February 2026
Issue 253
Next gathering—
All About Composites
10:00 AM – Noon
Port of Skagit conference room
15400 Airport Drive, Burlington
We’re back to our regular meeting format and location this month. Our speaker will be our own James Nichols. He’s calling his talk “Composite Design Basics: Because Aluminum Was Too Simple.” James will cover the engineering and design choices for composite aircraft. For pointers on how to work with composites during a build, take a look at Scott Vanderveen’s “Composite Construction Basics” webinar from the 2026 EAA Homebuilders Week.
We’ll hold a board meeting at 9 am, also in the Port conference room. All members are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Next month we’ll welcome back former Boeing historian Mike Lombardi (he retired last year). Mike has a very engaging presentation style and always tells you something you didn’t know about how some of Boeing’s most iconic projects unfolded. This time he’ll speak about “William Boeing and the Creation of America’s Airways.”
President’s Message
Larry Buerk
Chapter President
Welcome back to our regularly scheduled programming! :-)
We had to skip our December meeting due to the Skagit-area flooding, and January was our postponed holiday party at the firehouse. We’re grateful that the atmospheric river has moved on, hopefully for the winter but you never know around here. We had our usual strong turnout for the holiday party and enjoyed a nice meal and time just to visit and celebrate the successes of the past year. Some members suggested that we might want to move the party to January permanently—avoiding the holiday bustle might free up time for more people and their significant others attend. Let me know what you think.
Carrying over from last month, another reminder: it’s time to renew your chapter membership. We’re holding the annual dues at $25 for 2026 so individual finances aren’t a barrier to membership. See the article below for renewal details or catch up with our new Membership coordinator, Rick Rathbun, at the next meeting or at rwrathbun@live.com.
Despite my best intentions, things kept coming up that prevented me from joining most of the Homebuilders Week webinars I’d signed up for at the end of January. The saving grace is that they’re still available on the EAA website here. I’m starting to catch up on what I missed and, as usual, I’m learning something new about even the topics that have been presented before. Take a look at the offerings and find time as you can to watch what interests you.
The chapter hangar continues to be amazingly and happily very busy these days. The RV-12 is close to being ready for its airworthiness inspection, the Hummel tailcone is now in work, the C-150 cowling is attached and Vertex is working on the signoffs for the prop strike inspection and the engine rebuild. We sold one project airplane and are in the process of buying another. The hangar sign in ready to be mounted on the Crosswind Drive wall. See the articles later in this newsletter. Our students continue to be very engaged, many showing up on both Thursday evenings and Saturdays. If you haven’t popped in for a work session, the kids could use your experience and example. Thursdays are from 6:00 to 8:00 pm and Saturdays from 10:00 to 4:00.
On a personal note, my flying activity continues to prompt more maintenance activity than I’d like. In October I bent the nose gear on my Rans after a floater landing at Skagit that I should have turned into a go-around. As professor Findlay said in a talk last year, if the approach isn’t stable and on speed, don’t try to salvage it. It’s one thing to nod your head while sitting in a meeting room, and quite another to recognize the situation in flight. Lesson learned, the hard (and expensive) way.
Before leaving my Skagit tiedown/repair stand for the return trip to Anacortes, I needed a two-year transponder certification. Power output was barely sufficient to pass the last time, and this time it failed completely, even on the bench. So, get out the checkbook, buy a new one, and enjoy yet another expedition under the very compact S-19 instrument panel. One piece of good news—Vertex is now doing transponder checks. See Brandon Holdeman for details. Once Garmin helps me resolve a fault indication I’ll be heading back over there to get legal again.
That’s all for this month. See you Saturday!
Holiday Party and
Other News
Larry Buerk
Our annual holiday party was a success again this year, despite despite hav ing to postpone it from December. Linda and Stu prepared a super-moist turkey, Karey brought a big ole ham for variety, and everyone else threw in enough side dishes and deserts to feed all of us plus two shifts worth of firemen. We recognized our outgoing chapter leaders and thanked our families for supporting our aviation obsession. Here are a few pics to encourage you to attend the next one in person.
Congrats!
I hope I’m not overstepping here, but I want to congratulate Brandon and Hannah on their engagement in mid December. You’ve probably met Hannah at various chapter events: she’s been a long-time supporter of Brandon’s aviation obsession and just last week was helping resolve some technical issues with the Vertex website. Hope to see the two of them together at future events.
Happy Birthday, Rod!
