EAA Chapter 430 Newsletter, February 2024

CHAPTER 430 FEBRUARY 2024 In This Issue  From the Left Seat (Ray)  A Jacket With a Story (Rick)  January Flyout (Barry)  Gathering Minutes (Richard) Warren and his wife Joy went to the local Air Show every year, and every year Joy would say, “Warren, I’d like to ride in that helicopter.” Warren always replied, “I know Joy, but that helicopter ride is fifty quid, and fifty quid is fifty quid” One year Warren and Joy went to the Show, and Joy said, “Warren, I’m 85 years old. If I don’t ride that helicopter, I might never get another chance” To this, Warren replied, “Joy that helicopter is fifty quid, and fifty quid is fifty quid” The pilot overheard the couple and said, “Folks I’ll make you a deal. I will take the both of you for a ride. If you can stay quiet for the entire ride and not say a word, I will not charge you. But if you say one word, it’s fifty quid” Warren and Joy agreed and up they went. The pilot did all kinds of fancy maneuvers, but not a word was heard. He did his daredevil tricks over, and over again, but still not a word. When they landed, the pilot turned to Warren and said, “By golly, I did everything I could to get you to yell out, but you didn’t. I’m impressed!” Warren replied, “Well, to tell you the truth, I almost said something when Joy fell out, but you know, fifty quid is fifty quid” (source: The Funniest Aviation Jokes and Anecdotes - LetterPile) Upcoming Events February 24 – Northwest Aviation Conference and Trade Show (Puyallup, WA) NO FEBRUARY MONTHLY EAA GATHERING March 30 – Gathering @ 10am Wm. R. Fairchild Airport Terminal, 9:30 a.m. social time SAVE THE DATE for Young Eagles June 1 – Sequim July 13 – Port Angeles September 21 – Sequim (contingent on weather June 1)

FROM THE LEFT SEAT –RAY BALLANTYNE It’s easy to lament the long wintry nights and skies devoid of blue bird days, yet I’m getting excited about the start of our Chapter activities for 2024. It’s primed to be quite a year! Richard Howell has already gathered his seasoned volunteers and mapped out the course for this year ‘s Build and Fly. He’s also receiving assistance from the Olympic Silent Flyers RC group - both financial and volunteer- wise. David Woodcock will again be presenting Flying Start on May 18th at the KCLM conference room at 1:00 p.m. We may have a newly licensed student pilot helping, along with Cecilia Aragon and Richard Howell. Bud Davies has announced the Young Eagles rally schedule starting on June 1st at W28, July 13 at KCLM, August 24th at 0S9. I hope you take this opportunity to see and participate as people learn the magic of flight. Several chapter members will be attending the EAA Leadership Bootcamp at Harvey Field in Everett, WA on March 9th . It’s an immersive familiarization of the breadth of EAA programs. As the name implies, it is designed for chapter leaders, but if you have the least bit of interest, and want to hang out with some really cool people for a day, you should go for it. Time is of the essence. You can register online or you can let me know as soon as possible. The Northwest Conference and Trade Show is happening at the end of February in Puyallup, so we will defer our Gathering in support of it. I know the Port of Port Angeles will have a booth, as will the United Flying Octogenarians (UFO). You can also stop by the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) booth to say hi as I will be there supporting them. Air Affair will be one week earlier this year – August 24th at W28 to avoid conflicting with the Labor Day holiday weekend. That means we will be able to have another chapter gathering at Bud’s hanger on August 31. The other thing that has me so excited about this year is - in addition to the $100,000 from Francis Lyon, we’ve recently received another $30,000 for the building fund from an anonymous donor. The board will continue to discuss how best to use this money, and the building committee has been very active investigating possibilities. Add to all of this, flying around the Pacific Northwest and maybe up to the north country, and you can see why I’m so bullish on 2024! Ray

