From the Flight Deck
October 2024

Here's a random picture without context that suggests how I've spent most of the last 3 months. Stop by my hangar on Taxiway Echo sometime to see how it's going. The goal is to have a winter workspace that affords more work area than a small two car attached garage filled with 2 cars, 4 bicycles, and a snowblower.

We are approaching the November member meeting, which marks a year since my term as President began. I'm pleased with the way the year has unfolded. Let me review the highlights:

• Jay Schrankler arranged a great series of meeting programs for the year, taking advantage of a lot of the talent we have right in our own Chapter for programs, including Jeff Dale, Dale Seitzer, Jim Pearsall, Bob Collins, and he even was able to squeeze a program out of me. I hope we can continue to feature our own members on a regular basis as a way of learning from each other and getting to know each other better.
  
  
• Bob Collins has done a huge amount of work and improvements to both the clubhouse and the website, kept the chapter apprised of our activities with regular eBeacon newsletters, and makes aviation Webinars and films available at the chapterhouse. He has become a FAAST rep so that you can get Wings credits from the chapterhouse webinars. He is the beating heart of the Chapter! Please support him whenever you can and thank him for what he does.
  
  
• Parties! Three of them at monthly member meetings – Pizza Party in December, the summer BBQ in June including a fun set of hangar tours, and the August post-FlyIn, post-Oshkosh celebration, all of which were well attended and memorable.
  
  
• Bruce Olson secured a Ray Scholarship for the Chapter to award to a candidate of our choosing and selected our very own Anna Chase, who is on her way to earning her PPL.
  
  
• Dale Seitzer managed a full set of summer Young Eagles rallies with Vicky keeping the registration table running smoothly at each with a good compliment of ground support and pilots to provide over 100 YE rides for the summer despite weather cancellations of half of the events.
  
  
• Evangelos Savvas held the only Flying Start event in the metro area at our clubhouse and we were rewarded with several week-long Airventure passes which were distributed as door prizes at the July meeting.
  
  
• We don't schedule Eagle rallies for adults, but each time someone has contacted the Chapter seeking a flight experience, members have stepped up to make it happen. I'm thinking of the two that Don Wishard recently provided; there are probably more.
  
  
• We resurrected the FlyIn breakfast and got back into the fundraising business and had a good time doing it. We pulled it off, it was a magical day, and we took away lessons to come back even better next year.
  
  
• We sent Isaac Knutsen to 2024 Air Academy with Scholarship support, and we've awarded a scholarship to Ellory Berniard for the 2025 Air Academy, both made possible by our Young Eagles credits and our fundraising work.
  
  
• We had a good sized contingent make it to AirVenture this year, and Bill Schanks coordinated a Chapter campsite in Camp Scholler. Jeff Dale shared a wonderful video of the Chapter campsite experience he enjoyed with his family there.
  
  
• Bill Schanks organized a good number of flyouts this summer and we recently had the opportunity to honor our wonderful chapter Treasurer by doing a (surprise) overflight right after Emma's outdoor wedding ceremony.
  
  
• We've welcomed just over a dozen new members to the chapter this year and are hoping to help them find their way into aviation and/or a community where they can share their aviation experience.

It's clear to me that we are living up to the mission of our Chapter: providing a way for people to plug into and experience aviation, providing youth with the experience of flight and financial support for aviation camp or training, providing monthly programs that show how regular people can safely access the dream of flight, and helping to build a local community of folks who share a common interest. Thanks for your participation in the Chapter this year!

The presentation for the Third Quarter Lake Elmo Airport Advisory Commission meeting is available at the LEAAC webpage. The agenda included:

• Review of the Goal and Purpose of the Commission
• Public Comments
• Community Spotlight on Stillwater, pop.20K, founded 1843, instrumental in MN Statehood
• User Spotlight onTom Stehler, Sun Country Captain and Chief CFI for Lake Elmo Aero
• 21D Airport Manager airport briefing
  • North Service Road Construction
  • Q2 Aircraft Operations Stats (~8% lower than 2023)
  • Noise Complaints Stats (22 individuals, double from 2023, and 7400 complaints, up 4.5x
• Introduction of MAC's Environmental Affairs Team
• Member Comments

The Third Quarter Regional Airport Advisory Commission (RAAC) meeting on Sept.10th included the usual Airport Managers and Director updates, which for 21D included a report on the north service road and security fence construction and plans for 2025 consisting of north building area pavement rehab, Runway 4/22 and related taxiway rehab including a 275' extension of that runway (to ~2750'), and pursuit with the FAA for a change of CTAF frequency from 122.8 to something less congested. Information of interest at other reliever airports included expected construction of a new tower at Flying Cloud beginning late next year, and runway 14/32 reconstruction at STP. I wasn't aware of this, but it was noted by the user rep at STP that transient/overnight parking is allowed at the terminal building (where Holman's Table is located); there is no charge or permission required, and access through the security fence is available there. That's a convenient way for pilots to access activities in St. Paul.

I look forward to seeing you all at our remaining two member meetings for 2024. Remember to bring a gift to the November meeting for the Holiday Tree of Hope toy drive if you are feeling charitable and want to support that organization. And remember that the December (Holiday Party) meeting is on the 16th rather than the 9th.

Cheers!

Marlon Gunderson