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Welcome to your EAA Chapter 838 monthly newsletter. Send any articles to newsletter@eaa838.org.

President’s Corner On August 17th, we will have our chapter picnic during our normal meeting night. Arrive at 6pm, The chapter

will provide the meat, buns, refreshments, plates, napkins, etc. We will eat around 6:30 – 7:00. All you need to

do is bring something to put on the table to share. Last year the food was great. A donation jar will be available

to offset the cost of the meat and refreshments. Any donation amount will be appreciated. Please email me at

president@eaa838.org if you are coming so we know how much food and beverages to have on hand.

The computer and software that handles the door locks on our building was replaced in mid June. It requires a

new key card. You can throw your old card away. We are asking $5 to help in the cost of the new cards.

You can still purchase a personalized brick on our Eagle Overlook Terrace.

See: http://eaa838.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/EAA-Chapter-838-Eagle-Overlook-Terrace-trifold-page-2-V2.pdf

It is time to start thinking about elections for your chapter 838 officers. The following positions will be open at

the end of the year, president, vice-president, and three board members. There are also 4 board members

positions that are open due to resignations. This means that terms are ending for Ken Sack, Scott Sherer, Roy

Stuart, Eddy Huffman and John Grueter. If you have any interest in joining our board, please contact me or

Dave Finstad, who I have asked to round up a few good people to join our board.

Here are a few Save the Dates:

1. August 17th: Chapter picnic for all members and their family.

2. September 9th and 10th: We will have another Pancake Breakfast. We need you to support it by

volunteering, attending, inviting your friends, neighbors, and anyone you know. Same time frame, 7am

until noon on both days, with a Young Eagle rally on Saturday at 9am.

3. September 19th: AOPA will be renting our museum again for another seminar, called “Fly by Night”

4. September 30: Special Congressional Gold Medal presentations for CAP pilots

Ken Sack kensack@yahoo.com 262-488-3807

Future Meetings August 17 – Chapter Picnic

September 21 – Steve Myers will do a presentation on Racine’s Jack Jerstad, a WWII USAAF Medal of Honor

winner and B-24 bomber pilot.

October 19 – Dean Zakos will host a 1950’s aviation movie night complete with period music during the dinner

hour. The feature presentation will be 1954’s “The High and the Mighty” with John Wayne. More info coming.

If you have any suggestions for future speakers, please contact Rick Goebel at RGoebel@activetransport.com

Rick is always looking for new ideas.

Racine EAA Chapter 838

Monthly Newsletter

August 2017 Volume XXIX Issue 8

http://eaa838.org/

Meetings Third Thursday’s 7:00 pm

Dinner at 6:00 pm

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Note from Dave Finstad Paul and Bettie Westcott joined the chapter last month. Do you know someone who might be interested in

joining? Bring them to a meeting.

You can renew on the website now. Go to the Members tab, or print and complete a membership application at:

http://eaa838.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/2016-EAA-chapter-838-membership-application.docx

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Chapter 838 Young Eagles for 2017

The dates for 2017 are: March 11, April 8, May 13, June 10, July 8, Aug 12, Sep 9, Oct 14, and November 11.

In July, we had 43Young Eagles flown.

Tracy Miller EAA #794015

Young Eagles Coordinator, EAA Chapter 838

Aviation Explorer Post 218

If you know any youth ages 14-21 who might be interested, please contact post advisors at

aviationpost218@gmail.com

They spent the week at the Explorer Base during AirVenture.

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FIVE DONT’S THAT WILL MAKE YOUR FLYING SAFER By Dean Zakos

“Never fly in the same cockpit with someone braver than you.” – Richard Herman, Jr.

All the mistakes leading to aviation accidents have already been made. Sadly, pilots just keep

repeating them. Accident statistics confirm this. However, the odds can be re-calculated substantially

in your favor. There are a few simple things in VFR flying that – if you don’t do them (and don’t even

think about doing them!) – will likely increase the successful outcome of your flights. Here is what the

experts say:

First. Don’t Run Out of Gas. If you walk into any FBO and ask at random five pilots sitting

around drinking coffee if they have ever run their aircraft out of gas or came very close to doing so, two

of them would confess they had. Of the remaining three, two are conscientious pilots; the other one is

lying.

I had the experience just once of almost running out of fuel. I don’t ever want to have that

feeling again. If you have done this, you know what I mean. The feeling is a sour mix of fear,

embarrassment, trepidation, and “how could I be such a dumb ass,” all at the same time. The feeling

(and your perspiration level) escalates as your eyes fervently dart back and forth between the needles

bouncing off the “E” on the gas gauges and the GPS moving map, wondering if and hoping the little

airplane symbol will be over an airport before the engine coughs and quits. The feeling only subsides

when you are safely on the ground.

