From its beginnings in the late '50s, Chapter 54 of the Experimental Aircraft Association has served aviation enthusiasts, dreamers, aircraft builders, pilots, would-be pilots, and individuals interested in helping young people become aviators in the East Metro of Minnesota's Twin Cities.
We hold a gathering on the second Monday of each month at the Chapter House at Lake Elmo Airport (21D) to talk aviation and socialize. We provide Young Eagles rides and aviation scholarships. We help people who are building airplanes. But you don't need to be a pilot to participate in our activities.
Please come to our next gathering as our guest. Let us know you're coming so you can be properly greeted and introduced to the chapter.
JANUARY GATHERING |
| The next regular meeting of Chapter 54 will be held on Monday January 12, 2026. Our guest speaker will be Bob Laughery, the director of maintenance at Lake Elmo Aero, a busy and growing flight school and maintenance facility on the field at 21D. He has had a storied career in aviation with a career spanning 30+ years. Bob will talk about his career, experiences and offer insights and comments on maintenance of aircraft. The social "half hour" begins at 6:30 p.m. More information and directions. |
Board of Directors
Membership records, Ray Scholarship dominated Board of Directors meeting
The EAA Chapter 54 Board of Directors met on Monday January 5 with few pressing issues to consider on a normally sleepy time of year for the chapter. The bulk of the discussion focused on organizing and maintaining membership records, a critical step considering member Mark Shanahan has assumed the role of membership coordinator. Secretary Ed Trudeau has been doing the bulk of the recordkeeping which includes sending out emails to expiring members and updating the EAA's Roster Management System (RMS). It was unclear, however, how expiring members eventually get listed as "expired" and their privileges of membership terminated. For example, several members currently listed as "active" have not paid dues in nearly a year. It was suggested that perhaps that the entire "start-to-finish" process be handed to the membership coordinator and this will be discussed offline. Compounding the problem is the number of members who don't read their emails.
In other business, Vice President Jay Schrankler listed scheduled programs for the coming year. President Marlon Gunderson said Schrankler will take over the February meeting while Gunderson is out of the country, but there is, so far, no one assigned to handle the March meeting.
Ray Scholarship coordinator Bruce Olson revealed that his committee has selected a recipient for the Ray Scholarship from four individuals who had applied for the flight training program. "It's no fun telling the young people who weren't selected," he said. There was discussion about whether it's a good idea for applicants to study for and take the written exam prior to receiving the scholarship, but there now appears to be a penalty for doing so. President Gunderson said he would rewrite the Ray Scholarship section of the chapter's website.
The name of the scholarship recipient is not being announced until the chapter learns whether it was selected for funding from EAA headquarters.
Our favorite aviation moments of 2025
In the January issue of Chapter 54's newsletter, The Beacon, a handful of members select their most memorable aviation moments of last year. "The Beacon" was posted on New Year's Day as well as emailed to all active members. If you did not receive a copy in your inbox, please check your junk folder and be sure newsletter@eaa54.org is on your safe senders list. If you'd like to view the newsletter online, you can find it here.
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