RV3 Project Progress and Plea for Help

You can see in the picture that some progress has been made. The airplane is on its gear and the vertical and horizontal stabilizers have been redrilled and temporarily bolted on to the fuselage. The windscreen and canopy are just sitting loosely on the fuselage. The elevators have been checked and will align with the hinges on the stabilizer. This was a minor concern since the elevators came from the original donated airplane and the stabilizer came from the parted out plane from Van’s. I have been in contact with Van’s Aircraft and I’ve been told they are planning to make us a “display cowling.” I have not heard of such an item before but I think it’s a lighter weight cowl that would not be suitable for a flyable aircraft. They tell me it will be easier to work with than the normal cowling but it sounds like we will be doing some fabrication work to put it on the airplane. Once the cowling is in place, we can work on a mounting solution for the propeller.

I have been a kit builder but not a restorer. The work that needs to be done at the present time involves the windscreen, canopy and horizontal stabilizer, wheel fairings and the tail fairing at the junction of the horizontal and vertical stabilizers. It involves some repair work as well as preparing these items to the primed stage ready for painting. I don’t have a background in this but I’m sure some of you do or could take on some work as a learning experience. Please contact me and let me know what you would be willing to do. So far, along with me there have been six other club members who have been involved with the project. I’d sure like to see several more pitch in and take on a task or two. If we can keep moving along I think we could possibly have this project out the door before the start of winter.

President Gary

STATUS OF THE RV3 RESTORATION PROJECT FOR THE OAHS

I just received a response to the letter I sent to Van’s Aircraft last week. It looks like the project is a GO! Below is a copy of the letter I sent and Van’s email response. I’d like to jump into this quickly to build momentum and enthusiasm for the project. I think the first order of business will be to get rid of, or temporarily relocate, the bigger items in the clubhouse (mainly the simulator, grills and couches) so we can bring in at least some of aircraft parts to begin work.) For those who will be at Saturday’s breakfast, we can discuss the specifics of how best to proceed on this. I hope that all of you who are interested in this project can make it to the breakfast. . . . . . . President Gary

March 12, 2015

Van’s Aircraft

14401 Keil Road NE

Aurora, Oregon 97002

The Creswell, Oregon Chapter (Chapter 31) of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) has been approached by the Oregon Aviation Historical Society (OAHS) to restore, to display quality only, an RV3 that was donated to the OAHS back in the late 1980’s. The OAHS would like to create a display honoring Richard VanGrunsven and Van’s Aircraft. The RV3 airplane to be restored would become the centerpiece of this display. As you know, Mr. VanGrunsven was inducted into the Oregon Aviation Hall of Fame in 2006. He also was a founding member of EAA Chapter 31 in 1957.

The aircraft that is to be restored was built by an Oregon resident by the name of Henkes (first name unknown at this point) and first flew in 1976. In 1980 the aircraft experienced an engine out accident after takeoff from Canby, Oregon and was never repaired. The OAHS has the gutted fuselage with some damage to the tail cone. They also have the original wings with flaps and ailerons, and a vertical stabilizer and rudder that appear to not be from the original airplane.

In order to perform the restoration, our chapter is going to have to acquire and/or construct the following:

• Either an engine mount, or a welded frame that will allow the main landing gear to be attached to the airframe. We don’t intend to install an engine since this will be for static display only, but we’ll have to fabricate something to hold a propeller on the aircraft.
• Engine cowling
• Main and tail wheel gear assemblies. Brakes won’t be necessary for a static display.
• Since the interior of the aircraft is totally gutted, we probably would not attempt to install and interior and, therefore, we would “frost” the canopy glass unless the aircraft is hung from the ceiling and the interior is not viewable by the visiting public.
• Horizontal stabilizer and elevators.
• Primer and paint

Since the aircraft is to be a tribute to Mr. VanGrunsven and Van’s Aircraft our intent would be to paint the aircraft to look like the RV3 that appeared at the 1973 EAA Convention and won the award for Best New Design.

