EAA Ch. 66 

President: Scott Blixt (sblixt@means.net) (507)744-2613 

Treasurer: Bob Powell (Bob.Powell@Xerox.com)(952) 469-2789 

Newsletter: Mike Schweim (weedhopr@myclearwave.net)(507)245-3390 

website: http://www.1rl.com/liteflyers 
Yahoo Group - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EAAUL66 

Club meets the second Sunday each month, 2pm at the Faribault Municipal Airport.(Note change) Membership is $20 per year, payable to “Lite Flyers” or “EAA Ch. 66”. Send renewal to Scott Blixt, 9554 LeSueur Ave, Montgomery, MN 56069 
 

Feb 11 Lite Flyers meeting, 2-4pm, Faribault, MN airport 
Mar 3 Wisconsin ultralight safety seminar, Wisconsin Rapids, WI 

JANUARY MEETING: 

It was reported to me that there was a good turnout for the January meeting, with 8 members in attendance. 12 members have paid their dues for 2007. It was reported that Craig Skunberg passed his Sport Pilot written test, and was hoping to get his flight test before the Jan 31 deadline. A letter from Larry Clymer, manager of sport pilot, from the FAA was passed around. The letter was discussed, concerning the Jan 31 deadline for the UL to Sport Pilot transition. If you didn’t make the deadline, it’s not the end of the world, but will cost more, and involve more paperwork for those who didn’t transition before the Jan 31, 07 deadline. Bob Powell passed around some pictures of his GT-400, before its minor crash. It’s since been repaired. He’s going to register it as an ELSA. There was also talk about seeing traffic, and being seen by others….Look and live, use your radio, if you have one, and make sure you’re on the correct frequency. 
Bob Powell suggested that someone bring something of interest to each meeting to share with the group. 
Larry Olson made it up from Albert Lea. He reported that ultralights are welcome to fly into the Albert Lea airport any time. 

SPORT PILOT MAINTENANCE CLASS: 

EAA is having a 16 hr maintenance class for fixed with aircraft. It will be held in Oshkosh, march 9-11. 
The class is required to obtain your repairman certificate for your ELSA. More info is on the web site: 
www.sportair.com/workshops/Repairman%20(LSA)%Inspection-Airplane.html 

WISCONSIN SAFETY SEMINAR 

Saturday, March 3 is the Wisconsin Ultralight and Sport Aircraft safety seminar. It’s held at the Mead Inn and Convention Center in Wisconsin Rapids, WI. It’s a free event with several seminars concerning ultralight and Light Sport Aircraft safety topics. More info is available on the web at: 
http://www.av8safe.org/wulac.html 

CONGRATULATIONS! 

It was reported to me by e-mail, that on Jan 27, Craig Skunberg, and Grant Rappe both went to Wisconsin, where they took and passed their Sport Pilot check rides. They also both got their seaplane endorsements added onto their certificates, as one of the benefits of the Org letter. Way to go guys! 

March 11 Lite Flyers meeting, 2-4pm, Faribault, MN airport 
 

FEBRUARY MEETING: 

We had 11 members in attendance at the last meeting. Craig Skunburg reported that he got his Sport Pilot license in Wisconsin at the end of January. Scott Blixt passed out hand outs for the Wisconsin Ultralight and Light Sport Aircraft Safety Seminar, held March 3 at the Hotel Mead in Wisconsin Rapids, WI. He also passed out hand outs on winter flying safety. Basically, the handout lets pilots know not to attempt flight if there is any ice, snow, or frost on any of the lifting surfaces of the aircraft. For the meeting’s show and tell, Del Voegele brought his new Warp Drive prop that he’s going to install on his Fisher FP404. I brought my new E-Flite Blade CX2 radio controlled helicopter, and flew it around the airport office area. Bob Powell reported that we have 14 members who have paid their dues for 2007. He read a letter written to him by Richard Pahl of Mankato, expressing his support of our club. He’s a 78 year old member, who doesn’t fly himself, but has an interest in ultralight aviation.

April 15 Lite Flyers meeting, 2-4pm, Faribault, MN airport (note changed date!) 

May 19 Gary Ries fly in, Hastings, MN 

MARCH MEETING: 

We had 10 members and 1 visitor in attendance at the last meeting. There was talk about the upcoming deadline to get your fat ultralights certified as Experimental Light Sport Aircraft. If you plan to convert, the deadline to complete the process is Jan 31, 2008. 

