At a time like this, it's fun to imagine  all the advances that could be made in aviation  in the next 100 years.  Even more important is to set individual short term goals.  What do YOU want to accomplish in the way of aviation in the next twelve months, or the next five years?  Set a goal.  Begin now.

The next  meeting will be Saturday January 17th 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.

Make plans now to attend the 24th annual Ultralight Safety Seminar to be held at the Illinois Fairgrounds on Saturday February 28th.  This year the event will include the annual meeting of the U.S. Ultralight Association.  More details will be forthcoming in our February newsletter.

The November 15th meeting of Illini Skyriders was held at the Red Wheel Restaurant in Rantoul.  Retiring president Mike Ostrander called the meeting to order at 7:30PM with 14 members present.  Included were Gil Daily and Pat Gallahue from Chapter #29.  Also present was new Illini Skyriders member Charles Marler from Tuscola.

The EAA Young Eagles program has achieved it's goal of one million kids getting their first ride in an airplane. The millionth ride was on November 13th  in Freeport, ILL.

Members discussed  the planned December 17th re-enactment of the Wright brothers first flight in Kitty Hawk.  We discussed our own plans to take flight on that day if possible.

Mike Ostrander next presented the EAA 2003 Chapter Service Awards and officer pins.  The certificates are given each year to officers or other members "in recognition of your service and assistance to foster the growth of  sport aviation".

Next Mike presented a special award to club secretary and newsletter editor Dan Grunloh for having served 20 continuous years in various officer positions of the Illini Skyriders Club.  It was a large impressive plaque with a  beautiful walnut backing.  Wow!

The final business was the election of officers for 2004.  The 2003 officers were willing to continue except for president Mike Ostrander who declined due to other responsibilities.  A search for a new president came up empty.  Marion Evans declined as he had just been elected president of EAA Chapter #29.

Finally, after a long period of silence, Richard Davis agreed to take the position.  He was unanimously elected in an instant.   The meeting was adjourned at 8:40PM

On the evening of the 100th anniversary of flight, 22 members and friends gathered at Famous Dave's Restaurant in Champaign for a celebration.  We had a wonderful time and viewed video tape of the attempted flight at Kitty Hawk.  It was reported that Dan Grunloh, Hank Perry, and Curt and Curtis Shoaf flew earlier this day to commemorate the Wright's achievement.

Mick Schumacher reports  progress on the construction of his new hangar.  He will have room for several planes and will  have a runway across the road from his house.

Member George Findley has announced that he will be moving from Mahomet, ILL to Lubbock, TX, very soon.  The move comes because of employment changes for himself and his wife.  Contact him at: <kiltman1999@aol.com>

Your award winning newsletter editor, Dan Grunloh, claims the first club member flight of 2004 with a takeoff on January 1st, at about 8:25AM.  Any
challengers?

First let me began by saying that when not in use my plane is always hangared.  I have however flown in some light rain in the past. I left Kentland after my normal preflight with the throttle working just fine. My flight plan was to meet Raymund and Mark at Dave Patrick's. After flying for app. 10 minutes I decided to back off the throttle as I was climbing a little. The throttle would not back off. I got it move to a higher setting making matters worse. At that point I thought about returning to Kentland. Knowing that the wind was out of the west and knowing that Dave's runway on the East side was wide open for several hundred feet I decided to go on to Dave's. The landing was non-eventful. I arrived at Dave's at 3000 AGL circled down and did a few S-turns to bleed off excessive altitude.  I practice the engine off landings often. I some times shut the engine completely off. This made this feel like just another practice landing.

We worked  the cable free at Dave's and lubed it the best we could while in place on the trike. I was concerned  about a possible problem on takeoff so I only throttled up to 5800. My hunch was correct and I again was struck this time at 5800 rpm. With the bar into my chest and a 15 mph tail wind I made Kentland In record time. (Ground Speed 85 mph.) I arrived at Kentland at 5000AGL, announced my engine off landing and had another non-event engine off landing.

At Kentland I removed the complete throttle cable system. I took it home and hung it up with the open ends of the cable down. App.  a TBL spoon of water drained out of the cables.  While they were still in that position I filled the cables up with 3in1 oil. When the oil started  coming out the other end I took them down and reinstalled them on the trike. My following test flight in below freezing weather prove everything ok.

For throttle or control cables which are difficult to lubricate or difficult to remove, you can get a special clamp fitting to make it easier.  The "Cable Luber" clamps onto the cable near the end and has a small hole for the plastic straw of an aerosol can.  Check motorcycle suppliers or search for "cable luber" on the internet.

The month of February is the time to think about getting  ready for flying.  Engine maintenance, a good annual inspection and upgrading of equipment should begin now.  Good flying weather is coming soon.

The  February meeting of the Illini Skyriders will be held at the Amishland Country Buffet in Tuscola on  February 21, 2004.   Directions: off of southbound I-57 at US 36 (Exit 212) turn left to the first traffic light, Progress Blvd. which is the entrance into the Factory Stores Mall . Turn left on Progress to the stop sign which is Tuscola Blvd. Turn left and follow the blvd. around the curve to the end of the street.  The buffet is in the large red metal building on the right.   Join us for dinner at 6:00PM with the club meeting starting about 7:00PM.

The 24th annual Ultralight Safety Seminar will be held at the Illinois Fairgrounds on Saturday February 28th, one week after our February meeting.    It's free, and a good way to learn more about flying and meet friends from around the state.  There will be several cars going if anyone needs to arrange a ride.