We are very much interested in whether or not Van’s Aircraft is interested and willing to help us either financially and/or through the donation of materials necessary to complete the restoration. We are planning to perform the restoration work primarily in the Chapter 31 clubhouse located on the Creswell Airport (Hobby Field). We have a number of members who have stepped forward to volunteer their time and tools to perform this work. Depending upon how quickly we can obtain the necessary materials to do the work, we anticipate having the aircraft ready for the museum by September or October of this year. The OAHS envisions a public event at the OAHS Museum located at the Cottage Grove Airport to introduce the exhibit. This event would include an RV fly-in at the Cottage Grove Airport. We would plan a date when Mr. VanGrunsven would be able to attend, hopefully with other past and present employees of Van’s Aircraft.

You may respond to me either by telephone at 541-914-8605 or email at rv6an200gl@charter.net.

Sincerely,

Gary Ludeke, President

——————————————————————————————————————————————

Gary, Van’s would be happy to help out with components for the restoration
of the RV-3. As we’re always working under a budget, we would appreciate
a reasonably accurate list of the parts you think you’ll need to make it
happen and estimated cost of the items that you feel will need to be sourced
outside of Van’s. We may be able to help out with those items also but for
now, can commit to at least the Van’s supplied components that you
mentioned in your letter. We’d like to have a decent idea of the overall cost
to Van’s before we commit any farther than that.

We appreciate your support and recognition of Richard and Van’s Aircraft!

Best, Scott Risan
President
Van’s Aircraft, Inc.

EAA CHAPTER 31 HONOR PLAZA BRICKS

First of all, I want to apologize for taking so long to get our Honor Plaza brick sale going! Bill Dewey and Ron Rinaldi put out a great effort to get this thing going and then I dropped the ball!! Well, the time has come to start filling in the walkway with memorial bricks. Randy Stout purchased a brick though the website awhile ago and determined that the process works.

As you all know, Chapter 31 has been working for quite some time to develop the Honor Plaza. The purpose of this garden is twofold. One purpose is to honor those persons who had any involvement with with the Creswell Airport community and have now, in the words of the EAA national organization:

“GONE WEST – NOT ALONE INTO THE SUNSET BUT INTO THE COMPANY OF FRIENDS WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE THEM.”

Another purpose is to recognize and honor those persons or organizations who have been or are currently active in a positive way at the Creswell Airport.

The plaza is located immediately north of the large hangar building on the main ramp of the airport. The plaza is comprised of a grassy area where persons with EAA an Airport Administration approval may place memorial monuments, and a brick path where engraved memorial bricks may be placed. The memorial bricks are available in two sizes, standard and double-size. The standard size bricks are intended to be engraved with just the person’s or organization’s name. The double-size bricks can have the person’s or organization’s name and a second line for other information such as dates that the donor chooses. The larger bricks are also suitable for a name and a simple sketch such as an airplane silhouette. The cost of a standard brick is $50.00 and a double-size brick is $100.00. Bricks can be ordered directly from the engraver by going to the website below:

www.polarengraving.com/EAAChapter31.

When you receive your brick, please contact me (541-895-2667) or just bring the brick to our regular meeting or Saturday breakfast and I’ll see that the brick is installed in the walkway in a position of your choosing.

The Honor Plaza is not just for EAA members so please let those who you think might be interested in buying a brick to either go to the Polar Engraving website or call me for more information.

President Gary

Meeting Minutes for June 4th meeting

The meeting was called to order by Pres Gary with 39 members and guests in attendance .   The guests were largely friends and family of Tim Talen who made a presentation later in the meeting regarding the OACAC Oregon Air Tour scheduled for July 19 thru 24,2014.  Also in Cottage Grove there will be a June 28, 2014 Cars and Planes display by the history center with (hopefully) many old cars with like year models of aircraft parked next to them.  It was noted that lots of pilots are also car enthusiasts  and visa verse.