It is easy to avoid this predicament. It starts with pre-flight planning. It is efficient to simply hit

the “Direct To” button on your GPS, but it is also astute to look at that intended course line and

determine how far away from or how close it may take you past airports with fuel along your route. It

may only be a few miles longer, but by adjusting your legs so you are closer to airports along the route

of your flight is smart planning.

If you are embarking on other than a routine flight, i.e., something beyond the one-hour breakfast

hop or hundred-dollar hamburger lunch, you should take your flight planning seriously. Run the charts

and calculations for weight, winds aloft, and fuel needed. Remember, 14 CFR Part 91.151 states you

may not begin a flight in an airplane under VFR conditions unless (considering wind and forecast

weather conditions) “there is enough fuel to fly to the first point of intended landing and, assuming

normal cruising speed— (1) During the day, to fly after that for at least 30 minutes; or (2) At night, to

fly after that for at least 45 minutes.

Know precisely how much fuel you have on board before you take off. Don’t rely on a

guestimate, or the last person who flew the airplane, or the line guy. You, as PIC, are solely responsible

and you need to confirm the number of gallons in the tanks.

Never pass on the opportunity to add fuel when you can. It isn’t inconsiderate if the line guy has

to come all the way across the airport in his truck in 20°F weather and you only take seven gallons. You

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may need those seven gallons later. Make that unscheduled stop and take on fuel when needed. Resist

the urge to “stretch” the last leg to get to your destination. Every year at Air Venture in Oshkosh,

aircraft go down in areas like Fond du Lac, Eden, Sheboygan, or Ripon. Sometimes the cause of the off-

airport landing is an engine issue. Sometimes it is a fuel exhaustion issue, as the pilot tried to make

KOSH with no fuel left in the tanks. Don’t let that happen to you.

Second. Don’t Go Near Thunderstorms. The fact that commercial airline pilots avoid

thunderstorms should speak volumes to GA pilots about their potential lethality. Not only would you

never intentionally want to penetrate a thunderstorm, but you should also understand the real dangers

posed by flying near them. Heavy rain, hail, and winds that can tear your airplane’s wings off may exist

in or near a thunderstorm, including many miles from its center.

Avoiding thunderstorms starts with good pre-flight planning and a good overview of the Surface

Analysis charts and Weather Depiction charts for the area you intend to fly through. You should have a

good understanding of High and Low-pressure systems, and expected movements and characteristics.

Then you need to drill down into the Area Forecasts, TAFs, METARs, winds aloft forecasts, and cloud

tops.

Special attention should also be paid to any Convective Significant Meteorological Information

(SIGMETs), which are issued for severe thunderstorms along your planned route of flight. With this

information, you can start to create a safe flight plan and avoid any areas where there is risk of

thunderstorms.

Note also that, beginning in October 2017, text based area forecasts (FAs) will be replaced with a

Graphical Area Forecast product, which will be able to visually depict precipitation and convective

weather.

How do you avoid thunderstorms? By flying around them – way around them. The FAA’s

Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge suggests flying around them by 20 nautical miles. If you

think you are getting too close to a thunderstorm, divert away or turn around. Another alternative,

guaranteed 100% effective 100% of the time, is to stay on the ground. If you cannot go around severe

weather, it is far better to wait it out in the comfort of the FBO or a local hotel.

Many aircraft now have access in the cockpit to satellite weather services or NEXRAD weather.

This is good weather information and can enhance your ability to avoid thunderstorms in flight.

However, this weather data is not provided in real time. This data should never be thought of as up-to-

date information. It may be five to twenty minutes old when it appears on your screen. Numerous

accident reports with fatalities have described a pilot’s attempt to use cockpit weather data as a tactic to

thread his or her way between storm cells.

This weather data was never intended for this purpose. It has many limitations in addition to real

time-related deficiencies. One prominent limitation is that NEXRAD base reflectivity does not provide

adequate information from which to determine cloud layers or types of precipitation with respect to hail

or rain.

Weather is a puzzle. The more puzzle pieces of accurate information you have and can fit

together, the clearer the picture becomes. However, if there is a thunderstorm piece in the puzzle

picture, you need to recognize it and avoid it.

Third. Don’t Try to Recover from a Botched Base-to-Final Turn. Missing the base-to-final

turn is not a rare event. There are many reasons: strong tail winds on the base leg; inattention;

distraction; and bad planning can all come into play. The difference between showing up in the accident

reports and concluding your flight successfully can be attributed primarily to what you, as PIC, do once

you miss the base-to-final turn.

