Weeks Hangar Open House, 'Open Cockpit Day' at EAA 
Enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour of EAA's aircraft maintenance and restoration center during the Kermit Weeks Hangar Open House this Saturday, March 12, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. This is a great opportunity to see a facility that is normally closed to the public and to learn from staff and volunteers about the fascinating work that goes on in EAA’s main restoration and maintenance facility. Admission is free to EAA members and included with paid Museum admission for non-members. Fly-in visitors are welcome to park on the Weeks Hangar ramp.

Also Saturday, EAA AirVenture Museum will have an Open Cockpit Day, allowing special access to many beautiful airplanes in the collection. The public is invited to actually sit in the cockpit of several aircraft, including the North American B-25; North American P-64; EAA Acrosport I; Harlow PJC-2; Hawker Hunter trainer; North American F-100; and North American T-28. Cockpits open to inspection include The Culver PQ-14; Grumman J2F-6 Duck; VanGrunsven RV-3; Monnett Moni; Taylor Aerocar; Little Audrey; Pober Pixie; and the Fairchild FC-2-W Mail Plane.


  

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EAA AirVenture Oshkosh News AirVenture Cup - A One-Day Speed Dash EAA’s annual air race for homebuilts, the EAA AirVenture Cup, is now accepting entries for its eighth running. The one-day speed dash begins at Ohio’s Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport (MGY) on July 24. The racecourse has two pylon turns, one at Whiteside County Airport in Sterling, Illinois, and the other in Rockford, Illinois. Then it’s straight to the finish line just outside Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. (read more) More Air Show Performers Confirmed for EAA AirVenture The EAA has received confirmation from more of the world’s top air show performers that they will fly at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2005, scheduled for July 25-31 at Wittman Regional Airport. Also, one of the most popular EAA AirVenture attractions, the Harrier jump jet will appear during the week. (Times to be determined.) (read more) Flying Into EAA AirVenture Just Got Easier A RIPON intersection has been created to help GPS-equipped pilots fly directly to the start of the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh VFR arrival route. In addition, the official EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2005 Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), now at FAA for final review and approval, will include streamlined arrival procedures. (read more) Whether you're looking for a ride to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh or wish to offer one to another aviation enthusiast, visit EAA's RideShare on the EAA AirVenture website. New on www.airventure.org...Interactive Poll Next time you visit the AirVenture website, we invite you to participate in the weekly online EAA AirVenture poll. We start things off with the following question: What specific aircraft coming to EAA AirVenture 2005 are you anticipating the most? Check it out today!

EAA Chapter 501 Awarded $10,000 Grant
For the past three years, EAA Chapter 501 in Lincoln Park, New Jersey, has flown several Young Eagles from the Green Residential Community, a local juvenile detention home, in an effort to reward at-risk young people for good behavior. The so-called “Green Eagles” program was featured in an EAA in Action feature story in the August 2003 Sport Aviation. On April 17, Chapter 501 and the Green Eagles will be included in a feature story in the USA Weekend magazine, as they were one of this year’s 10 groups selected to receive a Make a Difference Day award and $10,000 grant from Gannett Newspapers and the Paul Newman Foundation.
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Sport Pilot Application/Certification Form Available
The form that sport pilot examiners and instructors use when issuing sport pilot certificates - 8710-11, “Airman Certification and/or Rating Application - Sport Pilot” - is now available for download on the FAA website as a PDF file. As of the end of February, 104 sport pilot knowledge tests have been taken with a pass rate of 92 percent, and a total of 52 other sport pilot general knowledge tests have been administered to sport pilot examiners and instructors with no failures, reports Martin Weaver, manager of the FAA’s Light-Sport Aviation Branch in Oklahoma City.
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U.S. Aerobatic Team in Need of Support
With soldiers' needs for C-5A military transport aircraft in Iraq a top priority, the U.S. Aerobatic Team members will have to find another way to get themselves and their airplanes to the 2005 World Championships, scheduled for June 22 through July 2, in Burgos, Spain. Without the military airlift they've had in the past, the cost of transporting the U.S. team and aircraft and competing at the World Championships is estimated at $20,000 to $30,000 per member. About 80 of the world's best pilots will compete in an Olympics-style competition that in the past has been dominated by Russia and France. For more information on the team, or to make a donation, visit the U.S. Team’s website, www.usaerobaticteam.com.

