TALESPINNERS - August, 2002

EAA Chapter 174
Chartered since 1966

TALESPINNERS
August, 2002

From the President

If you went to Oshkosh, it's nothing but a memory now and I hope it was a good one for you. For me there are a couple things that make this AirVenture very memorable. First, I got to fly up in Don's RV-6. Don is a very generous man and the opportunity to fly his airplane to the world's biggest fly-in was completely unexpected and greatly appreciated. Everything went without a hitch...good weather, the plane ran great, and I didn't embarrass myself in front of thousands of spectators. The airshow was like it usually is, too much to see and not enough time, and this time the temperature couldn't have been more comfortable.

Then I got to do something else that I probably will never get to do again. I accepted the award for Norm Beaudette for first place for our website. It was like being on the Ed Sullivan show with less people. Bright lights, stage, flash bulbs going off. Good thing I didn't have to sing a song. I can't tell you how proud I was of Norm and our chapter and being able to be there as your president was an honor. Bob Mackey, head of chapter relations presented the awards and he realizes the importance of this particular award. Chapter websites are a relatively new thing and EAA national understands the positive impact a good website can have in terms of keeping members informed and up to date on what's going on in aviation. When you see Norm, please give him a handshake and take a look at his trophy.

There is another chapter member that won an award (again) and you'll probably read about it elsewhere in this newsletter, but briefly, Paul Gould won the Gold Lindy as Grand Champion - Classic again with his Aeronca Chief. I guess it must be the best one in the whole world.

We have a lot of activities coming up and really don't have any 'regular' meetings until October. August 17th is our breakfast/meeting; our annual picnic is September 15th at Todd Winemiller's farm; our next Young Eagles rally is October 5th; and at the October 20th meeting we will be having an auction, so if you have things collecting dust that could be put to better use by someone else, set it aside for the auction.

Many of you probably heard about the passing of Lou Liming in June. Please remember Lou's family in your thoughts and prayers.

Scott Hersha

Minutes from the July Board Meeting

The meeting was called to order by Scott Hersha at approx. 12:10 pm, Sunday, July 21st. The secretary informed the board of the good news that our application for 501(c)(3) recognition has been approved by the IRS. In addition, state applications for corporate reinstatement, change in statutory agent, and notice of amendment of Articles of Incorporation have all been filed and approved by the state of Ohio. Norm also mentioned that all Chapter records have been moved from the library to his home, and that he hopes to reorganize the files as well as make backup safety copies of critical records.

The remainder of the meeting was spent reviewing the schedule of upcoming events, including the picnic, second Young Eagles rally and elections. Meeting adjourned at approx. 12:40 pm.

Norm Beaudette, Chapter Secretary

Minutes from the July Chapter Meeting

The meeting was called to order at 2:00 pm, Sunday, July 21st by the president. The treasurer’s report was given ($447 checking, $1143 savings, $6383 CD, total $7973), and new members were introduced. The secretary announced our success at receiving 501(c)(3) tax-exempt recognition from the IRS. All appropriate supporting applications have also been filed and approved by the state of Ohio (see Board minutes). The Chapter is now officially recognized under section 509(a)(2), which is the designation we were hoping for (i.e., we are NOT a private foundation). This designation also significantly reduces our tax filing requirements. The secretary also announced that he hopes to assemble a permanent committee for routinely reviewing our 501(c)(3) status and all related financial matters. (The committee will be assembled later in the year, after the busy summer/fall schedule.)

The focus of the meeting turned to the busy events schedule ahead of us. The next meeting will be a pancake breakfast, on Saturday, August 17th. We need help with this event (!!!), so anyone able to help out should contact Howard Wells. The chapter picnic will take place at Winemiller Farm airstrip in September. Art West has volunteered once again to chair the picnic committee. Please see the web site for suggestions on how you can help out again this year. Bill Thomas, Tom Jenkins, Scott and Dave Robertson have already volunteered – we need your help too!

