April 2024
Hello and spring greetings to all during this very busy time of year with outdoor projects popping up everywhere! A chapter update is way overdue, so without further ado, here it goes. First for the year, we managed to complete our required annual business meeting the 16th of March with short notice so a big thank you to those rearranging schedules to pull it off first try. Here are some highlights from the meeting:
2023 year in review
2023 was our start up year (not including the last few months 2022). It was a fun and busy year!
Fund-raising Events
We conducted 3 fund raising events: A Fly-in Pancake breakfast and two "Friday Firehouse Franks" events honoring our Volunteer Fire Fighters, First Responders and Law Enforcement. These events were our first to raise funds, well attended, provided a good learning curve moving forward and we successfully provided a small donation to the Peninsula Fire Auxiliary.
Young Eagle Rallies
We participated in two Young Eagle Rallies for 2023: Chapter 10 Rally at Pogue in May and our own Rally at Westport in June where we provided flights for 12 Young Eagle participants and were awarded $120 in Eagle credits from EAA Headquarters. These funds are transferred directly to EAA 1682 and can be used to support almost all chapter activities from purchasing pancake batter for a fly-in breakfast to funding youth participation in EAA Education Camps. In all, during the Westport Rally we flew approximately 20 passengers including parent ride-alongs with underage children. It was a very successful rally for a start up year and a big thank you to those who participated!
Chapter Renewal
Chapter renewal was conducted in December for 2024 through the EAA online portal with 27 participating members. Additionally, the 2023 events qualified our chapter for submission of application for a Ray Scholarship Award which can provide funding up to $11,000 for eligible youth in gaining a PPL Private pilot license. Our chances were very slim in comparison to the size and multitudes of competing chapters, nevertheless, a submission was entered without success but the EAA provided encouragement with continued participation.
2023 Awards
2023 awards were presented to those in attendance. For those not in attendance, we will have them available at the next meeting and the remaining will be mailed out afterwards. Many were recognized and any and all participation in the start up of 1682 was very much appreciated. Many, if not almost all of us, participate on multiple boards and committees within our communities which seems to go with the nature of people involved in aviation. Hats off to everyone setting aside very limited time and funds in representing our chapter endeavors.
Officer Election for 2024
For 2024, the following current officers were retained:
Bill Wright - President
Chad Sutter - Vice President
Tammy Wright - Secretary
Julia Ryan-Billings - Web/Tech support
Bennie McCollough - Director at Large
Jay Ryan-Billings was nominated and elected as our new Treasurer. Thank you, Jay, for stepping up to this leadership role and going through the grueling process with our bank. Additionally, Chad Sutter has taken on the role of Young Eagles Coordinator. Thank you, Chad, for assuming this key position and associated training with it.
After the conclusion of our business meeting, the members present participated in discussion and future event planning. Our Cleveland members Glen and new member, Cynthia Dresback have requested a Young Eagles Rally at the Cleveland airport. Saturday, 8 June has been penciled in. Cleveland's very popular Cruise Night is the Friday night before so lots of participation should be expected. This is a great opportunity to promote our aviation mission, expand participation and possibly add to our membership bringing in more qualified pilots and ground crew. A sight survey at the Cleveland airport is planned next Saturday afternoon, 20 April with city officials. Time TBD. All members are encouraged to attend.
Our normally posted monthly meeting/event time has been retained for 3rd Saturday of each month at 10 am on the EAA chapter locator and our website. This is used as a focal point for long range planning on when to expect events, not necessarily a hard schedule. Please forward any fun suggestions and ideas for our schedule, such as other fly-in events, rallies or airshows in our flying area. We have on the table this year a request to fly Boy Scouts possibly out of Hominy, a Westport Young Eagles Rally / Kids Fly and Fish and possibly a few fly-in fund raisers.
As a reminder and in closing, chapter dues are $30 and $50 for family remain unchanged from last year. Considering the massive amount of resources made available by the EAA, the umbrella of liability provided along with the positive stewardship of aviation within our communities, I firmly believe the volunteer time and membership dues investment is a worthwhile cause with positive returns. Our website is up and going.
www.chapters.eaa.org/eaa1682. Our web editor has worked hard to hook us up with PayPal as a easy way to pay chapter dues. Hit the donate button on the home page for the link to PayPal. Please select to cover the service fee, about $1.93 for a $50 donation. This will make our new treasurer very happy
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! Check or cash are options, too. Keep' em flying when you can. Safety First.
Bill Wright
President
EAA Chapter 1682