Special Sport Pilot Presentation In Watsonville, CA
EAA invites EAA and NAFI members in the Watsonville, California area to attend a special sport pilot presentation--Sport Pilot: A Member Briefing--given by Mark Forss of EAA's Aviation Services and hosted by EAA Chapter 119 at the Watsonville Municipal Airport on Friday evening, March 18. The program, which runs from 7:30 to 9 p.m., is an excellent opportunity to hear the latest on the new Sport Pilot rules and get your Sport Pilot questions answered by an EAA staff member well-versed in the new rules. The presentation is free for EAA and NAFI members and their guests, though pre-registration is required. To register, call 800-JoinEAA (800/564-6322). For more details, visit the SportAir Workshops website.

Reminder: EAA Art Contest Entries Due March 25
Just a reminder to all planning to enter the 29th Annual Sport Aviation Art Competition (age 18 and older) and the EAA Youth Art Competition (ages through 17, the deadline for entries is March 25, 2005. For more information and entry forms, visit www.airventuremuseum.org/art, or contact Mary McKeown at 920/426-6880.

Julie Clark Hosts 'High-Flying' Program At EAA
Julie Clark, who over the past 25 years has become known one of the world’s most dazzling air show performers, will host a special presentation at the EAA AirVenture Museum at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 19. The program celebrating National Women’s History Month is included with museum admission and is free of charge for EAA members.
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Five Eclipse Test Aircraft in Final Assembly Positions
Five of Eclipse Aviation’s seven test aircraft are now in final assembly positions, the company reported this week. Vertical fins and horizontal stabilizers for its entire flight-test fleet, including instrumentation and strain gauges, are completed. The upper and lower cabin assemblies for the test aircraft, N505EA and N506EA, were recently joined, while aircraft N502EA and N504EA are being instrumented for flight-testing. These test aircraft will join N503EA, which entered flight-testing on December 31, 2004. N502EA, slated to enter flight-testing in April, is undergoing PW610F engine installation checks and fitting of the nacelles. Total test time for all engines, including time in the test cell, on the flying test bed, and on N503EA, has reached 780 hours. In addition, Eclipse’s second friction-stir welding gantry is operational. With an additional 24 inches of “Z” height over the first gantry, the new gantry provides greater flexibility in joining parts. For more information, visit www.eclipseaviation.com.

Bellanca-Champion Club 2005 Fly-In Schedule 
The 1,600-member Bellanca-Champion Club’s 2005 fly-ins include: Sun ’n Fun 2005 April 12-18, at the Vintage Aircraft Type Club Tent; Two forums on Thursday April 14; Champs, Citabrias, Decathlons, Scouts at 1 p.m.; Bellancas with Dan Cullman at 12 p.m. Bellanca-Champion Club West Coast Fly-In, June 10-12 at Columbia, California. Activities include flying, eating, education, and socializing. AirVenture Oshkosh 2005 July 25-31: At the big ‘type-club’ circus tent during the entire event, just south of EAA Vintage Aircraft’s Little Red Barn. Two forums, see club website and April newsletter for details. Bellanca-Champion Club East Coast Fly-In, mid-September to early October, Pottstown Municipal Airport Pennsylvania. Details announced after EAA AirVenture. For more information, contact Robert Szego, 518-731-6800, or e-mail robert@bellanca-championclub.com.

