President: John Murphy 783-1515 Ted Yon 783-7966

Vice President: Eric Kennard 631-3264 John Murphy 783-1515

Secretary/Treasurer: John Soukup 783-7128 Young Eagle Coordinator

Newsletter Editor: Fred Mahan 452-5797 Tony Yacono 459-0080

The next meeting will be the second Wednesday of February

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EAA Chapter 724

P. O. Box 320923

Cocoa Beach, FL 32931

Mar 1 Pelhan, GA, Winter Triker Gathering, 912-336-1658

Mar 9 Sebring, FL, South Florida Seaplane Fly-In, 813-382-0110.

Mar 14-16 Tico Airport, Valiant Air Command’s "Happy 50^th – USAF", 407-268-1941.

Apr 6-12 Lakeland, Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In, 941-644-2431.

May 3-4 Ft. Lauderdale, 1977 Shell Air & Sea Show, 954-527-5600, ext. 88.

May 24 Crestview, EAA Chapter 108 Pancake Breakfast, 904-862-2673.

May 24 Decatur, AL, EAA Chapter 941 9^th Annual Fly-In, 205-971-4060 or 961-4640.

Jul 30 - Aug 5 Oshkosh, WI, 45^th EAA Annual Fly-In, 414-426-4800.

Every First Saturday, Cannon Creek Airpark, Lake City, Fly-In Breakfast, 904-755-4760

Every Second Saturday, Charlotte County Airport, Punta Gorda, 813-575-6360

Every Third Saturday, Sebring Airport, Chapter 803 pancake breakfast

Every First Sunday, Ft. Myers Airport, Chapter 66 pancake breakfast, 941-947-1430

Every Second Sunday,

Naples Airport, 941-775-1661

Dunn Airpark, barbecue lunch

Every Third Sunday, Kissimmee Municipal Airport, west side of the field, 9 am on.

Every Fourth Sunday, Bob Lee Airport, De Land, Fly-In Lunch, bring your own, 904-985-5373

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On February 1, William Richards of Palm Bay went down in his Velocity about a mile short of Valkaria Airport. Newspaper reports quote him as saying that his engine failed. He was admitted to Palm Bay Community Hospital with leg and back pains.

Richards is the hangar mate of chapter member Tom Gross. Any chapter members who know Richards should be sure to call him and wish him a speedy recovery.

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VP Eric Kennard asked me to put in a note about our annual banquet. It is scheduled for Friday, April 4, at the Cocoa Beach Hilton. The doors will open for happy hour at 5:50 pm, and the dinner will start at 6:45 pm. The meal choices are prime rib or grouper. Negotiations for a guest speaker are underway, but Eric says we may get the builder of a Gee Bee Z replica who lives in Lake County. For ticket information, call Cindy or Eric Kennard at 631-3264, or call Eric at work at 454-7004. Also, would everyone help Steve Pangborn remember to bring a wheelbarrow to the banquet for his usual haul of door prizes.

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How long since you’ve had your transponder checked? Did you know there is a requirement that it be checked every two years?

FAR 91.413 says, "No persons may use an ATC transponder … unless, within the preceding 24 calendar months, the ATC transponder has been tested and inspected and found to comply with Appendix F of part 43 of this chapter." Appendix F of part 43 requires that the testing be done by a technician with a repairman’s certificate endorsed for pitot/static checks.

The transponder can either be installed or on the bench. It is checked for transmitting power, receiver sensitivity, decoding ability, and if one is installed, the encoder interface is checked.

Fortunately for us, these checks can be done by our own Sebastian Communication on Merritt Island Airport. If you’ve been flying around for years without a transponder check, make an appointment today!

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A company called FMI Headsets, Inc., offers $149 kits for upgrading almost any headset to an Advanced Noise Reduction (ANR) headset. Reviewed in the February 1996 US Aviator, the modification was pronounced not quite as good as a $1000 Bose headset, but still very good.

FMI’s address is 2330-B Lakeview, Amarillo, TX 79109, 806-358-6336. Those with E-mail access can contact Dave at: fase@kendaco.telabyte.com

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The EAA has changed its rules regarding flightline access at Oshkosh. Although your editor hasn’t seen any official communication from EAA Headquarters, he has seen a letter on the subject sent by E-mail from Dick Knapinski at EAA Headquarters.

The change involves allowing the general public access to the flight line, not just EAA members and pilots. Apparently, the general public and their dependents will be charged a higher rate than EAA members/pilots and their dependents, but they will have the same access.

Mr. Knapinski said, "The change was not unilaterally or lightly made. It was determined after input from many Directors, Chapter officers, EAA advisory panels and regular members, not to mention Convention guests and exhibitors. It certainly not made in haste. Without going into a long essay on the subject, one of the main reasons it was considered was because of the difficulty for staff and volunteers to explain the admissions pricing schedule to visitors. It caused a lot of anger and frustration on many levels, and we likely lost hundreds of potential EAA members who simply left in disgust because of that. EAA member/volunteers (just like you) who worked at the gate had urged us for several years to do something about that. Again, that’s not the prime or solitary reason, but simply one example."

Addressing a question of whether EAA "offers recourse should someone accidentally ding your aircraft due to negligence or other unforeseen occurrence," Mr. Kapinski replied, "Ever since the Convention has been at Oshkosh, there has been an area for ‘emergency aircraft repair’ offered at no charge to EAA members."

At this time, it is unclear whether the new flightline access rules apply at Sun ‘n Fun.

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From November/December 1995 Lake Flyer

Tiny pesky oil leaks can sometimes take hours to find on an engine. By the time you can see the oil, too much has leaked and spread too far to find the source. Here’s an easy way to locate them all, usually on the first try. Cover any engine or accessory vents and outlets, such as air intakes, vacuum pump, and mags. Wash the engine and let it dry. Spray a very light coat of aerosol foot powder along the engine block seams, seals, and mounts, keeping it clear of the air intakes and fuel vents. Remove the covers. Run the engine for a few moments. The first sign of oil will darken the white powder. You’ve found the leaks. Not just any white powder will do. Some are fiercely abrasive and should not be sprayed where it might be inadvertently ingested into the engine. Others are effective lubricants which could cause little, if any, harm.

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A pilot dies and upon his arrival in Heaven, waits in line at the Pearly Gates. In the distance he sees a Bonanza coming in for landing and, to his surprise, it crashes. A few seconds later he sees the same Bonanza landing, and once again it crashes. Bewildered, the pilot shrugs it off and continues to wait in line. A few seconds later, he again sees the same Bonanza coming in for landing and crashing.

When the pilot gets to the front of the line, he asks St. Peter about the Bonanza.

"Oh, don’t worry about it," says St. Peter. "It’s only God, and he thinks he’s a Bonanza pilot."

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For Spruce Goose fans, the Evergreen Adventure Museum in McMinnville, OR, is offering fabric cutouts from the Spruce goose and certificates of authenticity for $25 + $1.50 S&H. For more information, contact Gary Thompson at 503-472-9361.

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For anyone looking for a cheap handheld aircraft GPS, the Chapter 635 newsletter listed a Trimble Flightmate Pro for sale by Brad Martin for $375. Call 904-749-4015.

For antique/warbird fans, the same newsletter listed a 1943 Stinson V-77 restoration project for sale for $25,000. The V-77 was a military Reliant with a 300 hp R-680. For details, call Art McEwen at 904-255-7655.

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