EAA Chapter 186

Saturday February 28
Breakfast and Member Gathering
0900 Breakfast
1000 Guest Speaker

Join us this Saturday for a pancake and sausage breakfast before the meeting.  We will cook and eat from 0900 to 1000 and plan for our guest speaker at 1000.  If you can help mix batter or flip pancakes let us know, please call Judy Sparks at 703-581-9667.

Our guest speaker will be Captain Benjamin Ayivorh, US Air Force. Many of you remember his Dad, the late Niiben Ayivorh based at Manassas Airport. Captain Ayivorh has a great story to tell.  He began his Air Force career maintaining the F-16 with assignments including the USAF 16th Weapons School and the Thunderbirds Demonstration Team.  He then went on to earn his Officer commission and has flown the F-15C/D Eagle, T-6 Texan II and T-38C. Benjamin’s beginnings with flight started at a young age from flying with his father who dreamed of becoming a pilot as a young child growing up in West Africa.

Membership:  We are finalizing the 2026 membership renewal process.  If you have not renewed yet please mail or bring the attached renewal form to the meeting.  We also have renewal forms at the Chapter House.  You can pay by check or Zelle or PayPal.

Blue Skies,

Bob Prange

By the end of February, we will hear from EAA if we get to award a Ray Foundation Flight Training Scholarship again for the eighth year in a row. Chapter 186 has helped create a new Private Pilot each year since the program began in 2019. The Ray Scholarship now pays up to $12,000 for a scholar working on the Private Pilot- Airplane certificate. It can be given instead for a Sport Pilot certificate ($9,000) or a Glider certificate ($6,000) but we have always preferred to award the largest amount. The program is intensive, requiring the scholar
to commit to completing flight training from beginning to checkride in one year. EAA gives the chapter an initial payment of $4,800. We reimburse the scholar monthly for training expenses incurred. A second payment of $4,800 is made to the chapter once the scholar soloes within four months of commencing training. The last payment to the chapter is $2,400, made once the scholar passes the PP written within six months of commencing training. A couple of our past scholars had already soloed prior to applying for the scholarship. In that event, EAA pays the initial $4,800 but does not pay the second $4,800 since they do not reimburse past achievements. The next and last payment is $2,400 for completion of the PP written for a total of $7,200.

It is important to note that we cannot consider any scholar hopeful without a current FAA Medical Certificate. It does not suffice to merely plan to get an FAA Medical if chosen as a scholar. EAA will not allow us to put forth a scholar for their consideration if he or she does not already have a medical (minimum of a FAA Third Class certificate).

A Ray Scholarship will be awarded to a deserving 161⁄2 to 19 year old that demonstrates a passion for aviation and is eager to obtain a license as a Private Pilot and also demonstrates the determination and commitment to follow the program to completion. Consideration will be given to Young Eagles participation, EAA student membership, Sporty’s Learn to Fly Course accomplishments, any previous flight training and ground school classes. EAA also requires that the scholar commits to volunteering two hours of chapter volunteer service per month such as at Young Eagles rallies, member gatherings and cookouts.

The scholar and parents will select the flight school of their choice. That process should include investigating the local flight schools and determining which school best meets their needs. Talking to each school’s chief pilot and instructors can help in that decision. Flight training takes more time and money when the student changes to a different school. Parents should be aware that the total cost of learning to fly will undoubtedly exceed the $12,000 provided by the scholarship. Feel free to email me at rsp10000@aol.com with any questions about the Ray Scholarship.

Please note in the calendar we have the Women Can Fly event on June 6. This is not a Chapter 186 event; it is sponsored by the Ninety-Nines. For the past several years chapter member Ralph Hoover has managed the “Women Can Build” tables. Participants learn to measure, drill, debur and rivet and end up with an aluminum cell phone charging stand. Volunteers are needed to help guide the participants through the steps. No experience is necessary. We should provide several helpers to make this a productive and fun experience for possible new aircraft builders.

Blue Skies,
Bob

The 2026 Membership drive is well underway. If you have not done so already, please complete your application and payment soon! For questions, contact Meredith Martin-Richards meredithm.m7@gmail.com or 703-594-1281.

Tuesday February 24

IMC Club Meeting at 7:00 PM
VMC Club Meeting at 8:00 PM

Join us Tuesday night for one or both of our monthly safety meetings.  IMC Club and VMC Club meetings are usually on the fourth Tuesday of the month.

Attendees receive one FAA WINGS credit for each session.

Optional 5:30 PM dinner (Dutch treat) at Panera Bread on Bristow Center Drive.  Near the fountains visible from Route 28.

IMC Club meeting topic:
The IMC Club’s purpose is to promote instrument flying, proficiency, and safety. The intent is to create a community of pilots willing to share information, provide recognition, foster communications, promote safety, and build proficiency in instrument flying.

