June 2025
This is the semimonthly email newsletter from the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 54 of Lake Elmo, Minn. If you have difficulty reading this information, view it on the chapter website. Unless otherwise noted, all events occur at the Chapter House, at the south entrance of Lake Elmo Airport off Manning Avenue. Find fly-in and drive-in information here.
Oshkosh Pancake Breakfast
ix-nay on the reakfast-bay
Again this year, Chapter 54 came up empty in the Oshkosh pancake breakfast fundraiser lottery, Chapter President Marlon Gunderson announced. Under the program, a chapter's volunteers host a pancake breakfast at Camp Scholler during Oshkosh with the EAA providing all equipment and ingredients. Chapters keep all the proceeds. But the chapter was informed, it again didn't win a spot.
"The chapter selection process is a day-by-day process, meaning one chapter is selected per day from the chapters that requested that day to host," EAA Senior Manager of Chapters John Egan said in his notification. "Although your chapter was not selected this year, I encourage your chapter to apply again in the future. Although there are only 8 days of event opportunity, additional chapters may participate, by teaming up with one another. By chapters teaming up, more chapters can participate, and chapters can more easily provide the 18-20 volunteers needed to host an event. We have at least two days this year where chapters are teaming up.
"For your interest and future strategy, the mid-week is most often preferred by chapters. This year, as many as 18 chapters identified Thursday to host a breakfast event, while as few as two and three chapters requested either the first or last Saturday of the event week. To be reminded, the breakfast events begin the Saturday before AirVenture begins and runs through the Saturday of AirVenture."
The lost opportunity makes the chapter's own fly-in breakfast in August all the more important to be able to fund Chapter 54's scholarship and other programs.
Board of Directors Monthly Meeting
Annual picnic awaits Board action
It's a busy time at EAA Chapter 54 and its Board of Director will tackle a number of issue when it meets virtually on Monday evening (June 2). All EAA members are invited to attend. Central to the meeting will be planning for next week's monthly meeting, which is the annual picnic, which will begin at 6 pm, followed by a program on pilot physiology. Members are asked to bring potluck sides. A free-will offering of $5 to offset costs is suggested. The August pancake breakfast status will also be discussed as well as a proposal to send changes to the chapter's bylaws to the general membership election in November. Find the full agenda here.
AirVenture
Oshkosh Notice now available
The free 32-page booklet is an absolute must if you're flying an aircraft to Oshkosh. It outlines all arrival/departure procedures, radio frequencies, Wittman Regional Airport details, and much more. Although many of the procedures are similar to previous years, there are updates in nearly every area to enhance safety, efficiency, and convenience for the thousands of airplanes expected at the World's Greatest Aviation Celebration. The EAA AirVenture flight procedures Notice is required reading and should be part of a pilot's pre-flight preparation. Graphic TFR NOTAMs: When flying in the U.S., EAA strongly encourages you to check NOTAMs and Notices for current temporary flight restrictions (TFR) that may affect your flight route. Get yours! >>
John Ostrem
Bicycles and Airplanes
Events
Celebrating Anna
Anna Chase is graduating from Stillwater Area High School. Celebrate our Ray Scholar's achievement on Saturday June 21 at Lake Elmo Airport
Flying Start
Chapter holds Flying Start event
Young Eagles
A perfect day to fly
Pancake breakfast planning
Good to go!
Interested members of Chapter 54 met on May 14 to further plan the August pancake breakfast fly-in. Although we are short of volunteers, we are moving ahead by shuffling a few assignments. The kitchen team is still short a few people. We need a sausage preparation person, primarily, after some arm twisting netted one additional volunteer for egg preparation. Bruce Olson has finished the flyer, which is to the printer. And Marlon Gunderson prepared a list of airports where the flyer should be posted. The list is at the chapter house. When you go flying, check the list, drop in to the airports of your choosing, and post the flyer on the bulletin board there (be sure to check off the airport!). A stack of flyers will be left at the chapter house. Find the latest planning information here.
