EAA Squadron CX Jan 24, 2004, Meeting Notes:
The meeting was called to order at 09:45 by Mike Reynolds, at the Wings of History Clubhouse, South County Airport. 19 souls aboard.
A lot has happened since our last gathering in December. Most of the meeting was in context with dealing with the loss of Deke and Jim Riley.
We
had an honored guest today, Mr. Michael Dieck, brother to “Deke.”
Mike
Reynolds opened the meeting with a suggestion that we consider the obvious
person to fill the vacancy of our Vice President’s chair. After brief
discussion, John Feemster was elected by unanimous vote. Congratulations, John.
More
discussion about the possible sale of the Kitfox. There is a party who wants it
badly and at a good price, relative to previous discussions. (I’ll not reveal
any number at this point, as the deal is not closed.) The sale should close
during this next week.
John
Feemster took the floor.
1. Detailed discussion of the efforts that people have made in the sale of the Kitfox. John F. and Blade have done most of the heavy lifting here, and it’s not been easy. There were some tough negotiations going along the way, that again should not be aired here. Thanks to John F., Blade, John Gould, and others who are making it work.
2.
John
Feemster led us through the process of evaluation of the details of the
accident that killed Deke and Jim Riley. Again, I’ll not attempt to describe
the intricacies of the investigation. Perhaps at a later date, John will make
the information available.
John Feemster and Michael Dieck have been working together in this process. John has 15 years’ experience with Lockheed Martin, dealing with safety issues, including accident evaluation. Michael – sorry, I didn’t get the details of your background – except to hear that you too are experienced in this arena, both in military and civilian work.
There are 3 possible scenarios so far:
A.
Pilot
error, relating to possible overloading, or loading outside the C.G.
B.
Possible
loss of flaps, due to poor design of the locking pawl on the flap handle.
C.
It’s
still possible that there could have been a health issue – that Jim Riley may
have suffered a heart attack at a critical point in flight.
The investigation is still open and on-going. If any
of you happen to speak with anyone who may have seen the airplane, and who may
have some possible information, contact John Feemster: feemster@sbcglobal.net,
or Michael Dieck: ncdieck@aol.com.
The accident will change how we operate as a club. We will create a new job in the club: Safety Officer. The club will develop a Standard Operating Procedure for dealing with such an incident in the future. We will also “tighten-up” our relationship with the EAA. (If you are a club member, are you an EAA member, and current?)
Some
of our members are also members of USUA (United States Ultralight Association),
and will be offering us more information on the benefits of that group – like
insurance for your ultralight aircraft!
Other
business:
Dave Hilpert can help you weigh your aircraft. He’s got 3 scales designed for that purpose. (Know your C.G. and limits!)
Mike Arndt let us know about
a Pterodactyl that’s for sale. John Fletcher, Turlock, has one for sale for
$900. It’s a single-seat; needs new sails. If you’re interested, contact Mike: m.j.arndt@worldnet.att.net.
Here’s a website that will show you the Pterodactyl: http://www.geocities.com/pterodactylclub/.
John Feemster’s MXLII is for
sale. This is the two-seater, with a payload capacity of 400#. If you’re
interested, contact John: feemster@sbcglobal.net.
One more thing: Bring guests. Introduce your friends to the fun of flying and the terrific support that’s available in this club! This past two weeks have been an unfortunate and amazing demonstration of that.
Here’s a pic. Michael Dieck is second from the right:
________________________________
Vaughn McIlrath, Jan. 25, 2004.