EAA Chapter 54

St. Paul, MN. (Lake Elmo)

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APRIL 2025

 April 15 Meeting
Nondestructive inspection and testing of aircraft explained

Carl Ziegler presented a program on nondestructive inspection and testing of aircraft at Chapter 54's April 14, 2025 member meeting.At its regular members’ meeting on Monday April 15, Carl Ziegler demonstrated several techniques of non-destructive inspection (NDI), the process of evaluating the properties of a material, component or system without causing damage. For the general aviation crowd, for example, this often involves searching for the source of an oil leak around the engine case and determining the presence of a crack.

Carl has close to 50 years continuous experience working as an aircraft mechanic including 38 years as an IA. In addition to GA, over 38 years of airline experience with Northwest and most recently with Delta, finishing his last 13 years of airline service as an aircraft inspector. Has owned a PA28 Challenger, Alon Aircoupe and presently Cessna 172N.

Among the more impressive demonstrations Carl gave was one of particular interest to aircraft owners of composite aircraft or parts. He demonstrated how a bump might appear to cause little damage to a fiberglass surface, but underneath is likely multiple places where the fiberglass has become delaminated, the layers of glass pulled apart from each other.

We hope to have a video of the presentation posted to the Chapter 54 website by 9 pm this evening.

In the business portion of the meeting, President Marlon Gunderson welcomed newer members, including Joe Connolly, Jon Pierce-Ruhland, and Mustafa Mustafa. He announced the chapter has once again been awarded Gold Status by EAA; and announced that WoonYi Hanson has now received a chapter scholarship to attend the Air Academy this summer after being on EAA's waiting list. Chapter 54 is involved this year in three people attending the summer program. Gunderson again urged volunteers to renew their Youth Protection Program certification before the first Young Eagles Day of our season on May 10 (you can find out how to do so here). He also urged people to sign up for volunteer roles for the August fly-in breakfast as the number of volunteers so far is far below last year's level and we need to decide soon whether to proceed. You can sign up here. The president also noted that there are three critical roles needing to be filled for the continuation of the chapter: vice president, facilities director, and newsletter/web editor. Contact him to learn more. Young Eagles coordinator Dale Seitzer outlined the upcoming Young Eagles Day. He said young people are already signing up, and he needs pilot volunteers. "Just fly once," he said, indicating most volunteers realize the good feeling that helping a young person see their world from a different perspective provides.

Air Academy Scholarships
Chapter providing help with aviation dreams

Three young people with ties to EAA Chapter 54 will be getting a tremendous week immersed in aviation this summer. The Chapter 54 Board of Directors unanimously approved a scholarship last week for member WoonYi Hanson after a slot became available for the EAA Air Academy.  He'll join two other Chapter 54'ers at the Academy this year. The chapter had already provided a scholarship for Ellory Berniard, and David Phernetton received a campership via the EAA.

At the same time, Chapter 54 is improving and streamlining its aviation scholarship process. Under the plan approved by the Board of Directors, the chapter will be reaching out to young people, primarily through the chapter's Young Eagles What's Next program, to encourage them to apply for chapter scholarships, worth about $1,200. By mid-summer, the board will decide how many scholarships to provide, based on the results of its major fundraising initiative, the August pancake breakfast fly-in.

Young people interested in attending the summer 2026 Air Academy, would need to either apply directly to EAA by September or apply for a "slot" that Chapter 54 would reserve.  Would-be recipients would be required to contact the chapter first in order to be eligible for its financial assistance.  The Chapter is in the process of setting up a section on its website to facilitate not only Air Academy assistance, but other aviation-related youth activities.

The more successful the August pancake breakfast is, the more we can help young people achieve their aviation dreams. That's why it's important for chapter members (you!) to sign up to volunteer on August 10. We do not yet have the minimum number of volunteers to hold the fundraiser and we must make a go/no-go decision soon.  Please take a moment to answer the call by signing up here.

EAA Chapter Recognition
We're gold again!
EAA Oshkosh has announced that Chapter 54 is once again a Gold status chapter. "This program was developed and measured in partnership with EAA’s Chapter Advisory Council and is based on 10 criteria that are consistently found in active and highly engaged chapters," according to the announcement. "In addition to the 10 criteria measured, EAA offered chapters to submit additional chapter activities to earn up to three more extra credit points to boost their base score, resulting in the potential to earn up to 13 points."

