It was a century ago that heavier than air flight was finally achieved. It has taken almost that long for personal flight to really reach the average person in the form of ultralights.  Everyone flying now can be thankful for all who came before.  For those not yet flying, make your resolution that this year you will get into the air and duplicate in your own way what the Wright Bothers did 100 years ago.  Be thankful it is much easier now than it was back then.  Our club has lots of fly-ins and activities planned for the year.  Please join us.

CLUB OFFICERS RE-ELECTED ANOTHER YEAR:

The election of officers held in November has resulted in the retention of all the same officers as last year. The decision was unanimous, and in fact the electorate was downright insistent.  See the meeting report later in this newsletter.

Saturday January 18th at the Red Wheel Restaurant 741 Broadmeadow Rd in Rantoul, ILL.  The location is on the west edge of Rantoul on Rt. 136 about one block south of the Amoco station.  Please join us for dinner as early as 6:00 PM.  The meeting will start at 7:00.

The November 16th 2002 meeting was called to order at 7:35 PM at the Red Wheel restaurant in Rantoul IL by president Mike Ostrander.  We had a good turnout for the last meeting of the year with 17 members and guests present. The first order of business was the election of officers.  All the current officers were re-elected for another year by unanimous proclamation.  There was no discussion, It happened so fast the secretary had to ask for confirmation.

Don Loudermilk reported an engine failure with his Chinook at the Elliot airport.  It was due to a crank seal failure on the Kawasaki which had been out of service for a few years.  He and Rob replaced a piston (which had a hole in it) and repaired the engine.  Any older engine which is being returned to service should have it's crank seals replaced.

Don also gave us a report on the status of the runway at Shertz Field, formerly Gibson Airport.  Both runways have been marked with an "X" to indicate the airport is closed.  The owner says that he cannot or will not be able to comply with new state requirements for paved runway width and other items.  The airport is officially closed but apparently ultralighters and others may still land at your own risk.

Mike Ostrander talked about a May fly-in at Busbooms patterned after our 20th Anniversary Fly-in there last year.  We will try to do the same thing but on a smaller scale.  Mike said that Paul Poberezny would likely make another visit as he did last year.  The SAA fly-in will take place again at Frasca on June 13-15 so Paul is likely to be down here in May for planning.  Mike said he really enjoyed our club fly-in and wants to come again.

Dan Grunloh showed a copy of the "Oshkosh Gateway to Aviation" book which chronicles the 50 years of EAA fly-ins which was celebrated in 2002.  Mike Ostrander showed the 2002 Airventure Volunteer patch which he and I received.  It was a special 50th edition.

The club recieved a video tape of the EAA memorial wall dedication which took place at AirVenture 2002.  This ceremony was the dedication of our memorial to Carl Bleichner our friend and member we lost last year.  The tape will become part of our club archive.

Mike displayed a very nice Airventure 2002 flag which he bought from EAA.  He had discovered the flags, which fly during the event on the flight line, are later sold to members.  Finally before closing the meeting we worked out our schedule of meeting locations for the first half of 2003.

The first reported flight of the year 2003 came in from Raymund Theron on Sunday January 5th.  It was cold, a little windy and bit of low level icy fog.  Raymund flew his 2-seat Quick around the pattern at Paxton at the very time I chickened out and decided it was too cold for me just 8 miles north at my home strip.

Club member Joe Taylor, of Rantoul based Taylor Studios, has announced a major exhibit, "Before the Wrights: The Dream of Flight" will open at the Octave Chanute Museum in Rantoul on January 24th.  His company designed and built the display which depicts the attempts to fly from early mythology up to the Wright brothers.  The display will cover 1500 sq. ft and include photographs, drawings and models including a DaVinci ornithopter with 18 foot wingspan.  Later this year the display will go on a tour of museums around the US.  The museum is open 10am - 5pm  Monday thru Saturday and noon - 5pm Sunday.  Admission is $7 for adults.  The News Gazette published a detailed article and interview with Joe Taylor on December 30th.  You can read the whole article on their website.  Search for Taylor Studios at...

Christine Lynn Sinders Bleichner and Anthony E. Cook were married September 28 at Eagle Creek resort, Lake Shelbyville. After a wedding trip to Maui, Hawaii, the couple returned to their Tolono home.  A newspaper clipping from November 19th included a great photo of Christy and Tony.  Most members have meet Tony by now and we all send our very best wishes.

Hardly worth newsletter space, but I wanted to announce that "Grunloh International that 800 foot of rolling sod 3 miles north of Loda, now has a real windsock.  Those vicious wind rotors coming off the tree line should be less of a surprise now.  The sock is at mid-field where it will help most.  Best of all, the decision has been made to bury the power lines on the north end.  They will be gone by spring and will make takeoffs much safer for all.  The cost estimate was only $1600.

>From the North: Go South on Hwy 1 (also 150 & 136) past Wal-Mart Shopping Center on the left and past Sunset Memorial Cemetery on the left. Turn right (West) at the Baptist Church onto Dixie Acres Road (Tee intersection). Drive West about 200 yards to #23 on the right The workshop is at the end of the drive.

>From the South: Go North on Hwy 1 (also 150 & 136) through town past the "Fast Food Center" (about a dozen eating places on the North side of Danville past the big mall) and past the Carmak Car Dealership on the left (2 miles North of the mall).  Turn left (West) at the Baptist Church onto Dixie Acres Road (Tee intersection).  Drive West about 200 yards to #23 on the right The work shop is at the end of the drive.

The 23rd annual Illinois Ultralight and Light plane Seminar will be held in Springfield on Saturday February 22nd.  This is the largest and longest running ultralight seminar of it's type.  The idea started right here in Illinois with Charlie Wells.

After about ten years of seminars it settled into Illinois Building at the State Fairgrounds. The seminar runs early in the year so we don't give up good flying weather.  It doesn't cost anything, you can learn something, and meet up with other enthusiasts from around the state.

There will be aircraft, commercial displays, raffles, prizes, and seminars.  Mick Schumacher will be displaying his Challenger fuselage.  Seminars include one on carburetor rebuilding by Tom Olnick, a talk on gliders and soaring, a presentation on safety by a professor who has made a study pilot error, and other fascinating and intertaining speakers.

Plan on arriving by 8:00 AM for registration, coffee, donuts and browsing because the activities will begin at 9:00AM.  Meet with members this Saturday to arrange for a car pool or call Dan Grunloh 217-386-2213.  (going to this seminar since 1983).

Don't miss your chance to see this display.  It will be at Rantoul for a few more weeks and then it will be leaving for it's tour around the U.S. this summer.

Club member Joe Taylor, of Rantoul based Taylor Studios, has announced a major exhibit, "Before the Wrights: The Dream of Flight" will open at the Octave Chanute Museum in Rantoul on January 24th.  The museum is open 10am - 5pm  Monday thru Saturday and noon - 5pm Sunday.  Admission is $7 for adults.

