Upcoming Events
Coffee and Donuts (Saturday, March 2, from 8:30-10:00 AM)
Come by and visit with other Chapter members and make new friends. In addition to donuts and coffee, we usually have juice, and other baked goods.
Evening Program (Monday, March 18, 7:00 PM - pizza at 6:30)
The program will begin with the presentation of the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award to Larry DePute. Jeff Vercoe will make the presentation. The regular program will follow. Please attend and give Larry the accolade he deserves!
We will watch a 35 minute video presentation of how the New England Air Museum restores aircraft. Quite interesting, and shows how dedicated pilots and mechanics keep our heritage planes flying. If you refurbished Miss Montana, this should bring back some fond memories!
Pancake Breakfast (Saturday, April 6, from 8:30-11:00 AM)
This will be our first pancake breakfast of the 2024 flying season! We're looking forward getting back into the swing of our summer events.
Evening Program (Monday, May 20, 6:00 PM - pizza and refreshments will be provided)
It's time for another tour of chapter member Allan Glen's RV-10 build! The RV-10 is a 4 place metal aircraft kit produced by Van's Aircraft. His build is much further along than it was at the prior tour. We'll start a bit earlier than the typical evening program, but feel free to arrive when you can. Allan is building at his home on the south side of Missoula. We'll send the address out in an email to chapter members prior to the event.
Regularly Scheduled Events
Pancake Breakfast (Typically the first Saturday of the month, April through September)
Come join us at the EAA Chapter 517 Hangar for breakfast and for great conversation with local aviation enthusiasts! Specific dates will be posted above when scheduled.
Young Eagle Flights (First Saturday of the month, summer months)
These generally coincide with our pancake breakfast events. Specific dates will be posted above when scheduled. Visit our Young Eagles page for more information.
Eagle Flights (Based on demand)
Five Valley Flyers, operating as EAA Chapter 517, Inc., conducts Eagle Flights based on demand. See our Eagle Flights page for more information.
Evening Program (3rd Monday of the month)
EAA Chapter 517, Inc. has special speakers and topics of interest. Normal programs are the 3rd Monday of the month held at the EAA 517 hangar starting at 6:30 pm. Sometimes these are preempted during the summer months due to the Saturday fly-in gatherings. Specific dates will be posted above when scheduled.
Board Meeting (Once per year)
EAA Chapter 517, Inc. only has one official member meeting per year, usually in November, to meet the requirements of a Montana corporation.
Special Meal Events
In December each year we host a Celebration of Flight Dinner to commemorate the anniversary of Orville and Wilbur Wright's 1903, First Manned Powered Flight and the Christmas holiday.
Other Activities
Five Valley Flyers often participates in the planning and support of other aviation events in our service area. Periodically, the annual Montana Aviation Conference is held in Missoula. In 2018, there was the AOPA Regional Fly-In and a Tryke Fly-In in Stevensville. The Chapter supported all these events and expects to continue such in the future. We also help support the annual Aviation Day in Hamilton each year.