EAA Chapter 430 Newsletter, May 2026

From the Left Seat with President Ray Ballantyne Hello chapter members! There’s been quite a bit of chapter activity recently, but I must start with the sad news that Keith Kretschmer went west on April 30th. Keith had an amazing life, and I hope you got to know him. He learned to fly and got his Pilot license in 1952 – 74 years ago. He then served in Korea as an Army Airborne Ranger where he met Adine and they were married for 66 years. He then had a remarkably successful career as a financial executive. His first airplane was a 1946 Cub, then a VariEze, to a Rolls Royce Silver Eagle. I’ll miss his daily 4:00 p.m. aerobatic routine that he did in his RV-8. Everyone had a great fly-out to Packwood which you will read about later, except for Dave Gardner. Dave departed Diamond Point on Tuesday May 12th, enroute to Packwood, when he experienced an engine failure just south of Discovery Bay. Not only did a connecting rod come through the case, but that put oil all over the windshield. Then there was thick black smoke in the cabin. Then things got really bad with visible flames. Dave kept his cool, identified a field to land in, and made it happen. He opened his door and stepped out unharmed. Awesome job! Our Flying Start event will be over by the time you read this, but I want to thank everyone who helped to make it happen. I wonder who will get bit by the flying bug? I know Bud Davies has put out a call for Young Eagle pilots. The National goal is to reach 2.5 million youth flown. One incentive they’re offering is a $25 credit to the chapter for any first time YE pilots. One of our YE youth fell in love with flying and received a Ray Scholarship. She is days away from getting a Private Pilot License! I hope you will consider flying in our June 6 rally. I’m looking forward to our presentation this month “The Kodiak and the RAF”, by Rob Wells, former CEO of Quest Kodiak Aviation. I hope you can join us Chapter Membership Gathering Saturday, May 30 at 0930 Sequim Valley Airport, Hangar 15 (lunch) https://eaa430.org EAA Chapter 430 Serving Northern Olympic Peninsula May 2026 — Newsletter

May 2026 EAA Chapter 430 - Newsletter Clallam County Disaster Airlift Response Team (CCDART) Update Our CCDART team recently completed an extremely successful Damage Assessment Training Mission over Clallam County on April 26, 2026. The operations are approved by Washington State and Clallam County Emergency Management departments. We were flying pre-programed routes, prepared using ForeFlight flight planning software, with critical waypoints designated by Clallam County Emergency Management (CCEM). From each aircraft, waypoints were photographed by an onboard observer with a cell phone and those photos instantly downloaded to our Operations Center for evaluation and potential use by CCEM. CCDART is recognized as the gold standard for other DART organizations in Washington State. On June 13, 2026 we will be participating in a mission termed “Thunder Run”, working closely with Emergency Volunteer Air Corps (EVAC) and DART crews flying out of Skagit Regional and Walla Walla airports. In preparation for a possible Cascadia earthquake event, non-perishable foods - simulating medical and other critical supplies - are flown to key airports in western Washington and then distributed to local food banks. Our mission here in Clallam County is to receive these supplies and then distribute them to Sequim, Clallam Bay, and Forks food banks at a September mission working with Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) units. Pilots volunteer their time and personal aircraft to fly all DART missions for training or under actual emergency conditions. Costco and Grocery Outlet have generously donated much of the non- perishable food supplies to our CCDART training effort. This greatly assists us in our mission. All items are weighed and then gathered for assignment to an aircraft and pilot, flying to a specific airport out of Wm. R. Fairchild International Airport (KCLM), in Port Angeles. At each destination, aircraft are offloaded by CERT volunteers and the supplies picked up by food banks. This is our way of helping to prepare for a major emergency in Clallam County. David Woodcock CCDART Vice Chair Tech Counselor Party Rick Stoffel’s RV-10 Build At the invitation of Rick Stoffel, the EAA430 Tech Counselors gathered at Rick’s hangar on May 6th to inspect and critique Rick’s RV-10 build project. Unfortunately, Rick Vaux was unable to attend. The wings have been completed, and work is progressing on the fuselage interior with window and door fitting taking place. Ernie Hansen and Harry Cook with Barry Halsted, reportedly lurking somewhere deep within the empennage