The January 17th meeting of Illini Skyriders was held at the Red Wheel Restaurant in Rantoul.  New president Richard Davis called the meeting to order at 7:19PM. with 13 members and guests present.  Richard announced his first executive decision would be the introduction of name tags for everyone at the meetings.  It was a great idea and worked well especially for the new people who have to try and learn everyone's name.

This month two new guest were introduced.  Shirley Cooper Rodmacher says she comes from a family of aviators and has been exposed to aviation all her life.  Now she has decided to take to the air herself in some manner, possibly in an ultralight.  Also attending the meeting was Dave Claxon, an officer from Chapter #29 who is building a Soneri, and has recently purchased a foot launched powered paraglider.

Our departing president, Mike Ostrander, performed a ceremonial "passing of the presidential satchel" containing the official club papers.  We discussed possible locations for future meetings.  The opportunity for club participation in the upcoming Boy Scout Jamboree at Rantoul was mentioned.   The meeting was adjourned at 7:47pm.

At the beginning of each year it's time for us to ask for your financial help to keep the Illini Skyriders club going for another year.  We need your dues of $25.  It's our club policy that guests and past members are always welcome at our meetings and fly-ins and the newsletter is available for anyone who is interested.  We also need real members who provide input, attend meetings and fly-ins and who provide financial support.  About one half of all dues collected goes to pay for the liability insurance at our meetings and fly-ins.  It's an  important detail especially when we have a meeting at a private airstrip.  If you want to help and be a member of one of the longest running ultralight clubs in the county, "cough up some cash" at the next meeting or send your check for $25 to our treasurer:  Lea Amdor,  991N CR1500E, Camargo, IL 61919.

The United States Ultralight Association will hold its Annual  Meeting February 28th,  in Springfield, Illinois, at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. The mid-winter event will be held in conjunction with the 24th Annual IUAC Illinois Ultralight Safety Seminar.  Registration for both events will begin at 8:00AM at the fairgrounds. A full day of activities are planned, culminating with the USUA Member Meeting and Awards Ceremony.

The Illinois Ultralight/Light Plane Safety Seminar is the oldest and largest gathering of its type. Established in the 80's to address safety concerns with the then newly emerged sport of ultralighting, the IUAC advises the FAA and the Illinois Department of Transportation on ultralight issues, in addition to organizing the annual safety seminar.

Since moving to the Illinois Building on the Springfield, Illinois Fairgrounds, the Safety Seminar has been able to offer the 12,000+ square foot convention area to organizations in the ultralight industry to display everything from organizational literature to complete aircraft including -- fixed wing, trikes, powered parachutes, rotorcraft, and powered paragliders.  As a service to the industry, there is no charge for those organizations that wish to display.

Directions:  To get to the festivities, take the I-55 Sangamon Avenue exit (Exit A-B) and go west on Sangamon to the main gate entrance of the state fairgrounds (north side of Sangamon Avenue). The event will be held in the first building (Illinois Building) on your left as you enter the fairgrounds. Look for the Abe Lincoln statue, which is adjacent to the Illinois Building.  Ample parking is available just past the Illinois Building on the left.  The seminar website is www.safety-seminar.com.

Experts recommend that the pistons and rings of Rotax engines be inspected for carbon build-up at least every 150 hours.  Failure to do so can result in engine damage and forced landings.  Its' easy.  The muffler and exhaust Y-pipe must be removed.  The outer gaskets can be re-used if you put them back carefully in their original position.

The lower ring sticks first and the engine will run fine but blowby and deposits will score the piston.  The engine will run until the upper compression ring sticks, but then it's too late.  If ring sticking or excess carbon in found, the heads and cylinders must be removed.  It will cost about $50 in gaskets but could save your engine and prevent the damage and injury of a forced a landing.   I recently decarboned my Rotax 447 which has 525  hours running time.  The 31 little needle bearings were successfully put back into the wrist pins and the engine ran fine with no loud banging noises after reassemble.

The Weather in Illinois has been somewhat unfavorable for ultralight flying in early March.  Those of us with unpaved runways are plagued by mud during the spring thaws.  A recent trip to Phoenix yielded perfect sunny weather in March with temperatures from 50 to 80.  I enjoyed a nice hour of low flying over the desert valley while the temperature was 19 degrees here in Illinois.......... Dan Grunloh.

Saturday March 20th 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 P.M.  The meeting will start at 7:00.

The February 21st meeting of the Illini Skyriders was held at the Amishland Buffet in Tuscola.  There were 13 members present with Vice President Mick Schumacher presiding.

The first order of business was to agree on our schedule of meeting places for the coming months.  The March meeting was put at the Red Wheel Restaurant in Rantoul.  From April onwards we will meet outdoors, beginning with a fly-in to Paxton in April and then to the Tuscola Airport in May.  We have chosen locations with paved runways for the early spring season.  In past years we have often gone to the Busboom Airstrip in June so that possibility will be investigated.

Mick Schumacher reported that his new hanger has finally been completed.  Even better, he says there will be a runway near his house, south of Sidney, by the Fall of this year.

In other news it was said that the HIU club in Peoria was hoping to bring back their annual fly-in which had been held in Lincoln.  Also Mick said that Joe Grover will want to sell his single seat Challenger 447.  It's in excellent condition, originally built by Joe Taylor, and the reason for sale is marriage.

The 24th annual Ultralight safety Seminar in Springfield was a big success.  There was a big turnout as usual.  Many other states are now having seminars like ours, but the idea began right here in Illinois thanks to one Charlie Wells.  He was the first at the state level to recognize and promote ultralights.