Larry Olson reported that he’s planning to host a Light Sport Aircraft inspection training class for fixed wing aircraft. It will be held in Albert Lea, MN. 15 people are needed for the class to be scheduled. If you’re interested in the class, contact Larry at (507)373-6383. 
 

May 19,20 Blaine Aviation Weekend Anoka County Airport Blaine, Minnesota 
May 19 Gary Ries fly in, Hastings, MN 
May 20 Lite Flyers meeting, 2-4pm, Faribault, MN airport (note changed date!) 
June 10 Albert Lea fly in breakfast 
June 17 Hutchinson pancake breakfast/pork chop supper 
June 17 Stanton, MN Father’s day fly in breakfast 
June 23,24 New Richmond, WI airshow and Pig roast 
July 23-29 EAA Airventure, Oshkosh, WI 
Aug 12 Lake Elmo Aviation Day. 7am-noon 
Aug 18 Forest Lake fly in, 12 - 4pm. Brats, corn, ice cream 
Aug 25 Glencoe airport Brats-n-corn fly in. 10am-2pm 
Aug 26 Jewel Ness fly in/drive in, Wanamingo, MN 

APRIL MEETING: 

We had another good meeting, with 10 members in attendance. Craig Skunberg flew in with his Mariner. 
Bob Powell reported that we now have 15 paid members. We had a visitor in attendance at the last couple meetings, and he joined the club. His name is Paul Vandersyde. He isn’t currently flying anything, but is interested in ultralight flight. Welcome to the group, Paul! Bob reported that he attended the ELSA inspection class for fixed wing aircraft. It was held at EAA’s academy at Oshkosh, WI. Larry Olson reported that he’s hoping to host a Light Sport Aircraft inspection training class for fixed wing aircraft. It will be held in Albert Lea, MN. 15 people are needed for the class to be scheduled. So far, he’s unhappy with the response of people. He’s only had 6 people show interest in the class. 15 are needed to hold it. 
Most people seem to be holding out on converting their “fat” ultralights to ELSA aircraft. If you’re 
interested in the class, contact Larry at (507)373-6383. Tim Bjork has started the ELSA conversion process on his new Kolb Firestar. He’s hoping to have the process completed by the end of May. He’s coordinating his inspection with 3 other aircraft, to have them all inspected at the same time and place. Tim Mahoney from St. Cloud is doing the inspections. He seems to be a good guy to do the inspections, and is willing to work with people to get the job done. 
It was brought up at the meeting that our regularly scheduled meeting date (May 13) is Mother’s Day. It 
was decided to postpone our May meeting to May 20.…same time and place.

June 10 Albert Lea fly in breakfast 
June 17 Hutchinson pancake breakfast/pork chop supper 
June 17 Stanton, MN Father’s day fly in breakfast 
June 23,24 New Richmond, WI airshow and Pig roast 
July 23-29 EAA Airventure, Oshkosh, WI 
Aug 12 Lake Elmo Aviation Day. 7am-noon 
Aug 18 Forest Lake fly in, 12 - 4pm. Brats, corn, ice cream 
Aug 25 Glencoe airport Brats-n-corn fly in. 10am-2pm 
Aug 26 Jewel Ness fly in/drive in, Wanamingo, MN 
 

MEETING NOTES FROM THE PRESIDENT: (May meeting report) 

Today’s meeting had 8 of us in attendance. 
I flew into Gary Reis flyin near Vermillion MN on Sat. Gary is a member of our chapter. About 12 ULs flew in and maybe 15 folks drove in. The weather gods tricked us into thinking it was going to be a bad day with wind and rain. But after 10:30, it got super nice out and was a great day to fly. Quite a few guys from the cities flew down. 
Gary treated everyone to a chicken dinner with all of the fixings! If anyone left hungry, it was there own fault as there was plenty of food for all. 
Tim Bjork reported that he had his plane inspected and now has an ELSA. His number is N2552A 
He shared with us his dealings with MNDOT for his State registration. It was all good. He also reminded us about using castle nuts on any pivot points in your plane. The DAR will look for this when he does the inspection. 
Bruce Borg and Jerry Scrabeck also had there planes inspected the same day, All by Tim Mahoney. 
Bob Powell reported, via Tim Mahoney, that the MSP MIDO LSA packet of forms is no longer needed. They have decided that the EAA conversion package is good enough. This is good news and should save some major confusion. As always, talk with Tim Mahoney, DAR, first when starting the UL to ELSA process. 
Larry Olson is still trying to get enough people together for an ELSA fixed wing maint class. This is the 16 hour class needed to do your own annual inspection on your ELSA. Come on guys, pass the word around and lets get this class filled up. He plans on having this at the Albert Lea airport. Contact Larry for more info or to sign up for the 
class. 
Larry Olson 
2153 Bridge Ave 
Albert Lea, MN 56007 
leolson@deskmedia.com 
507-373-6383 H 
507-402-2220 C 

