February, 2005 Volume 36, Issue 2, Page 1

David and Vicki’s RV-10By Michael Stephan

Our chapter is lucky to have oneof the first RV-10s being assem-bled by two of our youngerChapter members. David andVicki Jones have been membersfor nearly two years now and arealready working on the fuselageof one of the first RV-10 quick-build fuselages delivered.

Being married and workingon a project together seems like arecipe for disaster, but this pairhas personalities that really compliment each other. Vickiloves the building and David can’t wait to fly it. So togetherthere is the push to move the project forward quickly andwith great workmanship. David is an IFR pilot and Vicki isfinishing her IFR training. They have a Piper Warrior atGrand Prairie, but will say goodbye to it once the RV-10 isready to fly.

So far the tail and wings are complete. The tail kit is a lit-tle different than most in that it includes the tail cone of thefuselage as well. So the fuselage portion of the kit is basical-

ly the cabin structure. Van has refined his kits over the years,but being one of the first to build a new model still has its dif-ficulties. In the wing kit, the spar center section is included

that will be used to build thewings. But, to have it built intothe quickbuild fuselage, whichDavid and Vicki opted for, it mustbe sent back to Van’s. When thefuselage arrived a few weeks ago,very much delayed by the dock-workers strike in California,David and Vicki realized that thespar center section was not theone that they had sent back. It wasfrom someone else’s kit.Rightfully concerned, they

brought it to the attention of Scott Risen at Van’s who afterdoing some research and talking to the engineers told Davidand Vicki that it would be OK to use. Interchangeable partsof this type are rare in the airplane kit industry. I guess if youcan make thousands of rivet holes exactly match in an air-frame, then I guess you can do it for the spars as well. I guesswe won’t know for sure until they actually mate the wings tothe fuselage.

Continued on page 5

Hangar Echoes

February, 2005 Volume 36, Issue 2, Page 2

Feb 1st Chapter Meeting

The FebruaryChapter meetingwill be on TuesdayFebruary 1st. It willbe held at theFarmers BranchLibrary, located onthe northwest cor-ner of Webb Chapeland Golfing GreenDr. The meetingwill be held in theauditorium and willbegin at 6:30 p.m.and finish by 9:00p.m.

The Speaker for this meeting will Dan Shoemaker of theNational Weather Service. Dan is a forcaster, and will showus what is involved in developing aviaiton weather forcasts.Understanding the forcast is good knowledge for making theproper “go-no go” decisions. He is also a proficient hang-glider pilot. So if you are interested, you might be able to slipin a few of those questions as well. See you there.

Feb 5th Chapter Fly-In

This month's fly-in will require some flying. We are going toStevenville (SEP) for lunch at the Hard BBQ restaurant. Wehave tried the Hard Eight two times before, but came upsnake eyes both times. Since the third time is a charm, weshould have no problem.

The Hard Eight is a short walk from the field, but a golfcart is available for those who want to ride. We will meet atthe field at 11:30 and walk over together. The BBQ is thebest, so make plans to attend. See you there.

Feb 8th Board of Directors Meeting

The BOD meeting will be held on eb. 8th at the FarmersBranch Manske Library at 7:00 PM. The minutes from theJanuary BOD meeting recorded by John Peyton are as fol-lows:

• Directors in attendance: Michael Stephan , David Cheek,Monroe McDonald, Don Christiansen , Sam Cooper, DonWilcox, Jerry Mrazek, Ron Bonnette, John Peyton, ClayRomeiser, Bruce Fuller.

• We discussed the upcoming event calendar:• The February meeting will feature Dan Shoemaker fo the

Nation Weather Service.• The February fly-in will be to Stevenville (SEP) for BBQ

at the Hard Eight. Meet at 11:30.• The March newsletter will be folded at Brad and Deia

Roberts' house on Febb 22. The next month will be theMesquite Flight School.

• David Cheek and the incomeing Vice President, RonBonnette, dicussed upcoming apeakers.

• Michael Stephan gave the Treasurer's report for Decemberand the end of year report. 2004 ended with positive cashflow.