This year, there were four excellent talks, a bunch of vendors and some interesting machines on display.  Mike Hudetz, the Air Creation dealer, brought a 2 seat trike mounted on snow skies.  A significant number of our club members attended.  I'm sure everyone learned something, or had a good time meeting up with friends from around the state.

Mike Ostrander could not attend this year and for the first time didn't win anything in the raffle even though tickets were bought in his name.  Sorry Mike you could of had a new radio.  Apparently luck comes only to those who attend.

After the seminar, Dave Patrick and I stayed for the annual meeting and awards ceremony of the U.S. Ultralight Assn.  This was one of the few times the meeting had been held in the midwest.  It was interesting to meet the new people running the USUA and I think they will do a good job.

Another reason for staying was that the official medals for the 7th National Championships were to be awarded.  The USUA is the official sanctioning body under the NAA for records and contest.  I had to be there to get my gold medal.

Recently a new plane has appeared in the hanger at Paxton.  It's a single seat Kolb Firefly with a Rotax 447 brought in by Mark Anliker to replace the Firestar II which has been sold.  Markings indicate it was built by a well known company which specializes in custom built and pre built Kolb airframes.  It has a plain white paint job and is ready for trim paint and other embellishments.  Another new hanger resident is a stunning RAF2000 gyrocopter recently completed by Stan Foster.  It is powered by a subaru.  Stan is still flying off the test hours, and he likes it very much.  Raymond Theron's newly rebuilt Pegasus trike is coming together and should be flying within a month.  He still has the Quicksilver two place.  For a short time, my Racer trike will also be in the Paxton hanger.  My home runway is very muddy this time of year and I have purchased a new and faster wing for my trike.  The extra runway will be helpful for those first 10 to 15 flights.

It has been announced that the 2004 Microlight Nationals will be held in Scottsburg, Indiana on September 22-25.  If anyone is thinking about getting into competition, now is the time.  The contest is held every other year, and it will not always be in the midwest.  There is always room for more competitors.  We never have enough.

There are a number of ways to qualify to compete as a pilot at the national level.  Entrants must have prior experience in FAI style competition, hold a national record or have earned a bronze Colibri badge.  The Colibri badge requires some witnessed cross country flights.  It's easy but takes some organization and time.  The best way to get into the game is to fly in an FAI style contest.

Fortunately there is an easy warm-up event at Boyers flight park in Indiana in May 15-16.  It's a fun contest, good for beginners and everyone who participates there will qualify for a slot at the nationals in September.

To play, you need any single fixed wing or trike under 662 lbs gross takeoff weight or any 2 seater under 992 gross weight.  Two seaters must have two on board unless they can make the single seat weight with only one on board in which case they can fly in the single seat class.  Contact Dan Grunloh for more info.

The April meeting and the first club fly-in of the year will be held at the Tuscola airport.  The previous newsletter indicated our plan was to meet at Paxton in April and at Tuscola in May.  Unfortunately, several of us in the Paxton area will not be here for the April meeting.  Some of us will be at the Sun-N-Fun airshow in Florida.  Members and officers from the Tuscola area have agreed to host our April meeting.  The Paxton Airport meeting and fly-in will be held in May.

Saturday April 17th at 5:00PM at the Tuscola airport.  Come early in the afternoon for the flying activities.  Later in the day members in attendance will decide where the group will go for dinner.  The Amishland Buffet is a likely choice.

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.   GPS to 39-46.85N by 88-18.37W.

The March 20th  meeting of Illini Skyriders was held at the Red Wheel Restaurant in Rantoul IL.  Unfortunately the secretary was late for the meeting so there are no written minutes of the meeting at this time.  Treasurer Lea Amdor reports there were 11 members present. President Richard Davis chaired the meeting.  Annual dues of $25 were collected at the meeting and 16 members have paid dues thus far. The treasurer reports a current balance of $805. SKYRIDER MEMBERS FOR 2004

Curt Shoaf,    Gary Gustafson, Charles Ostrander, Mike Ostrander, Billy Harrison, Larry Beck, Charles Marler, Dan Grunloh, Dave Claxon,
Henry Perry, Lea Amdor, Wayne Carmin, Richard Davis, Mick Schumacher, Marion Evans, Raymund Theron, Dale and Loretta Busboom.

If you have paid club dues and your name is not listed above, please contact Lea Amdor.  If you are a past member and wish to continue to participate and support our club please send in your dues.  In past years we have  done a poor job of collecting dues.

I'm writing this just a few hours after having an enjoyable one hour cruise in my new trike wing.  It was a beautiful morning with a light wind and I spent the time calibrating my ASI and checking fuel flow.

At one point I decided to circle in an updraft over a dark colored field.   Nearby I noticed a Red tailed Hawk circling in the same thermal.  He apparently didn't like sharing the area with a noisy ultralight.  After a minute or two he folded his wings in very tightly and zoomed away like a bullet.

After a flight I sometimes think about my friends and fellow club members who are getting very little airtime, for whatever reason.  You simply must realize that every day that goes by is one less day in your life available for flying.  We all are limited in that way.  Everyone of us will stop flying someday for reasons of health.

If it's a bad engine that keeps you on the ground, get a new one.  If your plane doesn't suit you, then replace it.  Got no plane?  Get busy in the workshop, start looking at used ultralights, take out a loan.  If you job doesn't allow time for flying maybe you should reconsider your priorities.  It was a beautiful day today.  You must fly now, while you still can.  Do whatever it takes.

A new policy has recently been announced for the upcoming Sun-N-Fun airshow.  For the first time, flightline volunteers will be checking for compliance with FAA regulations.  The two seaters in particular must be properly registered and carry the BFI exemption or they must be N-numbered an be flown by a licensed pilot.  The rule isn't new but now the pilots will actually be checked for their required paperwork.   In the past there have been unmarked two seaters and even aircraft with fake N-numbers on the  tail.