Some pilots, both relatively new ones and relatively experienced ones, may try to “salvage” the

landing. This exhibits poor judgment and a willingness to take unnecessary risk. Remember, an aircraft

in a bank is converting vertical lift to horizontal lift. That results in more load factor and higher stalling

speeds. In a 60-degree bank, the load factor is about two times normal, and the stalling speed of your

aircraft increases by approximately 1.4. For example, if your aircraft stalls at 50 knots in level flight, at

a 60-degree bank angle the stalling speed increases to 70 knots.

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I did my Flight Review with Pete Aarsvold, CFI and Chapter 93 member, at the end of June.

Pete refers to the area beyond the extended runway centerline where you miss the base-to-final turn as

the “Coffin Corner.” It is an apt description given all the stall/spin accidents that have occurred in that

location. Pete has great flying knowledge, great teaching skills, and his love for flying is obvious. I

highly recommend him.

Of all the mistakes that a pilot can make, missing the base-to-final turn is one of the easiest to

correct. If you miss it – go around. It only adds minutes to your flight and it eliminates entirely the risk

of a stall/spin accident in the Coffin Corner. You may think that by going around you are publicly

admitting that you screwed up the landing. Well, that may be true. But would you rather be slightly

embarrassed - or dead?

Fourth. Don’t Fly VFR in IFR Conditions. Unless you have an instrument, rating and are

current and proficient, stay out of the clouds. Continued flight by non-instrument rated pilots into

instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) persists as a major reason for accidents.

VFR pilots often do not intend to put themselves in IFR conditions. There are some exceptions,

where an un-thinking VFR pilot intentionally launches into IMC, but more often it is due to a failure of

the VFR pilot to recognize what is happening around him or her over time in the air, or too often being

late in taking corrective actions. This happens frequently on longer cross-country flights.

Also, some pilots, for reasons of their own, believe it is acceptable to fly deliberately under low

clouds, i.e., “scud” running. This possibly results from ignorance of weather conditions and how

weather develops, or a failure to properly flight plan for weather, or an “it can’t happen to me” attitude.

Regardless, scud running is a bad choice.

Keep in mind that summer weather is more predictable than winter weather. Weather systems in

the summer months generally move slower. Winter weather systems move much faster, and can bring

more hazards, such as sleet, snow, and ice. VFR pilots need to use basic weather knowledge and be

alert in the air to the changing conditions around them. Forecasts are not always as advertised.

It is also a good idea, if you find yourself in deteriorating conditions, to set a “minimum altitude”

below which you will not descend if the clouds are coming down on you. The minimum could be, for

example, 1500 feet AGL or 1000 feet AGL. If the minimum is reached, you automatically divert to the

nearest airport immediately or do a 180 degree turn and go back. Always have a plan and one or more

“outs” available to you if the weather starts going down around you.

Fifth. Don’t Do Stupid Stuff with Your Airplane. Buzzing your girlfriend’s house. Taking

selfies with your BFFs while doing steep turns at low altitude. Rolling your Baron 58 because you saw

a professional pilot roll a Beach 18 in an airshow. Do you see a trend here? Darwin’s Law of Natural

Selection? Low passes, high load turns, and poorly executed aerobatics are only a few of the ways pilots

have come to grief by carelessly exceeding their own or their aircrafts’ capabilities.

Can you fix stupid? Certainly. Pilots are not stupid; after all, it takes smarts and ability to learn

to fly. However, some pilots will do regrettable “it seemed like a good idea at the time” things in

airplanes. In many ways, this fault is easier to correct than executing a go-around on a misjudged

landing. Pilots simply need to exercise better judgment. Don’t maneuver your aircraft low to the

ground to show off. Don’t allow yourself, as PIC, to become distracted from flying your aircraft when

you have friends with you. If you harbor a desire to fly aerobatics, then learn to do it the right way with

a competent instructor in an aircraft certified for aerobatics.

John and Martha King made headlines a few years ago when they publicly discussed what they

termed the “big lie” in general aviation – that it is as safe as driving a car. They contend it is not, but it

can be made safer if pilots are willing to recognize, manage, and mitigate flying risks. Your own VFR

flying can be made safer and the risks to you and your passengers can be reduced substantially simply

by not making the five bad decisions discussed in this article.

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University of Lawsonomy

If you’ve ever taken a drive south along I-94, you might remember seeing a roadside sign in Sturtevant - near

Racine - that advertised the "University of Lawsonomy." Or you might have seen the painted sign on a barn that

says “Study Natural Law.”

