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.
OCTOBER GATHERING |
| The next membership gathering will be held on Monday October 13 at 6:30 pm (social hour, program starts at 7). Our three scholarship recipients will talk about their experiences at the EAA Air Academy in Oshkosh over the summer. Then member Jim Pearsall will talk about the Repairman Certificate and the impact of MOSAIC 2.0. Details and directions. |
Young Eagles
Eight pilots = 30+ happy kids
The summer of 2025 has been a difficult one for the chapter's Young Eagles program as smoke and weather has made it difficult to get off the ground. That streak ended on Saturday (9/13) as the day dawn perfect for flying. About 30 young people experienced the joy of flight thanks to Chapter 54's volunteer pilots and ground personnel. We've got the pictures to prove it! Find them all here.
Chapter Elections
New blood, enthusiasm set to join leadership team
The Board of Directors is required by the Chapter 54 bylaws to submit the nominees for chapter leadership positions by the September meeting. The latest newsletter, The Beacon, constitutes that submission.
Three Class III Directors (Class III directors are elected in odd-numbered years) face expiring terms and two of them are retiring. Bob Collins is leaving as Facilities Director and Scott Hanson is concluding his run as director of membership. In their place, Dan Theis has agreed to serve as Facilities Director and Mark Shanahan will serve as membership director, if elected. We do not expect any additional candidates although if someone wishes to step forward, any competitive race would be interesting. It would also be near historic.
According to the history of Chapter 54:
The November 1979 annual election of officers featured one of the few occasions when more than one person ran for an office. That year, it was the vice president's position. Sandy Lemire outpolled incumbent Bill Schanks 13-to-6. In 1991, John Thomas and outgoing president Roger Westerberg ran for vice president with Thomas winning the position. In most years since then, chapter leaders could only dream of such competition. It is one of two times in the chapter's history that an incumbent officer lost a subsequent election.
In 1981, three members ran for the presidency: Pat Driscoll, Bill Hart, and Jim Mickok. There are only three documented times when there was competition to lead the chapter. Driscoll won the election in '81, then faced Mike Fox in '83. Driscoll lost that election. In late 1989, Roger Westerberg outpolled George Mathiesen to win the presidency. Two years later, Mathiesen became chapter president.
This year, there will also be a series of bylaw proposals, the first review of chapter bylaws since 2019. Most of the changes seem to eliminate confusing, contradictory, or outdated language and one seeks to clarify the process of chapter dissolution. See an annotated list of proposed changes with an explanation of the reason for each one.
Chaper Video
September Update
In this month’s Chapter Video Magazine, Charlie Becker gets you up to date on EAA happenings: AirVenture Recap, MOSAIC - EAA.org/MOSAIC, Young Eagles Update.
Camperships
Three camperships awarded for 2026 Air Academy
Related: September Board of Directors meeting minutes
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