Ray Aviation Scholarship

In January 2025 Chapter 186 will apply to EAA to administer a 2025 Ray 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. The scholarship gives $4,800 to start flight training, requires soloing within 4 months to receive the next $4,800 and then requires completion of the FAA Knowledge Exam within 4 more months to receive the last $2,400. The Ray Aviation Foundation has partnered with EAA’s chapter structure to find and mentor the scholars with the goal of an 80% completion rate. Chapter186 is 5 for 5 with our Ray Scholars beginning in 2019 when the program began. Our 2023 scholar Grant Peterson earned his Private Pilot Certificate a few months ago and our 2024 Scholar Kobe Kerns is on his way to completing the program. Thanks to all of our Chapter 186 volunteers that keep our Chapter active and visible. That helps us earn the privilege of administering this scholarship.

Registration began in September for 2025 EAA Air Academy which is a series of camps designed to introduce young people ages 14-18 to the aviation world. Kids stay at the EAA Air Academy Lodge in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Experienced aviation instructors help them delve into flight through studies, hands-on demonstrations, flight simulation, and other exciting activities. Campers will receive a ride in a Cessna Skycatcher or Skyhawk or a helicopter, weather permitting. Most of the sessions are already full and only accepting waitlist registrations but EAA Chapter 186 has reserved three spots for kids that would like to attend. We will pay $500 of your child’s tuition. The child’s family will be responsible for transportation and from the lodge. Find additional information on course content, lodge accommodations and registration here.

Explore Aviation Camp

All sessions offered are the same camp.
*Session 1 (ages 14-15) – June 20 – 25, 2025 –
$1,300
Session 2 (ages 14-15) – June 28 – July 3, 2025 –
$1,300
**Session 3 (ages 16-18) – July 15 – 23, 2025 –
$1,650
Session 4 (ages 16-18) – July 25 – August 2, 2025 –
$1,650

Discover Camp

All sessions offered are the same camp.
Session 1 (ages 14-15) – June 12 – 17, 2025 –
$1,300
Session 2 (ages 16-18) – July 7 – 12, 2025 – $1,300

**Chapter 186 has paid a deposit and reserved a
spot for one camper in Session 3 of Explore
Aviation Camp (Age 16-18). If interested in
sending your child to this camp, contact
president@eaa186.org

We flew 43 kids at the Nov 9 rally at Manassas and 28 kids at Manassas on Oct 5. Our next Young Eagles Rallies are:

• Dec 14 – 12:00 Noon at Manassas
• Jan 11 – 12:00 Noon at Manassas
• Feb 8 – 12:00 Noon at Manassas

To become a Young Eagles volunteer, ground or pilot, proceed to yeday.org and use the “sign-up” feature. Let Bob know you have signed up so we can send you an invitation to volunteer. If you volunteer without being signed up, you will not get important changes/updates about the YE rally.

Ground and Pilot Volunteers: About two/three weeks prior to a Young Eagles Rally, we prompt the yeday.org system to send an email to everyone in our Young Eagles volunteer database, inviting you to click on “confirm” or “will not attend.” This helps us determine the staffing level so we can set the number of kids that can register for a ride. Expect an automatic reminder email on Wednesday three days prior to the Young Eagles Rally asking you to confirm again that you are still planning to volunteer. This gives us updated staffing level info.

Young Eagles flights are available to kids between ages 8 and 17. We normally hold our rallies on the second Saturday each month. We use two time slots 12:00 Noon and 2:00 PM starting in November. Parents can register at yeday.org
beginning at 8:00 AM on the 1st of each month.

To Young Eagles and Parents: The Sporty’s Learn-to-Fly course ($299 value) is available free after just one flight. The access code is on the back of your logbook. This will prepare you for the FAA Private Pilot Knowledge Test, “the written.” Every FAA written exam (private, instrument, commercial, etc.) requires an endorsement from aninstructor stating you are prepared to take the exam. Passing this course with at least an 80% grade lets you skip that step and gives you the required endorsement to take the Private Pilot written test. For more details about the Sporty’s Learn-to-Fly
course, go to this link.

