We received a note with Marv Powell's dues payment from his wife that reads, " Marv suffered a stroke in early November and is now at a rehabilitation facility. I am renewing his membership because it means a lot to him. But he won't be participating in the near future." The board sent a card to Marv.

Considering the weather, we had a pretty good turn out for the Potluck dinner and Movie night Jan 25th. The March 19th meeting is the annual membership drive. Lets see how many guests or potential members we can bring. The scheduled speaker is Bill Bruns who many of you may know as the Air Boss from the SEWAIRFEST.

EAA Chapter 1158 election results

by Don Miller, Secretary

After a recount, the results are as follows:

35 ballots were submitted. Representing approximately 44% of our total membership.Our by-laws specify no quorum minima for elections.

Officers:
President: Jim Dricken (incumbent, term expires 12/2003)
Vice President: Jim Pieper (new electee, term expires 12/2004)
Treasurer: Howard Kaney (new electee, term expires 12/2004)
Secretary: Don Miller (incumbent, term expires 12/2003)

The voting for new officers was unanimous, except two withheld for each open position.

Directors at large:
Glen Brandt (incumbent)
Ron Champeney (incumbent)
Randy Finco (incumbent)
Russ Kaye (new electee)
Dick Kleinman (new electee)
Chris Good (incumbent)
Paul Lupton (incumbent)
Dan Staehler (incumbent)
Jim Retzlaff (new electee)

The recount was not witnessed by anyone other than myself. Our by-laws specify no provisions for recounting director votes, but I feel that protocol and precedence should allow another recount if any candidates should question these results. Barring any disputes, I welcome our new officers and board members. It Is my understaning that this is the first time we have had a full slate of directors. It was a difficult choice amongst the candidates. Next year will be even tougher. So keep a close eye on us and insure we're taking your chapter in a direction you agree with!

Donald K. Miller
Secretary, EAA Chapter 1158

PS: Mark Hanrahan has voluntarily resigned his position as director. I only had a year or so to work with Mark, but [through others] have grown to understand his contribution to this organization. I give him a standing ovation, and ask that you all do the same when you see him!

Don.

A Case of Respect by Bob Falconer

I'd flown to a local Civil Air Patrol meeting - with the intent to get in a little night flying upon my return. Local weather was fair, but some low-hanging clouds from springtime Lake Michigan were lurking off to the east. I was IFR qualified and current, but minimums for circling approaches at my home airport a few miles to the west were higher than the cloud bases to the east, so I was warily watching the weather during the meeting to avoid being trapped away from home base.

This CAP squadron met regularly in the facilities of an Air National Guard unit where numerous UH-1 helicopters were based. About mid-meeting, a crew member from a just-arrived Huey stuck his head into the room and asked if the Cessna 180 parked on the apron belonged to a CAP member. He than advised that the cloud deck was thickening, was slowly moving in and was about a mile east of the airport. Airports farther to the east were reported to be solid IFR.

I excused myself from the gathering and prepared to depart. Another member accompanied me to the plane. As he and I exchanged the usual flying pleasantries, I observed that the reported clouds seemed of no immediate threat so I offered him a quick flight around the pattern. Like most enthusiastic CAP fliers, he agreed, and off we went.

Well, the clouds proved to be indeed closer than they appeared from the ground, so we turned a shorter and lower downwind than usual to stay in the clear. I felt that an immediate return was in order to drop off my passenger and get on my way back west before cloud deck, sunset and maybe fog-producing dew point/temperature spread all ganged up on me at once.

At the same time we were on downwind, a UH-1 Army National Guard helicopter was on a long, slow final approach. We extended our landing pattern to give it a good lead, aware of the fact that a heavy helicopter produces vortex turbulence comparable to an airliner. Fully a mile and a half behind, and eyes wide open, we turned final, noticing the Huey to be well clear of the active runway and air taxiing off at the exit ramp about 1000 feet from the near end of the runway. The wind was 10 knots or so, from about 10 degrees to the right. I presumed any turbulence would dissipate and drift off to the left before my 70 MPH approach ended. I was soon to learn that assumptions have risk.

There was no sign of anything amiss until we were about 100 feet in the air some 300 yards off the approach end as we transitioned to full flaps and 60 MPH for a short field landing. I was ready for some possible residual left roll effect from the upwind vortex, so imagine the surprise when my passenger and I found ourselves, in less than a second, in a 90 degree right bank and what seemed a 60 degree nose-down attitude. There was no time for reference to the attitude indicator. All I remember is a windscreen filled with nothing but grass. Close grass!

Fortunately, this violent movement was accompanied by some upward thrust, because when a mostly instinctive recovery was complete, we had come within a wingspan of the ground (according to a startled witness), and we were fully 200 feet off to the right of the runway, headed back across it at 45 degrees. This turbulence was unlike anything I'd encountered behind larger aircraft, and it did not appear to follow the pattern usually described as twin horizontal tornados, clockwise on the left and vice versa. My passenger spoke not a word until we'd gone around and landed. His eyes told the story.

Apparently a hovering or slow-flying heavy helicopter, even in a crosswind of some velocity, can produce unexpected effects. These effects do not always dissipate, even after a full minute. I offer special thanks for the low-speed control of a Horton STOL-equipped Cessna 180 - and for the instincts that come from a couple of thousand hours of varied flying experiences. It's never too late to relearn that it pays to give bigger machines extra space - even if other factors urge us to press it a bit too close.

The subsequent trip home was uneventful, and a series of very attentive night approaches and landings - just for good measure - were the best ones in a long time. The trusty taildragger didn't even bounce on a tricky landing-lights-out touchdown. It's amazing what a little focus will do when something exciting gets your attention and makes you fly like your instructor taught you to do.

Kettle Moraine EAA Chapter 1158
c/o Dan Staehler
2550 State Road 28
Kewaskum, WI 53040

03/19 Wed. 7 PM  Chapter meeting,speaker Bill Bruns, he is retired Air traffic controller for Milwaukee, he is also an
 aerobatic pilot and will be at herb's air show this summer.  Annual membership drive.

04/12/Sat. - Crawfish flight canceled.

04/16/Wed. 7 PM - Chapter meeting.