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A couple weeks ago I got a note from Mike Arntzen, one of the folks on the Microsoft Pilot's distribution list. I'm not sure how you do it, but Mike mentioned that he "accidently" bought half an Avid Catalina and wondered if I'd come take a look. Hummm.. Mike is one of the well-known Cessna pilots on our e-mail list, so the conversion from Cessna, to finishing a half-complete project was going to be interesting for sure. Well...I had the opportunity to visit Mike and the project today and see what a Catalina looked like. I'd seen a video on the web, but hadn't had a chance to see one up close.
Well, as Mike said, it's probably 60-70% complete, and pretty close to applying the cover. The wings appear complete, most components are installed in the aft fuselage, some instruments, some wiring, the engine was installed at one time, and a lot of fiberglass is done. That said, there's still a lot to do.
Mike has some time in the Austrailian Air Force (avionics tech) and currently works for Microsoft. He and a partner bought the project basically from a neighbor, have access to a lakeside hangar on Lake Samm, and hope to use the Avid to fly to Harvey and Boeing Field to access their other aircraft (sure beats the drive!).
We should start seeing Mike around the Chapter meetingssoon, and look forward to seeing the Avid come together. Besides, it's a good opportunity for Tom Staggs to use his new seaplane rating when it comes to first flight!
Not much going on, but I thought I'd post a couple gratuitous photos of Jason Hills KISS taken enroute from JeffCo to Auburn.
Every once in a while we do get some nice days, it just seems that lately, they've been few and far between!
That time again!
The May meeting will be held on Tuesday May 18th, 7:00 PM, at the Redmond Library (the normal spot). The meeting topic will be Tom Staggs' presentation on first flight considerations and seems to be good timing with several chapter projects coming close to flying this year. If you weren't around when Tom gave this several years ago, it's a good presentation.
I'm sure John will also put out notification for pre-meeting dinner, and for Redmond, that usually means Oobas in downtown Redmond, a block from the Ben Franklin store.
See you then,
Jim
I received this note from Dave Fritzche, EAA Chapter 326 at Pierce. Jason Hills and Jim P participated last year and had a great time, so we certainly encourage everyone to participate if you can.
I would like to invite you to join us in flying Young Eagles again this year. We will be flying on Saturday June 26 at Thun Field from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. We had a great response last year and look forward to an even greater response this year. We love to see the smiles on their faces as they depart from the aircraft. I hope to see you on the 26th if not before.
Dave Fritzsche
Young Eagles Coordinator 2010
Mt. Rainier EAA Chapter 326
E-mail: fritzsch@eskimo.com
