from On Final March 2006

Last Saturday I attended the Minnesota Aviation Safety Seminar at Flying Cloud. I believe this was the first time in recent years when it was held at the airport instead of a hotel. I have trouble getting excited about going to an aviation seminar unless there are airplanes there! The venue was the new ASI hangar, which was stuffed with a very cool collection of airplanes. I also found a friendly bunch of human inhabitants.

There were several Chapter 25 members, as you would expect, including two former Chapter presidents – and no, their names weren’t Frank and Pat. In fact, they were Phil Schaffer and Tom Kerns. I wasn’t surprised to run into multiple past presidents by chance. There have been quite a number so far, in fact 29 by my count.

I have been in the process of collecting and going through chapter records to get my arms around the history of the chapter. I am building on the efforts of people like Frank Hanish who compiled a lot of stuff for the 40th anniversary. We have also started doing “oral histories� with long-time chapter members to have an electronic record of events. So far, we have done this with Bert Sisler and Norm Tesmar. Please don’t be surprised if we ask you to participate (you can also volunteer).

We have also been talking to other members with stories from the early days of the chapter. What impresses me over and over is how much our people are woven into the fabric of aviation in this part of the country, just like I found them woven into the attendees at that seminar.

I also have been surprised by how many records we have. One of the things that we are trying to do is to put them in an order so that they will be safe and easy to access in the future. Old pictures have been pleasantly turning up. Some of these have appeared in recent newsletters. Jim Ladwig produced a bunch of slides Wally Carlberg shot at the EAA fly-ins in the 60’s. If you have some pictures we haven’t seen, we’d love to know about them.

I’ve also been talking to folks about the airplanes they and others have built. I wish we knew how many have been built or restored in 50 years. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s more than 100, without counting the ones that never flew! Jim Ladwig and Bert Sisler worked up lists of over 50, and I know we can add to that – I expect to circulate a list to document this, so if you can add to it, let us know. We also have the information we just collected from current members for this year’s roster.

Our meeting this month is very special. March 15th just happens to be the exact anniversary of the chapter’s first official meeting in 1956. Paul and Audrey Poberezny will be our very special guests. For this special meeting we will be meeting at the chapter hangar. We’ll turn the heat on and fire up the grill to pretend it’s summer! Please make a special effort to come. I especially hope that those of you who have served in chapter leadership will be there too!

Jon

from On Final February 2006

I remember my mother telling me two things to remember for good health. She told me not to ride motorcycles, and to take good care of my teeth. At our meeting last month, Dr. Phil Sidell told us if you want to be healthy enough to fly, don’t smoke and don’t get overweight. (He also told me I talked too much).It’s nice to only have to remember two things to be successful. The other day I was flying over to St. Paul Downtown, and I was a little edgy because I hadn’t done it in a while and hadn’t talked to anyone in a tower for a while. But I just had to remember to report “abeam 3Mâ€? and that I was number two for landing. Now the controller assumed I knew where the heck 3M was, but I’m sure they are willing to tell tourists who don’t know to “report three milesâ€?. As in, “Excuse me sir, but what does 3M look like?”

One nice thing about recreational flying is that you frequently have some time to think about things before doing something or talking to someone on the radio. And if you’re smart, you think about a whole lot of things before you leave the ground. Take flying toward a city with Class B Airspace like Minneapolis. You have to think about where your destination is under the Class B. And at a place like STP you have to know that the B airspace comes right down to the ground about 2 miles from that airport. You also want know about TFRs, and NOTAMs at your destination. I’m already up to four things. I’m thinking about turning the radio off and just flying to Stanton.

Now just think about the folks who fly VFR around Washington D.C. Not only do you have the Class B to worry about, but you’ve got the ADIZ and the FRZ. Some recent examples have shown that a VFR pilot can get into trouble there even when he is following all the rules. Of course, we’ve also heard about a well publicized flight where they didn’t follow the rules. Recreational flying won’t get any simpler, but I hope all you pilots out there express yourselves to the officials in charge when something is proposed that doesn’t make sense. Like making an ADIZ permanent when there are obvious flaws in the arrangement.

Those of you who are instrument pilots know that there are a lot of things to keep track of when you are flying an approach. One helpful thing my instructor suggested was to think about the next two things I had to do on the approach – not all 18 things I had to do before I landed. This helps greatly, I think.

