The Ford Tri-Motor will be at Manassas airport Sept. 2-9. Volunteers are needed. Please sign up to participate and join in the fun!
Volunteer sign-up form available here.
Thank you and see you there!
Member Gathering and Cookout This Saturday 8/24!
August 22, 2024 By
Upcoming EAA Chapter 186 Event!
August 24 Saturday 10:00 AM Member Gathering, coffee and doughnuts beforehand:
Our speaker is Chapter member Al Lawless presenting on the future of VTOL – vertical take-off and landing. Al will give a high level talk about Urban Air Mobility and Verticraft. He’ll touch on various configurations, UAM service and vertiport concepts, and the challenges ahead. As usual, this will be a relaxed, interactive discussion. Al is a flight test expert for Aurora Flight Sciences, Technical Fellow for Boeing, a Flight analyser DER for the FAA, and holds tickets for commercial instrument MEL, gliders, and motorgliders. Al’s presentation promises to be as enthralling and captivating as his presentation in May regarding the Perlan 2 Project – the world record holding high altitude sailplane.
Cookout afterwards!!!
Stay with us as our gathering continues with a cookout; burgers, hot dogs and other goodies. Email Judy Sparks jhsparks@comcast.net or Bob Prange rsp10000@aol.com if you can help with the cookout.
Young Eagles from Bob Prange
August 20, 2024 By
We flew 35 kids at the July 13 rally at Manassas and 47 kids at the August 10 rally at Warrenton. Many thanks go out to our ground and pilot volunteers for getting the job done. A special thank you goes to Warrenton-Fauquier Airport Manager Dave Huss and staff for the use of their facility for this month’s rally as well as the next rally on September 14.
Our next Young Eagles Rallies are:
Sept 14 – 9:00 AM at Warrenton
Oct 12 – 9:00 AM at Manassas Nov 9 – 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, 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM for the summer months, 12:00 Noon and 2:00 PM in the winter months. 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 an instructor 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, click here.
Photo credit and thanks to Sam Bingham for photographs contained herein.
Chapter 186 Young Eagles Coordinators,
David Richards
Bob Prange
From the President
August 19, 2024 By
After sharing the skies with a hundred or so other aircraft on their way into AirVenture, the first people encountered after landing are the volunteer marshallers on foot and scooter sorting out the arriving aircraft and sending them to their parking spot. The next encounter is with a volunteer flight operations arrival briefer, asking if we have turned off the mags and master switch, and reminding us to tie the aircraft down before we leave it. Next, to get from Vintage Aircraft Parking across the AirVenture grounds toward our lodging we ride a blue tram and a red tram; operated by, yes, volunteers. The tram takes us past forums and workshops led by volunteer instructors. Checking in at registration to get our admittance wristbands, we find several volunteers working that function. For weeks leading up to AirVenture, volunteers have prepared, landscaped, painted and repaired the grounds and facilities. Large cadres of volunteers keep the Ford Tri-Motor and B-25 Berlin Express rides going. The Vintage Red Barn, the Blue Barn, Homebuilders Headquarters, Warbirds and numerous other locations are powered by volunteers. Sure, there are paid employees at the food vendors and exhibitors and on the FBO fuel truck, but the engine of this great annual celebration is the thousands of EAA volunteers.
We have this same spirit of volunteerism right here at Chapter 186. Movie nights, IMC Club and VMC Club meetings, Tri-Motor and Bomber Air Tours, Young Eagles Rallies, membership renewals, cookouts, the directory, newsletter, website, Facebook page, tool crib, merchandise, Flight Advisors, Technical Counselors, the Chapter House and its repairs and many more functions are possible only because you make these Chapter functions possible. I often see 186 members helping each other with a tool or a part or advice, or an airplane or car ride to get one back into position.
Chapter 186 was again named earlier this year as a Gold Level Chapter. This is only because we do enough of the functions on the EAA checklist to attain that status. The new Gold Seal banner is on the wall in the Chapter House. Think of it as a thank you banner for our membership that keeps us going.