It can now be announced that I will be going to England August 18-31 to fly my trike in the World Microlight Championships.  This may come as a surprise to some as I had said many times I was not interested.  I knew the invitation would come after winning the US Nationals in Kentucky.

I thought it was too soon, I did not have enough experience or the ideal machine.  It would be expensive, inconvenient and hard work.  However, many friends and relatives encouraged me, and I soon realized it would be a fantastic opportunity.  I could learn more, and see ultralights or microlights from all around Europe that would never be seen here in the U.S.

The navigation tasks will be difficult and I am looking for areas in Illinois to practice which would be similar to Stratford apon Avon in England.  Many small fields and few straight roads.

Flying a trike is an advantage when it comes time to ship the thing to England and back.  The craft can be fitted into three small crates about 100 lbs each including one long tube of 13 feet for the wing.  It will ship by air freight whereas the 3-axis fixed wing planes must go via a much slower ship container.

U.S. team members will have some help from the major organizations, but much of the cost must be paid by the pilot.  As such we welcome sponsorships and donations in the form of equipment, supplies, spark plugs instruments,  clothing, phone cards etc....   :-)

This is a quick reminder that our club flying season officially begins in only eight weeks at the Paxton airport.  Now is the time for engine work or airframe maintenance.  We have resolved to have more fly-ins this year and more contests and bomb drops at every event.  The insurance is the same regardless.  Get ready now for the fun coming real soon.

At this late date (and time) the secretary cannot locate the notes from the January 2003 meeting.  If they are found, the minutes will be published later.

We had a good turnout at the Red Wheel Restaurant for a January meeting, about 12 members were present.  We collected membership dues, discussed coming events and Mike Ostrander distributed the first CD's of our collection of 20 years of newsletters.  Chapter service awards (certificate suitable for framing) were presented to the 2002 officers.

After the meeting we viewed the EAA Oshkosh AirVenture 2002 video which included an interview with our club prez Mike Ostrander, and a clip of him on takeoff at Oshkosh in his Quicksilver.  Fame at last.  Fame at last.

Saturday March 15th at 6:30 PM at the workshop of member Marion Evans.  See directions below.  Come early and visit his new workshop which will be the birthplace of his new airplane.  It's a Zenith Zodiac 610 HDS and will be powered by a Subaru engine.

>From Champagn-Urbana go south on the Philo Rd (State Rt 130) until you reach the junction for Sidney (County Rd 1000N).  Turn right or west and go one mile west to CR1500E and then about 1/2 mile south.  His house is on the right and has a new arch-type metal building. The address is 961 CR 1500 East.  Phone 217-684-2047.

                                                                                        1. Learn more about metal construction techniques
                                                                                        2. Work on calendar of club events
                                                                                        3. Discuss problems at USUA headquarters
                                                                                        4. Make plans for Sun-N-Fun
                                                                                        5. Answer questions about Sport Pilot

I've received an e-mail about the Illinois general assembly looking into amending the Illinois Aeronautics Act.  This amendment would establish general requirements of criminal background checks for air schools and requirements relating to licensing aircraft, air instruction, advertising, bonding, and applicant records.  If passed, violation of these amendments could result in imprisonment up to 90 days and a fine up to $500.00.  I'll have copies of the e-mail of the proposed House Bill (HB 3084), and EAA's perspective on this proposal.  It will be important to contact your representatives in this matter and voice your opinion.

Due to the heavy snow and blizzard conditions, few members were able to attend the February meeting scheduled at Dave Nicholsons RV-9 workshop on February 15th in Danville, IL.  There were not enough present for a quorum and no official meeting was held.  The following report is from president Mike Ostrander.

Meeting at Danville:  Due to the bad weather, only two hearty souls showed up at Dave's place to see his RV-9A and the progress that he's been making on it.  Dave's plane looks really sharp and will be an excellent flying machine when it's finished.  No formal meeting was held, we just enjoyed the warm shop and the snacks while we admired Dave's work.  We need to have a return visit so others can see the shop and the plane.

Word just received from Dave Nicholson is that he has already planned for a visit from EAA Chapter 622 to his shop on Saturday March 22nd.  All of us who missed our chance in February, are welcome to come by for a visit on that date.  It will be one week after this next meeting.  Plan to be there.  See your February newsletter for directions, or read it on our club web site.

The 23 annual Ultralight Safety Seminar in Springfield was a big success as usual.  A few of us car pooled to the event and that is a fun part of it also.  I didn't take a formal count but quite a few of our members attended, maybe nearly  half, and also Mike Schumacher exhibited his nearly completed Challenger.  I almost didn't recognize it at first as I didn't realize he was so close to completion.  He has really been working hard and making fantastic progress over the winter.  His airplane was the most interesting exhibit in the display.

The seminar schedule this year allowed for longer breaks between speakers which was great.  You had more time to visit and exchange ideas with other friends and attendees.  I picked up some good information that weekend just talking to others during the breaks.  They had some good speakers this year and I especially enjoyed the talk by Tom Olnick on carburetors.  There were also presentations on the upcoming Sport Pilot rule, soaring, and a talk about accidents.

Mike Ostrander didn't clean up in the raffle as he usually does, but there were a few winners all around.  Raymund Theron won a case of oil (not his brand) and promptly donated it to the Grunloh World Championship Fund.  My first sponsor!  Thanks Raymund, that will take me through spring practice and on to England.

Though it had not been reported here, many of you probably heard that Mike and Diane Ostrander were expecting a new addition to the family. When I heard that Mark now has a little brother I asked Mike to send us an update which follows.

Here's the info on our new arrival.  Joshua Charles Michael Ostrander, born Feb 10th at 3:49 p.m.  He's 8lb, 2oz, and eats like a horse.  Delivery was done via scheduled induction, since we had to go to Terre Haute, Ind.  There was a funny moment when I was banished to McDonalds because I started to rate Di's contractions on the monitor.  In the end things went well, and mom and Josh are doing fine.  Now if Josh would sleep at night.....

REMINDER:

 It's that time of the year again.  Please don't forget your annual dues for the club of $25.   It's what keeps those newsletters coming and pays the bills, etc..

Lea Amdor    Larry Beck    Emmet Beherns    Dale Busboom    Wayne Carmin    Debbie Cassels    Richard Davis    Marion Evans    George Findley

Tim Goby    Dan Grunloh    Gary Gustafson    Don Loudermilk    Dave Nicholson    Mike Ostrander    Charles Ostrander    Dave Patrick

Mick Schumacher    Greg Sellers    Rob Steiger    Joe Taylor    Raymund Theron

Saturday April 19th at  6:30 PM at the Paxton, IL Airport.  There is no rain date, we meet in the pilots lounge if the weather is bad.  Will send out for pizza, or go out for pizza after the flying is completed.   Paxton is a busy public airport with transient arrivals and an active skydive school so please watch and listen for traffic while you are there.

