April 2022 Meeting Recap

The weather couldn’t have been better for a flight over the mountains on April 2nd. Our Aprils are not always so kind, with frequent high and low pressure shifts, warm and cold fronts, and unpredictable winds, but on this day conditions were perfect!

Our meeting on the 12th of April saw 24 of the faithful gathering at the Western North Carolina Air Museum in Hendersonville. It had rained all day north of Fletcher (about 10 miles north of the museum) but only a few drops at the meeting place. Steve Murray gave a terrific presentation on the use of MOGAS in aircraft engines … a lot of useful information in light of the recent price increases for fuel, both AVGAS and MOGAS. There were discussions of octane, Reid vapor pressure, fuel pressures, ethanol and handling safety along with demonstration of a Hodges Volatility Tester for determining safe altitude limits to prevent fuel vaporization. It was a wide ranging discussion and we all went away with a better understanding of the issues.

We talked a little about Sun n Fun .. Nancy & Jerry Marstall were there as volunteers. Greig Hillman was there, too, and said he enjoyed the show. Allegiant has nonstop flights to Orlando that are shockingly inexpensive and he really liked that.

Bill Kemper has earned his Light-Sport Repairman – Airplane certificate which means he can do his own maintenance on his Flight Design CTLSi airplane. Bill Whitley announced earlier he had earned his Light Sport Repairman Maintenance – Airplane certificate which allows him to do work on other people’s light-sport ultralights and airplanes, including experimentals that meet the L-S definition.

We have a couple of members – Dean Youngblood from Rutherfordton and Robert Cauffield, who just moved up from Gainesville GA to join us, have signed up to help with events .. Gary Garner is working on the B-25 and B-17 visits when those airplanes are touring again and will appreciate their help for sure. Dean has also offered to work with memberships.

Seven members renewed their dues – 2 of them family memberships – and we now have 42 paid up members. As mentioned in an earlier email, there are ~400 national EAA members within 35 miles of us who could be likely candidates to join our chapter. We’re going to send out email invitations to our national members if all conditions are right for the May meeting and if weather permits we will cook out! More on that as time goes by.

The museum’s maintenance/restoration building is almost ready for them to move into .. The doors needed some extra reinforcement and floors are to be sealed. All the “stuff” in the front of the present building that has to do with the maintenance and restoration of their airplanes should be moved in time for the May meeting and that will give a lot more room for gatherings such as ours.

Springtime around here is in full bloom (ah-choo) and, more and more, the days are fit for good flying, be it glider, powered, light, ultralight or personal travel. A couple of powered parachutes hummed and buzzed by the house over the weekend and looked like a lot of fun.

With all that’s going on in the world, higher fuel prices, COVID rearing its ugly head again, we’re especially thankful for good friends, time to build and fly, and the gatherings we all enjoy so much. There’s a little blue peeking out behind the clouds …