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Vol. 11, No. 10 - November 2009
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:
Calendar of
Events
:
Speakers
Bureau
: Chapter
Locator
: Resource
Forms
: Labels
and Lists
: Promotional
Materials
: Reference
Papers
: Online
Insurance Form |
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:
Email chapters@eaa.org
: Phone 920-426-4876
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Jan. 22-24, 2010
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Feb. 26-28, 2010
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Mar. 26-28, 2010
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Sept. 17-19, 2010
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Oct. 15-17, 2010
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For reservations or more
information: chapters@eaa.org
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Sport Air Workshops
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: January 15-17, 2010 - E-LSA
Airplane Repair-Inspection
Watsonville, CA
: January 16-17, 2010 -
Van's
RV Assembly
Watsonville, CA
: January 16-17, 2010
- Composite
Construction, Fabric
Covering, Electrical
Systems & Avionics, Sheet
Metal, Test
Flying Your Project, What's
Involved In Kit Building
Prescott, AZ
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Welcome to the November
edition of EAA Chapter e-Gram |
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As hard as it is to believe,
2009 is beginning to draw to a close and the holiday
season is just around the corner. While the calendar is in
conflict with the unseasonably warm weather we've
experienced in Oshkosh recently, there are a few other
signs that winter will soon be upon us. Pioneer Airport is
buttoned up for the winter, the Ford Tri-Motor is tucked
away for maintenance and the B-17 will return in a few
more weeks from its annual tour. While our maintenance
crews ready the aircraft for another season, our Aircraft
Operations team is already planning the schedules for
2010. We extend a sincere thank you to the chapters that
hosted a B-17 or Tri-Motor tour stop this year. The tours
have been successful and we hope to be able to bring our
flying fleet to an airport near you soon.
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November also marks election
month. Many chapters are in the process of selecting their
leadership for the upcoming year. To the outgoing
officers, we offer our gratitude for all your work in
support of your chapter. The success of a chapter, or any
volunteer-run organization, is dependent on the
individuals who step into leadership roles. Thank you.
For incoming officers, we
extend our congratulations as you begin a leadership role.
EAA headquarters has resources available to help you in your
new role. One of the best ways we can assist you and
your chapter is through the Chapter Leaders Academy. The
next session will be held January 22-24, 2010, with
additional sessions in February and March. Please consider
attending; I promise it will be an informative weekend
and, according to past attendees, you'll walk away with
some new ideas to help your chapter reach even greater
success in the years to come.
As we've read in your
newsletters, numerous annual banquets will be held in the
next few weeks. The chapter recognition materials are
being prepared and should be in the mail by the end of
next week (November 20). You should have them in time for
your banquet, but if you have any questions before then,
give us a call or send an e-mail to chapters@eaa.org.
Steve Buss,
EAA Chapter Manager |
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WEBINAR
FOR CHAPTER TREASURERS - DECEMBER 2, 2009 |
A
chapter treasurer's role has always been important, but
as the Internal Revenue Service places increasing
scrutiny on not-for-profit and non-profit groups, that
role takes on even greater importance. To help chapter
treasurers keep up with the changes in IRS regulations,
EAA will host a special "webinar" on Wednesday
evening, December 2, 2009, at 7 p.m. CST. Patti Arthur,
who serves on the EAA Legal Advisory Council, will host
this online session. Patti has long been an advocate for
chapters and has assisted many in filing for 501 (c)3
status (non-profit). She has also helped other chapters
with tax-related questions and concerns.
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encourage all chapter treasurers to join the online
session. All you need is a reliable internet connection
to participate. The technology is simple and we'll help
walk you through it. Details on how to participate will
be sent directly to chapter treasurers next week.
In addition, Patti has
also written a brief
paper on recordkeeping for state agencies. It is
recommended reading for chapter treasurers and
presidents. |
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FEATURED
NEWSLETTERS |
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This month we head to the
Seattle area and feature EAA
Chapter 1440's newsletter, the Evergreen
Aviator. The newsletter includes some great flying
adventures and photos. From the Northwest, we head to
Tennessee and EAA Chapter
863 and the Aviator
in Lebanon. They have a busy schedule coming up and their
annual "Warm Wings" coat drive. You'll also
enjoy photos from the chapter's Fall Classic fly-in. |
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| GOOGLE
VOICE |
| Here's
a great tip suggested by two members, Paul Dowgewicz,
EAA Chapter 1310 (East Windsor, Conn.) and Bill Irving,
Chapter 272 (Duluth, Minn.). Google Voice can provide
chapters with the option of having a chapter telephone
number without the expense of a physical phone line. |
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| Google
Voice is an Internet-based phone forwarding service.