Torpedo run targets to be used at Paxton fly-in.  I've been working at getting some targets made for our fly-ins. One target is the standard battle ship variety, while two others will be somewhat smaller.  Feel free to try to sink the ship at the meeting.  The bean bags will be available for bomb drops too.

Chapter CD Delivered to headquarters.  I'm pleased to announce that our chapter CD was a big hit at headquarters.  I decided to hand deliver them while doing a 'save Diana's sanity trip.'  It turns out that both mom and baby sleep well in the van.  Well, after a bleary eyed night it was time to give mom and baby a break, so off to Wisconsin we went.  The CD's were liked so much that I ran out of 'em.  I'll have to do a return trip to give Tom Poberezny a copy.  Mom and baby slept like, well, babies.
                                                                                            ---- Mike Ostrander

The March 15th meeting was called to order at 6:46PM by president Mike Ostrander in the workshop of Marion Evans, Philo Illinois.  There were 11 members present.  Mike presented a special certificate of appreciation to Dale Busboom for hosting out 20th Anniversary Fly-in.  He also discussed plans for the annual Busboom Fly-in which is coming next month.  We will need tables.  Marion will arrange a porto-potty.

Dan Grunloh gave a brief report about the Ultralight Seminar held in February and also discussed plans for Sun-N-Fun.  Mike Ostrander says he will soon start work on the Photo CD collection and that he is planning to hand deliver the club archive CD to EAA headquarters.

Thanks to EAA, club members were informed of a misguided attempt by the State of Illinois to require stringent background checks on all new pilots and student pilots in the state.  They wanted all sport pilots to meet the standard the Feds apply to only to aliens and pilots of heavy commercial aircraft.

At the end of the meeting we received a phone call and message that Gary Gustafson would not be at the meeting and that he was looking for a replacement prop.  See his story next. Meeting adjourned 7:42PM

Skyriders member Gary Gustafson recently experienced a forced deadstick landing in his Eipper GT-400.   While flying near the Elliott airport, the plane experienced sudden extreme vibration.  Gary shut down the engine, picked out a good spot and made a safe gliding landing with no damage to the airframe.   A low time pilot, Gary did great at handling a real serious emergency.  He has joined the ever larger club of UL pilots who have had a true forced landing.

The BRS chute bridle had come loose and made contact with the prop, splintering the blades.  There should have been more tie wraps on the bridle.  Inspect your BRS installation at every preflight.  Tie warps on the bridle do not slow down the rocket.   The open chute will easily break loose any remaining tie wraps.

Thankfully Gary had a good strong 4 wheeled ATV as the plane had to be moved about 1.5 miles through the muddy fields to get to the nearest road.  At times the tires looked like giant chocolate donuts.  We will have pictures at the next meeting.

Congratulations to  club member and trike BFI Curt Schoaf who made a long cross country flight to Scottsburg Indiana on Sunday, April 13th.  The distance is about 180 miles each way from the Paxton Airport. There were fuel stops at Crawfordsville, Pams Place, and Franklin, IN.  At each stop a few more trikes joined in until there were about ten in the group when they reached their destination.  He said about 20 planes were there in total.

Curt's round trip flight totaled 8.5 hours of flying in one day, which is probably a record for anyone in our club. He experienced a strong headwind while going southeast at normal cruising altitudes.  By chance he discovered a slight tailwind above 4500.  Surely he will have some good stories to tell from this trip.

The exciting news at Grunloh's is that we have two newborn horse foals,..... and the powerlines have been buried at the north end of the strip.  Come see both.

The nature of the airstrip is changed very much by the absence of the powerlines.  I thank Dave Patrick for pushing me to have it done.  The cost was $1700 but safety is greatly improved.  Takeoffs to the north are much safer!. You can make an emergency landing straight ahead in the field if there is problem and the first obstacle is a tree line nearly 3/4 mile away.  Landing to the south is also improved because you can now land closer to the north end which is low and protected and this helps minimize the effects of any  crosswind.  Four members of our club have already sampled the "new" airstrip.

Please use caution when visiting the Grunloh Airstrip.  Our horses are not afraid of ultralights.  They hear and see them flying there all the time.  However, it is possible to surprise or spook a horse with your plane, if you are not careful.  Avoid gliding quietly down over the barns and then blasting the throttle.  Avoid the barns entirely and stay mostly over the runway.   Use extra caution if you see anyone walking or riding a horse.  The large barn is an indoor riding and training area and may be in use at any time.  Come and see the new runway and our new baby horses.  Keep a lookout for the dog who is not too careful around moving propellers.

Preparing my trike for competition I have installed a fuel flow meter.  It has a sending unit about the size of a fuel filter mounted in the fuel line and the gauge itself which displays gallons per hour, total fuel used, or total fuel remaining.  The cost was about $300. It works great and indicates my best fuel economy is 1.8 GPH at about 43 MPH.

Saturday May 17th at  the Busboom Airstrip 2 miles west of St. Joseph, Illinois.  The rain date will be the next day, Sunday,  May 18th.   There will be a potluck picnic at 3:00PM and a short business meeting about 6:00PM.  Please bring a covered dish or favorite dessert.  There will be tables and chairs indoors for the meal, but bring extra lawn chairs for outdoor viewing of the contests and flying. Please come on Friday at 3:00PM if you can help with setup of tables and chairs. MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT:

For those who might not receive EAA Experimenter, Dan Grunloh's article about the chapter's 20th year is in the May issue.  Dan did a fantastic job and deserves a big thank you for a job well done.  We're looking into getting extra copies for everyone since this issue is a definite keeper.

May 17th is almost here.  The Targets are ready, the ships and sub are ready too.  Now all we need are planes and pilots that want to drop bean bags and 'torpedoes', and people who just want to have a good time with food and fellowship.  Don't miss out on the fun.   --Mike

The April 19th meeting of Illini Skyriders was scheduled as a fly-in at the Paxton Airport.  There was a good turnout of pilots but no flying because of breezy conditions.   The group decided to move the meeting to Monicals Restaurant.  At dusk, the wind died down briefly as we were leaving for the restaurant. Only Curt Schoaf could have flown because the rest of us were there without our planes.

The meeting was called to order by president Mike Ostrander with 10 members present.  We discussed plans for the upcoming Busboom Fly-in.  The club will provide the drinks and meat items for the picnic.  There was a possibility of Mick getting a fountain for drinks.  Mike Ostrander reported he has completed the targets for the Torpedo Run contest.  We checked them out later after the meeting in the parking lot, and they were great!   It was decided that a planning meeting for the fly-in would be held about 10 days before the event.

Mike reported on a trip he made up to Oshkosh to the EAA headquarters.  He donated copies of our club CD to the library and to key staffers at EAA. The CD was a big hit,  he ran out of them while he was up there.