The "law" in question is Lawsonomy: a utopian movement that began in 1929 by Alfred Lawson, a British

immigrant who, before he started the eponymous Lawsonomy, founded two Wisconsin airplane manufacturers,

and is credited as the inventor of the first passenger airliner.

But Lawson also had ideas about things other than aviation. Lawsonomy advocated for vegetarianism, its own

brand of physics, and economic reform. During the Great Depression it had thousands of followers, but its

popularity diminished after World War II as the economy recovered. In 1943 Lawson started a university in Des

Moines and adapted his message to include science and religion. The school officially closed in 1952. But there

were still adherents to the philosophy - including the late Merle Hayden, the man behind the Sturtevant sign.

Milwaukee area filmmakers Ryan Sarnowski and Susan Kerns have brought Lawsonomy’s and Hayden’s

stories to the screen in a new documentary. Using archival photos, films, and audio tapes collected by

Hayden, Manlife tells the story of Alfred Lawson's attempts to make history and Hayden’s unrelenting quest to

better humanity through Lawson's teachings.

Sarnowski says that the documentary stemmed from the first time he truly noticed the sign along I-94 when he

was pulled over by the State Highway patrol in front of the Lawsonomy farm.

"I think it was having to pause and really start to contemplate what that place was, who would be living out

there, that really piqued my curiosity and led me on a pursuit to find those answers - and that led us to Merle

Hayden."

Merle Hayden in front of the Lawsonomy sign.

CREDIT "MANLIFE" DOCUMENTARY

After connecting with and being "lectured" by Hayden for over four hours on an alternative view of American

history through Lawsonomy, Sarnowski thought, "we probably should get a camera, I think we have a story."

Although Hayden is not the last Lawsonomist, Kerns notes that he was likely the only remaining person that

was really devoting his life to actively trying to involve new people in the organization - a mission he held since

he was 18 years old.

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Merle Hayden

CREDIT "MANLIFE" DOCUMENTARY

"The reason we felt comfortable sort of talking about Merle as the last crusader was because he really has

carried the torch of this organization," she says.

"He definitely never faltered or never wavered," adds Sarnowski. "In a way it's stubborn, there's a negative to

that, but in a way it's admirable to have such a dedicated belief."

Sarnowski and Kerns spent eight years chronicling Hayden, his devotion to Lawsonomy, and his work in

preserving its textual and visual materials. While it was overwhelming to be presented with so much material as

a filmmaker, Sarnowski says his goal was to tell the story in an engaging and coherent fashion.

Having spent so much time with Hayden, Kerns says she admired his lifelong dedication and the fact that

money was never a driving force in his or other Lawsonians' lives. Their primary goal was to better humanity

for future generations, despite human behavior and history repeating itself.

"He continued to see things play out in American politics and American history and that was very frustrating to

him because he could see the cycles and the patterns," Kerns explains. "I don't want to speak for him, but I do

think that he sort of felt like we're farther away from it now than maybe we used to be."

Manlife will continue to spread the history and message of Lawsonomy along with Hayden's life story. Just last

month Merle Hayden passed away at age 96, and this summer will be the first Experimental Aircraft

Association (EAA)’s annual Oshkosh air show in four decades where he will not be in attendance to talk about

Lawsonomy.

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Merle Hayden sets up his booth on Lawson airlines and Lawsonomy at the EAA grounds in Oshkosh.

CREDIT "MANLIFE" DOCUMENTARY / FACEBOOK.COM

However Hayden himself will be celebrated on July 24th with a screening of Manlife at the EAA Airshow.

Sarnowski says that Hayden would have been so pleased to see people watch the documentary at an annual

event that was so important to him.

As the film is starting to be seen by audiences across the Midwest, Sarnowski hopes "that this film, while it may

not spark a resurgence in Lawsonian religion or Lawsonomy, that it will just kind of get people to get back to

that spirit of wonder and curiosity and to try to embrace things more, even if they don't fall fully in line with

your beliefs."

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Requests from fellow EAA chapters or members

There is a wonderful little fly-in that takes place annually down in Albany (30 miles So of Madison, between Madison & Brodhead) that you really should make time to visit. I attach a flyer It's a wonderful field, and great people. It's been going for years, and a lot of the town shows up. If your calendar is open, drop on in!

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The Flying Car ad By Bill Hanson

EAA Chapter 93 (Madison) Secretary

Dear EAA Chapter President

Hello, my name is Bill Hanson. I am a fellow EAA member.

I am looking for a EAA member that wants to be part of a program that will produce the first and only practical “FLYING CAR”.