Chapter 54 nearly ran the table in the scoring:

  1. Attends a chapter leadership training session: 1
    Bob Collins attended the session in October. Find his story here.
  2. Growing or steady membership: 1
    As of the beginning of April, 86 members are listed as active and we've added 11 new members
  3. Offers IMC or VMC Club programs: 1
    We offer the VMC presentation as part of the Saturday morning open house, usually on the first Saturday of the month.
  4. Participates in Young Eagle or Flying Start programs: 1
    Although weather canceled a lot of our plans in 2024, we maintain a strong Young Eagles program under coordinator Dale Seitzer.
  5. Has EAA-approved Flight Advisor or Technical Counselor: 1
    Bob Collins joined the tech counselor program in 2024, joining Roger Westerberg and Dale Seitzer. Learn more about the program.
  6. Participates in EAA's Annual Chapter Member survey: 0
    Don't ask me why at least 20 percent of chapter members can't be bothered clicking a link and answering a few questions that would make their aviation experience more enjoyable and relevant. But they can't.
  7. Participates in Young Eagles Build and Fly, Young Eagles Workshops, Ray Aviation Scholarship program, or sends a youth to EAA’s Air Academy: 0
    We have no idea why we didn't get Ray Scholarship credit because clearly we deserved it thanks to the very hard work of Bruce Olson.
  8. Requests an EAA ChapterBlast email: 1
    We issued a Chapter Blast (emails to all EAA members in our area) for the 2024 pancake breakfast.
  9. Hosts at least two public events each year: 1
    We hosted the pancake breakfast last August
  10. Owns/leases a facility: 1
    We have a spiffy Chapter House.
  11. Extra credit activity, such as a chapter build project, youth build project, chapter scholarship, a chapter tool crib, IAC competition, etc.: 2
    We're not sure what the points were but the Air Academy Scholarship seems obvious. Technically we have a tool crib although it hasn't yet been well publicized. By the way, did you know EAA will donate up to $300 reimbursement for tools the chapter buys for its tool crib? Didn't think so.

Congratulations to all Chapter 54 members who did their part in 2024 to achieve chapter excellence!

Board of Directors
Pancakes dominate monthly Board meeting

EAA Chapter 54’s Board of Directors made relatively quick work of its meeting agenda on Monday April 7, owing perhaps to the absence of items under New Business. No matter, there were plenty of things to tackle on the remaining agenda.  The Directors briefly considered the results of the EAA national survey (see below) before Treasurer Emma Hanson issued her monthly report, noting the chapter received over $650 in donations in the last month. The net cash flow as off about $1,200, as over $2,000 for group camping was sent to Oshkosh. At month’s end, the chapter had a little over $15,000.  The facilities report brought good news as tests on crumbling ceiling tile showed no traces of asbestos. Dave Syverson cut down the remaining part of the storm-damaged tree on lawn on the East side of the chapter house. The remaining stump will dig out in warmer weather to prevent resprouting. Directors also considered the air conditioner replacement on the south wall. A donated air conditioner from Scott Hanson didn’t quite fit as configured. We’ll figure out how to make it fit within a month or so. The bulk of the remaining session was taken up with a discussion of the pancake breakfast fly-in, in particular the anticipated production cost per meal, the need for aircraft marshals, and public advertising. Directors also briefly discussed the tool crib. By the way, did you know that EAA Oshkosh will reimburse chapters up to $300 per year for any tool purchased for a chapter tool crib? Now you do. See Ed Trudeau's minutes of the meeting >>

Annual EAA survey
Survey response rate too small to be useful

The results of the national EAA survey have been released and the participation of chapter 54 members was not particularly insightful so the results aren't really being used for anything. EAA sent the survey by email to its members in late November. Links to it were provided in the December 3, 2024 edition of The Beacon. Only 12 Chapter 54 members took the survey with their results being sent to the individual chapter. While the chapter scored relatively high marks, there were a few concerning responses. For example, one respondent said that the chapter can be intimidating for younger members. This is in spite of the chapter's efforts in recent years to be more welcoming. At the same time another respondent indicated that they felt the chapter was very welcoming. "We have been members of other chapters and EAA 54 is the best," one said. Not surprisingly, the chapter's Young Eagles program was near unanimously indicated as one of the most important chapter efforts. Pancake and fly-in breakfasts were listed as very important by more than 80 per cent of those responding. At the other end of the scale, building restoration and aircraft building projects were listed as among the important parts of the chapter, which offset other responses in the survey that seemed to indicate that people wanted more presentations and focus on aircraft building. Among the recommendations was a chapter bathroom (not going to happen), more participation at the Oshkosh group camping site (the limits on participants works to exactly the opposite), and more member recruiting. So what does a board of directors do with the survey's seeming contradictions? Nothing the data is too small. 

