The aftereffects of Hurricane Helene concerned members of the Experimental Aircraft Association for their planned Fly-In Drive-In event.

As luck would have it the Leesburg International Airport in Leesburg FL suffered no damage and Saturday morning September 28, 2024 blessed them with beautiful flying weather.

The storm that pummeled the west coast of Florida and a large area of the panhandle treated this part of Central Florida more gently, with a few rain squalls and winds in the 50-miles per-hour range.

Some area pilots must have still felt a bit skittish about pulling their planes out of their hangars and making the trip because only three aircraft showed up.

However, the large grassy area opposite the EAA Chapter 534 hangar filled up fast. It’s a good thing this event was billed as both a Fly-In and a Drive-In.

One attendee pulled in asking where the Leesburg Air Show was. When told there was no air show here today, he was quite perplexed because it stated on his cell phone that there was a show today. When he looked more closely at it, he discovered the air show was at the Leesburg International Airport in Leesburg VA.  Realizing that he could not make the show in time, he opted to attend the EAA Chapter 534 Fly-In breakfast instead.

Counting attendees and members there were about 60 folks who took full advantage of the blueberry pancakes, sausages and all the breakfast treats.

Tables and chairs were set up in tents in front of the hangar to shield everybody from the hot FL sun. Old friends and new friends got together and swapped a lot of flying stories and had a good time.

EAA Chapter 534 hosts two Fly-In Drive-Ins each year, in the spring and in the fall.  As this is a fundraiser, donations are appreciated and the money raised is used to support the chapter’s youth programs and projects being worked on at the hangar.

If you want more information about EAA and Chapter 534 you may go to the following web sites. < www.eaa.org> and www.eaachapter534.org

The post EAA Chapter 534 Holds FLY-IN Drive-IN At Leesburg International Airport appeared first on South Lake Tablet.

It was a hot, humid, sunny morning with a few puffy clouds in the sky when 20 Young Eagles took to the sky in general aviation aircraft.

It was Saturday, September 7, when this group of young people converged at the EAA hangar at the Leesburg International Airport to experience the joy of flight in a small single-engine airplane.

This was the Fall opening of the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 534’s monthly Young Eagle Rally.

Starting shortly after 8:30 a.m. the parking lot opposite the hangar began to fill up and kids streamed into the hangar to sign up for some flying fun.

They were followed by excited and anxious parents to see what this event held in store for their children.

For some of these young people, this would be the first time they had ever flown in any airplane. For others, it was a chance to have another entry in their Young Eagle logbook.

What is this Young Eagle mania all about, some people might ask?

This is a free experience to introduce young people ages 8 to 17 to what it is like to be able to step into one of these small planes and experience the wonder of flight.

These flights are provided by EAA all over the world through their local chapters. To date, over 2 million Young Eagle flights have taken place.

The motivation for doing this is to acquaint young people with the freedom and experience of flying. The hope is that one day, as they mature, they might want to become licensed private pilots or kindle an interest in some other area of aerospace.

Some of the other free perks Young Eagles acquire, other than a Commemorative Certificate of their flight this day and a log book signed by their pilot are too numerous to enumerate. 

Young Eagles or parents are encouraged to visit the Young Eagles website for the complete list of advantages open to them. < www.youngeagles.org>

Becoming a Young Eagle unlocks a lot of advantages for them, such as a free Sporty’s online Learn to Fly Course to learn the basic knowledge they would have to know to pass a Federal Aviation Administration written exam. Furthermore, EAA will reimburse the student upon successful completion of the test.

After completing the first three volumes of Sporty’s Learn to Fly Course, they are entitled to one free flight lesson at a flight school of their choice.

EAA also sponsors Scholarships to learn how to fly such as the Ray Aviation Flight Scholarship which will award up to $11,000 to be used for flight instruction. These are awarded through qualified local chapters to young people ages 15 for gliders and 16 to19 for a private pilot’s license.