A JACKET WITH A STORY – RICK STOFFEL Sometimes the greatest treasures are right in front of you. Such was the case for me, back in 1989 as I was meeting my girlfriend Donna for our third date. Although I was more interested in the 5-foot tall green eyed girl I’d eventually marry, I must admit the neat bomber jacket she had on caught my eye as well. As a pilot wannabe, anything aviation related scored points in my book. She was wearing what appeared to be an authentic looking WWII-era bomber jacket. “Nice jacket”, I said. “It looks really authentic!” “What do you mean?”, asked Donna. “Well, it looks like a real WWII bomber jacket,” I said. She then politely told me it was an authentic WWII jacket. “Okay, I gotta see this!”. Nothing like asking your girlfriend to take some of her clothes off on the third date. As it turns out, Donna’s grandfather, Chuck, had read that bomber jackets were in style among the younger crowd, thanks in large part to the movie Top Gun which had come out two years prior. This motivated him to go up in the attic and find his jacket, which had been folded up in a box since the late 1940s. He then gave it to his granddaughter thinking it might be a “cool” thing for her to wear. For a 45 year old leather jacket, it had held up extremely well, thanks to being undisturbed for all those years in the dry Colorado climate. On the left front side was the squadron patch for the 347th Bomb Squadron, 99th Group, 15th Air Force. On the right front side were 51 little bombs, one for each mission he had flown. On the back was a painting of a B-17 named Miss Betty Lou. Awesome! I couldn’t believe I was holding a piece of history like this in my hands. But it gets even better … I reached into the right pocket and discovered a Service Writing Tablet, the official name for a pocket-sized notebook. Within these pages of history were the full crew lineup, and a short narrative for each of the 51 missions he had flown as belly gunner on the B-17. What a find! In the left pocket I pulled out a small assortment of bills from various countries, and it turns out these were kept by each crew member in case they were shot down and needed to bribe their way to safety. At this point in our relationship I had not met any of Donna’s family, but I could not wait to talk to Chuck about his experiences during WWII. I finally got to meet him several weeks later when I was invited to a family dinner. I quickly discovered Chuck was typical of a veteran of his generation. Humble, thankful for what he had in life, and did not feel the need or even desire to talk about his experiences during the war. In fact, the only thing he had ever told Donna about the

war was the fact he used to trade his drink and cigarette rations with his fellow crew members for more eggs! It turns out Charles “Chuck” Hudson was drafted in 1943 and volunteered for the Army Air Corps due to the extra pay he’d receive. Due to his small size (5’2” and skinny as a rail) he was the natural pick of the crew to be the belly gunner, one of the most cramped and hazardous spots on the aircraft. For those of you not too familiar with the belt gunner’s ball turret, it is just under four feet across on the bottom of the aircraft, designed to help protect from fighters attacking from below. Unheated and non-armored, the gunner was forced to sit in a fetal position, and wore an oxygen mask and a heated suit to help protect from the sub zero temperatures found up at altitude. Due to the lack of room, most turret gunners left their parachutes in the main cabin and hoped for the best. Two joysticks pivoted the turret - one for left and right and the other for up and down. Two foot pedals were used as well - one to control the gunsight and one to control the intercom. And the punch came from two loud and powerful light-barrel Browning AN/M2 .50 caliber machine guns. After some quick training in Hunter Field, Georgia, now Sgt. Hudson was sent to Foggia, Italy to join the 347th in the early part of 1944. As luck would have it, the crew drew straws to determine who would name the B-17 assigned to them, and Chuck won the drawing. He named the aircraft “Miss Betty Lou” in honor of his sweetheart waiting for him back home. More on Betty Lou later. Over the next four months, Chuck flew 51 missions, mostly out of Foggia, Italy. He was also one of the first crews to fly out of Potlava, Ukraine (Russia) as part of the shuttle bombing crews as they were known. He flew as belly gunner on every mission, and also took over as waist gunner on his last mission when one of the waist gunners was tending to the tail gunner who was wounded in action. His crew bombed Nazi targets throughout the European theater, including Monte Cassino, Regensburg, Rome, Budapest, Belgrade, Ploesti, and several others. Here are a few snapshots from the diary: Mission # 3 and 4 2/25/44 Took off at 8 am for Regensburg, Germany. Weather here very bad and raining. As we flew over Alps about 200 German fighters picked us up. Had a running battle for 1 hour and 40 minutes. Our plane alone used about 7,000 rounds of ammo. Saw eight Forts on fire and blow up in millions of pieces. About ten chutes in air at once. Also saw five fighters go down in flames and burn on sides of mountains. When we went over target our nose, top and tail guns were out. One 20 MM hit our nose and bombardier got Purple Heart.

