Message from the President

The Christmas party ended up being a blast. Dinner was again Honey Baked Ham and Turkey with four of their side dishes. We added to that with a couple of additional side dishes and desserts. We passed out awards and ran a silent raffle for a few prizes (See below for details). I’d like to thank Zoe for spearheading the raffle idea. It was a wonderful treat for everyone. And the best part is that we didn’t run out of food this year. We will however need to get more pies next year; those were on everyone’s favorite list.

I was hoping to have settled on more information for our upcoming meetings, but weather was uncooperative and our board

meeting was delayed due to foul weather. We also missed our Coffee & donuts. Thankfully, a lot of our schedule was already set, so I’ve added that information below. I’ll get the empty dates filled in for February’s newsletter.

I sent out some incorrect information last month; we cannot apply for both a full Ray scholarship AND two matching scholarships;

it’s one or the other. So, we elected to share in the cost and get two matching scholarships instead of the one. We sent in our application and now we wait to see whether we received the two awards or not.

We’re still planning to evaluate a new website over the next couple of months. So, stay tuned for further information.

January’s meeting is still on the books, and we’ll be hosting a rep from Denver’s FSDO to speak on FAA Wings training and how that program works. So, if you want more information, then you should show up to our monthly meeting on 17 Jan 2026. Lunch will follow the meeting from 11-noon.

February’s meeting is still scheduled for Chris Guarente to talk about his experience and his new experimental aircraft design. I can’t wait to hear about that.

March will be exciting as we’ll be kicking off the 2026 Young Eagles program on 14 Mar 2026. So, get ready for our next wave of young aviators. If you were not already aware, EAA National is pushing for our biggest milestone yet, 2.5 million Young Eagles flown by AirVenture this year. Our anniversary dinner is scheduled for 21 March 2026 from 6-8PM at The Spaghetti Factory and we will be selling tickets for $35 per person. It’s the same price as last year and I look forward to seeing you all there. We’ve had a very steady showing the last three years and I’d like to see that grow this year.

April’s coffee and Donuts will be sharing the day with Young Eagles and our second annual Fly Market. It’s spring-cleaning time, so clean out the hangar or garage and see if you can pass on some equipment for someone else to enjoy. Stop hoarding all those goodies and see if we can’t get more aircraft flying this year.

The MLAA are planning a list of their own activities this year. The airport should be much busier this summer. So, watch for that schedule to come out and I hope to see you there.

Please let me know if any aircraft are currently in Phase 1 testing or have recently completed that and been awarded their Airworthiness Certificate. I’d like to spotlight those in our monthly newsletter. So don’t be shy, speak up and show off your new aircraft.

Bill Epperson Jr.
President
Bruce McCombs EAA Chapter 72

2025 Year-End Awards

MVP/Member of the Year	Al Spratford
Volunteer of the Year	Doug Dal Soglio
Pete Gonzales Spirit of the Year	Hank Bartlett
Lifetime Achievement Award	Jim Steward
Young Eagle Pilot of the Year	Robert Latham

Christmas Party Silent Auction winners

Discovery Flight / Springs Aviation	Doug Lesh
Discovery Flight / Glider Flight	Lucy Westenburg
Skybolt flight w/ Mark Steward #1	Tom Westenburg
Skybolt flight w/ Mark Steward #2	Ashley Johnson

EAA VMC Club - Question of the Month

We all know that in an emergency, we can deviate from the regulations to the extent needed to deal with the emergency. According to 14 CFR § 91.3(b): "In an in-flight emergency requiring immediate action, the pilot in command may deviate from any rule of this part to the extent required to meet that emergency."

Typical VFR emergency situations include:

• Engine failure or mechanical malfunction
• Severe weather or visibility loss
• Fuel exhaustion
• Disorientation or navigation failure
• Medical emergency onboard

But what if the emergency involves someone on the ground? Are we authorized to deviate from the regulations in order to assist with a true emergency involving someone on the ground, perhaps someone with a medical emergency, when other means of transport are unavailable?

EAA IMC Club - Question of the Month

You are planning a night cross-country flight under FAR Part 91. What are the obstacle clearance requirements, and where can you get information regarding obstacle heights?