Smooth air and an excellent breakfast were the results of another successful EAA 240 fly out. With hot nasty weather all week the morning flight was a refreshing change. Three aircraft departed west for Hagerstown and returned after everyone enjoyed a delicious meal at The Grill at Runways restaurant.
The journey also included instrument flight instruction and some practice time for a new EAA 240 young eagle. A great flight was had by all!
Our next fly-out is scheduled for Sunday, July 26th to Lancaster (LNS) with a planned departure time of 8:30am. See you at the airport!
After a couple failed attempts due to bad weather, EAA240 was back in the air this past Sunday. Despite a couple of planes cancelling, in the end three aircraft and seven chapter members made it to the Delaware Coastal Airport after a beautiful flight on a calm, clear day.
Kevin, our host for the day, greeted us at the FBO and led us to the Delaware Aviation Museum’s hangar. It’s always nice to see Panchito, their B-25, up close and personal, and hear its story and adventures. We got to learn more about how it takes to operate and maintain Panchito, making us appreciate even more the effort put in by all the volunteers.
We also got to see the museum’s collection of aviation-related items, including flight gear, instruments and training aids. Quite the assortment, all of them with their own history.
Of course, no visit to the museum is complete without an encounter with the (un)official mascot, Mitchell. She came to greet us and got plenty of attention from the entire group.
After our visit, we headed over to the restaurant for lunch, continuing our aviation conversations. The food was great and the company was excellent!
Lunch over, we took off and headed back to New Garden. On the way back, we flew over the Dover Speedway, where we had to stay clear of an active TFR caused by a NASCAR race going on at the time. You could actually see the cars going around the track, even from 3500ft!
Thank you for joining us to this event! Our next fly-out is scheduled for Saturday, June 6th, with the destination being Frederick, MD. See you at the airport!
Despite Mother Nature’s best attempts, Saturday turned out to be a great day at the airport! While we had to cancel our Young Eagles event, everything else went according to plan. Over 100 cars showed up, and plenty of hungry and thirsty people stopped by our FBO coffee and donut station, or at the main hangar Pancake Breakfast. Keeping the hangar door mostly closed helped block the wind and cold air, offering our guests a comfortable place to have a bite and socialize.
Our volunteer team did an excellent job – after a long winter break, they quickly got up to speed and churned out pancakes, sausages, scrambled eggs, grilled vegetables and home fries fast enough to keep up with the high demand. We had a good turnout, and there was no time for a break for most of the day. Most importantly, though – we all had fun.
Outside, it was a busy ramp, bustling with cars and car enthusiasts. A few of our chapter members brought their own, including, among other cars, a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow II!
Thank you very much for joining us Saturday and making this a successful event, despite the changing weather. A special thank you to our team of volunteers! We couldn’t have done this without your help.
What’s next? Our May membership meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 4th. Bring your favorite Star Wars shirt and any other memorabilia that’s easy to carry. Leave the X-Wings and TIE Fighters at home – parking space is limited! We have a fly-out scheduled on May 9th, and we’ll be flying to Massey Aerodrome for their Chili Fiesta! We’re planning another Pancake Breakfast and Young Eagles event on June 27th, and we can always use an extra hand. Check the website and watch your e-mails for volunteering opportunities.
Three aircraft with a total of eight pilots and passengers departed New Garden to check out the neighbor’s cooking. The amazing 50-mile visibility provided a stunning view of the landscape and surroundings, with highlights including Rockville Bridge (the longest stone arch railroad bridge ever built), Harrisburg’s skyline and Three Mile Island (soon to be back in service).
After arriving at Mifflin County, we sat down for breakfast (which we enjoyed so much we forgot to take a picture of us), and then we had a chat with Dwight Rittenhouse, Chapter President of EAA 518 about pancake breakfast ideas. We’re always looking for ideas to improve ours!
The flight back to New Garden was uneventful, and we completed another successful chapter event! Our next fly-out is scheduled for Sunday, April 26th, with the destination set for Bay Bridge Airport (W29). Bring a good pair of walking shoes for the 1.2 mile walk from from the airport to our lunch place.
Thank you again to our flight leads for organizing these events and to the pilots for joining us. We couldn’t do this without you!
We started with a bit of practice cooking in preparation for our upcoming pancake breakfast events, where we tried a few new ideas. As you can see, it didn’t take long for our first tasters to show up.
We tried some new sausage, new style of potatoes, added some grilled veggies to the mix and we made it easier to eat by turning it (for the willing participants) into a pancake sandwich. We even asked our judges if they wanted cheese with that!
Following our food event, we gathered upstairs for our actual April meeting. Following a brief update on the chapter status and upcoming projects presented by our chapter president, Dan Gutierrez, he handed over the controls to our guest speaker for the night.
Octavian picked up from where he left in October, showing us how to turn our design dreams into reality! We had a proper show and tell, with an actual 3D printer turning the demonstration design into reality as the presentation was going on. While this was happening, we learned about the process and knowledge required to create a part from a 3D model, discussed the pros and cons of different 3D printing materials and what are some of the practical applications of 3D printing for the experimental (and sometimes certified) aviation environment. While the conversation was going on, many 3D printed parts made their way around the meeting room, each teaching the audience about another key aspect of 3D printing. We wrapped up just in time to see the demo part finish printing – talk about a plan well executed! Plenty of questions and contributions from the public made the presentation even more interesting.