• New Board members were discussed.• It was decided to accept an offer of a free RV Story DVD.• The subcommittee on alternative meeting places reported

that Dallas Public Library branches have meeting roomsavailable for one to two hours at $25.00 and three hours at$45.00. The subcommittee was instructed to continue thesearch.

• The Board then discussed the details of transfering the taskof data base management from Jerry Mrazek to ClayRomeiser’s online application.

• Nametags for the monthly meeting was also dicussed.

Chapter 168 Information By Michael Stephan

Continued on page 4

February, 2005 Volume 36, Issue 2, Page 3

A Message from the PresidentBy Sam Cooper

Jan Collmer delivered a great program at our January ChapterMeeting. The best part was a new video Jan showed us fea-turing in-plane footage of his Fina Extra 300 aerobatic rou-tine. This was about twelve minutes of high level yank andbank aerobatics that certainly helps me understand how mucheffort the pilot is really exerting. If the video did not convinceyou, then the average +7g to -3g Jan experiences on everyroutine sure does, especially without a g-suit! The video alsohad a nice small synchronized “picture in a picture” showingthe routine from ground level to keep the audience oriented.Jan stated that they were still refining the video, hopefully itwill be available in the near future.

Jan will be returning to the DFW Airport Board at therequest of Mayor Laura Miller. As you have probablynoticed, DFW Airport is completing some expensive con-struction projects (new people mover, international termi-nal), but is also dealing with economic challenges (Deltawithdrawal, American difficulties, Wright amendment chal-lenges). We had a lively Q&A session on some of theseissues, and Jan certainly helped me appreciate the magni-tude of the regional economic impact that is at stake, it issignificant.

Jan also updated us on the Frontiers of Flight Museum atLove Field. The museum is doing well, adding exhibits anddisplay aircraft on a regular basis. It has also very quicklybecome a popular site for parties and corporate functions. Asmall group of us visited the museum for our January “Fly-in”, and we enjoyed a tour with a knowledgeable docent.They have a nice display of aircraft now, but it will expandand evolve over time.

In preparation for serving as this year’s ChapterPresident, I have been thinking about some of the things thatwe do well and the things that we can improve on as anorganization. My personal gut feeling was that one of ourstrengths was helping each other build and complete our air-craft projects. So, I did some research through my back issuesof Hangar Echoes (late 1990 through 2004) to see how manyfirst flights (including major restorations) our Chapter mem-bers have made in this fifteen year period. So far, I havecounted 59 first flights by members during this time period.Wow! That averages out to about 3.9 first flights per year!Our best years have been 1997 with 8 and 1993 with 7. Inaddition, for 1995 - 2002 we had 43 first flights in 8 years.We hit a small lull in 2003 - 2004 with only two first flights,but we should recover quickly in 2005.

When I mentioned some preliminary numbers from thisresearch during the January Meeting, I was asked what the

more popular types were. Without giving away the wholestory (I want to turn this into a longer article for the newslet-ter) the most numerous models have been as follows: RV-6 &-6A (15); RV-8 & -8A (7); RV-4 (5); Zenith CH-601 (4); KR-2 (3); and Glasair (2). The other 23 first flights were individ-ual instances of a huge variety of models. All the major con-struction types are represented in this set. While most of theaircraft were kits, we also have some plans built completions.Mike Hoye’s Pober Pixie II design (with Paul Poberezny con-sulting) and scratch build project first flown in about June2000 is an incredible example of the non-kit extreme. WhileI understand the natural desire to be part of a group buildinga popular model, I like to enjoy and celebrate the diversity ofmodels our members have completed and flown. We are allsport aviation enthusiasts.If you have information to be added to this database of firstflights, please let me know. I would like to go back furtherinto Chapter 168 history if we can.

Remember to participate and enjoy the journey!

Feb. 22nd Newsletter Assembly

The March newsletter will be assembled on TuesdayFebruary 22th at 7 pm at the home of Brad and Deia Robertsat 10716 St. Lazare Drive in Dallas. If you need directionsthey can be reached at 214-351-0475.

Brad is building an RV-7. He is not going the quickbuildroute and is making good progress. You have seen RVsbefore, but you have not seen Brad's. Also, we have only seenone other RV-7 before, so come on out and join us for somefun.

