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December 2007 Issue

Christmas Party / December Meeting
John and Joyce Myers hosted the chapter Christmas Party at their Flying M Ranch on Saturday, December 8th. The Christmas party was well attended with plenty of good food, fun conversations, laughter and comaradarie. Outgoing Chapter President Harley McGatha commented that the friendships of EAA 890 members are what makes this chapter such a pleasure to be a part of.

A very large thanks to John and Joyce for making this year's party a memorable event.

Dues are Due
Annual chapter membership fees are $10 and are due in January. Please see Dr. John Isbell to pay your membership.

The Latest on the Never-ending User Fees Debate
On December 20th Congress passed and President Bush signed the Omnibus Spending bill; a $555 billion dollar, 3,500+ page, pork-laden (but that's another story) appropriations bill . Somewhere among the over 9,000 earmarks in this 14 pound document was an extension of the current FAA funding legislation.

The FAA funding issue if far from resolved. The House of Representatives passed H.R. 2881 - the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2007 - on September 20th, but the Senate has yet to pass an FAA authorization bill. Currently, the government's authority to collect aviation taxes -- and spend from the aviation trust fund -- will expire at the end of February. The current version of Senate Bill 1300 STILL contains user fees. And President Bush in the plan he announced before Thanksgiving to reduce airport congestion and delays, included a call to pass the administration's FAA funding bill that would increase GA avgas taxes by 263% and impose user fees. Although the House bill basically retains the current funding system, the Senate bill is still an unknown. Remember, once both chambers pass a bill, they will be sent to a conference committee to reconcile the differences where both bills can change significantly.

Congress must address this issue by February 29th in order to maintain operation of the FAA. Please take the time to contact your Congressional delegation about this issue. Tell them you support HR2881 as it was passed (i.e., no user fees). To see an issue overview, visit http://www.aopa.org/faafundingdebate

It is important that we make our voices heard on this issue. Contact information for our local congressional delegation >>

Upcoming Events

Fly-in Breakfast - December 29, 2007
Chapter 890 will be hosting the next fly-in breakfast on Saturday, December 29, 2007. Breakfast for members begins at 7:00 and is open to all others from 7:30 AM to 10:00 AM CST. Please contact Laura or John Bundy if you would be willing to help in the kitchen, or hangar cleanup.

Young Eagles - January 12, 2008
Young Eagles flights will be offered on Saturday, January 12th from 9 am to Noon. Bring your young aviation enthusiast to the airport for a free introduction to the world of flying. Young Eagles that complete the orientation will receive a free flight in a general aviation plane and a certificate of completion.

Chapter Meeting - January 12, 2008 at 10 AM
The regular chapter of meeting of EAA 890 will be held at the Fort Payne FBO at 10 AM. If the weather is nice and we have lots of Young Eagles, the meeting may move to the EAA hangar.

Newsletter Archives

November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007

Website

As you know, the website is new and still a work in progress. If you see errors or if there are additions you would like to see, please contact Laura Bundy (laurabundy@roadrunner.com). Photos and articles are always welcome.