and the new calendars are for sale at $10.00 each or 3 for $27.00.
Vic Johnston, Airport manager, reported that some grant money had been received for ongoing airport improvement. The rotating beacon has been repaired
Kathy Hakeem, Chapter Vice President and Young Eagles coordinator announced that she needed pilots to provide two Young Eagle flights in the next couple of weeks. Brita Moe and Paul Kovelak agreed to do this.
President Fritz announced the date of the Chapter banquet to be February 18, 7:00 p.m. at the Swan Inn. He stated that there would be program presented by Marilyn Doane who will speak of and show slides of some of their most interesting travels.
The cost of the dinner was discussed and it was finally moved by Vic Matthews and seconded by Paul Spetosky that we charge $12.00 per person with the chapter paying anything over that amount. This was to cover the dinner only and does not include any other expenses incurred by individuals. The motion passed.
There was a general discussion as various attendees described their projects and the progress being made.
President Fritz introduced Brita Moe as the program for the evening. Brita and her husband Chris have taken over the flight school formerly known as Koz Aero since Tom Kozura has been recalled into active flight duty with the airlines. They have taken on the name of Sparta Slight School and are offering complete flight training services as before.
Brita described a new program called the “Buddy Pilot” whereby a spouse or friend could learn the basics of aviation and flying skills enough to safely control an airplane to the ground in case of an in-flight emergency.
She also gave a bit of personal history saying she has come from Norway and attended a flight school in South Carolina where she received her CFII certification. After some brief time spent in Texas and Arizona, she came to Sparta where she met and began instructing for Tom Kozura and Kozero. She appears to be a very personable young lady as well as a very capable pilot and instructor.
The meeting adjourned for snacks and conversation
During the course of the evening several guests joined the chapter. An updated roster will be forthcoming.
Respectfully submitted
Jay Dean, Secretary EAA 704
Jay Dean, Secretary EAA 704
Aircraft Parts & Supplies Avaliable From KozAero, LLC
1957 Piper PA-22 Tripacer project less engine. $8000 obo including new covering.
New Rotec radial engine with propeller and accessories. $12000
1946 J-3 Piper Cub instrument panels $2000
Piper style window vents $40
McCauley Propeller C90/lm7249 and Lycoming reducer flange Yellow tagged $1600 obo
Contact Tom Kozura (616) 334-1569
kozaero@comcast.net
flysparta.com
Low Approach February 2005 Newsletter Links & Articles From EAA
EAA is sending this Notice to you as a means to provide better service to you, your Chapter members and EAA members at-large.
The EAA Government Relations department is updating the amateur-built DAR (AB DAR) web page and we need your Chapter members assistance with the update. Within this web site we have listed all of the individuals the FAA has currently authorized to inspect and certify amateur-built aircraft. There is one column called “EAA Member Recommended AB DAR” that directly reflects your member feelings about the AB DAR’s who have inspected and certified their aircraft.
What I need is for your Chapter members to tell me if they would recommend the AB DAR who inspected and certified their aircraft to other EAA members. If they would, then what is the name of that inspector - once I get that name, I’ll then add a “yes” under the recommended column next to that AB DAR’s name.
I would like to thank you and your Chapter members in advance for helping to provide this information to all members of our EAA Family.
The current EAA AB DAR web page is at: http://members.eaa.org/home/govt/help/ab_dar.asp. Please take a look at it...the list of recommended AB DAR’s is a living list that can be updated any time.
Randy Hansen
Government Relations Director
Experimental Aircraft Association
PO Box 3086
Oshkosh, WI 54903
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 AMEs 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. They’re ready for your questions!
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
How Do You Want Your Newsletter Delivered? You Decide...
As we start the 2005 year rolling along, we would like to take this opportunity to ask you how you would like your monthly "Low Approach 704" newsletter delivered. With our chapter adapting to the "electronic age", we now have 3 options that you can choose from:
1. US Mail, we’ll mail you the printed version the same way you’ve always gotten it.
2. e-Mail, a ".pdf" file (Adobe PDF Acrobat file) containing the newsletter that will look exactly as the printed version (you can print it yourself or look at it on the screen)
3. Website, all of the information from the newsletter will be posted on the new EAA 704 website/weblog: eaa.blogspot.com
If you would like to remain on the standard mailing list, you need not do anything, the printed newsletter will continue to be sent to your home.
If you would like option 2 or 3, please send an email to: eaa704@gmail.com (don’t forget to include your name) and let us know which option you prefer.