To date, EAA Chapter 534 has been honored to award six of the Ray Aviation Scholarships, resulting in six new licensed pilots.

If you are the parents of a young person who has a strong interest in aviation, the type that will never miss a chance to look skyward at the sound of an airplane overhead, you should contact your local EAA Chapter to see what they have to offer.

On this day at the Leesburg International Airport, the chapter provided seven EAA pilots and their private planes to fly the Young Eagles. There is never any charge for this. They volunteer their time and pay for their fuel.

The chapter also provided eight other members to handle the paperwork, run the computer, and explain the building projects going on in the hangar to the kids and their parents.

If you would like more information about National EAA or EAA Chapter 534 please go to the following websites; www.EAA.org and www.EAAchapter534.org

The post Young Eagles Fly At EAA Chapter 534 In Florida appeared first on South Lake Tablet.

Five years ago, Rosie Rivera had her first flight in a general aviation plane. On September 16, 2023 she was in the pilot’s seat when Chapter 534 of the Experimental Aircraft Association held a Young Eagles Rally at Leesburg International Airport.

It was a warm sunny Florida morning in Leesburg, FL when eight eager and excited kids entered the EAA Chapter Hangar along with their parents and friends to take part in the September Young Eagles Rally.

These Young Eagles events are sponsored by local EAA Chapters throughout the world to introduce young people ages 8 to 17 to the joy of flying in small single-engine aircraft.

These introductory flights are free. The chapters provide volunteer member pilots, their private planes, and ground volunteers to ensure that everybody has a great experience.

The motivation behind the rallies for these young people, and their parents, is to learn more about General Aviation.  This will inspire the kids to become licensed pilots or kindle an interest in aerospace. For many of these young people, it is the first time they have ever been up in a plane of any type. 

As time goes on, and they become older, the hope is they will select careers as pilots or some other related aerospace vocation.

Currently, there is an acute shortage of pilots and aviation mechanics and over the next 10 to 20 years there will be many employment opportunities in the aviation industry.

During these flights which take around 15 to 30 minutes some of those young people may actually get a chance to fly the airplane for a short time under the watchful eye and guidance of their EAA pilot.

Upon completion of their flights, they will receive a commemorative certificate and an official logbook signed by their pilot.

They also receive several other free perks, such as an online Sporty’s Pilot Shop Learn to Fly Course. When they complete this course, they will be eligible for a free flying lesson at a flight school of their choice.

 They receive free admission to more than 300 science and technology museums and free student membership to the Academy of Model Aeronautics.

If their interest is peaked enough, they may want to join the EAA Chapter 534 aviation youth program called Squadron 534. Here they would learn more about aviation, such as how to use tools for building and repairing aircraft as well as aerodynamics.

 Through this program, they could compete for a Ray Aviation Scholarship which would provide a grant of $ 11,000 to pay for the cost of flight instruction at a flight school of their choice.

On this day EAA Chapter 534 provided six chapter pilots and their private aircraft and 10 ground crew to do the paperwork and escort kids and parents safely to and from the ramp.

This was a very special day for Rosie Rivera, a 2021 Ray Aviation Scholarship winner and now as a licensed private pilot, she was to fly two Young Eagles.

 While pursuing a nursing degree in college she has earned a Seaplane rating, an instrument rating, and is currently working on her Commercial rating. Her aviation goals are to become a Certified Flight Instructor and Missionary Pilot.

Rosie was applauded by the other EAA Chapter 534 Pilots and welcomed to their ranks.

If you would like to learn more about EAA Chapter 534 or National EAA you may go to the following websites. < www.eaachapter534.org > or < www.eaa.org >

The post Ray Aviation Scholar Flies Young Eagles At EAA Chapter 534 Rally appeared first on South Lake Tablet.

A vintage 1947 Stinson single-engine aircraft was donated recently to the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 534 based at the Leesburg International Airport in Leesburg, Florida. James Ellrodt of Tavares, Fl donated the plane.