At any rate, a change in the Minneapolis Class B is coming this month, and future changes are inevitable. This is one of the reasons why it is refreshing to meet an FAA controller who is also a pilot, and get to discuss with him (on the ground) matters of flying under Air Traffic Control. We are fortunate this month to have Mark Schreier as our speaker again. Mark is going to talk to us about the new Minneapolis Class B rules. This session will also count as credit in the FAA Wings Program if you are involved. Meanwhile, I will keep busy planning the next two Chapter meetings. Any more than that, and I start to get confused.

Jon

from On Final January 2006

Eight years ago, I joined my first EAA Chapter, Chapter 790 in Barrington, Illinois. It wasn’t very long before I began to realize that the members of that chapter were very special, interesting people, who shared a love of all things aviation. I got to know them while I also learned to fly – from one of my fellow chapter members. Although I had been to Airventure several times, these people showed me a new way to enjoy the event by volunteering. 790 members were instrumental to a group called EAA Ambassadors, and at one of the Airventure events I met a guy from far off Minneapolis, who had been similarly attracted to the group.

A couple of years later, I moved to the Twin Cities area, although admittedly on the eastern fringe in Cheeseland. I remained a member of Chapter 790 (as I still do today), but realized I needed to establish a local relationship with EAA folks. I remembered the guy I had met from Minneapolis, one Dan Carroll, and got his email address. His response allowed as how Chapter 25 might be interested in having a new member. Actually, his return email with directions to the next meeting arrived nanoseconds after my inquiry. I took this as a good sign.

I attended my first Chapter 25 meeting one snowy February night at the ANG auditorium -remember those pre 9/11 days? The subject was Artic Operations of C130s, and I thought “Welcome to the Northland”. Frank Hanish was President, and he greeted me warmly on that February night. Then I remember going to a meeting at Washburn High School, hosted by an escapee from Down Under. Guys had plans for a variety of homebuilt aircraft laid out on desks. Everyone mingled with coffee and cookies while talking airplanes. Frank was there again, relaxed and friendly. I met Noel Allard, and we talked about our far flung residences – his in Chaska, mine in Wisconsin. I further appreciated this conversation since I had already had the chance to enjoy reading his book on Minnesota aviation history. I began to realize something amazing – I had found another exceptional group of aviation enthusiasts.

Shortly thereafter I got my first airplane and decided to begin flying Young Eagles. Something not so strange happened again. I found a bunch of people in the Chapter who were excited about exposing kids to aviation – either by flying them or teaching them — Guys like Mike Dolan, who was Young Eagles Chairman for over ten years.

Now I know that countless EAA members can relate almost identical experiences, and will in the future. In fact, I think that people who love aviation are frequently this way – even air traffic controllers more often than not. Now there was that guy at Jacksonville Center, but that’s another story. If you go to almost any airport, you will run into someone who will sit down and talk airplanes with you. The rest is easy. And I found a group of people – Chapter 25 – who made it easy for me.

Having been involved in chapter operations for a while, I decided I was ready to be the guy where the buck stops, so here I am. I can tell you I am excited, and also a little bit scared to be Chapter President. I can tell you I’ve got some ideas, and some of those involve asking Chapter members to do things. I am not worried, however, because I know this Chapter has a bunch of enthusiasts. Also, fright gives you a helpful edge to accomplish things. All I really ask is of you is that you continue to make it easy for new people to call Chapter 25 home.

We are also on the verge of a special year, as 2006 marks the 50th anniversary of Chapter 25′s founding. Over the next year I want us to spend some time reflecting on the history – hearing about it and talking about it. One of my projects is to get a handle on those people who followed Bert Sisler as our first President. These guys and their fellow officers laid the foundation for what our Chapter is today. Many of them are also still members like Bert.

I also want to thank the other officers and directors for their help in advance. We owe a special thanks to Pat Halligan for keeping a vast number of plates spinning over the last three years – he kept them all up in the air, just like the circus act. And with a smile on his face and extreme confidence. We are in good shape as we go forward.

To kick off 2006, one of our faithful Newsletter sponsors, Dr. Phil Sidell, has agreed to speak to us about the ins and outs of acquiring and keeping your FAA Medical. Whether you are a pilot or not, I’m sure you will enjoy hearing Dr Sidell, who will separate fact from myth on this important subject. Franco Fiorillo from Airlake will also be introducing us to a new Light Sport aircraft called the Flight Design CT. Please join us at Washburn High School on January 18th. And those of you who are building airplanes, please attend so you can give a short update on your progress and problems. See you there!

