Chapter 431 member Roy Spach has completed the mandated 40 hours of flight testing on his Kitfox project. From Roy:
Flew the first time on 6/13 and then every sunny day thereafter. Completed phase I testing on 7/20. Haven’t stopped smiling since. What a blast! Could not have done it without the massive amount of advice, help and encouragement from all the guys in the neighborhood, especially Gene, Si and Matt. Heartfelt thanks to all.
Congratulations, Roy!
The 2014 Pietenpol/Hatz fly-in was another successful one, with nearly 20 Pietenpols from all around the country and even one from Winnipeg, Canada. We counted 11 Hatz Biplanes, which is about double from last year.
Thank to all who attended and made the effort to fly to Brodhead Airport. We enjoyed having you!
Some pictures from the weekend are HERE:
https://www.eaa431.org/gallery/index.php/Pietenpol-Fly-Ins/2014-Pietenpol-Hatz-Fly-In
If you have any pictures or online galleries you would like to share, please send them to webmaster@eaa431.org and we’ll post them here.
For those attending the 2014 Pietenpol/Hatz Fly-In at Brodhead Airport on July 24-27, the information page has been updated and posted to assist in your planning. Go here:
https://www.eaa431.org/2014-pietenpolhatz-fly-in-information/
Information on parking, camping, lodging, food, potties, fly-by patterns and so on are on the page, updated for 2014. Activities specific to the Brodhead Pietenpol Association or the Hatz Club are not posted at this time.
Check back for updates and if you still have questions about anything at the event, please contact us at webmaster@eaa431.org.
Brodhead Airport attracts fans from all over the world, and in recent years, Hans and Sam Gautschi from Switzerland have kept in touch with the Hatz Biplane they are building and even attended the annual Hatz fly-in in July. Yesterday, member Gene Calkins received the following message:
Dear Gene,
Do you remember us? We met us at Brodhead and built a Waco styled Hatz with a Rotec radial engine, which we finished this Spring. Now, we are pleased to tell you and the Brodhead airport community, that Sam made a successful first flight on June 11 at 745 p.m.! Sam did an amazing job with just his about 160 hours flight experience in his pocket! Everything went well and the Hatz flies beautifully! A video on youtube will follow a.s.p. We are very happy with our Hatz and thanks to the late Mehlin Smith, who showed us that a modification to the already well basic design is worth and can be successfully accomplished.
We hope to return to Brodhead for the Hatz meeting next year, but unfortunately cannot take the Hatz with us!
Please find some pictures attached.
Kindest regards
Hans & Sam, Switzerland
You can learn more about the Hatz project on Hans and Sam’s website. Pictures of the first flight are below.
Congratulations Hans and Sam!
UPDATE: Here is a nice video of the first flight:
[youtuber youtube=’https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0_Ki2e78MA’]
Chapter 431 member Dave Waller sent some pictures of his Pietenpol Aircamper project along with some information:
I started making ribs April of 2012. I got a beat up jig from the chapter and rebuilt it. Then I started on empennage and now I have just about all of the wood parts made except for the spars, leading and trailing edges. I am going to have to rework some parts so that statement is not quite accurate but today I hope to have the parts made to bolt the struts to the fuselage for the center wing section.
I am going to use a Corvair motor and some components from William Wynn to make it an airplane motor. I am trying to make every part myself, which drives my friends with more skills and better shops nuts, but it is my goal.
Photo gallery is here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/112075061757106902820/albums/5819790561694608289
Looking pretty good, Dave. Thanks for the update and good luck moving forward. Hope to see it flying soon.
Last Wednesday (June 11), the Brodhead Fire Department came out to Chapter 431’s annual Aircraft Familiarization and Fire/Rescue training class at the airport.
Brodhead Fire Department’s heavy iron
Member Bill Bell gave the presentation and five local pilots opened up their airplanes to show details of the fuel systems, electrical and other components that are important for First Responders to know about.
