The Wiley Post

EAA CHAPTER 400 NEWSLETTER   August 2011

Mark Sell, Newsletter Editor, 312-5336, msell@mclanahan.com

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The next meeting will be held on Friday, July 15, at 7:30 pm at Sell’s Airstrip, located 1 mile north of Woodbury along Rt. 36. This will be our “Model Airplane Night.” If you have models, please bring them along to fly, or if you are an enthusiast, come out and enjoy the show! We’ll also be discussing plans for Airventure, for those that are attending.

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Message from the President…

The Bedford Airport Fly-In, called "Bedford County Outdoor Experience" held on Saturday June 25 was a great success! The Fly-in was sponsored by Bun-Air Corporation and the Bedford County Airport. Bun-Air Corporation is under the new ownership of Mr. Jim DeLong. Bun-Air has been in business in Bedford since World War II, the firm started by "Bunny" Grazier, a former Army Air Corps test pilot, and operated through all the years by Bunny and his son Frank. Bun-Air operates a Cessna Aircraft dealership and maintenance shop, and also operates the jet aircraft of Means To Go, LLC, a fleet of three Cessna CitationJet aircraft utilized by many well-known businesses in our area.

Jim DeLong is a flying enthusiast, and has great interest in developing General Aviation interest and participation in the area. Bun-Air has purchased and put on the line a Cessna 152 and Cessna 172 for flight training and rental. Bun-Air has also purchased a Beech King-Air 90 which will be used for Part 135 Air-Taxi operations. You can call Bun-Air at 814-623-8171 for information.

EAA Chapter 400 of course participated at the Bedford County Outdoor Experience Fly-In, by providing Young Eagle Flights. Weather cooperated in flights, but ceilings and winds were at times challenging for light aircraft, even preventing one or two of our members from getting to the fly-in. Despite that, at last count, 111 Young Eagles were flown by our Chapter's pilots. These Young Eagles included approximately 14 Boy Scouts who took the Young Eagle Flights as part of an aviation merit-badge program. The kids were all quite eager, at 7:00 AM many were already lined up in anticipation of their airplane ride!

Many thanks go to the volunteer pilots who gave their time and money to giving these rides. Young Eagle pilots included Weldon Shank, Ken Reed, Duane Crumrine, Dan Speck, Ben Gottshall, Jim Vreeland, and myself Paul Nuss. Many thanks to Lynn Reed and Mike Perry, who in their usual efficient way signed up and documented all the Young Eagles pilots and all the kids who rode! It is truly amazing how things hummed along so smoothly with Lynn and Mike in the Young Eagles tent!

Member Ed Fry flew his recently re-engined RANS S-16 Shikari to Bedford and put it on display. Ed hasn't flown off restrictions yet, so he couldn't take passengers, but many kids were thrilled as Ed let them sit in his airplane's cockpit, and take the stick controls of his beautiful fast-looking homebuilt craft!

EAA Chapter 400 signed up three new members as a result of participation in the Bedford County Outdoor Experience fly-in:

David Gurkin of Martinsburg, PA. Dave is an Airline Transport Pilot, an airline pilot with type ratings in the Boeing 757 and 767, DHC-8, etc, a veteran helicopter pilot, and total flying enthusiast. Dave currently works for Sheetz Aviation, and owns a Varga Kachina based at the Altoona-Blair County Airport.

Ben Gottshall is from Bedford, PA and is an Airline Transport Pilot, currently employed as a pilot for major freight carrier DHL, also flies for Bun-Air Corporation, and owns a Cherokee Six based at the Bedford Airport.

Duane Crumrine is from Martinsburg, PA, is an Airline Transport Pilot and former Senior Captain for United Airlines, is a Flight Instructor ASEL & AMEL & Instrument, and is currently employed as Chief Pilot for Sheetz Aviation. Duane is a partner in a Piper Cherokee based at the Altoona-Blair County Airport.

We welcome these gentlemen to EAA Chapter 400!

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Upcoming dates to keep on the calendar:

• July 15, 2011 – EAA Chapter 400 meeting, 7:30pm, Sell’s Airstrip,

1 mile north of Woodbury, PA

• July 25-31, 2011 – EAA AirVenture, Oshkosh, WI