Winter Haven, Florida (rwripper@verizon.net)

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I am resigning as shop foreman (effective 1/1/09). Best of luck to the next person(s).

The Airport City Manager, Richard Parish and his FBO have relocated to the new terminal and Richard's (not the same) Coffee Shop is open. They include salads and sandwiches, etc. Apparently "Taildraggers" Flight School will stay in the old terminal as well as the WHPA's "Coffee Guzzlers <G>". The 11/26/08 Lakeland Ledger Newspaper said the Terminal Grand Opening is 12/9/08 at 10am. A very short time for 229 to determine it's participation!

Although planned at the General Meeting of 11/1, Don Steiner's "Young Eagle" flights apparently didn't occur on 11/19 as I was at the 229 hanger at 830am and no one showed, except Jim Beisner to work on his project. Appears better coordination is required..

Luke Bowman came back to GIF around mid-Nov. Reports his new hanger complete and runway work is underway. Sink cleaning volunteer mentioned last month was Joe Perrucci. This month, secretary Warren Krabbe cut the 229 grass again. Then Jim Beisner came back to town and immediately swept crud from under the 229 tables, installed a new nozzle and gloves on the sand blaster. After his surgery, Steve Megill is finally on his way back to a visit in New Jersey. Stay warm.

Recently I had an opportunity to visit Steve Alcorn's Robinson Factory Authorized Service Center at Lakeland Airport and see a helicopter overhaul in process. We discussed top rotor bearings, Continental engines and Cubs. I got a flight and crashed Aviation Career Academy's "state of the art" helicopter simulator. To try it out, call them at 863-709-0300. While at lunch, Steve told of flying continuously all day long giving rides in a T-6 with his wife handing him a sandwich as he was always belted in..

Per Tom Olson's request, volunteer Bob Biggs obtained a new outside sign for the 229 Chapter Hanger. Thanks for running around Bob. Looks great, see it on the SE hanger corner outside.. The last improvement to the hangers outside was the paint job back on 10/16/2003. Possibly Grover Cox was the "gate crasher" mentioned last month <G>. It was being replaced on Nov 18th.

Joe Perrucci and Vic Giles stopped by and told the following: Seems like Joe and Vic helped each other build their planes back in the "dark ages" (<G>). Vic wanted a paint job to be very , very light weight which Joe did; however turned out to have different shades of white due to underlying fiberglass, aluminum, green primer, sections. Vic's Sonerai, recently sold, was flown for 2600 hours at 150 hours annually. It experienced a crank breakage around 1000 hours which Vic then landed safely. At around 2000 hours , the VW ate a valve and again Vic landed safely. He remembered during the first 10 hours on the Chapter Zodiac 601 as no one else wanted to do the first flight ..

Another first for Steve Alcorn.. His was the first helicopter to land on the ramp at the new GIF FBO on HW 92 was on 11/7/08. Big thanks to good neighbor Jim Newman for hand propping my 601 with a weak battery. My wife bought me a new battery soon after…The writer repaired the old wood/aluminum-cutting band saw since no one else stepped up. Trash can emptying still seems to be something volunteers seldom do but around mid-month it was mysteriously emptied. Thanks..…Only Duke Bledsoe assisted Tom Olson at the WHPA Fly Market tables. Tom made about $173 for Bernice Williams for the WHPA 10% cut. The old metal-cutting band saw has been removed from the hanger and it is assumed the member donated the $50 proposed at the 11/1/08 general meeting.

Always amazing to me is what some people have done in their life. One member has rebuilt 15 planes and has three more to go. Hard for me to imagine that a "balled" up hunk of metal scrap can be rejuvenated into a flying plane <G>. Another has owned 39 planes and restored many. Although lots of interesting backgrounds are out there, modesty reigns and few allow me to tell <G>. Come on guys, the world needs to know <G>. Since Jim Campbell and wife Ronnie have moved into Winter Haven's Sterling House (a retirement home), her home made cookies are missed <G> (along with their visits to 229 )...Currently some historical printed matter donated by Jim is being reviewed for a future article.

Old open ended T hangers just North of old FBO will be torn down by years end supposedly per FAA mandate. Bernice of the WHPA has a copy of the FAA letter.. City of Winter Haven has informed renters that T-hangers and Executive Hangers are limited to the storage of aircraft. Non-aeronautical items …are to be removed.

Inspections will commence on 12/10/08.

While researching a future article on exemplary long time EAA member Jim Campbell, I reviewed some late 80's EAA & Chapter 229 historical matter which might be of interest.. The 229 Newsletter was named the "Wingdinger". Meetings were on Monday nights at 730pm. Walt Dix was working on his Mini Max. Bob Mills was building a Mitchell Flying wing with a 3 cylinder Keonig radial rated at 26 hp @ 4200 rpm at his home shop but was mentioned as cleaning the 229 shop, maintaining equipment and doing the "annual" on the chapter's Champ. Details for the annual Valentines Dinner were being discussed. A note on the bulletin board asked for members to please turn off coffee pot, lights, etc and not to smoke inside the building. Quality control on the now "old style" metal disc tiedown augers was discussed. Bob Johnson was the Chairman and being transferred so a new person was being solicited. Positions filed were: President Jim Dantzman, Vice President Dwayne Freeman, Secretary Kate Gilbert, Co-treasurers Jack Sellett & Bill Adams, Tech consular Grover Summers, Shop Foreman Jim Campbell, Champ Maintenance Chairman Nick Harper. Mentioned were that many chairmanships were open. Chapters Video tapes were asked to be returned. The Champ Flying Club was asked to get their incorporation, membership, finances, etc squared away. Memberships votes at one meeting were: Renew Champ insurance to include hull and students flying the plane. Allow members to build their airplane projects as long as it posed no liability to chapter or membership. Reversed previous decision to purchase a Mini Max kit for chapter members to build. Apparently the Mode C Transponder NPRM was a hot topic. There was correspondence from Oskosh regarding Insurance requirements and concerns over "co-mingling" of organizations.

Address Book membership was 69 for 1994 and 1996 had 66 current and 44 past members. It is believed those last numbers represent the membership reduction over philosophy and the direction the chapter should take regarding the project Zodiac.