Well, let's see.
Mid November I stepped down from the Presidency of the local EAA Chapter (1016) and am in the process of handing over everything to the new Head Man In Charge.
Working with the chapter has been a lot of fun even with challenges that come with rebuilding a flagging organization. There are more active building projects than I can remember and signs that members are willing to take on more chapter commitments such as resurrecting the Young Eagles program and funding scholarships on a case by case basis. That's good stuff.
The new instrument package for the Glastar is on the way from Advanced Flight Systems so I'll have something new to work on over the winter. I'm switching from round, analog gauges to a glass cockpit display that will give me more information, more accurately than the 1990 technology that I inherited. Very recent developments in LED lighting tech may be available soon that will allow me to replace the old wingtip and position lights, too, with lighter, brighter ones. This new stuff is simpler and easier to work with as well as being more effective.
Then there's the biplane. For years I've lusted after one open cockpit biplane after another and one in particular that was built by the founder of our EAA Chapter. It's a Marquart Charger and has been stored away for about 5 years, not flying. My friend, Steve, bought the engine for his RV-4 project and I bought the airframe to restore and re-engine. It's in my barn now, waiting for a patient hand to work some magic. I'll keep you posted.
So the upshot for this month's report is I've been freed up to work on two projects of my own! I hope to have the Glastar back in the air by February or March ... the Charger will take a couple of years. In the meantime, I'm ready to do what I've intended to do for quite awhile and that, in itself, is really satisfying. Fingers crossed.