Upcoming Events

For even more flying events visit www.fun-places-to-fly.com

Local • Feb 5 -Chapter 168 Fly-in to Stevenville, for BBQ at the

Hard 8. Meet at 11:30 • Feb 5 EAA Chapter 59 Pancake Breakfast McGregor Exec

Airport Waco, Texas TIME: 8:30 - 11:00 a.m. FFI: Dan &Joyce McKee djmckee@usa.com

• March 5 -Sportair Workshops at Skyline High School. Forfurther details, go to www.sportair.org, or call 800-967-5746.

• Apr 9 - Bluebonnet Airshow Burnet Muni Airport Burnet, Texas

National • Apr 12-18 2005 Sun 'n Fun Fly-In Lakeland, FL.

News and NotesBy Michael Stephan

Aeroshell OilOn my occasional stroll through Sam’s Club, I check the toolaisle just in case there is something my shop can’t do with-out. When I passed the area where they sell auto oil, I noticedthat they also sell Aeroshell aviation oil. I watch the price ofit and the last time I saw it was about $22 per case. Recently,I was told that the price is down to about $12 per case. Thatis a bargain. It looks like Sam’s Club is trying real hard tomove that oil and will probably not get any more. So, if youuse Aeroshell 50 weight oil, it is worth the trip to Sam’s to getsome. If you are not a member of Sam’s, let me know and wecan make some kind of arrangement.

SportAir Workshops Return to DallasThe EAA SportAir workshops are returning to East Dallas onMarch 5-6, 2005. The workshops which are scheduledinclude: test flying; introduction to aircraft building; com-

posites; sheet metal; fabric; electrical; gas welding; and“What’s Involved in Kitbuilding?” For further details, go towww.sportair.org, or call 800-967-5746.Our current President, Sam Cooper, has previously attendedthe Composite Construction workshop (focusing on moldlesscomposites) and greatly enjoyed his educational weekend.These workshops are a great way to learn a new skill, or totry out a new construction method. Notice that they also cre-ated a new workshop on test flying your aircraft. That oneinterests me.

NameTagsI am only going to have nametags produced once a year, sincethe engravers aren't interested unless I have a certain number.We don't do that many per year. The March meeting will bethe deadline to let me know if you want one. The price willbe detemined at the time I order them, but expect somewherearound $8. I have a short list already, so if you told me youwanted one and didn't get one, I still have you name. I shouldheve them ready for the April meeting to be picked up. If youwant me to mail it to you, we can make special arrangements.

2005 Board of Directors NomineesBy Sam Cooper

The elections for the 2005 Board of Directors for EAAChapter 168 will be held during the March 1st ChapterMeeting. The Chapter bylaws require that we at least seven,but no more than eleven, Directors. The current slate of nom-inees for the Board of Directors election is as follows:• Mel Asberry • Bruce Fuller• David Cheek • Monroe McDonald• Don Christiansen • Brad Roberts

We would like to thank these members for volunteering toserve on the Board. We welcome any addtional nominationsor volunteers, please contact our Chapter President, SamCooper. Additional nominations can be made prior to theelection during the March 1st Chapter Meeting.

February, 2005 Volume 36, Issue 2, Page 4

Chapter 168 Information Continued from page 2

This issue of the newsletterwas assembled at Davidand Vicki Jones’house/factory. So as youread this, several of us willhave already visited theproject. It won’t be longbefore the drawings will be pushed aside and the wiring,instrument panel and the firewall forward work begins. Then,

hopefully, we cango back and see itagain. David andVicki have beencharting theirprogress onlinewith a website at:http://home.one-main.com/~rv-10/

They will have to work hard to be the first finished, sincethere are several other local builders working on RV-10s.Dave Dalski, another Chapter member is also quickly build-ing an RV-10, his second RV after finishing one over a yearago. Jay has one goingtogether at RV Centraland Alex DeDominicis isworking on one at EaglesNest in Midlothian. So ifany of these otherbuilders want to be thefirst in the area with anRV-10, they will have tokeep up with the Jones’.

