Workshops

There are a lot of very talented people making up our membership and we’re hoping they will be willing to share their knowledge with the others in the form of some hands on teaching. That’s what this is all about. We are hoping to have some small workshops which we can offer to our members for a very small fee, all the money would stay with our chapter for future projects.

Richard Bristow started the list below of possible subjects and we are looking for people who would like to teach one or two of the subjects. If you don’t see a subject you are interested in, please contact Richard with your thoughts and interests.

  1. Composite Construction
  2. Sheet Metal Basics
  3. Fabric Covering
  4. Electrical Systems
  5. Avionics
  6. Kit Building
  7. RV assembly
  8. Welding
  9. How to Rivet
  10. How to Read Blue Prints

Where this goes is up to you as members! We need people who want to teach and those who would like to attend a small hands-on workshop.

The education committee is waiting to hear from you to put the workshops together!

March membership meeting

Our March meeting is appoaching quickly. We have an excellent presentation planned and other exciting events. The minutes from the last meeting are posted so that you can review them prior to the meeting. We’re looking forward to seeing you at the meeting on :

Wednesday, March 20th, 2013 at 7pm at 1420 Flightline Dr (at the old Atkin Air hangar)

Please check your calendar and try to make time to volunteer with our chapter. We are looking for several people to help with the BBQ prior to our April meeting.
Please bring a chair just in case we run out. We will have cookies, coffee and waters for everyone. If you happen to have a new item you wish to bring for the donation table we would appreciate it very much! Come out and join fellow EAA members for some fun and friendship!

Saturday 16th March Flyout

The RVators have a flyout:
“Hello , hope to see you tomorrow at Benton O85
11:30 am on the ramp!
Elevation    719 MSL
PA.           1719 MSL
Unicom.    122.8
CTAF.       122.8
You can get KRDD (Redding) ATIS  on 124.1.  Speaking of KRDD, watch
their class delta airspace the 2 airports are only 7nm apart and it
would be easy to fly into the class D especially the arrival corridor
on your way to Benton.”

Prop Wash – Volume 1 January 2013

Due to the short days and long nights of late fall , the temperature was low and the humidity was visible in the crisp early morning air. The dominant feature in the sky was a thin slice of a golden moon casting an eerie shadow under the wing as we taxi through patches of mist clinging to the ground. The hold short line seemed to fluoresce as the taxi light crept toward it. The hash marks and the 15 were not yet visible in the dim moonlight. The inbound traffic on final approach looked like a ghost ship as it went in and out of patches of fog. As it passed over the fog covered numbers the white mist engulfed the aircraft, the tail looked like a shark fin breaking the surface of the water.

Just as the monster cleared the runway we crept into position , our strobe lights overwhelmed the misty white runway lights as we raced to “rotate” speed.

We were a flight of two ,and as soon as we left the ground the cool air hoisted us like a hot air balloon. The air was so clear you could see forever. The stars were fading; giving way to the morning sun light.

As our shadows pass over the flocks of birds feeding in the fields far below, they too take flight. Like a giant magic carpet they move in unison back and forth. They land like a pinwheel, creating ripples in the shallow water.

The sunlight is no help finding our destination, all the rice fields look the same. The landing strip at the Nelson ranch has no markings. The narrow strip of packed rice hulls blends in with the harvesting crops as far as you can see. The only distinguishing feature visible from the air is the circle of silos with an American flag atop the highest roof. Nothing that can be found on a flying chart. So the navigator got creative and Googled the ranch on the iPad. There it was and there we were, a little blue dot skimming across the ground. We followed a county road to the power lines, and there it was. Our friend Greg standing in some giant machine waving his arms directing us in the direction of the dirt strip. We made a large half circle and came in for a landing. We touched down with the ease of an eagle returning to a nest of chicks. Dick in his Just home built came in right behind us choking in our dust cloud. By the time we parked the Cessna the dust had settled and we were transported by limo to the ranch house. There we were treated to soft drinks and fresh cooked rice right out of the field.

After a short explanation of the workings of a large rice plantation, we gathered around a conveyor that fed the large silos. Fresh cut rice is fed into one silo to dry. After a period of time it gets pulled out from the bottom and fed to the top of another silo. The conveyor is moved manually to all five silos to insure proper drying of the rice.

After a tour of the rice field and a chance to climb on some of the giant harvesting machines we were transported back to the airstrip.

As the propeller turned, it again formed a dust cloud that consumed the small aircraft following us down the dirt strip.

We flew direct to Lincoln and made it back in half the time , just in time for lunch at the Pizza Round up.

It was a great trip and it gave me a much better understanding of what it takes to get food from the field to table.

Words by Dave Harris