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EAA Welcomes Board Members For Annual Fall Meetings
This week EAA's Oshkosh headquarters welcomes the various boards of directors and councils of the Experimental Aircraft Association, along with its divisions and affiliates. These organization representatives meet through Saturday, including the annual EAA Sport Aviation Halls of Fame dinner and induction ceremony tonight, October 24. Organization leaders meeting at EAA this week include the EAA and EAA Foundation Boards; International Aerobatic Club (IAC) Board; EAA Homebuilt Aircraft Council; EAA Ultralight Council; Vintage Aircraft Association (VAA) Board; Warbirds of America Board; and the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) Board.

Saturday is Chemistry Day at EAA AirVenture Museum
Young people and everyone in the family can discover more about the fascinating worlds of chemistry and aviation as the EAA AirVenture Museum hosts “Chemistry Day at EAA” from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 25.
The event will be held in cooperation with the University of Wisconsin- Oshkosh and the American Chemical Society, in conjunction with National Chemistry Week (October 19-25). Learn how the worlds of flight and chemistry are very closely related, and how chemistry is an essential part of aviation.
(read more)

EAA's B-17 Tour Makes its Way Through Florida

EAA's Road to Kitty Hawk B-17 tour continues its journey through the state of Florida with a stop this weekend (October 24-26) at Fort Myers Page Field Airport (FMY). Next week, appearances and flights are slated at Naples Municipal Airport (APF) October 28-29; and at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE) October 31 and November 1-2. To reserve a spot on Aluminum Overcast, visit www.b17.org.

Q & A: Question of the Week
Question for EAA Aviation Information Services: I apologize if this seems a strange question. If I hold a sport pilot license, what are my cross-country restrictions? I know I can't fly at night or in to controlled airspace, A,B,C, or D. Is there any limit if I wanted to go from Colorado to Texas, as long as it was not through controlled airspace? If you could shed some light on this I would appreciate it.

Answer:
The basic sport pilot certificate will allow the pilot to fly in Class G and Class E airspace, up to 10,000 feet MSL or 2,500 feet AGL, whichever is higher. As you suggest, as long as the pilot stays outside Class D, C, and B airspace (and outside any other restricted airspace), he/she can go anywhere within the USA. Further, with additional training and the proper logbook endorsement from an authorized instructor, the sport pilot can operate within Class D, C, and B airspace (so long as the aircraft is properly equipped). If a sport pilot is anticipating a fair amount of cross-country flight, it would be valuable to undergo the additional training required for the endorsement. This would give the sport pilot additional flexibility in planning cross-country flights.

How can we help you?
To ask a question regarding government issues, e-mail govt@eaa.org. If you have a question about registration, airmen, aircraft and medical certification, safety records, performance, or any other matter, e-mail infoserv@eaa.org.

We are pleased to provide this info to EAA members as a membership benefit. To ensure that this service continues, renew your membership or join EAA today by calling 800/843-3612 or 920/426-5912.

Upcoming Workshops

November 7-9
Griffin (Atlanta area), GA
Topics: TIG Welding

November 8
Griffin (Atlanta area), GA
Topic: Test Flying Your Project

November 8-9
Griffin (Atlanta area), GA
Topic: Fabric Covering, Finishing and Spray Painting, Gas Welding, and What's Involved in Kitbuilding?

October 2003
EAA Desktop Calendar


Take a 1940s SNJ, insert a 1960s OSH VOR in the background and mix in the fact this photo was taken at the 21st Century AirVenture Oshkosh and you have a photo for the ages. You can put this on your desktop in no time - just visit the EAA website.

EAA's Official Electronic Newsletter
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2004 July 27-August 2

THE COUNT TOWARD 1 MILLION YOUNG EAGLES: 991,405!

October 24, 2003 Volume 3, Number 51

News You Can Use ---

EAA Young Eagles Program Enters the Final Stretch
Registrations Surpass 990,000!

