Beech Aero Club

Well, you know the rest. Here are a few interesting tidbits from you, our members. 63% of you have your instrument ticket, congrats! About 25% of you have been members since our first few months of operation in 2004. Almost 7% of our members report not owning an airplane. 81% of you prefer to keep a menu on the homepage over displaying the latest discussion forum topics. We have several members that have reported logging more than 10,000 hours which skews these results a little bit, but our average member has logged 1,758 hours. The median number of hours is 550. (Half have more, half have less.)

After my SPOT review was posted (3 days later to be exact), I received an email and phone call from their VP of Development. They are concerned with the performance I received and are trying to get to the bottom of it.

SPOT is a new product that is being marketed to the aviation community www.findmespot.com Some people have even suggested it as possible alternative to a 406 MHz ELT upgrade. I have tested it for over a month and it is NOT a replacement for an ELT.

The April edition of our monthly e-newsletter BACFire! was just sent. Hopefully it was somewhat informative and interesting. The last couple of months there has been some good feedback so keep it coming but besides asking for feedback.....

Ashley Palmer has resigned her position of Technical Director. Due to the demands of a new job and relocation she is unable to continue in that role. The Board is seeking interested members to step forward.

On April 18th and 19th the baby Beech line of planes will be formally welcomed into the Beechcraft Heritage Museum. By now, BAC members should have heard about the event and received an invitation.

The Musketeer is being donated by Robert Clark (BAC member)......

The latest issue of BACTalk (Winter/Spring 2008) is now available for download. This special edition includes member reviews of five EFB software solutions for home and in-cockpit use. Also, read about the Beech Heritage Museum taking in its first mouse! Regional Roundups, BACFest 2008 location preview, and more. Download your copy today!

This 37 page MUST-READ document is for all of our club members who desire to know the story behind the concept and development of our "Baby Beech" line of airplanes. The documentation was provided by Mike Rellihan.
Link: The Beechcraft Musketeers III

Here is an accompanying sales brochure with photos, previously posted in Technical/Downloads:
The 1970 Beechcraft Musketeers

Newly added on January 8th. Here is an accompanying 1964 Musketeer II sales brochure with photos, previously posted in Technical/Downloads:
The 1964 Musketeer II A23

And added on January 10, the 1972 A24R, when Beech officially changed the name to 'Sierra'. This is also posted in Downloads.
1972 A24R Sierra

Paul Werbin has furnished to us a copy of an article from the October 2007 issue of Professional Pilot which discusses the modification by Beechcraft in 1980 of a Sundowner to operate on liquid methane.

At BAC Fest 2007, Robin Thomas displayed his Sundowner with the latest iteration of the articulating wheel pants for our fixed-gear planes. Following some minor tweaking, they will be deciding whether or not to certify and market them.

There will be an informal luncheon for Beech Aero Club members Friday at AOPA Expo in Hartford.

The 2007 Annual Meeting of the Beech Aero Club will be held on Friday, October 19, 2007 at 12:00 pm EDT at The Caravelle Resort, Myrtle Beach, SC. The meeting will be held during the Members’ Luncheon at the BAC Fest 2007 Fly-In. All members of the Beech Aero Club are invited to attend and participate.

The Summer issue of BAC Talk is available now in the File Downloads section under BAC Talk - Newsletter

Two of our members obtained a very nice Duchess Sales Brochure off of eBay. Philippe Davy sent twenty .jpg files to Bill Manhein, who pulled his magic and recreated the brochure and uploaded it to BAC Downloads.

I received an invitation for all BAC members to join the Beechcraft Heritage Museum from Harold Bost, president of the Bonanza/Baron Division of the Museum.

If all goes as planned, two BAC Sundowners will fly to Polar Bear Provincial Park in Ontario this August. Brian Foote and Bob Schmidt (me) from the BAC to Alaska group, Brian's son and one of my Sundowner partners are planning to leave August 3rd and arrive in Peawanuck, Ontario, just outside Polar Bear Provincial Park on August 4th. We have a fly-out fishing/polar bear watching trip scheduled August 5th through the 7th. Depending on the fuel situation, we will try to push on to Churchill, Manitoba, the 'Polar Bear Capitol of the World' before returning home.

