Saturday’s Theme: A Beautiful Day to Soar
It was completely CAVU this Saturday for our May Chapter meeting. Both the Pavilion parking lot and the tie down parking were filling up quickly as the breakfast crew was churning out all the goodies for our pancake breakfast. One family driving down the road to get doughnuts, saw our road sign, and quickly turned around for a much more delicious option. I think they made the right decision!
Pancakes were flying off the griddle, and the Breakfast Crew was hard at work making sure that no one went hungry. Of the 75 people who attended the meeting, 65 of them bought breakfast.
Call to Order
Dick Keyt rang the bell to open the meeting and recognized the Breakfast Crew’s efforts. Thank you to all who cooked, served, and cleaned!
Dick then made a call for guests to introduce themselves. Jim Clements has been flying for 40 years and currently flies a Shrike. He is building a home in the Landings and is selling Beulah Field (01TX) near Graham, TX.
Oscar Garcia is looking to buy here in Pecan in the future and currently has a Breezy. He currently lives in Colorado and Florida but comes to Pecan often to fly and search for the perfect property to settle down.
Safety Minute
Our safety minute comes to you from the makers of the original, antiquated aviation lap belt. Dick Keyt began the Safety Minute by asking if anyone in the group still had original lap belts in their airplane. A few hands raised tentatively, unsure of where this was going. Many J3 Cubs still only have lap belts rather than a full harness setup. This seems strange according to today’s standards, but they came off the manufacturing line when even cars were built without mandatory seatbelts! Regardless of what type of restraint system you have in your own aircraft, he explained that it is important to inspect your safety belts routinely for wear and tear that may reduce their effectiveness. https://generalaviationnews.com/2026/04/23/is-your-airplanes-seat-belt-up-to-standards/
Youth Programs
“There’s nothing like watching a kid grin from ear to ear after flying for the first time!,” John Bowen announced. Our last Young Eagles Soaring Day for spring 2026 will be this Saturday, May 16th. Currently we have many kids on the list to fly and he made the call for volunteer pilots. It takes about a week to process pilot applications through EAA, so if you’re interested, please reach out to either John Bowen or Bruce and Geneva McJunkin.
John also noted that if you have already been approved by EAA and waivers signed, you are able to fly your own family members for YE credits at any time. Once a Young Eagle gets waivers signed and goes on the flight, they receive a logbook as well as access to the Sporty’s Private Pilot Course!
Ray Aviation Scholarship
One of the exciting things we do annually in our chapter is to offer a scholarship to a young pilot to earn their Private Pilot’s License. We have offered this scholarship the past few years, and it has helped several young people launch their aviation careers by providing funds up to $12,000 towards earning their PPL. Bruce McJunkin is currently accepting applications until May 31st. If you know of a young person looking to take to the skies, please direct them to: https://eaa983.org/2026/04/28/ray-aviation-scholarship-seeking-applicants/
Other Reports
- Bob Pastusek announced that the delivery of the Swift Fuel truck has been delayed. This fuel is only for those participating in the experimental fuel testing.
- Anyone requesting access to the GPS approach for 0TX1 has now been approved. If you would like to be added, please contact Bob Pastusek.
- Charlie Adams announced that we are still awaiting FCC approval for the switch to the new frequency for both runways here in Pecan. He will send out an email once this is approved and in use. The new frequency will be 123.075.
- Greg Walker announced that he is working on a Chapter Airplane Photo Gallery. He has had a lot of response, but there are so many cool airplanes within our ranks, and he would like to showcase as many as possible. Please email any photos and information about your aircraft to Greg.
- We still have several EAA 983/Pecan Plantation navigational chart merchandise items left: 1 coffee mug and quite a few aprons. Please stop at the registration table to purchase a cool gift for someone…or even yourself!
- Zach Milton announced that the hangars at the Landings will be opening up for purchase as early as July. They will have options of 50′ x 50′ and 50′ x 60′ with limitations on commercial and residential use. If you would like to get on the list to purchase, please email Zach at zmilton@pattenco.com.
