Young Eagles from Bob Prange

We have had to cancel for three months in a row. Winds on March 8 were too strong and gusty for orientation flights. Our next Young Eagles Rallies are:

April 12 – CANCELLED
May 10 – 0900 AM at Warrenton
June 14 – 0900 AM at Manassas

To thank Warrenton Airport for inviting us to operate there on April 12 we allowed pre-registration for kids from Fauquier County area schools during March. We had about 45 kids registered.

Ground and Pilot Volunteers: About two/three weeks prior to a Young Eagles Rally, we prompt the events.eaachapters.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.

Pilot Volunteers: EAA requires current EAA membership and current Youth Protection Program training and background check to fly Young Eagles. Unfortunately, no notice is given before your 3-year YPP training expires, so it can be a surprise to discover you are not eligible just before a Young Eagles Rally. Please go to your EAA.org account and look under “My Account” and “Training Information” to see your YPP date of expiration. When training is needed, a link will take you to the training module.

Ground Volunteers: EAA requires a minimum portion of our ground volunteers to have current Youth Protection Program training and background check. Please go to your EAA.org account and look under “My Account” and “Training Information” to see your YPP date of expiration. When training is needed, a link will take you to the
training module.

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 in the colder months. Parents can register at events.eaachapters.org beginning at 8:00 AM on the 1st of each month.

Chapter 186 Young Eagles Coordinators
David Richards
Bob Prange

NASM New Galleries Coming

by Mary Dominiac

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or are new to the DC area!), you already know that the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum on the Mall has been totally rebuilt on its original footprint, and is gradually opening new, fully
reimagined display galleries. While no precise date has been announced yet, new signs in the South Lobby (Independence Avenue entrance) now promise Summer 2025 as the next stage opening, and the recent removal of construction curtains teases current visitors with veiled glimpses of treats to come.

The next stage will include the Boeing Milestones of Flight gallery, with the gorgeous new portico entrance on the mall; the Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight gallery on the second floor, directly over the South Lobby; the Lockheed Martin IMAX theater; and the Innovations gallery, which is the last remaining gallery on the far west end. The first exhibit in Innovations will be “Aerospace and Our Changing Environment,” which will be on display for about two years. The Summer 2025 opening may also include World War I: The Birth of Military Aviation, on the second floor beside Pioneers of Flight and across from the IMAX theater; and Futures in Space, across from the IMAX theater on the first floor. If they don’t all open at the same time, they’ll likely open in quick succession.

At any rate, if you come for a visit any time soon – remembering to get your timed entry tickets first, of course! (https://www.etix.com/ticket/e/1029945/timed-entry-washington-the-smithsonian-national-air-and-space-museum-
general-public) – you will see plastic-wrapped artifacts visible in the Milestones of Flight gallery. Impress your
visiting family and friends by identifying the X-15, Chuck Yeager’s Bell X-1, the monster fan blade from the full-scale Langley Wind Tunnel, and more! Hop on the escalator to the second floor to check out the wrapped Lunar Module and look down the hall to see the signs for all the other galleries that won’t be opening until next year. Walk toward the Planetarium box office on the second floor and you can steal a glimpse of the nose of Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St Louis hanging in Pioneers of Flight (now safely out of direct sunlight from the glass ceiling) and point out the flash of red to its right: part of Amelia Earhart’s gorgeous Lockheed Vega.

And if you’d like to see professional photos from behind the scenes of all the new galleries, you can always check out the museum’s Flickr account, “Change Is In The Air.” You’ll find phase two here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/airandspace/albums/72177720297680046/.
Keep your eyes on the museum’s website for gallery opening announcements or make absolutely sure you don’t miss the news by subscribing to the museum’s “What’s Up” email newsletter right over here: https://airandspace.si.edu/about/major-projects/transformation/behind-scenes.

ONLINE APPLICATIONS
https://nds.qgi.mybluehost.me/events/eaa-chapter-186-
membership-online-application-2025/
To order a nametag, go to https://nds.qgi.mybluehost.me/

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
$12 for Name Tag and postage
$12 – hard copy of Directory (printing & mailing)
$2 surcharge if paying by PayPal

Farewell from the Membership Chair, Judy Sparks

I would like to share that after more than 25 wonderful years I am retiring as your Membership Chair – no kidding, really, I am. It has been a true honor and privilege to serve Chapter 186, and I thank you for your support in this role.
One of the greatest joys has been welcoming newmmembers and getting to know so many of you over the years. The friendships, stories, and shared passion for aviation have made this journey incredibly rewarding. With my retirement, the Membership Chair position is now open, and I encourage those of you who would like to contribute to the Chapter to consider taking the role. I wouldn’t have stayed in the position as long as I did if it truly wasn’t enjoyable! While I may be retiring from the Membership Chair position, I’m not going far—I look forward to continuing my
involvement with the Chapter as your Historian.

