Field Condition Report for Piet/Hatz Fly-In

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As of the EAA Chapter 431 work day on Saturday, July 14, the field conditions at Brodhead Airport are extremely dry, as is the rest of south-central Wisconsin. The Green County Sheriff has implemented an outdoor burn ban for all of rural Green County, including Brodhead Airport. This means no fire in the fire pit or any other outdoor flame. We ask smokers to use extreme caution on the airport as the grass is tinder dry in all areas.

The Brodhead Pietenpol Association will have a registration tent set up behind the main pavilion near the brown hangar. Please check in upon arrival. Other activities will be in the same area, including a silent auction.

As always, please read the Pietenpol/Hatz Fly-In information page for all the details.

Star Gazing During Piet/Hatz Fly-In

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Local astronomer, Walter Trentadue will host a tour of the night skies on Thursday and Friday, July 19-20, during the Pietenpol/Hatz Fly-In. Telescopes will be set up just south of the Chapter building at Brodhead Airport after the evening dinner.

From Walter’s website:

Dragons, serpents,  kings, queens, heroes, and warriors- these are but some of the things located in the heavens above, that the ancients viewed and revered every night. Please join us for an informative tour of the skies with Walter Trentadue, a local astronomer, who will point out the brighter stars and constellations, and explain some of their associated mythology. Following a brief tour of our solar system, he will then use telescopes to find various deep sky objects, including star clusters, nebula, and galaxies located millions of light years away.

The program is free and open to all ages. Stop by and check out the night sky after the flying is done for the day.

Weeknight Warriors Invade Brodhead

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Just as the Wednesday evening ground school session was letting out, a group of four Wisconsin Army Guard Blackhawk helicopters treated the airport bums to some low approaches and a definite “Show of Force” at Brodhead Airport.

Wisconsin Army Guard Blackhawk helicopters depart after a show of force at Brodhead Airport, June 20, 2012.
Mike Weeden photo.

Thanks for the show, fellas!  The noise was pretty darn cool. Come back any time.

Pietenpol/Hatz Fly-In 2012 – Volunteer Sign-Up

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Preparations for the 2012 Pietenpol/Hatz Fly-in the weekend of July 19-22 are in full swing and chapter members and others willing to volunteer are needed in the coming weeks. In particular, help is needed on the July 14th work day removing and cleaning up some recently downed trees and with hangar and kitchen preparation. The wood pile by the fire pit needs to be split and stacked as well.

Volunteer “opportunities” during the fly-in itself include meal ticket and t-shirt sales, shifts to collect for and distribute attendance buttons, meal preparation, serving and clean-up starting Friday morning and helpers for fuel sales. There is always trash pick-up too and trash chuckers are always needed on the garbage barge throughout the weekend. Bring your gloves!

Volunteer sign-up sheets will be available in the Chapter Hangar starting at the monthly meeting on Tuesday, July 3rd. Be sure to sign up and to coerce your aviation-minded friends to help as well.

Detailed information for those attending the fly-in can be found HERE or at the link in the left column. We encourage all those attending and especially those flying in or camping to read the entire thing, then ask us if you have additional questions. E-mail the webmaster HERE.

The Brodhead Pietenpol Association forum schedule has been posted to their website. Direct link HERE.

Brodhead Airport, Pietenpols and Hatz Biplanes.
What could be better?

Wegmueller's Fairchild 24R First Flight

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John and Dan Wegmueller from Monroe have finished the restoration of their Fairchild 24R and made the first flight in over 20 years on Sunday, June 3, 2012. Restoration took about a year and it will move to its new home at the Albany Airport soon.

Pictures below show the first flight take-off on runway 27 at Brodhead Airport.

Congratulations John and Dan!

John and Dan Wegmueller's Fairchild 24R on take-off roll of its first flight in over 20 years.

John and Dan Wegmueller's Fairchild 24R takes-off on its first flight in over 20 years.

First test flight.