Jon

from On Final December 2005

It’s hard to believe that this is my final newsletter column. I’m happy for John as he takes over the Presidency and at the same time I’m sad that I no longer get to communicate with you via the column or lead the monthly chapter meetings. During the past three years I’ve come to enjoy both of these jobs and part of the reason is, all the words of encouragement from you about what I was writing in my column and how I handled the meetings. I want to thank my wife, Sandy, for proof reading a number of my columns and correcting the mistakes or you would have THUNK English was my second language. Please allow me a moment to look back on the past three years before I look ahead.

Even though we acquired the hangar before I started my term in office, I want to thank Mark G. one more time, for stepping forward and allowing us the opportunity to purchase the building. In the past three years the members have installed the ceiling, insulated the door and one wall, put up lights, fans and hung the heater. During that time we’ve used your chapter money to pay down the mortgage from 37k to 10k. What a great place to meet and it truly is a fantastic chapter asset.

How can I forget the night at Oshkosh when Pete Gavin and the chapter FINALLY won first place for the chapter newsletter. I even remember the twinkle in Harrison Fords eye that evening when it was announced we won. Well, maybe it was the flash from a camera reflecting in his eye, but I think he was happy for us and that’s my story. And now Jeff Coffey has our web site in third place after one year.

Chapter 25 now has a scholarship at Lakeville High School that helps an aviation student achieve a college education. They say talk is cheap, so we put our money where our mouth is!

The past few annual award banquets have turned into a special evening enjoyed by our members and their spouses. The Christmas party at Dan Carroll’s hangar is another wonderful get together for our chapter. It’s fun to watch these events grow in popularity each year.

The chapter checkbook looks outstanding, because you continue to renew your membership and support the annual raffle.

Every month we got a new member or two, because you brought people with you to the meetings who were interested in aviation and they ended up joining because they liked your chapter.

I asked for your monetary participation in a memorial fund for Earl Adams and you responded so quickly we had it done in about one month.

By now you may have noticed a common thread in all the good things the chapter has accomplished the past three years. That common thread is “YOU”. You helped work on the hangar and gave Pete articles for the newsletter. You showed up for the banquets, parties and gave money. You brought new members to the meetings. I didn’t do anything, except ask for your help. You did all the work and for that, I’ll be forever grateful. Even the people at Oshkosh headquarters know what a great job you have been doing.

I’m very excited about the chapters future and Jon Cumpton’s Presidency. He gets to kick it off with a bang as 2006 is the 50th anniversary of the chapter. One of the most incredible things is our very first President is still a member! Can you believe that? Congratulations Bert!

The chapter will be looking to add a second aviation scholarship as Lakeville South has their first graduating class in May 2007.

With the Airlake FBO starting a Light Sport Pilot program, the chapter will have a chance to add new members as they start flying the light sport aircraft.

John will have a lot going for him and the best thing is he will have you! Please help Jon as much as you helped me. Thanks for helping me share my joy of general aviation with you and the chapter. May your number of landings always equal your number of takeoffs. Merry Christmas, Pat

from On Final November 2005

You’re all invited to the Chapter 25 Christmas party. That’s right, a Christmas party! It’s almost that time of the year again and I want to be the first to invite you to a party and wish you a Merry Christmas. Ho, ho, ho, bah humbug.

For those of you who made it to last years party, you know the routine, but for those of you who didn’t, here is how it works. We (plus spouse, friend or family members) will meet between 2 and 3:30PM at the American Wings museum at Anoka Airport for a tour. After the tour we will head across the field to Dan Carroll’s hangar for our party. If you can’t make it to the museum, you can head straight to Dan’s as he should be ready for us after 2PM. See the map on page 8 for directions.

Members with last names starting with A-H can bring a beverage to share. i.e. wine, pop, water, egg nog, etc… Members with last names beginning I-Z can bring food to share. I’ve got the slab of smoked salmon from Alaska ready to go.

The tour at the American Wings Museum has been lined up by Dale Johnson. The replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer that was built by Dale and Steve Adkins will be on display, plus WWI, WWII and Korean war airplanes. An original 1909 bi-plane that was built in Minnesota and another 15 to 20 airplanes will be there for us to look at. There will be a drawing after the tour for a ride on the 1903 Wright Flyer. Yah right!

Keep in mind, we will not have a December monthly meeting on the third Wednesday as the Christmas party will take the place of the meeting.