The 2005 EAA Chapter 704 Calendars
The 2005 EAA Chapter 704 Calendars have arrived and are available for purchase.
Stop by the airport lounge and pick one up today (See Vic, Brita, or Chris).
They are priced at $10 each or 3 for $27.
A Message From Our Chapter President, Ron Fritz
I hope this first Chapter 704 newsletter finds you all comfortably through the holiday season and looking forward to the rest of 2005. As your new chapter president I look forward to this coming year and its many challenges.
First, I want to thank the 2004 officers for their efforts to keep the chapter going for another year. The new officers have pledged to take up where the old left off and try to manage the chapter for another successful year. The front page of the newsletter lists the new officers, with one change. Our elected treasurer, Sue Folkringa, has taken a position in Florida and will be leaving Michigan in January. We are sorry to see her leave but wish her the best in her new position in Florida. Jay Dean will take over the job of treasurer in her place.
Your officers met at the Sparta Airport lounge for a pre-meeting meeting on Sunday, January 2nd to set down some ideas for the coming year and try to come up with ideas for chapter activities. We will be doing the same for each upcoming meeting. We will be holding meetings each month, a change from previous years when we cancelled meetings for January and February.
At the before mentioned pre-meeting meeting we did make tentative plans for a chapter banquet for February. At the time of this writing we can’t set down many details as we haven’t reserved a restaurant and meal yet. That will be done by the time of the upcoming January meeting and I hope you can all come to give us some idea what to expect for attendance. The tentative date has been set as Friday, February 18th and our restaurant of first choice is The Swan Inn on Alpine. This will give us two meetings and two newsletters to finalize all details. Watch for this one.
Our newsletter editor, P. J. Bevelacqua, has some wonderful plans for the future newsletters, which he will outline in his newsletter and at the meetings. One will be an on-line newsletter. This will be good.
So much for now, see you at the next meeting.
First, I want to thank the 2004 officers for their efforts to keep the chapter going for another year. The new officers have pledged to take up where the old left off and try to manage the chapter for another successful year. The front page of the newsletter lists the new officers, with one change. Our elected treasurer, Sue Folkringa, has taken a position in Florida and will be leaving Michigan in January. We are sorry to see her leave but wish her the best in her new position in Florida. Jay Dean will take over the job of treasurer in her place.
Your officers met at the Sparta Airport lounge for a pre-meeting meeting on Sunday, January 2nd to set down some ideas for the coming year and try to come up with ideas for chapter activities. We will be doing the same for each upcoming meeting. We will be holding meetings each month, a change from previous years when we cancelled meetings for January and February.
At the before mentioned pre-meeting meeting we did make tentative plans for a chapter banquet for February. At the time of this writing we can’t set down many details as we haven’t reserved a restaurant and meal yet. That will be done by the time of the upcoming January meeting and I hope you can all come to give us some idea what to expect for attendance. The tentative date has been set as Friday, February 18th and our restaurant of first choice is The Swan Inn on Alpine. This will give us two meetings and two newsletters to finalize all details. Watch for this one.
Our newsletter editor, P. J. Bevelacqua, has some wonderful plans for the future newsletters, which he will outline in his newsletter and at the meetings. One will be an on-line newsletter. This will be good.
So much for now, see you at the next meeting.
December Meeting Minutes - EAA Chapter 704 Meeting
December 13th, 2004 7:00 p.m.
Snacks and pizza were consumed prior to the meeting, which was called to order by P.J. Bevelacqua, the only officer present.
Vic Johnson filled us in on the new MDOT programs that would be available in 2005.
The annual election of officers was held. Ron Fritz is our new president, Kathy Hakeem is vice-president, and continues as Young Eagles manager. Sue Folkringa remains treasurer, and Jay Dean is our new secretary. Dan Bauman continues as technical advisor, and P.J. Bevelacqua will continue to handle newsletters, future Web site, and anything else we can stick him with.
We voted to continue having meetings in January and February, and discussed having a banquet at a restaurant or banquet facility. Ron Fritz will check out details, and we will make a decision at the January meeting.
There will be a meeting of the new officers at Sparta Airport, Sunday January 2nd.
We discussed the relative merits of adopting a project (acquiring an airplane or kit to rebuild/build), and of confining our meetings to presentations instead. The matter was tabled for future discussion.
