2023 Groundhog Chili Ski Fly-In

EAA Chapter 431’s annual Groundhog Chili Ski Fly-In is Saturday, February 4, 2023 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Brodhead Airport. Our regular monthly chapter meeting is also Saturday at 9:00 a.m.

Photo by Elroy Hilbert

As always, fly in, drive in or walk in for a mid-winter break and join us for some winter flying. Chili and all the fixins’ will be available in the Chapter Building for a free-will donation.
There is a good snow base on the runways for ski-equipped aircraft. The fire pit will be roaring to keep everyone warm outside.

Chapter 431 has long hosted an annual skiplane fly-in in the middle of the long, cold Wisconsin winters to get local pilots out of their hibernation and join us for some homemade chili and hangar flying, and for those properly dressed, some chatting and commiseration around the fire pit. The event usually falls around Groundhog Day, so the name has sort of stuck.

EAA Chapter 431 50th Anniversary

Today we celebrate the 50th birthday of EAA “Cheeseland” Chapter 431 at Brodhead Airport. On January 17, 1973, the official charter from EAA headquarters in Milwaukee was issued to the 19 founding members of the chapter.

Richard Weeden was the first president, Bill Knight was vice president, and Vern Knezel was secretary/treasurer. Our chapter now has nearly 100 members and the airport has expanded to 60 hangars and nearly 100 airplanes.

The original EAA charter with the 19 original members listed. Of those, only Richard Weeden, Donald Wichelt, and Robyn Wichelt are still living, although we can’t find information on Ralph Klassy or Robert Paulik. Can any one help?

One of the earliest projects that the chapter members tackled was restoration on Bob Green’s Waco UPF-7.

Today, the airport hosts major fly-in events each year. Photo by John Machamer.

2023 Brodhead Airport 12-Month Calendars

Our 8th year of producing the popular EAA Chapter 431/Brodhead Airport full-color calendar. Its a 12-month wall calendar with a main photo for each month, plus smaller fill-in photos to keep you entertained. The dates for all meetings, work days, and fly-ins are listed as well. ORDER HERE!

Save on shipping and pick one up at the Kelch Aviation Museum, Wednesday – Sunday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., or at any Chapter 431 meeting or event.

All photos in the calendar were taken at or near Brodhead Airport in the past year. Special thanks to everyone who contributed.

If you have questions about ordering or picking up, or if you want to order in bulk, please call 608-897-1175 or e-mail webmaster@eaa431.org.

$18 each plus $4.00 shipping (First Class Mail).

CALENDARS WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE BEFORE DECEMBER 5, 2022

Community Pancake Breakfast is May 15

EAA Chapter 431’s annual Community Pancake Breakfast will be held this year on Sunday, May 16 from 7:00 a.m. to noon at Brodhead Airport.

All you can eat pancakes are $8.00 for adults and $5.00 for kids under 10. The breakfast includes scrambled eggs, two sausages and choice of beverage.

Kids age 8-17 can take a Young Eagles airplane ride and the everybody can watch the airplanes land on our grass runways. Young Eagles should register in advance by e-mailing events431@eaa431.org

2022 Brodhead Airport Calendars Available

Our 7th year of producing the popular EAA Chapter 431/Brodhead Airport full-color calendar. Its a 12-month wall calendar with a main photo for each month, plus smaller fill-in photos to keep you entertained. The dates for all meetings, work days, and fly-ins are listed as well.

Save on shipping and pick one up at the Kelch Aviation Museum, Wednesday – Sunday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., or at any Chapter 431 meeting or event.

All photos in the calendar were taken at or near Brodhead Airport in the past year. Special thanks to everyone who contributed, and to this year’s winners, Skot Weidemann, Doug Tomas, Allan Blunt, and Andrew King.

If you have questions about ordering or picking up, or if you want to order in bulk, please call 608-897-1175 or e-mail webmaster@eaa431.org.$18.00 + $4.00 shipping.

$18 each plus $4.00 shipping (First Class Mail).

CLICK HERE TO ORDER

2021 Pietenpol/Hatz Fly-In Information

JULY 23-25, 2021

The following information is provided by Cheeseland Chapter EAA 431 for attendees of the 2018 Pietenpol/Hatz/Corben Fly-in. Information is subject to change. For information about specific club activities, please refer to the Pietenpol website. Information provided here is subject to updates and changes. Last updated June 20, 2021

FLY-IN INFORMATION
Use only the active E-W runway 9/27. Other runways will be closed to landing and departing aircraft earlier in the week and reopening Sunday afternoon (check NOTAM for exact times). All landing and departing aircraft: 800’ AGL left-hand pattern. Radio equipped aircraft use UNICOM on 122.9 but be aware that many aircraft are NOT radio equipped. Keep your eyes open…see and avoid and be predictable!

Fly-bys should be conducted south of the active runway 9/27 employing the standard racetrack pattern with a minimum safe altitude. Example: When runway 9 is active, fly-by traffic will practice a right-hand pattern. When runway 27 is active, all fly-bys will employ left-hand racetrack pattern. Please No fly-bys or low flying along closed runways 3/21 or 15/33!

When done flying for the day, or in the case of bad weather, please ensure that your aircraft is tied down. Please provide your own tie-downs.

AIRCRAFT FUEL AVAILABILITY
100LL and ethanol-free auto fuel (MOGAS) is available at Brodhead; cash, check or credit card accepted. Times of operation will be posted at the pumps and in the pavilion. Self-serve fuel is available 24/7 at Monroe Municipal Airport, 10 nm west (KEFT).

