Mile after mile after mile

Did you know that one Kansas farmer feeds 128 people plus YOU? Grain elevators,trucks and prairie dog holes were the scenes for the day. We've made it across the plains!

Breakfast Send Off... Photoshow

Click on SEE SHOW below to view PhotoShow of Lee and Nancy's Breakfast Send Off that took place this morning. They are on the way to the west coast for a 30 day ADVENTURE!

SEE SHOW

Pilots Needed!

Attention: All Whiteplains Pilots!


I just got a call from Col. Tucker, with a request to fly 10 young eagles from the Lexington HS Jr. ROTC Cadet program in October. The date is October 21, 2006 which is a Saturday. If we are unable to fly (due to weather) on the 21, October 28th would be our backup date.

This is a good opportunity for you to share in the excitement of flight with a young person that is interested in flying. If you have never flown a Young Eagle before this is your chance, and if you have, then you know the excitement that is seen in the face of the cadets after a flight.

The cadet program reimburses pilots for a portion of fuel used.

Please consider this so we can get all 10 cadets flown next month.

Thanks! Looking forward to hearing from you.


Don Cook
Whiteplains Young Eagle Director
email: duckey123@hotmail.com
Phone: 803-808-1993

Runway Work in Progress!

Thanks to Jim Wheat for the use of his rented John Dear Tractor, and with the help of Jim, Bill Como, Don Cook and Rick Miller we were able to remove many of the R/R ties on the north side of the runway. Micah Froese donated some dirt that was used to fill in areas of the runway shoulder that was in need of filling. We also were able to dump two loads of dirt behind the Van Warmers lot that was erroding due to water run off from the runway. Micah also blew down the taxi way in the area we were working at. Jim Wheat leveled the pile of dirt that was along the taxi-way that was used as a stop-gap for water errosion in that area.
All of the R/R ties were removed in front of Neal and Nancy's home, and all of the lower ties down by runway 9's end. Low wing airplanes can now safely use the taxi way.
Thanks again for all the hard work. Much more needs to be done, but this is a good start in the right direction.

PhotoShow Pilot's Meeting

Click below for short Photoshow of last Pilot's meeting.

http://www.photoshow.net/watch/Qh2Mk3sn

WHITEPLAINS PILOT'S ASSOCIATION

Monday September 18, 2006
Ray Hill, VP
Hosting Hangar, Jim Wheat
AGENDA
Welcome Pilots and Guests
Statement of Purpose
" The purpose of the Whiteplains Pilots Association is to promote aviation safety, camaraderie among the Whiteplains pilots and promote
communications with the pilot community."
Sign in Sheet with e-mail addresses
GUEST SPEAKER
Maj Brent Sprouse, Chief, Flight Safety USAF

Acceptance of August 14, 2006 Minutes
Old BusinessNew Business
Announcements
Treasurers Report; Terry Yon
Airside Report; Don Cook
Safety Report; Todd Falstad
Residential Side Report; Bill Como
Whiteplains Board Report; Ken Plesser
Cash Drawing

PILOT'S ASSOCIATION MEETING

Pilot's Meeting Reminder

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

JIM WHEATS HANGAR

JUST A REMINDER !

IF ANYONE HAS AN AGENDA ITEM PLEASE CONTACT ME BY SUNDAY PM.

Board Meeting

There will be a regular meeting of the Whiteplains Plantation Association Board of Directors and Leadership Team on Thursday, September 28, at 7 PM in Ken Plesser's hangar.

Please advise ASAP if you are unable to attend. We will do our best to accommodate everyone's other plans to the maximum extent practicable.

If the meeting runs over two hours, or if the 28th is unacceptable to a large number of folks, the backup date is Monday, October 2.

Agenda coming later.

Ken

PILOT'S ASSOCIATION MEETING

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

7:00 p.m. Jim Wheat's Hangar

Our guest speaker will be Maj. Brent Sprouse, Chief Flight Safety Officer at Shaw AFB. We will also have door prizes and a cash drawing.

If anyone has an agenda item for this meeting, please contact me this week.

Labor Day 2006

Today was a fun day at Ray and Laurie Ackerman's place located on lake Murray. Many of Whiteplains residents were out in force to enjoy the day, with lots of food and fun for all. I'll post a few of the pictures that were taken. Pictures by James Wheat and Don Cook. I'll put a Photoshow together later.
Click on photo for full size.

Whiteplains UNICOM #9: The Saga of the Beacon

The mission of the Whiteplains Pilots’ Association includes a commitment to aviation safety. One of the possibilities that has been under discussion for many years is the installation of an airport beacon to facilitate visual recognition at night. This UNICOM will discuss the background (thanks to Nancy Van Wormer for the history lesson) and then go on to discuss what we are currently doing.

Ray Elam, former hangar owner and pilot, was an active member of the Pilots’ Association. He often flew at night and found it difficult to locate SC99 in the dark especially when arriving from the north. Before his untimely death in April 2003, he proposed that a beacon be erected at Whiteplains on his hangar (which is now owned by James and Joann Kiesler). After Ray's death, Lloyd Krueger donated the present tower and, under the direction of Lee Van Wormer, the tower was erected. An aircraft wingtip strobe was placed at the top of the tower; it operated for some months before failing.

The next opportunity to revisit the beacon issue came in 2005 when the State Division of Aeronautics offered us (at no cost) a surplus beacon in need of refurbishment. After some engineering analysis, we concluded that we could restore it to operating condition for a few hundred dollars but (at over 100 pounds) it was too heavy for the present tower’s structure. It was also much too bright (two 1000 watt bulbs), creating the potential for light pollution for residents and nearby neighbors.

Later, a search of available commercial devices revealed a six-pound airport identification strobe designed for private airports. It flashes alternating green and white, just like a rotating beacon, has a clear night visibility of 15 miles, and consumes only 250 watts.

In the Fall of 2005 the members of the Pilots’ Association voted to endorse the acquisition of a beacon. The plan was that the beacon would be pilot-controlled, would only operate for ten minutes at a time, and then only when a pilot manually turns it on with five clicks of the mike.

In the Spring of 2006, the Board of Directors voted to scrap the plan for a beacon, feeling that it was of limited usefulness and therefore not needed. Given the vocal support from a number of pilots who offered to donate money toward the $895 installation, the Board reversed its decision a few months later, agreeing to support the installation if the pilots would make donations equal to the purchase price.

At the August meeting of the Pilots’ Association, Vice-president Ray Hill showed a photo of the proposed beacon and renewed the Pilot’s Association support of purchasing and installing it. That evening, $130.00 cash was raised by auctioning items donated by Ray, along with $35.00 in cash pledges. Another Pilot’s Association meeting is scheduled for September 18 where discussion of the beacon will be on the agenda; hopefully, we will have a good turnout.

All pilots, particularly those who fly at night, can support this community effort with a donation to the beacon project. Ray Hill is coordinating the fund-raising effort.



Ken Plesser, President
Whiteplains Plantation Association


Lee Van Wormer, President
Ray Hill, Vice-president/Secretary
Whiteplains Pilots’ Association