AERO CLUB OF PENNSYLVANIA PENNSYLVANIA PILOT Vol 23 No 3, Fall 2012 www.aeroclubpa.org Published quarterly by the Aero Club of Pennsylvania for those interested in aviation in the Greater Delaware Valley Event Planning Aero Club and Ninety-Nines award $29,000... Wings and Wheels... 17 recipients awarded Balloon rises above PACC The Aero Club will have a table Over 60 members, recipients and Following the July 19 Aero Club setup at the annual Wings & family members attended the annual Board of Directors meeting, our Wheels Day on September 8 at scholarship dinner on June 14 at special guest Keith Sproul demon- Wings Field. The event is an Wings Field. The Aero Club of strated the inflation and tethering of annual fundraiser for Angel Pennsylvania Memorial Scholarship a one-person, hot air balloon. About Flight East, but the Aero Club Fund along with the Eastern PA 30 members and local pilots got up also sells aviation items to raise Chapter of the Ninety-Nines award- close to the balloon as it funds for the Aero Club Memori- ed nearly $29,000 to 17 recipients. was inflated on the al Scholarship Fund. Aero awards totaling nearly grounds of the $23,000 were given predomi- Philadelphia Eagles Mere... nantly to post-solo students, Aviation Coun- The Aero Club planned to make a but four awards were given in try Club at private visit to the Eagles Mere honor of Bob Shannon to Wings Field. A Aviation Museum in northern deserving students to start their number of brave Pennsylvania on August 5 about primary training. Two awards were souls also took the the time of the printing of this given in honor of local pilots controls and teth- newsletter. Museum information is Michael Dunn and Bill Backenstose. ered themselves under available on their website at The Ninety-Nines awarded $6,000 to Mr. Sproul’s guidance. www.eaglesmereairmuseum.org. three young women aviators. Built by Mr. Sproul, Hammondsport, NY... Our guest Speaker Captain Timo- N48KX is a 48,000 cubic Some members of the Aero Club thy Fields of the Delaware Nation- foot balloon which qualifies as an plan to visit the Glenn Curtiss al Guard spoke about flying C-130 ultralight aircraft. Mr. Sproul has Museum on September 15 during airlift missions in Afghanistan dur- been ballooning for 15 years and the annual seaplane homecoming ing his five combat deployments has built five balloons of his own, event sponsored by the museum. from 2006-2011. including his famous “tetrahedron” For information, contact Walt shaped balloons. He owns ten bal- Ellis at [email protected]. The Aero Club of Pennsylvania loons, including “special shapes” See story about Glenn Curtiss Memorial Scholarship Fund has and participates in balloon festivals and the museum on page 5. awarded over $100,000 in scholar- across the country. More photos of ships in the last 10 years. Scholarship his balloons can be seen at his web- Seaplane Base... applications are accepted each spring. The Aero Club plans on having a site at www.skychariot.com. display at the Friends of Lazaretto “History Weekend” on October 6 on the porch of the Lazaretto House at the Philadelphia Sea- plane Base in Essington, PA. Issue Index... President’s Message, pg 2 Event Calendar, pg 3 Airport News, pg 4 Glenn Curtiss’s America, pg 5 Scholarship Recipients, pg 6-7 President Jim Kilduff John O’Toole is at Paul Heintz waves to Flight Safety Briefing, pg 8 and Bruce Thompson the controls putting the cheering crowd on the inflation heat into the balloon PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE James Kilduff The planned fly out to the Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport NY was cancelled due to uncomfortably high temperatures and prediction of ORGANIZED: Dec 17, 1909; CHARTERED: May 10, 1910 thunderstorms all along the route. As it happened, thunderstorms did PO Box 748 Blue Bell, PA 19422 not materialize here until evening, which produced the usual second- www.aeroclubpa.org [email protected] guessing of the decision to cancel. One would never fly in summer if thunderstorm threats were universally a reason for canceling. In this The Aero Club of Pennsylvania was formed in 1909 to encourage and promote case, it seemed right to err on the side of caution. The instrument cur- aviation in Pennsylvania and the Greater rency of all pilots is not known by the Trip Committee and we should Delaware Valley. We are both a social and not be putting pressure on fellow civic organization which plans field trips, holds an annual dinner, sponsors presenta- ACPA pilots to fly in situations The highlight of the tions, awards aviation scholarships, and beyond their comfort. produces this quarterly newsletter. trip will be to see the No sooner had that been debated, New Membership is only $20 flying reproduction Signup at www.aeroclubpa.org than Bruce Landsberg, the AOPA of the America. Safety Institute head for many years OFFICERS President James