I hope you will make it to our meeting this Wed. at Washburn High. We will elect officers for 2006, so please bring two forms of I.D. and a current passport. Just kidding. If you need an absentee ballot, please call FEMA as they are now experts on absenteeism.

While at Washburn, Peter Denny will show us the progress made on the Sonex since our last meeting there. Peter’s current students are new to aircraft building so have not done a great deal of work on the airplane this fall. Peter has spent two months getting them up to speed. Most of the kids are now up to the challenge and Peter would like chapter members to stop by during the week and help them build. The class is now being held in the afternoon from 2-3PM. Our banquet speaker, Mr. Ken Wofford (the Tuskegee Airman), has been to Washburn H.S. and talked to Peter’s students since our banquet.

By now you should have received your invoice for 2006 dues. Please take a few minutes to fill it out and send it back to Ron, the sooner the better. We will be publishing a new chapter roster for 2006, so we need the information now. Thanks to Ron Oehler for re-working the form ( “you know who” kept asking for changes) and for printing and stuffing the envelopes. Ron had 19 responses on just one day last week, so keep up the good response!

Before I close I want to thank the officers who served with me during the past three years. First it was Jeff, Craig and Chris and now Jon, Ron and Craig. It’s amazing the amount of volunteer work these guys have done for your chapter and they deserve a lot of the credit for all the good that has gone on in this chapter during my Presidency. I would also like to thank Mr. Lou Martin. Every time I got into a pinch and needed a monthly speaker, he was willing to help. Every year he offered to give our banquet speaker an autographed copy of his book and every time he sold one of his books he gave the chapter a few bucks. It just goes to show that not everyone who has worked for the FAA is…

Just 44 shopping days until Christmas. Pat

from On Final October 2005

I’m excited to think that in a few days I’ll be enjoying a wonderful evening at the Eagan Community Center with so many of you at our annual awards banquet. I think everyone will enjoy the buffet, silent auction, awards, door prizes and the highlight of the evening will be our guest speaker Mr. Kenneth Wofford, a Tuskegee Airman.

These past few years I’ve tried to make the banquet a little bigger and a little better, but it is getting almost too much for one person to handle. So, if you think it is a wonderful event and like the way it’s been going, please let me know if you would be interested in joining me next year on a banquet committee.

At our next monthly meeting on Oct 19th we will hold nominations for chapter president and vice president. We have some very smart and talented members and this is your chance to share those gifts with chapter members, especially the slower less talented members like Peter Denny and myself. (Peter, I’m just kidding about you, but I don’t want to be the only one everybody is pointing at.) In November we will hold elections.

Last month I said a few “thank yous” and I’d like to continue by thanking all the members who have made our Young Eagle program such an important part of Chapter 25. Nothing I do for the chapter brings me more happiness than sharing an airplane ride with an excited young aviator. A few years ago John Koser and Jon Cumpton took over a great Y.E. program from Mike Dolan. Now John and Jeff Coffey are doing a wonderful job every month with the help of a good group of pilots like Don Eide, Pete Gavin, Jon Cumpton, Gary Rosch, Mark Kolesar, Norm Tesmar, Frank Hanish, Dan Carroll and yours truly. The ground crew makes everything run smooth and John and Jeff get plenty of help, especially from Ron Oehler, Bill Brown and lately Andy Hutchinson. Thanks to all who are involved in making the Y.E. program such a success. Keep in mind the coordinators are always looking for more pilots and ground crew, so just show up the third Saturday of the month between 9 am and noon at the hangar.

Last month I asked for some ideas on what to do with our money in regards to our hangar. The feedback I received from most people was to pay off the hangar loan first and then we can deal with other projects later, so that is what we plan to do (the respondents would not make very good federal government employees-what ever happened to spend, spend, spend?) Speaking of the hangar, I’d like to thank the hangar committee members, Lee Hurry, Bert Sisler, Ron Oehler, Harvey Havir, Ron Hoyt and Bill Brown for making the president’s job a whole lot easier.

For your information we plan to have another Christmas party at Dan Carroll’s hangar in December, probably on Sunday the 18th. We will tour an air museum at Anoka Airport first and then go to Dan’s hangar.

The banquet kid, Pat

P.S. We held our banquet last night and I had a wonderful time! I have the feeling that most of our guests enjoyed themselves according to the comments I heard as they were leaving the banquet hall last night. I want to give a special thanks to Ed Hansen for obtaining a number of the door prizes.

from On Final September 2005

Some of you may have heard the news, but for those of you who haven’t, I’m going to give up the chapter presidency at the end of the year. It really has been a great ride these past three years, but I think it is time for a change. In this issue and the next few monthly newsletters I’ll try and thank everyone involved in helping me make this a great organization.