May 2026 EAA Chapter 430 - Newsletter The counselors found the workmanship was excellent, and no discrepancies were uncovered. Discussion was had about the next steps in the process. They found Rick’s wife Donna is a very good Rosie the Riveter as Rick was doing the bucking! Following the inspection, the thirsty crew enjoyed some excellent adult beverages provided by Rick. The counselors continue to wait to be invited to another party! Ray Keith Kretschmer Keith went west on April 30, 2026. The following bio appeared in 2022 for the EAA Chapter 430 newsletter. Keith has been a pilot since 1952, when he was a senior in high school. He grew up in Omaha Nebraska and graduated from Wentworth Military Academy and the University of Nebraska, where he flew a Piper Super Cruiser. In his first cross country, he was following a river until he lost sight of the river and ended up landing in a pasture, asking someone where he was. On another occasion, he took off during an Iowa winter, flying a Mooney, but neglected to sump the bottom tank before taking off. When the engine quit, he ended up landing in a field of snow and couldn’t get the plane out until the snow melted. The cause of the engine quitting was water from the lower fuel tank. He was in ROTC in high school and college and also attended jump school. In 1957 through 1958, he was an Army Airborne Ranger in Korea. After active duty, he joined the reserves and 25 years later was a Major. The best thing that happened while in Korea was the day he met his future wife, Adine, a recreational director in the Red Cross. They met at a ribbon cutting ceremony for the first flush toilet in the area. They have been married 62 years. Keith has a long history owning and flying a variety of airplanes, starting with his ‘46 hand-propped Piper Cub. In 1967, when the RMS Queen Mary sailed her final voyage to Long Beach, California, Keith and Adine were there in their Piper Cub to greet it, along with hundreds of other planes flying overhead, watching the historic ship arrive. Without an electrical system in the plane (radios), Keith had an interesting time avoiding all the air traffic. His next planes were a C182 retractable and a C206 (“Flying Dune Buggy”). He traded his 182 for a P210, which he converted to a Riley Rocket and displayed for 3 Refreshments

May 2026 EAA Chapter 430 - Newsletter years at Oshkosh. While the plane was being converted, he flew a VariEze, which his son also enjoyed flying. He next converted his Riley Rocket to a Rolls Royce Silver Eagle, which he also displayed for 3 years at Oshkosh. While this plane was being converted, he flew an Osprey. Keith attended the UCLA Graduate School of Management. He has had a 30-year international career in financial services. He was a General Partner of Bear Stearns in Los Angeles and the Senior Managing Director in Boston. He served as the managing director of Oppenheimer & Co from 1993-94 and Oppenheimer Capital, with offices in New York and Sydney Australia between 1994–2001. Prior to his investment career, he was CEO of a computer company and helped start a life insurance company. One of his business observations is “Be decisive, right or wrong. The road of life is paved with flat squirrels who could not make a decision.” He served on the White House Advance Staff during the Ford and Nixon administrations as a volunteer. He would be notified when the president had a trip either in the states or in another part of the world. It was his job to go to that place and plan the itinerary for the visit. He had a staff which included the Secret Service. When the president arrived, Keith would accompany him for the entire trip, advising him of the schedule. He has served as an officer and director with a number of charities. He served as senior partner of a California farming partnership. He was on the Presidents Council of ACCION International, whose affiliates lent money to micro entrepreneurs throughout the Americas as a solution to poverty and underemployment. He has flown over 100 Young Eagles during the time he has been a member of EAA 430. He has the following ratings: Single engine & glider; instrument single & multi-engine; commercial; seaplane. If there were a rating for landing a plane in a Florida canal, he would also have that rating. He and Adine traveled and lived all over the world. Before moving to Sequim, he lived in the following cities: Omaha, Kansas City, Boston, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. During his career, he commuted to Australia and many European countries. They have 2 sons, a daughter and 8 grandkids. In 1983, they decided to give their family Christmas presents that didn’t have to be wrapped. They now take the entire family on an annual trip to places all over the world. As a family, they have gone on many adventures: an Amazon River cruise in Peru, Australia, Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine, Machu Picchu in Peru, Belize, Bali, a week in the Guthrie Castle in Scotland, Disneyland, several trips to Mexico and to many US states and European countries. They discontinued the trips in 2019 when Covid was an issue; however, in 2020, they celebrated their 60th anniversary in a Zoom meeting with the family. At age 87 Keith, a UFO, flies his RV8 every day, practicing an aerobatic routine. If you see a red & white RV8 doing loops, rolls, spins, or hammerheads over the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Sequim, that is probably Keith. When I asked him what is something his friends don’t know about him, he said, “I cut my own hair.“

May 2026 EAA Chapter 430 - Newsletter May Fly-Out to Packwood (55S) Although this fly-out was originally scheduled for Thursday, the weather forecast changed and the fly-out was moved up to Tuesday, May 13. Good choice, because Tuesday’s weather was excellent. Thursday’s was rainy. The flight from Sequim to Packwood is about 130 miles when flying direct, or 150 miles when choosing a lower route. Ken Brown and I chose the lower route which has a larger variety of landscape to view along the way. Richard Howell also chose the lower route as we found out about half an hour from our destination. We identified Richard’s airplane on our ADS-B display as we slowly crept up on him. Keeping a separation of about 3 miles I felt like we could pass him and beat him to the airport. As we passed, I called and asked if he was on the frequency, and he was. We’d been watching each other and he had us visibly in sight. I made several slight changes in direction, hoping to slink further ahead of him, but every time I did this, so did he. As we got close to the airport, it was obvious there was little traffic. One airplane had landed about five minutes earlier so we knew what runway was in use. With no other traffic reporting, I decided we could make a straight-in approach, and I broadcast my intention. Then Ken and I began seriously looking for the field… GPS didn’t help… Finally, we realized we had somehow passed over it by about a mile, so I made a 180, advising we were no longer making a straight-in approach and would return to a point where we would use a standard pattern. Meanwhile, Richard had arrived over the airport and he called in making a downwind for RWY 01. So much for beating him in! We arrived right at noon (or at least Richard did), and others were there and waiting. They included Ray Ballantyne and Ernie Hansen (having flown in Ray’s Sportsman). Tim Alentiev (from the Crest airport in his RV-10), and Doug Medema (in his RV6A). Richard came solo in his Sling 2 and Ken and I arrived in my C172, followed by Rob Stephens making a nice landing in his VL3. On our way, I was monitoring 121.5 MHz, on the radio, and we listened to an emergency that was unfolding south of Port Townsend. The pilot announced an engine failure and his intention to land in a field below. The event had Ken and I Rob Stephens’ VL3 and some random dudes, standing around on the ramp, talking about airplanes