Gary made chapter announcements and discussed the July 4th Creswell parade and our Young Eagles event .  The Parade will be a 4 mile long route on Creswell city streets with a EAA 31 trailer containing Tom Cunningham’s Kolb Firestar. EAA members will also conduct a fly by which will be single file with two “fly bys ” per plane one at a slower speed and one faster – Gary will conduct a pre fly by pilots briefing at about 10:00  on the morning of July 4.   We will be available to start flying Young Eagles at 11:00 and Dave Peterson will conduct the pilot safety briefing prior to that time.  Dave also mentioned that they will need more volunteers to help with the passenger handling and also with the food prep and serving.

Other items of interest were that Louie Lyons has sold his Lancair and he had an engine hoist which he has donated to the chapter – it is currently in the chapter building and available for any member needing to use it.      A request from the Florence airport for a possible volunteer to assist with building ( wood and fabric ) a replica of a P47 non flying simulator  – it has been started as a kids toy simulator for their military style museum at the Florence airport .   They need help with Fabric and wood crafting and already have an artist to do the paint work.

Tom Preuss has indicated to Gary that he has a homebuilt project  that he will probably not be finishing and wondered if someone in the club or the club as a group would be interested – not sure if it would be a gift or what price – It is a P-26  knock off and I guess is pretty far along.

Dave Peterson noted that we will not be serving breakfast on July 4 and that with all of the parade attendance we will be expecting to have a large number of Young Eagles to fly – Gary has a plan to offer a 2nd YE day if we exceed our capacity to accommodate all of the and wanted to assure that we have as many pilots & planes available as possible.

Urban Moore of Eugene Skydivers was the featured presenter for the meeting. Urban delivered an informative discussion detailing the parachutes used by both solo and tandem jumpers, altitudes for jumping, costs to buy jump equipment , different ratings , how chutes are packed, safety concerns , automatic activation of emergency chutes,prices for their tandem and solo jumps.  Accident statistics for the US, as well as their jumping to the area to the immediate north east of our runway and how they are conforming to the required announcements for parachutes in the air to runway crossing.   It was a well presented and informative discussion with numerous questions from the attendees.

The meeting was closed by Pres. Gary and we were reminded that the 3rd Saturday breakfast fly in will be on June 21st and our next meeting will be July 2 with special attention on the July meeting to final planning for the July 4 planning.

Minutes recorded by Bill Dewey

Meeting Minutes from the May 7th, 2014 meeting

EAA Chapter 31 Meeting, May 7th, 2014

The dinner portion of the meeting started at 6:00 PM (Without Melinda Petersen’s famous chili).  Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, salad and chips with a drink and dessert for $5. Come early and enjoy the company of eagles (some bald one’s too!!)

The business and entertainment portion of the meeting was called to order at 6:57 PM by President Gary Ludeke with V.P. John Kuehl and Sec./Tres. Randy Stout also present.  President Ludeke began by asking all to stand and recite the pledge of allegiance to the flag.

There were 28 members and guests in attendance.  Among the guests in attendance was Bruce Gustafson, Chapter 1457 member, who said that many in their group planned to attend and help with our YE event on July 4^th. He asked if anyone from our group could help them with their event on the 2^nd of August, either by flying or flipping pancakes.

Other guests included Virgil and Bridget Pratt (bridgetpratt58@gmail.com) (who joined at the meeting). They have a Sky coupe and both are working on their licenses now. We also hosted Chuck Hunt, who just retired and is getting flight training at LCC and wants to put together a RV-12 flying club. We met Steve Bolton from LCC, who got his private with Gary Ludeke, and Gary got his tail wheel endorsement from him. Also, Bill Cummings (bildercum@gmail.com) joined the group and wants to learn to fly, and finally, the good Dr. Richard Hansen, who gave our presentation. Welcome to all!!

Ron Rinaldi was unable to attend to update the “Buy a Brick” program, but should be with us next meeting.

Pres. Gary then noted that the gate into the clubhouse is in poor condition and we have received some money from past member Michael O’Connell Sr. to help repair it. Rusty and Bill Dewey will attend to this.Bill has already purchased the new gates. Thanks to all the volunteers! Gary spoke with Shelly for approval before we began the project.