Civil Air Patrol Acquires Aerial Imaging
Civil Air Patrol officially rolled out the nation's first fully operational hyperspectral imaging system during a ceremony March 2 at the Ft. Belvoir Davison Army Air Field near Washington, D.C. The new high-tech aerial imaging system, dubbed ARCHER for Airborne Real-time Cueing Hyperspectral Enhanced Reconnaissance, will make CAP more effective in its search and rescue, disaster relief, counterdrug and homeland security missions. Hyperspectral imaging equipment allows CAP aircraft to identify an object on the ground as small as one meter in size, from half a mile in the air. Support and assistance provided by the Naval Research Laboratory, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and the Coast Guard Research and Development Center, the largest interagency project in CAP's 63-year history. Others involved were Gippsland Aeronautics, providing the aerial platform for the system with its GA-8 Airvan; NovaSol Corporation of Honolulu provided hardware; and Space Computer Corporation of Los Angeles provided the software. For more information, visit www.cap.gov.

Aero-Lift Could Alleviate U.S. T-Hangar Shortage
Results of a study conducted by ARM Aerospace and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University found that use of its Aero-Lift and High Density Hangar (HDH) solutions could drastically reduce the acute space shortage in our nation’s hangars. The study found that that the occupancy rate for T-hangars is approximately 98 percent, and the typical waiting list exceeds current hangar inventory by 42 percent. GA T-hangars at general aviation airports within 30 miles of Class B airports were surveyed with 103 airports responding. ARM’s solutions allow aircraft to be “racked and stacked,” which dramatically increases the number of aircraft that can be accommodated in existing hangars. For more on ARM, visit www.armaerospace.com, or call 520/886-7329.

Large Biplane Fly-In at Fantasy of Flight March 26
Members of the Florida Antique Biplane Association (FABA) will fly into Kermit Weeks’ Fantasy of Flight, Polk City, Florida, on Saturday March 26. Dozens of brightly colored, multi-winged vintage planes are expected to fly in throughout the morning. Museum visitors can enjoy their arrival and see these beautiful classics up close while on the ramp. Only members of FABA will be able to fly into Fantasy of Flight on March 26. To learn more, visit www.fantasyofflight.com.

FAA Honors Aviat’s Albert Humbert 
The FAA recently created a special award to honor Aviat Aircraft’s Albert Humbert for “Outstanding Achievement,” recognizing “Exceptional Performance as a Designated Manufacturing Inspection Representative (DMIR)”. Humbert completed a Request for Conformity for a flap and aileron modification to Aviat’s Husky by the Seattle Manufacturing Inspection District Office (MIDO). His submission was so thorough and accurate that the MIDO manager began showing the documents around the office, and distributed them as a standard to be emulated by other DMIRs. The report required checking all dimensions and materials for conformity to the blueprints and processing unsatisfactory conditions with staff engineers to develop satisfactory conditions. It also included an engineering report on how the flaps and ailerons would be submitted to static tests and test results. For more information on Aviat visit www.AviatAircraft.com.

N-Numbers, Placards Available at SportFlyingShop.com 
The new sport pilot/light sport aircraft rule requires all light-sport aircraft to install N-numbers (3-inch high) as well as other placards, including 2-inch high 'EXPERIMENTAL' placards (in the case of Experimental-LSA's) or 2-inch high 'LIGHT-SPORT' placards (in the case of Special-LSA's). SportFlyingShop.com has in-house N-number computer cutting services with next/same day shipping of any N-numbers in 3-inch and 12-inch sizes. EXPERIMENTAL and LIGHT-SPORT placards are in stock. All placards and N-number strips are prepared pre-spaced with a transfer sheet for easy application. To learn more, visit www.sportflyingshop.com/Placards/placards.html.

Avidyne FlightMax Entegra Training Video at Sporty's
Flying the Avidyne FlightMax Entegra shows what it's like to fly with this innovative, glass cockpit technology. The DVD features a new Cirrus SR-22 emulating real-world use and practical applications. Host Richard L. Collins explains the system’s features and how to maximize its capabilities. You will learn the seamless integration of dual Garmin GNS 430 GPS receivers, an S-TEC 55X autopilot and a Skywatch traffic system. A Cirrus Standardized CFI specializing in Technically Advanced Aircraft discusses what it takes to transition to glass cockpits and what challenges to expect. This DVD is required viewing for anyone considering transitioning to the Avidyne glass cockpit. To order yours, visit www.sportys.com or call 800/SPORTYS.