Board Meeting Minutes for the month of July, 2011.

EAA Chapter 105 Board Meeting
21 July 2011

Attending this evening: Ron Poe, Len Kauffman, Ron Singh, Michelle Smith, Bruce Rose, Rion Bourgeois, Bob Duncan, Joe Miller, John Jessen, Jerry VanGrunsven, Dick VanGrunsven, Benton Holzwarth and Tom Louris.

First business, the May and June meeting minutes were approved without further correction.

Tool Crib:

• Bruce suggested adding a filter-cutter to the tool inventory. We were surprised there wasn't already one in the kit, but agreed buying one would be a good idea.
  
  

Breakfast Ops:

• Len reports one of the large coffee brewers used for chapter breakfasts has stopped working. Mike McGee will shop up another.
  
  
• Joe Miller took advantage of a sale and bought three packages of plates at Costco.
  
  
• Len needs someone to take over as breakfast crew-chief. Suggestion made to post the need at the breakfast cashier stand. Perhaps offer that the posting would be for just one year rather than open-ended like most ongoing tasks seem to be.
  
  
• Duty incentives: As we've become more open to breakfast duty opt-outs participation has fallen, leaving the rotation to come around more frequently to those of us that don't. Ideas were tossed out to encourage folks to continue to help. We agreed that airplane-motif aprons were likely not the answer. John suggests we need to 'market' the breakfast a little, apply some peer pressure. Len suggests Ron make an appeal at the general meetings.
  
  

Runway Safety:

• Not a breakfast issue per se, but the problem occurs mostly in conjunction with our monthly breakfasts at Twin Oaks. Dick has raised the issue in the past of non-fliers and even pilots doing dangerous things around the environment, due to ignorance or carelessness. Issues have been kids not staying attentive to the propellers of planes starting unexpectedly, and recently a couple instances of people crossing the runway while planes are landing or readying to take off and photographers working on that most dramatic image. We designed and had made a couple signs last year directing parents to keep a hand on their kids and more for the runway crossing warning people to look both ways and cross only when safe. It helped, but people are again pushing the limit.
  
  
• Dick proposed that we ratchet up our effort with a multi-prog approach of education, additional safety markings and policing. Education will include notifying our members of the problem and providing handouts that highlight the new rules we'll operate under.
  
  
• Dick also proposed marking a bold line down the length of the runway shoulders, with paint and/or brush killer. The lines would be lines to remain behind until the runway is safe for crossing and they'd likely be set back further from the runway than many people would expect. No one but pilots and passengers of the planes parked on the overflow (west) side of the runway will be allowed to cross the runway.
  
  
• We'll also provide 'crossing guards' in bright vests. The local CAP cadets have been approached about joining us to help with this task and seem eager to help. [ With the first breakfast that included their help behind us now, they were delighted to help with something related to airplanes and seemed to have a great time. It was perhaps their first introduction to experimental aviation. --Ed. ]
  
  
• Dick proposed a short list of rules, e.g. 'No one is to cross the runway once an airplane is on final, or ready to depart.' BobD offered to take Dick's rough set and work it up into something we can present to the pedestrians and scatter among the tables and at the cashier stand at breakfast. [ Bob went through a couple iterations, circulating work-ups to the board, and printed off several copies on heavy paper, ready for the next breakfast. --Ed. ]
  
  
• The CAP cadets were also armed with stacks of them to hand to arriving pilots. Bruce is a uncomfortable with asking the cadets to be enforcers, directing people when it is safe or not safe to cross the runway. We agree that they'll be given fairly carefully worded instructions about making sure the guests understand they're responsible for their own determination of safety, but the cadets can point out when it's clearly 'not safe' by our rules. Jerry suggests putting some of the rules-cards in the hands of the cadets on the overflow side, so they'll have the card in hand before their first crossing. $100 was voted to purchase a set of safety vests and whistles for the cadets. BobD agreed to do the shopping. [ By e-mail later, he requested a nominal increase, the total had come out to a little over $100. --Ed. ]
  
  
• John suggests some guidance for pilots as well, reminding them to practice all safety habits when starting their engines and taxiing. Jerry reminds us that we can *all* take some responsibility if we see anyone doing things contrary to safety, we can all be involved.
  
  

Porta-Potty:

• Bob Stark approached us about splitting the charges for renting or buying a couple porta-potties, one to be located near our chapter hangar. We've decided to not push it from our end, will wait for the Stark's to pick it up again.