Aircraft found to be not in compliance can stay and static display but they will not fly during the airshow.  The upshot is the single seat ultralights will also be monitored generally for compliance with FAR103.  It's quite likely that some will be denied permission to fly if they have oversize fuel tanks or appear to be way over the legal limits.  The volunteers assigned to inspect the machines and make the call will have a tough task.

This change in policy did not originate with the EAA or especially with Sun-N-Fun.  It came from the local FAA who have become aware of the situation with "fat" ultralights and the unmarked two seaters.  Complaints have been made about the operations at the airshow and there has been a spell of accidents in recent years.  Not one accident or incident has involved a single seat ultralight but they are being caught up in the net.

If all ultralights at the show were required to be weighed there would be only a tiny handful flying.  Almost all are overweight.  The mere threat of the compliance check may reduce the number of single seaters present at the show.

Some think this is a move to scare ultralighters into upgrading to the new Sport pilot category.  Inside sources say this case stems primarily from a desire for enforcement and compliance by one FAA official located in the Orlando FSDO.

Saturday May 15th at the Paxton Airport.   The business meeting may be held at the airport or possibly at a nearby restaurant depending on attendance, and the weather.  Details to be announced at the airport by 5:00PM  Come early in the afternoon but remember Paxton is  a busy airport with an active skydiving school.  Monitor 122.8 but also keep a close lookout at all times.  Chutes may appear in front of you on final without warning.

See Raymund Therons new Pegasus XL trike which is now flying.  He will soon be using it for instructional flights and he also has the 2-place Quicksilver Sport available.  See Mark Anlikers new Kolb Firefly which is also flying.  He has been working to get the carburetor jetted just right.  See also  Stan Foster's new Subaru powered RAF2000 gyrocopter.  Its a dazzling show quality aircraft.

The April  17th meeting of Illini Skyriders was held at the Tuscola airport.  We had a short 30 minute meeting with 7 members present and 3 visitors dropped by to see what was going on. Visitors from Mattoon. Vern Roy who has a T-Bird on his home strip and Darryl Janes from Mattoon who would like to possibly have a trike. No flying experience and looking for help in making a decision. There was no flying due to wind.  We went to eat at the Red Barn.

The 30th annual Sun-N-Fun Fly-in at Lakeland Florida was a success.  Strong winds blew the first few days but there were no hard rainstorms or smoking brush fires to spoil the fun.

Attendance by aircraft and commercial vendors was good but spectator or pedestrian traffic was light, somewhat like last year.  The cost of attending, the economy, and pilots waiting for the new Sport Pilot regulations were to blame.  The mass balloon launch on Sunday was the best they have ever had.   The night airshow with fireworks shooting from the aircraft was terrific.

I worked as a volunteer in two areas. The first was judging where we have the difficult task of comparing "apples and oranges".  Some planes are scratch built, while others are completely factory built.  We judged trikes, powered parachutes, and fixed wings and gave out about 10 awards.  The  Grand Champion was a 2-place Challenger.

I also worked on the safety and compliance check that all ultralights had to endure.  For the first time ever, all 2-seaters were checked to see if they had the proper registration, BFI, or FAA license.  The process went smoothly with no complaints except for one or two who had not heard the advanced announcements and who arrived with unmarked 2-seaters.

Single seat ultralights were also to be inspected for safety and compliance.  Attendance was lighter for single seat ultralights because some pilots though the inspection would be very strict.  We did not have scales and did not pay much attention to empty weight.  The fuel tank limit of 5 gallons was observed and enforced.

One major accident took place at the ultralight runway.  A low time powered parachute pilot had a bad takeoff and partial collapse of the chute at about 60 feet altitude.  The PPC spiraled down out of control (at full throttle) and impacted in a cloud of splintered aluminum tubing.  The lucky pilot suffered only a broken leg.  Witnesses and video show that the right side of the chute never properly inflated.  The low time pilot did not make a last visual check before liftoff, and he apparently flew too close behind another ultralight and encountered wake turbulence.  The right side of the chute which was fluttering slightly on liftoff collapsed completely when it hit the wake turbulence.  To further complicate matters it was said the pilot had aborted his previous attempt to takeoff due to inflation troubles and the PCC he was flying (and wrecked) was borrowed from a friend without permission.

This message is intended for experienced and for novice pilots alike.  We tend to believe we have a good idea of the wind and turbulence limits of our machines and of ourselves.  Every plane has a limit and we think we can avoid exceeding it.

Mother nature has other ideas and we can be surprised.  I was fooled recently during a landing attempt when I suddenly encountered extreme  turbulence.  It was the worse I had experienced in 18 years.  A west wind over the trees at my strip always creates nasty rotors but this was extreme.  I felt lucky to do a safe go-around.  It was direct crosswind so I decided instead to land from the north where the rotors aren't so severe.  This attempt was also rowdy and exciting but I made a good landing without stressing the airframe.  After taxiing back to the hangar I got out to find only a light wind was evident.  The tops of the trees fluttered lightly in the wind.  I concluded my landing had occurred during the liftoff of a large thermal from the plowed field next to my runway.  I should have climbed back up to pattern altitude and waited a few minutes for the wind to settle.

A couple of years ago I got surprised by a gust front from a nearby thunderstorm.  They can get you from 30 miles away.  Flying along in smooth air I suddenly experienced extreme turbulence and straight line winds which lasted about 5 minutes.  All I could do was hang on.