Ellrodt had heard about EAA Chapter 534 and their work with young people, by teaching them how to build and repair older aircraft. He felt that his donation of this plane would continue to encourage some of the local young people to become involved with aviation.

EAA Chapter 534 has a long history of accepting donations of damaged aircraft, older planes, or unfinished aircraft building projects. The owners of these planes or projects no longer fly or have lost interest in completing their building projects.

This chapter has an active aviation youth program that works with young people who have expressed an interest in aviation, either becoming a private pilot or some other aspect of aerospace.

The chapter has within its adult membership a number of people who have expertise in aircraft building and repair and provide mentorship for young people.

The kids are taught how to use tools properly, work with adult mentors fixing airplanes, and learn the basics of aerodynamics.

Over the years the chapter, with the help of their National EAA organization, has been able to grant five Ray Aviation Scholarships to deserving young people from this area. These scholarships provide enough money for them to earn a private pilot’s license at a flight school of their choice. Currently, the Ray Aviation Scholarship grant is $ 11,000.

EAA Chapter 534 also has a Young Eagles program that provides airplane rides for free in single-engine general aviation aircraft.

The chapter’s pilots donate their time, personal aircraft, and fuel to take young people up in their planes to experience the wonder and freedom of flight.

By participating in this program the kids, ages 8 to 17, get many additional perks such as a free online Sporty’s Learn to Fly Course to prepare them to take the Federal Aviation Administration written exam, and a free student membership in EAA.

With the help of youngsters and members restoring the old Stinson, it will be returned to airworthy condition. When completed it will be sold and any profit will be applied to the continuation of the chapter’s aviation youth program.

EAA Chapter 534 is a 501-C3 nonprofit organization so any financial or in-kind donations are tax-free.

The chapter is indebted to James Ellrodt for his generous donation.

If you would like to find out more about EAA Chapter 534 or EAA National you may go to the following websites, < www.eaachapter534.org > and< www.eaa.org> .

The post EAA Chapter 534 Challenged to Refurbish A Vintage Aircraft appeared first on South Lake Tablet.

The National Experimental Aircraft Association recently awarded its top local chapter recognition honor to Leesburg’s Mid Florida EAA Chapter 534 with the Gold Medallion for 2022.

EAA National in Oshkosh WI charters local chapters throughout the world to bring the spirit of General Aviation, aircraft building, and the wonder of flying to the local level.

They continually challenge the local chapters to be all they can be. They encourage them to achieve goals that will help them get the message out that building aircraft and exposing people to flying will produce more pilots and interest in Aerospace.

They do this by setting up a Chapter Recognition Program based on a set of 10 criteria each chapter must achieve to receive top honors. They give one point for each criterion based on an annual report. They also provide a bonus category for extra credit and will give another point for those chapters that do something extra.

Some examples of the criteria are, growing membership, Young Eagles rallies, offering Ray Aviation Scholarships and hosting public events like Fly-ins and Pancake Breakfasts.  For a full listing of all these goals you may go to < www.eaa.org/chapterrecognition >.

EAA Chapter 534 received a score of 10 out of a possible 11 points which qualified them for the Gold Medallion. They will also receive a gold banner that can be displayed in their hangar.  This chapter has won awards in the past, in 2019 they won the Silver and during the Covid years of 2020-2021 they won Bronze.

This is a very active chapter at the Leesburg International Airport that has a membership of 100 members. These EAA members belong to the National organization and EAA Chapter 534. Theirs is a diverse membership of aircraft builders, current and retired pilots, and aviation enthusiasts both young and mature. Members come from all over Lake County with a large contingent from The Villages.

Chapter members make a successful organization. They are all volunteers: pilots provide their planes for Young Eagles at no charge for anything, the chapter provides free meals for the aviation youth members on Saturday, and others spend hours building and restoring aircraft.

