An evening with Al Kupferschmidt
Monday February 10, 2025
7 p.m.
Perhaps no other member in the history of Chapter 54 has done more than Al Kupferschmidt. He's been a member for more than 40 years. He's flown over 600 Young Eagles. He helped build the Chapter House, and then he was critical in construction of the addition. In his 80s, he still flies his beloved airplane. He never misses a meeting. He never misses an event, particularly those that need volunteer help.
During an hour-long session, he discussed his aviation career, including more than 30 years flying his Citabria (he once was involved in a mid-air collision with a horse trailer), his work in the Navy and National Guard, his history with the chapter, his role in the rescue effort of Flight 232 in Sioux City in 1989, and his wife, Rae, who was brain dead for a week before waking up.
Meeting summary:
There apparently will be a large Chapter contingent at AirVenture in July, according to Bill Schanks, Chapter 54's director of events who is in charge of organizing group camping at the event announced at the February monthly meeting on February 10. He says the six sites that EAA Oshkosh has set aside for the chapter have all been spoken for and there are at least two members on the waiting list. Members who have reserved sites pay for all the days of AirVenture, even though that may not be staying for the entire event. It's possible that members who have reserved (and paid) for their site will sublet their unused days.
Also at Monday's meeting, members were given quite a treat with an hour of Al Kupferschmidt stories. He's been a member for more than 40 years. He's flown over 600 Young Eagles. He helped build the Chapter House, and then he was critical in construction of the addition. In his 80s, he still flies his beloved airplane. He never misses a meeting. He never misses an event, particularly those that need volunteer help.
During the hour-long session, he discussed his aviation career, including more than 30 years flying his Citabria (he once was involved in a mid-air collision with a horse trailer), his work in the Navy and National Guard, his history with the chapter, his role in the rescue effort of Flight 232 in Sioux City in 1989, and his wife, Rae, who was brain dead for a week before waking up. It was a compelling evening from a chapter pioneer.
Prior to the program, President Marlon Gunderson made several announcements including his solicitation of potential members to the chapter's Board of Directors, which requires no heavy lifting but does need the occasional exercise of neurons. Why not "attend" (the board meets virtually at 7pm on the first Monday of the month) and see if it's right for you. Contact Marlon for more information and to receive the Google Meet link. Gunderson also indicated he'd like to find a chapter coordinator for a potential in various scholarship efforts.
And Marlon announced that Elija Redmann is the potential recipient of the Ray Scholarship, which would pay for his flight training. The chapter should hear soon whether it has been selected to receive the scholarship money. Meanwhile, Gunderson said, Drew Lindquist of Bloomington, the other scholarship applicant, was able to receive one from Chapter 237, which funds additional scholarship opportunities. Credit for that happy ending goes to the chapter Ray Scholarship coordinator Bruce Olson.
The next monthly meeting of the Chapter will be held on Monday March 10 with a 7 pm social hour. Jay Schrankler will discuss choosing your avionics. The Cinema 54 showing of "Up" begins at 5 p.m.
Upcoming Programs
March 2025: Choosing the right avionics for your mission. Presented by Jay Schrankler.
April 2025: Carl Ziegler, forty eight years as a A&P technician
May 2025: Sebastian Heinz, CEO of Zenith Aircraft
June 2025: Annual Chapter picnic and hangar tour
July 2025: John Mohr-Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame Member
August 2025: Oshkosh postmortem
2025:
January: Using Foreflight
February: An evening with Al Kupferschmidt
2024
January 2024: 3D printing aviation applications (and Lake Elmo noise complaints)
February 2024: A fireside chat with Marlon Gunderson
March 2024: Mark Schaible, owner and president of Sonex
April 2024: Joe Harris, MAC director of reliever airports
May 2024: Sim pit design with Jeff Dale
June 2024: Annual picnic and hangar tour
August 2024: Your Oshkosh experience and fly-in breakfast debrief
September 2024: Dale Seitzer's Sky Ranger
October 2024: The Ups and Downs of Building an RV
November 2024: Former NASA flight director (and RV8 builder Paul Dye)
December 2024: Annual chapter holiday party