The next meeting and fly-in of Illini Skyriders will be held on Saturday June 19th at the airstrip of  Dale and Loretta Busboom,  which is 2 miles west of St. Joseph, IL.  Each time we come back,  it's like returning home as many of our members made their first flights from this airstrip.  Dale said to make it an all day event.   We are planning for a pot luck picnic by 3:00PM so come early and help us get setup and organized.   President Richard Davis has offered to coordinate the menu.  If you can bring a contribution such as a covered dish or any picnic item, call Richard on his mobile phone at  217-841-2339. The days are long in June and we hope to have time to stage some simple contests such as a bean bag drop.  A short group flyout or tour of nearby sites would also be fun.  Don't miss this fly-in.   Its always the best.

The Busboom airstrip (09-27) is 2 miles west of St. Joseph, IL on the south side of Rt. 150.   Pilots should be reminded that overlying controlled airspace begins a couple miles to the southwest above 2000 MSL.

There was no formal business meeting  at the May  club meeting and fly-in which was held on May 15th at the Paxton Airport.   The secretary was absent and there are no notes from the informal gathering.  Mike Ostrander reports about 23 people were present, there was plenty of flying activity and that he was impressed by Stan Foster's  newly built RAF200 gyrocopter.

The reason I wasn't at Paxton for the May meeting was because of a competition held near Monticello Indiana on that same day.  WIG-WAG is the only  annual full FAI style  microlight competition in the US.  It is held at Boyers Flight Park, and has a reputation for difficult tasks.  The contest serves as a primer for upcoming national and international championships.

This year there was a good field of planes with 5 trikes and 5 fixed wings.  One entry came all the way from Long Island, New York. Tasks were were tougher than ever before and they were more difficult than those we flew in the 2002 National Championships (which I won).  Several pilots did very well and earned high points, but in the end my Air Creation Racer trike came out on top.  I credit my win to  improvements in my navigation skills, the performance advantage of my new XP11 trike wing, and a measure of good luck.  The  next major competition will be the 2004 National Championships to be held  September 22-25 in Scottsburg Indiana.  The local community and airport are backing it in a big way.  It should be the best ever.

There's lots of news and interesting flying activity with our local club members.  Billy Harrison is flying now and taking trike lessons from Curt Shoaf.  He has purchased an Aerotike.  Curt has a new Airborne trike with Spirit wing and a Rotax 582.  Mark Mark Anliker is flying his Kolb Firefly at Paxton but the Rotax 447 engine still isn't developing full power.  He may have to ship it out for a thorough checkup and new seals.  Gary Gustafson was seen flying his Eipper GT400 with a new Rotax 447.  He has replaced the older heavier  Rotax 503 with this smaller engine and he says it flys great.

Mick Schumacher reports his airstrip is completed and ready for visitors.   The location is 4.5 miles south of Sidney.  The landing strip runs north-south and is 1300 ft  long.   The hangars are up, or are going up.  The airstrip is across the road from his house.  GPS coordinates N39 - 57.6  and W88- 04 minutes.  Also it's reported that Challenger pilot Hank Perry  has completed his airstrip which is located about 3 miles south of Busbooms.  It is 1300 feet long and runs east-west.  We will have to make a point of locating these airstrips next weekend.

Dave Patrick and Dan Grunloh flew to the Fly-in Breakfast at Hartenbowers on June 6th.  This private airport near Henry Illinois was once the home field of our old triker friend, Fred Lamkey.  They have a fly-in breakfast on the first Sunday of every month and sometimes there is quite a large turnout of airplanes.  The location is about 70 miles northwest of Loda and unfortunately we arrived late in the morning so we missed most of the planes and almost missed breakfast.  It's a great little airport.  They have auto fuel and avgas and the people are very friendly.  I didn't see much of Dave on the return trip as he went above 8000 ft. to get into the cool smooth air while I banged along at 2000 ft. in the thermals.   Hartenbowers is a good destination if you are looking to go someplace new and interesting.  Check our calendar of events.

Dan Grunloh and Mike Ostrander attended the SAA Fly-in at Frasca Field.  The spells of rain and thunderstorms limited attendance to about 300 people and 40-50 planes.  The grass roots group was started by Paul Poberezny after he retired from EAA.  It's a good opportunity to meet and socialize with the old timers and veterans of the homebuilt movement.

I flew there Saturday afternoon and saw a warbird doing flybys as I approached.  Some radio transmissions indicating a problem had developed.  After landing my trike I had to hold up for a P-40 which had landed with just enough fuel to make the runway.  It was said there was a problem with a fuel gauge. E.A.R. PLUGS

Anyone still using the old style yellow foam ear plugs should see what you are missing.  Curt Shoaf has shown me a new type of low pressure green foam ear plugs made by Howard Leight Industries.  They are very comfortable and quiet.

The next meeting and fly-in of Illini Skyriders will be held on Saturday July 17th at the new airstrip of our Vice-president Mick Schumacher.  The location is 4.5 miles south of Sidney on the Sidney-Longview Road.   The north-south airstrip is 1300 ft. long and is located on the east side of the road.  His house is on the west side of the road.  GPS coordinates N39 - 57.6 and W88- 04 minutes.

Come anytime after 1:00PM and the meeting will be at 5:00PM.  Mick says the hangar does not yet have electricity. We don't plan a big picnic but he will provide light refreshments and a gas grill.  If anyone can help by bringing food please call Mick at 217-688-2579

The June 19th meeting and fly-in, which was held at the Busboom Airstrip was a big success.  Strong winds early in the day kept some planes away but about 40-50 people attended and there were seven ultralights attending.  Mike Ostrander trailered in his Quicksilver and he flew throughout the afternoon.  Our thanks go to friends from the Kentland, Indiana area who flew down to join us.

