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EAA Chapter 234

Grand Traverse Region


Newsletter—January 2022
A snowy day in the Swiss Alps. Photo by Paul Lackford on Unsplash

From the president

Happy New Year!

May you and yours have a far happier and a far less goofy New Year than the last few years.

Our calendar on our website lists all of the chapter events and is a great way to keep up with chapter happenings, to wit: Al Laursen will host his IFR Forum this Wednesday the 12th at 5:30 In NMC’s Parsons Stulen building, room 220. Good stuff this.

Todd Zrimec will speak with us, via Zoom, this Thursday the 13th. Our gathering starts at 6:30 PM and at 7 we will roll into his story and presentation. Todd flew for Atlas Air and now flies for American Airlines.
 

We need a new office!


We are in search of a new home for our chapter, so holler at us with your ideas. Don’t be shy.  We’ll lose our office in the old GA terminal building. Construction will soon start on AvFlight’s new hanger, where the old terminal once stood; this construction will cut off the water line to the building.
 
2021 was a most challenging and an even far more rewarding year. Our Young Eagles program shone through the year as we flew a boatload of youth which, in turn, fed our Young Eagles workshops which are gathering steam under Jim Sorbie’s leadership. Keep those Young Eagles up in the air!
 
Participate if you can in EAA’s Home Builders Week (24 through 28 January). You should, as the presentations are helmed by professional in their fields. Plus it’s fun!
 
EAA’s Chapter Leadership Academy has been a boon to your board in leading the chapter. More of our members will be attending the academy in OSH in the coming months.
 
Lastly, we lost three of our members last year: John Hughes, Bob Witkop and Bill Julian. We were better for having known them. Blue skies and tailwinds.
 
Get in the way, participate, suggest, visit. We want and need your labor, ideas, and your vision.
 
Happy New Year,
 
Bill
Al Laursen's IFR Forum
Wednesday, January 12, 6:30 p.m.
NMC Aero Park Campus, Parons-Stulen Room 220

Monthly gathering
Thursday, January 13, 6:30 p.m.
Chapter office (1220 Airport Access Road, 2nd floor)—or virtual

Coffee, donuts, and hangar flying
Every Saturday morning at 9 a.m.
Chapter office (1220 Airport Access Road, 2nd floor)

Get the latest event info anytime at eaa234.org

Membership dues

Time to renew (or join!)

It's January again, which means it's time to pay membership dues. Your annual $25 dues (for an individual or entire family) support everything we do, including:
  • Empowering and engaging the next generation of aviators with our Young Eagles program
  • Planning fun monthly gatherings and special events like pancake breakfasts
  • Providing tools and supplies for our aircraft build projects
All that and more for only 1/4 of a $100 hamburger!

Current members can skip right to payment by using the blue button. If you would also like to update your contact information, use the green button.
Renew (Pay dues only)
Join or update contact information (and pay dues)
If you're not a current member, now is a great time to join! 2022 is going to be a big year for Chapter 234, and we'd love for you to be a part of it.

Monthly gathering

Todd Zrimec, American Airlines

Thursday, January 13, 6:30 p.m.

EAA Chapter 234 Office
1220 Airport Access Road, 2nd floor, Traverse City

Join virtually via Zoom
Todd Zrimec will speak with us, via Zoom, this Thursday the 13th. Our gathering starts at 6:30 PM and at 7 we will roll into his story and presentation. Todd flew for Atlas Air and now flies for American Airlines.

You are welcome to join us at the chapter office, or attend virtually. As always, we ask that you wear a mask if you are not fully vaccinated.

Young Eagles

New programs fill the gaps between flights

EAA 234 is proud to be able to host a multi-tiered aviation learning environment for local youth. In 2021, we reconstituted our Young Eagles program by hosting 90+ young people on their first flight in four separate events. Nearly the whole chapter turned out for these events, cooking pancakes, working the flight line, doing registration and last but certainly not least pilots and their airplanes donating their time to introduce these young people to flight.
 
However, we felt that simply offering Young Eagles flights wasn’t enough. The question remained of what to do between the Young Eagles flights to reinforce learnings and the exposure to flying and offer a realistic path to flying as a career or lifelong hobby.

Last year, members Brian Cox and Fred Danielson proposed a series of meetings to address that and set out the plan for our Young Eagles Club and the Private Pilot Education Mentoring programs. These programs are described in more detail on our Young Eagles page. Consequently, we established these programs and now are offering them to area youth on a regular basis. So, check them out!

If you know of a young person that would be interested in learning more about aviation, then pass this newsletter on to them and refer them to our Young Eagles page.

Donations accepted

We want your old computers, TVs, tools

Are you getting ready to upgrade to a bigger screen before the big game? Do you have any extra computer equipment (desktops, laptops, tablets) that is less than three (or so) years old? We may be interested in it!

In particular, we are looking for:
  • Computers capable of running flight simulation for Young Eagles (no more than ~3 years old, with powerful graphics card)
  • A relatively recent laptop to run virtual meetings from
  • A big-screen TV
  • Other A/V or tech equipment that could be useful in our future office
  • Specialized tools for aircraft building
If you have something that you think might be useful, please let us know!

(We have plenty of books and magazines in the chapter library at the moment, so please find another home for those. Thanks!)

RAF update

Two Hearted to reopen in 2022?

Volunteers from the Recreational Aviation Foundation worked in fall of 2021 to improve Two Hearted Airstrip (6Y5), on the shore of Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula. The airport was closed in 2021 due to poor runway conditions, but could reopen in 2022.

Get that endorsement

Jane Berg Tailwheel Scholarship

Applications are now being accepted for the Jane Berg Tailwheel Scholarship, offered for tailwheel training for a female pilot. Training will be in a 1946 Piper J-3 Cub in Salinas, Kansas, later this year. Learn more and apply before April 15.

News from HQ

Chapter video magazine

Jack J. Pelton welcomes you to January's Chapter Video Magazine with a recap of EAA's successes in 2021, and looks forward to the new programs, education resources, advocacy efforts, and offerings coming in 2022.

EAA webinars

The aerocar, cylinder issues, and ground reference maneuvers

As always, EAA has a variety of webinars on offer. Upcoming topics include "The Incredible, Roadable Aerocar," how to perfect your pattern with precision ground reference maneuvers, and how to rescue troublesome cylinders.

Some qualify for FAA WINGS or AMT credit. Check out the full list and register now.

The Back Page

EAA Chapter 234—Grand Traverse Region

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