Kilduff wrote on his blog of two in-flight break-ups near thunderstorms, rein- 1st Vice President Mary Wunder forcing the danger that those storms represent and emphasizing the Secretary Elaine Farashian importance of making the right decision when convective weather is Asst. Secretary Nancy Kyle Treasurer John O’Toole possible. Bruce’s blog can be seen on the AOPA website. Asst Treasurer John Stubbs VP Membership Mary Wunder The trip is not cancelled. We will go to the Curtiss Museum September VP Spec Projects Walt Ellis 15th, the day of celebration of flight from water, of which Curtiss was a VP Scholarships Debbie Harding VP Print & Web Robert Dant pioneer. The chief highlight of the trip is opportunity to see the flying VP Airports Elaine Farashian reproduction of the America, commissioned by ACPA member Rodman Solicitor Paul Heintz, Esq. Wanamaker to attempt a crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. WWI inter- BOARD of DIRECTORS vened and what happened next is chronicled elsewhere. But it is stagger- 3 Year Term: Michael Dunleavy Timothy Fields ing to think that 100 years ago this year, only 9 years after the first pow- Dan Kurkjian ered flight of an airplane, Curtiss and Wanamaker were bold enough to Michael Little Robert Smith think of an Atlantic crossing. 2 Year Term: Elaine Farashian Jim Nancy Kyle Juliet Lindrooth Glenn Long BOARD OF DIRECTORS REPORT Dennis Ryan 1 Year Term: Denise Burke Elaine Farashian, Secretary Walt Ellis The Aero Club Board of Directors the Glenn Curtiss Museum on Jeff Kahn Jeff McFadden met at Wings Field on July 19. Keuka Lake. Additionally, the club Deb Harding President James Kilduff wel- will likely participate for a second year at an annual event held at TRUSTEES comed the group, and then Elaine Farashian presented the the Lazaretto House, home of the Aero Club Mem. Scholarship Fund: Philadelphia Seaplane Base. The Bruce Thompson, Chair minutes from the April meeting. Jeff Kahn The group discussed financials, club has a long history of involve- James Kilduff, ex Officio membership and newsletter ment in the base operations. PENNSYLVANIA PILOT details. Paid membership stands Planning ensued for the upcom- Editor/Layout: Robert Dant at just over 180 members. ing Wings and Wheels day at Contributors: James Kilduff Debbie Harding and Bruce Wings Field. The club partici- Debbie Harding Thompson reported on the suc- pates by holding a small sale of Nancy Kyle cess of this year’s scholarship aviation items to raise money Photographers: Rick Schimpf for the scholarship fund. Robert Dant program and the awards dinner. Printed by: Graphic Impressions The board talked about upcoming The meeting adjourned for dinner events, including a repeat visit to and a demonstration by balloon- Editor: [email protected] ist Keith Sproul. Keith is a long 610-909-4467 the Eagles Mere Air Museum and Published Quarterly: February, May, August, November a trip to Hammondsport, NY to time pilot and balloon builder. 2 PENNSYLVANIA PILOT Aero Club Scholarship Report Bruce reminded me that In 1975, he received an $800 scholarship from the Aero Club of Chester County in the By Debbie Harding, VP Scholarships amount of $800 during a time when dual instruction was In the last newsletter, I wrote about the upcoming com- around $20.00/hr. Today, our Shannon awards are typical- mitment of this year's Scholarship Committee to deter- ly $1,000, while the cost for dual can exceed $150/hr. mine the final recipients for the Memorial Scholarship Inflation complicates our goal to award scholarships large and Shannon awards out of 37 applicants. It was a enough to make a real impact. So, to the membership daunting task taken on with diligence, wisdom and good and to those who read this newsletter; aviator and avia- humor by Scholarship Trustee and Committee Chair tion enthusiast alike, our club is dedicated to promoting Bruce Thompson, board member Dan Kurkjian, and Assis- aviation in the Delaware Valley region. All donations, tant Treasurer John Stubbs. I, too, had the privilege to whether cash or in kind through items donated to our serve, sharing time and stories with these fine gentle- auctions, go to actual people striving for a career in avia- man and getting a glimpse of the future of aviation. tion. Think of it as an investment in the future of avia- tion. We can continue to advance the art, the science, The interviews are the appropriate time and place for the business and the sport of flying through these young these young applicants to share their most lofty people through direct contribution to their success. dreams and brag about their current accomplishments. We met a young man who is attending school in Wilm- In the spirit of camaraderie, we also urge you to check ington, DE, who takes his bike on the train and pedals up on this year's recipients taking flight lessons at TAS from the station to New Garden Airport for lessons.