Three people have asked me the same thing, nice articles but how do the two airplanes feel? This is a follow-up to the differences in the 200Hp Mouse and Sierra article of yesterday.

I owned a 200hp Musketeer (A23-24) for 5 years and I now have about 20 hours in my 1975 Sierra (B24R). Many people have asked me, what is the difference? Well, I think I can comment on those differences now.

As a group we’ve been pretty quiet about the debate in Washington concerning user fees. Like most people sometimes I’m too busy, confused or just don’t know what to do to help so I end up doing nothing and hoping for the outcome I favor. Well I believe we all favor the defeat of these ridiculous proposals before Congress but we must take action! And here’s how….

Hey Northeasters...we're going to be flying the BAC flag in Orange County, NY on June 9. C'MON DOWN!

I thought I'd give a little history of BAC's membership growth. BAC is less than three years old having been formally incorporated on July 4, 2004. The website went public on 7/30/04.

In the latest edition of BAC Talk, I wrote Part 1 of How to Import a Plane into Canada. This has been well received thus far, but I made a few errors that I want to correct here, and I will make sure to mention them again in Part 2.

A lot of you have noticed and some have commented in the chat box about the recent growth of the BAC membership. There’s a good reason for that! The membership drive started on April 20th with a letter from our president, Cloyd Van Hook. The letter was sent......

Get it while it's hot, BAC Talk Spring 2007 is now available for download! What's inside? Read it to find out!

Wicks Aircraft in Highland, Illinois is hosting an electrical seminar by Bob Nuckolls on March 10th and 11th. The cost is very low, and the educational value for both owners and A&Ps will be tremendous.

I have added the text of a BAC Private Message sent (by PFS) to four owners within reasonable range of Daytona Beach. I'm a bit embarassed that no one in BAC has been able to help out PFS yet, when they are trying to do this for us. I am willing to help personally with any fuel expense, if that's a barrier.

We need some fast help, please, from a fellow BAC member. We need a Sport that has the flat-front cowling, meaning 1969 or earlier.

The Board has appointed Braden Messenger to fill the vacant position on the Board of International Regional Director. We look forward to working with Braden and having him represent all members of the International Region.

Here are the election results for the 2006 Election. A big thanks to everyone who agreed to run!

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO VOTE! The polls close this evening so take a minute or two and VOTE right now! To be a strong organization we need strong member participation! Less than 30% of our members have voted, so if you haven't voted, please vote now!

The polls are now open! To vote, proceed to the ballot page and cast your vote. The polls will remain open through December 15.

The latest BAC Talk issue is hot off the press. CLICK HERE to download or read it online... or roll over the BAC Info link above, then click on BAC Talk Newsletter. This issue is packed with BAC Fest 2006 photos, info on winter operations and all the regional reports since the last issue. Don't miss it! Enjoy.

The membership drive committee has been formed and we plan to get down to the nitty-gritty straight away. The committee consists of Doug Muse, Steve Cote and me, Chris Linderman (chairman). The task is challenging and we can use all the good ideas we can get. Please contact me if you have ideas to share.....

Chris Linderman has been named to head the Membership Committe for BAC. Chris will be looking for ideas and people to help out. In a little over two years BAC has grown from infancy to a club with nearly 500 members.

The BAC Board has appointed Steve Cote to be the interim Regional Director to serve the remainder of the unexpired term of Brian Foote.

In early September my wife had a business trip to Washington, D.C. I tagged along because my brother lives in the area and it had been a while since I had seen him.

I had lots of free time so I decided to drive up to Frederick, Maryland and visit the AOPA headquarters. I went on-line to the AOPA website to see what may be on hand for the visit but really couldn’t get a lot of information. So I drove up and just presented myself.

I want to place an order in time to have shirts for Gaston's (11/4) so I'll take orders up to this Friday (10/6). I'll do long and short sleeve denim and khaki and short sleeve white golf shirts. The shirt comes with the BAC logo and your tail number (if you want it) and can do additional embroidery, e.g. name, type plane, etc.