Youth Outreach:

• Michelle spent $16 on printing for scholarships. Additionally, KimV has notified us that she'll need to step down as Young Eagles lead.

Website:

• The chapter Facebook page is now active, and we'll be moving towards using that and the website for communications, and backing off from the paper or e- versions of the stand-alone chapter newsletter. It's about getting our message out, and getting younger people involved.
  
  
• Regarding the newsletter, editor Sandy had said she'd continue through the summer, but would have to give it up when school restarts. John proposes that we move immediately towards retiring the newsletter and start moving that content to the website and Facebook. The plan is to put out one last 'good bye' letter and begin directing people to the other media. The Facebook page can serve to push 'teasers,' links to more extended bits on the website. John suggests looking at the Vans Aircraft Facebook page for an example of how it can be done.
  
  
• John also had questions about how people feel about putting commercial ads on the chapter website. He was reluctant to push the open house at Garmin, knowing at some level it'd be a 'selling op' for them. Most of us seemed to be less concerned, able to make our own decisions about which we want to participate in and John agrees he can post these sorts of opportunities in the future.

B-17 'Aluminum Overcast' visit:

• RionB, TomL and Bruce Eicher debriefed after this year's visit. All in all, it was a successful visit, with decent weather for the duration this time.
  
  
• Ron had previously floated the idea of talking to the nat'l folks about changing the venue. Rion had talked with one of the nat'l tour folks about which stops do the best and Seattle and ?? led the list, in part because the stop is attached to a popular museum. This led to the thought that MMV with the adjacent Evergreen Av museum might be a candidate. There's also the risk that MMV is so much further from Portland than HIO, and we might see a significant drop off in attendance. We have until November to sort out a decision.
  
  
• Next year's team will again be RionB, TomL and BruceE.

NW RV Fly-In recap:

• The event was almost completely rained out. Len made the only fly-in arrival, via instrument approach. Everyone remained in good spirits but mostly hung out in one of the hangars. We have a lot of extra shirts; the -12 guys will take several, but we'll have extras for some time. The Nehalem fly-out was the same day as the RV fly-in and was similarly rained out.

Upcoming events:

• The 'Oregon Int'l Air Show -- Hillsboro' is Aug 19-21. John Polos is organizing the chapter booth setup and volunteers. Rion suggests maybe the chapter could do more volunteering there as well, not just in our booth but helping the show in general, maybe manning a cook-tent or something, as they're a worthy cause. It's too late to organize something like that for this year, but maybe consider it for next year.

50th Anniversary show:

• John, Dick and Ron have been leading the planning. No traction lately. They're targeting something in October, perhaps.

Hangar issues:

• Most of the chapter's stuff is out of G-3 now. There's still a stove and table and some Al sheet. Misc fiberglass material. The misc parts will be made available to chapter members for their projects.
  
  
• Rion is taking care of the -9 tail kit.
  
  
• We've concluded the radial-arm saw hasn't been used since it arrived and can be disposed of. Joe Miller agreed to move it out of our space and into his.

Director reports:

• Michelle: The Bogardus trust funded and six flight scholarships have been awarded. Michelle will write up the results for John.
  
  
• Bruce: He's willing to host the holiday party at his house this year. Last year we went through a protracted search for some rental space that never netted any positive result. It's terrific to have this decided this early. Thanks, Bruce.
  
  
• Rion: The chapter is moving forward in our charter to encourage youth participation. He notes that the CAP cadets currently meet at a church. He'd like to offer them the use of G-1 on Monday's for their meetings. The board agrees that this would be a good use of the chapter's resources. It does bring up the issue of porta-potties again. Bruce offers to touch bases with Bob Stark on what his earlier proposal had been, what the costs would be.
  
  
• John:  He remembered that he was supposed to do something electronic about the roster, so he brought that up again.  He'd agreed to make up an e- version, as a .pdf, and Benton still intends to make up a paper copy. John also reminds us that we decided to begin aligning the dues renewals to the turn of the calendar year.
  
  
• Tom: The Cruise-in/Fly-in at McKinnon is on again this year. This is the event at Mike Reese's old place. Mike died this year, but his family is continuing the event, a benefit for the Sandy River Kiwanis.
  
  
• Benton: We'd been encouraged to join in the cruise-in/fly-in event at Scappoose. It wasn't very clear, but this event is in conjunction with the NWAAC fly-in.
  
  
• Len: Needs a fresh copy of the breakfast volunteer available list from the chapter database. John or Ron will provide.

With no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:15.