This chapter has been fortunate to have aircraft donated that have been in various states of repair that can be returned to airworthy condition and sold to help finance the aviation youth program. They are a non-profit 501 C- 3 organization, so they can receive tax-deductible donations.  

They run free Young Eagles flights for young people each month, have an aviation youth program called Squadron 534, and have aircraft building projects for both adults and youth members. To date they have sponsored four young people who have won Ray Aviation $ 10,000 Scholarships for flight training. They have been authorized to select a young person for the 2023 Ray Scholarship by the national organization.

Aircraft building usually takes place at the EAA hangar on Thursday and Saturday and the aviation youth program meets from 10 am. -1 pm. on Saturday.

 If you are a pilot, aircraft builder, or aviation enthusiast and are looking for a place to scratch that aviation itch among like-minded folks, come on down.  The EAA hangar is located at the west end of the airport. Turn off RT 441 onto Wilco Drive then take your first right and you will see it.

If you would like to find out more about EAA Chapter 534 or the National organization you may go to the following websites, < www.eaachapter534.org > or < www.eaa.org > .

The post EAA Chapter 534 Wins 2022 Gold Medallion Award appeared first on South Lake Tablet.

The Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 534 visited JKE Works, Inc. of Mount Dora, FL on Mar. 25, 2023, to see how the restoration of the Lockheed Vega 5C was coming along.

EAA Chapter 534 members have been invited to Jim Kimball Enterprises over a number of years to see the projects they have underway. JKE is a family operation started by Jim Kimball back in the 1970’s that specializes in restoring single-engine vintage aircraft.

As time went on, this company earned a reputation for restoring and building aircraft to museum standards. This business is carried on within the family by Jim’s son Kevin and grandson Kallin. 

Over the past few years, chapter members have been lucky enough to follow the restoration of a 1929 Lockheed Vega belonging to Kermit Weeks, the owner of Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, FL.

 Although this plane looked pretty good on the floor of the museum, it was no longer airworthy. Kermit knew of the reputation of JKE and turned the restoration project over to them.

This plane is a single engine, monocoque fuselage or single wooden shell, with a large cantilevered parasol wing, all covered with plywood.  This was then covered with fabric and painted.

 This Vega was a popular seven-passenger aircraft, and in its day was used by notable aviators such as Amelia Earhart and Wiley Post. This particular plane was constructed by Lockheed as the first “Executive” Vega for an oil company.

 Later it served for some time flying passengers and cargo in Mexico.  It also was used for aerial survey work and as a test plane with General Electric refining radar. There were close to 135 Vegas built and now only six are known to exist.

Back in the 1920s and 30’s many aircraft were constructed from wood, usually spruce, birch or mahogany. The use of aluminum in airplane construction came later.

 Strange as it may seem to some people, even today there are many amateur aircraft builders still using wood, adhesives of various types, and Dacron fabric to construct small general aviation planes in their garages or hangars. Many of those folks are EAA members.

Currently, the Vega’s wing and vertical and horizontal stabilizers have been restored, varnished, and will at some point be covered with more modern fabric and painted.

When the old plywood skin on the large 41-foot wing was removed it was found that the old glue once used had pretty much failed and the old fragile plywood peeled off quite easily.

 Surprisingly, the supporting structure and ribs were still sound and could be reused. New plywood and current FAA-approved adhesives would hold it in place much better.

 Then comes the plywood story.

Since this aircraft’s construction was certified by the government in 1929, it has to be restored to the same specifications approved at that time. The plywood specified was vertical grain Sitka Spruce. The Kimballs checked with their aircraft plywood supplier to see if vertical grain spruce ply was available.

The supplier said it is not common, but he could make it if the proper veneers were supplied.  He provided the name of a veneer cutter for Kevin to contact.

If they had tried to use what was available on today’s market, they would have to get a new certification from the FAA and that could take years. But there was no guarantee they would ever get the certification.

The only solution for JKE was to find vertical grain Sitka Spruce plywood on their own. That was going to take time and money.