VMC Club
Question of the Month
Saturday Morning Open House
Whoops!
I was a week early last week with the seminar listing for the Saturday Open House. The seminar on flying a volunteer flight (Part 2) is actually this Saturday. Last Saturday, instead, we presented the recent EAA Webinar on Stall and Spin Avoidance, which was originally presented on May 28. An attendee said it was an excellent presentation (I was painting outside). You can view it here.
Here is the seminar schedule for the rest of the month. Stop by and meet some other chapter members.
Saturday 6/7 - "Why I Fly (Part Two)". Mark Hanson continues his discussion on volunteer flying. In Part Two he will discuss the "life cycle" of a flight from beginning to end including organization of a flight, logistics involved and how to conduct a safe, efficient, fun flight.
Saturday 6/14 - The Life of an Ag Pilot. Beverly Berry, Co-Owner, Eagle Vistas Ag Pilot Flight Training, Inverness, FL, talks about flying in support of agriculture. She'll discuss licensing, training, minimum standard and skills ag pilots need. What about starting an aerial application business? What types of aircraft do ag pilots fly? How do I get a job as an ag pilot? Finally she will talk about best practices for sharing airspace with working ag planes. Here's a link to an article from AOPA Magazine about our presenter and her flight school at KINF. A pdf of the article is Homegrown: Family Ag Flying School Produces Pilots For a Hungry World
Saturday 6/21 - Deferred! Dr. James Lakin lets us know the latest on medical deferrals. When you show up for a flight physical three things can happen: you get your medical certificate (most often in his practice), you are issued a medical certificate under a CACI (about 5-10% of the time), or you don't get your certificate and are deferred to the FAA's medical division for further evaluation (about 5% of the time(). If you are deferred, it means a wait, maybe a long wait. So, what can you do to reduce the chance of your being deferred?
Saturday 6/28 - It's Oshkosh time. Steve Guetter, C-ASEL, AMEL, ASES, CFI-I, Remote Pilot, Bryan Trinka, ATC, C-ASEL, AMEL-IR, Matthew Olson, ATC discuss AirVenture from the perspectives of both pilots and controllers. Bring your questions on procedures, where to eat, where to watch an airshow, and where to find the most fun! We will be discussing the NOTAM, so bring a copy with you to follow along.
Chapter video
News from Oshkosh - June 2025
In this month’s Chapter Video Magazine, Charlie Becker gets you up to date on EAA happenings:
One-week Wonder goes to the Smithsonian
Young Eagles Day on June 14
Aeroeducate brochure updated and can now be ordered
Young Eagles Breakfast added at Oshkosh (Tuesday morning). Sign up now.
Oshkosh Chapter Group photo Tuesday 9 am
How about a Chapter 54 directional sign?
Chapter forums and consultations available
Camp Scholler opens June 27
Watch video here.
From Midwest Flyer
MAC Selects Kelly Gerads As Director of Reliever Airports
The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) has promoted Kelly Gerads to director of reliever airports, responsible for the operation and maintenance of its six general aviation airports in the Twin Cities metro area: St. Paul Downtown Airport, Flying Cloud Airport, Anoka County-Blaine Airport, Crystal Airport, Airlake Airport, and Lake Elmo Airport.
Gerads was promoted from assistant director of reliever airports, a position she’s held since 2007. She’s spent more than 30 years at the MAC in positions focused on the operations or administration of the MAC’s general aviation airports. Also known as “reliever airports,” they serve a dynamic flying community and support aviation-related businesses while also helping to relieve congestion at the MAC’s flagship commercial airport, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP). Read more >
June anniversaries
Happy anniversary
Jeff Hove (23 years)
Scott Hanson (12 years)
Jack Miller (12 years)
Donaven Chase (6 years
Paul Skluzacek (4 years)
Harry Holmberg (2 years)
Matt Bauer (2 years)
Nicholas Stolley (2 years)
Reminder: Your chapter anniversary is also your membership renewal date. Renew now.