Ostrem's musings
The most popular homebuilt

One of the first RVs in the Chapter 54 fleet was Gene Frank's RV-6, shown here in 1998 as Gene displays it to a newspaper reporter.

Ever wonder why you can have three Van’s aircraft in the Lake Elmo pattern at the same time?  Perhaps the answer is that 30 percent of the homebuilt aircraft in the USA are Van’s!  That amounts to over 12,000 planes from the company in Aurora, Oregon.  It was started in 1973 by Richard Van Grunsven and now has 110 employees producing kits for the  RV models.  Builders, including many from Lake Elmo,  are turning out Van’s aircraft at an amazing 1.5 completions per day!  They have designed many configurations from two to four seats in front to back and side by side models.  Some are for back country flying and some are tremendous speedsters for cross country adventures.  Each of the models has a number starting with the RV-3 which is a single seater designed in 1973.  From there the numbers include RV’s 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (the four-seat model) 12, and 14.  Interestingly, the missing numbers were constructed as factory test models and not put into production. Their fastest model, the RV-8, has a cruise speed of 220 mph and is fully aerobatic with a sleek slider canopy making it look like a small fighter.  It has a 210 hp Lycoming IO 360 which is easy to service, very reliable and can be built as either a tricycle or conventional tail dragger.  The RV-8 model is even used by some countries as a military trainer. Read more >>

From the Flight Deck - April 2025
Marlon's newest project

I've pretty much wrapped up retirement project #1, which was to update my personal hangar space to an insulated and heated workspace.  My next aviation project is to resurrect my SkyRaider eLSA which has been grounded without ADSB since 2020. I want to get it back into flight worthy status by next year so I have something to fly while I do a bunch of work on my Cozy starting next fall.  The SkyRaider is a STOL aircraft and I also want to make it convertible into an amphibious seaplane using a pair of light fiberglass LSA floats that I picked up when I came across a deal too good to pass up about 15 years ago.  I've long thought the lake I live on, the many lakes nearby, and the St.Croix and Mississippi rivers near us offer hundreds of miles of runway that would be really fun to explore.  Starting with a visit to Coremark Metals in N. Minneapolis, I've begun working on building the float rigging which I'm designing to be capable of changing quickly and easily between land plane and sea plane configuration with just 5 simple attach points, like this one at the rear float fitting.  Read more >>

MARCH 2025

March membership gathering

Chapter facing vacancies in leadership positions

At least three major functions necessary to keep Chapter 54 humming will be vacant when current leadership terms expire in November.  President Marlon Gunderson announced at the regular membership gathering that in addition to Vice President Jay Schrankler not seeking another term (in order to devote time to creating a development director position), Bob Collins will not seek Board of Directors re-election by virtue of vacating his position at the chapter facilities director, website editor and newsletter editor. "Bob Collins has been the MVP for the last two years doing those roles and he's in a pretty strong position for it this year," Gunderson said. "He's doing a lot of work for us; possibly as much work as the rest of us combined, so we're looking for someone to step up and take those roles."  A checklist of facilities director duties is available for anyone interested in helping in the role.

Cinema 54 closes
Due to lack of interest, we're no longer providing an aviation-themed movie prior to the monthly member gathering.

Chapter education
Chapter reaches out to high school students at aviation forum

MNDoT's High School Aviation Forum was held on March 25. About 150 students attended. Chapter 54's Gregg Adler represented EAA.

EAA Chapter 54 member Gregg Adler attended the Minnesota Department of Transportation High School Aviation Forum at the Earl Brown Center in Brooklyn Center yesterday (March 25).  Attending by about 150 students, the event featured displays and presentations from the Minnesota Air National Guard, area flight schools, the MN DOT training program, ACE Camp and others, he reported.   "There was also the A&P continuing education seminars that had several hundred A/P attendees," according to Adler.  Students were given time to walk the booths of about 40 vendors.  "Mostly companies trying  to recruit mechanics and technicians," he said. Adler promoted EAA, AeroEducate and the Ray Scholarship.  He also encouraged students to attend a meeting at a chapter near them. The Minnesota ACE camp is still taking application through next week.  They still have some spots open for high school students, Adler indicated, with priorities to high school juniors and seniors before they age out.