Google Voice gives you a separate phone number which you
can give out as if it is your regular phone number. You
can then change your settings to have calls forward to
any other phone number.
For example, you could
establish a chapter phone number through Google Voice.
When someone calls that number, you can set the service
to forward the call to another number, like the
president's home. It can also go directly to voice mail
and then the system will send an SMS message or an email
whenever you get a voice mail message. You can check the
voice mail from the Web or from your phone. Google Voice
is free except for international calls and currently
available in the US only. For more details, visit the Google
website. |
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EXCITING
CHANGES AHEAD FOR EAA'S PUBLICATIONS |
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In January 2010, the new EAA
Sport Aviation magazine launches with a new look and
feel, re-tooled content, and other new and exciting
changes to better serve EAA's diverse membership of
builders, restorers, pilots, and enthusiasts. EAA's
flagship publication incorporates many of the findings
received from our extensive member surveys.
This new direction also
marks the end of Sport Pilot & Light-Sport Aircraft
magazine. Content from that publication will be
incorporated into the new Sport Aviation, plus a
new sport pilot/ultralight e-newsletter, Light Plane
World, is in development with a planned launch in
January. Click
here for more details and frequently asked questions
about these important changes. |
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| "AFTER
5" BRINGS COMMUNITY TOGETHER |
| Looking
for a unique way to bring the community to your
doorstep? Tom Chudy, of EAA Chapter 1365 (Mauston,
Wis.), sent us the following idea:
"Community is our
chapter's theme - it has been since day one. Between
Young Eagles and our annual fly-in, many people enjoy
our chapter's activities and actually know where the
airport is located! It makes it harder for them to say
'no' when it comes time for expansion or improvements.
"Our Chamber of
Commerce hosts a monthly 'After 5' program, which is a
gathering of area business people. Hosting this kind of
event at the airport provides another opportunity to
talk about the benefits the airport provides and answer
questions concerning the airport. It's working for our
community!"
Many cities host similar
networking events. Check with your Chamber of Commerce
or other civic/service organization to see if your
chapter and airport can host one of these community
gatherings. |
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| CHAPTER
PROGRAM SUGGESTIONS |
| One
of the lessons we have learned through the Chapter
Leaders Academy is chapters that plan their programs in
advance and publicize them to their members often have
greater membership and attendance at meetings. Another
key is to vary the topic from month to month, balancing
education, aviation, and social events. Jim Smith, EAA
Chapter 1246 (McKinney, Texas), recently forwarded a
listing of program and activity suggestions he gleaned
from the calendar of events. There are many more, but as
you begin planning for 2010, here are some effective
"thought-starters": |
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- Bring a Friend
Night - Ask members to bring a friend to the
monthly meeting. Have a special drawing for a nice
(expensive) gift for both the member and his/her
friend.
- Builder's Nights
- Take time to view other members airplanes during
the construction process, learn building techniques.
- Annual Fall Family
Picnic - Many chapters hold an annual banquet,
but a picnic, especially in fall, might be a nice
way to involve the entire family.
- Field Trips -
Tour local aircraft-related companies, FAA control
tower, aviation museums.
- The Event Squadron
- Members meet at the local airport and fly out to
various aviation events as a group. This is also an
opportunity to invite those without airplanes, or
visitors to share a ride.
- 1st Saturday Coffee
and Donuts - Sponsored by a different member
every month in their hangar.
- 2nd Saturday Dawn
Patrol - An early morning fly-out for breakfast.
There are many more
ideas, so feel free to share your chapter's best program
or activity. We'll continue the discussion on Oshkosh365. |
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| USEFUL
LINKS |
| Here
are a few links you might find useful from the chapter
website:
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| CHAPTER
AWARDS |
| Each
summer, the EAA Chapter Office recognizes outstanding
volunteers in several areas. Awards include the Major
Achievement awards and recognition of the top chapter
newsletters and websites. The Young Eagles office also
presents awards during AirVenture each year. Read
more about this year's recipients.