From The Beacon Archive
Elmo AFB (Airplane from Basement) Flying Club
by Jim Anderson
(This article was originally published in May 2002. Find other goodies in The Beacon archive)
One or two people suggested that I write a short history of the informal group, known by the above name, which has been meeting for a number of year almost every Saturday morning on the north side of 21D in hangars 25B and 25 Don Fairchild Lane.
The group started in 1986, by accident, in the basement of the Connolly Building on North Second Street in Stillwater. The first airplane project was a ground-up restoration of a 1941 J3 Cub, NC38337. My brother and I found it in a hangar in a rancher’s field in northwest Nebraska, while hunting turkeys.
Art Edhlund, my wife Kay, and I drove a car trailer down, removed the wings, and motored back to Minnesota. Somehow volunteers appeared to help, including Art Edhlund, Bill Schanks, Jim Montague, Dennis Hoffman, Mary Spencer and daughter Annie, Jack Blais, Bob Waldron, Jan Cox, Greg Tschida, and others, whose names have escaped from my poor memory.
As work progressed, Greg Tschida’s Stearman wing appeared, as did Dennis' L4, Bill Schanks’ Acro Sport, and my Fairchild project which Bob Waldron acquired from me. (I still had the L3 and second UC-78 projects for the future).
The basement was empty then, since our small manufacturing company, WR Medical Electronics, did not need the space. The J3 was finished and flying by 1990, and not too long afterward, Dennis' L4 and Bill’s rebuilt Acro Sport took to the air. At the time, our only hangar was the “Rathole”, 21A (named by Dennis as the Regional Airport Tactical Headquarters Of Lake Elmo). Earlier, Arnie Lindall, my brother, and I had completed restoration. of the N3N and the 7AC Aeronca Champ at Lake Elmo Airport.
We all learned a lot from Jim Montague and Bill Schanks. Jim supervised us in overhauling the A65 Continental and four of us each did one cylinder, with others doing various other tasks. Bill gave us an education on covering and welding. Jack Blais did a great job of painting in a makeshift booth. We met every Wednesday evening and Saturday morning, with supper next door on Wednesday and breakfast at the Main Café.
We also held a Saturday morning A&P class in the upstairs lunchroom, with Gordy Amundson lecturing us. There were several “outsiders” who joined us just for those classes. Some of them and Bill Schanks went on to pass the written and practical tests for the A&P license shortly thereafter.
About that time, Dennis built a new hangar on Fairchild Lane and suggested that I do the same next door to him. We finished our A&P course in the new 25D hangar.
Since then we have filled all the hangars with airplanes and airplane stuff, tools, parts, and miscellaneous. Dennis continues to maintain a neat and clean hangar, however.
The informal tradition has continued with many new faces, including my two sons, Pat and Paul, Jack Blais, as well as many you know as EAA members. Don Carlson got Paul his private license by training him in the J3. Dennis and Bob Waldron flew the L4 and our J3 to the Cub Fly-in at Lock haven when they were both freshly restored (the planes).
I acquired the T-50,UC-78 Bamboo Bomber at Oshkosh one year and Al Tschida gave me my multi rating in his Apache. He also flew the T-50, as did Joe Davis so I could get checked out. Al sold the Apache to me, and now we have several multi rated pilots.
In addition to full size aircraft, there has been scale R/C airplane modeling at 25B. Bob Donatell, master R/C craftsman has built a fifth scale UC78 model of our Bamboo Bomber. It Is being fin ished by Larry Cherry, and should fly this summer. Joe Simonet, Don Carlson and Scott Hutchinson have also helped build this model. Other ratings the group has obtained in clude, instrument, commercial, and a couple of A&P tickets. We’ve had fun while learning.
All EAA members and others are welcome to pay us a visit on Saturdays. The coffee pot is usually on and sometimes there are donuts or other goodies.
Events
Fly-in Calendar
For the complete fly-in calendar (courtesy of Bill Schanks Jr.), go to the website.
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Who's Who in Chapter 54 President: Marlon Gunderson president@eaa54.org |
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