AIRCRAFT CAMPING
Preferred aircraft camping areas are depicted on the airport diagram. If camping on or near closed runways remember they will reopen Sunday afternoon. Runway closures time for early arrivals; Tuesday evening at 7:00 p.m.

If you are camping with your aircraft along the west woods, please stay in the mowed ares only.

DRIVE-IN CAMPING
There are no camping fees at Brodhead Airport, but donations are always appreciated to help offset the cost of maintenance.

RVs please use the south entrance. Early arrivals should set-up in the south parking lot until the diagonal runways are closed to aircraft operations on Tuesday evening at 7:00 p.m. Signage will be in place to guide you to the south driveway. You may park/camp along the east edge of the field along Airport Road and in the southeast runway turnaround area once it is closed with the yellow X. Additional camping is available for smaller campers (no RVs) on the southwest side by accessing the south driveway and following the road through Hangar Alley. The southwest runway turnaround is also available for camping once closed. Please do not park or stop and leave your vehicle in Hangar Alley as this is a fire lane. Do not drive across runways to access aircraft camping areas along the west side of the field.

All runways will reopen Sunday at noon. Please plan your site accordingly.

For driving directions, plug “N2439 Airport Road” into your GPS or mapping program.

The nearest airport with commercial air carrier service is Dane County Regional Airport/Madison (KMSN) about 50 minutes north.

AIRPORT RULES

  • No campfires outside of the Fire Pit (see diagram above).
  • Pets must be on a leash and must not be left unattended.
  • Pets are not permitted in the food area.
  • Motorized vehicles are not to be operated by minors.
  • No parked vehicles or vehicle traffic to and from the west woods.

FOOD & BEVERAGES

  • Thursday night: Spaghetti dinner hosted by the Texas crew
  • Friday morning: Continental breakfast
  • Friday night: TBD
  • Saturday morning: Pancake breakfast
  • Saturday night: TBD
  • Sunday morning: Continental breakfast

The lunch window on the back side of the chapter building will be open Friday and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. offering sandwiches, hot dogs, sides and beverages. Cash only at the lunch window, please.

Drinks are available near the EAA lunch window in vending machines, including cheap bottled water. In the event of very hot weather, we will make free bottled water available. The well water at Brodhead Airport has tested high for nitrates and is not suitable for infants or pregnant & nursing mothers.

There are fast-food and traditional restaurants in Brodhead (one mile north of the airport) and the Sand Burr Restaurant is about 1.5 miles southeast of the airport on County Hwy T. Rides are available for those on foot. Please ask at the registration table. Menus for local restaurants are posted on the bulletin board.

COURTESY VAN
EAA Chapter 431 has a 7-passenger Honda Odyssey van available on a first-come first-served basis.

AREA LODGING
There is no motel in Brodhead but there are a number of Bed & Breakfasts and other rentals. A complete listing is here:
www.eaa431.org/brodhead-area-lodging

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS & FAQs

There are showers and bathrooms available in the main chapter building both in back and in the main room. First come, first served. Please help to keep them clean.

  • Porta-potties are scattered around the airport.
  • There is free WiFi on the field, provided by Sonic Networks.
  • There are cell phone and laptop charging stations in the pavilion.
  • There are no electric or water connections for RVs.
  • No campfires outside of the Fire Pit.
  • Pets must be on a leash and must not be left unattended.
  • Pets are not permitted in the food area.
  • Motorized vehicles are not to be operated by minors.
  • No parked vehicles or vehicle traffic to and from the west woods.

EMERGENCIES
In the event of an emergency that requires police, fire or ambulance, cell phone users should avoid calling 911 and call Brodhead Police directly at 608-897-2112. Brodhead is at the edge of several 911 jurisdictions and cell phone calls can sometimes be picked up by towers in neighboring counties or even Illinois, resulting in a delayed response.

If you have any questions or suggestions, don’t hesitate to contact us: webmaster@eaa431.org or call 608-897-1175.

ASTRONOMY NIGHT
Local astronomer Walter Trentadue will again be set up for night sky viewing on Friday evening just south of the fire pit, weather permitting.

PIETENPOL FORUM SCHEDULE
A nice lineup of informational forums is scheduled for the Brodhead Pietenpol Reunion, all taking place on Saturday, July 24 in the EAA Chapter 431 clubhouse. Here’s the schedule:

  • TBD

Times subject to change, but we expect this to be the final schedule.

Midwest Grill-N-Camp Schedule

Announcing the EAA Chapter 431 – MIDWEST GRILL-N-CAMP

The Grill Out/Camp Out events are going to be where you bring your own food and we provide the grill and necessary items to prepare that food. There is pop and bottled water on-site available
for purchase.

We invite anyone to come for the Saturday evening gathering or pitch a tent and spend the night. We have restrooms/showers onsite along with hand wash stations, phone charging stations and
we also have a courtesy van available for anyone wanting to run into town for anything they may have forgotten. We also plan to have the camp fire going every night of these events. We plan to
have an informal start time at 5pm (so we’ll plan to start the grill at 5pm unless you want to start it earlier).

Fly-in or drive-in to C37 to enjoy a beautiful airport and meet new friends or catch up with old friends. We’ll be on the back patio of the Chapter 431 building.

Dates: (Grill starts @ 5pm)
June 5th, 2021
June 19th, 2021
July 3rd, 2021
July 17th, 2021
August 7th, 2021
August 21st, 2021
September 4th, 2021
September 18th, 2021

Download the schedule PDF here.