Next Chapter breakfast is May 17th at the clubhouse. $5 for an all you can eat breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, OJ, coffee and camaraderie!!  Come and bring your appetite!!

Allen Weider then noted that he is now a Tech Counselor for chapter 1457 and soon for chapter 31

Secretary Stout mentioned that due are due again. $25 made out to EAA Chapter 31 and given to him or sent to 86277 Panorama Rd., Springfield, OR  97478

President Gary then spoke to the club about our participation in Creswell’s July 4^th celebrations. He is hoping that we can add our “Airport Days” to the festivities, which should include a float for the parade (Tom Cunningham offered to trailer his Fire Star), a fly-over and several events at the airport to draw people in. Gary also mentioned that the club will be providing the meals, and that the Skydivers will be doing a demo with possibly the RC modelers here also. There usually are 20,000 people in attendance, so this is a great opportunity to interface with the general public and get the EAA story out. Dave Petersen asked if our activities would the only activities on the field for this event, and got an affirmative answer. He needs to get chapter insurance for the event.

Dr. Hansen then gave a very informative talk on Pilot Medical’s and self-certifying for LSA flights. He does from 15-20 Medicals per month. Among his slides, he showed one that noted that your Cholesterol should be near 100 plus your age, with max of 125 LDL and Max of 150 Triglycerides. Your BP should not be above 155/95. Diabetes is a possible problem if you are taking insulin, but on occasion, people with diabetes have been allowed to fly if they take their blood sugar level one hour before flying and every hour after that while still flying. He is also a pilot and wants everyone to be safe and have fun, which sometimes means knowing when to stop flying, or when to take a cognitive exam. Thanks Dr. Hansen for the presentation and for being a great Dr. we can rely on to be our advocate.

Dave Eason then gave a brief “Craftsman Corner” presentation about his bolt on wheels that he installed on his drill press and table saw. Very slick!

We then settled down to watch the monthly Chapter Video from national. In it, they described a great workshop on Corvair engines that is held yearly. Many people attended and several completed engines were tested on the stand. Very hands on with great technical help.

There being no other business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:55 pm
respectfully submitted,

Randall Stout, Secretary/ Treasurer

Minutes from the 11/6/2013 Meeting

EAA Chapter 31 Meeting, November 6th, 2013

The meeting started at 6:00 (Sadly without Melinda Petersen’s famous chili), BBQ hamburgers and hot dogs, chips, drinks and a bunch of Halloween candy for dessert for only $5 !! Come next month and bring a friend!

Business meeting called to order at 6:50 PM by President Bill Dewey with Sec./Tres. Randy Stout also present.

The 14 members in attendance ( no guests) then introduced themselves and gave a brief “What
exciting thing happened this last month” Gary Ludeke sold his Firestar and helped truck it to Corvallis, Ken Schmidt recommended the Hood River Fly-In for next year, Alan Weider had his prop balanced, John Kuehl has ¼ ownership of a 172 for sale along with 1 ea. 0-200 and 0-290 engines, Doug Kindred got his Subaru engine running in his Skycoupe, Rusty Bartel wasn’t feeling well this month so no work was done on the RV-12, Randy reported that the OACAC group has sent a $50 check as thanks for using the clubhouse, and he has been busy killing gophers, Dave Petersen did a quick breakfast report for last month- we served 24 people with a great breakfast before the OACAC meeting.

Next Chapter breakfast is November 16th at the clubhouse. $5 for an all you can eat breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, OJ, coffee and camaraderie!! That is a great time!!

Bill Dewey then spoke about a conversation he had with EAA National regarding a potential lawsuit by Urban Moore. Mr. Moore and his lawyers apparently have taken exception with Bill (and by extension the EAA) on his comments during a Creswell Airport Commission meeting. Bill said the EAA told him that the suit had no merit and that they would defend themselves and Bill vigorously. Jeff Skiles is also getting involved in this matter, and may pay the club a visit. The National EAA is going to contact the FAA and see if they can get them to make a decision on the Part 16 question.