Next was a report about Gary Gustafson's forced landing in the GT-400.  Dan Grunloh had pictures of the retrieve from the muddy field.  As reported in the last newsletter, the accident was caused by the BRS cable getting caught into the prop.  There was no serious damage to the airframe except he had to replace the prop and the muffler elbow and manifold.  The muffler components were damaged due to the extreme vibration when the prop splintered and came apart.  Gary did a good job with the emergency landing.

Curt Schoaf talked about his recent marathon trip to Scottsburg Indiana as reported in the previous newsletter.    What became a group cross-country flight, started out as a visit to triker Jerry Pridemore to see his antique Jetwing trike.   Curt has a Jetwing he is restoring and needed to take some measurements.

Mike Ostrander reported he got in some unexpected flight time with a recent cross-country flight from Rantoul which included stops at the Grunloh Airstrip and at Busbooms.  It was also reported that Mick Schumacher is flying his new Challenger and that Mick, Tim Goby, and Joe? were seen flying into Busbooms airstrip from Newman, Illinois.

Illini Skyriders had a special fly-in planning meeting Tuesday evening May 6th at 6:00 PM  at the Grandy's restaurant near Market Place Mall, Champaign, IL.  Attending were Dan Grunloh, Mike and Diane Ostrander, Marion Evans, and Dale and Loretta Busboom.

We will have a setup session Friday afternoon My 16th at 3:00PM to truck in the tables and chairs and setup the rope barricades etc.  Marion Evans will arrange for the porto-potty,  Dan and Mike will use club funds to buy drinks, hotdogs, buns, brats and hamburger which we will grill for the picnic.  Dale Busboom will provide the gas grill but we will need a second unit  Mike will bring targets for torpedo run and beanbags for the bomb drop contest.  Dale suggested we set Sunday (the next day) as the rain date.

Are the parts you ordering for your plane good quality parts? or is the product somewhat lacking?  I had an experience recently with some cables for my MX.  I received some cables from a supplier (Not the manufacturer) in order to replace some upper cables on my wings.  I had noted that 3 of the cables were not crimped properly and a fourth had corrosion present in the crimp fitting.  To me, this was obviously defective and unacceptable, so I returned them.

Later I called the supplier to see what they thought of it and when I would receive replacement cables.  To my surprise, I was told that their 'mechanic' looked at them and said that they were fine and could be resold.  I would later learn that those cables were being returned to the manufacturer for examination.  I decided to get my money back instead of replacement cables.

Moral of the story:  Carefully examine any replacement parts!  New does not mean it's good.  It may not hurt to take a picture of any part before returning it.  Also, it is better to deal directly with the aircraft manufacturer, or an after market dealer that has a track record of quality work. Buyer Beware.

                                                                   Dave and Graeme won Team Scale and won other categories as well....

                                                              Critic's Choice........  the plane won that award... it's when all the judges vote on the best plane

                                                              Pilot's Choice...   ALL the  pilots voted on the Cub as the best plane there

                                                              Most Realistic Flight...  of ALL PLANES in ALL CATEGORIES

                                                              High Static....  the highest award for static judging of ALL planes in ALL categories

Tim Goby has invited the club to a fly-in at his airstrip in Newman IL on the longest day of the year.  You can fly from 5:00AM to 8:30PM this coming Saturday!  Vistors are welcome by about 1:00PM.  We will have plenty of food, so come hungry and expect a picnic/potluck about 3:00PM and a club business meeting about 5:00PM.

Newman ILL is about 16 miles east of Tuscola on Rt. 36.  The rural address is 2592 East 925N Rd and the location is about 1/4  mile SE of the Newman.   From Rt. 36  take the main road south out of Newman which is 2580E After about 0.3 miles the road turns left (east) and becomes 925N.  It will be the first place on your left (north side of road).  Tim's phone number is 217-837-2664

The airstrip is 1100 ft. sod and direction is east-west. That would 09-27 for you pilot types.  The GPS coordinates are 39-47.317 North  by 87-58.864 West.  See you there!

The April 19th meeting of Illini Skyriders was held at the annual Busboom Airstrip Fly-in near St. Joseph, IL.  About 50-60 people attended the ly-in and at least 5 ultralights flew in spite of the windy conditions most of the day.  The planes were Mike Ostrander (Quicksilver), Tim Goby (SkyRanger), Joe Grover (Challenger), Mick Schumacher (Challenger) and Gary Gustafson's Eipper GT-400.  There was lots of great food, fun flying, and contest demonstrations including torpedo runs at the new targets constructed by Mike Ostrander.  We were visited by local newspaper reporter Kirby Pringle and photographer who will do a feature story about ultralights in the CU News Gazette.

The formal business meeting was called at 6:25PM by president Mike Ostrander.  There were eleven members present.  It was decided we will use leftover drinks and frozen meat at the next meeting in Newman.  It was reported that the Beherns Airstrip will be closed.  Also there was some discussion about the possibe of the closing of the Monticello ILL Airport.

Mick Schumacher says he has Carl Bleichner's old ultralight trailer.  Anyone can have it if interested.  It needs some few repairs.  Dan Grunloh reported on a competition clinic he attented on May 3rd at Boyers airstrip near Monticello, Indiana.  Citing various excuses, Dan came in at 4th place on this event.  It was reported that Tuscola will have a benefit the same day as our fly-in at Tim Goby's airstrip.  A motion was made and approved for the club to donate $50 to the Busbooms to help defray the cost of re-painted the sign for their airstrip.  Meeting adjourned at 7:00PM

Sorry I don't have any biography for  Billy Harrison.  Henry Perry is a certificated pilot, friend of the Busbooms and member of the local club airplane which is based there.  He is interested in ultralights and may get one especially after seeing the performance of Micks 2-place clip wing Challenger.  Joe Gover is the new owner and pilot of the Challenger originally built by Joe Taylor (based at Newman).

The adults in the club aren't the only ones on the go.  On June 7th, Mark Ostrander won the stock division of the local Soap Box Derby held in Rantoul ILL., and now is going to Akron, Ohio for the 66th All American Soap Box Derby.

Kids age 8 to 17 from 44 states and 5 countries will take part in the week-long event, racing in stock, super stock and masters divisions. Activities begin on July 21st with a police escort to the opening ceremony, and conclude on July 26th with the big race.  Last year, over 430 racers competed for the top eight places.  Once a racer wins the local and goes to the big show, that racer cannot compete again in that division, so it's a one-time shot.  Good luck, Mark.

The Champaign Urbana News Gazette featured the Illini Skyriders with a special story in the features section on Sunday June 1, 2003.  It's a great story with large color pictures.  Mike Ostrander has extra copies of the newspaper in case you missed it.  It was wonderful to see an article which showed ultralights in a positive way and should help to promote membership in our club.

