$20 million Google Lunar X Prize  6-2317:  To win the $20 million Google Lunar X Prize, a private company must land on the moon, have its spacecraft travel 500 meters across the lunar surface, and transmit high-definition video back to Earth. It looks like a company by the name of MoonEx might actually do it. The magic secret to make the project all happen is a rocket engine they designed call the Rutherford engine. Does the name Ernest Rutherford sound familiar? He's was a New Zealand-born British physicist who came to be known as the father of nuclear physics. One of his students was a person by the name of Niels Bohr who used to argue with Einstein about quantum physics.

Boeing's 777X Wing Factory 6-18-17:  Inside Boeing's massive new factory to build the composite wings for the new 777X, a machine will lay up fiber composite tape for the upper a right wing skin for one of the jets giant wings.The machine can rapidly lay up 20 tape strips of this composite one layer  at a time.  It's a lot like plywood, but a lot more complex. The building, which represents a billion dollar investment by Boeing into its Puget Sound base, was commissioned just a year ago. Over the last 13 months, it has been turned into a  functioning factory, complete with machines, to get the 777X program up and running. Next door is Boeing's main Everett factory where the first  777X will be assembled next year.The first flight is slated for 2019 and first delivery to airlines in 2020.

VFR In June   6-15-17:  Crazy weather this year is setting records all over the place. Pop-up thunderstorms can change or delay a flight with the best made plans. I read an article a while ago and the writer said that every flight is a new experience. With a little wind and turbulence, that saying is bound to come true. The tankers and cargo planes shooting touch and go's at Pease can add another dimension. Sometimes the ride to the airport can be a new experience... what does 435 hp sound like?

Trump Weekend TFR's NJ & NY 6-9-17:  NOTAMs have been published (FDC 7/7870, FDC 7/7871, FDC 7/7872, FDC 7/7941, FDC 7/7942, FDC 7/7960, FDC 7/7961 and FDC 7/7962) that will affect flight in the area during President Trump's planned visit.  30 NM RADIUS TFR -- NEWARK - 30 NM RADIUS TFR -- BEDMINISTER

FREEAIRPLANE RIDES FOR KIDS 8 THRU 17 “EAA YOUNG EAGLE FLIGHT RALLY” 

To Be Held At Rochester, NH’s, Skyhaven Airport Saturday, June 10, 2017. A Parent or Legal Guardian’s signature is required at time of registration. Registration will be held in the Skyhaven Airport Pilot Lobby starting at 8:00am and ending at 4:00pm. Pancake Breakfast (8am to 11:30am) & Barbeque Lunch  (11:30am to 3pm). To benefit Annual EAA Chapter 225 Aviation Scholarship. For more information about Young Eagles Flights see their web site www.youngeagles.org. For more info & updates about this rally & future rallies like us on Facebook @ EaaChapter2251210,or visit online: www.225.eaachapter.org This event is solely provided by members of local EAA Chapter’s 225 & 1210. All flights are FREE and provided by EAA volunteer pilots. 

35th America's Cup Sail Boal Racing Has Changed:  6-3-17:  Flying on Water may sound like a metaphor for boats but after watching the video the literal meaning of the word flying seems to fit in there someplace.The latest class of boats, driven by the winning Oracle Team USA, was dubbed AC72 and encompassed catamarans of up to 86-ft. with giant wing sails. These boats also introduced the concept of hydrofoils, sailing gear that lifts the boats out of the water at speeds over 40 knots (46 mph) and became one of the competition’s few areas of design freedom and differentiation. The hydrofoils (or daggerboards in some sailors’ parlance) are designed to minimize drag and boost power, lifting the catamaran hulls out of the water so they appear to fly through the air across waves at speeds approaching 60 mph, nearly double what was possible prior to use of foils.

TRUMP TFR IN BANGOR MAINE 5-25-17: Trump TFR announced for Bangor Maine by AOPA, ON SATURDAY, MAY 27, 2017, 8:15 PM local until 11:15 PM local Saturday, May 27, 2017  Bangor Daily News

TRUMP TFR IN NEW LONDON, CT ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 17 5-15-17: Trump will be giving the commencement address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London Conn. One article said that each year, the president delivers the commencement address at one of the U.S. military service academies.

EAA 225 Meeting Location To Be At The FBO Pilot Lounge 5-9-17: Hi All, This is a quick update on our upcoming meeting tomorrow, Tuesday May 9th at Skyhaven.  Due to construction in the ramp area we will be having our meeting in the FBO building (main terminal).   ... MORE
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QUONSET AIR SHOW - FREE ADMISSION! 5-7-17: Have you been to the Quonset Air Show in Rhode Island? I haven't, but it looks like quite an event that talks about their award winning show. The list of performers is quite impressive with Mike Goulian giving a video on their FaceBook page.