Bill then talked about the upcoming joint Chapter 31-1457 Christmas party to be held at the Creswell clubhouse on December 14th. The club will provide the main dish, but they asked everyone from A-D bring a salad, E-H a Vegetable, I-R a dessert and S-Z an appetizer. We will have a white elephant drawing and if possible bring a gift for under $10. Shelly Humble has offered to donate a few gifts, and Bill promised to bring a REAL Christmas tree. He would like some help to decorate the hangar on the 13th, and he needs a head count as soon as possible.

It was noted that the donated flight simulator in the back is not working, nor will it probably work due to the loss of several electrical components. If anyone wants to play with it enough to get part or all of it going, they are encouraged to do so. Otherwise, it will be a good prop for YE’s

He also spoke about the possibility that Chapter 31 could provide from 1 to 3 scholarships to get 15-17 year old YE’s through basic flight training. Bill was asked to get EAA National’s advice regarding legal liability and the logistics of doing this program. He is hoping that proceeds from the Creswell Air Fair and donations might make this program a reality. He noted that the average age for an EAA member is over 55 and that in order to grow we need to get the next generation interested at the chapter level.

Ken Schmidt then took the floor and suggested we change the meeting procedures. He thought that the meeting should have less business and more education/entertainment. Randy suggested we show the EAA National monthly video. Dave Petersen suggested we take only 15 sec. ea. for introductions, and (after the business and entertainment/education portion of the meeting) we open the floor to anyone who had an interesting thing happen to them during the month. All these suggestions will be discussed and the meeting procedures changed after the January meeting and probable leadership change.

Bill Dewey mentioned previously that he has been president for a number of years, and would like to step down at the end of the year. The group agreed to open up nominations for the next President, Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer at this meeting, and vote at the January meeting. Please be ready to serve if you are called, and offer to serve if you have an interest and have not yet been nominated. Often we find people who have an interest but have not expressed it- so no one knows. Please be that person who can provide leadership and organization for the next few years. E-mail me or Bill Dewey if you wouldn’t mind serving in some capacity starting in 2014.

There being no other business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:18 pm

respectfully submitted,

Randall Stout
Secretary/ Treasurer

Meeting Minutes from 4/3/2013 Meeting

The meeting started at 6:00 (Happily with Melinda Petersen’s famous chili and a wonderful spice cake), BBQ hamburgers and hot dogs, chips, and a drink for $5!! Come next month and bring a friend!

Business meeting called to order at 7:07 PM by President Bill Dewey, with Sec./Tres. Randy  Stout also present.

The 16 members and guests in attendance then introduced themselves and gave a brief “What
exciting thing happened this last month”. Guests included past member Tom Pruess, still working on his ¾ scale mustang with the Geo 3 cylinder engine and he has a Fly Baby project started.

The group was donated (I didn’t get the name, but will by next meeting) a twin engine instrument flight simulator. Hopefully we will get it up and running by next meeting.

After intros, we adjourned to go see Gary Ludeke’s Kolb Firestar project, nearing completion. He has done some high speed taxi tests. He asked if anyone had a inspection scope to check out some rivets before he actually took off. (see the end of this newsletter for his answer)

Secretary Stout noted that yearly dues of $25 are due now. Please see him after the meeting or you can send them in by mail:  EAA Chapter 31, 86277   Panorama Rd., Springfield, OR   97478 Thanks to several
people for renewing at the meeting.

President Bill Dewey discussed the latest plan for the memorial area. He and Rusty Bartel have finished the retaining wall, and are prepping the walkway for the brick. Dave Eason brought in a Brick that is  available locally, and may be priced the same as the out of town vendor. He is still working on it. The next work session on the memorial area will be after the May breakfast meeting on May 20^th.

It was noted that on May 16-20^th, the Eugene EAA chapter 1457 will be hosting Aluminum Overcast in Eugene.

Gary Ludeke then reported on the results of his survey monkey outreach to the members. This survey attempted to find out how the group can improve its’ membership activities and add value to the programs that we put on. He presented an in-depth report that he received back from the 18 responses he got. We will discuss these results during the next few meetings.

