April 1999  EAA Chapter 108   PO Box 1141  Shalimar, FL  32579-5141   http://members.xoom.com/eaa108/

The next chapter meeting is scheduled for April 20, 1999.  Ed Armbruster wasn't able to make the March meeting, so his presentation has been moved to the April meeting.  Ed will discuss the experience of flying in Panama. The substitute March meeting program was a video explaining the approach procedures for the Sun-n-Fun fly-in.

Eglin Open House

The Eglin AFB open house March 27-28 was a resounding success.  The weather was beautiful and the crowd was large.  Eleven planes from Chapter 108 made it to the show and the Chapter passed out several boxes of information on EAA including almost 200 brochures about our local chapter. It was great fun to discuss experimental aviation with the public and convince folks that you don't have to be crazy to build and fly your own plane (or do you?...).  At the next few meetings, keep your eyes open for new folks and give them a warm welcome.
 

Trip to Alabama Aviation and Technical College

The  March 6 trip to the open house of the Alabama Aviation & Technical College (www.wallace.edu/aatcpages) was rained out.  A front moved through that morning with thunderstorms and low clouds.  Perhaps the weather will be better next year.

Miscellaneous

EAA Introduces "Chapter E-Gram"

In an effort to increase the level of communication between the EAA Chapter Office and the local chapters, EAA has created the Chapter E-Gram.  The Chapter E-Gram will replace the Chapter Gram and EAA has asked anyone interested in receiving the E-Gram to send their email address to chapters@eaa.org.  If you don't have access to email, you can get hard copies of the E-Gram from Cliff Nunnery or John Jones.

Treasurer's Report - In February, the chapter had an account balance of $993.31.

Logo Contest - The logo contest is just about over. Be ready to discuss the various ideas at the next meeting.

Empty Seats Wanted for Members and Young Eagles

Ever wanted to attend a fly-in, but weren't sure who had an empty seat?  Ever wanted to fly a Young Eagle but didn't know who wanted a ride?  The chapter is looking for ways to match members and Young Eagles with empty seats.  Bring your ideas to the next chapter meeting for discussion.

SERFI Update

SERFI 1998 was the subject of an outstanding article in the April issue of Sport Aviation.  The article can be found on page 107 and includes many photos and an account of one man's experience at SERFI.  The article also lists the winners in the various catergories.  For information on SERFI 1999, check out the new SERFI web page at www.serfi.org.
 

The Sun-n-Fun Fly-in will be at Lakeland, FL on April 11-17, 1999.  For more information on Sun-n-Fun or to obtain the complete approach NOTAM, see the Sun-n-Fun web site at (www.sun-n-fun.org).  Last month's newsletter contained a graphical summary of the approach procedures.

This newsletter will probably arrive during the week of Sun-n-Fun.  If you didn't make the fly-in, don't worry.  There will be a report from the members that attended.  The Sun-n-Fun web site will also feature daily updates of the fly-in complete with photos and articles.  If you did make it to the fly-in, then you are probably reading this after you returned home.  Hope you had fun!
 

10) You named your kids Wittman, Connie, Mitchell, and Hoover...
9) You pay your spouse $6.00 for a soda on a hot day...
8) You write a letter to the local control tower explaining why a 500' AGL racetrack pattern should be a mandatory maneuver prior to landing...
7) The aircraft pins on your hat weigh more than your sofa...
6) You actually considered buying one of those portable bicycles from Sporty's...
5) You have sunburn on the roof of your mouth from looking up all summer...
4) You actually try to include the words Lomcevak and Immelman in regular conversation...
3) You ask your kids to pour a mixture of grass and AVGAS in front of a portable fan so you can train for the dangers of propwash...
2) You use airshow programs as coffee table books...
1) For fun, you take the letters in the word "Poberezny" and try to make other words from it....
 
Thoughts for the month...
If you push the stick forward, the houses get larger.  If you pull the stick back, the houses get smaller...unless you hold the stick back...then the houses get larger again...

Never let an airplane take you somewhere your mind didn't go five minutes earlier...
 

Eglin AFB recently announced plans to build a 300 ft tower on Santa Rosa island at test site A-13.  The tower will be located across the sound from Navarre and will be on the north edge of the east-west corridor along the beach.  Test instruments will be placed on the tower to observe passing aircraft. These types of tests should cause a slight increase in low-level military traffic, so be sure to keep your eyes open for the new tower and its traffic when operating in the area.  Construction on the tower should begin in September 1999 and conclude in January 2001.
 

Sound scary?  Not to Bill Reeder.  All of his landings are dead-stick.  You see, Bill Reeder flies an SZD-52 Krokus sailplane.

 

Bill's Krokus was one of a group of several similar prototypes manufactured by SZD.  Three of the prototypes had a "normal" tail, three had a "T" tail and three were built a little heavier than normal in an attempt to achieve a better Reynolds number.  This particular plane is the only one of the "T" tail prototypes still flying.

Some of the interesting features of the Krokus are the flaps and the ballast.  The Krokus has flaps that flex the top wing skin instead of using hinges.  The flaps, however, are not used for landing; they are adjusted to achieve a better glide ratio.  (The plane is slowed for the landing approach by the spoiler.)   Because this sailplane was designed for racing, water ballast is added to increase the airspeed at which the best best lift/drag ratio is attained.  Both wings are removable for storage.

This particular plane was crashed in 1987 or 1988 and the fuselage was heavily damaged.  Bill purchased the plane in the damaged condition and set about restoring the scratches and cracks.  When he completed the restoration process, Bill built a trailer to haul the sailplane in.  The trailer is built of aluminum tubing with a rolling dolly that the plane rests in.  It's a pretty interesting set-up.

If you are interested in learning to fly a sailplane, please contact Bill Reeder at 729-7690.  He's a member of a sailplane club that flies out of Coastal Airport in Pensacola most Saturdays.  The club owns a two place sailplane that's perfect for that first intentional dead-stick landing.
 

The following items are for sale by Jack Harvey  (850) 892-2862.  All items always hangared with 58 hours Total Time.
 

Altimeter  $120  Gyro Horizon $300  DG  $300  Rate of Climb  $85  Turn Indicator  $245  Whiskey Compass  $75  Hobbs  $45  Tach (sm)  $50

Cylinder Head Temp (sm)  $35  Mini Vacuum Guage  $45  Vacuum Pump  $265  Nylon Seat Belt Shoulder Harness (2 ea)  $85 ea.  Terra Navcom  $525  Cauley wood, Kevlar-coated, rain-proof prop $265  Revmaster 65 HP 4cyl. engine, 58 hr TT  $1495.