The next Young Eagles rally will be held on Saturday, October 5th. The website sign-up will be posted soon. Please contact Phil Cady or visit the website if you can help out!

Gary Collins volunteered again this year to chair the nominating committee for our November elections. Gary will be assisted by Bob Salzbach and Mark Webb. Nominations will be firmed up at the October Chapter meeting.

It was agreed that, as the labor and costs of publication of our newsletter have become significant, we should encourage members to opt for receiving their copy through the Internet only. The secretary expressed his opinion that the newsletter is the voice of the Chapter and is essential for communicating events (most notably elections), and that, as such, a method of “guaranteeing” that every member will receive a copy, in some form, is needed. A member also commented that forwarding a copy of the newsletter is currently our method of meeting the requirement to inform National of our meeting minutes. Norm will look into setting up an email system, both for informing members of the newsletter publication, and for delivering it as well. A system whereby members can print hard copies for themselves as well as for other members (who may not have Internet or printing access) will also be investigated. It was agreed that we should take advantage of the next mailing (newsletter, election, or membership renewal notice) to ask for individual member acceptance of the email or website version only. Further discussion is needed on the newsletter issue.

Mark Webb mentioned that Cal Bugbee has completed final assembly of his Titan Tornado, and that the hangar is now available for occupation.

Meeting adjourned at 2:55 pm, after which Gary Collins hosted an informative round-table discussion of aircraft building experiences, involving Chapter members.

Norm Beaudette, Chapter Secretary

Technical Counselor Reports
G. Collins and H. Wells

Peter Freeman, RANS-S12XL. Inspection on July 23, 2002. (See report of April 24, 2002) Peter was able to move the fuselage to one side of his one-car garage and build the wings (one at a time) in the remaining space. This was a precover inspection. The cover is dacron sail cloth and is provided to match the painted parts—in this case black and yellow. There only two fixed ribs on each wing, a tip rib and a butt rib. After the cover is pulled over the structure, preformed top and bottom "ribs" are inserted into channels sewed into the cover. The ribs have special plastic ends that rest on the leading and trailing edge spars, which are 6061 aluminum tubes. Once all the ribs are in place, the whole "sock" is pulled tight by a mechanism in the butt rib. A very simple, light weight, rugged wing is the result. Peter was debugging his electrical system and was nearly ready to start test running the Rotax 912 engine. The plane will be moved to Lebanon-Warren County airport soon and will be based there. Peter is doing excellent work.

Kevin Kinney, Zenith Zodiac XL. Inspection on July 25, 2002. Kevin has completed the empennage, flaps, ailerons and is well along on the wings of his airplane. The Zodiac is made of 6061 alloy which is not alclad. We had quite a discussion related to corrosion protection and the upshot is that 6061 is less prone to corrosion than 2024. Most 2024 is alclad which is an attempt to prevent corrosion by adding a layer of pure aluminum to the surface of the alloyed base metal. The Zodiac kit seems very complete. To get started correctly, Kevin and his wife went to the factory in Mexico, MO to get some basic sheet metal training and over a long weekend, they built the all-moving vertical tail. That is probably a very good way to get a project underway. Kevin had a tool any metal project builder would appreciate–a pneumatic cleco tool. It makes installing and removing the dozens of clecos very fast and easy. While it is some time away yet, Kevin is leaning toward the Jabiru 3200 or a Rotax 912 to power his plane.

Auction in October

The October meeting will be an auction of member-donated excess materials, tools and other items.  Start setting stuff aside now so you can find it in October!

Air Compressor For Sale

Air compressor, Sanborn/Sears 2 HP, 11 gal tank on wheels.  Continuous duty, two cylinder belt drive, 115/220 volt, 15/7.5 amp motor, 120# pressure, regulator, 25' hose.  Little used.  Call Stu Faber at 513-821-0943.

Looking for Experienced VariEZ, LongEZ and Cozy Builders

Frank Brock is trying to find builders in the Cincinnati area who have built or substantially completed a VariEZ, LongEZ or Cozy.  Send an email message to frankb@epcorp.com.