EAA Chapter 1541 is combining some great spot landing proficiency training with an evening of dinner and hangar flying on Saturday, June 13. Anyone flying to Oshkosh for AirVenture knows about the green (and other color) dots. A pilot has to be able to put his or her airplane down on, or at least pretty close, to the assigned spot to ensure a safe and efficient flow of traffic when two or more airplanes are using the same runway at the same time.

So, let’s get ready for Oshkosh with a spot landing contest. Even if you’re not heading for Oshkosh but want to test (or just show off) your skills, this is the event for you! We’ll begin at 5 pm on what should be a nice pre-summer evening. We’ll gather planes, pilots, observers, and diners at our EAA hangar. For those participating pilots, we’ll assign the appropriate colored dot for your landing effort, and we’ll have a camera out by the runway for a live-stream to show those watching in our hangar just how good you are. Pilots will be challenged to land precisely on a designated target—the Green Dot—testing accuracy, consistency, and short-field technique.

While all that fun flying is going on, we’ll also be getting ready for a special BBQ dinner to help everybody relax after such a trying competition. We’ll spend the rest of the evening enjoying dinner and refreshments, have some good hangar flying, listen to a few pilot lies about how good everybody is, and enjoy some friendly completion among the pilots. We’ll even have a special prize for the declared spot landing champion.

We encourage you to invite fellow aviators to share in an evening that highlights pilot proficiency and camaraderie. Precision landings are a core skill, and this is a great and fun way to stay sharp. Or, if you want to just come out and have some aviation fun, please join us for the evening.

Please email the chapter for specifics on flying or driving in, or check out our website for more information about this event.

If you plan to attend, please RSVP via return email at eaa1541@gmail.com so we can plan accordingly.

EAA Chapter 1541’s Second Saturday gathering is set for Saturday, May 9, and will feature our BBQ Lunch followed by a program that covers Air Operations Over Wildfires, presented by CalFire Air Operations BC David Krussow from the Grass Valley Air Attack Base. Topics to be covered include how CalFire operates over wildfires, what a Fire Traffic Area is, and TFRs around fires. Fire season is upon us, and this is good information for pilots flying in our area. Come out for our gathering…some good food, some hangar flying, and some good information for pilots flying this summer.

We’ll be offering our BBQ Lunch beginning at 11:00 a.m., and our Air Operations Over Wildfires presentation at 12:00 noon. Lunch will be burgers and fixings created by our excellent cooking team. $10 per person or $25 for families…and Gold Members eat for free! (For more information about Gold Memberships…ask at the check-in table on Saturday) If you plan to eat lunch, get in line early…we expect to close the grill at 11:45…so eat early and often.

​Our May pilot education meeting will be held this coming Thursday, May 7th at 7 pm PDT and will have two “What Would You Do?” scenarios, The IMC scenario is a flight in a business twin aircraft that is enroute in IMC conditions as it becomes progressively harder to control due to defective elevator trim.  The VMC scenario is a retractable gear single engine aircraft that loses all electrical power immediately after takeoff.

T​o join this online meeting, click this link at 7pm PDT on Thursday, May 7th:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83825083026

​Fly safe!

Our Second Saturday Gathering is set for Saturday morning at 11:00 am. We are looking forward to a special presentation on an important subject for all aviators: Upset Prevention and Recovery Training. Loss of control continues to be the leading cause of general aviation fatal accidents. To prevent loss of control accidents, pilots need to understand the causes and contributing factors that lead to loss of control. Don Bradley and Dustin Jones are coming from Foothill Flight Center at Cameron Park to provide some basic information about loss of control and the Upset Prevention and Recovery Training course they offer to help avoid such situations. It should be an informative hour for pilots and everybody who wants a bit more insight on flying near the edge of the performance envelope.