Speaking of keeping things going; every year at the Virginia Department of Aviation (DOAV) Meeting a “Top Eagles” award is given to the three Board pilots flown Young Virginia in the past 12 months. Here is an excerpt from the speech by Greg who have the most Eagles in Campbell, of the DOAV:
“Many pilots would tell you that one of the greatest gifts they could give in aviation is sharing their love of flying with the next generation. The EAA Young Eagles program is designed to do just that…Today I have the honor of introducing three individuals who truly went above and beyond the calling of this wonderful program. These three ‘Top Eagles’ flew the most children in Virginia during the past 12 months. They gave their time and skills to help introduce and inspire kids in the world of aviation. The Top Eagles Award program is a way for all of us to give our thanks to these selfless volunteers. Chris Berg flew 51 Young Eagles in the Commonwealth. Thank you, Chris, and congratulations.”
Chapter 186 member Chris Berg has been flying Young Eagles since the program began in 1992. He not only inspires kids with his flights, but he also inspires us to keep volunteering. Chris has also served as our Chapter 186 Secretary. Thank you Chris, and all of our selfless volunteers who keep our programs going.
Bob Prange
Tonight– Movie Night at the Chapter House! September 16, 7PM
August 16, 2024 By
September 16, 7:00 PM. at the Chapter House! Movie will contain great aerial footage, daredevil flying stunts plus a requisite love story in the background. Please feel free to bring snacks to share. Popcorn, sodas, and water will be available!
Young Eagles Rally This Saturday in Warrenton!
August 7, 2024 By
Our next Young Eagles Rally is this Saturday, August 10, 9:00 am-1:00 pm in Warrenton. Weather and visibility conditions-permitting the rally will go on as scheduled. Check back here for updates as they become available.
1929 Ford Tri-Motor Coming September 5-8!!!!
August 1, 2024 By
Want to travel in time? Take a flight on the first true American airliner: a 1929 Ford Tri-Motor!
Come by and say hi even if you don’t fly …
You can now book your ride on the 1929 Ford Tri-Motor at Manassas! Flights are available Thursday through Sunday, September 5-8, 2024, departing from the Terminal building at Manassas Regional Airport!
Click here to register.
Flights aren’t scheduled for a specific time; just come as early as you can on your day — between 2:00 and 5:00 PM on Thursday, and between 9:00 AM and 5:00PM on Friday through Sunday – and flights will take off as soon as enough passengers are checked in.
Can’t book in advance? No problem: tickets will be for sale on site every day. Adults are $99, and kids 17 and younger are $75. Every seat is a window seat!
Mary Dominiak
Ray Aviation Scholarship
July 23, 2024 By
Our 2024 Ray Scholar, Kobe Kerns, continues his flight instruction at the Winchester Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol. Kobe had already soloed and is working on the FAA written and beginning his cross-country training. Our 2023 Ray Scholar Grant Peterson has passed the FAA written exam and is working on his cross-country flying and preparation for the Private Pilot check ride.
The Ray Scholarship pays $11,000 toward the flight training costs of obtaining a Private Pilot Certificate. The required milestones are:
-First solo flight within three months;
-Pass the private pilot written exam within six months;
-Pass the Private Pilot check ride within one year of receiving the initial funds.
Please note the scholarship process requires an FAA medical certificate prior to being considered for the scholarship.
Bob Prange
Young Eagles EAA Air Academy
July 23, 2024 By
Utilizing our credits earned for Young Eagles flights flown in 2023, Chapter 186 has paid for the first $500 of camp tuition for two kids to go to the Air Academy camp in Oshkosh this month. We earn credits from EAA for the number of Young Eagles we fly in the calendar year. We can then spend those credits toward the tuition costs for one or two kids to attend Air Academy.
The EAA Air Academy is a series of camps (five to nine days long) 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. There are two age range camps, each given twice in the summer:
-Basic Camp for ages 14-15 is six days long;
-Advanced Camp for ages 16-18 is nine days long.
Click here for additional information on course content, lodge accommodations and registration. Contact president@eaa186.org if you have any questions. EAA has announced that camp dates and registration for 2025 will become available September 3, 2024.
Bob Prange
***Chapter 186 Airventure Breakfast***
July 19, 2024 By
186 AirVenture Breakfast
The annual EAA Chapter 186 Breakfast at AirVenture in Oshkosh will be held this year as usual on Tuesday, July 23, 2024 at the Tail Winds Cafe at 8:00 a.m. The Cafe has changed its name many times over the years, but the location remains the same, over by the Forums and Workshops.
PLEASE PLAN TO ATTEND