Mel’s New ProjectBy Michael Stephan

If you didn’t attend thenewsletter folding at theAsberry’s last month, youhaven’t seen the latestairplane project that Melis building. So, I will fillyou in.

For the past year or so, I could tell that Mel had that itchto build another airplane. He took an interest in the RV-9 as areplacement for his RV-6. Dabbled a little with a tail kit. Thensold it. When asked, he would say that he decided againstbuilding an RV-9. He bought a new prop for the RV-6 and theperformance increase was enough to dispell the want for anRV-9. But, that airplane building itch was still there. Well, heis scratching it now. It is not a quickbuild, not an RV and notan aluminum airplane at all. Mel is building a two seat, opencockpit, tuibe and fabric plansbuilt (kitbuilt?) biplane fromMurphy Renegade plans and parts. What is that you ask?Well it is a Mel Asberry Mini Skybolt.

Although the Renegade is a very well designed airplane,Mel has in mind a few changes to make it exactly what he

February, 2005 Volume 36, Issue 2, Page 5

David and Vicki’s RV-10 Continued from page 1

Kit Built or Plans Built? By Mel Asberry and Marvin Brott

An interesting point was brought up at the Newsletter partyin December. Mel Asberry made the comment that his latestproject is “plans built.” Someone mentioned that since hebought all my materials from the kit manufacturer it shouldbe considered a “kit.” Mel looked up FAA form 8000-38which is the form used to determine if an aircraft is eligibleas “amateur-built.” On this form you walk through a listchecking operations the builder performed versus what oper-ations the kit manufacturer performed. The main purpose forthis activity is to determine if the builder accomplishes 51%of the work. Mel took this form and went through the checklist to see how his project faired. Out of 105 items relating tothe project, he got credit for 98. Mel did purchase the pre-formed ribs and the fiberglass turtle deck and wingtips. Therest of the airplane will be built from stock materials suppliedby Murphy Aircraft and from Murphy Renegade plans. Thebasic airframe will be modified to resemble a Skybolt. All ofthis got us to thinking about definitions and where we havebeen.

This is our take on the different categories of experimen-tal aircraft. So let’s take a look at definitions.

Scratch BuiltThe first homebuilts were obviously scratch built in that youhad to design the airplane, document the design with a set ofplans, and then finally built from those plans. Today we stillsee a few examples of scratch built at Oshkosh.

A really good current example last year at Oshkosh was theGrand Champion winner Symmetry designed and built byCory Bird from Scaled Composites. It took Cory approxi-mately 15,000 hours to design and build Symmetry over a 14year period.

February, 2005 Volume 36, Issue 2, Page 6

wanted. He likes thelook of the Skyboltand plans to makechanges to give theRenegade that look.He plans to shortenthe fuselage a fewinches to accommo-date the Volkswagenengine he plans to use.

He is reducing the number of fuselage stringers along theside and moving two inward to give it a more flat-sided look,similar to the Skybolt. The cowling will also be changed togive it the longer Skybolt look. Mel is putting a little bit ofexperimenting into his experimental. I like that, and he doestoo.

Mel received thebill of materials inearly December andby the time thenewsletter assemblyarrived in lateDecember, he hadthe tail feathers com-pleted and wasbeginning on thefuselage structure.

The constructionof the airframe is not welded steel tube, but a riveted-gussetaluminum tube structure. When studying the constructedpieces you realize how light this airplane is going to be. Thework done so far looks very good.

It is good to see Mel building again. It won’t be longbefore the Mel Asberry mini Skybolt takes flight. He keepssaying it is a long term “retirement” project. Not at this pace,so I’m keeping an eye on this project.

Plans BuiltThis category dominated the 1970s and early eighties withmany projects being bi-planes. In this case you worked fromplans with the bill-of-materialsdefining what you purchased. Thematerial was in its stock form (i.e.,steel tube, sheets of aluminum). Forsome designs you were luckyenough to be able to buy some ofthe hard and time-consuming partssuch as cowling, gear legs, wingspar and wing ribs. I know that thisgets tricky in that if you could buyenough time-consuming parts youwould have a kit but this category isreally a bill-of-materials driven project. The time to completea plans built aircraft typically ran from 4 to 6 years. This isthe category that Marvin Brott’s Sonerai I fit in and certainlywhere Mel’s Murphy Renegade will fit.