When Jeff Coffey and I get together we still laugh at some of our early chapter adventures. Like our first B.O.D. meeting when the only subject was pull tabs and whether they would work as a fund raiser. Or planning to host our first award banquet and realizing neither one of us had been to one. The list goes on, but trust me, I’ll treasure all the memories forever. Thanks Jeff, for being my right hand man my first two years in office.

The awards banquet is sneaking up on us faster than ever. I firmly believe our guest speaker, Kenneth Wofford, is going to entertain our female guests as well as our male members. Also, I don’t think you’ll get too many more chances to hear one of the original Tuskegee Airmen tell their story. We have some nice door prizes and some good silent auction items lined up. We could always use more door prizes, so if you think you could take a “letter” about Chapter 25 to some local businesses and get them to donate a gift certificate, oil change, bottle of wine, or…? let me know. It would be along the lines of what the local high schools do for their senior class party, except for the bottle of wine.

Keep in mind that if you have someone who is not a chapter member, but would like to come to our banquet to hear our guest speaker, you can certainly get them a ticket. You need to get hold of Ron Oehler and purchase your ticket(s) soon as I’ll be sending in a final head count before long. Please don’t delay.

Since the raffle/fund raiser drawing is held during the banquet, you need to get your tickets and money to Jon Cumpton ASAP. Remember all tickets must be accounted for – whether sold or unsold. Speaking of Jon, did you hear that he passed his instrument check ride last Tuesday in their Cirrus. Thanks Jon, for being my V.P. this past year and helping me get a lot of things done.

Last month’s chapter meeting really turned out neat. We started the meeting by saying the Pledge of Allegiance and I want to thank Lou Martin for donating an American flag. We had six or seven new guests checking us out (I think four or five joined) and we had two vendors with tables set up displaying their goods – SteinAir and Aviation Awards. With nice weather and good food, it was great to see a large number of members enjoying themselves at the hangar. If you know anyone who would make a good monthly guest speaker, let me know and by all means keep bringing new guests. With new faces at each meeting, please go out of your way to introduce yourself to a stranger. Show some Minnesota nice. Thanks.

I need your input on what you would like to see the chapter do next with some of our money. We could insulate a wall (or two) or make a down payment on a very light jet. Send me an e-mail or talk to me at the hangar. I hate to leave too much money in the account for the next President, because when Frank Hanish handed me the checkbook he said “Here is the checkbook, but there is no money in the account, good luck”. In all seriousness though, Thanks for all your help Frank, you really did give me a great group of guys that were pointed in the right direction.

I want to thank the members who stepped forward last year and enabled the chapter to pay off the hangar loan with an interest free loan, thus saving the chapter a couple thousand dollars. When I took over as president we owed 30k, last summer it was down to 16k and when I leave office it will be 10k. Thanks for being so generous.

Only three more newsletter columns, but who’s counting. Pat

from On Final August 2005

Another AirVenture has come and gone. WOW, what a wonderful time. I flew over on Wed. morning with John Koser as my human GPS. We had a smooth, uneventful two hour flight until we got close to Ripon and then the airspace got busy and so did we. A few S-turns, some flaps to slow down and listening closely to the radio made for a fun and exciting VFR arrival. John feels he is now ready to fly his Sonex to Oshkosh next year and I agree.

The weather was great on Wed. and Thur. for walking around and looking at beautiful airplanes and visiting with venders. I could go on and on about White Knight or seeing the Global Flyer fly. I could talk about the warbirds or watching the daily air show or having Harrison Ford wave at me, say “hi” and ask how Sandy and the kids are doing. Don’t believe that last sentence – it’s just a little Irish blarney. I fell in love with a kit airplane called the “Tundra” which resembles a Cessna 180. It is featured in the Aug. issue of Sport Aviation. Now I need to figure out how to free up a few hours each day for the next few years, so I can build it. Maybe I can forgo sleep. Heck, my kids are home from college and I don’t get much sleep anyway. Wouldn’t they be surprised if they came pulling into the garage at one in the morning to find me out there working on an airplane.

I enjoyed the evening visits with chapter members at the chapter tent in Paul’s woods. I want to thank Jeff and his parents for reserving the great site and having everything set up and ready for our members. John and I delayed our takeoff on Friday morning by an hour or so to let some IFR ceilings dissipate over central Wisconsin, but once underway it was a most enjoyable ride home.

