“Nifty Fifty” Newsletter Nov. 2020 Presidents Corner! Its amazing how fast time flies by! Here we are in November with only two months remaining in 2020. I have been pleasured to be on this earth with family and friends since 1937 there have been ups and downs in all years and 2020 is one of those. As we prepare for 2021 and the Aviation events we are hoping will be able to have again I think back to the year 1957, it was the year I purchased my first new automobile and soloed my first time. I have always been a lover of aviation from the time I flew my first kite. I know many of you feel as I do. Flying is like, your simply in the hands of the lord with the ability to see the earths beauty in a way people on the ground will never see. When I became a life member of EAA in the early 70’s I did not know how much fun it would be and how many wonderful people I would get to meet! Our chapter is the fiftieth chapter formed when Paul began going national with his EAA. It is hard to believe EAA has now a thousand chapters and over two hundred thousand members. We have been and are blessed with some of the finest families being members of “50” who enjoy each other, love aviation, and have fun attending our programs. Its all about membership and their excitement about volunteering if you become an officer or simply help at the events you are appreciated and special! As your sitting President I can only say thanks! What is happening with “Fifty”? OK, time to vote for your 2021 Officers they are elected annually. Ballots go out in November and service begins Jan. The Chapters Ercoupe is now officially for sale. If you have an interest as a chapter member the valued price is only $8500. Our member Jim Graham owns one and can answer any flying questions. One cool “light sport” aircraft. If you know anyone interested in moving their aircraft to what the FAA inspector considers “The best privately owned public use grass runway airport”. Joe and Elaine have a super enclosed hangar for rent simply because Al went back to Texas! Our treasurer Sue Weber after many years of excellent volunteering for the Nifty Fifty will be stepping down to spend more time with her beloved horses. How pleasured we are to have Wesley (Wes) Missler step up to fill or Treasurers position. Your Board has formed a committee to modify our College Scholarship rules so we can be more beneficial to more students. Since the scholarships are part of our by-laws after suggested modifications the must be approved by our board and then membership and national EAA. Member Mike Matesick 419 483 3607 has Many “Kinner” parts! Mike purchased several Kinner engines What do you know about Beechcraft? Bet you know more after reading this. Beech Aircraft Company was founded in Wichita, Kansas, in 1932 by Walter Beech as president, his wife Olive Ann Beech as secretary, Ted A. Wells as vice president of engineering, K. K. Shaul as treasurer, and investor C. G. Yankey as vice president. [7] The company began operations in an idle Cessna factory. With designer Ted Wells, they developed the first aircraft under the Beechcraft name, the classic Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing, which first flew in November 1932. Over 750 Staggerwings were built, with 270 manufactured for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.[citation needed] Beechcraft was not Beech's first company, as he had previously formed Travel Air in 1924 and the design numbers used at Beechcraft followed the sequence started at Travel Air, and were then continued at Curtiss-Wright, after Travel Air had been absorbed into the much larger company in 1929. Beech became president of the Curtiss-Wright's airplane division and VP of sales, but became dissatisfied with being so far removed from aircraft production and quit to form Beechcraft, using the original Travel Air facilities and employing many of the same people. Model numbers prior to 11/11000 were built under the "Travel Air" name, while Curtiss-Wright built the CW-12, 14, 15, and 16 as well as previous successful Travel Air models (mostly the model 4).[ Advertisement for Model 17 "Staggerwing" 1937 In 1942 Beech won its first Army-Navy "E" Award production award and became one of the elite five percent of war contracting firms in the country to win five straight awards for production efficiency, mostly for the production of the Beechcraft Model 18 which remains in widespread use worldwide. Beechcraft ranked 69th among United States corporations in the value of World War II military production contracts.[8] After the war, the Staggerwing was replaced by the revolutionary Beechcraft Bonanza with a distinctive V-tail. Perhaps the best known Beech aircraft, the single-engined Bonanza has been manufactured in various models since 1947.[9] The Bonanza has had the longest production run of any airplane, past or present, in the world.[10] Other important Beech aircraft are the King Air and Super King Air line of twin-engined turboprops, in production since 1964,[9] the Baron, a twin- engined variant of the Bonanza, and the Beechcraft Model 18, originally a business transport and commuter airliner from the late 1930s through the 1960s, which remains in active service as a cargo transport. In 1950, Olive Ann Beech was installed as president and CEO of the company, after the sudden death of her husband from a heart attack on November 29 of that year. She continued as CEO until Beech was purchased by Raytheon Company on February 8, 1980. Ted Wells had been replaced as chief engineer by Herbert Rawdon, who remained at the post until his retirement in the early 1960s.[11][12] Throughout much of the 20th century, Beechcraft was considered one of the "Big Three" in the field of general aviation manufacturing, along with Cessna and Piper Aircraft. In 1994, Raytheon merged Beechcraft with the Hawker product line it had acquired in 1993 from British Aerospace, forming Raytheon Aircraft Company. In 2002, the Beechcraft brand was revived to again designate the Wichita-produced aircraft. In 2006, Raytheon sold Raytheon Aircraft to Goldman Sachs creating Hawker Beechcraft. Since its inception Beechcraft has resided in Wichita, Kansas, also the home of chief competitor Cessna, the birthplace of Learjet and of Stearman, whose trainers were used in large numbers during WW II. The entry into bankruptcy of Hawker Beechcraft on May 3, 2012 ended with its emergence on February 16, 2013 as a new entity, Beechcraft Corporation, with the Hawker Beechcraft name being retired. The new and much smaller company produce the King Air line of aircraft as well as the T-6 and AT-6 military trainer/attack aircraft, as well as the piston-powered single-engined Bonanza and twin-engined Baron aircraft. The jet line was discontinued, but the new company continues to support the aircraft already produced with parts, plus engineering and airworthiness documentation.[4][13] By October 2013, the company, now financially turned around, was up for sale.[14] On December 26, 2013, Textron agreed to purchase Beechcraft, including the discontinued Hawker jet line, for $1.4 billion. The sale was concluded in the first half of 2014, with government approval. Textron CEO Scott Donnelly indicated that Beechcraft and Cessna would be combined to form a new light aircraft manufacturing concern, Textron Aviation, that would result in US$65M-$85M in annual savings over keeping the companies separate.[15][16][17][18] Textron has kept both the Beechcraft and Cessna names as separate brands.[19] Beechcraft will always be one of my favorite private aircraft. JoAnn and I took my companies King Air to the Bahamas. We choose it over the Falcon or Lear. Reason was, it simply had a Bigger liquor cabinet. Simply love fifties families! Amazing What you can find on the Google search History Wow! .