Del reported that he has his engine back on his plane and is ready to break it in. Good luck Del. Let us know how it went. Bob Powell is ready to solo! He was hoping to get er done tonight after the meeting. Good luck Bob! 
Bob also attended a 16 hour maint class put on by EAA out in OSH. He said it was a good class with lots of hands on at the EAA air museum. 
That about sums it up . It was a bit too windy for anyone to fly in. 

Oct. 14 Lite Flyers meeting. 2pm, Faribault airport 

September Meeting notes: 

We had 10 members in attendance at the September meeting. Larry Olson reported that Tim Mahoney came down to Albert Lea, and inspected Larry’s Sky Raider, and another ultralight and they both got their Experimental Light Sport Aircraft airworthiness certificates. He reported that the inspection went well, and was handled in a professional manner. Tim found a couple minor discrepancies with the plane. A form has to be completed and sent to the FAA, showing the reported discrepancies were corrected. The week after the meeting, Larry Olson, and Tim Bjork are attending the LSA repairman’s class, put on by EAA at Oshkosh….Hopefully, we’ll get a report on the class at our meeting. There was also some discussion on the Faribault balloon rally. A few people reported that they were coming, weather permitting…..(more on that later) 

Faribault Airfest/ Hot Air Balloon Rally: 

Once again, I attended the airfest / balloon rally, Sept. 14,15. The past 6 years, I’ve helped with the school kid’s visit to the airport for the rally. The area 6th grade classes visit the airport, and learn about the various types of aircraft. Unfortunately, at the last minute, I was informed that the kids would not be visiting the airport, due to budget cuts, and scheduling changes. I arrived at the airport around noon, on Friday, and set up my Weedhopper. Once again, this year’s rally was plagued by high winds, so the Weedhopper remained tied down on the edge of the ramp, and no balloon flights were made on Friday. Friday evening, just as the sun was disappearing behind the trees, the wind died down to almost nothing. I grabbed my flight gear, did a quick preflight, and headed into the air. I made 3 circuits around the pattern, and 2 touch and go landings as the sun disappeared. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring along my camera, so there are no photos from the flight. The balloons were starting to set up for the evening night glow as I was flying the pattern. Several balloons set up for the evening night glow. This year’s event had a band, and beer garden in the main hangar, which was well attended. I camped in my van at the airport Friday night, and woke up Saturday morning to cold temperatures. Reported temp was 27 degrees, but there was no wind. I had hoped to brave the cold and fly with the balloons as they launched, but I found my Hopper covered with a heavy layer of frost. I attempted to clean it off, but it was stuck tight, so I just watched the balloons launch, while enjoying a hot cup of coffee. As a benefit of showing my Weedhopper, I got a free breakfast Saturday morning….pancakes, sausages, eggs, coffee, and orange juice. By 9am, the wind once again picked up, and the Weedhopper once again remained tied down. This year’s event had 2 air shows, RC airplane aerobatic flight demonstrations, and kite flying demonstrations. 

ELSA INSURANCE: 

There was a post on one of the e-mail lists concerning liability insurance required by the state of MN for Light Sport Aircraft….. 

The Minnesota Joint Underwriting Association (MJUA) is now issuing passenger seat liability insurance required by MN Statutes for light sport aircraft that cannot obtain that coverage from other insurance companies. The premium is said to be about $266 annually. All policies will renew on July 1 each year, and our aircraft registration section will be sent a certificate of the coverage with the required cancellation notification. 
MJUA can be reached at 800.552.0013 or 651.222.0484. Information may also be obtained by contacting amy@mjua.org. The current coverage is the $25,000 required by statutes, but if the statute changes to $250,000 they will cover for that amount with very little increase in the premiums. (I heard around a $30/year increase) 
The insurance will only cover your passenger seat, if you have one. It does not cover anything else. This was pursued by a fellow in MN who was looking for coverage on his trike. We can get coverage for the trike, but not the passenger seat. MN took care of that 
You still need the USUA 3rd party liability coverage which is about $375 a year. Plus you need to be an USUA member at $30 a year. So your total for this total coverage will be $375 + $30 + $266 = $671 a year. Quite a bit. If you have no 2nd seat, then just get the USUA coverage thru First Flight.