Kit BuiltJim Bede did one big thing for sportaviation. He made everyone realizethat an airplane kit was a viable prod-uct with the advent of the BD-5 kit.The Christen Eagle bi-plane really setthe benchmark for what a kit shouldlook like in the late 1970s and early1980s. Depending on the complete-ness of a kit, it should include all theprefabricated parts (cut to shape,bent, and sometimes drilled) for theairframe. The degree of completenessand the quality of Van’s Aircraft kits over the time periodfrom the early 1980s for the RV-4 up to the current RV-10 hasincreased significantly. This is where Van’s Aircraft reallyexcels since they have always worked to make their kits bet-ter. An RV-8 kit from 2005 is significantly different from1989. Still, this category will take 3 to 5 years of building

time or about 1800 hours for an RV.

Quick Built KitThis is where globalization helpedaccelerate the sport aviation aircraft.With lower cost and very talentedlabor in other countries, specificallythe Philippines and Czechoslovakia,the opportunity to take the abovekits and assemble into major sub-assemblies has taken place. Nowyou can exchange an hour of laborwhich might include “do you wantfries with that” for an hour of offshore labor on your fuselage. The

net result is for a few thousand dollars you can have a quickbuild kit where the wings and fuselage are nearly completeand still meets the 51% rule. Time to build is now in the 2 to3 years or about 1000 hours. Time to build is a huge variableso the above numbers are just for reference.

Builder Assistance Programs /Learning CentersNow this is a helpful service. Assumeyou have a quick build kit and needsome help to accelerate getting theairplane into the air and you want todo a quality job. You can take eitherpart or all of your kit to an BuilderAssistance facility where you canassemble with their tools and seektechnical assistance when neededfrom someone who is an expert. This

is where Jay Pratt’s RV Central comes into play. This reallyspeeds things up as someone can guide you in when and whatto do to complete a task. Records are always being set. Threemonths is the mark to complete an RV in Jay’s RV Central.But in real terms, maybe one year is typical for someone in afacility like this. One word of caution here; if you start with a

February, 2005 Volume 36, Issue 2, Page 7

quick build kit, you are probably very close to the 51% mark,so be careful how much assistance you obtain. YOU MUSTBE INVOLVED. Otherwise you could end up with an air-plane that cannot be certified as amateur-built.

Now let’s look at some general observations about the abovecategories. EAA recognizes only two categories of building,the plans built and kit built classes. All of the above meet theFAA’s 51% rule in that you built the aircraft for educationaland recreational purposes. I suspect that many of us just want-ed a really neat airplane and went through the educational andrecreational process to get it. These stages in progression ofbuilding really illustrate how EAA’s sport aviation has grownin maturity. In general, and there are always exceptions,experimental aircraft have gotten considerably more complex,the quality level has risen, the time for gestation has dropped,and cost has gone up but not to the degree that the other fac-tors have risen. We now have major companies developingproducts for experiment aircraft only and we are enjoyingleading edge technology. All of this has enhanced the safetyrecord of experimentals on a par with other categories of air-craft. Fifty years of sports aviation has matured to the pointthat our aircraft command the respect of the aviation commu-nity. And now let’s look at some numbers. The kit built saleshas skyrocketed during the past 14 years. Here are the num-bers, with year and number of kits sold:

1990: 2,560 1994: 4,085 1998: 6,763 2001: 7,4072004: 10,052 projected Source: Kitplanes Magazine

On the subject of Mel’s project we have contacted EAAJudging and have a ruling. What are your thoughts? Pleasecall or send your comments to Mel Asberry, Marvin Brott orMichael Stephan. We will publish the results next month.

Members Only WebsiteBy Clay Romeiser

Where can you find instant access to the chapter membershiproster, events calendar, newsletters, project database, and more?The members-only section of the Chapter website, of course!