About 50 planes attended the 2nd annual SAA fly-in at Frasca Field July 14-15.  At least 4 members of our club flew there. Attendance was affected by rain on Friday and fog Saturday morning.  Mike trailered in and flew Saturday and Sunday.  Dan Grunloh, Raymund Theron, and Dave Patrick flew in on Sunday morning.  Mike got Paul to sign a couple copies of our EAA Experimenter magazine article.

Shipping and travel plans for my participation in the World Microlight Championship in England has been finalized.  The crates with my ultralight will be shipped by Hutchcraft van lines and must leave on July 21st.  They will travel by consolidated sea freight and should arrive in England by August 12th.  I will not have my plane at Oshkosh,  and I will miss our August meeting.  My own trip is on British Airways and the dates are August 14th and return on September 5th.

The July meeting and fly-in will be held at the Tuscola airport this Saturday July 19th.   Expect a short business meeting about 5:30PM.  This airport represents the southern half of our club membership.  Every year, flyers from the north half of our area have flown down for this meeting.  With more planes taking to the air this year, the Tuscola group" will be able to return the favor next month (at Paxton).

Some of us have made the flight many times.  It's about 55 miles from Loda.  Those of us  coming from Paxton or Elliott will usually fly around the west side of Willard Airport which takes us near the site of the Bleichner airstrip.  That ground will always be special for us, and deserves a fly-over.

For newcomers, the airport is about 1 mile southwest of Tuscola.  From Rt 45 in Tuscola, go west on Rt 36 about 1/2 mile and then go south (left) about one mile.  The runway is 09-27 paved 2000 ft. and the Unicom is 122.9.  Be on the alert for warbird heavies and I believe they have fuel.

The June 21 meeting of Illini Skyriders was held at 5:30pm at the Tim Goby Airstrip near Newman, IL.  The meeting was called to order at 5:30 pm with 20 members and guests present.  Plans for the August and September meeting were discussed.  Mick Schumacher will have the newspaper article about our club framed.  We have a copy signed by Paul Poberezny.  Mike Ostrander talked about his son winning the Soapbox Derby.  They will now attend the National Championship in Akron Ohio which takes place between our next meeting and the Oshkosh convention.

Along with the closing of the Beherns Airstrip comes the possibility of salvaging the Porto Potty which is located there on the farm.  If it could be mounted on a small trailer, the club would have it for fly-ins anywhere we like.  It was said that Gary Buck has such a trailer, now located at the farm.  Local members need to get on this project before it is lost.  After the meeting, members flew over to the Tuscola airport for their benefit day.

We had a great time at Tim's Fly-in and it was very good weather.  Taking a break from navigation practice, I followed my favorite powerline which runs all the way from Paxton to near Newman.  Along the way I listened to an entertaining radio show provided by three members flying down from Kentland.  Dave, and Curt were flying with  Gary Gustafson on his first long cross-country in the GT-400.  They were all on a slightly different track and Gary had trouble spotting the other planes the entire trip.

Dale and Lorretta celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Saturday July 5th  There was a secret surprise reception at the same location as their original reception 50 years ago.  Members and friends with email received notice of the surprise party.

I hope many of you are going.  I will be there working as a volunteer in the UL seminar tent.  Mike Ostrander is giving a talk on how to build a custom trailer.  Contact Dave Patrick if interested in flying to the show as he is very familiar with the route.  Let someone know if you want us to pickup any parts.  Don't miss the Wright Flyer display and the simulator!

My plans to attend the World Championship in England are moving forward.  The shipping of the trike has been arranged (very costly) and it will leave the US on July 22nd in a wooden crate and should be at Long Marsten by August 13th.  All practicing is now over.  My last flight in the US was this Monday July 15th due to the rains and the time needed to disassemble and crate the trike.  It travels 3 weeks on a boat and I will follow via British airways about 10 days after returning from Oshkosh.  We both come back in September.

As a result I will not be flying to Tuscola this Saturday, I will not have my trike at Oshkosh, and it may not be back in time for me to fly to the September meeting at Dave Patrick's. I will be back myself though (by September 6th)  to tell many stories and celebrate my return.

Good luck Dan, be sure to have fun over there. --Mike

Safety is something we all must think about every time we fly.  Many ultralight pilots do not use a written takeoff checklist and some don't use any kind of check list. The more you fly, the more likely you will forget something important, if you don't use a checklist.  I admit to have taken off without my seat belt fastened and another time without the helmet strap fastened.

A  - Avionics, altimeter, instruments and electrical stuff.  Check your gauges, set altitude, radio check, fuel flow meter, start stop watch etc.

B -  Belts, Buckles, Baggage, straps including helmet and goggles.  Zippers closed on saddle bags.  Check for anything loose or flapping.

C -  Controls Check,  including flight controls and engine controls, everything moves and is set properly for takeoff.  Make sure Choke is completely off.

D -  Determine wind direction and traffic situation.  Has wind or the traffic situation changed since you last checked?  Check for unexpected incoming just before takeoff.

E -  Emergency plan.  Choose your abort point for the takeoff, and decide where you will go if the engine falters during the climb.

F- Fly!

The August meeting and fly-in will be held at the Paxton, IL airport this Saturday August 16th with a meeting at about 6:00 p.m.  The Paxton airport has a mix of sport aviation activity.  You can see fixed wings, trikes, gyros, GA, skydiving, and aerobatics on any nice weekend (like the one coming up).  Join the fun this Saturday afternoon and evening at the Paxton Airport.

Monitor 122.8 at Paxton and keep a sharp lookout.  A rare antique or warbird may appear without any radio.  If you missed a call from the jump plane, chutes might appear in front of you near the north end of the runway.  WARNING.  Everyone you see there is having a lot of fun!

The July 19th meeting of the Illini Skyriders was held at the Tuscola Airport.  Quite a few members were not able to attend because they were out of state, out of country, or off on another planet.  The weather was excellent and a Challenger, Sky Ranger, Kolb and Luscome flew.  It was great to get together with friends again and we had a good turnout.  Since my trike was already packed away for it's trip to England I was grounded.  That left plenty of time to join the rest offering free advice to Richard on his engine problems.  Not sure if we helped or caused more confusion.  The secretary has not produced any formal minute of this meeting.  We had a good time.

Well, Mark had a close race, but lost out on his first run.  The race was a photo finish, but missed out by about .015 seconds, or about 3 inches.  While there are no awards for the early finishers, Mark accomplished a lot just by showing up.  It turns out that it's unusual for 8 year olds to make it to the big show.  Out of 150 racers in the stock division, ten were Marks age.

As a side light we had about 10 inches of rain with flood warnings all week while we were there.  With the daily rain I suggested that the race should be called the All American Canoe Race.