Rusty Bartel reported that the new interim Creswell City Manager is a General Aviation/Airport Supporter.

There being no other business, we moved into our series of “Homebuilders Corner”.

Mat Northway then rose and showed the group a $100(?) bore scope that he purchased a while back. You hold it up to your eye and can see into an area about 18” quite clearly.

Dave Eason showed us a bore scope he received from his Dentist (gratis!) that looked like an anal probe, and probably works well for that also. It had a great picture and a 90 degree offset with very good detail but you could not go into the hole very deeply.

Walt Weischedel then showed the group his $120 Harbor Freight inspection camera, which was very easy to use and made movies or took pictures.

Randy Stout then showed his $150 Costco inspection camera, which the same features of Walts’ in addition to an extension wand and detachable screen for viewing. Each tool performed well, some were easier to use than others.

There being no other business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:19 pm

Respectfully submitted,

Randall Stout
Secretary/ Treasurer

Meeting Minutes for 3/6/2013 Meeting

The meeting started at 6:00 (Happily with Melinda Petersen’s famous chili), BBQ hamburgers and hot dogs, chips, a wonderful pound cake dessert !! and a drink for only $5 !! Come next month and bring a friend!
Business meeting called to order at 7:05 PM by President Bill Dewey, with Sec./Tres. Randy  Stout also present.

The 22 members and guests in attendance then introduced themselves and gave a brief “What exciting thing happened this last month”. Guests included Karl Sheffeld (??) and Mike McKoll (?)who is working on a 1000 wing frame.

Roger then rose to discuss the AWOS system that Creswell is trying to get. It appears that they are about $15,000 short of the needed funds as of yet. He suggested that the chapter donate some funds for this project now as it will be much more expensive later.

Secretary Stout noted that yearly dues of $25 are due now. Please see him after the meeting or you can send them in by mail:  EAA Chapter 31, 86277   Panorama Rd., Springfield, OR   97478 Thanks to several people for renewing at the meeting.

President Bill Dewey discussed the latest plan for the memorial area. He noted that Bricks will be available for purchase with you or a loved one’s name on them in 3 lines of text for $50 for the 4×8 and $100 for the 8×8 size. You can also add art to the brick for $6. He hoped that we would be moving dirt by next month.  Bill will install the propeller feature with 6×6 posts of PT wood, and a spinner.

Dave Peteresen brought in another new IPAD app. (Wing X Pro 7 with a Bad Elf GPS attachment) and noted that it was $100/ Year ($200 for 3 years). Ben has Skycharts Pro, which he paid $20 and gets updates often. Somehow, they forgot to keep billing him, but they keep sending him updates.

It was noted that on May 16-20^th, the Eugene EAA chapter 1457 will be hosting Aluminum Overcast in Eugene. They are also suggesting that we join them in a Young Eagle event coming up (I don’t believe I got a date on that) Everyone was asked to join them if they could.

Next Chapter breakfast is March 16^th at the clubhouse.

Ben Hallert gave a very interesting presentation on the Raspberry Pie computer board that is now available for $39. It seems that it can do anything but write a novel, but they are working on that. See him on any Friday at “Maker Space” on McKinley St. between 5^th and 7^th (near Redundant Cartridge), in his workshop. He sells memberships in the workshop so you can use the tools whenever you like, or come to open nights on Friday to see what is going on.

Gary Ludeke asked the group if they felt it was a good idea to start a survey money on how the group can improve its’ membership activities and add value to the programs that we put on.

There being no other business, we moved into our series of “Homebuilders Corner”. Mat Northway then rose and showed the group a nice, cheap RPM measuring device called a GloBee. It costs only $12 and works well for model and full size airplane propellers.

Secretary Stout had asked the group to bring in any bore scopes that they have for the next meeting. Everyone, including the Secretary forgot, so next month, for sure, these will be evaluated, compared and their capabilities explored.

There being no other business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:29 pm

Respectfully submitted,

Randall Stout
Secretary/ Treasurer