New Duchess W&B spreadsheet available for download on BAC (Technical/Downloads/Flight Planning), courtesy of member Philippe Davy. The primary data points must be updated for each specific airframe/N-number.

Elections for all officers and directors will be held this fall. The elections will be held as provided in the Bylaws. The applicable Article reads as follows:

Some of you have asked if I'll be ordering BAC logo shirts again. Some want them in time for Gaston's (11/4). If I get a dozen orders in the next week or so I should be able to do that.

Hi all!

I'm so relieved that I passed my 'Maintenance of Wakefullness Test' last week so I can get back to flying.

Several newsworthy items have transpired over the last few days that I wanted to let people know about.

The BAC Board has voted to appoint Chris Linderman to fill the vacancy as SW Regional Director. Jeff Bryant, the prior SW Regional Director has sold his Sport 160. [You may better remember Jeff’s plane as the X-wing fighter his son, the Jedi warrior, flew against the Death Star in Jeff’s piece, "Why I Own My Own Aircraft."] Jeff’s business commitments prevent him from continuing to take an active role in BAC. We thank Jeff for his contributions to BAC.

As a result of member feedback, we are starting to post Minutes from Board of Directors Meetings on the website. You can find the link in the future by going to the 'BAC Info' menu and selecting 'Board Meeting Minutes'.

The Summer 2006 edition of the BAC Talk Newsletter has been released.! Get it while it is hot and before the donuts melt!

The 2006 Annual Meeting of the Beech Aero Club will be held on Friday, August 18, 2006 at 6:30 pm CDT at the Wichita Marriott, Wichita, KS near the Beech Factory Field (KBEC). The meeting will be held during the banquet at the BAC Fest 2006 Fly-In. All members of the Beech Aero Club are invited to attend and participate.

The Brittain website has experienced problems, so I thought I'd publish this update. We are hoping that Brittain will join us at BAC Fest in Wichita; Dave Buttram has been in contact with them.

I will continue to take orders through next Wednesday, July 5th.

I will be placing the order shortly after that and hope to have the shirts delivered in time for everyone to be sporting their new BAC shirts at BAC Fest.

I'm taking orders for BAC log wear again. I THINK I have another vendor lined up. I'll be doing denim shirts again, long sleeve and short sleeve, mens and ladies small through either 3XL or 4XL. I'll also be doing the golf shirts again. I'll do white again and MAYBE a light blue. They SHOULD be mens and ladies, should be the same sizes. Also doing a short sleeve khaki colored shirt. I think it's described as a twill. Should be same sizes. The prices will be in the neighborhood of $35 which includes the shirt, BAC logo, your tail number, tax and shipping.

If you're intereste E-MAIL me at cloydvanhook@imtt.com. DO NOT sent a private message. I want all orders in the same place. I'll take orders until mid-July and plan to have the shirts mailed in time for BAC Fest.

Cloyd

Mark Miller is still in first place in the PT race after the Petit Jean fly-in, followed closely by Bo Boggs.

Latest Power Flow Systems update on their C23 project.

This has been added to the Forum topic as well.

Bo Boggs has taken an early lead in the 2006 President's Trophy race. With the results of the KFFC fly-in to be posted soon Bo has almost a 100 point lead over second place Matt Ramieri. Chuz Chamberlain is in third place despite his circuitous route to KFFC and the Flying Foote is no where in sight.

The BAC STC Group has decided to tackle developing an STC to add shoulder harnesses to the older planes.

Bill Manhein's external power plug adapters are now available to BAC members. Please see the Downloads and Classifieds for more details.

Mike Rellihan's aileron and stab tab linkage play removal kits will also be available by Monday February 06. Please re-read the earlier News item, which has been updated with current information on these kits.

I’ve reestablished contact with my vendor. It looks like I’ll be able to get the missing shirts from my last order and order additional shirts. If anyone would like to order a BAC denim shirt or golf shirt let me know before the end of this month.

Tony Crowe of England will be the Regional Director for the new International Region of BAC. Tom Corcoran withdrew his candidacy so there will be no election. Tony joins Chuz Chamberlain, recently named Southeast Regional Director, and Dr. Bill Heybruck, recently named Mid-Atlantic Regional Director, as the newest members of the BAC Board.

