Wednesday, September 05, 2007

President’s Message (September 2007)

Good meeting!..... We heard some interesting and exciting Oshkosh episodes, project updates, and a look at John Gill's new top secret method of doing rolls from outside the airplane! Also P.J. was not present to bask in the "sitting ovation" he and Doc Dean received for the fine jobs they do.....maybe we'll to reenact that one.

The "Pork on the Hoof" event went very well, thanks to all of you who helped with the event. I know "ol' wot's his name Freetz hauled, setup and took down a lot of tables and chairs. Also, the Young Eagles portion was kept busy all day, so Paul Z may give us an update in the totals and suggestions to streamline this activity in the future.

Coming up on Sat. Sept. 8, I am planning a flyout to Double JJ Ranch for breakfast or lunch (pending weather), so call or email me if you are interested. Let me know if you prefer a breakfast or lunch event so I can make arrangements with Double JJ.

On the 10th, our meeting will feature Tom Krashen from MDOT-AERO with a presentation on either "10 things every VFR pilot should know", or " Making Sense of FAA Regs." Either one will be great, as Tom Krashen is very comprehensive and dynamic in all his presentations. Lets have a good attendance for him.

Until the 10th,...Vic Johnston

August (2007) Meeting Minutes

EAA Chapter 704 met at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, August 13, 2007 for it's regular monthly meeting . President Vic Johnston called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

The treasurer's report showed $1566.04 in the check book and the minutes of the previous meeting were approved as printed in the newsletter.

President Johnston reported on the success of the recent fly-in pancake breakfast and stated we had received a check for $600.00 from the Lion's club for our share of the proceeds. It was voted to give $150.00 to the Boy Scout Troop 704 for their help in the project.

President Johnston called attention to and asked chapter appreciation for the work of the newsletter editor, P.J. Bevelacqua and Jay Dean, Secretary/Treasurer.

Paul Kovalak reported his work on the tail section of his RV-7 project and said he is getting ready to start on the wings.

Dan Bauman has the canopy pretty well fitted in place on his RV-9. The engine is all ready.

Dave DuPerron took his beautiful yellow Super Cub project go Oshkosh and was given an award for outstanding workmanship.

The group shared several stories about their experiences at Oshkosh.

President Johnston spoke of the upcoming "Pork on the Hoof' event scheduled for Saturday August 18. There are a number of different sorts of activities on tap in addition to the pig roast dinner. Among the events are a classic auto show, a motorcycle riding demonstration,
racing car display, helicopter rides, and a Young Eagles program providing rides to youngsters ages 8-18. The proceeds from this program are to benefit the Big Brother/Big Sisters of Grand Rapids
program.

Visitor John Grimer from Wayland was introduced to the group.

Ken Mosley showed pictures of a device he had welded together and attached to John Gills RV project allowing it to be rotated for ease of accessing the under side of the fuselage.

After the business meeting we adjourned to John Gill's hangar and look at the apparatus. It was a very clever and professional looking framework housing a jack and post which attached to the propeller flange on the engine. The attachment allowed for rotation of the aircraft with the aft end fitted via a rod through a "hole in a board" arrangement. It can be imagined that John will strap himself into the cockpit and practice snap rolls in the near future.

Meeting Adjourned 9:00 p.m.

Jay Dean Sec/Treas EAA Chapter 704