Mission# 10 3/17/44 Took off at 9:29 for Fischamend Market, Austria to bomb ME 110 aircraft factory. Used new 18 plane formation. Weather here good but haze over target. P-47 escort and got attacked by MEs. I shot one down 7o’clock low. Some planes dropped bombs because were low on gas. No flak. Brought bombs home. Waist gunner shot up stabilizer. Landed at 3:30pm. Mission# 39 5/18/44 Took off at 7:40 for Ploesti, Rumania. P-51 escort never came. Few fighters. Weather awful and turned back. Planes everywhere. Over Yugoslavia they threw a heavy accurate barrage of flak and planes were everywhere. Four direct bursts of flak hit “Daisy Mae” and tore the whole nose off up to the bomb bay, and it blew in millions of pieces. Two chutes open and one all ripped up and blew open after explosion. Tail section hit mountain. Landed at 12:30. All in all, Chuck flew 51 missions and received at least six Air Medals. Now back to Betty Lou. As his service came to an end in Europe, Chuck faithfully shipped his parachute back to her so she could make a wedding dress, which was a common practice at the time due to the shortage of fabric back home. Unfortunately, Betty Lou had eyes for someone else by then, and she used the silk to make a dress to marry her new love. But all was not lost. As luck would have it, a mistake was made as to where he was ordered to out- process after the war. Although he told his XO he wanted to out-process from Bolling Field (near his hometown in Maryland), his XO thought he said “Boeing Field”. By the time the mistake had been discovered the orders had already been cut, so Chuck was instructed to take the long train ride to Boeing Field, out-process, then take the train back to Maryland. As he made his way to Seattle, his train stopped near Denver for a several hour break, and a local gentleman asked a few of the servicemen if they’d like to come over and have dinner. Never one to pass up a good (or free!) meal, Chuck was one of the lucky three men who accepted the invite. During dinner, he just happened to meet a young lady named Isabelle, one of the daughters of the gentleman who had invited him over for dinner. I’m happy to report it was love at first sight and they married soon thereafter and remained happily married until Chuck’s passing in 1999. JANUARY FLYOUT – BARRY HALSTED January’s flyout turned into a drive-out due to inclement weather concerns. (I always wanted to use that phrase, inclement weather…)! So instead of flying, a whole bunch of us drove to the Big Elk restaurant in Sequim. On the way weather in the area was naturally VFR, but by the time lunch was over clouds were low and it was drizzling. The change to a drive out was vindicated.

While Sequim’s well known “Blue Hole” generally allows for monthly flyouts, we’ve had one drive-out for each of the last three years. All were held in January. I think that one of the positive things about the drive-outs is that we’ve been able to sit at one big table. Attending this one were Ernie and Jeannie Hansen, Keith and Adine Kretschmer, Dave and Joan Miller, Kevin and Charlie Tracy, Ken Brown, Colette Miller, Charlie King, Sid Vandiver, Rick Vaux, Jim Betcher, John Meyers, Harry Cook, Gerry Mahoney, Richard Howell, and me, Barry Halsted. Who did I miss? I swear I counted 20. February usually brings good, if cool, weather. It also brings the Northwest Aviation Conference in Puyallup, resulting in no EAA Chapter 430 meeting that month. So keep thinking positively and we’ll plan on a fun FLYOUT next month! Barry EAA CHAPTER 430 MEMBERSHIP GATHERING MINUTES – RICHARD HOWELL Date: Jan 27, 2024 ● Meeting breakfast social and sign-in 0930. ● Chapter President Ray Ballantyne called the Membership Gathering to order at 1009 at Wm. R. Fairchild Airport, terminal conference room. Ray led a round of cheers and thanks to Kevin and Charlene Tracy for putting up such a fine Breakfast Feast for us this morning! Thanks to Bud Davies and everyone else who chipped in to make it happen. ● Ray led The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag with 41 members and 1 guest attending. ● Guest(s): Mark Zeitlin via Zoom - our presenter today. ● November Gathering Minutes were approved as written. There were no minutes from December as the Holiday Party socal substituted for our regular gathering. ● Correspondence: o Ray was able to convey our interest in learning about Frances Lyon, who recently left the chapter a generous bequest of $100,000, related to our Young Eagles efforts. He read a letter we received from the executor of Mrs. Lyon’s estate that shared some welcome details about her life. Member Dave Boerigter suggested that we send a card to the Lyon family, signed by chapter members. ● Old Business o Ray reported that many on the board of directors were feeling that more money is needed in the building fund before pursuing building/hangar options. There are some developments pending at Sequim Valley Airport (W28). Stay tuned for more, as negotiations and explorations unfold.