It turns out that Mark may have a future in racing.  Mark has been invited to race in the Rally series, which is regional racing throughout the year, with the top point earners going back to Akron as Rally Champs.  So we may be somewhat busy the next 10 months traveling to race locations.

About the time you are reading this, I will be flying to England (on British Airways) for the World Microlight Championships.  It is a rare chance for me to see and fly with pilots from all around the world.  There are 18 pilots in my class (single seat trike) with the recent addition of two Russian pilots.  About 75 aircraft are entered in the four classes.

I plan to camp at the airport next to my plane for the nearly 3 weeks I will spend in England.  I've been doing it at Oshkosh for a long time.  Each country participating will have it's base camp with planes, tents, and gear, and national flag flying overhead.  Some of my fellow team members have opted to rent a cottage nearby.

My plan allows four days to set up camp, unbox my ultralight, assemble it, and get ready for the first test flight.  After a mandatory inspection and weighing, we have two more days for practice flying before the contest begins (August 23rd).  The next 6-7 days will be steady flying, two flights per day if weather permits and the contest will end August 30th.  I expect to return on September 4th.  My trike may not be back in time for our September meeting, but I will have many stories to tell and I plan to take lots of pictures.  In closing I want to thank all of my sponsors, especially friends who have made a donation.

Web Editor Note:  All of us in the Illini Skyriders wish Dan the best of luck while he's flying in England.  Hope you have a good time!

The big show was a big success this year with a high turnout of planes and people.  The ultralight area was packed and the UL transient area was parked out farther than ever before.  That was due in part to two members, Dave Patrick and Curt Shaof, who flew up with friends from the Kentland area.  With Mike Ostrander and his Quicksilver, out club had three planes at the event.

Ultralight arrivals at Oshkosh experienced some problems this year as the arrival procedure was not published in Experimenter magazine as in the past.  Dave, Curt, and the others found out first hand the difficulty of finding critical information before takeoff, and once enroute, and the advantages of using flight service for weather information.

Mike and others at the show learned how important it is to keep a close eye on your plane and to preflight carefully.  There were cases of serious vandalism on the planes.  Some fabric slashed may have been done by a competitor or disgruntled customer.  Accidental meddling and children playing on/with the airplane can occur.  Mike said he saw a small child sitting on en elevator (of another plane) and bouncing up and down.  Anytime you are around the public, be extra careful.

Club prez and EAA Life member Mike Ostrander was invited to a special event at the Wright Exhibit.  He could bring a guest so we had a luncheon, heard some nice speakers and then struck up a conversation with Dick Rutan.  Dick was uncomplimentary about the state of engine design in general aviation.  He felt the advantages of liquid cooling and gear reduction which they proved with their around the world Voyager flight have been ignored.  He also expressed disgust with the red tape and government caused delays to his brother's rocket plane project.

The neatest new gadget at Oshkosh was a simple service which is available on cell phones which have a colored screen.  For $7.50 per month you can have the current weather radar picture displayed on your phone.  It really works.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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August 17th  Fly-in Drive-in breakfast Pontiac. ILL airport
815-842-3738
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August 22-24  Midwest Light Aircraft Rendezvous
Tommys Lake Sangris Airpark, Springfield  217-623-5772
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August 23-31 9th World Microlight Championship
Long Marston, UK
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August 29 - September 1 ASC Nationals
Three Rivers, MI 269-781-4021
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September 9-12 Mt. Comfort Airshow
Indianapolis IN Contact Wilber Batman
317-291-6406
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September 20th  Illini Skyriders Meeting
Dave Patrick Airstrip, Goodwine, IL
----------------------------------------------------
September 20th Challenger Anniversary Fly-in
Erie Airpark 309-659-2721
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October  18th Illini Skyriders meeting
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November 15th  Meeting and election of officers for 2004.
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The September meeting and fly-in will be held at 5:00PM at the old Shertz Field Airport north of Elliot, IL  this Saturday September 20th.  The meeting was moved from the Dave Patrick Airfield because Dave and Sandy got an invitation to do an RC aerobatic demo at the Aviation Festival in Witchita that same weekend.  The October 18th club meeting will most likely be at the Dave Patrick Airstrip near Goodwine.

Dig out your old maps to find Shertz Field, formerly Gibson City airport, just north of Elliot, IL.  The airport is officially closed and is not on the charts.  The runways are 18-36 paved and 09-27 sod.  The runways are "X"ed so land at your own risk.  It's still a good airport for ultralight aviation with it's hangar space and perpendicular runways.  Quite a few of our members have hangared and flown there.

We plan this fly-in as a pot luck picnic so please bring a covered dish if possible.  There are no restaurants near the airport so we need to supply our own refreshments.

Don't miss one of our last fly-ins of the year before winter.

The August meeting was called to order at 6:30 PM at the Paxton Airport by President Mike Ostrander. About 14 members and guests present.  Six planes and three gyros were flying around between skydives from time to time.

Mike gave an Oshkosh report on his trailer seminar and the success that it was (about 50 people in all came to the sessions).

The meeting was interrupted by an incident with a gyro copter that encountered a wind gust at a bad time during landing, causing the pilot to lose control, dumping the gyro on its side.  The pilot was able to walk away, by the gyro was badly damaged.

Next months meeting is being moved to Elliot.  Sandy said that Dave and she were invited to a airshow with some big time acts like the Thunderbirds and Sean Tucker.  Who could pass that up?  We'll get back to Dave and Sandy's another time.  The meeting was adjourned at 7:00.  Back to more flying.

Mike and his MX became impromptu entertainment for the jamboree that was held September 5-7 on Rantoul's airport.  About 5000 scouts were camped out on both sides of the north south runway.  After obtaining permission from the FBO, Mike flew a number of fly-bys, waving to the scouts.  A number of Scout Masters were impressed and enjoyed the flights.  There was some discussion about doing this again next year.

Most of you have already heard that I have returned from England safe and sound after flying in the Ninth World Microlight Championship along with 4 other pilots from the U.S.  It was quite an experience to fly in such an event and to fly in another country.  I was very lucky to have the chance to go when it was held in England.

The flying was so much different than we have around here in Illinois it was like being on another continent.  There are no straight roads in England except for one which was built by the Romans.  Little towns which looked alike were sprinkled at 3-4 mile intervals.  We were in the wide valley of the Severn and Avon rivers with hills of about 700-1000  feet on both sides and some hills were in the valley.  The towns did not have water towers with their names on them!  They have a few 4-lane highways which helped us a lot when we got lost.

The experience of flying with an such an international community of pilots was cool.  Each country was camped with it's planes.  We had the Spanish on one side, the Brits on the other and the Germans behind us.  Each team had their countries flag flying over their camp. The British had the largest team as expected.  The French brought a large team tent with picnic tables inside and blackboards for flight planning in privacy.