Thank you all for joining us. See you at our next meeting, scheduled for Monday, May 4th.
Despite the cold morning, four aircraft and 11 pilots and passengers took to the skies, enjoying a beautiful and calm Sunday morning for a smooth flight to Greenwood Lake Airport (4N1) in West Milford, NJ.
One aircraft took the Hudson River Corridor, passing the Statue of Liberty and downtown Manhattan. It was a thrilling flight with some beautiful views.
Once there, we met up with some family guests and had an Easter decorated brunch (including an Easter Bunny) at the West Milford Diner. The food was great, and the staff took made sure to make Brandon’s day extra special, with a large slice of cake for his birthday. He didn’t share it with us and none was left!
Then we visited the Lockheed Constellation that has been converted into an office for the local flight school and skydiving club, before jumping back in the planes for a bumpy ride home.
Thank you to the pilots that have joined us for this fly-out! We couldn’t make this happen without you!
Mark your calendars for our next fly-out, scheduled for Saturday, April 11th, with a planned departure time of 8:30am. We’re going to give RVL another chance, and hope the weather will cooperate and we’ll be able to join Chapter 518 for their breakfast.
We had a change of Valentine heart for destination, but we still flew to a great place and loved the breakfast!
Yes, we once again missed going to Reedsville (KRVL) for their once a month breakfast feast. Weather in the RVL area looked bleak with icing conditions and predicted low ceilings that would have made the mountain pass a challenge. After detailed weather reviews we opted to fly to our alternative at Hammonton (N81).
Despite the cold and changing weather, we had excellent member turnout with 7 aircraft and 18 hungry breakfast participants. It was undoubtedly the largest member fly out participation that we have had in a long time! Two of our newest members had never flown before, and one other used the opportunity for a student pilot cross country solo.
Everyone shared stories, had an excellent breakfast at the Apron Café, and all had an overall five Valentine heart experience!
Check your schedules for our next fly out to South Jersey Regional Airport (KVAY) on February 22. It will be a great opportunity for pilots to blow out some winter cobwebs from their aircraft, and for non-pilot members to take to the skies! Check your email for the latest updates.
Winds well above 25 knots and 14 degree temperatures did not stop 30 people from enjoying six different soup recipes. We had a Mexican variety along with guacamole, sour cream and other toppings. A few chicken based entries but the ultimate winner was a hamburger soup! All six were excellent so the competition was difficult this year. The winner was awarded an award winning soup cook book so they can prepare for the competition next year.
Everyone stayed to enjoy and learn from Bob Huxster’s VMC/IMC presentation. Four scenarios were discussed at length with very interesting discussions.
Overall, a great time was had by all on a perfect day for soup! Thank you all for joining us (either as a participant or as a tester) and making this event a fun one.
For our next meeting, we are returning to our regular warm weather (wishful thinking) schedule – see you on Monday, March 2nd, starting at 6:30pm for hangar flying followed by the proper meeting starting at 7pm.
Despite Mother Nature’s best attempts, we didn’t give up! While we had to make changes to our original flight date and destination, three airplanes and five chapter members stuck around for another attempt on Sunday to our alternate destination.
The flight to Millville was smooth and fast, aided by a good 20-25 kt tailwind. The weather line was well ahead of us and gave us no trouble, and we were soon tied down and ready for breakfast. Verna’s Flight Line restaurant was moderately busy, but it only took a few minutes to get a table. The food was good and plenty of good aviation stories were shared.
The flight home was smooth as well, despite the increasing headwinds, peaking to 30 kts at times. You can say we took the scenic route back, and we enjoyed every minute of it.
Our next fly-out is Sunday, January 25th – We’ll be heading to Lancaster, PA with a planned departure time of 10am.
Despite the cold morning, which required a good amount of engine pre-heat, four airplanes departed for Reading Airport, carrying eight EAA240 chapter members. After a short and uneventful flight, we landed at Reading airport and parked in front of the main terminal.
Once the aircraft were secured we made our way to the restaurant, quickly getting situated and going through the menus and figuring out the lunch plan.
After lunch (which took longer than planned), with the forecast looking less and less promising and most of us not looking forward to the cold ramp and hangar at the museum, we decided to skip the museum visit and head back to New Garden. Some of us took the scenic route back, with a quick detour to Strasburg, managing to get a good view of Strasburg Railroad’s Santa train huffing and puffing down the track.
With all four aircraft on the ground at New Garden, it marked the end of the 2025 fly-out season. While the weather threw us plenty of curveballs, forcing a few cancelations and destination changes, it was still a successful season. We got to introduce our new members to the joy of flight, experiencing first-hand the “100 dollar hamburger” and the thrill of landing on an island or a grass runway.
This is also the end of a chapter for the events team. After leading it for the past six years, I will be passing the baton to Brandon, our new VP and events team lead. I want to extend a personal thank you to our flight leads and pilots for these fly-outs. We’ve dealt with a lot over these past six years, including four years of TFRs happening almost every other week, with all the cancellations resulting from that. But we made it work thanks to your efforts and dedication. We couldn’t have done it without you.
Now, with the year drawing to an end, from the EAA240 Events Team, we wish you all a wonderful Holiday Season, full of joy and happiness. We’ll see you in 2026 for another year of fun and adventure! Octavian