Kevin spent several months in search of large Sitka Spruce lumber required by the veneer cutter. In the end, he bought up trees still growing in Alaska. They were harvested, cut into cants, dried and barged to the lower 48, then trucked to the veneer cutter in Indiana.

Once the veneers were cut, they were shipped to the plywood manufacturer and pressed into 60-plus sheets needed for the wing and tail repairs. The search and acquisition took 16 months.

Kevin said, “There are wood parts in the Vega’s wing that came from Sitka Spruce trees that began growing before the United States was a country.”

While some of the substructures of the old aircraft was still reusable, the plywood wing and tail skins were not.  Nearly all of the hardware also was removed to be used in the refurbished plane.

However, when the old plywood skin on the fuselage was removed, they discovered that many of the bulkheads, or diaphragms that supported the skin, were in bad shape.

 It appeared that this airplane had been in some accidents in the distant past and some questionable repairs would never pass muster.  Long story short, all of the wood in the fuselage would have to be replaced.

Currently, all new laminated bulkheads and other underlying wooden structures have been reproduced using factory drawings and some of the cabling and controls have been put in place. The right side of the fuselage has its molded laminated skin attached. The left side will be completed when all cables, controls and seats are in place.

The instrument panel will contain the instruments you expect to find in the original 1929 version of the Lockheed Vega. The exact engine has yet to be determined but it will be a Pratt and Whitney R1340 – 500 hp engine that was available at that time.

The plane will likely be painted in Wiley Post’s livery as Winnie Mae, just as it had been at Fantasy of Flight.

People keep asking Kevin when the plane will be finished and returned to flying status. That is always a hard question to answer when you are rebuilding a plane like this to such exacting standards. It will be done when it’s done to the satisfaction of the crew at JKE and Kermit Weeks.

The members of EAA Chapter 534 appreciate the opportunity to follow the development of this project and look forward to seeing the finished product someday.  We know it will be worth the wait.

If you would like to learn more about JKE, and the Kimballs, you can go to the following website, www.jkeworks.com.

If you wish to learn more about National EAA or EAA Chapter 534 go to the following websites, www.eaa.org  and www.eaachapter534.org .

The post EAA Chapter 534 Witnesses the Rebirth Of A 1929 Lockheed Vega Aircraft appeared first on South Lake Tablet.

The members of the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 534 held a Young Eagles rally at the Leesburg International Airport in Leesburg, FL. on Mar. 18, 2023.

Despite the dire forecast of rain and cloudiness the weather guessers had been predicting for some days prior to the event, those predictions held off until much later in the day.

 This gave Chapter 534 just enough time to run a successful Young Eagle rally. The cloud ceiling was somewhat broken at 6000 feet with no precipitation. This gave the chapter’s pilots plenty of time and space to give 12 local Lake County youngsters an enjoyable flight.

Chapter members started to gather at the EAA hangar shortly after 8 a.m. They set out tables and chairs for registration, warmed up the computer and got ready to greet the young people and their parents or guardians

Around 9 a.m. the parking lot in front of the hangar started to fill up with visitors. Excited kids tumbled out of those cars and led the parents to the registration table to sign all the forms for Young Eagles.

While this was going on, Joel Hargis, the Young Eagles Chief Pilot, gave a briefing to the five volunteer pilots. He had already talked to the tower personnel and told them about the rally and the planes that would be taking part as well and their registration numbers. He told the pilots what they could expect for air traffic, stressed safety, how long to fly, where to fly and told them to enjoy the experience. 

Joel is usually a pilot himself but he was recovering from a recent surgical procedure and wasn’t able to fly. That didn’t keep him away from the event though, and he was there to see that things ran smoothly.

While Joel was talking to the pilots and giving an orientation to the kids and parents about what to expect during the rally and the flight, Jodie Soule, Young Eagles Coordinator, Gretchen Crecilius and Joyce Catarineau were in the hangar seeing to it that all the paperwork was completed and assigning the young people to pilots and planes.