Chuz Chamberlain will be the new Southeast Regional Director. Chuz was the only person to step forward so he wins without an election.

Two candidates have tossed their hat in the ring for International Regional Director. Tom Corcoran and Tony Crowe will face each other in an election later this month.

Nominations are open until December 31, 2005 for the positions of Regional Director for the International Region and the Southeast Region. A candidate must live in the region where he is running for election. If you are interested in running or would like to nominate someone contact me.

Tuesday the Board voted to form two new regions. The International Region will consist of all countries except the United States. The Mid-Atlantic Region will consist of the states of Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

The Beech Aero Club is sorry to announce that one of our members, Greg Little, perished on Monday. He was flying in his A23 Musketeer over the Lake Mammoth area in California. Greg held ratings and certificates as a private pilot, instrument, commercial, Multi-engine, A&P, as well as Flight Engineer.

The Photo shows Greg with his mouse at the Lone Pine Airport in June of 2004 with Mt. Whittney in the background. His emails to me often ended with "Have a Mouseketeer Day".

I’m trying to recruit volunteers for two projects that I’m planning for next year. One is an STC Working Group. The other is to produce a video and BAC Talk article of a donut change.

Wow! Talk about being in the Right Place at the Right Time! Visiting the Grandkids in Newburg, I found out that Mr. Fitts was selling the ONLY set of Musketeer Wheelpants in the Known Universe, so "SHE who must be obeyed" and I drove down to the FITTS Private airport and GOTTUM!

Rick Koch and Dr. Bill Heybruck have been named members of the BAC Board.

I just finished putting the last shirts from the second order of BAC shirts in the mail. I was shorted three shirts and those members have been notified. My vendor was a casualty of Katrina. I think I've located another vendor and will be taking orders.

For those needing a reason of some kind for buying an Aircraft

Have you ever actually seen an original ground power cable for our Aero Center aircraft? Thanks to Bill Manhein, and an un-named member who loaned Bill his priceless cable, you can now!

The Photo Gallery now contains a series of good photos of an intact ground power cable. These cables fit all of the Aero Center planes, including the Duchess and Skipper, if they were equipped with the external power access port.

Courtesy of Cloyd VanHook:
New Orleans Lakefront Airport during and after Hurricane Katrina. Reportedly, no survivors among the planes left there during the storm. Cloyd's Minnie survived as it is based at 1L0, about 30 miles west of KNEW. This link has been added to the BAC Links page as well.

Note to Tim: THX for coding the link for me!

Need AWOS? Just Call On Your Cellphone
In a nifty new service for pilots, a quick toll-free phone call can now connect you to any AWOS in the U.S. -- if you don't mind having to listen to a short advertisement before you get to the weather.

I have finally established contact with the reported source of some of the round-nosed external power plugs and cables. Unfortunately, not exactly great news to share, but at least this particular box has been checked off.

Hi all -

I have added a 4-page advert and two new Sierra ads in the Historical Section. Some good looking birds, and some interesting histories.

We've had some contact with Raytheon on the surplus spare parts. We have a listing of the parts they have for sale. The total list price of the parts that they plan to auction for our planes is about $2.1 million. They require the purchaser to buy all of the particular part that they have available. They will offer discounts, amount unspecified, for large lots. It appears that the minimum order they will entertain is about $10K.

I received an e-mail today from Cindy Niedens of RAPID Legacy Parts & Equipment sales. She came across our website and wanted to let me know that Raytheon will be having an auction of surplus parts for our planes in October. She will put together a list of the parts they will be auctioning. When I receive it I will get it posted on the BAC website.

Cloyd Van Hook, President BAC

I just placed the order for the BAC logo denim shirts and golf shirts. I think it will probably take a couple weeks to get the shirts from the vendor and then it’ll take me another week or two to get them packaged and mailed out. So you can look for them in three to four weeks.