There were 67 planes in the contest about half trikes and half fixed wing.  On most days the first navigation task would end up at some small pasture or field out in the countryside.  We landed uphill, downhill, and sideways.  Sometimes there was a pub nearby for lunch, otherwise we had to pack our own, or order take-out.

Then in the afternoon, there would be another navigation task which would return us to the home field.  Almost every flight ended with some kind of spot landing.  The performance of the pilots at this level was quite good.  There were 39 trikes overall, and in one of the deadstick landing sessions 33 of those trikes hit the 15 foot target from 1000 ft. for a max of 250 points. I was proud to be one of them.

The variety of aircraft and engines seen at the World meet exceeds anything seen anywhere. There were more  kinds of trikes and fixed wings and more unusual engines than I had ever seen.  One big difference is that here in the USA we fly with big engines compared to the rest of the world.  In England, fuel is almost $6.00 per gallon and in the contest flying, fuel economy is a big factor.  The top planes in all classes tended to be 4-stroke powered.  Beside Rotax 912, HKS and Jabaru I also saw VW, Ford, Suzuki, Mosler, and a souped up Briggs and Stratton Vanguard.

The navigation tasks were tough as expected.  Quite a few involved flying in a circle or spiral or irregular line.  A task called "butterflight" was simply the outline of a butterfly drawn on a map to give a course of about 75 miles.  Along this line there were ground markers and photos you were to identify.  One of the markers indicated which way to go to find the end point.  All such tasks included a sealed envelope revealing the destination if you couldn't find the marker but it costs you 50% of your earned points in markers and photos.

I started out the first few days having a tough time with all the confusing roads and towns.  Just flying a straight course was hard enough.  By the end of the of a week however  I had made great improvements and could navigate through the jumble of roads, towns, and hedges with confidence. I took some good pictures in the air which show the typical landscape.

The final result for me, a beginner in this sport, was 15th place in the single seat trike class and second place overall among the U.S. Team.  I am 15th in the world.  I also beat a lot of people who couldn't qualify to enter, and I beat everyone who didn't even try.  It was an incredible experience and I learned so much I still haven't absorbed it all.  Next time I could do much better.

I enjoyed England very much.  The people were great.  The trip was well worth all the effort and cost.  My thanks go to everyone for your encouragement and support.  ---Dan

The next meeting and fly-in will be held at 4:00 PM this Saturday October 18th at the Dave Patrick airstrip, 1811 East 400 Rd North, Milford, IL.  The GPS coordinates are: N40-32.714 by W 087-46.901.  It's about 6 miles NORTH and 5 miles WEST of Hoopeston, and 1 mile South of Goodwine.  Dave has two runways.  East-west is the longest and all the power lines are buried.  For more information phone 815-457-3140.  Set radio to 123.45.

Driving from Paxton Il. Take route #9 East 10 miles to Route #49.  Take route # 49 NORTH.  After 6 miles, Route #49 will make a right 90 degree to go east, and then left 90 degree to go back north.  Do not go back north, go straight EAST.  That becomes Rd. 400.  Stay on 400 east bound for about 5-6 miles and you will see the house on the right, just past the railroad tracks and stop sign.

The sun sets early this time of year so this will be an early afternoon fly-in with meeting no later than 4:00 PM.  Our visiting pilots must have enough time to fly back home.

The September 20th meeting and fly-in was a big success.  A total of 8 aircraft were flying at the Elliot airport and about 12 to 15 members were present.  The weather was perfect and we were having such a good time that no formal business meeting was held.  Don Loudermilk's hanger was open and we had some food and snacks.  Rob Steiger and Don both flew Don's Chinook.  It was good to see the old bird flying again.  Don too.

The other 7 planes were all visitors starting with president Mike Ostrander who trailered in his Quicksilver.  Tim Goby flew his Sky Ranger up from Newman.  Curt and Curtis Shoaf flew there in trikes.  The Paxton group included Raymond Theron in his 2 seat Quicksilver, Mark Anliker's Kolb, and Stan Foster in his gyro copter.

My own Funfacer trike had not yet returned from England but I had the pleasure of flying with Kurt Shoaf in his Spirit Aerotrike from Paxton.  It was wonderful to get some air time again.  Even better, I got to solo the trike while we were there.  I had not flown any other trike but my own in the last five years.

The air was perfect and everyone had a great time visiting, flying, and buzzing around the airport area.

Raymond had to leave the fly-in early and we wished him well and said we would see him again soon.  Some of us knew it would be VERY soon as he would be going to a surprise birthday party Marci had arranged for him after the fly-in.  He was surprised!

Dec 17th is getting closer and we need some ideas on what to do on this special day.  Maybe some hearty souls may wish to fly in the morning, or maybe just have a party at a restaurant in the evening.  Bring your ideas to the next meeting.

November election are almost upon us and I know of at least one change occurring.  I won't be able to serve as president for the upcoming year.  With Mark getting into the rally circuit of soapbox racing, I'm going to be quite busy as crew chief keeping the driver and car in working order.  I'll bring the racer to the next meeting to let everyone see what one of these things looks like.

Think about who you would like to see as the next president of the Illini Skyriders.  It is a great opportunity to serve your fellow flyers.  So be sure to come to the November meeting, the floor will be open for nominations.

I'll still be able to be the 'general doer of stuff' for the web site though.  I'm working on some additional updates for the site.  Anyone who would like something posted about themselves or their plane, just drop me a line or bring pictures to one of the meetings.   --Mike

By the time you read this I will have received the boxes from England which contain my dismantled ultralight.  It has been forty days since I sealed the boxes in England and helped load them on the truck.  The trip to England took 30 days.  The return was slower and was delayed by paper work trouble with the customs agent.  During that time we have had forty of absolutely perfect wonderful flying weather.

I've cleaned out the hanger, sorted my tools and marveled how the weather could be so nice for so long.  The weather in England was better than could be hoped for.  It rained only one day out of the 20 days I was there and the wind was never too strong to fly.  But it was rarely calm and balmy as it has been here.  The long wait has been eased by friends who flyby, or stop in for a visit here at my landing strip near Loda.

If all goes well I expect to have the trike put back together and flying in time for the meeting at Dave Patricks this Saturday.  The tires will still have chalk dust on them from the landing contest in England.  --Dan Grunloh

A flashy new red trike has appeared in the Paxton-Kentland area.  The wing is red and yellow and white.  It has a red pod and real spiffy wheel pants.  The Pegasus Quantum Sport is Curt Shoaf's new trike.  He had a chance to buy the used trike (which looks like new) and quickly sold his Aerotrike.  The 503 engine has a slow turning C-gearbox with Warp drive prop and an exhaust silencer.  It definitely sounds quieter than most.