As usual the food was abundant and terrific.  Our group certainly knows how to throw a picnic and we always have a good time at Busboom’s.  Many thanks go to those who brought the food and a special thanks to our hosts, Dale and Lorretta Busboom.  Late in the day when the winds subsided Mike Ostrander gave a demonstration of a bomb drop contest and the torpedo run.  There was no formal business meeting.  We must all help out or new president who is just beginning to realize how hard it is to get the group together for a meeting when the flying conditions are good. We need those meetings to plan for the future, and to exchange information.

Trike instructor Curt Shoaf called to say that his student Billy Harrison made his first solo trike flight on July 1st at the Paxton Airport.  He has set a good example of how to get into ultralight flying.  Make up your mind you are going to fly, get a plane, take lessons, and then do it!

News from Mick Schumacher is that Hank Perry’s two place Challenger has just made its first flight.   Every thing went OK and the flight was a total success.  The flight took place a little earlier than he had planned.  It was supposed to be a fast taxi test when the plane lifted off unexpectedly.

This is a familiar story that has occurred many times with ultralights and it has happened to several of our past and current members.   It can be seen why it is so important to have the plane and pilot ready for actual flight before performing any fast taxi operations.  The aircraft should be complete, with everything safety wired, plenty of fuel, and the seat belt installed.

The big annual EAA Oshkosh event is just two weeks away.  Our next meeting will be the last chance to arrange a car pool up to Oshkosh.  If you have never attended, you don’t know what you are missing. If you can’t attend but need something from the vendors, let us know and we can save you the shipping.  Oshkosh is a good place to pick up bargains on airplanes and accessories.  If you make it there look for me (Dan Grunloh) at the Ultralight Seminar tent.

Please note on our calendar that the U.S. National Championship is coming to Indiana in September.  There will almost certainly be open slots in all the classes.  Anyone with 100 hours logged and two deadstick landings can compete.  Here is a chance to get into the game while it is fairly easy to do so.  Or you should consider attending as a spectator, assistant, or volunteer.  These events have  more activity than a fly-in and a lot fewer spectators than an airshow.

The next meeting and fly-in of Illini Skyriders will be held on Saturday August 21 at the new airstrip of Hank and Gretchen Perry near St. Joseph, ILL.  The location is 4 miles south and one mile west of St. Joseph, IL.  on the Sidney road.   They are located on the corner where the Sidney road curves back south after jogging west one mile.

Come anytime after 1:00PM and the meeting will be at 4:00PM.  Hank has a nice hangar for his new Challenger, and an East-West runway that looks terrific.  The physical address is 1193 County Road 2125 East.  The GPS coordinates are North 40-3.25 by West 88-3.80 and their phone number is 688-2269.  Hanks says he will provide the refreshments, just bring yourself and a friend.  Fly or drive in, we hope to see you there.

The July 17 meeting and fly-in was held at the new airstrip of club Vice-president Mick Schumacher, which is south of Sidney, Illinois.   Attendance was light due to wind and threatening rain but we had a good time anyway.  The only fly-in was Gary Gustafson who arrived from Kentland in his Eipper GT400.  He was either chasing or dodging light rain showers on the way.  Mick Schumacher flew his N-numbered two-place Challenger and a few members got rides.  Mike Ostrander trailered in with his Quicksilver but did not setup and fly due to the weather and the lack of time.  There were 9 members present at the meeting that was held about 6:00PM with club president Richard Davis presiding.   We had good food and refreshments provided by our host.  Richard Davis reported the news from EAA about the release of the new Sport Pilot rule and we had a discussion about camping at Oshkosh.

Oshkosh AirVenture 2004 was a big success and nearly half of our members attended.  I should have made a list, but if I try now, I will surely leave someone out.  Mike Ostrander and I trailered to the event and tied down together in the first row in the Ultralight area as we have done for many years.  We flew quite a lot during the week.  Mick Schumacher had planned to fly up but the weather prevented it.  It was great to see Mick, Dave Patrick, Richard Davis, Emmet Beherns, Billy Harrison, Hank Perry, Marion Evans, and all the others that stopped in to see us.

Mike Ostrander won a trophy with his Quicksilver MX.  He received 3rd place in the ultralight judging category.  It was the third time his plane had been awarded at Oshkosh and he is the only club member with multiple wins.  Our other past winner was Carl Bleichner in the GT400 now owned by Gary Gustafson.  In other news I was able to sell my old Fun14 trike wing to Michael at Lookout Mtn. Flight park.  He will mount it on a new SkyCycle trike he is building.

The biggest news at Oshkosh was related to the new Sport Pilot regulations.  There were numerous seminars about the various aspects of this new rule and appearances by FAA officials.  Ultralight BFI’s currently flying under the training exemption will eventually have to get enrolled under the new program or revert to flying a single seater.  Those flying heavy “fat” ultralights will now have a better way to become legal.  We will have a convenient handout at the next meeting that summarizes the changes and the timetable for these new regulations.  August 31, 2007 is the deadline for transitioning two place trainers and “fat” ultralights into the new program.

On Saturday August 14, a Poker Run was held starting from the Kentland Airport.  Curt Shoaf helped organize the ultralight portion with Paxton airport, Dave Patrick airstrip, and the Grunloh airstrip as part of the course.   It was really cool to have 10 or so planes coming into my little strip to pick up their cards.  Some had trouble locating my runway as the hayfield had just been baled and it all looked the same.  Some lucky person won  over $100 in the contest and I was pleased to win a flight timer in the drawing for a door prize.