Nominations for the 2010
awards will open after the first of the year, but now is
a good time to start thinking about deserving volunteers
in your chapter and begin preparing a nomination
package. |
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| SPECIAL
OFFER FOR CHAPTERS - WORLD OF FLIGHT CALENDAR 2010 |
| Each
year EAA is pleased to offer chapters the opportunity to
purchase the EAA World of Flight Calendar at
specially discounted prices. The calendars make an
excellent gift for your fellow aviators or simply to
enjoy yourself. Information packages containing the
details of this year's calendar order offer were
recently mailed. Your chapter president should have the
information for your chapter's next meeting. |
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| Don't
delay in placing your order as calendar supplies are
limited! For pricing information or more details,
contact us at chapters@eaa.org,
or call 920-426-4876. |
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| OCTOBER
CHAPTER LEADERS ACADEMY |
| EAA
welcomed 24 leaders representing 16 chapters to EAA
headquarters in Oshkosh for another productive Chapter
Leaders Academy, October 23-25. Participants arrived
from British Columbia, Ontario, California, Mississippi,
Massachusetts, North Carolina, Ohio, Michigan, and
Wisconsin. These sessions provide opportunities for
members to share their success stories, learn from one
another's experiences, and get better acquainted with
EAA staff members. Read
more |
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| SEARCH
NO MORE FOR A DAR |
| EAA
maintains a list, by state, of both amateur-built and
light-sport aircraft Designated Airworthiness
Representatives (DARs). You can find the listing on the
Sport Pilot web site. These lists provide one-stop
referral of all the DARs in your area. To find the
listing go to http://www.sportpilot.org/resources/dar.html
then select either Special Light-Sport Aircraft DARs;
Experimental Light-Sport Aircraft DARs; or Experimental
Amateur-Built Aircraft DARs. |
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| WHAT
TO DO WITH OLDER ISSUES OF SPORT AVIATION? |
| A
suggestion from our recent Chapter Leaders Academy came
from Penny Bowman, EAA Chapter 106 (greater Boston
area). The chapter takes surplus copies of the magazine
to area doctor's offices. But before they leave them,
they put a label on the magazine with meeting and
contact information, so anyone who is interested knows
how to contact the chapter. |
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| "CHAPTER
A DAY" - EAA CHAPTER 59 |
| Many
of you are familiar with EAA Radio, which provides live
coverage from the flightline during EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh. This year the radio staff dedicated a segment
of time each day to feature an EAA chapter. Since the
week goes by so quickly, we'll share the "Chapter a
Day" segments with you in the next few issues of
Chapter e-gram. This month, it's EAA Chapter 59, of
Waco, Texas. The interview (runtime: 11:58) features
Chapter 59 director John Botsford discussing the
chapter's successful recruiting efforts. Listen
to the interview. |
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| SKILES
TO SPEAK AT EAA WRIGHT BROTHER MEMORIAL BANQUET |
| Jeff
Skiles, Young Eagles co-chairman and First Officer of US
Airways Flight 1549, will be the keynote speaker at
EAA's 7th Annual Wright Brothers Memorial Banquet
scheduled for Friday, December 18, at the EAA AirVenture
Museum's Eagle Hangar in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
The dinner celebrates the
106th anniversary of Orville and Wilbur Wright's first
successful powered flight on December 17, 1903. Tickets
are $35 per person for EAA members and can be obtained
at EAA's
secure website. For more information call
920-426-6880. Cocktails and a cash bar will be open at 6
p.m. with dinner served at 7 p.m. |
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| SONEX
DVD AVAILABLE FOR CHAPTER MEETINGS |
| Mark
Schaible from Sonex Aircraft, LLC, recently told us that
they have produced a new version of their company DVD
video entitled "The Sonex Story." The new DVD
features new footage, superb editing, and detailed
information about the company's products. Sonex Aircraft
would like to put a free copy in every EAA chapter
library. To request a copy, send an e-mail to sales@sonexaircraft.com,
and don't forget to include your EAA chapter's mailing
address. |
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