Jon Ostrem's Musings
Now that's an airshow!

In 1953, over 70 years ago, 40 airplanes and 150 people attended the Milwaukee Air Pageant organized by an unknown pilot and plane builder named Paul Poberezny.  From those meager beginnings the air show has grown into the world’s largest, lasting a wonderful action-packed week in Wisconsin.  It actually moved a couple times before settling into Whittman Field in Oshkosh.  It is known worldwide and has become the largest airshow in the world. Read more >>

Pancake fly-in planning, facilities, scholarships top board agenda

The EAA Chapter 54 Board of Directors tackled a robust agenda last night, setting the stage for an aggressive series of goals for 2025. Chief among the actions was a vote to streamline the scholarship and campership process for underwriting the cost of young people who want to attend the EAA Air Academy in Oshkosh and the Minnesota ACE Camp in 2026.  The Board will decide by summer how many scholarships to award, increase the communication with potential applicants, and require applicants to inform the chapter before registration opens on September 2 whether they will seek chapter assistance.  The chapter will also select the recipient of funding by August. Applicants who do not first contact the chapter prior to September will be ineligible for assistance. The Board also approved a plan for the chapter to reserve slots at the Air Academy on its own to subsequently award to young persons. A section for those interested in the Air Academy has now been created on the Chapter 54 website.

The number of scholarships and camperships awarded will depend on the chapter's fundraising. On that front, the Board began the process of planning for the all-hands-on-deck pancake breakfast fly-in on August 10. President Marlon Gunderson indicated a single coordinator this year should suffice as the chapter is well armed with last year's experience.

The first planning meeting will be held on Saturday March 15 at 10 a.m., immediately after the Saturday Open House program. Please bring your ideas for improving the event and think about what area you'd like to patrol in August.

In other actions, Ray Scholarship coordinator Bruce Olson said he would announce at next Monday's meeting the recipient of this year's scholarship, which will pay up to $12,000 for flight training.  Treasurer Emma Hanson said the chapter had a positive cash flow in February, thanks primarily to donations and memorials, which will be used to fund additional scholarships. And Evangelos Savvas agreed to continue in his role as Flying Start and Eagles program coordinator.  Chapter 54 will host a Flying Start program on Saturday May 17. EAA is providing a webinar on hosting a Flying Start Day for those who would like to help, next Thursday (March 13) at 7 p.m. You can register here.  And President Gunderson announced that Jay Schrankler would like to transition out of the vice president's position to create a new development director slot at the chapter.  Persons interested in assuming the position should contact Marlon.

Chapter Secretary Ed Trudeau's minutes of the Board of Directors can be found here.

2025 projects ahead for Chapter House

New baseboard installed February 2025

The final step from last year's renovation of the Chapter 54 home was completed last week with the addition of baseboard trim along the walls in the main and entrance areas, which gives a nice, finished look to things. The baseboard will also prevent chairs along walls from damaging the drywall. A small section on the west wall in the main area was left alone pending consideration of whether to eventually replacing the old wood paneling. In the spring (maybe), the interior and exterior of the south side exit door as well as trim will be painted. Of concern recently is a wide split between windows on the northwest side off the main area, which is open to the elements, increasing heating bills and time. That's been closed up with foam.  We are also testing the acoustical tile for asbestos, which is a problem along the center beam. A gap has been filled with foam where the tile is crumbling.  Projects slated for 2025 include taking down the storm-damaged tree on the east side; planting additional perennials along the foundation; fixing (new) storage area doors to allow them to close properly; installing a new railing cap on the rebuilt ramp as well as staining the ramp; painting roofline trim; removing a rotted sill and  patching, sanding and painting  the other window frame on the west side, and replacing the air conditioner on the southeast corner (it trips the circuit breaker) with a donation from Board of Directors member Scott Hanson . The monthly facilities report can be found with the Board of Directors March minutes.

FEBRUARY 2025

Oshkosh group camping reservation sells out quickly

EAA logoThere 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.

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.

