EAA Chapter 186

After four years on display in the Chapter House, the Build & Fly airplane has been brought back to life. The project started with some Young Eagles just before COVID in 2019 and was completed at the end of 2020 by Mike Walpole and Bob Prange. Videos of the building progress can be seen on YouTube at “skigolfmike”. The plane survived its first test flight with issues and adjustments were made by Mike. However, he moved away and we never got to show any of the contributing Eagles their project in flight. I hadn’t been in the RC flying hobby in over ten years and didn’t feel comfortable taking over as chief pilot. That changed this year when a friend gave me a Turbo Timber model for my birthday in July. With a few hours of fresh experience under my belt, I brought down the Sig Kadet PT-40 hanging from the ceiling, dusted it off and brought it back to airworthy condition. Last Sunday I achieved 15 minutes of flying, 10 landings and one broken prop.

Apparently, taxiing on gravel is not ideal. The plane flies great and is very stable. It was designed as a trainer. The flight included a couple of loops and rolls, a hammerhead and a spin. This weekend, Bob and I are going to test the buddy box which allows for a trainer and a student to fly together. We will also find out if Bob is trainable. Hopefully a video will be forthcoming.

{UPDATE from Sam} It’s official, Bob is trainable. He logged more than 30 total minutes of flight time today on the Build & Fly LT-40. It was Bob’s first time flying RC and my first time attempting to train with the buddy box. All went well and the plane is reusable, always a good outcome! There was no one to film the training, but Bob filmed a couple of my takeoffs and landings to show the project successfully completed and tested after only 5 years.

https://youtu.be/zZ-1BHYFH8k
https://youtu.be/1uZStwsAL7k

{And from Bob} I knew from trying little indoor RC models that when the aircraft is approaching, my brain has never worked fast enough to figure out the reverse controlling necessary for left and right turns. But thanks to Sam’s experience and patience, I was able to fly the Ch 186 Build and Fly LT-40 and actually felt like I progressed a little. Certainly I would have crashed quite a few times but having Sam override my mistakes with the other controller saved the aircraft. That was a lot of fun.

EAA Chapter 186 Chili Cook-Off Heats Up with
Fun, Flavor, and Friendly Competition!

At the Chapter House on October 25, there was no shortage of spice, smiles, and spirited competition at this year’s Chili Cook-Off! No fewer than 40 members gathered for an event filled with simmering crock pots and secret recipes as our talented chili chefs battled it out for top honors.

After much tasting, our esteemed judges (Meredith Richards, Jack McCombs, Tim Lewis, Curtis Smith and Jim Stone) crowned the champions:

Best Overall: Barry Toole with his “Star MacAdam” chili
Hottest/Spiciest: David Richards with his “HolySmoke Chili”
Best Presentation/Most Attractive: George Philipps with his “Sailor Chili Delight”
Most Creative/Unusual: Eric Whiteside
Mildest/Subtle: Cathy Carey with her “White Chicken Chili”

A huge thank you goes out to everyone who entered their chili. Each pot was a winner in its own right, showcasing the incredible variety and talent across our members. We also want to recognize all the generous members who brought a wealth of delicious sides, desserts, and toppings — no one left hungry! And of course, a special shout-out to our setup and cleanup crew (Bob Prange, Jim Stone, TR Proven, Cathy Carey, DB Botzer, Judy Sparks and Dan Lawrence). Their hard work behind the scenes kept everything running smoothly and made the event a huge success. We can’t wait to see what inspires next year’s Cook-Off!

Come join your EAA 186 crew for movie night this Friday, 11/7 at 7pm at the Chapter House to watch Airplane!

Popcorn and drinks will be provided. Feel free to bring treats to share!

See you there!

We are at that time where we conduct the annual Chapter Officer election process. The current President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary are Bob Prange, Jim Stone, Michael Iachini and Dan Botzer, respectively. Even if the current officers wish to continue, Chapter 186 entertains nominations from any member who wishes to run. Any Chapter 186 member who would like to consider filling an officer position should let one of the Chapter 186 Boardm Members know. Terms are for one year. Members present at the November member gathering will vote on the four officer’s positions.

Thanks to all who helped Chapter 186 sell food and spread the word about the Chapter at the Culpeper Air Fest on October 11. This was a successful fund-raising activity as we sold out all he burgers and hot dogs and most of the beverages. Lots of pictures at https://www.facebook.com/EAA186.

The October 18 Young Eagles Rally at Warrenton promises to be a busy event with about 50 kids registered. We are grateful that Warrenton-Fauquier Airport has invited us to conduct a rally there to share aviation with kids from that area.

Please plan to attend the Annual Chapter 186 Chili Cook-Off on October 25 at 12:00 Noon. This event always involves some great dishes in addition to some great chili recipes. To enter your chili, bring it by 11:30 AM and make sure you name your chili but leave your name off. If you volunteer to be a judge you get to eat before the crowd!

Blue Skies,
Bob

ONLINE APPLICATIONS
https://eaa186.org/events/eaa-chapter-186-
membership-online-application-2025/

To order a nametag, go to: https://eaa186.org/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
Contact Jerry Stueve for Membership info:
g.stueve@ieee.org

DID YOU CHANGE YOUR E-MAIL?
Please advise Jerry Stueve, 703-624-0781 org.stueve@ieee.org if any of your membershipdirectory information changes. Thanks.

EAA Air Academy 2026 Registration

Parents: Information (dates, course content, ages, tuition costs) and on-line registration for the June and July 2026 camps are now available at https://www.eaa.org/eaa/youth/eaa aviation-and-flight-summer-camps These camps will fill up quickly.

There are two separate camps: Explore Aviation Camp and Navigating Horizons Camp for either of two age groups, 14 to 15 and 16 to 18. Once you are registered and accepted for a camp, you can apply directly to the EAA for an EAA campership which may help pay for the tuition. EAA Ch 186 has also provided tuition assistance in the past couple years. If you are already registered for an Air Academy camp, let us know and we may be able to help with tuition assistance. If you are in either age group and interested in Explore Aviation Camp let us know. We have placed deposits on a couple camp sessions for campers to be named later. We may be able to help with up to 50% of your tuition. Transportation to and from Air Academy is the responsibility of the parents but room and board are all part of the tuition.

Ray Scholarship
In January 2026 Chapter 186 will apply to EAA to administer a 2026 Ray Foundation Aviation 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. We have helped create five Private Pilots since the program began. 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.

Virginia Aviation Business Association: Charles J. Colgan Scholarship – https:// www.thevaba.org/colgan-application

Virginia Department of Aviation: https://doav.virginia.gov/virginia-aviation-scholarships/

Willard G. Plentl Sr. Aviation Scholarship

John R. Lillard Foundation Aviation Scholarship

Kenneth R. Scott Aviation Scholarship

Chad Weaver Aviation Scholarship

AOPA:
Numerous aviation scholarships https://www.aopa.org/training-and-safety/students/aopa-
flight-training-scholarships

EAA:
Numerous aviation scholarships https://www.eaa.org/eaa/learn-to-fly/scholarships/eaa-flight-training-scholarships

We flew 48 kids on September 13 and have over 50 kids registered for October 18 at Warrenton.

Our next Young Eagles Rallies are:
Oct 18 – Warrenton at 1200
Nov 8 – Manassas at 1200
Dec 13 – Manassas at 1200

Young Eagles flights are available to kids between ages 8 and 17. We normally hold our rallies on the second Saturday each month. Notice the Warrenton rally in October is the 3rd Saturday.

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