The next meeting and fly-in of Illini Skyriders will be this Saturday September 11th at the Dave Patrick Airstrip near Milford.  We have moved the meeting ahead one week due to conflicts with other events.  The location is 1811 East 400 Rd North, Milford, ILL.  The GPS coordinates  are: N 40- 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 runway is the longest and all the power lines are buried.  Driving from Paxton ILL.  Take route # 9 East  10 miles to Route # 49.  Take route # 49 North.  After 6 miles, Route # 49 will make a right 90 degree turn 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.  Please call Sandy at 815-457-3140 if you want to help with refreshments.

The August 21st meeting and fly-in was held at the new airstrip of Hank and Gretchen Perry near St. Joseph, ILL.  A total of 6 ultralights flew to the event and about 15 people were present.   Also Lea Amdor made a low pass with his Luscombe but the East-west strip of about 1200 ft. was a little too short for his plane.  He could probably land but getting back out might be problematic.  Lea landed nearby at the Busboom airstrip and joined us later.  It looked a bit like a Challenger convention at Hank’s airstrip.  Richard (Doc) Lively stopped in with his Challenger also.

There was no formal business meeting, but we had a very nice afternoon with beautiful weather.  Hank has an enclosed deck on the side of the house that is perfect for meetings and picnics.  It’s a great site for future meetings.  Anyone who missed this one missed a great day.  Those who flew in but did not leave their autograph on the hanger door please return and put your name down as one who made it to Hanks First Fly-in.  Our thanks go to Hank and Gretchen for their hospitality and for all the great food.

October 2004   Flight test standards and written test release
October 2004   Aircraft registrations for LSA accepted
October 2004   Pilot examiner applications accepted
November 2004   First D.A.R. class
January 2005   First D.P.E. class
January 2005   Sport Pilot applications accepted
January 2007   Deadline for ultralight pilots to take flight test
August 2007    Deadline to register trainers as LSA
January 2008   Ultralight BFI trainer exemption expires

The majority of ultralight pilots do not use a written checklist for their plane.  There are so few things to check that I  have never had one in my 18 years of ultralight flying. I always used a mental list or an acronym to help remember.  The more often you fly however, the more likely you will sometimes forget a detail.  It’s been happening to me.  In the last 75 hours I have caught myself taking off without having everything fastened and ready.  I plan to print out my takeoff checklist and tape it to my trike where I can see it and check it every time just before I leave the ground.  I may also make up a startup checklist and place it next to where I stand when pulling on the recoil starter.

Avionics, electrical, Altimeter, timers Zippers closed, Seatbelt on, BRS pin pulled Chinstrap, Goggles, Choke off, Controls free, Determine wind direction and traffic, Envision Emergency plan.

The next meeting and fly-in of Illini Skyriders will be Saturday October 23rd at the Paxton Airport.  This will be our last outdoor meeting of the year.  Those of us in the club who are fortunate to be flying a lot are concerned about our fellow members who are still stuck on the ground.  Thanks to an idea from Raymund Theron, we are dedicating next Saturday as “free ride day” for our ground bound buddies.   Our local BFI’s and those with N-numbered two seaters have volunteered to give free rides to members and friends who are not flying.

Whatever the reason you are still on the ground, we want to get you in the air!  Come anytime Saturday afternoon and bring a warm jacket.  We will have a couple of trikes, a Quicksilver, Challengers, possibly a Kitfox, Luscombe and others.  Raymund suggests we make this an annual event.

The September 11th meeting and fly-in was held at the Dave Patrick Airstrip near Milford, Illinois.  We do not have a report from this meeting but those who attended said it was a good fly-in with a number of aircraft.  Attendance is sometimes light at our Fall Fly-ins and some wind can reduce it even more.  In the good news, Mark Anliker flew his Kolb Firely to Milford from the Paxton Airport.  It was his first serious cross-country in many months.  His Rotax 447 had been plagued with problems, seizures and forced landings all summer.  He finally got all the problems ironed out and can now begin to enjoy some serious fun flying in his Kolb.

Again.  I am proud to announce that through good luck and hard flying I have won the 2004 U.S. National Microlight Championships that were held recently in Scottsburg, Indiana.  It was a good contest with tough competitors and difficult tasks.  My first win two years ago might have been attributed to good luck, so it was important for me to do well again this time.  All the pilots were flying much better than two years ago, but I have learned a lot myself due to the experience of flying in England at the world event.  I knew what things to practice.  My new and faster Air Creation XP-11 trike wing also made a difference.

There were not enough fixed wings to have separate classes so the fixed wings and trikes were combined.  Nine aircraft qualified and showed up for the 4-day event but there was some breakage and one did not fly.   Eight official contest tasks were crammed into a two-day period.  There was a practice day before the contest and the last day was for demonstrations, a fly-in, and the awards ceremony.  The Scottsburg Airport was terrific and the local ultralight club and the community were excellent hosts.

We had three navigation tasks, a limited fuel endurance task, deadstick landing, precision touch and go, short takeoff over a ribbon, and a short landing over a ribbon.  The navigation tasks, which included a circle and a spiral, took us over much different terrain than we have near Paxton Illinois.  There were a lot more trees, some hills and the occasional swamp.  You had to keep enough altitude to be able to glide to one of the many clear spots.  Throughout the contest I shared the lead with a good friend Steven Bensinger from Florida who was flying a CGS Hawk but in end the end I won by a good 10% point margin.  There were two more CGS Hawks behind him and then newcomer Gene Dean from Indiana flying a Pegasus trike who did extremely well for a first effort.