I would appreciate it if you would tell your members about me

to see if it might Work for them.

For more information on the AIRCAR go to HTTP://aircarinfo.copm

They can earn their own amphibious flying AWING AIRCAR at no cost to them!

Thanks for your help God Bless Bill Hanson AWINGAIRCAR COMPANY 370 Gaar Rd Walnut Shade, MO 65771 417-593-3929

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EAA Chapter 838

Eagle Overlook Terrace

Paving the Way for Continued Excellence

Contact Ken Sack at 262-488-3807

Or email at kensack@yahoo.com

Racine's EAA Chapter 838 is known to be one of the finest EAA Chapters in the world. Its beautiful

and well maintained facility has no EAA peers anywhere. For the past twenty five years, it also has an

unrivaled reputation for developing outstanding aviation related educational programs including Young

Eagles, Aviation Explorer Post 218, Aviation Explorer Club Post 5218, and Young Aviators.

If you would like to order a personalized brick, please go to our web site, download the form, complete it, and

send it to the chapter at 3333 North Green Bay Road Racine, WI 53404

This is a link to the form: http://eaa838.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/EAA-Chapter-838-Eagle-Overlook-

Terrace-trifold-page-2-V2.pdf

EAA Chapter 838 Membership Application / Renewal

This is a link to that form:

http://eaa838.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/2016-EAA-chapter-838-membership-application.docx

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Monthly Meetings Board Meetings: Third Tuesdays 7:00 pm

Chapter Meeting: Third Thursdays

Dinner at 6:00 pm and Meeting at 7:00 pm

Shop Night Every Monday 7:00 pm

Explorer Post 218 Second Thursdays 7:00 pm and Fourth Thursdays 7:00 pm

Young Eagles Second Saturday 9:00 am (March - November)

Previous Meetings & Speakers Jan 19 – Scott Gronland talked about his experiences flying the KC-135 for the National Guard.

Feb 16 – Jim Foy talked about his experiences as a member of Navy Patrol Aircraft Squadron 42.

Mar 16 – Al Downs talked about Racine Sport Flyers.

April 20 - Col Larry Stys and Capt Peter Bianco, local CAP officers, talked about CAP pilots who defended our

homeland during WW2.

May 18 – Daryl Lueck played portions of a DVD about Kermit Weeks and his Fantasy of Flight.

June 15 – Field trip to the USCG (Coast Guard) Air Station helicopter hangar in Waukegan

July 20 – Tom Thomas of the Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame talked about Wisconsin aviators in WW II

2016: Dec- Christmas Party Nov – Phil Balcom - Safety Management System

Oct– Terry Gandy at Boeing Aircraft Development Sep – Daryl Lueck discussion on ATSB

August – Chapter picnic July Preparation for Oshkosh AirVenture

June- Eddy Huffman- aviation history in Racine/Kenosha. May – Roy Stuart- Col. John Boyd,

April – Local CAP members- Electronic Flight Bag. March – Ray Peterson - FAA Inspector.

Feb – Dr. Karl Arriola - Federal Air Marshal Service Jan – Rob Madson - Helicopter Flying

2015: Dec- Christmas Party; Nov– John Grueter - Kitfox building,

Oct- B17 Flight Crew experiences with 8th AF in WWII; July- Fire Dept - fire and rescue ops at Mitchell

June- Flight For Life pilot - Flight For Life; May- History of a B-24 Bomber crew in WWII.

Apr - Drones, history and current issues; Mar- Wayne Peach- maintenance at AirVenture

Officers Committee Chairpersons President: Ken Sack ……..… 262-554-9714 Programs: Rick Goebel …………262-886-4171 Vice President: Scott Sherer. 414-427-2913 Monday Shop: Jerry Bovitz ….... 262-639-8583

Secretary: Tracy Miller …… 847-420-5098 Librarian: Eddy Huffman ……… 262-639-8301

Treasurer: Oliver Kottke .… 262-939-5567 Membership: Dave Finstad ……. 262-752-0086

Foundation: Jerry Baker …. 262-939-0091 Newsletter: Ken Sack ………….. 262-554-9714

Past President: Daryl Lueck 414-333-4228 Young Eagles: Tracy Miller ..….. 847-420-5098

Directors Building Rental: Carl Bumpurs ... 262-497-6446

John Grueter ….. 262-358-3648 Chapter Messaging (262) 634-7575

Eddy Huffman …262-639-8301 Location: 3333 N. Green Bay Rd.

Roy Stuart ….…. 262-884-0371 Racine, WI 53404 Terry Gandy ….. 262-

Jim Hantschel….. 262-637-3376