This new, database-driven web application has been underdevelopment for the last year, and it is now ready for rollout.You can access the site by clicking the ‘members only’ linkfrom the home page of the chapter website(http://www.eaa168.org) and then use your email address andpassword to logon. If you don’t know your password, you canclick the ‘forgot password’ link and your password will be

February, 2005 Volume 36, Issue 2, Page 8

emailed to your email address. If your email address in ourdatabase is not current, there is also a form for you to submityour current email address for us to enter into the database.You must use your email address and password becauseaccess is restricted to chapter members only.

The first thing you’ll notice when you logon is a wel-come page. The welcome page shows your membership expi-ration date, a list of current announcements, and an event cal-endar. Most events have a Map icon so you can click to dis-play a map of the event location.

On the left side of the page are links to the various pagesof the website. The first option is to search the membershiproster. You can perform a search to find information aboutother chapter members. You can also update your own per-sonal information that will be displayed in the roster. If youwant to hide your information from other members, you cando that too.

Another link on the left side will take you to theNewsletters page. You’ll find a listing of the past newsletterswith links to open each one. Each month, the latest newslet-ter will be posted here. A member project report is also avail-able. You can quickly see all the projects various membersare working on and their progress. Remember to update yourproject information so the report is current. There is also alink to the list of chapter tools along with the status of eachone.

Unless you are responsible for maintaining the informa-tion on the site, you won’t see the “other half” of the web site.This is the functionality that allows administrators to modifythe content that you see on the site. The event calendar can beupdated by the person who is in charge of events.Membership expiration dates can be updated by theTreasurer, and announcements can be added by the chapterPresident. Web page development knowledge is not neces-sary. All updates are made using forms, and the data is updat-ed and presented automatically. This capability means thatthe information you see on the site will be more up-to-datebecause it is easy to enter by the people who have the data.There is additional functionality for creating mailing labels

for the newsletter, and it is easy to send customized emailreminders and newsletter announcements to selected mem-bers. If we have your email address in our database, youmight notice that you’re starting to receive emails thatinclude the current event calendar and other information.These emails are being generated by this new web site.

Finally, the entire site can easily handle other chapterstoo. Once a new chapter has been set up, users from otherchapters can log on and they’ll see the data for their chapteronly.

Why Belong to an EAA Chapter?By Michael Stephan

As my project inches closer to its first flight, I couldn’t helpbut think about all the things that occurred during the yearsthat it took to complete such an ambitious and time consum-ing project. I’m not thinking of all the details of construction,but instead the people I met along the way.

I joined the chapter with very little knowledge of aircraftbuilding. I had never heard of it until 1995. I went to a fewmeetings and sat in the back, wondering if this group wouldinterest me enough to plunk down the then $15 to join. I wascontent being on the “back bench,” but one action causedeverything to change. I put on the membership card that I waswilling to help with the newsletter. Folding, stamping andtaping are things I can do. Then one day Jerry Mrazek, theChapter President at the time, phoned me and asked if Iwould help with the newsletter. “Sure,” I said “where are wefolding it?” Jerry had something else in mind. “Do you knowhow to use a word processor?” was his next question. Myanswer was, “I sure can, use ‘em all the time.” From then on,I was part of the newsletter staff. At first it was a small com-mitment, but as confidence in me grew, so did my responsi-bilities. It is a task to publish the newsletter every month, butthe process of doing so includes getting to know people, theprojects they are working on and I learned tons from doingrudimentary research. So there is a reward. Ironically, myEnglish professor in college told me my writing was terrible,

February, 2005 Volume 36, Issue 2, Page 9

and that there was nothing he could do to help. I didn’t care,because I didn’t plan on doing much writing after collegeanyway. Funny how things turn out.

Next came serving on the Board of Directors, then even-tually as Treasurer. But that is a small price to pay for the ben-efits of belonging to Chapter 168.

EAA 168 has many smart people with decades of experi-ence, and who are eager to help. That kind of resource is valu-able. One wrong decision can be very expensive in the avia-tion world. That is worth the price of membership right there.Several times in my project, if I would have picked up thephone sooner, I also would not have had as many headscratching hours in my build time. I know many of us havechosen to build an RV, but if you are building a wood airplane,a tube and fabric or an all fiberglass airplane, there is someonewho has experience that you can draw from. Many of the peo-ple I can now call friends started as a call for help sometimeduring my project. It is tempting to get an airplane flying andthen get separated from the group, but I am glad that many arestill active and answering the questions of the builders. I hopeto do the same. I know quite a bit on what not to do.

