February 2026 Monthly Meeting Minutes

A Valentine’s Day Crowd

We had an amazing turnout at this last meeting despite the pouring rain and the fact that it was Valentine’s Day. Our members must really love airplanes! Though it was damp and chilly, the griddles were hot and the coffee was flowing. I counted just over 75 people in attendance, and Bill sold 65 breakfast plates. A huge thank you to all who helped set up and cook our pancake platters.

 

 

Call to Order 

Dick Keyt opened the meeting with a call for guests to introduce themselves. We had quite a few new faces this weekend. 

Cal Moreland, USAF and retired American Airlines pilot, came to the meeting with his longtime friend, Bob Satterwhite. Rumor has it that they trained together at American Airlines. 

Kathy Cosand, retired USAF and TWA/American Airlines flight engineer, wants to get checked out in a small airplane again. She also shares some of her talent by making quilts for veterans. 

Steve Walker served in all four branches of the military and has now retired. He lives here in Pecan and is looking for a hanger for his C-182 and Grumman AA-1B. 

Henry Earlick, who is a long time Pecan resident, is happy to be here at this month’s meeting. He used to fly a Cessna 170 called “Fun Time Airways.” If anyone would like to volunteer to bring him each month, please let us know. 

Blake and Braydon Burson came this month with their grandmother, Kay Guess. They plan to move up to Granbury from the Houston area soon. Blake will be attending Tarleton State in the fall, and both are very interested in aviation. 

New EAA members, Skylar and Jacki Davenport, have recently moved into the Landings. They have a Bonanza V35B and love to fly with their family. Skylar flies for American Airlines and the USAF, and Jacki is retired USAF. She is currently running for PPOA BOD. 

David and Sheri Tyrrel want to move to Pecan Plantation and have recently sold a Cessna Cardinal. They now have a Comanche. 

Last, but certainly not least, Jeff Clifton is a retired AF A-10 pilot who recently moved to Landings East from Alaska. He has just purchased an RV-10 kit. 

A warm welcome to all the guests at our meeting this month. It’s always interesting to hear everyone’s story while trying to connect the dots to see if they know someone you know. Aviation is a small world, and there have been many times when we are somehow linked to the new faces we meet on a Saturday morning. 

Safety Minute

This month we had a non-aviation related safety briefing. Don McDonald mentioned a great way to stay safe driving your golf cart. Rather than slowing traffic down on Plantation Drive, he spoke up about a safe scenic route from the Pavilion to Pecan Foods. After turning onto Orchard Drive, make the last right turn on Pebble Beach. Taking Pinehurst, Hightower, then Village Rd. and you’ll pop out at the corner by Pecan Discount Drug Store. Thanks Don!

EAA Updates

Member Aircraft Gallery: Greg Walker is currently in the process of updating our Aircraft Gallery. So far, he has many of our members’ airplanes catalogued on the website. We’d love to showcase all the cool aircraft we have out here in Pecan at both 0TX1 and 66TE. Please email photos and/or articles about your tail number from any publication (online or print) to Greg Walker (walkergp@aol.com) or Kliff Black (kblack@kliffton.com). You can view the Member Gallery at https://eaa983.org/member-projects/ 

EAA Member Photo Directory: We are looking for a volunteer to help with a special project. Problem: We have a growing membership and we recognize their name, but can’t seem to put a face to it. Solution: What if we added a member photo to our online directory? We are looking for a volunteer to help out with this endeavor. If you’re interested in working on this, please contact one of the Chapter Officers or Board Members. 

Swift Fuels testing: Bob Pastusek is a member of the LOBOs (Lancair Owners and Builders Organization). He is currently working with Swift Fuels to test whether or not their high performance, lead free avgas will mix and perform well with traditional 100LL. Soon, a Swift Fuel truck will be parked near the fuel farm at 0TX1 so that Lancair pilots that have signed up to be a part of the study can fuel up locally. Steve Wilson made an interesting point that these fuels are being tested to ensure their ability to mix with 100LL, but not with other, competing lead free fuels like Gami. Please note: This fuel will not be for general aviation! Please contact Bob Pastusek if you are interested in being part of the trials. 

Young Eagles Soaring Day: John Bowen has organized several flying days for Young Eagles. There will be 3 this Spring, and 3 in the Fall. 

Our next Young Eagle Flight Day is March 21st, 2026. This will be a special day for our JROTC volunteers and Pecan Friends/Family. Here is the link to sign up: www.eaachapters.org/event-details/YE2581KE9

We are also looking for new pilots to help fly all these Young Eagles. The pilot requirements are as follows: Private Pilot License, Current Medical and Biannual Flight Review, $100k minimum liability insurance/seat, and a background check. If interested, please contact Bruce and Geneva McJunkin or John Bowen. 

Please consider flying future aviators, we need to inspire them to take flight! 

First Flight Jacket: When one of us succeeds, we celebrate! After 5 years, Scott Davis finally completed and flew his beautiful RV-14 on October 11, 2025. To commemorate this momentous accomplishment, Dick Keyt presented him with a special EAA First Flight Jacket. Job well done, Scott!

 

 

 

 

Program: Lt Col Ivan “Jerry” Singleton

 

Lt Col Jerry Singleton was commissioned into the USAF in 1962 after completing an aeronautical engineering degree at the University of Tulsa. He had flown many airframes during his 20 year military career including 255 combat missions in Vietnam in the F-100D Super Sabre, and several missions as a door gunner in a Huey Gunship with the Army. For these various missions, he was awarded the Silver Star and two Distinguished Flying Crosses. 

In 1969, he graduated from the USAF Test Pilot School, became an instructor pilot in the F-104 Starfighter, NF-104A, and A-7 aircraft. This set him up to become a Project Manager of the NF-104A supersonic aerospace trainer that was used to train astronauts. During his program, he expounded on the remarkable NF-104A and its capabilities.

Nicknamed ”A Rocket With A Man In It,” the NF-104A was an extremely rare aircraft. The Aerospace Research Pilots School (ARPS) used three of these aircraft to simulate flying in an extremely low/zero-G atmosphere. They were modified with a larger vertical stabilizer, two extra feet added to the length of each wing, and two yaw thrusters on the nose. Engineers also added wing thrusters called an RCS (Reaction Control System) which would allow the pilot to control the aircraft in zero-G. 

Lt Col Singleton spoke in detail about the “zoom” profiles he and other pilots experienced while testing these incredible aircraft. They would accelerate at 35,000ft to Mach 1.9, then would light the rocket. On reaching Mach 2.1, they would pitch the aircraft up and continue to climb at a steep angle. Once the rocket ran out of fuel, the pilot would continue over the ballistic arc to achieve zero-G. They were afforded only a couple precious minutes to run a few tests with the RCS before descending back to Earth and restarting the engine for a return to base. 

As always, our special guest program did not disappoint! It was an exhilarating program that left many of us envious about Lt Col Singleton’s flying history with such an impressive aircraft. I know many of us in the audience were imagining flying along with him as he was describing zoom-ing through the skies. Many thanks for an informative, inspiring talk!

VMC/IMC Club

Our VMC/IMC club met right after the main EAA meeting. Doug Crumrine and Dick Keyt led the discussion of both the VFR and IFR scenarios.

Thanks to all who stayed to store the tables and chairs and help put the airplanes back in the hangar. See you next month!