May 2026 EAA Chapter 430 - Newsletter listening intensely. A second airplane began relaying information to Whidbey Approach, and this pilot was doing his best to locate the airplane in distress. With Whidbey’s help he did locate the airplane on a farmer’s field, noting that one car had arrived, and a second did shortly thereafter. No mention was made concerning occupants. When we landed at Packwood, the others attending our fly-out had also heard about this and we learned that the pilot was our own 430 member Dave Gardner in his Stinson. Dave had been enroute to Packwood as part of our fly- out group. More will be told about this, but if you haven’t already heard I’ll tell you that Dave did an incredible job of handling the situation, and he was not injured during the subsequent landing. Lunchtime at Packwood for us was a Mexican fiesta at Nacho’s Restaurant. The food was both good and plentiful. While we were there we received a text from Dave saying he was awaiting a ride home, and we were all relieved. Aidan Lara and his grandfather Jim arrived late in Emily Westcott’s C172, having left after work. In all, ten of us attended this fly- out. Some had taken the high road, some the low road, and going back most took their same route home. On either route, the views of Mt Rainier and Mt Adams were magnificent. The low altitude route provided a scenic ride along Riffle Lake. For the ride home our spirits were high - knowing that Dave was OK. Barry Halsted Sling 2 with Mt. Rainer peeking through Happy fly-out attendees

May 2026 EAA Chapter 430 - Newsletter Talking About Random Dudes… While the Packwood fly-out aircrews were busily de-briefing their flights with one another, a pilot landed and taxied up in what turned out to be a second Sling 2 aircraft. Sling 2s are still pretty rare in most parts of the U.S, so it’s rather unusual to have such a pair together. And as luck would have it, these two particular examples constitute the absolute most northwesterly-based Sling 2s in the continental United States. Rodrigo Torres and Richard Howell have corresponded several times about their Sling 2s, but not actually met until now. What a nice coincidence. Pretty cool. Rodrigo Torres - Sling 2 at Packwood (55S) Check out Rob Stephens’ YouTube Channel - VL3 Adventures Mountain Flying, Port Angeles to Packwood for EAA 430 Fly Out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g_BESWi25c

May 2026 EAA Chapter 430 - Newsletter Around the Patch Coming up in June… Presentation - Cecilia Aragon Dancing with Gravity: Essential Spin Training Skills The presentation will explore the critical elements of aircraft spin training, combining aerodynamic theory with practical recovery techniques. Special emphasis will be placed on recognition and prevention strategies, to help pilots develop both the knowledge and confidence to handle these challenging flight regimes safely. Cecilia Aragon combines her passions for flying and teaching as a CFI specializing in aerobatic training, an FAASTeam Representative, and a Designated Pilot Examiner for the Seattle Flight Standards District Office (FSDO). Saturday, June 27, 2026 - 0930 Sequim Valley Airport Hangar 15 (lunch) EAA Chapter 430 - Young Eagles Rally FREE airplane rides for kids - ages 8 to 17 Includes log book, to record the flight experience, Free EAA Student Membership, Free Sporty’s Learn to Fly Course (completion earns - a FREE Flight Lesson) Saturday, June 6, 2026 - 11:00am - 3:00pm Wm. R. Fairchild International Airport Terminal Conference Room EAA Chapter 430 - Website https://eaa430.org KODIAK + RAF

May 2026 EAA Chapter 430 - Newsletter Parting Shots DART volunteers carefully follow approved procedures Supplies being managed and then loaded by the pilot during a DART training exercise Water bottles being loaded during an actual emergency DART mission in 2022 after Clallam Bay became isolated and their water mains had been taken out by a mud slide https://clallamdart.com

May 2026 EAA Chapter 430 - Newsletter EAA 430 - VMC/IMC Club May 13 Dave Gardner - How I did it ( emergency off airport landing ) Keith’s RV-8 - Honorary 4pm roll out (May 1, 2026) EAA 430 - Flying Start Seminar May 16 ( all about becoming a pilot )