WV FUNFLYERS

August - 2005

September Meeting

The September meeting will be held, Saturday, September 3^rd , lunch at 1:00, with meeting to follow. The club will provide hamburgers and hot dogs, please bring side dish or dessert and soft drinks. Don’t forget the duty roster for the meeting, and if for some reason you can’t attend, be sure to make arrangements for someone to fill in.

Hen House -- Mickey and Gretchen Watson

Tables -- Curtis Pack

Trash -- Chuck Lewis Bathrooms -- Katie and Mathew Pack

Cooking -- Kathy Pack (or Laura Jensen) 

Silent Wings

Longtime WVFF member and area aviation fixture Ray Shamblen recently passed away. Ray was a flight instructor and glider instructor and a frequent visitor to the Leon airport. 

John Bolton’s Gas Tank Follow up

Last month I reported the suspected tampering incident involving John’s Titan gas tank debris. After removing the tank and closely inspecting the debris, it seems it was the result of extreme corrosion of the iron structure of the fuel gauge sending unit. The debris closely resembled what you would see on an iron gas pipe that has been in the ground for years. John has replaced the unit, which was completely eaten away. Sorry if we created an unnecessary panic, thinking we had a malicious incident, but the later information came to light after the newsletter was completed. Thankfully, John found the problem on the ground and not during flight. Still, it is a good reminder for everyone to check their own tanks and filters for “normal” dirt and debris. 

Watch For PPC’s

Remember, when flying the pattern at Leon, the PPC’s are now using the main runway. Of course, it takes them a few minutes to get their chute laid out and get ready for takeoff, so give them plenty off room when you are landing and they are preparing for takeoff. Remember we have over 3000 feet of runway, and most of our light planes need only a small fraction of that distance. You can usually land long, avoiding a prop blast disturbing their chute, or you can simply fly around a while longer. Also, watch for them in the pattern, and remember the speed difference between them and you.

Leon Stuff

It was great to see Dave Groff on a recent weekend at Leon, after a few months of recuperating from his April accident. Welcome back, Dave!

Linzy Hickman has taken his HiMax home for a repair to a cracked fuselage member. He still has his Pterodactyl at the field, so he can still get his flying “fix”.

Rick Johnson returned from Oshkosh as a new Challenger dealer, so see Rick for all your Challenger needs.

I missed the Total Eclipse Fly-In at Carrolton, Ohio, this year (working), but at least a few WVFF members made it. Captain Rogers reported that they once again were plagued by some nasty weather, and attendance was low compared to some of their past events. Remember, we have Vinton County and Hales Landing coming up (see dates below).

Don’t forget to regularly check the WVFF web page, wvfunflyers.com. Gretchen Watson does a great job with regular updates in the “NEWS FLASH” section, and a new feature is the “HANGARS” section, containing photos of all the aircraft based at Leon. 

Upcoming Events

September 11 Vinton County (McArthur, OH) Airshow

September 17 Hale’s Landing Fall Picnic, 1pm (2WV3) party evening of the 16^th 

I know this issue is a little thin, as I have missed one weekend while on vacation and a couple of weekends working, so I don’t know much of what is going on recently. You can help the newsletter effort by reporting anything you can. You can write up your story or give me the details and I will write it (just make sure I make notes, as my memory is pathetic). 

Send articles, events, classifieds, etc……

Ken Skeen, P.O. Box 128, Evans, WV 25241 304-372-5252 kskeen2@citynet.net