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Trump Weekend TFR's NJ & NY 5-4-17:  NEW YORK CLASS B AIRSPACE TFR Location Within the lateral limits of the New York Class B airspace From the surface up to but not including 18,000 feet MSL. Times:  3:45 PM local until 10:00 PM local Thursday, May 4, 2017

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Trump Weekend TFR's Moved to Bedminster NJ 5-2-17: "Trump is expected to decamp from his weekend retreat at the Mar-a-Lago Club in West Palm Beach to spend more time at one of his golf clubs in New Jersey. The town's mayor Steve Parker expect's his own business, running the local Somerset Airport, would take a hit. Parker sent a letter to his congressman that estimated the cost of police overtime for the president's anticipated visits to the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster this summer at about $300,000." ...MORE

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Upcoming EAA 225 activities  May 5 & 6  5-1-17: On Friday, May 5th we will have a BBQ/Skyhaven Airport meeting at the FBO hangar in the evening.  This public meeting is presented by the Skyhaven Airport Advisory Committee and will feature topics including: the Airport Revitalization Committee's RFP for airport services, including mechanic, flight school, FBO, fuel sales, etc. The second item for this month is our first Young Eagles rally of 2017 to be held on Saturday, May 6th at Sanford Regional Airport.  Breakfast will be served and all EAA volunteers/pilots are entitled to free breakfast from our grill.   Young Eagle pilots will eat free all day. ... MORE
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VFR To Hampton  4-28-17:  Flying in southeast New Hampshire gives pilots a chance to practice flying in all types of airspace including "B", "C", and "D" space. We also have MOA's in the mountain areas and RESTRICTED airspace over the Bush compound. Back on April 4th I reported seeing 12 F15's on the ramp. Apparently they didn't stay very long because you can't see them in this current video.  As it turns out, there were 14 F-15's getting ready to go back to England where they are stationed. When they left they blasted out of Pease with their afterburners on and woke up a few people in the neighborhood. CLICK HERE FOR F-15 ARTICLE

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Company Benefits From Trump TFR! 4-22-17: West Palm Beach-based REG Architects has emerged as a clear winner from President Donald Trump's visits to his Mar-a-Lago estate. REG is building the Mar-a-Lago helipad, the "first presidential" construction project at the club. But fixed-wing and helicopter flight schools, aircraft rental and maintenance shops, banner advertisers, are grounded by the TFR! "We lost about 30 percent of our revenue last month." Marian Smith, owner, Palm Beach Flight Training owner for 19 years. Aviation businesses at PBIA and the county’s three general aviation airports say Trump’s weekend stays at Mar-a-Lago have cost them about $250,000 in business, and some of their customers, worried about continued Trump visits, already are fleeing to other airports. NORAD F-15s from Homestead Air National Guard Base and military helicopters intercept small planes with "unsettling encounters" with F-15 jets.
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INSTANT WEATHER STATUS 4-22-17: Thinking about going for a flight? Local or cross-country, find out with one click on the Skyhavennh website and get the big picture METAR map and you need not go any further. If your map looks like this, you're not going anywhere.

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TWO FLYING MACHINES?  4-21-17: AOPA newsletter recently featured two articles about new flying machines ready to make their debut. One of these articles or both, appear to be a tongue-in-cheek commentary about two machines that are extremely out of the ordinary, and in one case absolutely ridiculous.

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ROBOT CO-PILOT?  4-16-17: A company called Aurora Flight Sciences contracted by the government agency DARPA is working on a robot mechanical manipulator that can be installed in an aircraft like a Cessna Caravan. It's not really an auto-pilot, but a robot that manually moves the controls like a co-pilot would do. They claim the equipment can be removed and the plane put back to its previous condition. Here's a YouTube video that shows it in action.   VIDEO

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EAA 225 April meeting, 11 April 2017   4-10-17: Bill Beauvais, Ultralight Chapter 67 president, will have a presentation on Corvair engines for aircraft.  Specifically, he recently attended Corvair College and built up his engine.   He will have a powerpoint presentation and most likely some show and tell on the build process.  It should be quite interesting. The meeting is this coming Tuesday, April 11th.  Meeting starts at 7:00PM and come early to socialize. MORE
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Sun'n Fun Begins  4-5-17: First major US fly-in kicks off in Fla. The Sun 'n Fun International Fly-In and Expo in Florida is the first major US fly-in of 2017. The event begins 4-4-17 and will feature AOPA's Cessna 172 Sweepstakes plane. Tuesday morning, the show’s management reports that vendor attendance is the highest in the show’s history and is up 25 percent from the 2016 numbers. Sun 'n Fun director Lites Leenhouts told reporters Tuesday morning that he sees increased participation as a sign the economy has turned a corner.

FAA Pilot's Handbook Updated
3-13-17 The FAA website that has the handbooks and Manuals in pdf format and ready for download is pretty comprehensive. Each chapter is a separate download with high resolution graphics. You can also download the whole book in one low res pdf file that's only about 58 MB. Meeting the private pilot currency requirements can be challenging and requires a constant vigilance on staying up-to-date with airspace changes, biennials, and of course, piloting skills. Actually, the order of importance would be reversed. All the knowledge in the world won't help if your piloting skills are not up to date.
 

EAA 225 March 2017 Newsletter 3-12-17  Hello Everyone, Hope you all find the newsletter interesting.  Please note there are some really great EAA webinars for the balance of March and for April.  Enjoy! Regards, Gerry