Jim Anderson, 21D legend, dead at 95

Jim Anderson, shown here with his wife, died in late January 2025. Photo courtesy of Dana Vannen Anderson

"I wanted to let you know that my father, Jim Anderson, passed away in his sleep after a brief stay in the ICU," Dana Vannen Anderson announced in an email to members on January 29 (See obituary). "He was surrounded by family and we all had a chance to give him a proper send off. It was amazingly graceful. He was 95 years young. Announcements on arrangements to follow. The family is still getting things organized. In addition to a celebration of life, we will figure out some kind of aviation community gathering to celebrate a great human who left quite a legacy, including all the aviation related activities over many decades. He will certainly be missed!" Tentatively, an "Irish wake" is planned for June 21 in Marine on St. Croix. It would have been his 96th birthday. "We will plan on having a big outdoor tent, a band, good food, and good music. And... it would be really fun to have some airplanes flying over, which is another thing he would have loved!" Dana said  See photos of Jim >
Related:
EAA 54 Gone West page

Ostrem: Keeping 21D Safe and Looking Smart

Maintaining the grounds and facilities of a busy metropolitan airport is a challenging endeavor—one that falls to a dedicated team who keep the airport looking good, operating smoothly, and, above all, remaining safe for the pilots who rely on it.

While Lake Elmo Airport briefly served the Army Air Corps in the early 1940s, it officially opened to the public in 1951. Today, it is part of the seven-airport system operated by the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC). With 41,854 operations in 2024 alone, this bustling general aviation hub spans approximately 640 acres—about one square mile—where around 200 acres are leased for agricultural use, leaving 440 acres dedicated to aviation. These 440 acres house roughly 130 hangars, and each one needs careful attention when it comes to mowing and snow removal.

At the helm of Lake Elmo Airport’s day-to-day field operations is Senior Maintenance Worker, Matthew Schroer, supported by longtime Field Maintenance Worker Arthur Hemmingson. Schroer brings a wealth of experience from multiple MAC airports, including Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport, St. Paul Downtown Airport, Anoka County–Blaine Airport, and Crystal Airport. His background in maintaining runways for large commercial aircraft has given him a broad perspective on field operations, but he finds the reliever airport setting uniquely rewarding.

“At the reliever airports, our teams have to be cohesive,” Schroer explains. “Improvisation, quick action, and concise communication— within our field team, and with pilots—is essential to ensuring safe, smooth operations.” Read more >

For those Gone West

Dave Becker, Bill Schanks, Bruce Abercrombie, Dale Rupp, Dave Fiebiger, Dennis Hoffman, Jim Anderson, Paul Hove, Mitch Zahler, Pat Moore

The Chapter 54 website this month unveiled a new section serving as a memorial to present and former members who have died. The list is by no means complete, but it is extensive. On that note, we didn't recognize the death of a prominent member last spring. Al Amsden died in April at 1998.  The chapter's archived newsletter section is named after both Al and Rosemary Frank, who are primarily responsible for keeping the chapter's history alive. Rosemary organized much of the history that's documented here, an Al saved all of the newsletters during his membership, allowing us to preserve them in a digital format. Like so many Chapter 54 pioneers, Al was a 3Mer. He built a Midget Mustang airplane, finished it in 1973 and flew it for 30 years. He then rebuilt a 1948 Cessna 140 in a hangar he built at the Lake Elmo Airport.   He spent his winters in Texas and he and his wife spent years traveling the country in their motor home. His wife died in 2007 and since then he had spent his summers in Roseville.

 

JANUARY 2025

Meet the chapter's newest pilot

Anna Chase, EAA Chapter 54's Ray Scholar, is congratulated after passing her checkride January 26, 2025.

Chapter 54 sends its warmest congratulations to Anna Chase, who completed her journey to the ranks of aviators Sunday January 26.  Anna is the chapter's Ray Scholarship recipient. She was awarded the flight training scholarship in May 2024,  soloed in June, and passed her written examination in October. That's hard work, right there. Congratulations also goes out too Bruce Olson, the chapter's Ray Scholarship coordinator.  Anna is the second chapter Ray Scholar in two years to become a pilot. We hope to make it three in 2025 thanks to your support for Chapter 54. Photo: Donaven Chase


From the Flight Deck

Marlon GundersonLast quarter, my column took a look back on our accomplishments in 2024.  Half way into my 2 year term as president, I have some perspective now on what we do and I'll take a forward look at 2025, some things I've learned and what we hope to do, opportunities for members to get more involved and to have more impact as a chapter, and thoughts about succession planning as the board elections come around in November.