The new officers’ paperwork was gotten out of the way, and the meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
Snacks and pizza were consumed prior to the meeting, which was called to order by P.J. Bevelacqua, the only officer present.
Vic Johnson filled us in on the new MDOT programs that would be available in 2005.
The annual election of officers was held. Ron Fritz is our new president, Kathy Hakeem is vice-president, and continues as Young Eagles manager. Sue Folkringa remains treasurer, and Jay Dean is our new secretary. Dan Bauman continues as technical advisor, and P.J. Bevelacqua will continue to handle newsletters, future Web site, and anything else we can stick him with.
We voted to continue having meetings in January and February, and discussed having a banquet at a restaurant or banquet facility. Ron Fritz will check out details, and we will make a decision at the January meeting.
There will be a meeting of the new officers at Sparta Airport, Sunday January 2nd.
We discussed the relative merits of adopting a project (acquiring an airplane or kit to rebuild/build), and of confining our meetings to presentations instead. The matter was tabled for future discussion.
The new officers’ paperwork was gotten out of the way, and the meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
Submitted by Doug Lugthart,
filling in for Secretary Sue Folkringa.
December 16th, 2004
filling in for Secretary Sue Folkringa.
December 16th, 2004
THANK YOU!
On January 2nd, the following message was sent out by one of our members (and former chapter president), Tom Kozura, to all of the students that have used the services of Koz Aero over the past 3 years. I would like to share Tom’s message (below) with all of you and also I would like to thank Tom on behalf of all of us in the EAA Chapter 704 and others around the Sparta Airport.
Thank you Tom, for all that you have done for us and your involvement in helping our Airport grow over the past few years. Your dedication to the students, our chapter and the airport has not gone unoticed. We wish you the best in the return to your flying career and hope to see you when you are not busy flying the "heavies".
-P.J. Bevelacqua, EAA 704 Newsletter/Website
Thank you Tom, for all that you have done for us and your involvement in helping our Airport grow over the past few years. Your dedication to the students, our chapter and the airport has not gone unoticed. We wish you the best in the return to your flying career and hope to see you when you are not busy flying the "heavies".
-P.J. Bevelacqua, EAA 704 Newsletter/Website
Dear Friends, (January 2, 2005)
It has been really fun these past 3 years here at Sparta. As some of you know, I began instructing here when I was furloughed from Northwest Airlines and in March, I'll be heading back to fly the NWA heavies again.The School will remain unchanged as Brita will be the new Chief pilot and I will continue to do Tail Wheel on my days off. You will probably see some new planes and faces here this Spring but it will still be the same little flight school you have always known. We have grown to over 200 students and pilots and 26 of you have purchased your own planes. I am proud of each one of your accomplishments from solo to license and it is great to see new pilots at the airport or hear you on the radio and know that we have flown together. It has been my pleasure to fly with all of you these past few years. I hope I have helped you in learning to fly. You have certainly made me a better pilot.
Emerson once said; "To laugh often and to love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give of ones self; to leave the world a bit better; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived- this is to have Succeeded"
I believe this School has been a great success and I owe this to you!
Stay in touch!
Thanks everyone!
Keep the greasy side down!
Sincerely,Koz (Tom Kozura)
Congratulations, Goodbye, and Farewell...
On January 1st, New Years Day, our 2004 Secretary/Treasurer Sue Folkringa, passed her IFR Checkride and Oral Exam. She became the first pilot from our airport to get and IFR ticket in 2005.
On January 2nd, the chapter officers had a meeting and Sue announced that she will be leaving our airport and our chapter. Sue got a job offer and is moving to Florida in a week or two.
Sue, on behalf of the chapter and the aiport, we would like say "Congratulations" on becoming an IFR pilot and would like to wish you the best of luck as you and Doug head south. Thank you for your participation and involvement in our chapter, you will be missed.
On January 2nd, the chapter officers had a meeting and Sue announced that she will be leaving our airport and our chapter. Sue got a job offer and is moving to Florida in a week or two.
Sue, on behalf of the chapter and the aiport, we would like say "Congratulations" on becoming an IFR pilot and would like to wish you the best of luck as you and Doug head south. Thank you for your participation and involvement in our chapter, you will be missed.
-P.J. BevelacquaEAA 704 Newsletter/Website
Low Approach January 2005 Newsletter Links From EAA
YOUNG EAGLES VOLUNTEERS ALLOWED CERTAIN TAX DEDUCTIONS
http://www.eaa.org/youngeagles/tax_deductions.html
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