I previously wrote about my positive renewal experience with Norris Hibbler's agency (Aircraft And Marine). Most of you know that Norris provides the insurance options for BAC (and the Bonanza group), so we get good group rates from his agency.

To sum up the numbers:
AOPA 2004-2005: $1,411
AOPA 2005-2006: $1,380
Norris 2005-2006: $1,258
The difference is 2.5 years' worth of BAC dues.

BAC denim shirts and golf shirts are now available. They are available in men's and ladies sizes. Ladies shirts are available up to size XL and men's shirts are available up to size 4XL. The shirts are embroidered with the BAC logo and the N number may also be embroidered at no additional charge. The denim shirts are availabe in both long sleeve and short sleeve. The golf shirts will be white. The price of the denim shirts is $35 and the price of the golf shirt is $32 (includes tax and shipping). I expect to place an order around the end July and they should be available a week or so after that.

The July/Autust Aviator's Guide (Travel information for Pilots) (www.aviatorsguide.com) has an advert for Lakeview Resort, Susanville CA. The picture of the ramp features a Sport 150.

SHE is our newest BAC member and our first member from Montana. She's in Helena.

There are now only two states, Wyoming and North Dakota, in which there are no BAC members. And that includes Alaska and Hawaii. Without checking the roles, I think we have one member in Hawaii and two in Alaska.

Welcome aboard, Billie.

The Beech Aero Club is pleased to announce the launch of BAC Mail today, July 4, 2005, BAC’s first birthday. BAC Mail is an e-mail list service where members can post questions or information that will be viewed and responded to by other list members. All posts, questions, answers, announcements, etc. will be archived on the BAC website and may be searched through the search function of the BAC website. Many of you have requested such a service.

When I began my aircraft ownership in 1988, I started with a million-dollar "smooth" policy (for a number of reasons). This means that there are no per-seat sublimits. The most common (and least expensive) policies have payout limits of $100,000 per seat. Not much liability protection in this day and age, unless you simply have zero assets (making you or your heirs an unattractive legal target). Not that I have a lot, but I'd hate to leave Paula and the SLB with nothing, if something untoward were to happen.

The article is finally out! If you are an AOPA member you can view the upcoming article on the Beechcraft Sierra for AOPA Pilot magazine. Some people have reportedly received the print magazine as well. Many other BAC members contributed comments about the Sierra which are available on a separate page.

I just saw the July issue of Plane & Pilot. It has an article on the 10 most undervalued airplanes. The Sierra was ranked No. 10. I thought the Musketeer would be in there but at least a family member was included.

Looking to buy a new Handheld GPS moving Map? I just posted a new review for the Garmin GPSMAP296 in the review section. Check it out. I did some testing of the terrain mapping and obstacle warning databases and WOW, works better then expected.

Jessica is our newest member. Her joining BAC is noteworthy for at least two reasons. First as a member of the fairer sex she is one of our few lady BACers. Second her home field is T67 which is also the home field of Mark Miller.

That makes at least two airports that have two BAC members based there. Kent Greene and I are both based at 1L0.

Tom Corcoran grabbed the lead in the President's Trophy race by logging 346 miles on his way to the fly-in this past weekend at Martinsburg, West Virginia. But the Flying Foote vows Tom's lead will be short lived.

Douglas Lund of Martinsburg, West Virginia has accepted a plaque from BAC in recognition of his service in Iraq. The plaque thanks Doug for his service in the West Virginia National Guard which was activated for service in the Mid East. Doug returned home in March after eighteen months away. He served in a mechanical support unit.

The President's Trophy results have been updated. Brian Foote is still in the lead but Tom Corcoran gained on him.

The Board of the Beech Aero Club has unanimously elected Dave Buttram to fill the remainder of the term of Ray Seif. I'd like to congratulate Dave on his election and thank Ray for his contributions to BAC.

This past Saturday BAC reached another milestone. We now have our 400th member. In fact we also have our 401st 403rd member too. It is gratifying to see how our club has taken off. No pun intended. I'm looking forward to BAC's first birthday on July 4.

First, I'd like to say that it has been an honor and a pleasure serving as your North Central Regional Director.

When I ran for the position, I did so with a personal promise that I would give it 110% and would be the best regional director I can possibly be.

