Hello Chapter Members and Friends in Aviation,

Was it a cold front or what? Did you feel anything? This El Niño brings such extreme weather and it is hard to predict our future any more.

After eight months of hiatus I started flying again...not in our RV-12, but my old trusty friend, Piper Archer II. It has been good that I had opportunities to fly variety of planes (through no fault of my own) to learn and understand that planes are planes and they are built to fly. My previous skill of control on Archer is coming back and remembering, after four years of absence, of the small maneuver of rudder, nose, cross wind and landing. It really feels good when you have good control of the machine you fly.

During my short aviation career of 10 years, I enjoyed Diamond DA-20 (my very first plane for two months), Cessna 172 (my solo cross country and trainer for two months), Cessna 152 II (Alaskan pipeline patrol 152 for three weeks and my Private license winner), Piper Warrior, Piper Archer II, Mooney, Grumman Tiger and Van’s RV-12 (Experimental Light Sports). The only multi-engine time was Ford Tri-Motor for 20 minutes. It was very heavy to turn and needed lots of rudder for smooth turning. This rare experience made me so excited about flying for sure. My son took me up in gliders several times. First the yarn didn’t line up when I knew nothing about flying and wondered how on earth anyone can keep the yarn straight. Last time when I got in a glider in Sacramento, CA, it was one of those serene moment in the sky…yarn matched up all the time with rudder control and so smooth. Way back when I was 57, our oldest son said, “Why don’t you learn to fly? It will give you confidence like no other.” I didn’t think much about gaining confidence then, but looking back I see that he was right. By the way, warning to those who taunt other drivers on the road saying, "C’mon grandma", even grandma of ten can fly! Remember that next time - no age and gender discrimination, please. Blue sky to you all!

Thank you for attending the EAA Chapter 187 celebration of 51st anniversary. Over 40 people came and enjoyed the stories of old with Tony Bingelis, the Chapter 187 creator. EAA HQ sent us a plaque of "Service for 50 years" and a banner. Ice cream was delicious and many lingered on enjoying the good company and the spirit of aviation in the group. September is our Safety month and we will have FAA Safety seminar with WINGS credits again. "UAS-101 (unmanned aircraft systems) and Aviation Safety Report 2015" will be presented by Michael Jordan, SAT FSDO Safety Manager. Please come and join us.

Haruko Reese
EAA Chapter 187 President