And one final note of celebration. Congrats to Rod Freed on his 80th birthday last month. His daugher Hilary asked if we’d invite the chapter to surprise him with some homemade birthday cake at the chapter hangar. A group of us showed up just before the Lunch Bunch returned from their Wednesday flyout. They all got back from OS9 on time, but where was Rod? Turns out, he decided this was the day he needed to practice touch-and-goes. He eventually taxied in and was thoroughly surprised at this group who (he thought) was there to critique his landings. After a mostly on-key version of Happy Birthday we dug into Hilary’s treats. And for once, Rod didn’t have to make the coffee!
Fly-in Barbecue
Sharon and Don Hall invite everyone to attend a barbecue at their home on Decatur Island after the June chapter gathering. We’ll have more info close to the date but wanted to remind everyone so you can pencil it into your calendars.
AOPA President
The AOPA board has fired Darren Pleasance, its widely respected president who was hired just over a year ago. The board says it was because he didn’t move to Frederick, MD where AOPA is based, but there’s disagreement over the actual reason for the firing. Russ Niles with AvBrief wrote an article with his take on the situation, and Savvy Aviation’s Mike Busch sent out an email seeking signatures on a petition and promoting a letter-writing campaign asking the board to rehire Pleasance.
I’m not calling this out to promote a particular action—or any action—but rather because many of us are AOPA members. Awareness gives you options: do something, do nothing, or at least follow events as they develop. Trust in its board is a major factor for any organization. Judging from the prominence of those protesting this action, I don’t get the feeling this one is going away anytime soon.
But it also makes me appreciate the EAA spirit that much more, a spirit that started with the chapters and is reflected in our national leadership. EAA HQ has strong, deep and respected leaders and staff, and they do a great job of supporting the chapters. Many staff members are homebuilders and chapter members themselves. Together, we’ve built a strong organization around a clear, shared purpose and frequent, two-way communication. I’m grateful for that, and for all you do to keep the spirit alive and to spread it around.
Sky Flight Update
Dan Holden
Sky Flight Coordinator
The past month or so at Sky Flight has been a showcase of what volunteerism can do. We put out a call to retrieve a Fly Baby project and a half dozen folks showed up to make it happen. The project was subsequently sold to chapter member Mark Boberg, and a crew showed up to deliver it to its new owner.
The prospect of a Beechcraft Baron donation came up and the response was immediate to go look at it, appraise it, and find a buyer for it. While that has not yet been successful, it shows the willingness of our chapter members to roll up their sleeves up to support the program. A Zenith 750 that was on the field sold to a Canadian who elected to remove the wings and truck it, rather than fly it home. The Sky Flight faithful assembled in the rain to assist and in return received a generous donation. A Zenith 601 project became known to the program and several members flew out to Hoquiam to evaluate it, resulting in a purchase agreement that is in the works. These are the actions that generate the funds for the program to remain sustainable, in addition to direct cash donations.
In the hangar, real progress is happening on the RV-12; it is truly nearly done. The wings are on, paperwork for registering is in hand, and avionics, ELT, intercom are all working. The next step is to install requisite placards and schedule a DAR to generate its special airworthiness certificate. Proceeds from the sale of 818 Yankee Echo will go towards painting the wings and tail feathers of the 150 and other chapter needs.
Expect a status report on the Zenith 601 next month, which should by then be in the hangar.
Sky Flight is a fantastic group that regularly supports our local youth. It absolutely could not happen without them. If you haven’t had the chance to get involved, think about visiting, Thursday evenings from 6:00 to 8:00 and Saturdays from 10:00 to 4:00. I know we all have competing demands on our time, but I guarantee if you come by, you will leave enthused about what’s possible when people work together.
Better fly good!
Speakers Schedule
Bill Calvert
Chapter Vice President
Members have already volunteered to provide speakers (or to speak themselves) at over half of our 2026 monthly gatherings. See the list below—the speaker or topic is in parentheses, if known. You can volunteer for one of the open slots; just send me an email or catch me at a Sky Flight session or monthly gathering.
| February: James Nichols | March: Jay Findlay |
| April: Larry Buerk (Mike Lombardi) | May: Rowe Moyle (Dan Hammer) |
| June: Dan Holden | July: Brandon Holdeman (All About Rotax) |
Project Update: Murphy Rebel 299WB
Bill Calvert
Builders and flyers,
Between all the action with SkyFlight and the other chapter events, Rebel 299WB is still making progress at my shop. This is a 1993 kit that I rescued two years ago, and I’m hoping to see it fly this summer.