Before I get into that though, I need to touch on a few items.  First, I want to honor Paul Hove's memory by recalling the several decades of his dedication to this chapter, almost continuously as a board member, and for four years as our President. He was generous with his time and energy to the chapter and will be greatly missed. Like most, I was shocked at how quickly we lost such a robust and optimistic presence at the airport. The memorial that Jeff Hove organized at Wulff was a thoughtful tribute to who he was and it was great to see so many from Chapter 54 there to celebrate his life. Thank you to Bob Collins for the website tribute page he put together for Paul and the members who shared photos and testimony about Paul's influence on them. Read the quarterly president's letter >

 January monthly meeting recap: An introduction to ForeFlight

It was a relatively thin crowd at EAA Chapter 54's monthly meeting on January 13, owing to the Minnesota Vikings playoff game. A lot of members made a poor choice, as the capabilities of ForeFlight for iOS were on display when members Scott Hanson and Bill Schanks Jr. took it out for a run in front of an impressed audience, including one guest who drove to the Chapter House from Marshall, Minn., to learn a little more about the program’s capability.

So called “electronic flight bags” can be used in all phases of flight, Hanson said. “It doesn't replace any of the systems. So just because you have an artificial horizon on your iPad. That doesn't replace the artificial horizon that's in your panel,” he said. “So, you still have to have whatever is required for flying – the T-O-M-A-T-O-Flames. You need all of those. This EFB doesn't replace any of that. It has to be functionally equivalent to the paper copy.  All of your data that's on your iPad, has to be current, valid, and you have to make sure that it doesn't interfere with any of the systems in your plane.” Read more >>

Young Eagle registration system nearly complete

David Leiting in Oshosh reports, "The transition from Young Eagles Day to the new EAA Chapter Events online registration system is nearly completed, and there are a few critical updates that I wanted to pass along to you. The official shut down of Young Eagles Day will occur on Monday, February 10. Here is what that means for you:
· Beginning February 10th YEDay.org and YoungEaglesDay.org will redirect to EAAChapters.org. There will no longer be access to the current YEDay.org site.
· Also on February 10th, your login credentials for the EAA Digital Signature App will change and sync up with the new EAA Chapter Events tool. The username/password used for EAAChapters.org will then be used to log into the iPad app.
· Additional event types are not yet fully developed in the new tool. Later this year, chapters will have the ability to manage Young Eagles Build and Fly, Young Eagles Workshops, and more via EAAChapters.org.
I’d also like to use this message as an opportunity to update you on the enhancements being made to the new tool, thanks to the feedback from volunteers.
EAA’s own team has already made dozens of improvements. These include the system’s load performance, fixing the waitlist functionality, optimizing the system for Firefox/Safari, updating the digital signature app, and more.
The outside developer is currently working on incorporating the following: Restoring the cancelled youth list, updating the system generated emails, updating the 'Inactive' volunteer feature, restoring some features to the check-in tab, and more. These changes will start to go-live within the next month and should be completed by the spring.
Thanks again to all the volunteers that have contributed to the development of this new tool. Most importantly, I’d like to once again thank Don White for all his efforts over the past 7 years in his development and support of Young Eagles Day!"

Former chapter president Paul Hove dies

Paul Hove, left, and Doug Weiler

Hove, a former Director of Naval Systems at Unisys, was president of Chapter 54 from 2004 to 2007. After flying a Warrior for a number of years, he began building an RV-7A at Lake Elmo Airport in a hangar on Mooney Lane he shared with Doug Weiler, who started the Twin Cities RV Builders Group. He was a fixture at the group's meetings as well as the Saturday-morning crowd at the Anderson hangar not far away. The private pilot ground school once hosted by Chapter 54 began under the Hove administration. He also opened up the Chapter House on occasional Saturday mornings for safety seminars, a practice that was resurrected by the chapter in 2024. Hove also led a number of spring work parties to Oshkosh, to help the organization prepare the grounds for AirVenture each July. When his illness forced his retirement from chapter leadership a few months ago, he had accumulated a total of 24 consecutive years as a Chapter 54 officer. Read more >>

Phase I Airport Limitation Reversed

The FAA has released a policy memo that reverses a troubling change in Phase I operating limitations that was originally set to be included with the latest update of Order 8130.2, which became effective in December. The change would have limited aircraft in Phase I to operating out of a single airport, or two with “valid justification of a specific flight test or safety requirement.” Learn more ›

