Next Meeting:

January 3, 2006 Tuesday 7:00 pm
Place: Airpark Terminal Building

Inside this Issue:

www.eaa.org

Hello, everyone. I hope you all have a very nice Christmas and Santa treats you well. I also would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year. As all of you might have heard by now, over 1000 employees at Weirton Steel are going to lose their jobs starting the first of the year. I know this has reached out and touched some of our fellow chapter members or someone in their families. Our hearts and best wishes go out to them and we hope that they will find new employment soon.

We have little to report this month. Due to the cold weather most aviation activity at the airport both for the homebuilders and the pilots has come to a standstill. Even at the Chapter Hanger, although we have everything we need to finish the electrical end and get the building signed off, it has been slow. But on Monday the 19th December, Tom Cucarese and Dick Hazelip spent the afternoon in 20 degree weather installing some conduit and outlets and also connected up the main door. As we get closer to completion on the building, we are going to start putting together some guidelines on the new building’s use . Any suggestions would be appreciated. The hanger is for everyone’s use and as we progress along, we will be setting up a workshop and a meeting room for everyone. As big as the hanger is we can easily have, in addition to the Propuster airplane, two more homebuilt projects that can be worked on. So we are looking for your suggestions on how we can set up some ground rules. Write them down, bring them to the next meeting, or email them to any officer or trustee.

Despite the cold weather, if you are tired of shoveling the snow and salting the sidewalks that never melt, come on out to the airport. There is always a member or two hanging out there. There are often donuts and the coffee is always hot and the flying stories are free. Remember that the days are getting longer now and that the cold weather will be over soon and it won’t be long until we’ll be sitting out soaking up the sun on the apron area.

I would like to congratulate Tom Cucarese for being selected member of the year again. Well done, this was well deserved and your contributions to the chapter have been outstanding. There are many other members who have participated extensively as well and thanks to them we almost have a magnificent new home in our new chapter building. Many thanks.

The chapter raffle for the wonderful leather flying jacket donated by EAA head office was won by Dean Hawn.

See you all out there.
Dave T.

Fuel Prices

January Meeting:
At our next meeting, we are planning a little show and tell type of meeting.
If you are working on your project and got a part or some new set of plans or even a video, bring it on in to the next meeting and set it up for display.
It would be nice to see what is going on in the workshops of our fellow members.
So come on out, lets hope it is a little warmer.

Chapter Dues:
Membership form pdf, print this out and mail in or just fill in the interactive form and bring $20 to the next meeting if you are under 70 years of age.
A reminder that it is that time of the year again. Due to the increased costs of basically everything it was decided to raise the Chapter Dues to $20.00 per year. Dues are to be in by the end of January. A membership form was mailed in the newsletters last month to the members that don’t have E-mail access. For those reading this, please download the membership application. Now if for some reason you can’t down load the form, email Don Green or Dave Tulenko and one will be sent to you. In addition to the increase in dues, all members and Life Members must put down your EAA National Membership Number and the date that appears on your EAA Membership Card. This is very important because it has to be turned in yearly to Oshkosh.

EAA Recommendations Would Help Eliminate Aviation Medical Certificate Backlog
Proposal would aid FAA’s heightened efforts to solve dilemma
Pilots would see improved response times to their medical-certification and special-issuance applications, if policy and process changes proposed by the Experimental Aircraft Association are adopted by the Federal Aviation Administration. In a letter and supporting documents delivered to the FAA this week, EAA President Tom Poberezny recommended solutions to the backlog of applications for aeromedical certification. Delays in processing such applications, particularly special issuance paperwork, continue to be a vexing problem for FAA and the pilot community.

Aircraft Owners Need to Update Registrations by February 1, 2006
Aircraft owners and operators have until February 1, 2006 to ensure their aircraft registration information is properly completed and up to date (including address) or they may be denied access to the National Airspace System (NAS).

An FAA notice published in the Federal Register on December 9 indicates that FAA and TSA “will revitalize and refocus” U.S. airspace monitoring capabilities to ensure that each aircraft operating within the NAS has met all statutory, regulatory and certification requirements, effective February 1, 2006.

Nosedragger vs. Taildragger:
Why don’t they cost the same to insure?
By Bob Mackey
Falcon Insurance Agency, Inc.

It’s a fact: Insurance for a tailwheel airplane costs more than insurance for a nose-gear airplane. Why? Before you answer, first take a couple of steps back and look at some other facts.

In the 1950s Cessna and Piper each decided to begin building aircraft with nose gears in addition to conventional, or tail wheel aircraft. Two main reasons cited in aviation history books were easier takeoff and landing operations, which translated to safer new pilot training. Also, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, more and more airports were adding hard-surface runways, which any tailwheel pilot will tell you are less forgiving for conventional gear landings and taking offs. Keep in mind both Cessna and Piper were competing for the flight school and private ownership markets. Their marketing plans were designed to show their aircraft were easy and fun to fly. The subliminal message may have been that both Cessna and Piper wanted people to feel safer and more comfortable in their easier-to-fly airplanes.

PROP BUSTERS CLUB
If you are interested in some real affordable flying, contact Dick Hawkins (Prop Buster President)
or Tom Cucarese (Treasurer) 740 266-9305 for details on becoming a Prop Buster Member.
The airplane is a Cessna 150 and is based at the Jefferson County Airpark.
What does it cost to belong:
Initiation Fee $250.00
Dues: $200.00 a year
Aircraft Flying Rate: Per Hour $40.00 wet.
Your Flying Insurance is included in with your membership to the Flying Club.
So if you’re looking for very affordable flying, this is the group for you.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays