Next Meeting - The next meeting will be Monday, Aug 2 at 7:30 p.m. at GMU - Greenville Downtown Airport. All members and guests are invited to attend.

July Meeting – 18 members and 5 visitors met. We talked about the aircraft tax issue and liability insurance. Lots of talk about Van's planes, RV4, RV6, and RV8 and a video that showed them off very well. There is a good series of 'how to' articles on the running and care of, available free for Lycoming engines, at their website:

www.lycoming.textron.com for the nethead in you… Look under support/publications.

Also, a reminder that chapter 249 has it's own website - https://www.angelfire.com/sc/eaa249/

Warren DeMars is updating the website, in lieu of sleep, and welcomes your additions.

SC Airplane Tax - Alex Dukes and I checked on the way aircraft taxes are levied in SC. The state auditor has the equivalent of an automotive 'blue book' that is used to determine value according to make, model and year of the aircraft. There is a certain millage on this value. Tax notices are sent out a few months before they are due. If there is a problem, or you feel the tax is excessive, do 2 things in order: get an appraisal (they won't consider a thing without it!) and send in a request for reconsideration, with the appraisal, BEFORE the tax deadline. John Ellenberg, among others, is a licensed A/C appraiser. 3 questions still to be answered - how does the state know you have an aircraft, do you need liability insurance in order to fly, and why is the tax on antique cars so much less than on antique (or any) airplane.

From the Flyer, July 9,1999: "Aircraft owners in SC, expecting a rollback in personal property taxes, took a big hit last month when the state Legislature dropped aircraft and boats from a package of tax breaks." They were expecting a drop from 10.5% to 6%. A survey notes only about 30% of SC aircraft owners pay taxes on them.

** When told that his mother had just soloed a sailplane, our son's astonished reply was, "I knew she was taking lessons, but I didn't think she was learning anything."

** A wife reports that her husband, an airline pilot, often has difficulty locating items around the house. One day he asked where the salt was.

Annoyed, the wife responded, "How on earth can you find Detroit at night in a blizzard, but you can't find the salt in your own kitchen?"

"Well, darling," he replied, "they don't move Detroit."

** From ORD tower/tracon :

* "Expect lower at the end of this transmission."

     * "Citation 123, if you quit calling me Center, I'll quit calling you twin Cessna."

* "About three miles ahead, you've got traffic 12 o'clock, five miles."

* "If you hear me, traffic no longer a factor."

Young Eagles Update II - The goal for EAA Young Eagles is for every member to fly 10 children in 1999. Stevens Aviation is planning a Rally on September 25 at GSP - they always put on a real professional show. Share the thrill of personal aviation with the next generation. Stevens Aviation has mailed out sign-up sheets for their 25 Sept. rally. Call 879-6000 if they missed you.

Good Paint Jobs - I am on the Piper Owners net (that's another story) and a thread came thru talking about a man in rural KY that does VERY GOOD, VERY REASONABLY PRICED paint jobs on aircraft and has for years. His name is Herb Goff, he's in Leitchfield, KY , which is about 30 miles north of Bowling Green. (502) 242-9269. He often quotes jobs at 50% or so of the going rates and has references and testimonials about the quality of his work. The downside? His shop is far away from any major airlines ( on the airport property) so you'll need a ride home and back when the job is done - but isn't that what fellow pilots are for?

NOTAM - If there is a RED DOT on your address label, you are late with Chapter 249 dues. See Dave Meyer with $12 in your hand and join the 'paid in full' flyers around you! Help us get enough in the kitty to have a ‘do this year.

Websites - Some sites with aviation-related weather topics, etc. =

http://tgvs7.nws.noaa.gov/weather/index.html - METARs

http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/iwin/graphicsversion/bigmain.html - weahter videos

http://www.rap.ucar.edu/weather/model.html - aviation weather models

www.rap.ucar.edu/largedrop/integrated/index.html - icing forecasts

Are You Comfortable Flying into Busy Airports? - The FAA Aviation Safety Program and AOPA Air Safety Foundation present a seminar on this topic Monday, Aug 16 from 7 - 9 PM at Greenville Tech's Library auditorium (right behind the main entrance on S. Pleasantburg). They'll cover communication procedures, ground operations, traffic control, clearance delivery, planning tips, wake turbulence, noise abatement and more. Free. Good discussions, worth the time.

E.A.A. CHAPTER 249

P.O. BOX 5792

GREENVILLE, SC 29606