When it comes to AirVenture awards, the chapter did very well again this year. Jeff Coffey and our chapter web site came in third place. What a great showing for our first year web site. I want to congratulate Jeff and also thank Jon Cumpton for pushing the web site idea. Don Eide, his daughter Sarah and her husband Jim Maloney won the “Judges Choice” for their L-4J. My Cessna won “Outstanding Cessna 170, 172, 175″ for contemporary aircraft. Even though we did not enter the newsletter contest, because we won it last year, we were awarded honorary-SECOND place. Just kidding.

Today I had the privilege of talking to one of the Tuskegee Airmen, Mr. Ken Wofford. He has agreed to be our guest speaker for our awards banquet on Oct. 9th. Not only will chapter members enjoy listening to him talk, I think our spouses will enjoy it also. You won’t get too many chances to listen to a firsthand account from one of these gentleman, so check out page 3 and get your check to Ron Oehler soon.

We may have a chance to set up a Chapter 25 booth at the Great Minnesota Get Together. Of course we would need volunteers to man the booth during the fair, so I’ll keep you posted as this unfolds. Don’t forget about the raffle – the drawing will be held at the awards banquet on October 9th. Please bring your stubs and money to the next meeting or mail them to Jon Cumpton.

Wishing I looked as good as my ’57 Cessna.

Pat

from On Final July 2005

We all know how excited kids get when Christmas day draws near. Well, the adult version of Christmas is almost here, AirVenture 2005. With SpaceShi- pOne, White Knight and Global Flyer appearing at Oshkosh this year, I would think this is one year you would not want to miss the event. Every year there seems to be an aviation story that stands out from all the rest, but this year there is not one, but a number of events. This should make for an outstanding show.

I really hope a lot of our chapter members can make the pilgrimage to AirVenture this summer even if only for a day or two. I know I’ve written before on how lucky we are to live so close to Oshkosh, but I feel it bears repeating. A one day trip in a single engine airplane or a drive with an overnight stay is a very simple undertaking from the Minneapolis area. With a small effort on your part, you’ll enjoy the experience of AirVenture. If you can take along someone interested in airplanes (flying or building) who has not yet attended AirVenture and share the experience with them, you’ll really enjoy the event.

I remember different years taking along my wife or kids, father-in-law or a good friend and I can still recall how overwhelmed they were with the size of the event and the number of airplanes. Maybe this is the year you take a neighbor, co-worker or family member and get them hooked on flying.

Speaking of flying, I made it to Canada in June for a little fishing and floatplane flying. We caught some walleye, northern and lake trout (nothing big), but enough for a great fish fry one evening and a few to bring home for the grill. If you like fishing, boating and flying you need to try a Canadian floatplane fishing trip at least once in your lifetime. Another fishing trip is being planned with my son Kevin for a 4th of July departure to Alaska for halibut and king salmon. We need some more smoked salmon for Dan Carroll’s Christmas party next December at his hangar. (Now that’s what is known as fishing for an excuse to go fishing).

For those members not at the last monthly meeting, I would like to let you know we’ve started a fund for a bronze plaque on the EAA Memorial Wall at Oshkosh for Earl Adams. The plaque’s dedication ceremony will be held during AirVenture 2006. Earl’s wife and son (Clay) who were at the chapter picnic in June are very touched that the chapter has thought to do this in Earl’s memory. It gives me great pride to be your chapter President when you decide to do such a wonderful thing for a member who gave so much of his time to this chapter. Please send your donation to Ron Oehler or give it to one of the officers during a chapter function.

Don’t forget about your ten raffle tickets you have to sell (or buy?) during the summer months. Jon has informed me that he has already received a fair amount of books back with all the tickets sold. Thanks!

I’ve just been notified or chapter website has been voted one of the top five EAA websites. Congratulation to Jeff Coffey and everyone who has helped him with the beautiful website. The winner will be announced at Oshkosh on July 30th. Good luck Jeff.

It is with great sadness that I inform you of the passing of Don Eide’s wife-Ellen. She was always at the chapter functions helping out and she will be missed by us and certainly by Don and his family. I know it will be difficult for Don, but I shared the DC-9 cockpit with Don on many occasions and I know what a strong individual he is, so with our thoughts, prayers and love of family, he will make it just fine.

God Bless all of you during this Fourth of July weekend.

Pat