I think its time to post my performance tips for Musketeers again.

Many of you have probably seen the BAC Aircraft History page. There is some good information about the Aero Center aircraft line. It also contains historical information on the Beechcraft Skipper and Beechcraft Duchess.

You can order the book Beechcraft Pursuit of Perfection from a variety of sources and conditions at Amazon.com starting around $18 (when I last looked). Get 'em while they are hot, there only appear to be a few left.

The 2005 Annual Meeting of the Beech Aero Club will be held on Saturday, April 23, 2005 at 7:00 pm EDT at the hangar of Commander Aero, Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport (KMGY), Dayton, Ohio. The meeting will be held during the banquet at the BAC East Fly-In. All members of the Beech Aero Club are invited to attend and participate.

Keep your eyes open. The first issue of BAC Talk, the BAC newsletter, will be out SOON. Probably today. We've tried to do a first class job on everything we've done at BAC but I think Rick Koch, the Newsletter Editor, has raised the bar for all our future efforts. A HUGE thank you to Rick for his work on the newsletter.

Cloyd

At present I have enough rings to take a few more orders before my larger order hopefully arrives later this week. Rings are currently available for the fuel filler caps, sump drain valves, and the fuel selector valve. Please let me know if you are interested in other o-ring kits. All kits include a packet of silicone 0-ring lube grease, and the instructions have been posted on BAC for free downloads.

This article will serve as the placeholder for the President's Trophy Standings and will be periodically updated by the Regional Directors. It will also be linked to from the Main Menu.

I'm trying to get the correct "common name" associated with the model name for BAC aircraft. Many I know, some I got from other sources which might be incorrect. If you can let me know in the comments section which designations I might have incorrect and what the correct values are, I would appreciate it!

Private Pilot Magazine produced an article about the Beech Duchess in their February 2005 issue. With thanks to Private Pilot Magazine they have allowed us to reproduce the article for our members. You can download the PDF file which is about 750kb in size.

Alton Marsh is preparing to do the article on the Sierra for the AOPA Pilot magazine and he is asking for "member feedback."

Been trying to get around to this while I'm in Jax. Heading back to SC in the AM, weather permitting.

Please read the Link write-up for AE on BAC, then visit the AE site. Eventually I will get some panel photos posted to illustrate their work.

I'll still need a few more part numbers from Rosen, once they have them; and they are still firming up the improved 2-hole mount base for the Group II applications. I decided to go ahead and get this published, even with a couple of missing links.

This .pdf document, complete with illustrations, will enable you to identify the correct mounts for your airframe, even if your current visor assemblies are missing. If you wish to order, just contact Mike Fiske at Rosen, and be sure to request your BAC discount.

Who do we have in Florida, reasonably close to Daytona Beach, who would be willing to allow their plane to be left with Power Flow Systems for development of an STC? I have been offering them my instrumented Sierra since 2001. They are now showing some interest in obtaining an O320-equipped plane (19 series), and possibly an O-360 equipped plane (23 series). Please message me if you are interested, or you can contact Chad Tyson direct at chad@powerflowsystems.com.

Nice write-up on the Duchess. On Monday I will ask them for permission to publish either the article or a link to it, on our BAC website.

Hello to all the South West Musketeers.

The BAC Company Store is now open! Buy all of your goodies now! Membership packets will also be mailed out soon which will include a fantastic membership card, one BAC sticker, one BAC static-cling decal, one BAC patch, a BAC postcard, and BAC Business Cards. Founding Members will also get a BAC Founding Member cap. If you would like to order a BAC hat or extra BAC patches you may do so now and your items will ship with the rest of your membership kit.

Of the 65 BAC Membership belonging to the Southeast Region:

Just wanted to let you know that I added my Sierra W&B Worksheet to the Downloads area. The program was set up for me by my good friend, Bill Lee. It has been sent to several individuals, who all seemed to like it a lot. If you try it, like it, and want to use it for your plane, you'll need to edit the empty weights, moments, etc. as required for your airframe. The best (safest) way to do this will be to open the file as read-only, then do a "save as" using your N-number in the file name. The new copy will be editable, while the original download will remain unaltered (for reference, if needed).