We’ll be offering our BBQ Lunch beginning at 11:00 a.m., and our Upset Prevention and Recovery Training presentation at 12:00 noon. Lunch will be burgers and fixings created by our excellent cooking team. $10 per person or $25 for families…and Gold Members eat for free! (For more information about Gold Memberships…ask at the check-in table on Saturday) If you plan to eat lunch, get in line early…we expect to close the grill at 11:45…so eat early and often.

Our online pilot education meeting for April will have two “What Would You Do?” scenarios, both of which involve smoke appearing in the cockpit. The IMC scenario involves a night IFR flight where smoke appears from under the instrument panel and the avionics begin to fail in IMC conditions.  The VMC scenario involves a VFR flight where smoke appears, coming from an unusual location.

To join this online pilot education event, click this link at 7 pm PDT on Thursday, April 2nd:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81620040861

Fly safe!

Our Second Saturday Gathering on March 14, will feature a program that presents the story of the orange and white Kitfox build that graced our chapter hangar last year. A brief history of the project: it was begun in 2002, but ended up being stored for two decades before it was re-energized by owner/builder/chapter member Paul Cannon with the able assistance of our own technical counselor Dan Masys. The airplane was completed just in time for the government shut down last fall, which delayed some of the paperwork process. Happily, though, it took to the air for the first time on January 27 under the able control of chapter member and Kitfox pilot Bruce Estes. Come hear Paul, Dan, and Bruce tell different parts of the story about how this box of parts became an airplane.

We’ll be offering our BBQ Lunch beginning at 11:00 a.m., and our Kit Fox presentation will begin at 12:00 noon. Lunch will be burgers and fixings created by our excellent cooking team. $10 per person or $25 for families…and Gold Members eat for free! (For more information about Gold Memberships…ask at the check-in table on Saturday) If you plan to eat lunch, get in line early…we expect to close the grill at 11:45…so eat early and often.

Our March online pilot education meeting will focus on safety issues flying either IFR or VFR at night and in mountainous terrain.  CFII Scott Thompson will review recent accidents that involved terrain or obstructions, and the principles for remaining safe at night on final IFR and VFR approaches, with special emphasis on pilot responsibilities when flying below a Minimum Descent Altitude (MDA) on an nonprecision IFR approach, and use of visual approach aids when flying a VFR approach.

To join the meeting click this link at 7 pm PT on Thursday, March 5th:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88458340241

Fly safe!

Tom Taylor’s presentation about his experiences flying the F/A-18 fighter, how carriers work, and the life of a Naval aviator is now available on our chapter’s You Tube channel.  The topics covered can be found on our Members videos page, so you can view the parts that interest you.

Our next Second Saturday Gathering is set for February 14, and we are  very pleased that one of our chapter’s new members, Tom Taylor, is going to provide our program presentation. Tom is a retired U.S. Navy fighter pilot who has spent the better part of the last 50 years involved in aviation. He flew F-18 fighters and other types from Navy aircraft carriers for twenty years, amassing 750 carrier landings with 3,500 hours of tactical jet flying. He later served as a Lead Simulator instructor for the F-18 teaching Navy pilots and weapons system officers in all aspects of flying and combat operations.

Tom will speak to his experiences as a Navy carrier pilot. He currently owns and flies an RV-7, and recently moved to Lincoln and, good for us, found our chapter.

We’ll be offering our BBQ Lunch beginning at 11:00 a.m., and Tom’s presentation will begin at 12:00 noon. Lunch will be burgers and fixings created by our excellent cooking team. $10 per person or $25 for families…and Gold Members eat for free! (For more information about Gold Memberships…ask at the check-in table on Saturday) If you plan to eat lunch, get in line early…we expect to close the grill at 11:45…so eat early and often.

This pilot education meeting will have two “What Would You Do?” scenarios for discussion.  The IMC scenario involves a night IFR flight where the engine fails and the closest airport within gliding distance has both runways closed.  The VMC scenario involves a daytime VFR flight into deteriorating weather by an inexperienced pilot who becomes spatially disoriented.

To join the meeting, click the link below at 7:00 pm PST on Thursday, Feb. 5th:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81063873601

Fly safe!