- Dick Keyt made a Glider Club announcement: they currently have 5 gliders, 2 of which are flyable. The others will be project gliders for Club members to learn and build up to flying status. They are looking for grants to help find a dedicated hangar space for the club to meet and build. The Glider Club meets often in Pecan and currently flies out of Chigger Field near Cresson, TX. Both kids and adults are welcome to come to Glider Club, and you can even get a Free Introductory Flight! Please contact Dick Keyt or Ray Lewis to get more information.
Program: Up, Up, and Away!
Did you know that Abraham Lincoln was a Techie? Well, not in today’s standards by any means, however he was very interested in new innovations especially when it came to flying hot air balloons to serve his war efforts. Pecan local, Jay May regaled us with the history of hot air balloon development during the Civil War.
Hot air balloons were nothing new in the 1860’s; the first untethered flight took place in 1783 in Versailles, France. In July of 1861, Thaddeus S.C. Lowe demonstrated a balloon, the Enterprise, sending a telegraph from 500 ft. above the White House. The message described the aerial view of Washington D.C. and the surrounding military camps. It should have read “If you don’t use this technology, you’ll lose.” Lincoln immediately saw the advantage, granting the US Army permission, and establishing the Union Army Balloon Corps.
During the battle near Falls Church, VA in September 1861, hot air balloons were first used to direct artillery fire. Subsequently, the Balloon Corps developed several new innovations to assist the Union Army. First, they developed portable hydrogen gas generators on wagons to assist with filling the balloons almost anywhere. They could fill a 32,000-cubic-foot balloon in about 3 hours. Second, they established a means for transporting the balloon and gas generator up the river on board the USS George Washington Parke Custis. The USS GWPC was a coal barge that outfitted with a gas generator and towed by other vessels up the river to be closer to the battlefront, essentially becoming our first aircraft carrier!
Other interesting tidbits to note:
- Each balloon could carry between 1-5 people.
- Balloons were often made in bright colors to intimidate the Confederate Army, no one likes being “watched!”
- The Union Balloon Corps flew 7 balloons, the Intrepid, Constitution, Washington, Eagle, and the Union. Their flights totaled over 3,000 ascensions between 1861-1863.
- To generate hydrogen gas for the balloon, the Corps used iron filings and sulfuric acid to create a reaction in the gas generation wagons.
- From 1,000 ft AGL, you would be able to have a bird’s eye view spanning 38 miles!
Thaddeus Lowe also developed gas-generating buggies for use in the field. The hydrogen-gas generators were copper-lined wooden tanks mounted on Army wagons measuring approximately 11-feet long by 6-feet tall and 5-feet wide.
Balloon barge USS George Washington Parke Custis.
-On November 18, 1861 the G.W.P. Custis was towed ~20 miles down the Potamac by the steamer Coeur de Leon to Mattawoman Creek, Maryland to observe Confederate movements on the Virginia shore. This was essentially the first aircraft carrier!!
Thank you Jay for an uplifting talk about this little known technological advance!
VMC/IMC Club – We did not hold a meeting this month due to our EAA Flying Start event.
Flying Start – After our regular chapter meeting, many pilots stayed on to participate in our Flying Start Day. This was an event for aspiring pilots aged 19+ to join with mentor pilots who will provide a free introductory flight, information on how to achieve their flying goals, and to connect them with local instructor pilots. Bruce and Geneva McJunkin planned and organized the event, but it would not have been a success without the help from all the pilots and instructors who volunteered their time: Larry Ellis, Mike Lewis, Bob Pastusek, Tom Woodward, and Don McDonald.
All total, they flew 7 adult Eagle flights, and 3 Young Eagle flights at this event. A huge thank you to all who helped, and I hope I didn’t miss anyone.
Thank you to all who stayed to store the tables and chairs and help put the airplanes back in the hangar! Stay tuned for June!