- 1993 Murphy Rebel with increased gross weight mods, 1650#
- O-320 slick mags
- Catto 2-blade prop, Dynon HDX with ADSB transponder, GPS, T25 comm, EarthX battery
- Electric elev trim, manual full span flaperons
- Full-length floor, split Cub-style doors, skylights
- 22″ tires on Cub-style gear with Monster Shock struts
Recent work has completed the electrics and avionics, testing is done and all systems look to be working. The engine went on the mounts, oil adapter installed, mags set up and rough timed. The nose bowl is mocked in place waiting for the exhaust from Vettermans to continue with the cowling closeout.
To go are engine control cables, air filter mount, carb heat, cabin heat, gear mounting and brakes, tires and wheels, etc, etc. Seems like 95% done, you know how much is left to do!
Overall, it’s progressing well and I’m happy with craft so far. I’m really looking forward to getting some air under the wings.
Build on!
Young Eagles
Scott Bushnell and Richard Lewellen
YE Coordinators
Rich and I are working with Doug Seward to learn the details of holding a Young Eagles event. We’ve also chosen the date for our first event of the year. Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 13. This is also National Young Eagles Day.
As always, we’ll need lots of pilots and ground staff to make the day a success. Pilots can sign up and update their training status, if needed, here. Once we set up the online tool for the June event we’ll send instructions to volunteer for the event.
EAA is on a mission to fly 2.5 million Young Eagles before AirVenture 2026. That’s about 100,000 more flights needed before July 31. Chapters will receive $25 in YE credits for every new Young Eagles pilot we sign up between January 1 and July 31. Pilots who fly 25 or more Young Eagles between October 1, 2025 and July 31 will receive a limited edition commemorative cap. So join us to help the chapter earn more funds to support our YE events, and to give as many kids as possible their first exposure to aviation.
Membership Update
Rick Rathbun
Membership Coordinator
Another friendly reminder. It’s time to renew your membership for 2026. Just download the form here and send it to me at the address on the form, along with your $25 check, or hand them off to me at the monthly gathering this Saturday.
Safety Corner
Ross Mahon
Safety Coordinator
In reviewing NTSB accident statistics and reading through an article by Ron Wantajja in the EAA 26 newsletter, I’m reminded of some issues with aircraft ignition systems. They are generally pretty reliable if maintained but some accident information and AD notices indicate that they’re not bulletproof and can cause problems.
As Ron wrote about, in 2019 an RV-10 in Texas had a partial engine failure on takeoff that ultimately resulted in an off-airport landing with substantial damage but no injuries. Ultimately, the source of the failure was determined to be an aftermarket device which was designed to enhance the spark on the two separate magnetos, using the left magneto as the ‘source of truth’ for what the timing should be. You can probably guess the failure scenario: the left mag fails and brings down the right mag due to the ‘spark enhancing’ feature of the aftermarket device. Perhaps there are some details missing in the NTSB report; however, it does indicate that maybe providing some sort of commonality between two independent ignition systems may not contribute to reliability and safety.
One place that many aircraft have as a common point in the ignition system is the key switch on the panel. There are AD notices against the three switch manufacturers. (See Mike Busch’s webinar on this – https://www.eaa.org/videos/6342523605112.) In summary, his webinar is focused on the topic of a ‘hot’ propeller when the engine is stopped due to a failure of the key aspect of the switch which can result in the key being removed without the magnetos being grounded. But the key switch can also be a single point of failure for a system (of the engine) that is designed to be redundant. So why do we use the key switch on the ignition system? Why not two independent switches? If you need a lock, maybe consider other alternatives such as a lockable cover over the switches. Yes, it’s also nice to make it so that someone can’t unknowingly turn on a magneto switch (think kids in the cockpit…:).
When we were building up the firewall forward on the Gweduck I elected to not use impulse magnetos, as they have some reliability issues, and instead went with Slick magnetos and their ‘Slick Start’ shower of sparks system. This was a newer product and interestingly enough was designed to connect to both magnetos. Again, if you think about it, there’s that common point of failure for a system that is designed to be independently redundant—and this coming from the manufacturer of magneto systems! A few years later I was talking to the Slick people at Oshkosh and found that they had a service bulletin to disconnect the lead to the other (right) magneto and cut off the push-on lug on the model of Slick Start unit that we had. Subsequent manufacturing removed the option for connecting to the other magneto altogether.