Chapter 186 Young Eagles Coordinators

David Richards
Bob Prange

October Skies

October Skies, a great joint chapter experiment is now in the rear-view. It was a gathering of talent and resources with the aim of providing a deeper and more involved aviation experience for high school students interested in aviation. For those not involved in this rally, here is a little explanation as to what transpired. At the request of our Chapter, to the south, 231
Chesterfield, EAA 1099 joined with Chapters 1563, Gordonsville and 186 Manassas in developing a series of training events across a spectrum of ground and air activities. Our target was a rally over Saturday, 12October at Shannon Airport.

For the most part, each chapter focused on a particular training event. 231 and 186 developed an EAA program involving helium balloons, remote control engines from Styrofoam toys, tongue depressors, tape, clay weight material and imagination. Teams of 4 teens designed a powered and remote-controlled balloon that could be remotely flown in a figure eight pattern along a fixed course. With a little prodding, each team experimented with ballast, balance, and approaches to control that accomplished the task in slightly different ways. It was a great learning experience for the teens and their monitors/instructors. Chapter 1099 provided a chart and planning session to familiarize the teens in planning and procedures involved in typical cross-country flights. With assistance from all chapters, 1099 headed controlled movement of aircraft, security and safety on the ramp.

The Virginia Aviation brought an ICON float plane on a trailer and an associated flight simulator van for the teens to apply their skills.

Luke Curtas, owner of Shannon Airport, provided operating space in his executive hanger and its ramp area to efficiently conduct our training. He also authorized free access to the Shannon Air Museum for parents and participants.

The chapter ladies worked well together to keep things flowing, admin items fulfilled and teens assigned to activities.

The pilots were asked to provide a kind of first-time flight training experience to their assigned student.

Generally, an hour was allotted for each sortie and an in-depth introduction to all aspects of flight was encouraged. Demonstration of preflight activities, airfield and flight operations, flight characteristics and post flight were offered to most flyers resulting in a great deal of questions and discussion. This was particularly well done.

Our ground crews were treated to Merry’s, Chuck Wagon style, Pork Bar-B-Q, soda, Homemade cookiesand beans. No one had to go home hungry.

In all, this was a great learning experience. The airport and generally chapters seemed willing to try this again. If so, we now know how to search for, invite and grow student participation. We know that the balloon project was a hit and got the teens thinking and working together. New projects are available and we have adequate time to prepare a new activity or
two, and for the adults to have fun testing ideas. The broad experience, over 7 hours, seemed to keep our students moving and interested. Parents seemed very pleased with the whole event and instructors saw promise in many of those they worked with. It was a job well done considering a first-time joint activity.

Thank you everyone involved:

• Chapter 186, Bob Prange, Judy Sparks, Curtis Smith,
  Allen Osborn
• Chapter 231, Brutus and Nancy Russell, Barry and
  Ann Toole, Doug Hanson, Dave and Sue Auerbach, Al
  Wessbecher, Stephen and Susan Cabiroy
• Chapter 1099, Rolly & Merry Babcock, Dick (Cameraman) and Gail Merrill, Joel McGee, Dave
  Whitman, Bob O’Nell, Mike Nichols
• Chapter 1563, Fred Rollins

   

• Shannon Airport, Luke Curtas, Kristen Curtas-Barhnum, Alec Bryner and the Museum Docents

Hopefully, all are accounted for here. My apologies to anyone who may have missed in this listing. All who
contributed are greatly appreciated.

Rolly Babcock, EAA 1099

The Chili Cook-off was held at the Chapter House on Manassas Airport on Saturday, October 29. In order to set up, Dan Botzer, Jim Stone, Andrew Prange, Judy Sparks, Cathy Carey and Bob Prangeall chipped in to clean, decorate and set up the tables and chairs. Thanks to the members who brought their chili dishes to be judged and enjoyed. Ann and Barry Toole, Eric Alexander, David Richards, Cathy Carey, and Curtis Smith. Thanks to the judges, Bob Prange, Jim Stone, Jack
McCombs, and Meredith Richardson. A special thanks go out to the members who contributed all the extras such as cornbread, salad, cheese, onions, sour cream and super desserts. The winners after the judging were:

• Hottest/Spiciest – David Richard’s “Mach 5”
  chili
• Most Creative/Unusual – Cathy Carey’s “White
  Chicken” chili
• Mildest/Wimpiest – Ann Toole’s “Veggie” chili
• Best Presentation – Curtis Smith’s “Mild Beef
  and Chipotle” chili
• Best Overall – Eric Alexander’s “Hangar Bum”
  chili

Fun was had by all!