Pilots guided their young crew members and parents to their planes sitting out on the ramp and showed them what a preflight was like for each of their planes.

Tony Lucchese and Frank McCutcheon were appointed Air Marshals out on the ramp to help the pilots by directing ground traffic prior to takeoff and after the flights returned.

Other Chapter 534 members were available to explain aircraft building and repair projects going on in the hangar and operating the computer for Jodie.

As always, it is the membership that turns out to make a successful Young Eagles rally. The members are just as excited as the young people and their parents to make this a memorable day.

The Young Eagles Rally is designed to acquaint young people, ages 8 to 17, about the wonders of flight.  This experience is free as EAA pilots volunteer their time, plane and fuel to make sure kids have a safe, and enjoyable flight that may spark a lifetime interest in aviation. The hope is that as they mature, they will become private pilots themselves, or pursue some other area of aerospace.

For those young people who get to sit in the right seat of the plane, they will be asked if they would like to fly the plane. If they say yes, they will be shown what to do and actually take the controls and get the feel of flying the plane. This is all done under the watchful eye of the EAA pilot.

Upon completion of their flights, each Young Eagle will be given a certificate commemorating the flight and an official logbook signed by their pilot. 

In addition, each Young Eagle will be given a free online Sporty’s Learn to Fly Course, a $249 value, and EAA will reimburse them when they pass the Federal Aviation Administration written exam which is a $175 value.

When they complete the three volumes of the course, they will qualify for a free flight lesson at a flight school of their choice. Each Young Eagle is also granted an EAA Student Membership at no cost.

 This was a great day enjoyed by all . It was interesting to see all the smiles on the faces of the young people as they deplaned and listen to the excited discussions they were having with their parents.

Young Eagle Rallies are held by local EAA Chapters chartered by EAA National in Oshkosh, WI.  This is all free to the young person. You can find a local chapter by going to the following website < www.youngeagles.org >>.

If you want more information about EAA National or EAA Chapter 534 you may go to < www.eaa.org > and  <www.eaachapter534.org >.

The post EAA Chapter 534 Members Host a Successful Young Eagles Rally appeared first on South Lake Tablet.

The weather forecast predicted rain starting around noon but at the start of the Experimental Aircraft Association Rally there was only an overcast around 11,000 feet.

Joel Hargis, the Chief Pilot for EAA Chapter 534, saw the weather window of opportunity to complete the day’s Young Eagle first flights before the rains arrived at the Leesburg International Airport in Leesburg, FL. All the flights on January 21, 2023 would be well below the cloudy ceiling and were completed before anyone got wet.

These Young Eagle flights are given free of charge to young people 8 to 17 years of age to familiarize them with the joy of flying in a general aviation aircraft.

It is hoped this experience will inspire these youngsters to become private pilots or seek out some other career path in Aerospace when they get older.

On this day 18 kids, along with parents and extended family members showed up at the EAA Chapter 534 hangar at the Leesburg airport.

Chapter 534 offers this chance for kids to fly once a month, weather permitting.

All they have to do is appear at the EAA hangar at the airport on rally day with a parent or guardian, complete the paperwork and be assigned a chapter pilot who will introduce them to the wonder of flight in their private aircraft.

In some instances, the child may be given the chance, once in the air, to take control of the aircraft under the watchful eye of the EAA pilot. This gives them the feeling of actually flying the airplane, and there is little they could do wrong that the pilot couldn’t quickly correct. Generally, these flights will last 20 to 30 minutes.

To sign your child up for a Young Eagle Flight in your area you should go to the following website, < www.youngeagles.org >. Once there, look for “Find A Young Eagle Flight”.

 Many EAA Chapters across the country offer these free flights for young people at local airports. The above website will help you find the chapter closest to you.

After each flight young persons will receive a certificate commemorating the flight, and an official log book both signed by their pilot.