With gratitude,

Judy Sparks
Membership Chair (Retiring)
Historian
EAA Chapter 186

Ray Aviation Scholarship

by Bob Prange

Chapter 186 has been approved by EAA to grant a $12,000 Ray Aviation Foundation Scholarship for 2025. This is the 7th consecutive year we have been approved. We are reviewing the questionnaire answers submitted in March by our scholar hopefuls and will complete the selection process in April. We look at a candidate’s motivation, participation level in Chapter activities, level of completion in the Sporty’s Learn-to-Fly video series, participation in Young Eagles flights and Oshkosh Air Academy and any accomplishment toward flight training preparation. Possession of an
FAA medical certificate is required for scholarship consideration.

The Ray Scholarship pays $12,000 toward the flight training costs of obtaining a Private Pilot Certificate. Note that total costs will exceed $12,000. It is paid in three installments: initial, after first solo and after written exam completion. 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. The EAA asks for two hours per month of volunteer time at the chapter during training.

Young Eagles Air Academy

by Bob Prange

Chapter 186 is using credits we earned from flying Young Eagles to assist with tuition costs for three kids to attend this June and July. Two kids are going to the age 14-15 Discover Camp on June 12 and one to the age 16-18 Explore Camp on July 15. EAA Air Academy 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. The child’s family is responsible for transportation to and from the lodge. Find additional information on course content, lodge accommodations and registration at: https://www.eaa.org/eaa/youth/eaa-aviation-and-flight-summer-camps

Updated information for the June and July 2026 camps will be available in early
September 2025.

IMC & VMV Meetings 

from TR & Chuck

Folks, at this time TR and Chuck are sort of a single point of failure for IMC/VMC Clubn activities. We have found on occasion that we each have activities that conflict with Club meetings. Sofar other activities have been optional and Club meetings proceed as usual, but this may not always be the case. Having a third Club Coordinator as
backup would be very helpful to us. If you would like to help out by becoming IMC/VMC Club Coordinator and (optionally) an FAA Safety Team representative, please give Chuck Kyle a call at 703 439 0836 or email to deke.kyle@gmail.com. It’s a great way to be more involved with the Chapter and meet some great Chapter members.

Thanks!
TR and Chuck

We meet on the 4th Tuesday each month. IMC Club at 7 PM. VMC Club at 8 PM. Come for one or both sessions; we usually meet beforehand at 5:30 PM for informal dinner at the Panera Bread at Bristow Center. The IMC Club’s purpose is to promote instrument flying proficiency, safety and education through a community of pilots sharing information and fostering communications. You don’t have to be instrument rated to come to the IMC Club.

The VMC Club, for pilots wishing to improve their VFR flying proficiency, is modeled after the popular IMC Club providing organized “hangar flying” with a focus on VFR procedures, regulations and publications.

TR Proven and Chuck Kyle are our facilitators for  these meetings but the attendees are encouraged to participate with their knowledge and experience. Each one-hour meeting earns you one credit toward the FAA Wings Pilot Proficiency program.

Udvar-Hazy WWII Anniversay

by Mary Dominiac

Mark your calendars: the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum’s annual Innovations Day fly-in  display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center this year will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. On Saturday, June 14, 2025, over 50 aircraft, including multiple still-flying WWII planes as well as modern aircraft, will be parked for public
display on the ramp at the north end of the museum’s aviation hangar from 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM.

The event is still in its planning phase, so while it has been posted on the museum’s online calendar, specific visiting aircraft haven’t been announced yet. If you’re interested in exhibiting your aircraft at the event, you can apply here until April 17, 2025: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YVJ3Q7C. You’ll be notified by April 28, 2025, if your aircraft is accepted for participation.

As usual for these special events involving outdoor ramp displays, free tickets will be required for anyone who wants to visit the aircraft on the ramp, although no tickets will be needed to enter the museum.

Ramp admission tickets will be available to orderthrough the museum’s website at 7:00 PM om May 13, 2025. Advance tickets will be available for nNational Air and Space Society members at 8:00 AM on May 12, 2025. Put the appropriate ticket availability date and time on your calendar or subscribe to the museum’s “What’s Up” newsletter to get your advance warning in good time to secure tickets – they typically go fast! https://airandspace.si.edu/whats-on/events/
innovations-flight

Young Eagles Rally for 4/12 Cancelled

Due to unfavorable flight ceilings, our 4/12 Young Eagles Rally at Warrenton has been cancelled. Please join us for our next scheduled YE Rally on Saturday, May 10 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at Warrenton-Farquier Airport.

Movie Night, 3/28 at 7 PM

Friday March 28
7:00 PM
Movie Night at the Chapter House

Join us this Friday night to watch a movie based on a World War 2 battle!

Feel free to bring snacks to share.  Popcorn, sodas and water will be available.

Manassas events are held at:

EAA Chapter 186
10629 Observation Road
Manassas, VA  20110

*Please do not park in spaces marked “FAA”. Those are expensive tow-away spaces.