Festivus Party!

Bring your family to our Chapter House Holiday Party on Sunday, December 8 from 12:00 Noon to 4:00 pm. We’ll provide baked ham, roast turkey, and drinks. Please bring a side dish, perhaps your family’s favorite vegetable, salad, casserole, pie, cake, or cookies. Awards and certificate presentations to follow. We’ll also be collecting for “TOYS FOR TOTS” so please bring a new unwrapped toy to be given to the less fortunate in our area by the Marine Corps. PLEASE RSVP, and either respond online by clicking here and click on PARTICIPATE, and then HOLIDAY PARTY or contact Judy Sparks at jhsparks@comcast.net or 703-581-7667.

The annual Chapter 186 Officer election process will proceed at the Nov 23 Membership Gathering. At that meeting we will ask the members present to vote yea or nay to the proposed candidates. Any Chapter 186 member who would like to consider filling an officer position should let one of the Chapter 186 Board Members know before that date. The current President, Vice President and Secretary (Bob Prange, Jim Stone and Dan Botzer, respectively) have indicated a willingness to serve in their positions again for 2025. We thank Brian Lester for serving as our Treasurer for the past two years. Brian has indicated he would still like to help in other areas but will step down from the Treasurer position. Member Michael Iachini has expressed interest in fulfilling the Treasurer position. Michael works in finance, has a C- 182RG and flies Young Eagles.

Most of the 2025 Air Academy sessions are full and accepting a waitlist registration but Chapter 186 has three reserved spots for those interested in attending. We’ll pay a portion of the tuition. The two age groups are 14-15 and 16-18. See more info in the Air Academy article if you are interested.

In October we participated with three other EAA chapters in what we called “October Skies,” a joint-chapter Young Eagles mini-workshop plus a one-on-one flight for each participant. See the write-up herein.

The party season continues! We enjoyed some very good chili concoctions and other dishes and desserts at the Chili Cook-Off last month. Please plan to attend the Holiday Party on Sunday Dec 8 at 12:00 Noon. See the announcement and info about bringing dishes in the next couple pages.

Bob Prange

Bring your family to our Chapter House Holiday Party on Sunday,
December 8 from 12:00 Noon to 4:00 pm. We’ll provide baked ham, roast
turkey, and drinks. Please bring a side dish, perhaps your family’s favorite
vegetable, salad, casserole, pie, cake or cookies. Awards and certificate
presentations to follow. We’ll also be collecting for “TOYS FOR TOTS” so
please bring a new unwrapped toy to be given to the less fortunate in our
area by the Marine Corps.

PLEASE RSVP, and either respond on line by
going to EAA186.org and click on PARTICIPATE, and then HOLIDAY
PARTY or contact Judy Sparks,
jhsparks@comcast.net or 703-581-7667.

*** Sign up ASAP on this website under “Participate”***

Wanted: Chili Cooks

EAA Chapter 186 2

3rd ANNUAL CHILI COOK-OFF!

(No Membership Meeting at 10:00) OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

October 26 at High Noon

There will be four category awards and one main grand prize! Entries can be classic recipes, meatless, no beans, white bean, or even have surprise ingredients. Chili entries will be judged by the following categories:

• Hottest/Spiciest
• Most Creative/Unusual
• Mildest/Wimpiest
• Best Presentation/Most Attractive
• Grand Prize – Best Over All

We need cornbread, side dishes, and desserts!

We also need Chili Judges!

We need FIVE judges, so get in on the fun and put your taste buds to the ultimate test!

RULES:

The signup for Chili Cooks and Chili Judges begins on September 23. Go to EAA186.org and click on PARTICIPATE, and then CHILI COOK OFF. All Chili entries must be at the Chapter House by 11:30 AM on October 26.

Chili entries must be prepared at home and brought to the Chapter House in a slow cooker.

• Be sure to name your chili with a sign!
• Your entry and décor/signage must fit within a 2 ft x 2 ft space.
• Deadline to enter Chili Cook-off is October 23.
• Judging starts at high noon on October 26.
• Please bring cornbread, side dishes