Registration of the one millionth EAA Young Eagle is no longer a matter of “if” but “when.” The EAA Young Eagles Office reports that as of October 22, it had registered 990,000 EAA Young Eagles (and counting) into the World’s Largest Logbook and, given the current pace, will soon eclipse the goal of flying 1 million children ages 8-17. (You can follow the countdown of the final 10,000 kids on the EAA website, where the total is updated daily.) Back on July 31, 1992, the first Young Eagles flights occurred during

the program’s official launch conducted at EAA Oshkosh ‘92. EAA President Tom Poberezny made the initial flight in a Piper Twin Comanche, with his daughter, Lesley, first in the logbook. Eleven years, two months and three weeks later, more than 35,000 volunteer pilots, 50,000-plus ground volunteers, EAA members, Chapters, and supporting organizations have brought the total less than 10,000 children away from 1,000,000.
(read more)

Steve Fossett to Attempt Solo, Nonstop World Flight

Adventurist Steve Fossett, EAA 562868, the first and only man to circumnavigate Earth solo in a balloon, will attempt to do by himself what Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager accomplished together in 1986: pilot an aircraft nonstop around the world without refueling. Fossett, in collaboration with Virgin Atlantic Chairman Sir Richard Branson, will make his attempt in the jet-powered Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer. Rutan and Yeager accomplished their feat in the legendary, propeller-driven Voyager designed and built by Dick’s brother, Burt Rutan.
(read more)

EAA Applauds Loy Nomination as Deputy Secretary-DHS

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator Adm. James M. Loy was nominated yesterday by President Bush to serve as Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security. TSA Deputy Administrator Steve McHale will serve as acting TSA Administrator until a successor for Admiral Loy is announced.
During his tenure at TSA, Admiral Loy transformed the culture of the agency from an insular and at times reclusive organization to one with a strong sense of customer service and public outreach while maintaining it’s core security function. Throughout this period of change, EAA developed a strong working relationship with Admiral Loy and his staff, educating the agency to the sensitivities of general and recreational aviation, and often working in partnership to develop common sense solutions to GA security concerns without the need for unnecessary legislation or regulation.
(read more)

Sport Pilot Seminar Draws Aviation Enthusiasts

About 100 recreational aviation enthusiasts heard the very latest on sport pilot/light-sport aircraft from EAA’s Ron Wagner at Lakeland (Florida) Linder Regional Airport’s FAA Safety Center October 18. Wagner, aviation’s leading SP/LSA authority, thoroughly explained the rule, qualifying aircraft, and their effect on recreational aviation’s future during his morning keynote address. Following the presentation, Wagner led a 45-minute question and answer period.
The program, presented by EAA Chapter 454 and Sun ’n Fun, also included participation from the FAA and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

EAA Extends Condolences To USUA

EAA, along with the entire ultralight community, was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Richard “Rich” Pendergist, who has most recently served as executive vice president of the United States Ultralight Association (USUA). Pendergist, along with his passenger, Mike Moulds, was killed in the crash of his RANS S-12 on Saturday, October 18, while enjoying a fall color tour flight with a local USUA club. The cause of the crash remains undetermined. EAA offers its deepest condolences to the Pendergist and Moulds families and friends, as well to the USUA staff and its membership. Services for Rich Pendergist will be held on Thursday, October 30, with internment in Arlington National Cemetery. For more information, visit USUA’s website, www.usua.org.

Masters Offer Answers to Instructing Questions

A new feature of the NAFInet.org website allows NAFI members to enhance safety through the improvement of aviation education. “Ask the Masters” Network is designed to take advantage of the vast storehouse of knowledge, experience, and expertise within the Master Instructor corps. The network is available to any current NAFI member who has questions, needs advice, or just wants additional information about a particular subject. To take advantage of the new feature, visit www.nafinet.org.