You're upset? You need U-P-R-T!
Brian Lloyd, shown during the webinar, provided the Saturday Coffee and Wings seminar on upset recovery training on January 11, 2025.Do you think you can't stall an airplane with its nose below the horizon? You probably need to pay attention to what Brian Lloyd has to say. Lloyd was the speaker at the Saturday Coffee and Wings Open House on January 11th at the EAA 54 Chapter House. Although attendance was slight, the presentation was the kind that can keep you alive and deserves more attention. Read more >>

 

 

Collision avoidance in the traffic pattern

Tom Turner lists 13 different approved entries to a traffic pattern.There's a lot to take in when entering a busy traffic pattern as more pilots flying in the East Metro can attest. Lake Elmo and South St. Paul, both with active flight schools, often find full patterns. And downtown St. Paul has plenty of corporate traffic. So the Saturday January 4, 2025 session of the Chapter 54 Saturday Open House and Wings seminar was (comparatively speaking) pretty well attended. On the first Saturday of each month, we feature an expanded program thanks to the resurrection of the so-called "VMC Club," provided by EAA Oshkosh. It's a 4- or 5-minute "what if" video followed by a short discussion (I'd eventually like to have a CFI lead these discussions. Volunteers?), and then an expanded EAA webinar from its archives. The "What If" video doesn't provide an answer. That's up those attending. In this month's scenario, a student pilot is heading back to home base, encountering a busy pattern, an overworked controller, and another plane in the windshield.  What would you do? Read more >>

John Ostrem: Aviation by the Numbers
Photo by Darli Donizete: https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-and-black-road-sign-on-green-grass-field-3678749/Pilots often say we “fly by the numbers. " Here are some interesting numbers about our industry, especially general aviation. With 680,000 pilots, and 1.1 million jobs generating $246 billion annually, we are an economic powerhouse creating a driving force in the economy. Aviation is especially suited to promote the movement of people, freight, ambulance, search-and-rescue, traffic monitoring, firefighting, and law enforcement. In fact,  one of five law-enforcement agencies have one or more fixed-wing or rotorcraft aircraft as part of their fleet, and there are over 1,500 aerial applicators in the agricultural industry. The medical industry benefits with fixed-wing aircraft moving 150,000 patients annually, and helicopters transporting an amazing 400,000 patients. These medical flights employ 4,400 pilots, 600 doctors, 5,500 nurses, 5,300 paramedics and EMTs. Read more >>


Schanks takes on calendar duties

Bill Schanks Jr., has agreed to assume the role of fly-in calendar coordinator for the chapter. The EAA 54 website provides two calendars: one is for chapter business and one is for regional fly-ins that might be of interest to pilots. Both calendars can be found under the "Events and Program" tab on the website, although the fly-in calendar is usually only visible around fly-in season.  Members and other area pilots who have events and fly-ins they'd like to add to the calendar should send details to Bill at events@eaa54.org.  The chapter is deeply indebted to Paul Hove, who started and maintained the service.

New frequency for Airlake

There's an effort underway to get a dedicated CTAF frequency for 21D to reduce the radio chatter in the pattern. But Airlake Airport in Lakeville is going first. The FAA has announced that as of February 20, 2025, the CTAF frequency at KLVN will change to 122.975 from the present 123.0.   The move will eliminate chatter and confusion from KULM, KAEL, and KMCW.  It's also a good time to remind pilots of best-practice guidelines for radio work at non-towered airports. In addition to beginning a call with the airport you're referring to, wait a beat after your message and repeat the airport name at the conclusion.

Chapter Board of Directors in lightning round

Perhaps owing to the bare achievement of a quorum, the EAA Chapter 54 Board of Directors completed January's work in quick fashion on January 6. Board members Marlon Gunderson, Jay Schrankler, Emma Hanson, Ed Trudeau, Scott Hanson, Bruce Olson, and Bill Schanks attended the session. There was little new business to discuss. Treasurer Emma Hanson announced a slight shortfall for the month and indicated donations for the holiday party almost matched expenses. The anticipated shortfall reflected the $656 renewal of our EAA charter with headquarters, which is paid every December.  Membership renewals have been strong, and the chapter now lists about 100 active members. Her report for the full year was equally encouraging. With $2,200 still to be paid out with the Ray Scholarship funds, the chapter ended the year at about $85 to the good. The treasurer's year-end report has been added to the meeting minutes. The Board was also advised that the possibility of hosting the Ford Tri-motor in 2025 has been dashed. EAA is taking it to Saint Cloud. Maybe next year.  Read more >> 

 

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