But experienced help is not the only benefit of member-ship. The activities that center on flying are just as great. Myfavorites are the newsletter assemblies and the monthly fly-ins. The chapter meeting is a great place to meet people andget to know them a bit. The featured speakers always impressme, and I enjoy them much. That monthly meeting is usuallythe only time I get to talk to most of the other members. Butthe newsletter assembly is really a great night, and not becauseit ends another month of newsletter work. In the nearly tenyears of assemblies, we have seen numerous projects, many ofthem now flying. After the work is finished and the foodcomes out and the story telling starts, there is no better way tospend your time. Except at the monthly fly-ins, where we gostraight to the food and flying stories. Since this hobby of oursincludes airplanes it is only natural to want to take ‘em out andmeet up somewhere for that $100 hamburger. Most of myattendance has been by driving to the fly-ins, but several timesI was able to get a flight to the further meetings and that was

something I really appreciated. One of the really special thingsabout a Chapter fly-in is seeing an airplane taxi in or out thatyou remember seeing in someone’s shop as a project.Examining them on the ramp and picking up a few notes touse on your own project is well worth the drive.

Another event not to be forgotten is the several YoungEagle events that we host each year. I have been at most ofthe events, and even though they are all different, they allhave one thing in common, the smiles on the kids’ faces. Idon’t know how many will become pilots when they areolder, but the seeds are planted. Someday I expect to hear avisitor to a Chapter meeting stand up and say, “I got my firstairplane ride at the local airport when I was a kid. Now I wantto build my own.”

But when you boil it down, Chapter 168 is the members.So many of them have become friends. Throughout life youmeet people along the way and they become friends that youalways have. Time passes, but the shared experiences alwaysbind. In my involvement with this EAA chapter I have addedto that list of people. So many have helped with my project,I couldn’t name them all. Even with my recent struggles get-ting qualified and insured to fly my RV-8, several membersoffered advice and a strategy to get it done. All that assistanceis why being part of the Chapter 168 is worth all the timeinvested. Someday, I hope to be the one to offer assistance.Belonging to Chapter 168 is something that I truly enjoy.Something I did not anticipate that first year sitting on the“back bench.” And it all started with that one phone call. But,it took more than just a phone call. It also required, on mypart, a willingness to get involved, and that meant contribut-ing my efforts to the group. It has been work at times, but thepayoff is outstanding.

With the advancement of airplane kits today and with theinternet as a resource, sure you can complete an airplane byyourself, probably a real nice one. But you will miss out onthe friendship, the camaraderie, and the fun. So get involved.It is worth it.

February, 2005 Volume 36, Issue 2, Page 10

For Sale Services, Parts and Other:

February, 2005 Volume 36, Issue 2, Page 11

PS Engineering PM501 4-place intercom, removed fromN168TX for upgrade. Works great. New price is $200. I'lltake $75. Call Mel 972-995-0372 or 972-784-7544

Corvair Engine - 110 hp. Complete but in questionable con-dition. Jim Carney 214-763-6784

Ground Air Conditioner Unit with 110 hp Continental.$500 o.b.o. Jim Carney 214-763-6784

Firewall Forward Package plus 1835 cc VolkswagenEngine Assembled from Great Plains kit. Aluminum case.Approximately 45 minutes of test time on engine. TINYTACH tachometer; oil pressure and temperature gages; airscoops for cylinder cooling; oil cooler with piping; cowlhalves for Fisher Youngster. All of the above for $4000. Fora few dollars more I will throw in a completed FisherYoungster fuselage, all four wings, tail feathers and gear).Contact TANDY ALLEN, 2400 Tomahawk Road, MissionHills, Kansas (Kansas City Area). Telephone 913-362-6867.Email - tandymorrow@yahoo.com

