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*** 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

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

ONLINE APPLICATIONS  EAA 186 Membership: click here. Name Tag Order Form: click here CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP FEES $30 Jan–Dec Single Member Dues $35 Jan-Dec Family Member Dues $10 for Name Tag and postage $10 – hard copy of Newsletter (printing & mailing) $10 – hard copy of Directory (printing & mailing) $1 surcharge if paying by PayPal Contact Judy Sparks for Membership info: [email protected] DID YOU CHANGE YOUR E-MAIL? Please advise Judy Sparks, 703-581-7667 or [email protected] if any of your membership directory information changes. Thanks!

Young Eagles EAA Air Academy by Bob Prange Registration is available and EAA has announced the 2025 dates, prices and changes to the course content for the EAA Air Academy, 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. Explore Aviation Camp is equivalent to the previous Basic (14-15) and Advanced (16-18) Air Academy Camps. All sessions offered are the same camp. *Session 1 (ages 14-15) – June 20

Young Eagles by Bob Prange We flew 33 kids at the Sept 14 rally at Warrenton and 28 kids at Manassas on Oct 5. Our next Young Eagles Rallies are: Nov 9 – 12:00 Noon at Manassas Dec 14 – 12:00 Noon at Manassas On October 12, Ch 186 participated in “October Skies” a joint 4-chapter Young Eagles mini- workshop at Shannon Airport. Each chapter had about 4 or 5 attendees from each of 4 chapters for a total of 16 to 20 kids. In the morning there was a hands-on exercise to modify a miniature RC model with a helium balloon and fly it around an obstacle course. After lunch each attendee got a Young Eagles flight. The other

Sometimes, Fantasy Flies The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum collection includes not only artifacts representing major milestones in aviation and aerospace, but artifacts of imagination paying tribute to how ideas and stories inspire the people who achieve such goals. They include the original Star Trek TV starship Enterprise (on display in the South Lobby of the Mall museum); the alien Mothership from Close Encounters of the Third Kind (on display in the Space Hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center); and even the fantastical sculpture of La Minerve, a golden ship suspended under a balloon envisioned as a self-contained aerial community by Etienne Robert in 1803 and rendered into three- dimensional art by N.A. DiRaddo in the late 1970s

We are once again at the time where we conduct the annual Chapter Officer election process. Any Chapter 186 member who would like to consider filling an officer position should let one of the Chapter 186 Board Members know. 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 would like to 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. Any Chapter 186 member interested in fulfilling the treasurer duties can contact Bob or Brian to learn

Chapter member Joe Bechtold (ATP, CFII, KitFox Amphib) will provide lessons learned from his experience after his aircraft was significantly damaged by a fractional jet and his adventures following the repair. Joe built a beautiful Kitfox and flew it all over the country and added amphibious floats. As you may remember from his talk early last year, he was blown over by a corporate jet and was just beginning the repair process. Now we will get an update on his progress. Join us at 1000 on September 28 for the gathering with coffee, doughnuts and good old aviation fellowship beforehand.  

Young Eagles Air Academy from Bob Prange   Registration is available and EAA has announced the 2025 dates, prices and changes to the course content for the EAA Air Academy, 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. Explore Aviation Camp is equivalent to the previous Basic (14-15) and Advanced (16-18) Air Academy Camps. All sessions offered are the same camp. Session 1 (ages 14-15) – June 20

Young Eagles from Bob Prange We flew 47 kids at the August 10 rally at Warrenton and have 50 kids scheduled for Sept 14, also at Warrenton. Our next Young Eagles Rallies are: Sept 14 – 9:00 AM at Warrenton Oct 5 – 9:00 AM at Manassas (First Saturday) 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