VMC Club meeting topic:
EAA/VMC Club provides organized “hangar flying” focused on building flying knowledge and skills.  This meeting offers an opportunity to share in-flight experiences and valuable safety tips.

EAA Chapter 186
10629 Observation Road
Manassas, VA 20110

Do not park in the spaces marked “FAA.”  The first double row of spaces closest to the tower are faintly marked and are “tow-away” spaces.

Bob Prange

ONLINE APPLICATIONS
https://eaa186.org/events/eaa-chapter-186-
membership-online-application-2025/

NAME TAG

https://eaa186.org/events/eaa-chapter-186-name-tag-order-form-paypal-only/

CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP FEES
$30 Jan–Dec Single Member Dues
$35 Jan-Dec Family Member Dues
$15 for Name Tag and postage
$15 – hard copy of Directory (printing & mailing)
$2 surcharge if paying by PayPal

DID YOU CHANGE YOUR E-MAIL?
Please advise Meredith Martin-Richards, 703-594-1281 or meredithm.m7@gmail.com if any of your membership directory information changes.
Thanks.

Parents: Information (dates, course content, ages, tuition costs) and on-line registration for the June and July 2026 camps are available at https://www.eaa.org/eaa/youth/eaa-aviation-and-flight-summer-camps. There are two separate camps: Explore Aviation Camp and Navigating Horizons Camp for either of two age groups, 14 to 15 and 16 to 18. Once you are registered and accepted for a camp, you can apply directly to the EAA for an EAA campership which may help pay for the tuition. EAA Ch 186 has also provided tuition assistance in the past couple years. If you are already registered for an Air Academy camp, let us know and we may be able to help with tuition assistance. If you are in either age group and interested in Explore Aviation Camp let us know.We have placed deposits on a couple camp sessions for campers to be named later. We may be able to help with up to 50% of your tuition. Transportation to and from Air Academy is the responsibility of the parents but room and board are all part of the tuition.

Ray Scholarship: We have applied to EAA to administer a 2026 Ray Foundation Aviation Scholarship. If we are selected to give another Ray Scholarship, we will begin a search in March for a motivated youth aged 16 1⁄2 to 19 who would like to participate in a concentrated one-year effort to acquire his/her Private Pilot License. Thank you to all the volunteers that keep this Chapter busy and visible. That helps us qualify to grant another Ray Scholarship each year.

We had 54 kids and 8 aircraft registered for the February 14 rally. Unfortunately, several pilots reported being unable to operate their hangar doors. We all know of neighborhoods that still have cars buried in snow and some areas impassable due to piles of ice and snow. Our area airports are no different. In the week prior to the rally pilots valiantly dug and chipped away at their ice barriers only to find hangar doors off the runners or binding in the tracks. We eventually had too many aircraft cancellations to make the rally happen.

Pilots: In an effort to push the total of Young Eagles flown to 2.5 million kids, EAA has announced Mission 2.5 where Young Eagle Pilots have an incentive to fly 25 kids between 10/1/2025 to 7/31/2026. Any volunteer pilot that rises to the challenge and flies 25 Young Eagles or more from October 1, 2025, through July 31, 2026, will be issued a limited-edition commemorative hat courtesy of Sporty’s.

Below are our current totals through Feb 2026 for each Young Eagles pilot:

Chris Berg 9
Dan Botzer 26
Matthew Friedman 4
Joseph Fry 3
Michael Iachini 8
Allan Osborn 12
Grant Peterson 2
Bob Prange 23
Brian Roy 17

Paul Schafer 6
David Taylor 4

Our next Young Eagles Rallies are:
Mar 14 – Manassas at 1100
April 11 – Warrenton at 1100
May 9 – Warrenton at 1100

Young Eagles flights are available for kids between ages 8 and 17. We normally hold our rallies on the second Saturday each month. Please note we are now using an 11:00 AM starting time for the winter months. Parents can register at eaachapters.org beginning at 8:00 AM on the 1st of each month.

Chapter 186 Young Eagles Coordinators
David Richards
Bob Prange

We regret we must cancel tomorrow’s Young Eagles Rally. Many of our pilots have hangars that are still inaccessible or hangar doors that will not open and need repair. Thanks for volunteering for this one, we were looking forward to great flying weather with a big group of kids this time. The next YE Rally is March 14 at Manassas 1100 to 1500.

Bob Prange

The IMC Club and VMC Club Pilot Safety meetings are cancelled for tonight, Jan 27.  The passageway to the Chapter House is not safe due to the icy conditions.

The next meetings will be the fourth Tuesday of the month…

Tuesday February 24
7:00 PM IMC Club
8:00 PM VMC Club