Another Successful Fly-In for Copperstate

Figures released this week for the 31st annual Copperstate Regional EAA Fly-In show a very successful event at Phoenix Regional Airport, Casa Grande, Arizona, October 9-12. The fly-in experienced significant increases in attendance, aircraft, exhibitors, campers, and overall participation. Official attendance was 7,570 for the four days, a 10 percent increase over 2002. Exhibitor participation jumped 62 percent with 118 vendors. The number of campers increased 41 percent to 170, and EAA Young Eagles flown increased 215 percent.
(read more)

Flight Centennial Events Listed on ‘Countdown’ Website

Less than two months remain until the big centennial of powered flight celebration, and aviation enthusiasts, led by EAA Chapters, are busy planning special events and commemorations in honor of Wilbur and Orville Wright’s grand achievement. With EAA’s Calendar of Events Online Submittal form, EAA provides a way to list centennial celebration events on the Countdown to Kitty Hawk website. Preliminary indications are that a slew of events are planned between now and the centennial, December 17, 2003. (read more)

EAA Centennial Homebuilt of the Week

Bob Danner, EAA 354273, Rock Springs, Wisconsin, flew his Cessna 172 to EAA Oshkosh in 1994, taxied over to Steve Wittman’s house and bought a set of Tailwind plans! He finished the aircraft this year, the 50th anniversary of the design, in the 100th year of powered flight, making this a very special commemorative Tailwind indeed. N2003S is powered by a Lycoming O-320, cruises at about 180 mph and, says Bo, is “a very nice airplane to fly.” Read more about the project. EAA now has about 200 registered centennial homebuilts featured on the EAA website. To read all about them and the program, visit www.eaa.org/homebuilders/centennial.asp.

Timeless Voice of the Week
William “Bill” Bergner, Jr., Milwaukee, Wisconsin, became interested in aviation as a young boy listening to his father talk about aerial battles overhead when he was a Veterinary Assistant with the 13th Artillery Veterinary Hospital in France during World War I. Bill’s own aviation career was as a “Mickey operator” with the 327th Bomb Squadron in the 92nd Bomb Group, 8th Air Force during World War II. And what exactly is a Mickey operator? Find out by reading the rest of Bill’s story on the Timeless Voices website.

On The Flight Line ---

Eclipse Retires First Test Bed
Eclipse Aviation Corporation, maker of the Eclipse 500 jet, retired Aircraft 100, its first test aircraft after successfully completing its 54-hour test program. Testing confirmed that the Eclipse 500 requires no significant redesigns and remains on track for certification in 2006. “This airplane has not only enabled our engineers to validate all of the aerodynamic data that was predicted in the wind tunnel, but has also given us the valuable information we need to start building our certification and production aircraft,” said Vern Raburn, president and CEO of Eclipse Aviation. On every test flight, engineers examined more than 600 aircraft parameters in real-time and record 5-6 gigabytes of data for analysis - 10 times more data than traditional aircraft development programs. As a result, Aircraft 100’s 54 flight-hours produced as much information as would normally require 150 to 200 flight-hours. For more information, visit www.eclipseaviation.com

Express Aircraft Company New Owner/Management
Express Aircraft Company, LLC announced that the husband and wife team of Roy Davis and Nancy Moon has acquired the company’s assets. Davis, who has 30 years of project engineering and small-business start-up experience, will assume the role of president. EAC manufactures kits for the high-performance, composite-construction 2000FT and 2000RG aircraft. Express suffered a setback when President Larry Olson was killed in an airplane crash en route to EAA AirVenture this past summer. The crash occurred on takeoff from Aberdeen, South Dakota, when the aircraft, a turbine-powered prototype not representative of the kits currently sold by EAC, lost power. Davis commented, “I want to tighten the focus of EAC around building a first-class kit for the 2000FT fixed gear and the 2000RG retractable models, doing a good job of supporting customers through the Builder Assist Program, and getting those planes flying. The turbine-powered model is off the radar at this point, and I want to concentrate on basic planes that low-time pilots like myself feel safe in even under IFR conditions.” For more information on EAC, visit www.express-aircraft.com.

New Glastar Ships First Sportsman 2 + 2 Kit
A surge in orders during and following EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2003 motivated New Glastar to bring its new Sportsman 2+2 aircraft from concept to first kit shipment in record time. The first 2+2 kit shipped in mid-October, to a New Hampshire builder. The Sportsman was first conceived as an expanded Glastar, but soon became a unique design. It has a longer fuselage with a third door; 37 cubic feet of storage space behind the pilot’s seat; place for two removable extra seats for people up to 5 feet tall. The wings have more ribs, flaps with longer chord, heftier spars and thicker skins. Gross weight of the Sportsman is 340 over the Glastar and the aircraft is designed for 180 to 200 hp engines. The airplane can be flown as a trike, tailwheel, straight or amphibious floatplane and it can be put on skis. For more information, visit www.newglasair.com or call 306/435-8533.

