26th Annual Illinois Ultralight & Lightplane Safety Seminar
Article by
Brian Gilomen
The Illinois Ultralight Advisory Council (IUAC), the Illinois Department of
Transportation, Division of Aeronautics, and the Federal Aviation
Administration, Springfield FSDO, presented the 26th Annual IUAC Ultralight/Lightplane
Safety Seminar on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2006, in Springfield, IL. As always, a
contingent from the FVFC was present. I counted nearly a dozen of us.
John Matula, Brad Wolf, Phil Bolenbaugh, Mike Benevelli, Phil Duff, Larry Gehrig,
Gordy Gillen, Tom Houghton, Bruce Riemenschneider, Joe Simoski and I all made
the trip, waking up hours before dawn, navigating down that long stretch of
I-55, and arriving early enough to mill about the rather sparse exhibits.
The safety seminar was held in the Illinois Building & Auditorium on the
Illinois State Fairgrounds, behind the 30-foot statue of Abe Lincoln.
After registration from 8:00 am to 9:00 am, and reasonably-priced coffee and
doughnuts, the 400-seat auditorium pretty much filled up for Frank Beagle's
opening remarks and the first seminar of the day: a presentation by John
D. Cotter, Interim Chair of the SIU Dept. of Aviation Technologies, on propeller
balancing. After a much-needed break (following all that reasonably-priced
coffee), Roy Beisswenger gave an informative talk about what you need to know to
pass the Sport Pilot Practical Test: that butt-in-the-pilot's-seat
examination and oral grilling that many of you are likely to enjoy in the
not-too-distant future.
As in previous years, the Scouts dished out a catered meal for lunch. The logistics of that lunch were pretty horrendous, with the queue so long that those at the front of the auditorium found themselves standing in line by merely standing up. Some lucky folks got the Bar-B-Q, which was mighty tasty. The rest got the chicken, which wasn't bad, but was a distant second place to the beef. The best stuff was to follow lunch: an interesting presentation on how to obtain meteorological information, and detailed information on Rotax Engine maintenance.
Eventually they got around to the raffle of some valuable prizes, including an ICOM A-6 radio and tickets to Airventure 2006. Those of us who attempted to maximize our chances by stuffing all our stubs in the jars for the big-ticket items walked away disappointed, but after all was said and done, a good time was still had by all.
Where To Now?
Evan Chases Tail the Hard Way!
Keeping your Cool on a Hot Day: a Coolant Primer
Poor Laywers make it Big in Waaaaay-Off-Broadway Show!
26th Annual Illinois Ultralight and Light Plane Safety Seminar