December 3, 2024
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.
Full house expected for holiday party
The Chapter House has been decorated and transformed into a banquet center and all that's needed now is you. On Monday at 6 p.m., we'll be celebrating 2024, which was a fantastic year for Chapter 54. Chapter awards will be presented, and we'll hold the world premiere of a new movie from Kevin Szalapski. There's also Jay Schrankler's fabulous trivia contest, of course. At last count we have about 45 attendees, with a really good response rate to calls to RSVP. If you haven't RSVP'd, you're probably out of luck at this point as we're running out of room. We can maybe squeeze in 1 or 2 more people. We'll have pizza, salad, appetizers, and plenty of desserts. There will be a $10 donation bucket to help defray expenses or you can donate online. RSVP here. We're looking for a group of members to help take the round tables back to Jim Pearsall's hangar at a time to be coordinated with Jim (not on the night of the party). Please contact Marlon Gunderson if you'd like to volunteer.
More fundraisers? Maybe. Board of Directors considers it
The trend of people coming to EAA Chapter 54 is changing. More are looking for ways and help to learn to fly. Part of this is the natural result of a robust Young Eagles program, but what's next and what is Chapter 54's mission going forward? At its regular meeting on Monday evening, the chapter's board of directors briefly considered what demands on the chapter will be in this new era, and whether our current one-fundraiser-a- year is sufficient. Could we do regular monthly breakfasts as other area chapters do? Can we retool for such a thing? If we had more scholarship opportunities, what would that look like and how will we screen applicants? As part of this process, the sense of the Board was to develop a plan to better organize the Air Academy scholarship process between now and September so that applicants know exactly what role Chapter 54 can play -- if any -- underwriting the cost. In other business, the Board also voted to express our willingness to Oshkosh to host the Ford TriMotor at Lake Elmo in April 2025. It also received a fiscal year-end report from treasurer Emma Hanson. The chapter experienced a November shortfall that corresponded with the cost of the insurance renewal for the chapter house. For FY2024, the chapter had a positive cash flow of about $185 once the remaining obligation to the Ray Scholar is satisfied. See the minutes of the meeting.
Coming to the Saturday Open House: ‘What Would You Do’?
Saturday Open House topics:
December 7 - Flying the Goodyear Blimp
December 14 - How are instrument procedures made?
December 21 - Flying a challenging mountain approach
December 28 - No program/Holiday weekend
Can you spare 2 minutes to improve chapter life?
The EAA National Satisfaction Survey is now available. Frankly, our track record isn't very good over the last few years. We usually get about 25-30 people who take the time to click a link and answer a few questions. With a chapter our size, that's probably in line with an expected response rate, but that doesn't mean it's a good response rate. The national headquarters will separate the Chapter 54 responses out and send them to us and we often try to glean what they mean, but taking any action based on them with a minority of members participating is a dicey proposition. So, here's a better idea. Just click the link and take the survey. I timed it. It takes 2:30 to complete, scant time for you to invest in making the chapter better and improving your enjoyment of it.
December Chapter Video
In this month’s Chapter Video Magazine:
1.) Homebuilding week
2.) Tool crib reimbursement program
3.) UW Oshkosh getting rid of a dorm used for AirVenture
4.) VW bug donated
5.) Last call for Young Eagle credits and chapter renewal
6.) Chapter leadership training available
7.) Scholarship programs go beyond Ray Scholarship
8.) Huey exhibit at Museum
9.) Christmas in the Air
Sign up for the EAA Chapter Leadership Academy
What if you could find out more about ways to improve your chapter experience without committing to becoming a chapter officer? What if you could enjoy a couple of days immersed in Oshkosh, with lodging and all meals provided at no cost to you at all? We can't recommend the Chapter Leadership Academy weekend enough. To our knowledge, no chapter member who has attended has done anything but rave about the experience. The next session is January 25 and 26. It starts on Friday night with a reception, a session on Saturday and a shorter one on Sunday. You get your run of the EAA Museum, too! Sign up here.
Question of the Month
You are making a daytime VFR flight from Hyannis, MA to Martha’s Vineyard, MA as shown below. Conditions include a 1,000 foot overcast and 10 miles visibility. What is the highest altitude at which you can legally fly this trip under these stipulated conditions?
Find the answer below.
December anniversaries
Tom Gibbons (23 years)
James Sackett (20 years)
Robyn Stoller (10 years)
Around the chapter
>> Dave Syverson has undergone some major eye surgery with extended healing time needed. He's not sure what the impact will be on his flying future. "I'll have to get a parrot, an eye patch and learn how to pronounce 'Harrrr.....'" he says.
>> Trent Redmann's plan to buy an airplane fell through. The seller had second thoughts. He's looking.
>> MAC has released its Lake Elmo Airport sound study, taken in August. Between August 13 and August 19, there were 467 noise complaints. Although the study didn't explicitly say the complaints came from only 6-9 households, it's a reasonable conclusion. Download the report.
>> Member Doug Weiler, who is famous as the head of the Twin Cities RV Builders Group, has published another one of his quarterly newsletters. Don't miss Pete Howell's review of his 11 favorite fields to visit. Pick one and let's make it a chapter fly-out next year. Find out all about the group at its website. Expect to see a lot of RVs at 21D a week from Saturday when the group holds its meeting at Doug's and Paul Hove's hangar.
>> Chip Berniard mentioned he was down at Stanton Airfield a few weeks ago polishing up his glider skills. He was airborne for 3 hours.
>> We still have some frozen, already-cooked, breakfast sausage in the chapter house freezer. We also have some bulk Sturdiwheat, which I've put into baggies - 3 cups to a bag - in the refrigerator. Help yourself. If you'd like to leave a small donation, just put it in the soda fund jar in the refrigerator. We'll be cleaning out the refrigerator at the end of the month.
>> According to the agenda of the Lake Elmo Airport Advisory Committee, there may be an upgrade coming to the observation area. Airport boss Phil Tiedemann says he's been working to install a radio and speaker at the aircraft viewing area so that attendees can hear radio activity. MAC electricians have been busy with all the other projects around the Reliever System but plan on working on this project in the Fall. The new crew also have some thoughts on improvements to the roof structure to reduce the bird attractiveness.
>> We send our best healing thoughts to Paul Hove, who is undergoing some significant health issues.
For details on events, visit the Events page on the Chapter 54 website.
Remember Chapter 54 at tax-planning time
When making a charitable contribution to EAA Chapter 54, you’re not only benefiting an organization you love—you may also be able to claim a deduction on your tax return. Generally, to receive a tax deduction for a donation to an eligible charity, you must itemize your deductions. There are numerous limits on how much you can deduct, so be sure to talk with your tax advisor or see the IRS’s website for more information. Are you 73 or older Instead of putting RMDs into your account, which may push you to a higher tax bracket, you can transfer them through a qualified charitable distribution (QCD), furthering your giving goals and reducing your taxable income. Consult your tax advisor as you consider a donation to Chapter 54.
Quiz answer: You must remain below 700 feet MSL – the ceiling of the class G airspace where you can legally fly remaining clear of clouds. Above this, you enter the class E airspace and must remain 500 feet below the clouds.
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Who's Who in Chapter 54 President: Marlon Gunderson president@eaa54.org |
The E-Beacon is a semimonthly newsletter highlighting news items from Chapter 54. If you no longer wish to receive the email, you can unsubscribe by sending an mail to facilities@eaa54.org.
