A lot of excited and productive energy was expended in the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 534 hangar on Saturday.
Many different aviation projects were being worked on at the EAA Chapter 534 hangar at the Leesburg International Airport in Leesburg. Although it would have been a perfect day for flying, everybody was busy working on individual aviation projects, oblivious to the clear blue skies with very little wind.
The day started with a gathering of local young people, parents and members of EAA Chapter 534 meeting to put together a sizable number of EZup Inspection Cover kits. Apparently, they are beginning to sell like hot cakes.
A lot of fabric amateur aircraft builders, as well as owners of certified aircraft, have had enough with pinched bloody fingers and torn fabric while they try to remove and replace their older inspection covers. These covers allow pilots to inspect vital cable and mechanical connections within the wings and fuselage. These new inspection covers come in two styles, dome and recessed aluminum. They can easily be painted to match any plane’s unique paint scheme.
They were designed by Marty Harris, a member of EAA Chapter 534. A few years ago, he turned over the rights to this product to Chapter 534. This has been a successful fundraiser for the chapter.
Should anyone wish to purchase these economical inspection covers and help support the mission of EAA Chapter 534, contact Plane Parts Inc at West Davenport Street, Rhinelander, WI., 54501-3455, or call 715-420-0168.
Periodically, the chapter’s aviation youth group, Squadron 534, and chapter members gather to form a production line in the hangar to gather the necessary parts and instructions in a small plastic bag to make up these speedy and bloodless kits. Patty Wagstaff, the famous aerobatic pilot, has endorsed these inspection covers and uses them on her planes.
As a one-time incentive for new young people to show up for this event, four prizes were awarded to the first four kids to arrive. The grand prize was a P-51 ready-to-fly radio-controlled model, with flight instruction to be given at the nearby Larks RC club. The other three prizes were working aviation headsets donated by the chapter.
While all this was going on, other people were working on the restoration of the Cessna 150 D that will soon become the mainstay of a flying club. Some other folks were organizing and inventorying parts for the new Sonex aircraft building project that will be put together by the chapter’s youth group. The Pietenpol crew was tinkering with the controls and brought down from the loft the wings that had been previously built but needed their aluminum leading edge applied.
When the kids had finished packaging the inspection covers, they each had a shot at using one of the flight simulators guided by the newest Ray Scholarship winner, Abdiel Hernandez.
In the back room, Mike Tryg and his wife Samantha were banging and grinding away, rebuilding some parts for their Grumman AG Cat G-164 biplane. They were getting ready for an airshow where they will perform in Key Largo on Dec. 6. They do aerobatics at airshows with pyrotechnics, while Sam does the wing walking.
EAA Chapter 534 is a great place to hang out if you are interested in aviation. Membership is made up of active and retired pilots, experimental aircraft builders, and aviation enthusiasts of all ages. They fly kids on Young Eagle flights once a month and teach flight and aircraft building skills.
This chapter happens to be located at the Leesburg International Airport, but contact your local airport to see if there is an EAA chapter near your home.
More information can be found by going to www.eaa.org and www.eaachapter534.org.