Every year at this time it's important to stop and think about safety.  Early in the flying season accidents occur due to rusty pilot skills or faulty hardware.  In the fall it's quite the opposite.  After flying all summer successfully we tend to take our good judgment for granted.  Over confidence, showing off, skipped pre flights, assuming the engine won't quit, and poor judgment are more often seen late in the year.  Sometimes we are having so much fun we can forget about safety.  Please be cautious in the fall.

LATEST NEWS!

The Illini Skyriders meetimg and fly-in was held this saturday but high winds prevented any ultralights from attending.

Tomorrow, Sunday afternoon October 19, will be beautiful with calms winds and perfect for flying.  Everyone is invited to drive-in or fly-in for an informal gathering at Dave Patrick's on Sunday afternoon.  See instructions in the previous email newsletter.  Hope to see you there!    --Dan Grunloh

********** CALENDAR OF EVENTS **********

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October  18th Illini Skyriders meeting
Dave Patrick Airstrip, Goodwine, IL
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November 15th  Meeting and election of new officers for 2004.
Red Wheel Restaurant, Rantoul, IL
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December 17th, 2003  - 100th Anniversary
of the first powered flight
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January 17th, 2004 First club meeting of
the new year, some place warm.
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April 13 - 19, 2004 Sun-N-Fun Fly-in
at Lakeland Florida
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July 27 - August 2 2004 Oshkosh Airventure
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The next  meeting will be Saturday November 15th at the Red Wheel Restaurant 741 Broadmeadow Rd in Rantoul, ILL.  The location is on the west edge of Rantoul on Rt. 136 about one block south of the Amoco station.  Please join us for dinner as early as 6:00 PM.  The meeting will start at 7:00.

Election of officers for 2004 is the most important business of this meeting.  We must send in a year end report with our new officers to EAA in time to keep the chapter in good standing and retain our insurance.  This meeting is also a retirement party for our current president who will probably work even harder next year.  Please come this Saturday to show your thanks, and help us select our next leader.

The end of year meeting is also a good time to share photos, videos, and back issues of magazine.  Bring your "stuff" to show, share, or trade. We hope to havevideo capability so we can watch some tapes after the meeting.

Note please the title of this newsletter.  Don't let the 100th Anniversary of flight slip by unnoticed.  We don't typically have a December meeting but the 17th is very special.

The October 18th meeting was held at the Dave Patrick Airstrip near Goodwine, IL.  Unfortunately the winds were quite strong in the afternoon and there could be no flying.  About 10 people were present and we had a nice social gathering in spite of the wind.  There was no formal business meeting.

Mike Ostrander brought the soap box racer that  he and his son have been taking to the races.  If you have never seen one before it is a quite amazing piece of hardware.

Dan Grunloh brought pictures and maps from England which showed the type of navigation tasks which were used in the world contest.

Late in the day the wind died unexpectedly and we convinced Dave Patrick to give us an RC flying demonstration.  He brought out his big "Edge", the original prototype for one of his most successful designs.  We saw a full range of competition aerobatics including inverted spins, torque rolls and finishing off with some deadstick aerobatics. You could immediately see the smoothness of the maneuvers and transitions that distinguishes a world champion RC pilot.  Thanks Dave!

Due to an extremely favorable weather forecast, it was decided to call for an informal fly-in right there at Dave's airstrip the following day October 19th.  We tried to contact members by email and phone but didn't get through to everyone.  For me it was to be the first flight of my trike since it had returned from England (four days earlier).  The weather was perfect as expected.  The trike flew fine after re-assembly so I headed off to Goodwine.  It was wonderful to be back in the air after 6 weeks without my trike.  Approaching the strip from the west I could see no planes at first but after landing found seven other planes parked there.  Curt Shoaf and friends had flown down from Kentland.  Raymund Theron was there but had not heard any announcements about a fly-in.  Some members though did get the word, and we had a very nice fly-in.  A group of us then flew on down to the Paxton Airport where there was even more activity.  It was a great day of flying.

Well, another flying season is under our belt.  I hope it was a good year for everyone.  As I look back over the past 5 years I think the chapter is in great shape and I look forward to handing the reins over to the next president.  I also want to say thank you for allowing me to serve as president.  Looking ahead, I think the future looks bright for the Illini Skyriders for adding even more members and getting involved in more activities.  Get ready gang, your best days are still ahead!

December Party?

It'll be up to the new leadership, but I have word that the Boy Scout Jamboree will be returning to Rantoul next year.  This is a gathering of 5000 + Scouts for a 3 to 4 day stay at the airport in a tent city.  Based on this years impromptu airshow, they would enjoy the appearance of some ultralights for an afternoon show of some kind.  --Mike

Recent attempts to contact club members on short notice via email was not successful due to troubles with my old computer and/or my old email address <grunloh@uiuc.edu>.  I am no longer using this address for club purposes.  Henceforth all email should be sent to my new home email address which is:  Dan Grunloh <dgrunloh@illicom.net>

About 80 percent of our newsletters are sent out via email instead of paper.  It saves time and money and many members prefer it.  A paper copy is sent to those who request it, and also to some officers.  If anyone reading this on paper is willing to receive it as email, please contact me at: <dgrunloh@illicom.net>

In the next few months we will definitely hear news about the new Sport Pilot license.  For those who want to fly 2-seaters it will be the only way to go.  Many single seat ultralighters may want to stick with FAR103.  There are advantages either way.   The best reason for getting involved now is the proposed transition period which will allow you to register an aircraft as "experimental" which was not originally built as a 51% amatuer-built.   After the 3-years transition is ended, the rule returns.

Every plane has to be inspected and it could be hard to find a D.A.R willing to work with an obsolete antique ultralight.  The next few years will be a good time to pickup a new flying machine and if you do it right, you can do the annual inspections yourself after taking a weekend course.

The sport pilot certificate will take a little bit of study and learning.  There will be a requirement for instruction, and time in type, and that can also be grandfathered, but only during the transition period.  Expect that EAA and others will provide plenty of help.

**********THANKS ORVILLE AND WILBER WRIGHT!**********

Next Wednesday December 17th, is the day to give thanks and recognition to those two brothers who first solved the riddle of manned flight 100 years ago.  Many of us will try to fly that day,  if the  weather permits.  Paxton area pilots and members are encouraged to meet at the Paxton airport Wednesday afternoon regardless of the weather.

An evening dinner and celebration has been planned for members and friends.  We have a room reserved in the upstairs area of FAMOUS DAVES Barbeque at the Round Barn Center near Springfield and Mattis Ave. in Champaign.  Please join us next Wednesday evening starting at 6:00PM.  We hope to have a video presentation, and president Mike Ostrander hints at a possible surprise.

**********NEWS FLASH**********

The next president of Illini Skyriders is Kolb pilot Richard Davis of Tuscola, ILL.  All other officers are the same as in 2003.  See the full report in the next regular newsletter which will be for January 2004. The next official club business meeting is expected to be on January 17th.

SEE YOU NEXT WEDNESDAY!