Chili Bingo Night Brings a Prop Balancer to Our Tool Crib

Wednesday, July 8, 2026 · By Tracy Halsted

We had a most enjoyable evening with great food and fun. Thanks to every who came.

A lot of effort went into the fixings, not just the chili. So, thanks to everyone who contributed. We all appreciated the details.

Jeanne Hansen won the tasting competition. Well done!

The event was intended to raise some money for a tool, that would not only benefit those that use it, but also become an ongoing means of funding EAA Chapter 430 scholarship awards to deserving young students.

Dynamic propeller balancing is something every airplane needs, but few owners will spend the time, effort and money to get it done. It tends to be a task that, more often than not, eludes attention and action.

The tools are expensive and expertise may be hard to come by. Scheduling time to take an airplane someplace to get the work done, can be a hassle, also expensive, and unfortunately often, not completed as effectively as it could or should be.

A wise old sage (probably Barry) once said, “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” Great advice, if one happens to have the right tool for the job.

Well guess what? EAA Chapter 430 now has the right tool for the job.

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The instrument we selected for our tool crib is the DynaVibe GX3 from RPX Technologies. It is the most capable and easy to use tool available.

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We raised $1,585 at Chili Bingo night. Ernie Hansen has already performed two prop balances (Ken Brown and Ray Ballantyne) at $200 donation each.

We have reimbursed Ernie the $3,793 that the tool cost, plus I’ve submitted a reimbursement request to EAA headquarters for $300 toward Tool Crib purchases. So, our current balance of $1,808 should be paid off pretty quickly, as more requests for prop balancing come in and are completed.

Once we have reached a zero balance (money fronted from Operating Fund), further prop balancing donations will go into our Scholarship fund.

Thanks, Ernie, for all your work on the prop balancer and the tool crib!

From the July 2026 newsletter

Written by Tracy Halsted.

Photos

Jeanne Hansen sporting the EAA Chapter 430 chili cook-off, perpetual trophy uniform

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