EAA Chapter 186

It is that time of year again, so I will dedicate this month’s column to explain the Ray Scholarship process.  Chapter 186 has applied to EAA to grant a 2024 Ray Aviation Foundation Flight Training Scholarship.  Oshkosh will announce chapter selections in February.  If approved we will ask 16 ½ to 19 year olds with an interest in learning to fly to respond to a questionnaire addressing their interest in aviation, chapter participation level, level of completion in the Sporty’s Learn-to-Fly video series, participation in Young Eagles flights and Oshkosh Air Academy and accomplishments toward flight training preparation.  Since the scholarship requires certain progress milestones, we look for a scholar candidate with a strong commitment to spend the summer accomplishing their first solo flight before school resumes in August and a strong commitment to continue an intense pace of flight training once the school year resumes.  The EAA recommends 3 to 4 flight lessons per week.  Only one flying lesson per week makes progressing through the lessons difficult.  Look for more information soon once chapter selections are announced by EAA Headquarters.

The Ray Scholarship pays $11,000 toward the flight training costs of obtaining a Private Pilot Certificate. 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.

An FAA medical certificate is required to be considered for the scholarship.  The EAA asks for two hours per month of volunteer time at the chapter during training.  Selection of a flight school is left to the parents and scholar.

The EAA selects a chapter to grant a Ray Scholarship based on the overall activity and accomplishments of that chapter.  We have been selected annually since 2019 because our membership keeps Chapter 186 thriving through many various programs.  Thank you to the chapter members for participating so that we may give out another $11,000 scholarship.  

Bob Prange, President, EAA 186

It is that time of year again, so I will dedicate this month’s column to explain the Ray Scholarship process.  Chapter 186 has applied to EAA to grant a 2024 Ray Aviation Foundation Flight Training Scholarship.  Oshkosh will announce chapter selections in February.  If approved we will ask 16 ½ to 19 year olds with an interest in learning to fly to respond to a questionnaire addressing their interest in aviation, chapter participation level, level of completion in the Sporty’s Learn-to-Fly video series, participation in Young Eagles flights and Oshkosh Air Academy and accomplishments toward flight training preparation.  Since the scholarship requires certain progress milestones, we look for a scholar candidate with a strong commitment to spend the summer accomplishing their first solo flight before school resumes in August and a strong commitment to continue an intense pace of flight training once the school year resumes.  The EAA recommends 3 to 4 flight lessons per week.  Only one flying lesson per week makes progressing through the lessons difficult.  Look for more information soon once chapter selections are announced by EAA Headquarters.

The Ray Scholarship pays $11,000 toward the flight training costs of obtaining a Private Pilot Certificate. 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.

An FAA medical certificate is required to be considered for the scholarship.  The EAA asks for two hours per month of volunteer time at the chapter during training.  Selection of a flight school is left to the parents and scholar.

The EAA selects a chapter to grant a Ray Scholarship based on the overall activity and accomplishments of that chapter.  We have been selected annually since 2019 because our membership keeps Chapter 186 thriving through many various programs.  Thank you to the chapter members for participating so that we may give out another $11,000 scholarship.  

Bob Prange, President, EAA 186

We have migrated to a new web hosting provider.  As with any migration, there is a chance that some features may not have moved over perfectly, so please let us know if you notice any issues.

Thanks for understanding.

We have migrated to a new web hosting provider.  As with any migration, there is a chance that some features may not have moved over perfectly, so please let us know if you notice any issues.

Thanks for understanding.

From Chapter President, Bob Prange.

We learned some sad news late in March with the passing of Evelyn Marshall. She has been a friend of aviation in Virginia for decades having developed and managed several past and present airports. I remember seeing her at both Woodbridge and Manassas airports many decades ago, always business-like, always smiling. I cannot list all her accomplishments here but I will mention she was inducted into the VAHS Hall of Fame and did tandem parachute jumps on her 80th and 90th birthdays! Find more about Evelyn Marshall here:

https://www.bakerpostfh.com/memorials/evelyn-marshall/5167148/obituary.php
https://www.vahsonline.com/pdf/Evelyn-Marshall.pdf

Honestly, I’m not sure how it’s already September (time sure does fly in a pandemic), but for better or worse, this year has changed our lives and forced us to adapt. I cannot express how thankful I am to all of you who’ve stepped up during these difficult times to keep our chapter thriving!

While our organized Chapter activities are still suspended and we don’t have a projected re-opening date, you will see from this newsletter our Chapter House is still open and our members are still making progress on several projects.

One of our most recent projects was the relocation and setup of our two flight simulators. Both simulators with their various parts and abundance of wiring were located on a large table at the “front” of Chapter House which made it difficult to access the Resource Center. Mary Dominiak come up with the brilliant idea of moving the large one to the office are and everything flowed from there.

The larger flight simulator–generously donated by member Al Olsen– was the first one to be given a permanent home. Several chapter members helped with all aspects of setting this simulator setup which relocation, testing, software installation and many other technical aspects. The physical move, was led by member Sam Bingham with assistance and advice from Jim Stone, Judy Sparks and several others. Sam unplugged everything, moved it over to its new location in the office area, piece by piece, arranged it as efficiently as possible, and plugged everything back in. He took one of the monitors off the big triple bar and put it on its own stand to get the angles he wanted. The flight sim program, X-Plane, was already set up by Al Olsen, Dan Botzer and Chris Mayer. During the move, the monitor plugs were of sequence, and Mike Walpole had to figure out how to re-assign the third monitor to X-plane. Sam’s priority was to make sure everything in the office area worked the same as it did before, despite the seemingly drastic re-architecture of the network. And by all reports, the simulator setup in its new home is a huge success!

The small simulator– RealFlight® 9– was part of our RC Young Eagles Build and Fly kit. RealFlight® claims to be the #1 RC flight simulator in the world. It’s an essential tool new RC pilots can use when learning how to fly. It also makes it possible for experienced RC pilots to practice new maneuvers and to hone their skills so they can become even better pilots.

From RealFlight® – “With more than 160 different aircraft to fly — including airplanes, helicopters, drones and more — at over 40 different flying sites, plus the ability to edit aircraft and sites, there’s an almost infinite number of flying options available. Add in game-like challenges that make flight training fun, multiplayer options so you can fly and compete with other pilots online, compatibility with VR headsets, and many, many more features, and you have everything you need to succeed at the field — because you can “fly” on a PC at home, or on a laptop just about anywhere else.”

This simulator needed to be rehomed to a table/desk with wheels so that it can be moved to accommodate more room for Chapter House events. Chapter member Chris Berg researched possible desk options and after one was selected by the board, he went through the process of setting up that RC as well. This RC simulator offers the option of viewing the flight from the computer screen (another donation from Al Olsen) or from the large flat screen TV (donated by member, Bob Prange.)

A huge thank you to everyone involved in both projects. We don’t know what to expect as we continue to navigate these unusual times but here at EAA Chapter 186 we are grateful for the virtual “glue” that holds us all together. Maintaining strong connections is more important than ever in these times, and we are committed to providing the best support and reliable information to our membership and local aviation community.