Prop Extension - For O-360 using a Sensenich fixed pitchmetal prop. For 1/2" bolts, 2 1/4" thick X 6"dia. Brand new,never used. Half price - $100. Dean Fellows 972-732-0919

Aluminum Sheet, 20 pieces available, .025" X 48" X 144",7075 T6 alloy, 17.28 lb's per sheet, MAKE OFFER. ContactDon Drake, 214-352-1028 home, 214-693-7368 cell,donjo4@swbell.net

Airborne Vacuum Pump Model 241CC - 0 hours sincecomplete rebuild with new parts. This vacuum pump is aheavy duty unit designed for aircraft with a vacuum drivenauto pilot. If you want a vacuum pump with some extra mus-cle that will fit and run from a standard vacuum pump drivepad this one will do the job. Original cost of rebuilt pump-$460.00, will sell for $275.00. Call Haden Cowdrey, home214-528-4587, cell 214-478-6297.

RV wing/empennage jig for RV-8, 6, 9, 4 or whatever.Freestanding, made of steel, sturdy and true. Has built sever-al of RVs and can build hundreds more. Free to a good home.George Kilishek 972-250-2906 aeronut58@hotmail.com

To place an ad: Submit requests for aviation related For Saleor Want ads to the newsletter Editors. Ads are free to Chapter168 members. Ads from non-members will be run on a spaceavailable basis. Ads will be run at the newsletter Editors dis-cretion.

President Sam Cooperpresident@eaa168.org 972-517-1231Vice President David Cheekvicepresident@eaa168.org 972-272-5332Secretary John Peytonsecretary@eaa168.org 214-691-6643Treasurer Michael Stephantreasurer@eaa168.org 972-857-3327

Flight AdvisorsMel Asberry metro 972-784-7544m-asberry@ti.comMike Hoye 972-771-8162Gene Spaulding 972-661-9229genebs@wtd.net

Technical CounselorsMel Asberry metro 972-784-7544m-asberry@ti.comOwen Bruce 972-231-3946Don Christiansen 972-298-6531Steve Marchand 972-475-0571Doug Reeves

Advertising Sam Coopersamcooper@ev1.net 972-517-1231

Board of DirectorsDon Christiansen 972-298-6531Scott Christensen 972-527-5890Bruce Fuller 972-980-0215Jerry Mrazek 817-265-0834Don Wilcox 972-235-1854Jim Quinn 972-788-2593Monroe McDonald 214-352-1564Robert Cullinan 214-370-4150

Associate Newsletter EditorsTom Davies 972-247-1409artguytom@sbcglobal.netMarvin Brott 214-726-9117pmbrott@sbcglobal.netMichael Stephan 972-857-3327mstephan@shr.netSam Cooper 972-517-1231samcooper@ev1.net

Data ProcessingJerry Mrazek metro 817-265-0834mrazek@flash.net

LibrarianMichael Stephan 972-857-3327mstephan@shr.net

Tool CustodianVern Williams 214-618-1005

Meeting Refreshments“Volunteer needed”

Safety OfficerMel Asberry metro 972-784-7544m-asberry@ti.com

Web site EditorsJim & Jane Quinn 972-788-2593jquinn2@swbell.net

Young Eagles CoordinatorJim Quinn 972-788-2593jquinn2@swbell.net

MembershipMichael Stephan 972-857-3327mstephan@shr.net

EAA CHAPTER 168 OFFICERS

Web site Address: www.eaa168.orgWe would like to make you aware that as always, in past, present, and future, any communications issued by Experimental Aircraft Association, Chapter 168, Inc., regardless of the form, format, and/ormedia used, which includes, but is not limited to, Hangar Echoes and audio/ video recordings is presented only in the light of a clearing house of ideas, opinions, and personal experience accounts.Anyone using ideas, opinions, information, etc. does so at their own discretion and risk. Therefore, no responsibility or liability is expressed, or implied, and you are without recourse to anyone. Anyevent announced and/or listed herein is done so as a matter of information only and does not constitute approval, sponsorship, involvement, control or direction of any event (this includes Oshkosh).Bottom line, we are responsible for nothing. Please read, listen, enjoy, and be careful out there.