I posted a comment on Tim's poll about New Year's resolutions saying that mine is to get my instrument ticket. A couple other guys said they had the same plans. Any interest in starting a support group for instrument students?

I wanted to wind up the first day of the New Year of 2005 with a sincere thank-you and congratulations, to all of the Founding Members and Charter Members of the fledgling Beech Aero Club. We are all a part of a unique effort to generate support for our great planes, and to have a lot of fun doing it. We also have the pride of having played the starring role in any organization; getting it started. A similar group started EAA, AOPA, AYA, ABS, etc. I wonder how often those folks think back to the early days of those clubs.

As with any organization (old or new), there have been some bumps in the road as we got things started. We have weathered the teapot tempests and have a solid base on which to build. I'm really looking forward to making more Fly-ins and meeting more fellow members. Again, thank-you one and all!

All of you who(m?) have registered for BAC have seen that we ask quite a lot of questions about you. We don’t require and don’t always get answers to all of the questions. We haven’t done any statistical analysis of our membership. I usually glance at the data on new members after they register. I thought you might be interested, but certainly won’t be surprised, at what a “typical” BAC member looks like.

For any of you who might have X-Plane Version 8 I have updated the Beech Sport I built for version 7 to be compatible with version 8. I've also made lots of improvements to the model, updated the panel, better sounds, better fuselage shaping and details, etc. (For those of you wondering what I'm talking about, X-Plane is a fantastic flight simulator.)

Latest note from Mike Fiske. I'm ready to send him a Skipper visor blade template, and a proposed Group 2 visor blade template. I'm awaiting his feedback on correct Rosen part numbers for the BAC Rosen Application Document download (which will be complete with photos).

Thanks to a request from member David Snodgrass (Thanks for the initiative, David!), Bogert International has joined the growing list of participating suppliers offering BAC members worthwhile discounts on their products. They will also purchase a BAC membership, as have some other providers, in order to help keep tabs on questions, etc. Below is the current announcement by Kathy Bogert. Please visit the Bogert website and view the broad range of products (tow bars, jacks, jack pads, gear stands, specialty tools, and much more. Bogert also makes FAA-PMA copper battery cable kits to replace OEM aluminum cables. While they do not currently list the 19/23/24 (I believe that all the 76s and 77s are copper), if we demonstrate a member market for replacement cables, we can approach Kathy.

With all the computation in the world... with all the looking in tanks... with all the fuel flow meters and the dipsticks, gages and formulas... you may have LESS fuel to use than you expect.

If you have never taken your tanks to zero, you may be in for a rude awakening at the worst time.

The President’s Trophy is so named because I intend to win it. It will be awarded annually at the BAC National Convention starting in 2006 to the Member who flew the most miles in the previous year to and from BAC fly-ins. We will have a passport that will have to be punched at each fly-in. Members will have to list their home airport and the airport of the fly-in. You will get credit for twice the distance between the airports as calculated by AirNav (www.airnav.com). The Member will have to sign the passport certifying the distance and the host of the fly-in will have to sign certifying that the member attended. Running standings will be posted on the BAC website. The Members will be responsible for reporting their attendance to the Regional Directors who will be responsible for reporting results to the Webmaster. Maybe we’ll have a Runner-Up award for the guy that finishes just behind me. Look forward to seeing you at BAC fly-ins next year.

Cloyd

East Central Regional Director: David Snodgrass
North Central Regional Director: Ray Seif
Northeast Regional Director: Brian Foote
Northwest Regional Director: Bill Howard
South Central Regional Director: James Bruce
Southeast Regional Director: Osman Iftikhar
Southwest Regional Director: Jeff Bryant
National President: Cloyd Van Hook
National Vice President: Shelby Smith
National Secretary/Treasurer: Brad Mitchell

The Polls are now closed for the BAC 2004 Election. Thanks to those of you who voted! The results are being tallied and the candidates are being notified. We anticipate posting the results here by Tuesday morning.

There is a pair of Beech (American Safety) inertial reels available on eBay.