You can expect to see some TV coverage of the event this winter on a National Geographic cable channel.  A program called “Gearhead Gladiators” visited the ultralight scene and chronicled the attempt by a couple of the competitors to build and fly a machine for this contest.  The actual contest was only a part of the show but they shot of lot of footage including interviews, air-to-air, and lots of action on the landing deck.  In one task I had two video cameras mounted on my trike.  Unfortunately the two pilots who were building specifically for this contest had mechanical troubles and did not do well.

Mick Schumacher reports from the Challenger Aircraft Anniversary Fly-in that was held at the Eire Airpark.   One of the reason we moved our September meeting was so that our members could attend this event.  Mick said it went very well and they have decided to make it an annual event.  Mick’s Challenger won the “President’s Award” at the fly-in.  It was chosen as the designer’s favorite.

Gary Gustafson reports he has a new address, 21398 Henning Rd., Danville, IL 61834.  The new property is a little over 10 acres and will allow for about 1200 feet of runway once he removes some stumps.  After a hangar is built he will move his Eipper GT-400 from Kentland Airport to the new location. Those of us already flying from our own private home airport know that he is going to love it.

Billy Harrison bends some parts.  I hesitated to report this earlier but you may hear the news anyway.  Apparently our newest member and trike pilot landed a little long on a short runway with wet grass.  Unable to stop in time, his trike had an unfavorable social interaction with heavy wooded vegetation.  He was unhurt but the trike got some damage.  Curt Shoaf is helping him get back into the air.  Every one of us has had a similar event we would like to do over.  Some are a lot more embarrassing than simply landing long.

The next meeting of Illini Skyriders will be Saturday November 20th 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.

This is our most important meeting of the year and we need as much participation as possible.  We always elect officers in November because our chapter status report and insurance papers must be submitted before a December deadline.  The availability of good liability insurance for our meeting and fly-in activities is one of the best features of our affiliation with the EAA.    In the early years the insurance covered only ground-based activities and stopped when moving propellers were involved.  It’s important that we have insurance because we often meet at the home or private airstrip of one of our own members.   We want to protect them (us).

The October 28th meeting and fly-in was held at the Paxton Airport.  The theme of the meeting was “free ride day” at Paxton for our members and friends who are still on the ground and not flying.  Unfortunately Saturday turned out to be very breezy so our plans for flying did not work out.  We had a very nice group of about ten members present for some “hangar flying” and we watched Stan Foster fly his RAF2000 Gyrocopter.  Later the group retired to a nearby restaurant.  There was no formal business meeting.

The windy conditions at the October meeting taught us a lesson about why we need to plan a rain date for each and every fly-in meeting.  We knew by Thursday prior to the meeting that the wind would be excessive.  The possibility of moving the fly-in to Sunday was considered.  Unfortunately we discovered that it was not possible to arrange for the liability insurance coverage without advance notice.  It was decided to keep the official meeting date and see how the wind developed.  Late Saturday we contacted as many members as possible via email and announced that the “Paxton Flyers” would try again on Sunday as the weather was expected to be very nice.  It could not be an official club event because we would have no insurance.  Pat Gallahue from Chapter 29 informed us that we only need to submit a rain date with each planned meeting date to avoid this problem in the future.

Sunday October 29th was a beautiful day for flying at Paxton.   Skyriders members and other local pilots gathered there in the afternoon as they often do when the weather is nice.  Unfortunately we weren't able to contact all our members on short notice and some of them could not attend to due travel plans.  The lesson learned for those who did not get the word is, “When the weather is nice you should go to the airport!”   Go to Paxton or Kentland or Tuscola or your nearest airport.  We will be flying.

Quite a few people got rides at Paxton on Sunday.  Some were old veterans and some first timers.   Many thanks go to Curt and Curtis Shoaf who were there with their trikes and to Raymund Theron who was flying both his Quicksilver and his trike.  Mark Anliker and I were flying our single seaters and I was trying to take some air-to-air photos.   Dave and Sandy were there with the Kitfox and they had a friend with a RV-4.  Dave managed to fly in formation with the RV airplane for some photos.  The speed that is possible with the RV airplane is amazing.  Also at Paxton the skydivers were diving and there were other visiting aircraft.  It was a great day for flying.

John Moody was injured in an accident flying his Easy Riser ultralight.  Often called the “father of ultralights” John was the first to mount an engine on a hang glider and takeoff from level ground, foot-launched.  That was almost 25 years ago.  Moody has been demonstrating the original style Easy Riser for some years now at airshows. He ends his routine with a deadstick landing on his feet.  According to reports he apparently encountered wind gradient or suddenly stalled the craft on final approach resulting in broken ankle bones.

Dell Cross of Groves Texas was killed in a crash of his vintage twin engine Kolb Flyer in Texas.  His orange and white sunburst painted Kolb was seen often at Oshkosh and Sun-N-Fun.  He won awards for best antique ultralight with the Kolb Flyer that was about 20 years old.  He flew it extremely well even in turbulence and crosswinds.   The plane was flipped over and damaged in a wind storm at Oshkosh several years ago.  It was repaired and returned to service.  Witnesses report a sudden uncontrolled descent to the surface that suggests there may have been some undetected damage that went unrepaired.

Bill Bennett died in the crash of a two-place trike in Arizona.  He could be called the father of hang gliding.  He was an early pioneer, manufacturer and set many records.  It was his exploits going clear back to the boat towing of kites that made hang gliding possible.  The story is that he was transitioning (at his late age) to powered flying in trikes.  There was an engine failure on takeoff, or soon after takeoff, and it did not recover.   No other details available.