Last updated October 16, 2009
MARK BRINGS HOME GRAND CHAMPION PLANS BUILT LINDY!!
After nearly twenty years in the making and countless jabs and barbs from chapter members, the Gilmore Red Lion brought home the Grand Champion Plans Built Lindy from Oshkosh '09. Congratulations to the entire Gilmore family for a job well done!!
Last November's speaker told of Indiana aviation history. Because of time constraints one subject he didn't get to was 1912 Anderson High School graduate and hero fighter pilot of two world wars, Colonel Weir Cook. Information about Col. Cook can be found on the web by
clicking here. Your web author had the pleasure of working with Col. Cook’s son, Pete, in the electronics and parts test department of Allison aircraft engine works in Indianapolis. Pete was a good guy. I invited him to give a talk to our chapter several years ago. Pete showed us several pictures, including some of him as a small boy with his father. The talk was in the old airport terminal. Some months later I phoned Pete and invited him to fly to Columbus for lunch. I picked him up at Greenwood airport and returned him there after our lunch and some pleasant conversation. I was a bit disturbed to find him smoking heavily after having had multiple heart bypass surgery. Sadly, he did not last long. I was disappointed when Indianapolis Weir Cook Airport was renamed Indianapolis International Airport. It helps a bit that the impressive new terminal has been named the Weir Cook Terminal.
With Kris Ockomon, the new mayor, attitudes have changed and we have a new aviation board which favors aviation in Anderson. Meeting of the aviation board usually is held on the Second Tuesday of the month at 4:30 in the airport upstairs conference room. Members of EAA Chapter 226 usually attend. DISCLAIMER We might justifiably wonder if past mayor Smith's airport closure position was related to a planned dump, euphemistically called a "landfill," within the Anderson airport air traffic area. Anderson citizens and residents around the proposed dump area have been fighting against it, for good reason. Airport close proximity to this type of operation is opposed by FAA rules, but dump proponents claim the rules don't apply because a permit has already been issued. Tony Mollinaro, of the Chicago office of FAA has stated they may deny future funding of the existing Anderson Airport if the Anderson Board of Aviation Commissioners doesn't demonstrate a concerted effort to stop the proposed dump, because of its bird strike potential. The past BOAC (or mayor?) seemed to be choosing dump rather than airport. Arguments for and against the dump have been ongoing for two decades, involving expensive lawyers and court actions. Apparently the dump effort has big money behind it. It is in our interest, both for the airport and for our environment, that we support the Killbuck Concerned Citizens Association, KCCA. KCCA has been fighting for many years against the proposed landfill (dump). In addition to airport proximity and potential bird strike hazard, which could deter commercial use of the airport, inevitable ground water pollution would affect well water in a very large area. Because the dump will be privately owned and operated it may be used for highly profitable out-of-state and potentially hazardous refuse which might not be permitted elsewhere. Other concerns include disease-carrying rodents and heavy truck traffic in the area, where Killbuck elementary school is just across the road. To read KCCA's concerns and suggestions click here. The planned dumpsite is located three miles North of Anderson Airport at the intersection of county roads 300 North and 300 East, on the West side of 300 East, opposite Killbuck Elementary School. On the South side of 300 north, across from the school, there is a neighborhood of many homes where wells are almost certain to be polluted by the dump, or "landfill." Here is a Google satellite north-looking photo centered on the school. The dump site occupies the upper left quadrant. The proposed dump is featured in the movie "Trashed," a documentary about environmental and economic concerns of careless waste generation and disposal.2008 Chapter Banquet
Anderson Airport
The following thoughts and comments regarding airport relacement and Mallard Lake "landfill" are those of web editor Gale Craig and do not necessarily represent the views of overall chapter 226 membership.
Anderson Airport has been quite important to industrial commerce and pilot training in the past and if it survives political and Mallard Lake dump pressures we should expect it to continue being of importance in the future. A support group of airport hangar tenants has been formed for the purpose of retaining the airport.