Diamond Announces Fixed-Pitch Option for DA40-180 Diamond Star
In response to frequent inquiries from flight training institutions, Diamond unveiled a new, fixed-pitch version of its Diamond Star, the “FP,” at the annual University Aviation Association fall conference in Dayton, Ohio. The new model will reduce acquisition and operating costs, while continuing to meet the requirements of flight training operations. For example, the Diamond Star FP, powered by the carbureted 180 hp Lycoming O360A4M driving a fixed-pitch metal Sensenich prop, is more than $10,000 less than the current DA40 Diamond Star, which uses a 180 hp, fuel-injected Lycoming IO360 engine with a hydraulic prop governor and an MT or Hartzell constant speed propeller. The changes also have a significant impact on overhaul costs, especially important to high utilization operators. To learn more, visit www.diamondair.com or call 888-359-3220.

Lancair Rolls Out Columbia 350s
The Lancair Company began delivering its new, all-electric Lancair Columbia 350 this week following FAA certification of the aircraft’s S-TEC autopilot and the Avidyne FlightMax Entegra primary (PFD) and multi-function (MFD) glass cockpit displays. The company has been building the aircraft since the summer and the factory is “literally bursting at the seams with aircraft that are ready to go to our customers,” according to Lancair Vice President of Sales & Marketing Mark Cahill. The four-place Columbia 350 is an evolution of the normally aspirated, 310-hp Columbia 300. It cruises at 190 knots with a 1,200-plus-mile range. The company plans to deliver three or more Columbia 350s per week. “We have added personnel to our pilot training program to handle the increased volume of deliveries,” Cahill continued. “We’re looking forward to seeing a lot of aircraft fly away in the coming weeks.” In addition to added pilot training personnel, The Lancair Company has also extended its training program by a day to provide more depth of instruction on the aircraft’s sophisticated avionics systems. To learn more about the aircraft, visit www.lancair.com.

Aircraft Spruce Offers Full Color Pilot Supply Catalog
Aircraft Spruce & Specialty has developed a new, free, full-color catalog featuring a wide variety of pilot supplies. A leading supplier of aviation products since 1965, Aircraft Spruce will offer handheld GPS and nav/coms; JPI and Electronics International engine monitors and scanners; headsets; intercoms; flight bags; plotters; computers; laminated check lists; folding bikes; oxygen systems; windsocks; survival gear; flight jackets; scheyden sunglasses; weather stations; flashlights; Jeppesen and ASA flight training products; aviation software and simulators; charts; videos; books; and much more. TO get your free copy, contact Aircraft Spruce & Specialty, P.O. Box 4000 Corona, California, 92880 or phone 1.877.4SPRUCE, or visit www.AircraftSpruce.com.

AeroTraderOnline.com Launches New Website
On-line aircraft classified advertising website AeroTraderOnline.com recently launched its new and improved redesign. The site offers aircraft enthusiasts the option to search through hundreds of aircrafts, find a dealer, sell an aircraft, take a virtual tour, browse through the new model manufacturer showcase, or take advantage of the numerous other resources available. The website receives over 2 million visitors and more than 4.5 million searches a year. For more information contact David Bingham CMEL, SEL, CFI, Business Development Manager at 757-321-8439.

1940 Houston Terminal Renovation Nearly Completed
The Houston Aeronautical Heritage Society is nearing completion of the first phase of restoration of Houston, Texas’ 1940 Air Terminal, located on the west side of Hobby Airport. The terminal served as Houston’s passenger gateway from 1940 through 1954. The Terminal will eventually be open to the public as the 1940 Air Terminal Museum showcasing airline, business aviation and general aviation history. The building, vacant since the mid 1970s, will host a Centennial of Flight Celebration and museum sneak preview on Wednesday, December 17 beginning at 9 a.m. CT. It will have its Grand Opening (North Wing) on January 9, 2004. For details, visit www.1940AirTerminal.org.

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