Nov. 11 Lite Flyers meeting. 2pm, Faribault airport
 
 

October Meeting notes:

We had a smaller than normal turnout for the October meeting, with 6 members in attendance. Due to the lower than normal turnout, we enjoyed our meeting in the comfort of the lounge area in front of the main office instead of our usual location in the conference room.

Dan Westerhouse reported that his plane is down for maintenance after a failure of his tail wheel spring. His rudder needs some welding repair, and recovering due to the rudder dragging the ground, and the tail wheel bouncing against it during his landing. Bob Powell has assembled his Quicksilver in preparation for it’s inspection for registration as an ELSA. He said it’s the first time he’s seen it assembled since he bought it several years ago. He thought he had a few left over parts when he was done. (not a good thing to have when assembling an aircraft) It turned out that the previous owner had included a few damaged parts that had been replaced. I reported on the balloon rally, and passed around photos from the rally, and photos of my latest project at work. Complete avionics and wiring upgrade on a 1943 Grumman Widgeon.

Ultralight flying videos:

Since the flying season will be winding down soon (it already has for me, the weather won’t cooperate on weekends) I thought I’d inform you of some ultralight flying videos I put online on YouTube. I made a few videos with cameras mounted on my Weedhopper. There are 11 videos in my YouTube account, all available for public viewing. They are all aviation related. RC helicopters, Weedhopper, and another I’ll tell you about shortly……

My videos are at: www.youtube.com/user/weedhopr 

November Meeting notes:

We only had 6 members in attendance for the November meeting. Bob Powell is ready for 
his LSA airworthiness inspection, and may have had his inspection by the time you 
read this. Craig Skunberg was getting 3 of his planes ready for LSA inspection also.
 
 

The following letter and linked article are sent to your Chapter on behalf of Paul 
Poberezny, EAA Founder. Please share them with your Chapter members and include in 
your Chapter newsletter as you desire.

November 30, 2007

TO: ALL EAA CHAPTER PRESIDENTS, NEWSLETTER EDITORS
When I read through the history of your EAA, living every day for half a century 
plus, I truly know how time flies.

I want to share with you some of the thoughts of our members as they appeared in our 
Sport Aviation magazine back in 1963. The organization of dreamers, homebuilders and 
fellow aviation supporters building/designing their aircraft under the CAA/FAA 51% 
rule we worked so diligently for and earned is something to be
treasured. One can build his or her airplane for educational and recreational 
purposes and friends can work with you for their own educational value. Really, we 
can build one half of it – the other half, such as engines, propellers,wheels, 
brakes, instruments, radios, items not normally within the capabilities of those who 
work with hand and mind can be purchased. Now we are faced with a situation of the 
FAA amateur building program being used for commercial purposes – from building 
complete aircraft or well over the half mark … not within the intent of the program 
given to us by those CAA/FAA folks who believed in us. Let’s hope we don’t lose this 
privilege.

Sincerely,
EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
Paul H. Poberezny
Founder and Chairman of the Board

If you haven’t yet renewed, it’s time to renew your club membership for 2007. Your timely dues payment is needed to meet expenses such as our EAA chapter dues and insurance, and newsletter expenses. (chapter renewal and insurance has already had to be paid) Please send your $20 renewal, payable to “EAA Ch66” to Bob Powell 11774 205th St. W Lakeville, MN 55044 

WANTED:  
Your stories, photos, etc. to be published in the newsletter for your fellow ultralight enthusiasts enjoyment! If you have any ideas for meeting topics, or know of someone who would be willing to be a speaker at an upcoming meeting, let Scott or I know so something can be scheduled. 

FOR SALE:  

BRS 5-500 ballistic chute. 2002 mfg date, due for repack 2008. 

EIS digital engine information system, complete with altimeter and vertical speed options. Includes all instructions. Asking $400. Contact Dan Westerhouse 507-332-2798