A LOCAL RESIDENT, AVIATION ENTHUSIAST AND AVIATION WRITER
Tim Kern, an established aviation writer new to our area is following airport happenings. He has a web site featuring Aviation Industry News which he says will provide direct unfiltered features, reference, contacts and information. The web address is 121five.com
OUR HOME-GROWN ASTRONAUT
Past EAA 226 chapter member, Mike Melvill became the first civilian astronaut on June 21, 2004 when he rocketed to 92 miles altitude in a plane designed by Burt Rutan. Dick Darlington, who had taught Mike to fly at Anderson Airport, was invited by Mike to be present for the space shot. Dick returned from Mojave with the details and a sheet of pictures. Here are the front and back.
Dick, after returning to Anderson, was interviewed by Indianapolis Channel 8. He relayed an exciting story of a flight which didn't always go according to plans. One bit of suspense was in not being sure the rocket would fire. It did, but if it hadn't the CG for landing would have been very far aft of design. The rocket fuel was rubber from old tires and the oxidizer was laughing gas, otherwise known as nitrous oxide, the stuff some dragsters use in piston engines. The jet engines for the mother plane were bought used on e-bay. Perhaps we need someone like Burt Rutan in charge of spending in Iraq and in the gulf area after Katrina.
Ron Smith made a flight in his Variviggen to demonstrate for Channel 8 the type of plane Mike Melvill built when he lived in Frankton.
Our EAA 226 chapter past president, Bill Hanna, was photographed from a chase plane while flying his new homebuilt over Oshkosh in 2002 during the EAA convention. The photo made a nice magazine cover, as shown here.
MCDANIELS AND BAXTER
Muncie aviation pioneers, Mcdaniels and Baxter, spent 22 1/2 days aloft in a J-3 Piper Cub. That was in 1940, when a pilot had to do something outstanding to get a job with the airlines. To read the story in a 1940 Popular Aviation magazine click here. This was photocopied from an old magazine. (Please pardon the less than ideal quality.)
Several years back, Bob McDaniels was guest speaker for our annual chapter banquet. In his last years before retiring he flew 747s on the Hawaii run. He had some good stories. One was about passing over Pittsburg, where he would sometimes shake up a new copilot by pretending to announce to the passengers "We are now pissing over Pattsburg." One day he absent-mindedly actually announced "pissing over Pattsburg," and immediately realized his error. At a layover, when watching passengers reboard he met one of the airline executives, and fearing the man may have been aboard over Pittsburg, Bob asked him if he was just getting on. He replied "I was with you over Pattsburg."
MEDICAL EXAMINER
Dr. Kurt Alexander, MD, CDE, FACP, FACE, Senior Aviation Medical Examiner, and member of our chapter is in Muncie with "Associates in Endocrinology." He is located in the Internists Associated Building, 1910 Royale Court. If you are due for a new flight medical, the phone number is 765-289-1011.
TFR MAP
For a TFR map click here.
Kidplane construction
Gorilla pilot
Future Airline Pilot
Kidplane delivery
Fang
Mike Finney's Acro Sport
Jeff Moore's first Hatz takeoff
Jeff after first flight
Cross country UL Flyer and teacher, Mr. Beamer
barbeque
Anderson Picnic
Great chef & sexy server
Biplanes at cookout
Reese Picnic
Jack Reber in Pietenpol
Pietenpol 2
Airplanes in love (R rated)
CHAPTER OFFICERS are:
President - David Stephenson
VP - Monte Daugherty
Secretary - Jeff Moore
Treasurer - Ron Waechter
Newsletter- Ron Smith
Website - Jeff Moore
The chapter logo was provided by Jeff Moore. For a full page size click here.For a reversed image for T-shirt transfer provided by Bob Siebert click here
For a local air map click here
For a link to the web page of Fort Wayne’s Chapter 2, which has lots of great links to other things click here.