A big thank you to the Brodhead Fire Department crews for coming out and letting us show you a few things about the aircraft we fly and the activities going on out here. Thanks also to our pilots and presenters, Mike Williams (J-3 Cub), Bob Buzzell (Stinson 108), Ben Johnson (Cessna 172), Bill Liimatainen (Fairchild 24), Jeff Fink (RV-8), Pat Weeden, Mike Weeden and Bill Bell.
http://www.cityofbrodheadwi.us/departments/fire_department/index.php
Local author Frank Baker will be giving a presentation at Brodhead Airport on Saturday, June 14 at 10:00 on his book, “Piper Cub Tales” and his adventures flying a J-3 Cub all around the country.
See Frank’s website HERE.
Join the book’s author as he flies adventure filled cross-country flights in a 1946 Piper Cub. Flying low and slow across seemingly endless prairies, through narrow mountain valleys, and over high mountain passes in the Rocky, Cascade and Appalachian Mountains, totaling some 71,695 miles, he and his passengers experience the extremes of Mother Nature’s personality. As a purist, Frank navigates solely by aeronautical chart, plotter, stopwatch, airspeed and compass. His “seat of the pants” flying in a vintage tail-dragger gives the reader a feeling for what aviation was like in an almost bygone era.
Spread the word and join us on Saturday the 14th for an interesting presentation!
What a great day for a fly-in pancake breakfast! On Sunday, May 18, we fed just over 500 guests and even though we lost count, we estimate around 75 airplanes that flew in from around the region to enjoy the great flying weather and community at Brodhead Airport.
UW MedFlight made a dramatic, yet short appearance. After landing at 9:00 a.m. and setting up for display, a big crowd assembled and marveled at the awesome machine and it’s crew. But at 9:15, duty called and the crew was dispatched for an emergency call somewhere and the flew off with a rush and a lot of noise. Pretty cool.
The Young Eagles rally flew 24 kids and a few parents.
Check out the photo gallery from the day HERE.
https://www.eaa431.org/gallery/index.php/Community-Pancake-Breakfast/Pancake-Breakfast-2014
Chapter 431 would like to extend a big thank you to everybody who came out from Brodhead and the surrounding area, the pilots who flew in, the MedFlight crew, the Young Eagles volunteer pilots and all the volunteers who spent the weekend making this event a big success.
EAA Chapter 431 once again kicks off the fly-in season with our Community Pancake Breakfast. This year’s fly-in, drive-in, bike-in, walk-in is on Sunday, May 18th, 2014 and includes all you can eat pancakes, two sausages, scrambled eggs and choice of beverage. Serving time is 7:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon. Served up on our own airplane mechanic-designed professional pancake griddles by expert pilot/chefs, our pancake breakfast is a great way to spend a Sunday morning. There is outdoor seating under the pavilion as well as heated indoor seating in case of inclement weather.
Adults, $6.00; Children under 10, $4.00
UW MedFlight Helicopter on display! One of the UW MedFlight helicopters is scheduled to land and be open for display at 9:00 a.m., subject to weather and duty restrictions.
A Young Eagles rally will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The Young Eagles program gives ground instruction and an airplane ride to kids aged 8-17. Registration is required. Please contact us at events431@eaa431.org for more details or to register.
If you’re flying in, set a course for Brodhead Airport (C37). Unicom is 122.9. There is plenty of parking so bring a wingman and start out the season with great flight to a wonderful grass airport. Driver-inners can head for Brodhead Airport Road, which is just south of the city limits off Highway 11. If you need a street address for your GPS, use N2439 Brodhead Airport Road. Otherwise, just look for the airplanes.
Download a printable flyer HERE (PDF)
Gene Calkins reports that the runway lights at Brodhead Airport have been updated. Dan Duesterbeck, Bill Nichols, Si Smith and Gene installed the new lights on the south side of runway 9/27 last week to finish up the job started last fall. This will be a big improvement for night fliers. Pilot controlled lighting is on 122.9 MHz.
Thanks to Gene, Si, Dan and Bill!