In January of this year, a pilot in Illinois was flying a Zenair CH 750 with a ULPower 350i engine. While flying along, the pilot noticed that the heavy keychain was pulling the key out of the ignition switch. The pilot reached over with his gloved hand to rearrange the key but instead bumped the key to OFF. This shut off the ECU, including ignition and electric fuel pump, stopping the engine. When the pilot went to restart, the key was not inserted fully and broke off. The pilot landed in a farmer’s field. Mike Busch, in his webinar, also comments on not having other things on the ignition key ring as it can cause excessive wear on that critical component.
The engine spark is important! It comes from a system, or a pair of redundant systems, that, as originally engineered 100 years ago, was intended to be completely redundant due to (at the time) poor reliability. As we create and maintain our current generation and technology experimentals, let’s remember the separate-system intent of the dual ignition system for safe flight!
Join us on Tuesday, February 24, through Thursday, February 26, for an educational online event, EAA Virtual Ultralight Days. Subject matter experts of the ultralight community will present webinars on the lighter side of recreational aviation including how to get started in ultralights.
All live webinars are free of charge to everyone interested in ultralight aviation, with the live sessions featuring a Q&A segment. On-demand recordings of the presentations will be available to EAA members.
Here’s a list of some upcoming webinars and in-person presentations. Click on a webinar title to go to the registration page. And for the most up-to-date list and registration links, check out the chapter’s calendar at http://skagiteaa.org/calendar/.
The EAA webinars are listed at https://www.eaa.org/eaa/news-and-publications/eaa-webinars.
February
| Feb 3, 10, 17, 24; 5:00 – 6:00 pm | Social Flight weekly webinar: speakers to be announced, Cockpit2Cowl with Brian Schiff on 2/10. See www.socialflight.com. |
| Feb 4, 5:00 – 6:00 pm | EAA webinar: Mike Busch—Training Savvy Mechanics |
| Feb 10, 5:00 – 6:00 pm | EAA webinar: Museum series—The de Havilland Mosquito |
| Feb 18, 5:00 – 6:00 pm | EAA webinar: Tailwheel Flying Techniques |
| Feb 24-26 | EAA Virtual Ultralight Days: for a list of sessions and to register, go here. On-demand recordings will be posted after the event. |
March
| Mar 3, 10, 17, 24; 5:00 – 6:00 pm | Social Flight weekly webinar: speakers to be announced, Cockpit2Cowl with Brian Schiff on 3/10. See www.socialflight.com. |
| Mar 4, 5:00 –6:30 pm | EAA webinar: Mike Busch—Savvy Savings |
| Mar 11, 5:00 – 6:30 pm | EAA webinar: Rules, Ratings, and Conditions: Digesting the Alphabet Soup |
| Mar 18, 5:00 – 6:30 pm | EAA webinar: Museum series—IFR Procedures |
| Mar 25, 5:00 – 6:30 pm | EAA webinar: Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT): Are You Ready for the Unexpected? |
| Mar 21, 5:00 – 6:00 pm | EAA webinar: Avoiding the Base to Final Spin Accident EAA’s 1,000th Webinar! |
| Mar 26 – 30 | EAA Homebuilders Week: course listings and signup at https://www.eaa.org/eaa/aircraft-building/homebuilders-week |
In addition to SocialFlight Live’s webinar series on Tuesday nights (topics are announced 2-3 weeks before each session), there are a number of other webinars listed on their site. Go to https://socialflight.com to view their offerings and to register. Brian Schiff joins once a month for Cockpit2Cowl, which covers both flying and maintenance topics. The site also has a link to their YouTube channel, where you can catch up on past SocialFlight Live webinars. The Social Flight website also provides info about aviation-related events by geographic area.
Meeting Minutes
Kerry Taylor
Secretary
There are no meeting minutes this month since we didn’t meet in December or January. Join us for the monthly board meeting this Saturday at 9 am.
Chapter Leadership
| Larry Buerk | President, Newsletter Editor, Webmaster | larryb55@live.com |
| Bill Calvert | Vice President | billcontheroad@gmail.com |
| Kerry Taylor | Secretary | ktaylor.vet@gmail.com |
| James Nichols | Treasurer | janich78@gmail.com |
| Dan Holden | Sky Flight Coordinator | tail_wheel@hotmail.com |
| Scott Bushnell, Richard Lewellen | Young Eagles Coordinators | sbushnell2@gmail.com m20c201@comcast.net |
| Ross Mahon | Safety | rossair178@gmail.com |
| Rick Rathbun | Membership | rwrathbun@live.com |
| Jay Findlay | Hangar Manager | jayfindlay@aol.com |
| Stu Ashley | Food Czars Leader | ashleysc@broadstripe.net |