In addition, the Young Eagle gets free access to Sporty’s Learn to Fly Course online. This has Embry Riddle flight instructor support. Included is a free voucher for a first flying lesson and access to flight training awards, aviation scholarships and EAA Air Academy camperships.

On this day 18 young people qualified to Fly as Young Eagles. The chapter provided 8 fixed-wing, single-engine general aviation aircraft and 8 EAA Chapter 534 pilots. They volunteered their time and fuel to ensure the kids had a memorable flight.

The chapter also provided 12 ground personnel to handle the paperwork and safely escort the kids and their parents or guardians back and forth to the airport ramp.

If you would like more information about EAA National or EAA Chapter 534 you may go to the following websites, < www.eaa.org> or < www.chapter534.org>.

The post Cloudy Day Doesn’t Stop EAA Chapter’s Young Eagle Rally appeared first on South Lake Tablet.

Jack Hallett turned 100 years old, or should I say years young, on November 17, 2020. To celebrate that day, he appeared at the local Florida Department of Motor Vehicles for his new driver’s license.

Jack probably had more butterflies in his stomach about this encounter than he did flying aerial cover in a P-38 over beaches of Normandy during the D-Day invasion of France in 1944.

First was the eye test, and he was told to read the line indicated by the examiner but as bad luck would have it, he read the wrong line. When told he read the wrong line his heart skipped a beat. But no matter, because he read the line with the smaller print so everybody was very impressed.

Apparently, he kept up such a friendly and joking banter with all the examiners that when it came time for the driver’s test, they said he just seemed to be a healthy 80-year-old. They said here is your new license and we will see you again in three years.

It was certainly good he bought that new car recently with an extended warranty.

Jack had enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps right after Pearl Harbor and spent most of World War Two serving in Europe flying the famed twin-engine P-38 and then the single-engine P-47, sometimes called the jug.

He was shot down twice by enemy ground fire but always managed to find his way back to Allied lines.

During his time in the Air Corps, he flew just about all the fighter aircraft types the Army had. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and earned the rank of Major.

He can remember his wartime flying exploits like they occurred last week and can keep an audience on the edge of their chairs as he relates these stories, one after another.

Jack is an honored member of EAA Chapter 534 at the Leesburg International Airport in Leesburg, Florida. He has become an inspiration to the Chapter’s Youth Group as well as the adult members. As a matter of fact, there are a number of gray beard members who say,” I hope I can be like Jack when I grow up”.

The Daytona Beach EAA Chapter 288,  that makes its home at the nearby fly-in community of Spruce Creek, wanted to host Jack Hallett for a birthday banquet so they contacted Joel Hargis, President of EAA Chapter 534 to make arrangements to pick up Jack at the EAA hangar in Leesburg on November 21, 2020.

They flew a formation of four sleek and fast SX-300s over the airport then broke for a landing one after another and came to a stop in front of the Chapter 534 hangar.

Keith Phillips from Spruce Creek, who organized this event, introduced himself to the Chapter 534 Members, introduced his fellow pilots and proceeded to brief all in attendance about how the return flight to Ormond Beach, FL would take place.

They would be met there by a limousine that would take them to Bruce Rossmeyer’s Destination Daytona for a Birthday Bash with a band and celebration lunch. After the event the Chapter 288 pilots did a formation flight over the restaurant and flew Jack back home to Leesburg.

The fact that these two EAA Chapters could work together on a worthwhile project like this is testimony to the fact that when general aviation enthusiasts want to make something good happen there is no holding them back.

******************

*All photos were taken by Ted Luebbers with exceptions noted.

The post 100-Year-Old WWII Fighter Pilot Enjoys A Birthday Bash With The Help Of Two EAA Chapters appeared first on South Lake Tablet.

Since February 2020 when the Covid-19 Pandemic became the scourge of the world, people began to isolate themselves and limit social as well as business contacts.

Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 534 based at the Leesburg International Airport in Leesburg, Florida was greatly impacted by the necessity to comply with federal, state and local recommendations to operate in a way that would protect the health and safety of its membership.

The chapter had started out the year with great expectations for aircraft building projects, an active Young Eagles program, a new Ray Aviation Scholarship winner, and a very busy aviation youth program.

That all came to a screeching halt while the chapter leadership discussed which programs could be salvaged while limiting any health risk.

Basically, all activities were shut down. The only thing that moved forward was the flying lessons for William McCarthy, our Ray Scholarship winner. The Sunair Aviation flight school continued giving lessons so William could continue to fly, and he recently became one of Florida’s newest private pilots.

As the stay- at- home recommendations loosened, a few of our adult members who were working on several different aircraft building projects in the EAA hangar, began to show up. They wore masks and tried to maintain social distancing as much as possible.

It is not easy to work in the hangar in the summer when the temperature is in the high 90s and the humidity many times in the 90% range. Wearing face masks just added to the torture of the heat. No air conditioning here!

Although the number of people who showed up to work on the airplanes was small, they were a persistent group.

We moved our monthly Visual Meteorological Conditions ( VMC ) meetings and membership meetings to the ZOOM application on the computer. This worked out quite well for the times, but it will never replace face to face meetings. We look forward to the day we can all safely congregate in the hangar and not worry about infecting anybody.

Only now are we beginning to talk about whether or not to restart the traditional meetings as we had in the past. Right now, the consensus still seems to be that it is too soon to go back to business as usual.

We are looking ahead to restarting our Young Eagles First Flight program but as yet have not decided on a date. This could probably be done on a small scale with everybody wearing masks, social distancing and only flying one passenger at a time. Then comes the issue of finding enough volunteer pilots and ground personnel.

Our Aviation Youth program is still currently on hold. A very small number of our older teens who are starting some flying lessons donated by the adult membership are meeting on Saturdays for a couple of hours of ground school with our Scholarship Director, Gretchen Crecelius.

Masks and social distancing are necessary. These teens are Emily Lininger, Carson Paulsen and Ethan Ratta. They have completed the Sporty’s Pilot Course and have been recognized by EAA National by way of a voucher they can apply toward an hour of dual flight instruction.

Chapter 534 has several aircraft building projects going on in the hangar.  The planes being worked on are a Cessna 150 which is about to undergo an engine overhaul, a SeaRey amphibian kit being assembled, 1929 plans built Pietenpol Air Camper, and a Murphy Rebel having aluminum skins applied to its wings.

Upstairs in the loft is a Thatcher CX-4 beginning to take shape. Also, in the loft is the aluminum fuselage frame of a BD-6 kit. This was donated to the chapter by the Bede Family Foundation and we are waiting for the next part of the kit to be donated before we can finish the plane.

An exciting donation to the chapter recently is a Zenith Stol CH-701 Light Sport, all aluminum aircraft that will eventually become the nucleus of an EAA flying club.  The hope is that this plane will be used as a primary trainer for the youth group. There are a few repairs to be made before it is ready to fly, and some members are hard at work checking it out. The flying club is still in its formative stage and more information about it will be available next year.

There are so many aircraft projects going on at the same time we had to develop a division of labor so that everybody is not working on the same project. This way there may be two or three adults assigned to working on a specific plane and youth members will be assigned to work with them when our program returns to normal, post COVID.

Because of this beehive of building and repair activity, we needed a second hangar. Fortunately, one of our members stepped up and allowed us to put the Cessna 150 in his hangar, so now we have a “remote repair hangar”.

Everybody is looking forward to the day when we can put the worries of this dangerous pandemic behind us and we return to our normal activities. Meanwhile, we keep trying to keep some semblance of EAA Chapter 534 moving ahead safely.

The post EAA Chapter 534 Perseveres Through Covid-19 appeared first on South Lake Tablet.