o Ray reported the treasury has total funds of $112,000, including $8,300 for scholarship, $100,700 in the building fund and $3,000 in the operating fund. o Membership - reminder that annual dues are payable. VP Rick Vaux is on duty at the door today, to accept payments by cash or check. o Fly Out Director Barry Halsted reported that weather has been an issue, so January ended up as a well attended Drive-out with 19 people, representing what would have been about 9 aircraft. No flyout destination for February has been decided upon. o Our ground school discussion group has been meeting regularly and having fun mastering weather report decoding and other particulars of aeronautical knowledge. Our Ray Scholarship candidate Gunner Rogers has been flying and is reportedly near solo. ● New Business: o Ray reminded us that EAA national is sponsoring a Leadership Boot Camp at Harvey Field, on Saturday March 9, 2024. He says it’s fun and worthwhile and encourages any and all who might be interested to take advantage of the opportunity, especially with such easy local access. o There were several quick mentions of some “Extra Stuff” that folks have and would like to offer to chapter members. Ray Ballantyne freed an Apollo GX-60 GPS/COM unit from his panel. Jay Pearlman has a sand-blast cabinet and related equipment looking for a new home – and it looks like Todd Taylor has already stepped in to snap it up, with cash proceeds going to the chapter. o Sequim Valley Airport - Air Affaire - will be on August 24, a week earlier than it has traditionally been. That leaves the following weekend open for a regular EAA 430 Chapter Gathering, also in August. o The chapter is planning three Young Eagles rallies this year, starting with Sequim Valley (W28) in June, Port Angeles (CLM) in July and Port Townsend (0S9) in August. ● Project Reports. o Harry Cook - Sonex Waiex B, making good progress on the fuselage. o Kevin Widdowson - Bristell Classic, Kevin worked over the summer at the Bristell factory in Czech Republic to do the primary building of the wings and fuselage of his project, all bits of which have now been conveyed to his workshop at his home in Yorkshire, England (UK). o Kevin Tracy - Aircoup, with the help of Harry Cook has been able to complete the annual inspection of the venerable machine and will be looking to take to the air very soon. o James Russell has been busy on several projects - a Cozy Mk IV has managed to find its way into his workshop. He’s been helping Erik Petersen plan some upgrades for his Cozy Mk IV. And, James has been organizing the logs and assisting with the annual inspection and TLC of the C172 that Erik is a partner in. o Ray Ballantyne - organized a brand new Garmin GNC 355 WAAS GPS/COM unit into the panel of his nifty GlaStar. ● No Chapter Gathering for February, the weekend yielding its time to the NW Aviation Conference & Trade Show, in Puyallup. ● The business portion of the gathering was adjourned at 1050. ● Erik Petersen introduced Mark Zeitlin to give us Soup to Nuts on the Cozy Mk IV and other plans- built Dick Rutan-designed aircraft. Respectfully submitted, Richard Howell, EAA 430 Secretary Next Gathering Sat Mar 30th 2024 @ 10am Wm. R. Fairchild Airport Terminal Next VMC/IMC Club Feb 14th 2023 @ 7 pm Mariner’s Cafe Next BOD Fri Feb 16th 2023 @ 9 am Mariner’s Café

BOARD AND DIRECTORS 2023 Chapter Phone Toll free 877-EAA-0430 (877-322-0430) Position Name Phone Ext Email Address President Ray Ballantyne 1 president@eaa430.org Vice-President Rick Vaux 2 vicepresident@eaa430.org Secretary Richard Howell 3 secretary@eaa430.org Treasurer Tracy Halsted 4 treasurer@eaa430.org Class II Directors Programs No Candidate 5 programs@eaa430.org Membership Erik Petersen 6 membership@eaa430.org Newsletter Elisa Petersen 7 newsletter@eaa430.org Scholarship David Miller 8 s cholarship@eaa430.org Young Eagles Bud Davies 9 youngeagles@eaa430.org VMC/IMC Harry Cook vmc@eaa430.org Tool Crib Rick Stoffel toolcrib@eaa430.org Web Editor Andy Sallee webeditor@eaa430.org Build-n-Fly Need Project leader build-n-fly@eaa430.org Communications Scott Fitzgerald communications@eaa430.org Fly-Out Barry Halsted Tech Advisor Harry Cook techhc@eaa430.org Tech Advisor Barry Halstead techbh@eaa430.org Tech Advisor Ernie Hansen techeh@eaa430.org Tech Advisor Rick Vaux techrv@eaa430.org