Chad Willie's Flies His Bleriot

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Chad Willie has been flying his 1909 Bleriot around the field recently. Shown here is a nice video of a couple flights the week of May 14, 2012, taken from an on-board camera. You can see the wing warping in the turns, hear the “burping” of the Gnome rotary engine and see the camera lens get fogged with castor oil from the total loss engine oil system.

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Also below are pictures of the Bleriot, courtesy of Ron Price.

50HP Gnome engine

Bleriot Tail Section

Chris Price propping the Bleriot

Chad Willie in the Bleriot Cockpit

Engine run-up trying out newly built cowling

Chad Willie, builder, engine restorer and all around pilot after successful flights in his replica Bleriot at Brodhead airport, April 13, 2012

Community Pancake Breakfast is May 20

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UPDATE – We had a great turnout for the Pancake Breakfast today, feeding nearly 350 people and hosting 30-40 airplanes. Thanks to all who came out and had a great day at Brodhead Airport. Pictures HERE.

EAA Chapter 431 kicks off the fly-in season every year with our annual Community Pancake Breakfast. This year’s fly-in, drive-in, bike-in, walk-in is on Sunday, May 20th, 2012 and includes all you can eat pancakes, two sausages, scrambled eggs and choice of beverage. Serving times are 7:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon.

Adults, $6.00
Children under 10, $4.00

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 our pavilion as well as heated indoor seating in case of inclement weather (we’re trying to forget the cold, windy and rainy 2011 pancake breakfast!)

If you’re flying in, set a course for Brodhead Airport (C37). There is plenty of parking space so bring a wingman and start out the flying season with great flight to a wonderful grass airport! Drive-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.

Don’t forget the Young Eagles rally on the same day.

Check out some pictures from past pancake breakfasts in our Gallery section. See you on the 20th!

EAA Young Eagles Day

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Young Eagle pre-registration will be available during the Community Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, May 20th, 2012 for Young Eagle candidates.

Our Young Eagle rally will include flights (pre-registered) and activities to learn about aviation, including pre-flight ground schooling.

The Young Eagles Rally will begin at 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 20th, 2012.

More information about the Young Eagles program can be found at www.youngeagles.org

Pilots, sign up now to help with our 1st Young Eagles Rally of the year and become part of the world’s largest log book with over 1.6 million Young Eagles flown.

International Learn to Fly Day

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EAA Chapter 431’s annual International Learn to Fly Day will be held May 19th, 2012 and will begin with a presentation and Q&A session about learning to fly and obtaining your Private or Light Sport pilot certificate. We will also be showing airplanes and explaining the who, what, and why they fly. Learn to Fly Day is open to the public and aspiring pilots of all ages are encouraged to attend.

International Learn to Fly Day is a cooperative effort set in motion by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) of pilots, companies, governments, and organizations in countries around the world to raise interest in flying and encourage current pilots to get others involved in aviation.

International Learn to Fly Day is held the third Saturday of May. Don’t forget to mark your calendars for May 19th, 2012 and May 18th, 2013. Learn more at www.learntofly.org

Small Aircraft Familiarization & Rescue Training

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Members of Brodhead Area EMS and Brodhead Fire Department learn about small airplane fuel systems at the 2011 training session.

Small Aircraft Familiarization & Rescue Training will be held in conjunction with International Learn to Fly Day on Saturday, May 19th, 2012, and International Young Eagles day, Saturday, June 9th, 2012.

This training program is intended for emergency rescue volunteers or personnel of local Fire Protection Districts and Emergency Medical Technicians.

If you are a member of a local fire department or an EMT, consider attending to learn about some of the peculiar and particular aspects of small airplane design and rescue techniques. You’ll also learn about Brodhead Airport operations and what to expect if you are ever called to our facility. Members of the Brodhead, Juda, Orfordville, Durand and other local safety agencies will find useful information at this training session.

Contact EAA Chapter 431 at events431@eaa431.org for more information or to reserve your seat.